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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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Hitting the Books September 03, 2001 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/laptops/soa/Hitting-the-Books/0,2000065761,120237454,00.htm
Time to break out the books--the notebooks, that is. Students looking for feature-packed portables with plenty of processing power will find these new mid-price laptops to be real class acts.
Analysis The beach towels are still hanging out to dry, but it won't be long before students from the elementary to doctoral level begin gearing up for a new school year--and, in all likelihood, hitting up Mum and Dad for some presemester seed money. If your student is one of the growing legion of laptop-lugging learners, then you're probably scouting around for a good deal on a solid, mainstream portable computer that will suit his or her note-taking and Web-researching needs. We evaluated four such notebooks that deliver fitting firepower for most academic settings without breaking the bank. Because your child is probably going to be using the notebook for a handful of mainstream tasks that don't require top-of-the-line performance, a solid midrange CPU and matching components are all he or she needs. To meet our filter, we asked vendors to provide us with notebooks featuring at least a 600MHz Celeron processor, 128MB of RAM, and a 10GB hard drive. We set the price ceiling at AU$4,500. An internal modem was also a requirement, as was either a built-in or PC Card Ethernet adapter. Although a modem is useful for using a dial-up Internet connection, Ethernet connectivity is fast becoming a necessity on many college campuses for high-bandwidth access to the school computer network. Most students value convenience over extreme portability, so we looked mainly at what are called "three-spindle" notebooks, units that can accommodate a floppy drive, a hard drive, and an optical (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM) drive simultaneously. Of course, with all three drives inside, these notebooks weigh more. (The two notebooks included in this roundup--the Compaq Presario 1700, and the Dell Inspiron 2500 --weigh in at roughly 2.5 to 3.5 Kgs.) Some students, however, will accept a notebook with more limited functionality to reduce the carry weight. Academic use is only one consideration; inevitably, these notebooks will serve double duty as entertainment platforms. Because of the slower processors and lower-end graphics chips in these systems, however, none of the notebooks reviewed here is a particularly good gaming device. But opt for a DVD-ROM drive, and any of them will at least deliver acceptable DVD-video playback. One excellent back-to-school choice that's conspicuous in its absence here is the new Apple iBook, which was not available when we compiled this roundup, but did make it in on time for a stand-alone review in this issue. If you're not attached to the Windows OS, the iBook offers everything you'd want in a student notebook, including a tough polycarbonate plastic case, a powerful 500MHz PowerPC G3 processor, a 10GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM drive, 10/100mbps Ethernet capability and 56kbps modem, and a weight of under 2.3 kgs. Compaq Presario 1700
The 2.3kgs Compaq Presario 1700 is the only two-spindle device in our roundup. (A two-spindle notebook can simultaneously accommodate a hard drive and either a floppy drive or an optical drive.) With a fast-performing 800MHz Pentium III processor, a 15GB hard drive, and a high-power graphics subsystem under the hood, this sleek, fashionable system is a great choice for students who value portability without entirely forsaking flexibility. This AU$4,500-direct system's silver-matte finish with dark battleship-grey accents and stylish detailing will cut quite a profile on most college campuses. And that beauty comes with a considerable amount of brawn: The Presario 1700 scored the fastest benchmark results in our roundup. The Presario 1700 also lasted nearly 4 hours on our BatteryMark test, thanks to its large 3,600mAh lithium-ion battery. The notebook's 14.1-inch XGA display provided rich, bright colours and adequate off-axis viewing, while the Rage Mobility-M graphics chip and 8MB of dedicated graphics RAM delivered good full-motion, full-screen video. But with a score of only 6.6fps on our Quake III Arena test (which approximates standard desktop-computer settings for colour depth and resolution), the Presario 1700 is not recommended for serious gaming, though it will do in a pinch during the occasional study break. The notebook's case features a single swap bay that accommodates either a floppy drive or an optical drive (an 8x DVD-ROM drive, in our test unit), permitting hot-swapping via Softex's BayManager utility. The Presario 1700 reflects its futuristic approach to computing in its connectivity options as well, doing away with the old-fashioned serial port in favor of an S-Video-out connector and dual USB ports. Because it features an internal modem and Ethernet adapter, its single PC Card slot should suffice for most users. Although the Presario 1700's keyboard doesn't quite compete with those of the Dell notebook we looked at, we were more than pleased by its firm feel, excellent travel, and substantial, satisfying click when the keys were depressed. We found ourselves chastising Compaq for abbreviating the size of the Backspace key and placing it to the left of the Home key, however. Also, while the fully programmable Synaptics TouchPad is housed in an attractively designed wrist rest, the snazzy-looking actuation buttons don't have enough travel to make them easy to use. But a third programmable rocker button, located beneath the actuation buttons, gives you four-way scrolling functionality or a host of other capabilities. The volume, digital-music, and one-touch Internet buttons above the keyboard are welcome features, though resetting the targets of the Internet buttons is a hassle: You must first log onto the Internet and handle this operation online. In fact, Compaq has done away with the standard Windows Internet wizard in favor of a Compaq login screen that you must use to get online the first time. Notebook novices may appreciate the added ease of use this affords, but seasoned users will probably find it a hindrance. Our evaluation model shipped with Windows Me and Microsoft Works. Electronic documentation includes the excellent Compaq Knowledge Centre, a compendium of troubleshooting tips and usage wizards, but we would also like to see complete electronic versions of the user manuals. Compaq Presario 1700
Pros: Attractive price; terrific performance; good battery life; nice aesthetics; fine keyboard; above-average video-playback and audio quality Cons: Quirky cursor-actuation buttons; programming Internet buttons is difficult Editors' Rating (10 is best): 7.0
Dell Inspiron 2500
With good performance, a top-notch display, excellent documentation, and a keyboard that rivals those of most desktop systems, the Dell Inspiron 2500 makes an excellent choice for students who aren't too concerned about their laptop's weight. The boxy Inspiron 2500 tips the scales at a hefty 3.44kgs, a considerable load to carry back and forth to the library every day. Still, it's a winner in most other respects--and at AU$2,598.20 direct, it's even a pretty good bargain. In today's market, where the aesthetics of electronic devices are decidedly streamlined and futuristic, the matte-black Inspiron 2500's gaudy silver logo and unsightly interchangeable colour wrist-rest panels seem a throwback to a tackier time. Don't let this dissuade you, however. Opening the case reveals a gorgeous 15-inch screen capable of displaying XGA resolution at 24-bit colour. The optional 4MB video cache card in our evaluation model was able to drive external displays at resolutions up to 1,600 by 1,200 at 256 colours. Dell's industry-leading Web site allows you to customise your Inspiron with ultrafine granularity; our evaluation unit came equipped with a fixed 8x DVD drive, a modular floppy, and a 10GB hard drive, all of which the system accommodates simultaneously. Performance for this 700MHz Celeron system did not stand out among the test group. Battery life for the Inspiron 2500's 3,800mAh lithium-ion cell (a "smart" battery with a push-button LED charge meter) was adequate at just over 3 hours. Using the Inspiron 2500 is a pleasure. It's been quite a while since any notebook's keyboard has rivaled the much revered ones in IBM's ThinkPads--until now, that is. Dell has obviously been listening to its customers, equipping the Inspiron 2500 with a keyboard of uncompromising feel and layout. A full-size Backspace key, arrow cursor controls set far apart from the other keys, and arguably the best feel of all the keyboards here make it a luxury to type on. Dell complements the keyboard with a fully programmable Synaptics TouchPad with two large, if slightly stiff, actuation buttons. Above the keyboard lie a hardware volume control and a row of dedicated keys that serve as both audio-CD controls and one-touch launch buttons for applications or the Net. The keys are easy to program via the icon in the system tray, but we have been critical of Dell in the past for not engineering a way for these buttons to toggle quickly between their two intended purposes. As it is, you must switch their functionality with the Keyboard control panel, an awkward arrangement. Once you get your music CDs playing, you'll be quite pleased. Audio was rich-sounding and powerful, with just a hint of distortion at top volume. We found the operation of the hardware volume controls to be buggy, however, particularly during DVD playback; we couldn't get the sound loud enough for our tastes. The full-motion, full-screen video looked good for a notebook of this caliber, with only the rare hiccup. And although gameplay was by no means stellar, it was certainly acceptable. Dell preloaded our Inspiron 2500's hard drive with its usual excellent assortment of help files, electronic documentation, and diagnostic tools, all under the umbrella of the well-designed Dell Solution Centre utility. Dell Inspiron 2500
Pros: Good all-around performance; good video and audio quality; large display; terrific keyboard; affordable price Cons: Comparatively heavy; quirky audio/application buttons; questionable aesthetics Editors' Rating (10 is best): 6.7
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