True road mavens won't leave home without their trusty laptop. What's more, many people are replacing their aging desktop computers with portable versions with as many bells and whistles. Now, the
newest-generation
notebooks, powered by Pentium 166-MHz and 200- or 233-MHz "Tillamook" processors, are more capable than their predecessors of becoming true desktop replacements.
We judged 26 portables that hit both ends of the price spectrum, ranging from $2600 to $5700. All employ 166-, 200-, or 233-MHz CPUs. We tested a good sampling of what's currently shipping and chose to focus on 166-MHz nonbeta models with stable drivers. For this roundup, we sought systems that have 166-MHz processors or better, 1 MB or more of video RAM, 32 MB of memory, 2.1-GB hard disk minimum, a maximum of 512 KB of L2 cache, and two batteries. (Reference manuals and user guides were also judged, and they contributed to each system's usability score.) You'll n
otice a few systems reviewed here don't exactly match that feature list; we wanted to make sure that the most useful configurations were tested, and we note variations where necessary.
Unfortunately, some vendors introduced systems too late for testing, and others fell out for various reasons. We had already reviewed a beta version of the new ThinkPad 770 from IBM (see "The Best ThinkPad Gets Better," October BYTE). The first PC notebook (called the PowerTrip) from former Macintosh clone maker Power Computing was not ready for review in time to meet our deadline. Fujitsu, Nimantics, and Samsung also missed our testing deadline.
What's Hot, What's Not
Evolving trends in laptop design aren't hard to spot. Support for Zoomed Video and CardBus are common. We also saw some support for MPEG hardware acceleration for playing full-screen video smoothly at 30 frames per second. And designers continue to improve placement of device bays.
Integrated modems are becoming a standard for high-end
notebooks. Additionally, integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports showed up on nearly all the machines we tested. A few systems, like Micron's, include both trackpoint and touchpad pointing devices. Function keys provide access to configuration tools for each pointing device.
A handful of computers we tested had 13.3-inch screens. These could display full-screen, full-motion video. Many of the remaining laptops sported 12.1-inch screens. More than half the laptops in our tests have a maximum internal resolution of 800 by 600. But vendors like Gateway, Micron, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Sony, Sharp, and a few others provided screens that support 1024 by 768 pixels.The Gateway 9100XL supports 1280 by 1024 maximum internal resolution.
In addition to better screen resolutions, other breakthroughs are apparent. A few vendors, like Dell, Micron, Gateway, AMS Tech, Sceptre, WinBook, Eurocom, and Micro International, include huge hard disks with 3 GB of space. On the CD-ROM front, Micron broke new grou
nd by sending in a system with a 20X CD-ROM drive.
233 MHz: Built for Speed
Mobile MMX CPUs running at 200 and 233 MHz, in addition to the existing 166-MHz CPUs, are available in a variety of configurations. The mobile module, which integrates the Pentium CPU with MMX technology, a portion of Intel's 430TX chip set, and the pipeline burst static RAM L2 cache, powers many of the machines tested. Systems based on Intel's P55C processor can reach speeds of up to 166-MHz only. With Tillamook processors, laptops now reach 200 and 233 MHz.
The first to utilize a 0.25-micron manufacturing process, Intel's Tillamook processors are expected to enhance chip performance 20 percent over their 166-MHz counterparts. In addition, they are expected to consume 40 percent less power than previous high-end mobile processors. Lower battery consumption can accommodate increasingly powerful components, such as high-resolution color displays, 20X CD-ROM drives, 56K modems, and high-capacity disk drives.
A
s components become increasingly more powerful, the need for longer battery life continues. The 166-MHz systems currently operate at 2.45 volts. Tillamook laptops operate at a core voltage of 1.8. Yet the next generation of laptop components, including 24X CD-ROM drives and 14-inch displays, may negate any reduction of power and heat.
Six of the 26 systems have 200-MHz (or faster) processors. Because these were early prototype or beta units, we chose not to declare one a winner. There are three 200-MHz MMX CPUs in this roundup, from Chem USA, AMS Tech, and MicroExpress. Sceptre, Micro International, and Eurocom were able to send us 233-MHz systems for evaluation.
Contributors
Steve Platt and Andy Froning
, Managing Editors/NSTL
Dorothy Hudson
, Project Manager/NSTL
Jeff Hudson
, Tester/NSTL
Maryanne Eves
, Acquisitions Editor/NSTL
Michelle Campanale
, Technical Editor/BYTE
Linda Higgins
, Ed
itorial Associate/BYTE
illustration_link (76 Kbytes)
Illustration based on the Micron TransPort XKE.
26 No-Compromise Power Portables
