I've posted my preview in new thread, because it is not visible as a reply (made almost 2 days ago) in hologram's thread.
--------------------------------
I have this thing for two days now, so I can write only a preview
Config (specs):
CPU: iP 1.86/2mb/533
RAM: 512x2/533
HDD: 80 8mb 5400 (Samsung)
Video: 6600go 128mb (EDIT: 375 core/350 mem)
Cooling system: default (NO Arctic Silver paste or whatever)
Notice: point system is based on my personal opinion, where 10 is superb, 5 - so,so and 1 is awfull
Notice: my english is bad, so sorry
Built quality (8.5/10)
(+) feels very solid; not much (or no at all) "cranckle" sound when lifting or carying around; sits on the table very stable and does not move; keyboard feels solid; touchpad is ok; philips dvdrw drive feels sturdy; the lid closes gaplessly (unlike acers'); you can take out battery and wont loose stability;
(-) the silver top of the lid can be scrached easily; touchpad buttons and hotkeys are little clumsy;
EDIT: NOTICE: I mean touchpad sounds clumsy design is ok.
Design and size (9/10)
(+) looks nice; blue leds not to bright (batery - amber/green); somewhat not thick (on thin side); when closed, lid is hold by a magnet (like top class asus); not heavy (measured ~2.8KG without power adapter); fan openings are on the right, but there is no strong airflow when the fan is on; notebook rear side is higher than front side (like keyboard) so it's a bit more comfortable to type; palm rests comfortably (no sharp edges);
(-) fn key is in the corner (swapped with ctrl); network jack is on the right and my mouse is on the right; no forced reset button; there is fan opening at the bottom;
Noise and heat (5/10)
(+) dvd drive is very silent and there is no strong vibration; well samsung hdd also is silent;
(-) right side gets warm (where cpu, gpu and vram are located); at idle state fan goes on (and is kinda loud!) every 5-6 minutes when gpu reaches 75C and cpu 60C (before updating BIOS to the version Q3B61 it was 1-2 minutes); when there is a load on cpu and gpu, fan goes on at full throttle constantly (so looouuud, that I barely can hear integrated speakers at normal volume settings) <- !!! read notice below;
NOTICE: it feels that after updating bios fan loudness decreased.
NOTICE2: now I adopted to the noise and do not give attention to it.
NOTICE3: it gets warm but not hot, so for me its ok.
Screen (8/10)
(+) WOW there is a light sensor! (like on top HP's - to turn on: fn+home); brightness is ok (ajustable in 8 steps) and even at the lowest brightness settings one can work normaly; I can't measure exact response time, but it feels around 30-40ms; viewing angles horizontaly are ok (about 160); contrast is ok; didn't noticed any sparkling (as I've read in some posts); no bad pixels; no reflections (Acers CrystalBright is a horror story, or maybe this is not well known additional feature - you can use it as a mirror
);
(-) viewing angles verticaly are a bit narrow (about 10top/40bott), but almost all notebooks i saw have this weakness; colors are a bit "washed out" when working with office applications; screen reacts to strong sudden outside vibrations (hit table with hand) <- !!! not sure anymore;
NOTICE: more info on screen - I guess, that one of these screens is used: or AU B150PG03 (dot pitch 0.218, colors 262K, view.angl. 80/40, bright. 200, contrast 300:1, response 25ms) or CPT CLAA150PB03 (dot pitch 0.218, colors 262K, view.angl. 45/40, bright. 200, contrast 350:1, response 30ms)
Service and support (NaN/NaN)
(+) Wrote an email, got an answer
Graphics card and performance (NaN/NaN)
(+) Cool. Fast. (maybe will write more later)
(-) No drivers at nVidia (c'mon, green goblin, ATI has drivers for BareBone systems)
NOTICE: 3DMark2005 (no changes in drivers or Mark - def. tests: Game1, Game2, Game3, Cpu 2of2; def. settings: 1024x768, AAxNO, Filtration optimal, HLSLVS 3_0, HLSLPS 3_0, fix. framerate off)
PowerMizer=Maximum Battery Savings: 677 Marks (cpu 4026)
PowerMizer=Balanced: 1353 Marks (cpu 4107)
PowerMizer=Maximum Performance: 2695 Marks (cpu 4194)
NOTICE2: it seems, that nVidia has tweaked some hidden driver settings to get maximum performance, if you change those hidden settings to "quality", 3DMark scores will be lower.
NOTICE3: it is possible to use nVidia's drivers (but that is undocumented and I do not guarantee good results): download detonator, try to install and press ok, when it says, that your notebook is incompatible, then check your disk c: - there you'll notice folder "nvidia" (which is created at the install time) and from here you'll be able to install drivers manualy.
Sound card (9/10)
(+) Very good sound, plenty of options; ability to change audio jack operation; 7.1 support; integrated speakers sounds normaly; 3 audio jacks; hardware accel (not sure, but must be);
Cpu, bios and mem (NaN/NaN)
(+) CPU runs at 800Mhz when idle; bios/system/hdd passwords;
(-) Bios has small number of settings (you can change few parameters like boot order or switch audio on/off and thats almost all); CPU has no DEP (Data Execution Prevention Bit);
NOTICE: read notice on changing cpu voltages below
Connectivity (NaN/NaN)
(+) 4 USB2.0, 1 FireWire, IrDa (tested, works), PortReplicator, SD/MMC card reader, 2 USB on one side, 2 on another, PCMCIA, LAN (10/100/1000), Modem, Wireless support, Bluetooth support; VGA out; Video out;
(-) USB's are located not in a row (attention if you have thick usb devices), no wireless pci card only anthena (card must be bought separately), no bluetooth card/adapter (must be bought separately); has no integrated microphone or vga camera;
Battery (5/10)
(+) not heavy
(-) depletes fast (idle ~2h40min)
NOTICE: it is possible to play a little with software tools like CHC to decrease cpu voltage (let say at low speeds) and prolong battery life.
Typing (8/10)
(+) If touchpad is disturbing you, you can switch it off, or turn (adjust) palm detection settings, keyboard feels solid, responsiveness of kb and touchpad is good, no clumsy sounds when typing; Volume down/up/mute buttons; Wireless and bt on/off buttons; 2 user programmable buttons;
(-) constantly hitting fn instead of ctrl, arghhh.... (maybe someone knows program or driver to reverse those keys?)
Included software and hardware in da box (5/10)
Not impressive: Driver disk, Modem cable, Battery, Users manual, Powercord+adapter
(-) Driver disk has no bios/fan/cpu control or monitoring program; users manual is, hm... how to say, just to be ; no manufacturer (Quanta) labels or other information on the box/manual/cd;
Photos
There are plenty of them on the internet.
(http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/images/g3-11/)
Tiny conclusion (NaN/NaN)
Best suitable for non-heavy-desktop-replacement.
Looks solid, like business notebook.
No more thougts yet, maybe later.
--------------------------------
Here are replies to my preview/review from members:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laptop<3
excellent review! rember once you undervolt you temps would ramaticully change and the fan should hradly come on try it!
Yes, temps does change too - for example after setting 800MHz to 0.716V cpu temperature dropped by 8C.
However fan still turns on (only the intervals of silence are longer) - thats because of gpu (I do not understand why nVidia can't make automatic voltage and mhz corrections like ati... or they are made and I just don't know about them?)
I asked support about this (fan and heat) issue, they replied, that this is performance notebook, so it is normal.
-----------------------------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by hologram
...
Wow, I didn't know about the light sensor until now. Although, is there a way to toggle it off?
press fn+F4 or fn+F5 - if brightness does not change - light sensor is on and screen brightness is adjusted automaticaly, to turn it off press fn+home again...
--------------------------------
I have this thing for two days now, so I can write only a preview
Config (specs):
CPU: iP 1.86/2mb/533
RAM: 512x2/533
HDD: 80 8mb 5400 (Samsung)
Video: 6600go 128mb (EDIT: 375 core/350 mem)
Cooling system: default (NO Arctic Silver paste or whatever)
Notice: point system is based on my personal opinion, where 10 is superb, 5 - so,so and 1 is awfull
Notice: my english is bad, so sorry
Built quality (8.5/10)
(+) feels very solid; not much (or no at all) "cranckle" sound when lifting or carying around; sits on the table very stable and does not move; keyboard feels solid; touchpad is ok; philips dvdrw drive feels sturdy; the lid closes gaplessly (unlike acers'); you can take out battery and wont loose stability;
(-) the silver top of the lid can be scrached easily; touchpad buttons and hotkeys are little clumsy;
EDIT: NOTICE: I mean touchpad sounds clumsy
design is ok.Design and size (9/10)
(+) looks nice; blue leds not to bright (batery - amber/green); somewhat not thick (on thin side); when closed, lid is hold by a magnet (like top class asus); not heavy (measured ~2.8KG without power adapter); fan openings are on the right, but there is no strong airflow when the fan is on; notebook rear side is higher than front side (like keyboard) so it's a bit more comfortable to type; palm rests comfortably (no sharp edges);
(-) fn key is in the corner (swapped with ctrl); network jack is on the right and my mouse is on the right; no forced reset button; there is fan opening at the bottom;
Noise and heat (5/10)
(+) dvd drive is very silent and there is no strong vibration; well samsung hdd also is silent;
(-) right side gets warm (where cpu, gpu and vram are located); at idle state fan goes on (and is kinda loud!) every 5-6 minutes when gpu reaches 75C and cpu 60C (before updating BIOS to the version Q3B61 it was 1-2 minutes); when there is a load on cpu and gpu, fan goes on at full throttle constantly (so looouuud, that I barely can hear integrated speakers at normal volume settings) <- !!! read notice below;
NOTICE: it feels that after updating bios fan loudness decreased.
NOTICE2: now I adopted to the noise and do not give attention to it.
NOTICE3: it gets warm but not hot, so for me its ok.
Screen (8/10)
(+) WOW there is a light sensor! (like on top HP's - to turn on: fn+home); brightness is ok (ajustable in 8 steps) and even at the lowest brightness settings one can work normaly; I can't measure exact response time, but it feels around 30-40ms; viewing angles horizontaly are ok (about 160); contrast is ok; didn't noticed any sparkling (as I've read in some posts); no bad pixels; no reflections (Acers CrystalBright is a horror story, or maybe this is not well known additional feature - you can use it as a mirror
);(-) viewing angles verticaly are a bit narrow (about 10top/40bott), but almost all notebooks i saw have this weakness; colors are a bit "washed out" when working with office applications; screen reacts to strong sudden outside vibrations (hit table with hand) <- !!! not sure anymore;
NOTICE: more info on screen - I guess, that one of these screens is used: or AU B150PG03 (dot pitch 0.218, colors 262K, view.angl. 80/40, bright. 200, contrast 300:1, response 25ms) or CPT CLAA150PB03 (dot pitch 0.218, colors 262K, view.angl. 45/40, bright. 200, contrast 350:1, response 30ms)
Service and support (NaN/NaN)
(+) Wrote an email, got an answer
Graphics card and performance (NaN/NaN)
(+) Cool. Fast. (maybe will write more later)
(-) No drivers at nVidia (c'mon, green goblin, ATI has drivers for BareBone systems)
NOTICE: 3DMark2005 (no changes in drivers or Mark - def. tests: Game1, Game2, Game3, Cpu 2of2; def. settings: 1024x768, AAxNO, Filtration optimal, HLSLVS 3_0, HLSLPS 3_0, fix. framerate off)
PowerMizer=Maximum Battery Savings: 677 Marks (cpu 4026)
PowerMizer=Balanced: 1353 Marks (cpu 4107)
PowerMizer=Maximum Performance: 2695 Marks (cpu 4194)
NOTICE2: it seems, that nVidia has tweaked some hidden driver settings to get maximum performance, if you change those hidden settings to "quality", 3DMark scores will be lower.
NOTICE3: it is possible to use nVidia's drivers (but that is undocumented and I do not guarantee good results): download detonator, try to install and press ok, when it says, that your notebook is incompatible, then check your disk c: - there you'll notice folder "nvidia" (which is created at the install time) and from here you'll be able to install drivers manualy.
Sound card (9/10)
(+) Very good sound, plenty of options; ability to change audio jack operation; 7.1 support; integrated speakers sounds normaly; 3 audio jacks; hardware accel (not sure, but must be);
Cpu, bios and mem (NaN/NaN)
(+) CPU runs at 800Mhz when idle; bios/system/hdd passwords;
(-) Bios has small number of settings (you can change few parameters like boot order or switch audio on/off and thats almost all); CPU has no DEP (Data Execution Prevention Bit);
NOTICE: read notice on changing cpu voltages below
Connectivity (NaN/NaN)
(+) 4 USB2.0, 1 FireWire, IrDa (tested, works), PortReplicator, SD/MMC card reader, 2 USB on one side, 2 on another, PCMCIA, LAN (10/100/1000), Modem, Wireless support, Bluetooth support; VGA out; Video out;
(-) USB's are located not in a row (attention if you have thick usb devices), no wireless pci card only anthena (card must be bought separately), no bluetooth card/adapter (must be bought separately); has no integrated microphone or vga camera;
Battery (5/10)
(+) not heavy
(-) depletes fast (idle ~2h40min)
NOTICE: it is possible to play a little with software tools like CHC to decrease cpu voltage (let say at low speeds) and prolong battery life.
Typing (8/10)
(+) If touchpad is disturbing you, you can switch it off, or turn (adjust) palm detection settings, keyboard feels solid, responsiveness of kb and touchpad is good, no clumsy sounds when typing; Volume down/up/mute buttons; Wireless and bt on/off buttons; 2 user programmable buttons;
(-) constantly hitting fn instead of ctrl, arghhh.... (maybe someone knows program or driver to reverse those keys?)
Included software and hardware in da box (5/10)
Not impressive: Driver disk, Modem cable, Battery, Users manual, Powercord+adapter
(-) Driver disk has no bios/fan/cpu control or monitoring program; users manual is, hm... how to say, just to be
; no manufacturer (Quanta) labels or other information on the box/manual/cd;Photos
There are plenty of them on the internet.
(http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/images/g3-11/)
Tiny conclusion (NaN/NaN)
Best suitable for non-heavy-desktop-replacement.
Looks solid, like business notebook.
No more thougts yet, maybe later.
--------------------------------
Here are replies to my preview/review from members:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laptop<3
excellent review! rember once you undervolt you temps would ramaticully change and the fan should hradly come on try it!
Yes, temps does change too - for example after setting 800MHz to 0.716V cpu temperature dropped by 8C.
However fan still turns on (only the intervals of silence are longer) - thats because of gpu (I do not understand why nVidia can't make automatic voltage and mhz corrections like ati... or they are made and I just don't know about them?)
I asked support about this (fan and heat) issue, they replied, that this is performance notebook, so it is normal.
-----------------------------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by hologram
...
Wow, I didn't know about the light sensor until now. Although, is there a way to toggle it off?
press fn+F4 or fn+F5 - if brightness does not change - light sensor is on and screen brightness is adjusted automaticaly, to turn it off press fn+home again...
