I've been looking for an ultraportable for a while now, and the Sentia 3200 seems to be as close as I've been able to find to "the perfect laptop." Every manufacturer seems to have something I don't like in all of their small systems at the moment. I've got a few questions about this system before I make the purchase, since right now it looks too good to be true.
First, a little bit of background on my needs/how I came to select it:
I'm a computer engineering student, and as such I need a computer with a moderate amount of processing power, which have gone up by quite a bit as I've progressed toward my degree. My current laptop is an older Fujitsu p2046 (800mhz Crusoe processor, 240Mb RAM, rage mobility, 10.4"wxga screen). It is very small, which is exactly the reason I got it.
Unfortunately, as software progresses, systems get slower, and what used to run Visual Studio 6 with no problem takes a good 5 minutes to even /start/ VS 2005. Obviously an upgrade is in order.
In doing my research, I set some guidelines for myself:
1) I wanted another small laptop; a system I wouldn't mind carrying in my bag all day long as I went from class to class. I told myself I would go up to the 12 inch class, and no more!
2) I wanted an internal optical drive. Not only do I enjoy watching movies occasionally, much of my coursework requires Matlab, which requires the CD to even start. Carrying an external drive around with me would be tolerable, but less than pleasant.
3) I wanted sufficient power, so that I wouldn't be kicking myself again for compromising on speed. If at all possible, I'd like the machine to be able to have minimal gaming ability as well, though that is not as high of a priority as being able to run the software I use for my courses. The graphics chip in my current laptop doesn't even support direct3d, a fact I've always been disappointed about, especially since the model up had a mobility Radeon (among other things) for only a few hundred dollars more.
4) I wanted a pointing stick. I know it's picky, and I used to be a lover of touchpads. However, my previous laptop had both the pointing stick and touchpad, and after using it for a while, I found I tended to use the stick. Unfortunately, it seems I have to compromise on this since only IBM seems to offer ultraportables with pointing sticks at the moment, and none of their ultraportables (the T40 laptop and T41 tablet) have integrated optical.
5) Things like integrated wifi, lan, and modem… These things are pretty much a given, but I should mention them anyway, since some manufacturers (Sony X505 anyone?) leave off the wireless. Svideo is nice as well, but not a dealbreaker. I can count on one hand the times I’ve watched a movie using my laptop as a DVD player for a television.
In searching, I came across a few gems, but every one of them failed in one critical aspect. The Sony TX series laptop has the exact same form factor as my current notebook, but has a 1.2ghz "Ultra low power" processor in it. Additionally, the price is driven up by the fact that Sony put a Cingular Edge Network reciever in every laptop. The Fujitsu P7000D also shares my laptop's small footprint, as well as the same slow processor as the Sony. The Fujitsu T4020D tablet is a bit better with a 1.7ghz P4M, but from what I've seen on the fujitsu ultraportables forums at leog.net, the lettering on the keyboard tends to wear out within a month or two of normal usage. The IBM 12" offerings which I mentioned above are very nice and shiny, but the optical drive is just a deal killer. The dell 700m is nice, but I've heard too many bad things about Dell's "award winning" support lately to take the gamble. The same goes for Compaq/HP's offerings, which I didn't even look at, as I've had a cousin go through a nightmare with them when her modem failed. (Still doesn't work after 2x back to Compaq).
Toshiba M200 Tablet: Wow, a 12" computer without Intel integrated graphics! This system has GeforceGo FX 5200 with 32MB of real, dedicated memory. This actually distracted me quite well, and it wasn't until I was deep into reviews that I realized that the system again lacks an internal optical drive. Also, from the Cnet customer reviews it appears the screen may be prone to cracking just above the hinge, from the stress of swiveling it around repeatedly. Honestly, I don’t know how much better the graphics would be on this chip, as I haven’t researched it, but my gut feeling is that anything that Nvidia puts out would be more useful than Intel graphics. I could be totally wrong about that though.
This brings us (finally) to the Sentia 3200. I was shocked to find that Alienware, the company known for making high end, expensive gaming computers, had the /cheapest/ 12" laptop of all of the computers I had considered. Less than $1000 for base configuration is just… wow! Not only is it the cheapest of all of the 12" systems I looked it, it also seems to be the most configurable. Sure, everyone lets you add a gig of RAM, and I'm a bit disappointed that Alienware chose the Intel graphics, but I was very happy with the fact I could throw a 2ghz processor in it, max out the RAM, add the 3 year onsite warranty and still fall short of $2000. Hard drive options were also nice, but I'm not likely to use anything more than 60Gb – 80Gb anyway, and I’m not concerned enough with hard drive speeds to make the price/battery tradeoff to 7200rpm.
Sadly, between when I looked last night, and the time I’ve made this posting, it seems the $200 mailin rebate offer has ended on this notebook, and integrated wifi is no longer a free upgrade. Shipping is still free, and the price is still great, but it’s not quite as great as it was 12 hours ago. Oh well
Specs on my proposed system:
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 760 2.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Video Card: Intel® GMA 900 Extreme Graphics
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Pro Compatible 5.1 Digital Audio
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Smart Bay One: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Additional Battery: Sentia 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Wireless Network: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Additional AC Adapter: Sentia® m3200 65 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Instant-ON Playback: Instant-ON Media Playback featuring PowerCinema
Primary Battery: Sentia 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Display: Alienware® Sentia m3200 with 12.1" Wide-XGA 1280x800 LCD Display - Xeno Grey
I’m going with Windows XP home because I have multiple licenses of XP Pro though my university’s MSDN academic alliance program that I’m not presently using. I’ve also got licenses of Office so software is not a priority. I'm getting respawn just in case I ever sell the system, and want to put its original licensed copy of Windows back on it.
For WoW, a gig of RAM seems to be a bare minimum for performance, even on a desktop with sufficient cpu/video card. On my AthlonXP 2400+, It took 1.2Gb of RAM to get the game to stop swapping continuously. On a laptop with shared video memory, this seems even more important. As I’ve said before, gaming is not the reason I’m getting a new laptop, so I don’t expect great results. I just want to squeeze whatever I can out of the system.
Finally, here come the questions:
First of all, how discrete can someone using this computer be, when in an environment where flashyness is not wanted? If I use this computer in a lecture hall will the fan be loud enough to annoy the people around me, especially given I’ve gone with the fastest processor available? Will dropping the processor down a notch lower the heat output more than the performance? Will the laptop get too hot with the 2Ghz processor to comfortably use on a lap, and will it overheat in normal usage if I set it on a soft surface such as a couch or bed?
(I see the question about fan loudness has been answered while I was typing this, but the questions on heat output still stand)
Perhaps even more importantly, are the blue alien eyes bright enough to annoy lecturers? A little glow is fine, but most blue LEDs seem to work on the premise that "Brighter is better" and try to blind anyone who looks straight at them. Is there any warranty safe way to disable the eyes, either through software/bios or unplugging leads from the motherboard through a consumer accessible panel? I'm perfectly okay with cutting a sticker to fit over the eyes, but I’d prefer to disable them completely if they're going to be too bright.
I’ve heard 3-5 hours for battery life, but what about under battery intensive conditions? Is there enough power to watch a 2 hour DVD?
Any ergonomic issues with the keyboard? Keys moved to funny places? Funny sized keys? The Dell 700m scrunches up the , . / keys to half width, and the IBM T40/41 have a half sized backspace (I kept hitting = when trying to backspace when trying it out in the store). Anything that just takes getting used to?
Finally, just a general question… Anyone have any advice or recommendations? You know my needs, and my reasons for choosing the Sentia (perhaps in excess, and I apologize for rambling so). Anything you’d configure differently, and why?
(Edited 'cause I can't spell)
First, a little bit of background on my needs/how I came to select it:
I'm a computer engineering student, and as such I need a computer with a moderate amount of processing power, which have gone up by quite a bit as I've progressed toward my degree. My current laptop is an older Fujitsu p2046 (800mhz Crusoe processor, 240Mb RAM, rage mobility, 10.4"wxga screen). It is very small, which is exactly the reason I got it.
Unfortunately, as software progresses, systems get slower, and what used to run Visual Studio 6 with no problem takes a good 5 minutes to even /start/ VS 2005. Obviously an upgrade is in order.
In doing my research, I set some guidelines for myself:
1) I wanted another small laptop; a system I wouldn't mind carrying in my bag all day long as I went from class to class. I told myself I would go up to the 12 inch class, and no more!
2) I wanted an internal optical drive. Not only do I enjoy watching movies occasionally, much of my coursework requires Matlab, which requires the CD to even start. Carrying an external drive around with me would be tolerable, but less than pleasant.
3) I wanted sufficient power, so that I wouldn't be kicking myself again for compromising on speed. If at all possible, I'd like the machine to be able to have minimal gaming ability as well, though that is not as high of a priority as being able to run the software I use for my courses. The graphics chip in my current laptop doesn't even support direct3d, a fact I've always been disappointed about, especially since the model up had a mobility Radeon (among other things) for only a few hundred dollars more.
4) I wanted a pointing stick. I know it's picky, and I used to be a lover of touchpads. However, my previous laptop had both the pointing stick and touchpad, and after using it for a while, I found I tended to use the stick. Unfortunately, it seems I have to compromise on this since only IBM seems to offer ultraportables with pointing sticks at the moment, and none of their ultraportables (the T40 laptop and T41 tablet) have integrated optical.
5) Things like integrated wifi, lan, and modem… These things are pretty much a given, but I should mention them anyway, since some manufacturers (Sony X505 anyone?) leave off the wireless. Svideo is nice as well, but not a dealbreaker. I can count on one hand the times I’ve watched a movie using my laptop as a DVD player for a television.
In searching, I came across a few gems, but every one of them failed in one critical aspect. The Sony TX series laptop has the exact same form factor as my current notebook, but has a 1.2ghz "Ultra low power" processor in it. Additionally, the price is driven up by the fact that Sony put a Cingular Edge Network reciever in every laptop. The Fujitsu P7000D also shares my laptop's small footprint, as well as the same slow processor as the Sony. The Fujitsu T4020D tablet is a bit better with a 1.7ghz P4M, but from what I've seen on the fujitsu ultraportables forums at leog.net, the lettering on the keyboard tends to wear out within a month or two of normal usage. The IBM 12" offerings which I mentioned above are very nice and shiny, but the optical drive is just a deal killer. The dell 700m is nice, but I've heard too many bad things about Dell's "award winning" support lately to take the gamble. The same goes for Compaq/HP's offerings, which I didn't even look at, as I've had a cousin go through a nightmare with them when her modem failed. (Still doesn't work after 2x back to Compaq).
Toshiba M200 Tablet: Wow, a 12" computer without Intel integrated graphics! This system has GeforceGo FX 5200 with 32MB of real, dedicated memory. This actually distracted me quite well, and it wasn't until I was deep into reviews that I realized that the system again lacks an internal optical drive. Also, from the Cnet customer reviews it appears the screen may be prone to cracking just above the hinge, from the stress of swiveling it around repeatedly. Honestly, I don’t know how much better the graphics would be on this chip, as I haven’t researched it, but my gut feeling is that anything that Nvidia puts out would be more useful than Intel graphics. I could be totally wrong about that though.
This brings us (finally) to the Sentia 3200. I was shocked to find that Alienware, the company known for making high end, expensive gaming computers, had the /cheapest/ 12" laptop of all of the computers I had considered. Less than $1000 for base configuration is just… wow! Not only is it the cheapest of all of the 12" systems I looked it, it also seems to be the most configurable. Sure, everyone lets you add a gig of RAM, and I'm a bit disappointed that Alienware chose the Intel graphics, but I was very happy with the fact I could throw a 2ghz processor in it, max out the RAM, add the 3 year onsite warranty and still fall short of $2000. Hard drive options were also nice, but I'm not likely to use anything more than 60Gb – 80Gb anyway, and I’m not concerned enough with hard drive speeds to make the price/battery tradeoff to 7200rpm.
Sadly, between when I looked last night, and the time I’ve made this posting, it seems the $200 mailin rebate offer has ended on this notebook, and integrated wifi is no longer a free upgrade. Shipping is still free, and the price is still great, but it’s not quite as great as it was 12 hours ago. Oh well
Specs on my proposed system:
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 760 2.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Video Card: Intel® GMA 900 Extreme Graphics
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Pro Compatible 5.1 Digital Audio
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Smart Bay One: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Additional Battery: Sentia 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Wireless Network: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Additional AC Adapter: Sentia® m3200 65 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Instant-ON Playback: Instant-ON Media Playback featuring PowerCinema
Primary Battery: Sentia 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Display: Alienware® Sentia m3200 with 12.1" Wide-XGA 1280x800 LCD Display - Xeno Grey
I’m going with Windows XP home because I have multiple licenses of XP Pro though my university’s MSDN academic alliance program that I’m not presently using. I’ve also got licenses of Office so software is not a priority. I'm getting respawn just in case I ever sell the system, and want to put its original licensed copy of Windows back on it.
For WoW, a gig of RAM seems to be a bare minimum for performance, even on a desktop with sufficient cpu/video card. On my AthlonXP 2400+, It took 1.2Gb of RAM to get the game to stop swapping continuously. On a laptop with shared video memory, this seems even more important. As I’ve said before, gaming is not the reason I’m getting a new laptop, so I don’t expect great results. I just want to squeeze whatever I can out of the system.
Finally, here come the questions:
First of all, how discrete can someone using this computer be, when in an environment where flashyness is not wanted? If I use this computer in a lecture hall will the fan be loud enough to annoy the people around me, especially given I’ve gone with the fastest processor available? Will dropping the processor down a notch lower the heat output more than the performance? Will the laptop get too hot with the 2Ghz processor to comfortably use on a lap, and will it overheat in normal usage if I set it on a soft surface such as a couch or bed?
(I see the question about fan loudness has been answered while I was typing this, but the questions on heat output still stand)
Perhaps even more importantly, are the blue alien eyes bright enough to annoy lecturers? A little glow is fine, but most blue LEDs seem to work on the premise that "Brighter is better" and try to blind anyone who looks straight at them. Is there any warranty safe way to disable the eyes, either through software/bios or unplugging leads from the motherboard through a consumer accessible panel? I'm perfectly okay with cutting a sticker to fit over the eyes, but I’d prefer to disable them completely if they're going to be too bright.
I’ve heard 3-5 hours for battery life, but what about under battery intensive conditions? Is there enough power to watch a 2 hour DVD?
Any ergonomic issues with the keyboard? Keys moved to funny places? Funny sized keys? The Dell 700m scrunches up the , . / keys to half width, and the IBM T40/41 have a half sized backspace (I kept hitting = when trying to backspace when trying it out in the store). Anything that just takes getting used to?
Finally, just a general question… Anyone have any advice or recommendations? You know my needs, and my reasons for choosing the Sentia (perhaps in excess, and I apologize for rambling so). Anything you’d configure differently, and why?
(Edited 'cause I can't spell)
