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G556 or a AMD 64 bit processor??

post #1 of 9
5/19/04 at 8:40am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

Been a longtime lurker on this site but now need some help..........

Have been in the market for a new lappy for a while, was going for a centrino but then i thought i dont really need the extra bat. life as its always plugged in (but i travel a lot). So I was thinking of getting a ferrari 3200, i have tried finding out when they will come to Australia but i'm not holding my breath.

I have looked around for some more AMD laptops in Aus but havent found any that are small in size. I basically need (well want ) a laptop under 3kg (6.6lbs).

Just how much faster would a Athlon 64 2800+ then say a dothan 2.0??

I can get a g556 over here with a dothan soon, or i am going overseas soon to england via singapore where i could possibly get the ferrari 3200.

Any thoughts (or benchmarks) of the g556 compared to ferrari 3200?

Cheers
Barnzy
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post #2 of 9
5/19/04 at 9:25am
Most AMD-64 notebooks are going to be based on the DTR (desktop replacement) chip. This is basically the same as a desktop AMD-64, and the systems in general are going to be on the bulky side (7lbs+) as a result. There are a few true AMD-64 Mobiles (use less power than the DTR chips) systems out there, but I haven't seen any that would qualify as thin and light. If size is you main concern, Dothan/Centrino has it hands down.

As for performance (AMD-64 2800+ vs. Dothan 2.0), I would guess that the Dothan would win out. From what I've seen at places like Tom's Hardware, the Dothan can hold its own against just about anything but the top-of-the-line (3400+) AMD notebook systems.
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post #3 of 9
5/19/04 at 10:02am
No one has got hold of a ferrari 3200 to benchmark it.

Most people on here think the 2800 AMD 64 will perform the same or perhaps a little better (Gaming) than the 2.0ghz Dothan but only time will tell. Another 2 weeks before we start seeing comparisons.

Sounds like the Ferrari 3200 meets your weight requirements and is excellent value for money and according to acer UK the cpu slot is socketed not soldered where as all the intel banias i have seen are soldered...which may or may not aid upgrades in the future bios depending..

I am a little biased in that I myself went for the 3200 (To be delivered next week fingers crossed) - The only other machine i considered was the Travelmate 8006lmi (Dothan 2.0) another lightweight alternative for you although not as light as the ferrari and a tad more expensive.

I may just buy both and return the one i dont like - although the 8006lmi apparently is at least a month away here in the UK.
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post #4 of 9
5/19/04 at 10:56am
Oh yeah... the Ferrari.. I keep forgetting about that one.
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post #5 of 9
5/20/04 at 5:31am
Thread Starter 
Where have you ordered your Ferrari from in the UK??

Has anyone had experience with buying notebooks from singapore and is it much cheaper as most of them are made there??

Does anyone know the weights of the Asus M6N series for the different sizes, the 14.1, 15.1 and 15.4 wsxga WITH battery and optical drive??? I have been looking and all i can find is 2.9 kg with travellers drawer.
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post #6 of 9
5/20/04 at 5:32am
Never ordered from singapore.

I have ordered in the UK from www.acernotebooks.co.uk

www.shopacer.co.uk have also got them listed.
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post #7 of 9
5/20/04 at 4:26pm
the ferrari 3200 is a nice system but just remember it ships with a 4200rpm HDD. Now most uneducated consumers would think that an 80GB drive is awesome and won't stop to even think about rpm, yet the 4200rpm will be a big blow to performance and plus if you upgrade to a 60GB 7200rpm, it's another $225 out of your pocket.
Personally I'd go with the G556 because you can get the faster HDD and the performance difference between the 2.0 Dothan and 2800+ will hardly be noticeable. Plus you get longer battery life!!!
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post #8 of 9
5/20/04 at 6:01pm
Is there not a surcharge on the 556 to get the 7200rpm drive....which almost makes the cost the same?

overall there is not much in the two machines. I still think as do the majority that the 2800+ will outperform the 2.0ghz dothan on the gamin front anyway....
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post #9 of 9
5/20/04 at 7:32pm
You pay more for the 7200rpm drive but in addition, you get 1024mb. I'm pretty sure it comes to $1850 at internetishop
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