NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Thinnest/lightest 15.4" notebook ??
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Thinnest/lightest 15.4" notebook ??

post #1 of 39
11/25/04 at 2:03am
Thread Starter 
Just curious...
What currently is the thinnest and lightest 15.4" with standard WXGA 1280 X 800 screen ???
Is there anything much under 6.5 pounds????

Thanks,
Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 39
11/25/04 at 2:15am
I think i'd have to say the powerbook on both counts.

* Height: 1.1 inches (2.8 cm)
* Width: 13.7 inches (34.8 cm)
* Depth: 9.5 inches (24.1 cm)
* Weight: 5.7 pounds (2.6 kg) with battery and optical drive installed (9)
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 39
11/25/04 at 2:36am
don't quite remember the exact dimensions, (youcan find them at www.asus.com), but the asus M6BNe is only 5.7 lbs (not sure about the W1N)
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 39
11/25/04 at 2:38am
sorry, make that 13.9" x 10.9" x 0.86"-1.34" (WxDxH,)
5.72 lbs (with traveller's drawer) (5.6 without) for the M6BNe

adn the W1N is ~7lbs
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 39
11/25/04 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bermie
don't quite remember the exact dimensions, (youcan find them at www.asus.com), but the asus M6BNe is only 5.7 lbs (not sure about the W1N)
The 5.7 lbs is without the optical drive. Below is my actual measurements copied from my review:
Quote:
It feels thin and light enough, particularly for a 15.4” screen. It is generally spec’d at 6.3 lbs with optical drive. I weighed it at 6.83 lbs. This is with optical drive, two memory modules and wireless card. Specs indicate 13.9" w x 10.9" d x 0.86"-1.34" h. Actual measurement is 13.94” w x 10.75 d. Height ranges from 1.44” to 1.63” if you include the feet. If you ignore the feet, you get between 1.31” and 1.50”. I don’t know where Asus gets .86” !
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 39
11/25/04 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
So, if you forget about thinness (since measurements can be distorted) NOBODY makes a lighter 15.4" WXGA than the ASUS ?????

As for the .86" thickness of the ASUS, my understanding (I may be wrong) is that ASUS kind of "fudges" on the thickness by not fully including the thickness of the first lower ledge of the base which is recessed (doesn't stick out as far as the main upper base).


Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 39
11/25/04 at 7:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aamsel
So, if you forget about thinness (since measurements can be distorted) NOBODY makes a lighter 15.4" WXGA than the ASUS ?????
I'm not sure about that, but I don't know of any others off hand.

Quote:
As for the .86" thickness of the ASUS, my understanding (I may be wrong) is that ASUS kind of "fudges" on the thickness by not fully including the thickness of the first lower ledge of the base which is recessed (doesn't stick out as far as the main upper base).
That could be right, but kind of sleazy if true.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 39
11/25/04 at 8:16pm
Samsung has an even lighter 15.4" laptop weighing 5.3lbs. The dimensions are 14.17" x 10.43" x 1.34". The nasty part is the price though. It's starting at around $4000. Then again you get a Dothan 2Ghz, 1GB RAM, 80GB 5400 RPM HD, DVD Burner, 2 Batteries good for 10 hours batterylife (you can switch them while it's running) and the best part... a build in fingerprint reader . The videocard is a bit on the low side though (a GeforceFX 5200 Go). The model is Samsung X30. Oh and you get a WSXGA+ screen.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 39
11/25/04 at 8:36pm
Thread Starter 
$4000 is a pinch too much for a notebook.
Also, was only interested in standard WSXGA screens, no high resolution screens.

Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 39
11/26/04 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aamsel
$4000 is a pinch too much for a notebook.
Also, was only interested in standard WSXGA screens, no high resolution screens.

Andrew
Austin, TX
You mean wxga?
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 39
11/26/04 at 10:41pm
Thread Starter 
Right, of course.
Sorry.

Andrew
Austin, TX


Quote:
Originally Posted by flashram
You mean wxga?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 39
11/26/04 at 11:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aamsel
Right, of course.
Sorry.

Andrew
Austin, TX
How many notebooks have you tried out in the past few months?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 39
11/27/04 at 1:06am
Thread Starter 
A few.
Let us just say that I have lost enough money on shipping and return shipping alone to buy a cheap notebook.
I am not kidding.

But I have learned some things that few people are aware of, such as...
You can order two (or three) of the same "exact" notebook model from IBM, HP and Dell and get totally different LCD screens and other parts. These companies have multiple vendors for every part that goes into a notebook.
In fact, the "same exact model" ordered can have a limitless combination of parts and vendors.
You can order 10 HP zt3000's and they will all be different in some way.
This is something that the average consumer has no grasp of, which may be fortunate, since knowing about it can drive you nuts!!

I knew about some of these practices because I spent years working in a computer engineering environment.
IBM has a few sources for each part, HP and Dell have the most sources of any manufacturers out there. HP and Dell actually have multiple ODM's for each model!!!
Wow.


Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 39
11/27/04 at 4:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aamsel
A few.
Let us just say that I have lost enough money on shipping and return shipping alone to buy a cheap notebook.
I am not kidding.

But I have learned some things that few people are aware of, such as...
You can order two (or three) of the same "exact" notebook model from IBM, HP and Dell and get totally different LCD screens and other parts. These companies have multiple vendors for every part that goes into a notebook.
In fact, the "same exact model" ordered can have a limitless combination of parts and vendors.
You can order 10 HP zt3000's and they will all be different in some way.
This is something that the average consumer has no grasp of, which may be fortunate, since knowing about it can drive you nuts!!

I knew about some of these practices because I spent years working in a computer engineering environment.
IBM has a few sources for each part, HP and Dell have the most sources of any manufacturers out there. HP and Dell actually have multiple ODM's for each model!!!
Wow.


Andrew
Austin, TX
I'm glad I learned all that from a few weeks on these forums There isn't a limitless combination though. If they come off of the assembly line at the same time, they are likely to have the same parts because the same boxes of parts are being used at the same time. I remember the 8600 dell lcd fiasco. the thread on dell forums is 1000's of posts. There were samsung and hitachi screens, one being the superior, even though they were of the 'same specs,' the differences were real world apparent. It's nuts out there in the world of huge companies like that. They have huge contracts for millions of parts and sometimes need more than one company to fill it. shrug, oh well.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 39
11/29/04 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 
Of the thinnest/lightest 15.4's with WXGA, which model currently has the best LCD display that is a standard matte LCD (not glossy or high resolution)????

Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 39
11/30/04 at 10:57am
My asus M6BNe has an awesome screen imo. You might want to look at the mitac 8050 as well.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 39
11/30/04 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
Actually, I think I am settled, but checking for someone else.

My understanding is that, among the best 15.4 standard matte LCD's the best were (in this order):
1.) ACER (or is this a matte TFT LCD??)
2.) Mitac
3.) ASUS

I don't trust ACER for reasons I won't go into, and the Mitac has had heat issues, and has limited support. Are there others that anyone feels outranks these 3 ??

Andrew
Austin, TX
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 39
11/30/04 at 3:25pm
I just bought an Asus M6BNE over an Acer Ferrari 3200 because of better battery life and heat issues, and I am **very** pleased.

The screen on the Asus M6BNE is 1280x800, very crisp, bright... excellent screen. I own a Dell laptop with an UXGA Ultrasharp, and a Dell 2001FP LCD, and this screen is brigher than both of them. I love it. Text and movies are a dream with this. Gaming is incredible on this screen too (my test for gaming is if the computer hardwar becomes "invisible" to me, and I am completely consumed by the gameplay... it definitely passed this test when I play World of Warcrack).

Add on top of that Asus' build quality, and you have a winner. I have purchased many Asus motherboards in the past, and 2 video cards made by Asus, and consider them as the benchmark of computer component manufacturing.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 39
11/30/04 at 5:24pm
I hate to spoil everyone's belive. But Powerbook G4 Titanium is the lightest and thinnest 15.4" Wide screen lappy out there. It also have front loading DVD burner. We have to admit nobody can't compete with apple in this department. It can run Windows in emulation mode. As a developer I appreciate (bsd based kernel), GNU GCC compiler that comes with that mashine. I am not a biggest fan of Mac UI. It sucks! But they do finest hardware belive it or not. I wish asus could deliver 1" thick & 5.5lb lappy that will last 5 hours on a charge. I will be first to buy one... (I don't care how much)
At this point I choose mac for work...
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 39
11/30/04 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ioffe
I hate to spoil everyone's belive. But Powerbook G4 Titanium is the lightest and thinnest 15.4" Wide screen lappy out there. It also have front loading DVD burner. We have to admit nobody can't compete with apple in this department. It can run Windows in emulation mode. As a developer I appreciate (bsd based kernel), GNU GCC compiler that comes with that mashine. I am not a biggest fan of Mac UI. It sucks! But they do finest hardware belive it or not. I wish asus could deliver 1" thick & 5.5lb lappy that will last 5 hours on a charge. I will be first to buy one... (I don't care how much)
At this point I choose mac for work...
I agree with most that you posted, but the battery life is no where near the claimed 5 hours. It's just about half that and not with heavy usage either. I've owned 2 15" PowerBooks and the biggest downfall was battery life. That's the one of the areas Apple needs to work on but their current chip situation is holding them back. Also, their consistent, clean and well organized GUI (OS X) makes Windows/XP look like a child designed it!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Thinnest/lightest 15.4" notebook ??