Why MWAVE's CL-56 is so cheap. - Page 9

The 'chip thingy' is called SPD. All newer (Re: Probably late 90's) sticks of ram have them. They are usually programmed for a certain speed at certain timings. Sometimes ram can be "backed up" a notch, ie DDR400 @ 2.5-3-3-8 can be "backed up" to DDR333 @ 2-2-3-7

Are there any guarantees on this? Absolutely not. Is it possible? Absolutely. SO while you're correct that efficiency is determined by both ram timings and raw speed, the real question is, can you tell me what would work better?

Anywho, this is moot, looking over at the anandtech article http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=2342&p=6 here, you can see the PM's want 3.2gb/s for raw bandwidth....without DDR400 support, you're starving either way.

The long and the short, unless you run one of those fantastic 479 desktop boards.....this is a retarded argument. But no, backing up a speed grade doesn't "automatically" get you better timings, at least on desktops, so I would have a hard time believing so-dimm spd's are programmed differently. Feel free to show some Sandra/cpu-z screenies to prove me wrong, I would be quite happy actually!

BTW, I would have to agree, take a look at all the A64 overclockers that sacrifice CL2 for CL2.5....the big clincher anymore is CMD rate. Anything else can be sacrificed

here is another link that sales compal laptops. Prices are cheap there. www.dsn-computers.com. That is where I bought my CL56

Compal CL 56
15" SXGA
Pentium-M 1.7 Ghz w/2mb cache
ATI radion 9700 128 mb
1024 mb
80 gb 5400 rpm hd
DVD+/-RW 4x
WiFi b,g

Hi guys, I recently purchased a Compal CL-56 from Mwave.com and I'd like to share my experience with you.

I got the 1.6ghz dothan model with 1gb of ram. 60gb Toshiba HD. Very nice deal.

1. When I first got it, I noticed that the LCD back had a lot of fine scratches and some chips off the paint. The item looks like it may have been returned or refurbished. Since it's only a cosmetic issue, I won't complain about it, besides, considering how much I use it, the case would have looked like that within a few months.

2. This is my first SXGA display. My last lappy was a Toshiba 2805. It was a lot bigger and build like a brick. Also, the Toshiba had a on-off dead pixel which would drive me crazy on the XGA display. The compal came with 4 partially lit pixels (they're only apparent with some background colors) 1 by itself and 3 pixels in a column all in near the edge of the middle third of the screen. Seems bad, eh? Funny thing is, it doesn't bother me very much. with the increased resolution, I only caught the bad pixels about a week after I got it. What bothers me more is the 1/4" areas of the screen where it obviously rubbed up against the touchpad and has some discoloration. But I can live with that too. The screen doesn't allow me much leeway in vertical viewing angle, but my old Toshiba was just like this, so I don't think twice about (it actually brings on a sense of nostalgia)

3. The build quality is definitely better than any of the dells I've used (I8100, Lattitude CPX, CPI) Aside from the slight sagginess in the back of the LCD panel right between the hinges, I like the firmness of the build better than the Thinkpad A21 I used to have at work. That old IBM, despite being built sturdily had this tendency to squeak, and the bays were all just a tiny bit loose and stuff and rattled a bit. Definitely better than my old Toshiba. The keyboard, though firm is really good, let's me touch-type pretty quickly. Not much clickety-clickness...

4. The Compal is a lot quieter than my old Toshiba, about as silent as the IBM A21 I used at work. The fan stays on low unless I start playing CS. At full power, the fan doesn't get louder than my desktop which is fairly quiet. Despite how quiet it is, The system obviously extracts a lot of heat, as I use the vents as a handwarmer when my fingers get cold. The bottom of the laptop gets fairly hot, maybe a little more than my Toshiba, definitely uncomfortable when I'm watching an .avi video or anything that stresses the cpu. When I'm just writing or surfing the web, it's just lukewarm.

5. The sound...what to say about it...there's nothing good to about it at all...it's VERY tinny and just plain sounds horrible. I blame it on the placement of the speakers. I get better sound if I cup my hands below the speakers as it reflects the sounds to my head better. I may mod them and place them in a better location. I'll take pictures if I do.

Notes: The light spots (the discolorations I mention above) have started bothering me a bit more as does the higher SXGA resolution. I took apart the LCD case to see if it used a standard LCD panel. Thank goodness it does. Even the inverter is separate from the panel. which will make changing the panel easier. The mechanism to retain the LCD panel is almost exactly like the kind you see on old Dell Inspirons like the 8000/8600 series. I don't like the plastic hooks that keep the bezel and lid together. I broke every single one getting them apart and I'm quite experienced at doing this (spent over a year at a local musem refurbishing old IBM laptops for the staff). Whoever designed that mechanism needs to be whipped like a dog.

If I can find a source for replacement of my bezel...actually, only need the back panel...I may do some mods on this lappy. I am currently thinking about replacing the LCD with a different one...most likely an XGA...though I am curious if anyone makes a 15" 1280x1024 panel...I had hoped a 15.4" WXGA panel would fit, but I don't think there's enough room for one. If I do get another LCD I'll take pictures and post them.

Great mini review!

Just one question: where you say... ...are you saying that the CL56 has a good clip system or a bad one?

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I don't like the mechanism that holds the bezel to the LCD back panel. The little plastic tabs were so fragile that 10 out of the 12 cracked off when I took them apart (some broke when I put it back together)

Simple solution, don't take apart the LCD :P

I've also built up some scratches on the lid of my CL56, that show up as white due to the plastic being white under the blue paint the CL56 has on it. I don't much care. Heck, my CL56 doesn't even have a label in the label slot. I tried to ask Voodoo if they would sell me some of their aluminum ones, but they refused. I don't know where else to get one.

The sound is a bit tinny, but very clear. I almost always use headphones, but the built in speakers are good for watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I have also thought about modding the speakers, though I was thinking about little clip-on things to redirect the sound towards my ears. I don't much like watching stuff while holding my hands cupped beside them.

The speakers are quite loud in a quiet room, but if you need to pump up the volume on a video or audio file, use WinAmp. Turn up the laptop's volume to max, and then in WinAmp, turn on the eq and turn up the pre-amp. This will net you a LOT of extra volume, since it will take the audio from the video or audio and boost it significantly. There isn't that much distortion. But it's probably best not to use it unless you really need it.

If you need even more volume, and the preamp doesn't do the trick, you can also turn up every single band in the eq too, this will uniformly raise the volume. But if you have the pre-amp turned up AND all the bands turned up, there will be distortion.

As for the LCD discoloration... I think I know what you're talking about, I see the outlines of keys and the trackpad on mine. But it is just dirt, not a fault with the LCD.

I tried water and paper towel and scrubbed but it didn't come off. But when I used some foam monitor cleaner it cleaned off the stuff perfectly. Of course they game back a few weeks later. I'm going to pick up a can of the cleaning foam myself to keep the LCD clean.

without having to read all these pages to find out the best price online to buy this cl56... can someone just tell me real quick?

(i have A.D.D. and I dont like to read)

Mwave.com

I'd intended to replace the LCD as soon as I found a suitable replacement

The discoloration on my screen isn't dirt, it appears to be a flaw in the LCD itself (another reason I wanted to replace the screen)

I actually was thinking of making my own metal LCD back cover, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Speaking of which, how much would you guys pay for an alloy LCD back and bezel? I may look into a local contractor into making a few sets after I replace my current set.

ok thanx found it

Let me write a quick article, so people figures out (at least a little) about what happens inside a computer.

Memory has two different properties: the frequency of operation, and the latency.

The frequency is easy to understand, it is simply the amount of cycles per second the memory works at. The latency, however, is more "dark" in it's nature.

Despite what people usually belives, memory isn't instantaneous. To fulfill a processor request (trough the data bus, usually 64 bits wide), it takes time. Some times one cycle to receive the request, one cycle to grab the data, one cycle to fill the buffer and one cycle to transfer it.

That's why most memory provides only one fourth or one third of their theorical performance under real conditions.

Processors, on the other side, are usually rated at much higher bandwidth, because they work at higher frequencies. Still, latency plays a role in processors too, as most operations requiere more than one cycle to be completed.

Supposing that, in real conditions, a processor is usually able to handle ten times more information than what the memory is capable to provide, you easily see the need for the cache memory: the processor must wait for the memory to provide the data, wasting time.

Cache is a special memory wich serves as an insulating layer between the main memory and the processor. As it has much lower latency and higher operating speeds, it usually matches, or is quite near, the bandwidth rating of the processor.

There is a big need for cache in current systems because how the x86 architecture was designed. There is annother special kind of memory: the registers. Registers are diminute memory spaces inside the core of the processor, wich run at full speed, and are the place in wich all the operations performed by the processor take place. As the x86 architecture only has four general purspose registers (AX, BX, CX and DX), if something doesn't fit, it must go to the cache, and to the memory, and to the swap and so on.

Remember that the first and most important tule of informatics is that the system will go at the speed of it's slowest component.

So, why does latency improves system performance? It's quite simple: even cache memory must be filled from the main memory, so the lesser it takes to transfer memory, the faster the system will be, because more processor cycles will be used in a practical way.

However, don't think that going from CL3 to CL2 your computer will fly. On most cases, the difference is very small, like 2-3%, because modern processors have highly efficient predicting branches wich keep the cache filled with useful information all the time.

Latency, at the end, is the most important rating of any memory. It determines the amount of data that it will be able to transfer, despite wich frequency it works at.

However, frequency is important too. Data "bursts" are an integer, this is, they cannot be divided. So, the higher the frequency, the less likely it will be that the "burst" will be caught in the middle of a cycle, in wich, in normal conditions, it would be rounded to the next integer. That's why CL2.5 memory behaves more like CL3 than to CL2.

I hope this helps a little.

By the way, I installed "bigger" (DDR400) memory just because I could. I run a laptop service shop and I have a lot of things to test. If you are a regular user tough, swaping out the memory makes no sense.

Here it is. I don't like to compete tough. There is pure academic interest, as any laptop available today provides plenty of performance to not worry about latencies and all.

Sandra SPD

You can see that this is high latency memory anyway. Look at motherboard information.