Extreme Computing
Our look at specialized laptops takes us from very small to very large, with steps in between.
Sharp's Actius MM20 (left) weighs just 2.6 pounds. Acer's Aspire AS1712SMi, on the other hand, tips the scales at 14.6 pounds.
Forget about extreme makeovers and extreme sports: 2004 marks the emergence of extreme notebooks.
The selection of portable computers has expanded from generous in the 1990s to almost ridiculously eclectic today. Now we see truly ultralight notebooks, desktop replacement notebooks equipped with enormous screens, convertible tablet notebooks, rugged notebooks for a range of rigorous conditions, and gaming notebooks fast enough to challenge desktop PCs. Pick a form of extreme computing, and you can probably find a notebook to fill the bill.
That's where we can help. If you're looking for a notebook that falls into the usual categories, check out our regular Top 15 Notebook PCs chart. On the other hand, if you're looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, consider our sampling of six specialized portables--diverse choices that begin with the same core features and then vary dramatically in shape, size, function, and durability.
We looked at mobile specialists from Acer, HP, JVC, Sharp, and Toshiba that range in price from $1598 to more than $4000. Because our Top 15 Notebook PCs chart emphasizes mainstream portables, and because some models in this review are anything but mainstream, we've summarized their features and performance in a separate chart. We also had games enthusiast Andrew Brandt, one of PC World's senior associate editors, play around with a gaming-optimized notebook from VoodooPC.
Of course, sometimes a specialist can be too limited. Whether too big or too small or too expensive, a niche notebook may not always be the superior choice. Should you lay down your money for a specialist? Find out what you'll have to give up--in price, in weight, and in built-in features such as optical drives--when you choose one of these out-of-the-ordinary systems.
Take a Load Off
Trying to sprint with 8 pounds hanging off your shoulder, you nearly miss your flight, and suddenly you feel like shouting, "This thing is heavy as hell--and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Times like this call for an ultraportable notebook. Much thinner and lighter than standard notebooks, ultraportables trade full-size screens and keyboards for much less weight. Not too long ago a 3-pound notebook stood as the cutting-edge ultraportable. But now the category includes the Sharp Actius MM20 and the Sony VAIO VGN-X505ZP. Radically thin and light, the Actius is 1 inch tall and weighs just 2.6 pounds. The VAIO, which we examined but did not test because we could not get a production unit in time for this article, is less than an inch tall and weighs only 1.8 pounds--it looks like it might blow away in a stiff breeze.
These notebooks are not for everyone, but they will suit the traveler who counts ounces like a zealous backpacker. Fairly well equipped, both models have 512MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, and a 10.4-inch screen. Neither has an integrated optical drive or modem; but the Actius bundles a PC Card modem, and the VAIO has FireWire. Incredibly, both also have usable keyboards that are small but well laid-out; we could touch-type at a good clip. The biggest problem you'll have is keeping one of these units sitting flat because they're so small and light.
The Actius MM20 is a much-improved redesign of the Actius MM10 notebook that we saw at about this time last year. We liked the new Sharp model more than the new Sony for a couple of reasons. Although it adds another half pound, Sharp's long-life battery ($200) lasted 7.5 hours in our tests. That makes the Actius an all-day mobile companion. And then there's the price: The Actius costs just $1598 with an external optical drive, compared with $2999 for the VAIO.
Finally, these are companion notebooks, not full-fledged portables that can take the place of your desktop PC. Sharp acknowledges this with a USB docking cradle that makes syncing files from the Actius to your desktop a snap; you can also use the Actius as an external hard drive for your desktop.
Subnotebooks are another category of ultraportable. Such systems weigh about 3 pounds, the same as most thin-and-light notebooks, but have smaller footprints and screens, and slightly thicker cases. As a result these chunky little units have long appealed to folks who don't like to surrender any more space in a carry-on bag than they absolutely must.
Though the latest subnotebook models are speedier and better equipped than ever, with 1-GHz/600-MHz Pentium M SpeedStep processors and 40GB hard drives, some things haven't changed. Typing on one can still be difficult, as we discovered while testing the $2300 JVC Mobile Mini Note PC MP-XV841US. Its cramped keyboard made touch-typing a chore: We hit the spacebar when we didn't mean to, Enter instead of the apostrophe, and PgUp instead of the right Shift.
That said, we like the Mini Note. It comes with an integrated DVD-RW/-RAM drive and front audio buttons. Movies played fine on the bright 8.9-inch wide-format screen. The Mini Note lasted 4.8 hours on one battery charge in our tests and performed well for a system of its size.
Supersize Me
At the opposite end of the size spectrum are desktop replacement notebooks. Designed for people who want a portable desktop PC, the largest of these units have 17-inch screens, built-in numeric keyboards, and up to two modular expansion bays. Desktop replacements can weigh 10 pounds or more and can measure as much as 14 inches across. They don't merely refuse to fit on airline tray tables--they demand their own seats.
The $1999 Acer Aspire AS1712SMi, though, pushes the limits of even the supersize category. This monster machine weighs 17.6 pounds with accessories, has a 17-inch screen, and when closed stands 2.8 inches tall at the hinges. Although it has no modular bays (its DVD±RW drive is fixed), the Aspire offers three things most other desktop replacements don't: a user-upgradable processor, a 120GB hard drive, and a powered six-pin FireWire port so you don't have to plug your external drive into a wall socket.
Unfortunately, the keyboard just doesn't cut it. We found the Aspire extremely difficult to type on because of the location of several crucial keys repositioned to fit in a separate numeric keypad. You'll find the Delete key, for instance, only in that keypad, far from the main keyboard.
The Toshiba Satellite P25-S670 has two modular bays, for an 80GB second hard drive and a dual-format DVD burner.
If a desktop replacement is in your future and you like gadgets, we suggest the Toshiba Satellite P25-S670 entertainment notebook. At $2599 it's not cheap, but the handsome, blue-lidded, 10-pound unit is both a good desktop replacement and a portable TV. Take it whenever you need to work and yet keep up with your favorite show, or make it the PC-based hub of your family room's multimedia center. The Satellite comes with the Windows Media Center OS, a TV tuner, and a handheld remote control. You can connect the Satellite directly to cable, or integrate it into an existing VCR-and-cable setup with an extra-cost splitter, and record your shows for later playback. From the Media Center, a dazzling multimedia interface offering big, easy-to-navigate menus, you can watch broadcasts live, pause them TiVo-style, or record your favorite programs on the notebook's brilliant, wide-format 17-inch screen. The Satellite also has a fine full-size keyboard.
Extremely Flexible
Tablet PCs are ideal for people who work with pen in hand. But what if you also need to type long documents and don't want to carry two computers?
We looked at two convertibles equipped with the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system and a touch screen. The Toshiba Port is a convertible notebook with a 12.1-inch touch screen that can rotate and lock face up (covering the keyboard) for writing and drawing. It's a good lightweight device, except for the fact that it has no integrated optical drive--Toshiba bundles an external USB DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive with the unit. In spite of a few minor reservations, we named the Portégé the Best Buy in the ultraportables section of our Top 15 Notebook PCs chart.
The HP Compaq Tablet PC Tc1100 has a small keyboard that detaches from the touch-screen panel.
The competing $2577 HP Compaq Tablet PC Tc1100 is a tablet first and notebook second, but like the Portégé it seems better as a notebook. This model has one trick you won't find in the Portégé: Its small eraserhead-equipped keyboard detaches from the touch-screen panel. The Tc1100 weighs 4 pounds, like conventional thin-and-light notebooks. We found typing on the hard, shallow keyboard fairly easy even though we had no place to rest our wrists.
Our gripes with the Tc1100 center on its touch screen, which was slow to respond to pen taps. We had to push extra firmly to make selections, which tried our patience. In its favor, the Tc1100 sans keyboard weighs a scant 3 pounds. It's stocked with plenty of connections, nicely designed shortcut buttons, and a spring-loaded stylus. It does not include a built-in optical drive, though.
Tough Enough
The HP Rugged Notebook Nr3600 has a heated screen, an illuminated keyboard, and recessed connections.
No portable is more specialized than a ruggedized notebook. Built for working in extreme environments, ruggedized notebooks can survive heat, cold, and knocks. The HP Rugged Notebook Nr3600 is sealed in thick die-cast magnesium so you can take your spreadsheets along to a steamy jungle, dusty construction site, or below-freezing ice fishing camp. The boxy 8.8-pound unit can withstand 3-foot drops and temperatures from 10 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, Hewlett-Packard says. The Nr3600 boasts a heated screen for supercold conditions, an illuminated keyboard, and recessed connections protected by heavy rubber plugs and foam-lined covers. Also included are built-in antennas, not only for Bluetooth and 802.11b but for optional cellular air cards offered by AT&T, Sprint, and other communications service providers. The battery lasted for only 3.4 hours in our tests, though--shorter than we'd like for an outdoor notebook.
Equipped with a 1.7-GHz/1.2-GHz Pentium 4 CPU and 512MB of RAM, the Nr3600 earned a WorldBench 5 score of 50, more similar to the mark of a typical thin-and-light notebook than to that of a mainstream business portable.
Nonetheless, the Nr3600 is fast enough to handle most jobs, and an optional six-cell battery in the modular bay extends the unplugged time to the length of a typical workday, according to HP. Would-be survivalists must pay dearly for their gear, however: Equipped with a CD-ROM drive, the Nr3600 costs a hefty $4487.
PC World Unveils WorldBench 5
More than two years in the making, WorldBench 5 is the fifth
generation of PC World's industry-standard
benchmarking application. Designed to measure the performance of personal
computers, WorldBench 5 debuts with this issue. WorldBench 5 is also the first
of our benchmarks to be available for public purchase.
Our evolving benchmark has been in continuous use at PC World for nine years and is regarded in the computer industry as one of the leading measures of PC performance. Like its predecessors, WorldBench 5 uses real applications running real-world tasks to assess a computer's overall performance. This latest edition adds much more varied testing, including multitasking and task-switching tests, more-strenuous 3D graphics routines, and audio and video encoding that we designed to stress today's more powerful systems.
We use WorldBench 5 to test desktop, notebook, and tablet PCs, as well as to support our testing of hard drives, graphics boards, and other products. An important note: Because WorldBench 5 uses a completely new set of applications, and because we have updated our baseline system, the scores in this and future issues cannot be compared in any way with scores from older versions of WorldBench.
An Up-to-Date Benchmark
WorldBench 5 runs on computers using the Home, Professional, Media Center, or Tablet PC version of Windows XP. Fifteen applications (counting the components of Office XP) make up the WorldBench 5 suite. We selected this group, listed in the box below, for their mass-market appeal, stability, market share, and variety.
PC World has always believed that using an application-based benchmark is a better way to quantify computer performance than using esoteric synthetic methods. WorldBench 5 runs--albeit in an extremely compressed fashion--many of the same tasks that average computer users perform on their systems every day.
The WorldBench 5 Score
WorldBench 5 is automated and bulletproof: Once you launch WorldBench 5, it runs on its own from start to finish and reports the results, in text or graphics form, as individual test scores and as the overall WorldBench 5 score. It can recover from and repeat failed tests, and can finish the testing and prepare its report even when individual applications will not run or complete. You can easily remove WorldBench 5 when it is finished; this feature helps ensure that we run the same software configurations and versions on every computer we test, and that WorldBench 5 will leave your PC unaltered.
Like previous versions, WorldBench 5 combines the results of scripted application tests and then compares them with the scores of a reference system--now a high-end PC with a 2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51 CPU and 1GB of RAM, as well as an NVidia GeForce FX 5950 Ultra graphics card with 256MB of RAM.
To make the comparisons easy to interpret, we set the baseline system's final score at 100. A system that receives a score of 50 is half as fast as the baseline; a computer that earns a final mark of 200 is twice as fast; and so on.
Over the years, we've used different PC vendors' systems. For WorldBench 5 we selected our baseline because its configuration specifically places it near the upper end of the current performance scale. Visit our WorldBench 5 page for more information about WorldBench 5 or to order a copy.
Dan SommerWorldBench 5 applications:
This Envy Will Turn Your Friends Green
Photograph by Marc Simon
At the time my choice provoked jibes and derision from some players. No way would I be able to hold my own against their big hulking game machines, which smoked and blinked and glowed with a blue or green or red light from within their interiors. I'll grant that my system was slower and less flashy than the other players', but at least I didn't have to rent a U-Haul to transport it to the event.
Flash forward to today, and the chance for me to spend a weekend with VoodooPC's Envy M:860 gaming laptop. It's a full-featured desktop replacement notebook that's tuned for gaming, with an Athlon 64 3400+ CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics with 128MB of video RAM, and a thumping sound system. The laptop weighed 8 pounds, and--true to its gaming persona--it was packaged in a slick blue case sporting a modern-primitive tattoo design on top. My test system costs $3368, so this is no casual purchase; to go for it, you have to be as game-crazy as I am.
But the true proof is in the play. I sat down at the dining-room table with the Envy and Ubisoft's Far Cry, and was immediately sucked into another world of outwitting the bad guys. I soon lost track of time, oblivious to the setting sun and my sweaty hands.
For my money, the gaming notebook is a legitimate specialized category, and this machine has earned its place among top-notch gaming hardware. With its easy mobility you can impress your friends; the Envy might well be the envy of any gamer.
Andrew Brandt