Compal HEL80 Review

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by Chris Yano

Introduction

Compal HEL80 (view large image)

The Compal HEL80 is a 15.4&quot; mid-range gaming system that offers power and performance at a reasonable price. The HEL80 is often directly compared to the Asus S96J/Z96J (96J hereafter). Many prospective buyers will find themselves trying to decide between these two similar systems. I went through this very process five months ago when they were both newly released. The business-class HP nc8430 also meets the requirements of those looking at the HEL80 and 96J, but it is a more expensive option.

My goal is to help you make an informed decision about whether or not the HEL80 is right for you and to provide a resource for new HEL80 owners.

My system's Specifications:

• Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz)
• 2 GB Corsair RAM @ 667 MHz
• 256 MB Nvidia GeForce go 7600
• Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
• 15.4&quot; WSXGA+ Matte display (1680x1050)
• 100 GB 7200 RPM SATA HD
• Built-in Secure Digital (SD/MMC) &amp; MemoryStick/MemoryStick Pro reader
• Dual-layer DVD RW optical drive
• 3945 a/b/g Wireless
• Internal Bluetooth adapter
• 14.25&quot; x 10.4&quot; x 1.25~1.5&quot;
• 6.95 lbs. including battery
• PowerPro 3-year Warranty with Next-Business-Day Shipping
• Windows XP Pro

I paid roughly $1,770 total including shipping for the above configuration from PowerNotebooks.com. I had an unused copy of XP Pro lying around, so my price does not include the operating system.

Reasons for buying

My desktop was converted into a business machine, so I needed a new personal system. Having owned three Dell systems (one notebook and two desktops), I went with the Inspiron e1705. Unfortunately, the system crashed regularly and technical support could not figure out the problem. It was probably due to a faulty hardware or software installation, but I could not lose any more time trying to fix it. It was a shame to return it because I liked the e1705.

Although I do not play games as often these days, I definitely want the ability to do so. The Sager NP5760, which is more powerful and not much more expensive than the Inspiron (I paid a lot for mine), came highly recommended. I almost bought an NP5760, but my doubts about getting another 17&quot; desktop replacement held me back.

When I had taken the e1705 out of the box, I remembered my reaction to its size. Although I had seen 17&quot; systems in stores, holding one in my hands (store models are always bolted down) was quite different and I did not want to take such a large system around with me. Since I liked the idea of spending less on a smaller-yet-capable system, I decided on a mid-range system.

The Asus 96J had always been a stand out and I was pretty much set on it until the Compal HEL80 was released. Some well-respected NBR forum members posted very positive comments about the HEL80 in the forums and I began to weigh the two options. Speaking with Donald Stratton of Powernotebooks helped me a great deal, and the reasons for my buying decision are spread throughout this review.

Main Questions/Issues

Underclocked GPU?

The single most common question asked about the HEL80 concerns its graphics card. Yes, Compal underclocks the Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 in the HEL80. The stock clocks are set at 350MHz core/350MHz memory. Asus sets the x1600 in the 96J at 450/370. I will discuss overclocking later in the review.

Inferior 3D Performance?

If clockspeeds and synthetic benchmarks are what you will ultimately base your decision on, you should look at the Asus 96J or the HP nc8430. Although they both receive higher scores in 3DMark05 than the HEL80, keep in mind that synthetic benchmarks are exactly that -- synthetic. Real-life gaming experiences with all three systems will be relatively similar since their GPUs perform at equal levels. I have not been disappointed by the gaming performance of my HEL80 at native resolution (1680x1050) with stock settings. I do not overclock my GPU nor have I upgraded its drivers.

Keyboard flex?

In my opinion, all notebook keyboards leave something to be desired. Now, I have not had the privilege of using a ThinkPad, but I have used a number of notebooks over the years. I prefer the full-sized external keyboard/mouse setup on my desktop, but when I do use the HEL80's keyboard I have no complaints.

Although this keyboard is well-suited to my typing style, some may feel it is on the bouncy/flexible side. Numerous HEL80 owners have employed a quick and simple fix to stabilize their keyboards. I do not notice the flex and it gets the job done as-is.

Links to four of the more important posts outlining this fix: #1, #2, #3, #4

Fan Behavior?

There are some HEL80 owners who do not like the way the cooling fan operates. The HEL80's fan is fairly quiet and is hard to notice most of the time. The problem is that the fan can cycle on and off under certain conditions, which is irritating to some. It does not bother me, but in a silent room it could be bothersome to sensitive ears if it begins to cycle.

Suspend Issue?

There have been a handful of HEL80 owners who have experienced an issue with the LCD failing to come back from Standby or automatic shutdown. It is a Windows glitch and not a fault of the HEL80. I have not experienced this problem, but here is a link to download the Hotfix for it.

Headphone interference?

A small number of HEL80 owners have reported hearing interference through the headphone jack. I investigated and it took me some time to locate the noise, since it is very subtle. There is a slight hiss/buzz when scrolling webpages or documents, and when the hard drive is accessed there is some feedback. These sounds are quite muted in my opinion and any audio signal would easily cover them. It bothers some HEL80 owners while others do not hear it at all.

A few HEL80 owners have noticed a slight ringing coming out of the processor area while the notebook is on battery power. My ear was very close to the S key before I noticed it. The ringing disappears when on A/C power, although it may have some effect on professionals looking to do internal recordings on the HEL80. An external audio solution will easily bypass this issue for audiophiles. Underclocking the CPU while on battery power with Notebook Hardware Control or a similar hardware utility will also eliminate the ringing.

Is it Ugly?

Many are concerned about the HEL80's looks. If you read around in the forums, nearly everyone who owns one likes their HEL80's appearance. I was not sure I would like the system's appearance when I ordered it, but it does look much better in person. I like its classy look with brushed aluminum and ice-blue/fire-orange LEDs. XoticPC had one painted red and the photos give you another perspective of the system's design.

Is it Thick and Heavy?

The HEL80 is actually a touch thinner and just a tad heavier than the 96J with its 6-cell battery. They are essentially the same size and weight. The thinnest and lightest notebook in this category is the HP nc8430, listed by HP at 14.1&quot; x 10.2&quot; x 1.1&quot; and ~6 lbs.

	Compal HEL80	Asus S96J/Z96J
GPU	256 MB nVidia go 7600	256 MB ATI x1600
GPU stock clock speeds	350/350	450/370
Screen	WXGA glossy/WSXGA+ matte	WXGA glossy/WSXGA+ glossy
USB 2.0 ports	3	4
Input slots	ExpressCard & PCMCIA type II	ExpressCard
Fingerprint scanner	Standard	Unavailable
Integrated TV Tuner	Optional	Unavailable
Battery	9-cell battery	6-cell battery
Bluetooth	Optional	Unavailable/Standard
Dimensions	14.25” x 10.4” x 1.25~1.5”	14.25” x 10.55 x 1.54”
Weight	6.95 lb. including battery	6.8 lb. including battery

 

Build &amp; Design

HEL80 Top View (view large image)

The HEL80 is solidly built. When I took this system out of the box, I immediately noticed the higher quality of it over the Dell I had returned. It is made of higher-quality materials and has a better fit and finish than your standard mainstream notebook. None of the plastic feels cheap or brittle. It takes serious pressure on the back or sides of the LCD to create minor ripples. Twisting the screen also does very little to the image.

HEL80 bottom view (view large image)

The touchpad is made of brushed aluminum, and the LCD lid and keyboard trim are also adorned with the stylish metal. The brushed aluminum design really gives the notebook a touch of class and its own unique look. Also worth mentioning are the LEDs; the ice-blue and fire-orange LEDs subtly accent the overall aesthetic of the HEL80.

HEL80's LEDs (there is a little bit of light leaking into neighboring unlit LEDs) (view large image)

Screen

HEL80 WSXGA+ screen at 4/7 brightness level. The hinge is neither too tight nor shows any signs of loosening after four months of daily use. (view large image)

Having previously used a glossy screen, I was not sure I would like the matte finish on the HEL80. I had owned a couple of matte LCDs before but liked the brightness and contrast of glossy screens. Donald convinced me to give this one a try and I am glad he did.

Vertical viewing angle of HEL80 WSXGA+ screen (view large image)

The matte WSXGA+ screen is bright and well-lit. Colors are vibrant. Contrast and sharpness are good. It utilizes Samsung's new LGP Prism technology -- lighting inwards from the corners for even display brightness. It has better horizontal/vertical viewing angles than the glossy screen did on the Inspiron.

Horizontal viewing angle of HEL80 WSXGA+ screen (view large image)

HEL80 WSXGA+ specifications:

• Brightness - 185 cd/m2 (nits)
• Contrast ratio - 300-500
• Viewing angles - 130 degrees horizontal/100 degrees vertical
• Response time - 25ms

Webcam cover (view large image)

The HEL80 comes with an integrated 1.3 MP camera. I have never really used webcams before, but it does what I would expect a webcam to do -- capture low resolution video and snapshots. It is a standard integrated camera, although the sliding cover is a nice touch.

Speakers &amp; Sound

Sound from the HEL80's speakers is decent -- it is not overly tinny and does not get distorted at max volume. I would appreciate a slightly better range, but these are only notebook speakers and they get the intended job done. Overall, I am satisfied with the sound quality and volume of the speakers. A decent set of headphones/earphones will allow you to better appreciate the Intel High Definition Audio. As discussed above, there is the slight interference issue through the headphone jack.

Processor and Performance

I purchased my HEL80 a few months before the Core 2 Duo was available. A Core 2 Duo processor would undoubtedly give slightly higher benchmarks scores, but nevertheless here are my results. Tests were done with all settings at default.

This is about what you would expect from the HEL80 in 3DMark05 with stock settings (350/350). Overclocking will yield scores of about 3700 in 3DMark05.

3DMark05:

Notebook	3D Mark 05 Results
Compal HEL80 (2.0 GHz Core Duo, 256 MB Nvidia Go 7600)	3,085 3D Marks
Dell Inspiron e1705 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	1,791 3D Marks
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB)	4,236 3DMarks
Alienware Aurora M-7700(AMD Dual Core FX-60, ATI X1600 256MB)	7,078 3D Marks
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,092 3D Marks
Asus V6Va (2.13 GHz Pentium M, ATI x700 128 MB)	2,530 3D Marks
Fujitsu n6410 (1.66 GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,273 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv4000 (1.86 GHz Pentium M, ATI X700 128MB)	2,536 3D Marks
Dell XPS M1210 (2.16 GHz Core Duo, nVidia Go 7400 256MB)	2,090 3D Marks

 

 

3DMark06 results.

My PCMark05 results are a little higher than Chaz's due to the extra GB of RAM in my system

PCMark05 Comparison

Another synthetic benchmark we use is Futuremark's PCMark 05. This is a good general  measure of system performance.

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Compal HEL80 (2.0 GHz Core Duo, 256 MB Nvidia Go 7600)	4,206 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo)	3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Panasonic ToughBook T4 (Intel 1.20GHz LV)	1,390 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400)	3,646 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FE590 (1.83GHz Core Duo)	3,427 PCMarks

 

1 m 17 s in Super PI (view large image)

SuperPi Comparison

SuperPi measures CPU performance by calculating Pi to a specific number of digits.

Notebook	Time to Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits
Compal HEL80 (2.0 GHz Core Duo)	1m 17s
HP dv6000z (1.8GHz Turion64 X2 TL-56)	1m 54s
Compaq V3000T(1.6GHz Core Duo)	1m 26s
Dell Inspiron e1505 (2.00 GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 02s
Toshiba A100(2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s
Acer Aspire 5102WLMi(1.6GHz Turion64 X2 TL-50	2m 22s
Gateway E-100M(1.2GHz Core Solo ULV)	2m 02s
Dell Inspiron 600m (1.6 GHz Dothan Pentium M)	2m 10s
HP dv5000z(2.0GHz Sempron 3300+)	2m 02s

38.0 MB/second average transfer rate on this 100 GB 7200 RPM HD (view large image)

Overclocking and Gaming Tests

In the spirit of this review I did some overclocking. I expected more of an increase in overclocked gaming performance based on the large increase in benchmark scores. I hardly noticed the difference between stock and fully overclocked settings -- even when alternating between the two settings -- probably due to the fact that stock gaming performance is adequate.

 

Clock settings	3DMark05 score
359/372	3261
400/350	3312
400/369	3418
425/369	3509
450/369	3585
465/369	3650
475/369	3662
480/369	3675
480/372	3695*

* some artifacting occurred in one of the games tested

 

Far Cry (Fort)

1680x1050, All settings at Very High (Shadows and Lighting on High), AF at 1, AA off, V-Sync Off

Clock Settings	Min. FPS	Max FPS	Average FPS
350/350	19	91	40.017
480/369	25	90	44.748

Star Wars BattleFront II (Jabba’s Palace)

1680x1050, All Settings on High, Light Bloom OFF, AA off, V-Sync Off

Clock Settings	Min. FPS	Max FPS	Average FPS
350/350	27	69	43.138
480/369	32	80	52.481

If maximum 3D performance is your goal, the Asus and HP will get you a few extra FPS with 3DMark05 scores closer to 4000. 

Heat and Noise

Heat is not much of an issue with this system. The only areas that warm up are the touchpad and to the left of the touchpad. With regular use, these areas are slightly warm. Under heavier loads and gaming, they get warmer but never uncomfortably so. The cooling system works quickly and efficiently by blowing warm air through a large vent on the left side and a smaller one in the rear. It does not take long to cool the warmest areas after a gaming session. Although the fan is quiet by my standards, there is the intermittent on/off cycling that can occur at times as highlighted above.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Note the brushed aluminum trim and touchpad. The FN button is in the lower left corner. (view large image)

As I mentioned earlier, the keyboard is a common topic of discussion regarding the HEL80. Although I do not have a problem with it, you may prefer the HP nc8430's keyboard if you are picky. As is fairly standard, Media and Quick Launch buttons are located around the keyboard.

The HEL80's touchpad is nicely done in brushed aluminum, giving it a nice feel. I do not use the touchpad often, but it works as well as I expect it to. There are some HEL80 owners who do not like how the cursor jumps to the scroll bar when using its scroll feature. The cursor can easily be moved back into place after scrolling, but the complaint is worth mentioning.

I would have liked to see a touchpad on/off switch or button. It can get irritating if you unintentionally touch it while typing on the keyboard because it will move your cursor unexpectedly. Proper hand placement while typing can eliminate this problem for the most part, but when using the notebook keyboard I have occasionally had this happen to me. The touchpad needs to be manually disabled every time the system is started and can be a hassle.

The fingerprint scanner was a feature I did not see myself using when I ordered the notebook, but its usefulness came as a pleasant surprise. It is a convenient way to secure files or sign into the numerous websites you visit. It is also a great way to secure your Windows log-in.

I/O Ports

Front View (view large image)

Front view, left to right: Media reader, Wireless switch, LCD latch (view large image)

Left side view, left to right: TV tuner, vent, USB, Firewire, Ethernet, PCMCIA, ExpressCard (view large image)

Right side view, left to right: Headphone/speaker jack, microphone input, USB (x2), optical drive, VGA (view large image)

Rear view, left to right: S-video, notebook lock slot, 56K modem, vent, A/C power (view large image)

Wireless

The HEL80 comes equipped with the Intel 3945 a/b/g wireless card. I have experienced no problems connecting to my home wireless network with a strong signal. This is a fairly standard wireless solution in modern notebooks so there is not much else to report on. An internal Bluetooth adapter is also available on the HEL80.

Battery Life

The standard 9-cell battery is a nice feature. I originally thought I would not like the battery sticking ³/₄&quot; out of the back of the notebook. The protrusion, however, is generally out-of-sight and the extra capacity affords you an extra hour or so of battery life. Although a 6-cell battery is available as an accessory, I believe the benefit of having 33% more battery life with the 9-cell battery far outweighs the single cosmetic negative.

I got 2 hours 45 minutes with wireless on. I spent the entire time on the Internet and using MS Word. LCD brightness was at 3/7 and I had my external keyboard and Logitech G7 charging base running on the HEL80's battery. With wireless off, LCD brightness at 1/7, and no peripherals I was able to extend battery life to 3 hours 50 minutes while doing work in MS Word.

Customer Service and Support

My experience with PowerNotebooks has been positive. Donald Stratton was more than willing to answer my questions. He made himself available after hours to help me make my final decisions. Communications have been very personal and professional. I look forward to 3 years of worry-free computing under the PowerPro warranty.

Conclusion

If I had to single out the biggest shortcomings of this system, I would have to say that the underclocked GPU and flexible/bouncy keyboard would be the primary issues for most users. I have highlighted a number of smaller issues that others may have with the HEL80 throughout this review to the point of nitpicking minor flaws. I have mentioned that none of them particularly bother me, yet one or more of them may be problematic for some.

I realize this review may come across as overly-positive; however it was not my intention to gloss over the system's shortcomings. I realize that nothing is perfect and I feel lucky that the biggest complaints about the HEL80 do not bother me. There are areas that could be improved; every notebook system has its flaws. I've used my HEL80 everyday for four months now and the above issues take little away from the ownership experience. Overall, it is an excellent system that offers exceptional value and design at an affordable price.

I hope this review helps making your decision a little easier. Here are additional reviews for further reading on the HEL80:

• ]Chaz's HEL80 Review
• Justin@XoticPC's HEL80 Review
• gotgenes' HEL80 Review

Pros

• Great Build Quality
• Stylish design
• Excellent WSXGA+ Screen
• Runs cool and quiet
• PCMCIA and ExpressCard
• Great Price/Performance ratio

Cons

• Underclocked GPU
• Keyboard Flex
• No DVI-D
  

 

Thank you, excelent review. I think the screen's viewing angles are really amazing.

 

Nice review Chris. I agree, the viewing angles are excellent for a notebook. I would seriously consider this one myself next time I get a notebook but I probably won't be getting one until next Summer so we will have to see what updates happen in notebooks between now and then.

 

Very nice review, thanks Chris! I have a few comments though:

- The notebook is pretty expensive... 1700$ for a Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo) and no OS included...
- The 3dmark scores are pretty low for a 7600Go.

Charlie

 

Nice review.

>...the benefit of having 33% more battery life with the 9-cell battery
>far outweighs the single cosmetic negative.

A 9-cell battery has 50% more cells than a 6-cell battery, so shouldn't
the battery life of a 9-cell be 50% more than a 6-cell rather than 33%?

Sorry if this seems picky, but I've seen that same percentage elsewhere and
wondering the percentage you quote is from your own experience. But it's
not a big deal. More battery is usually better .....

And why does Compal underclock the GPU? Is there any particular advantage
or disadvantage to this? Maybe heat? Does Compal discourage overclocking
or at least not underclocking this GPU? Is it changeable by the end user?

 

well the underclocking could be worse, my 9400s 7800go is underclocked to 250mhz core when stock it should be 400mhz the thing runs hot and got 3800 in 3D mark 05 so you 7600 runs pretty good and is very close to the performance of my 7800. nice review btw.

 

Beautiful review Chris, and that's a fine notebook right there. The HEL80 is certainly one of the best quality machines on the market today, and has some very unique design features which allow it to stand apart from the competition.

Congratulations on a job well done.

 

Great review Chris. I'd say that was accurate to my experience with my Hel80

 

Thanks everyone for your kind words. The HEL80's matte screen is really a plus.

I don't really think it's expensive compared to other systems in its class--mid-range gaming. It's actually a little less expensive than a comparably configured Asus Z96J and it offers more standard features.

Remember a T7200 should be the same price as the T2500 today. I also went with premium components in my configuration--so you're looking at close to the maximum price for a HEL80 with my system.

Despite the lower scores in 3DMark05, a synthetic benchmark, the real game experience with this system at stock is more than adequate. Considering the 600 or so 3DMarks I picked up with OC'ing didn't make a huge difference in the gaming experience--I would draw the conclusion that a few hundred more 3DMarks in another system would make even less of a noticeable difference in gaming experience.

Of course the Asus Z96J or HP nc8430 will most likely get you a few extra FPS in your games and higher 3DMark scores if that's what you're looking for.

Yes, it is true there are 50% more cells in a 9-cell than a 6-cell. The battery-life-to-cell-number ratio doesn't work on a straight line like that though. Li-Ion batteries work on a chemical reaction--so I'm guessing the reaction is going to be taking place in all the cells at some level when the system is on battery power. My results were based on personal results--and of course everything depends on the load you are going to put on your battery.

Compal underclocks their GPUs to save power consumption and heat. You can easily overclock the GPU to normal levels and even a little higher. I got my go 7600 to 480 core/369 memory.

 

Good review, Chris! Made for a nice reading. Do you think you are going to upgrade to C2D when Vista comes out? I'm curious because I'm debating the very issue.

C.

 

Thanks! The current plan is to stick with my T2500 and XP for the life of the HEL80. My next system will start with a hopefully stable and debugged Vista. I don't have any intention of moving to Vista or 64-bit unless something comes up that makes that move necessary.

XP suits me just fine for now, and I don't like the idea of spending an extra $300+ to upgrade my CPU and then pay full price for a new OS. I do, however, like the fact that I could send it in to have it swapped out and keep the warranty intact should I need to make the switch.

 

Yes, that's a very good option that PNB offers. I like that as well (although it probably does not apply to my Sager).

As for the rest, it makes sense. I buy a computer every 12-18 months on average, so probably my next purchase will include "debugged Vista" and 64-bit processing as well.

C.

 

I'm pretty sure that it does apply to beasts like yours too .

 

Hmm, interesting... I'll have to ask Donald about that.

C.

 

That is going to be up to Sager to set their upgrade policy...we only control the PowerPro and Crown brands.

Sager has a nice history of providing upgrade programs, so we will have to wait and see what policy they establish.

In any event, it will be some time before Vista x64 will be mature. Too many 64-bit drivers are not yet available, and unless you have 64 bit applications you will get way too many application errors with 32-bit applications to make it worth using. It is going to be an expensive proposition to repurchase all of your important applications in 64-bit.

 

Well, I make it a principle to never buy software apart from Windows: I only use open-source, free-distribution programs such as OpenOffice, GIMP, AVG, etc. and I'm assuming there will be 64-bit support for all of them eventually (some already do).

But I agree with you: it will be quite some time before Vista is "mature" enough to grant switching to it. By then, I hope Sager will have changed their policy.

C.

 

Thanks to Bhima who found this. Apparently the HEL80 is good enough to be aVooDoo .

 

Thanks to Gophn who pointed out that Sager is now rebranding the HEL80 as well:

 

We will be selling the new Sager "Compal" models as well for those wanting just a one year warranty. They will be up on our website tomorrow.

As usual, we will be a little cheaper than buying from Sager directly, and we offer 24/7 telephone support while Sager only offers Monday through Friday support during West Coast business hours.

 

Interesting that you would stock the Sager versions as well. Are there any cosmetic changes other than badges?

Also, will you continue to carry the Crown versions as well?

 

No, no difference other than the badge, the warranty and the support.

You can get the Sager 3 year warranty, but then it would be better to get the PowerPro so that you get Next Business Day Air paid both ways instead of the 3 Day shipping provided in the Sager warranty. The PowerPro will be about $6 higher, but I think the difference in shipping and support will more than make up that difference. And as always...CALL US for Special Promotions on PowerPro and Crown Models.

No, we will no longer be carrying the HEL80 or HGL30 in the Crown line, but we do have the HEL81 in the Crown line and will be adding the HGL31 to the Crown line shortly.

 

I like the idea of a 3 yr standard warranty, and yet it was pretty darn cheap in my mind!

 

And as if having VooDooPC and Sager rebranding the Compal HEL80 wasn't enough, apparently WidowPC is also selling the HEL80 as well.

It's the Venom 415D:
http://www.widowpc.com/2005/06/gaming_laptops.php

HEL80 owners, you've got to be feeling pretty good right about now =p.

 

Wow, this is an awesome review.
I'm sure this review would help alot of curious notebook buyers like myself in purchasing a Compal HEL80 .

I was wondering, were you able to test Elders Scroll 4: Oblivion on that system?
If so, what were the FPS you got?
Oblivion would be one of the main games I'll be looking forward to in playing.

 

Thank you for your kinds words.

Unfortunately I do not have Oblivion to test on my notebook. I try to steer clear of those "life-swallowing" games .

It should be noted though, that a Core 2 Duo may give you 400 extra 3Dmark05 points. Andrew did a review of the widescreen ThinkPad T60 and the Core 2 Duo version gained almost 400 3Dmarks from an otherwise identical system with a Core Duo.

 

I can definately understand your reasons why not to play Oblivion.
I'm a typical MMORPG gamer and quite frankly, those type of games are definately "life-swallowers."
Currently, trying to find a solution to my gaming addiction.

It's quite interesting.
That means that Core 2 Duo does give a significant difference in gaming in synthetic benchmark scores.
Great find!

 

It's definitely more than I would have expected to see, but if you take a look at the widescreen T60 Review, you will see it under the 3Dmarks05 benchmarks scores. Of course, that doesn't mean that the HEL80 will see the same bump with a Core 2 Duo in it though. But it is definitely encouraging...

 

Oh yes, that's definitely encouraging. Considering both Core Duo and Core 2 Duo have the same price tag.
This surely shows that the Core 2 Duo does in fact provide somewhat of a ~20% increase in gaming performance.

For gamers, I really don't see any reason why not to get a Core 2 Duo other than low stock of Core 2 Duos.

 

Great review! I learned a lot about my own notebook!

Tell me chrisyano, did you had any problems with your keyboard? On my machine the key "/" right under the backspace is totally dead! I even tried to use the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator, but this only confirmed what I already knew, the key is not unconfigured, is literaly null.

Excuse my poor english...!

 

Thanks for the kind words. And your English is fine .

I actually have a strong preference for a full-sized external keyboard...so that's what I use whenever I can. I've had no problems with the notebook keyboard when I have used it though. I think yours should still be under warranty.

I'd recommend you give your reseller a call and see if you can't get it replaced. Otherwise a replacement shouldn't cost too much if they make you pay for a new one.

 

Yeah, I will try that! That's my B plan!

But before this, can you tell me what driver you're using on your keyboard configuration? I think that is my last try to resolve this problem. Yesterday I noticed that the problem is not privilege of that especifc key, but "Home", "PgUP", "PgDn", "End" and "Pause/Break" do not works too. Maybe it is a driver problem, not a hardware one.

Thank you very much for the kind and quick answer!

 

I doubt drivers really have much to do with keyboards; 'tis a pretty simple and common construction, the keyboard. So I'd rather suspect hardware. Did the keys always not work, or was it just recently that they stopped after preferably something happening, or some worked, then less of them work now? As in most cases with laptops, it's probably your ribbon connecting the keyboard to the laptop itself, check with your reseller, if you still have your laptop on guarantee, it should be replaced no sweat.

Regards,

//m.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding to your question...I didn't catch the post soon enough.

As far as drivers go...I'm using the stock drivers from the CD the system came with. I think you have a hardware issue though as well. Even if it's not covered by the warranty...replacement keyboards are rather inexpensive.

Definitely get in touch with your reseller if you haven't by now.

Good luck.