Mid-sized Dothan Notebook Roundup: Dell, Gateway, and HP/Compaq
by Andrew Ku on September 30, 2004 1:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Gateway M320XL: Construction - Build, Appearance, Size
Unlike the other two notebooks in this roundup, Gateway's M320XL comes with a 15.0" XGA display (read our note in our introduction). The only problem with a 15." XGA display is that you are limited to a native resolution of 1024 x 768, which is inadequate for a 15.0" display. For the majority, you may want something with a high resolution. Opening the notebook is straightforward (a single sliding clip that retracts two hooks from the notebook's base).
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The front of the system is angled down sharper than a lot of other notebooks, so the audio kind of reverberates after it bounces off the surface. The quality of the audio is similar to that of the D600, neither poor nor great, but just average. This isn't designed to function as a multimedia notebook, so we weren't expecting stupendous audio anyway.
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Left side (left to right):
- Exhaust vent
- 3 USB 2.0 ports
- 4-pin 1394 Firewire port
- PCMCIA slot
- 4 in 1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro)
Click to enlarge.
Back side:
- Ethernet jack
- Modem jack
- VGA-out port
- Kensington lock port
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Right side:
- Volume toggle
- Headphone port
- Microphone port
- 1 x USB 2.0 port
- Optical drive
- Power port
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The notebook measures in at 12.9" x 10.5" x 1.0" and weighs in at about 5.5 pounds (with combo optical drive and 6-cell battery). The casing of the M320XL is sturdy, but due to the slim profile, we would say that this notebook wouldn't hold up as well as the NC6000 or D600. Regarding scratch resistance, this casing is the most prone of the three, but it isn't so bad that your finger nails could scratch it.
The casing for the wrist area and around the keyboard is coated thinly with rubber, which helps give a good texture and grip for typing. However, we have found this coating to peel when you consider everyday use and wear-and-tear, and any sharp object the notebook may encounter.
Note that there is no docking bay option, which is obviously marked by the absence of a docking bay connector.
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Monkeydonutstick - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
You can't be serious about comparing a Powerbook G4 to any of these. Powerbooks were owned by P3’s for Christ sake.plewis00 - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
I just wanted to point out as an nc6000 user that you didn't mention it's speakers (which as any Compaq user will know) are some of the best on any laptop - very rich with reasonable bass and strong volume, it easily rivals small stereos.Secondly, I don't think it's quite clear how much tougher the HP is than the Dell. I had both and pressing slightly on the Dell logo on the D600 would flex it down by about 3-4mm with very little pressure; the HP is far more robust, so it's size isn't that much of an issue (but the Dell is a bit of a headturner, the HP definitely isn't).
Also (only a small point) but given the Dell's and HP's graphics cards, a small 3D-based test (3DMark2001 SE?) wouldn't have gone amiss [that's the reason I had these machines for their size and graphics]. In seriousness, with that Gateway, what are you going to do with a 1.7Ghz Dothan CPU if not game sometimes, or that you couldn't do with a Pentium III-M 850Mhz?
manno - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
ksherman- "wheres the Macs? As far as im concerned, the Powerbook owns all these in terms of performance, size, weight, looks, and battery life... Its apparently even in the same price range as these "mid-sized" laptops... Bring on the Mac articles AT!"I have no clue about the technical aspect of the powerbooks size, weight, and battery life. But I do know you couldn't be more right about the looks... PLUS there's a Quake I... and I think a Quake II software renderer for Macs also... nudge nudge wink wink.
manno - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
SOFTWARE renderer origianl "Half-Life" or "Quake 2". Preferably Half-Life. Their software reneder is more taxing than Quake 2's. Old school, yes, but it's not biased tward desktop, or laptop video cards.peace on!... Crakers!
AndrewKu - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
#4 - Hopefully, we will get to that real soon.AndrewKu - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
#6 - Well, I hope we didn't knock it too much in the overall sense. But we are talking about the business user market segment, and we were putting more emphasis on the display more so than the other nic nacs.YaBaBom - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
I'm not a Gateway fan, but I think it's kind of silly to knock the Gateway laptop in the ratings because it doesn't have gigabit ethernet. Gigabit ethernet is nothing but a sales pitch as far as laptops are concerned, since the hard drives just arent capable of supplying data at gigabit speeds. I can tell you from experience that a D600 with gigabit doesnt transfer any faster than a C640 with 10/100 ethernet.brainwave64 - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
Great review! Very informative. It's hard to find good reviews of laptops that take into account things other than performance - like ergonomics, LED locations, battery life, weight, size, etc.--paperboy164
ksherman - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
wheres the Macs? As far as im concerned, the Powerbook owns all these in terms of performance, size, weight, looks, and battery life... Its apparently even in the same price range as these "mid-sized" laptops... Bring on the Mac articles AT!AndrewKu - Thursday, September 30, 2004 - link
#1 - A64 based laptops, at least so far, are those best reserved for the DTR market, and thus are focused on the performance aspect of the notebook market. If you want mobility, get a P-M based notebook.As for half-life or other gaming applications, one of these notebooks uses Intel's integrated graphic's system, so that wasn't something that was practical, and of the other two that use discrete GPUs, one uses a DX8 mobile graphics part.
#2 - Well... As far as weight and the general specs go, I think the whole market is becoming more and more grey. We will be back with a thin and light side of the Dothan market.