Extreme Power User's Instrument
Written: Mar 05 '04
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Pros: FireWire, 4 USB2, and desktop swappable components.
Cons: gets extremely hot because processing power is nearing heat dissipating usability limits. Little/No support.
The Bottom Line: If you are a power user and KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, then you will be able to fully use this deskNote's power.
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| virtualscribe's Full Review: EliteGroup A928 I-Buddie (ecs desknote 928) PC Not... |
I purchased this unit in mid 2002 after doing a tremendous amount of research on laptops. My uses are heavy duty video and audio editing, multimedia creation, heavy database web code optimization, and many location changes during the course of a day. I truly needed a desktop machine with the portability of a laptop. Having used this laptop for almost 2 years now, it STILL outperforms the majority of the laptops out there. I currently have 4 usb2 ports and firewire to transfer video and other data extremely fast between the mac and this PC machine, S-Video connector, IR port, and, like the MAC design, very few protruding ports.
When I purchased it, the default installation came with a version of UNIX (ThizLinux, not windows) on CD and was a machine in which I had to install my own OS. Again, this instrument is for power users who are comfortable with its configurability. It uses desktop processor, external battery, and desktop memory. This means I can easily upgrade the laptop to 2.6 Ghz and 1 Gb using inexpensive desktop computer parts, not expensive laptoop computer parts. Contrast that to the Centrino chip, which gives out 5 hours of power, but hilariously has downgraded its processing power to about 1 Ghz.
In order to utilize the full scope of the deskNote, I purchased 2 batteries, a car adapter, 2 laptop coolers, a long s-video cable, a network cable, firewire memory stick reader, and a usb floppy drive. That pushed my already exorbitant powerUser budget even higher, and that's what drove up the price of my own purchase so much. Also please note, I purchased an almost unheard of concept when it was still in experimental phases.
I have partitioned my 40Gb hard drive into 10 partitions. In order, I installed Windows98, WindowsXP, and ThizLinux in their own separate partitions. I have also separated the WindowsXP partition, so that all windows components reside only on that partition. Another partition holds all Program Files, another for Downloads, and others for various other types of work I do. This allows the XP swap file to stay in its own partition and not interfere with any windows functions. Again, all of this technical jargon is only useful to those who are actually going to be a poweruser of this kind of laptop, and not someone who simply needs to write Word Documents. But the reason for writing all this is recognizing that it takes a user who will use the full capabilities of this laptop in order to fully appreciate and utilize its power. If you don't know how to set up an OS from a black screen, don't purchase this kind of power. But if you do know or have the time and are willing to learn to set up hardware, this instrument will not hold your own creativity back.
The one really big drawback is how much true heat these chips generate. The combination of a very powerful chip, small but powerful hard drive and limited space in a laptop generates an extensive amount of heat. Within about 1 year of owning the laptop and using it to its full capacity nearly everyday, some motherboard components melted. I wrote another review of a laptop cooler at e-pinions Laptop Cooler, which explains a little more, and if you plan to generate this much heat using this kind of power, please don't forget a laptop cooler.
I have nothing but positive feedback about the raw speed and power of this instrument. However, the heat generated without adequate external cooling WILL melt your motherboard's ceramic power connector pins. This is a common problem with this laptop, and while engineers should have been more careful with their design, there is simply a limit when it comes to heat dissipation. I am now more conscious of and take more responsibility about keeping a very watchful eye on heat generated by laptops, whether I am using an ibook, this laptop, or others.
I am the virtualscribe.com
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1600
Operating System: Unix
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 41-50
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Epinions.com ID:
virtualscribe
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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