Old, but still good
Written: Jul 31 '01 (Updated Feb 23 '02)
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Pros: Easily available, inexpensive solution
Cons: Older and slower, somewhat bulky compared to newer machines
The Bottom Line: If you are in the market for a used Notebook the older CPi series is a great choice. It runs Windows 98/Office 2000 just fine! Even Windows XP works well!
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| KarsinTheHutt's Full Review: Dell Latitude CPi |
UPDATE: I did some minor upgrades to this old machine including adding 64 MB of RAM (total of 128 MB now) and a 10.2 GB hard disk (The old one died). I am happy to report that WindowsXP Professional runs very well on this machine despite its age. Boot time from pressing the power button to logging in is 56 seconds - much better than the 120 seconds it takes Windows 2000 to start up and a bit better than the 70 seconds Windows 98 takes. Windows XP also makes better use of the power saving features of the Pentium II chip as well as the ACPI compliant BIOS. My Cpi is barely warm to the touch during everyday use, and battery life is up by half an hour. This is a huge improvement over Windows 98 (Windows 98 does not issue a halt command to the CPU to turn off unused portions of the chip during system idle).
I surf the web and do office work on this machine, and I really can't tell the difference between Windows 98 and Windows XP when it comes to responsiveness. Of course, I am running the classic interface instead of Luna, and I have disabled some of the fading and transition effects for maximum performance.
Original Article:
I was in the market for a good cheap notebook around January of last year, and not having the money to purchase a nice new Dell Inspiron 4000 or 8000 (which I had the opportunity to test at my University's computer store), I settled on purchasing a used Dell Latitude CPi from www.dellauctions.com.
Specifications:
266 MHz Intel Pentium II
440BX Chipset, 66 MHz FSB
128 MB EDO-DRAM
10.2 GB HDD
2 MB NeoMagic Video, Crystal Sound System
13.3" TFT with output
1 USB port
Printer and docking ports
Mouse port
Touch Pad
2 PCMCIA slots
Windows 98SE
Dell Notebook Case
24x CD-ROM module and Floppy disk module
Usage:
This notebook isn't fast by any standards, but it was more than good enough for Microsoft Office 2000. The 13.3" Screen can display at a native resolution of 1024x768. While not nearly as bright or sharp as the latest TFT Screens on Dell notebooks, it was good enough for me. While the display is excellent, the speakers leave much to be desired. I recommend purchasing a good set of headphones or earbuds as the speakers are no better than those on a cheap hand radio.
Don't try running Windows 2000 on this machine. The slow hard disk, combined with an older processor and only 64 MB of RAM yielded an outrageously long boot time of 2 minutes 15 seconds and sluggish performance. I use Windows 98 on my Latitude CPi.
Battery life was poor in general, and the 34 Watt/hr Lithium Ion battery managed only a meagre 2 hours before expiring. Whether this is due to the age of the battery is still an question I have not resolved.
The keyboard is quite solid and feels sturdy, unlike the rather flimsy keyboards found in many of today's lighter notebooks. The trackpad is acceptable but there is no track stick, unfortunately. I liked the fact that there was a USB port despite the age of the machine. A media bay can hold either a CD-ROM or floppy drive. Using both devices at the same time requires the use of an external cable to connect the floppy drive.
Disadvantages:
This notebook is about the size of a Dell Inspiron 8000 and weighs slightly less. Although it is not bulky, the Latitude CPi's screen hangs over the keyboard on the sides, and the bottom tends to get very hot after long periods of use. Keeping the notebook in a well ventilated area and on a flat desk helps keep the temperature down.
Update: I found a program called 'Rain' that can shut down parts of the Mobile Pentium II when they are not in use. Using a temperature measuring program called CPUCool, I observed the internal CPU temperature drop from 70C to 50C. This leaves the computer merely warm to the touch. You can find 'Rain' here: http://www.tweakfiles.com/processor/rain.html. This program is only needed for Windows 9x/ME. Windows NT/2K/XP is smart enough to take advantage of the Pentium II's power saving features.
Another disadvantage of this computer is its use of older EDO-DRAM. Since this type of memory is no longer widely produced, upgrading it can be a bit expensive. ($35 or so for a 64 MB module).
Conclusion:
This is a great notebook if you are really on a tight budget and need a machine for light tasks like word processing and web surfing. If you need more power for 3D gaming or scientific applications, stay away from this machine. The NeoMagic graphics system has NO 3D acceleration and the CPU is much too slow for intense applications. For what I ask it to do, my CPi performs admirably for its age, and probably will continue to do so for the next few years.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 550
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium II
Processor speed: 201-300
Screen Size: 13
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
KarsinTheHutt
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Member: Karsin Eng
Location: United States of America
Reviews written: 83
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
I am a part time computer hobbyist and moderator at forum.thinkpads.com
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