subject: Putting Laptops To The Test [print this page] Laptop computers, which have become a primary tool for students these days, come in so many sizes, shapes and forms and trying to figure out which one is best for you can be challenging.
We borrowed six machines with a variety of specifications and features: the Apple MacBook ($1,099), Dell's Inspiron E1405 ($1,160), the Gateway NX260X ($1,220), Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion dv2000t ($1,225 before a $50 mail-in rebate), the Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t ($1,399) and Toshiba's Satellite M105-S3064 ($1,150).
For each, we looked at pricing, weight and power issues such as battery life, heat and noise. We checked out the design and performance of each machine, as well as the included software and number of expansion and connection ports. Finally, we sampled the tech support provided by the manufacturers.
Here's a rundown:
Price
The cheapest model in this bunch came from Apple, the $1,099 MacBook. That price, however, requires giving up the DVD-recording capability and extra memory offered by most laptops in this lineup.
Dell, Gateway, HP and Toshiba sell cheaper versions of the tested laptops for those willing to accept less processing power, storage or memory. For instance, an entry-level version of the HP Pavilion dv2000t (sold only online) goes for $800, while Dell's cheapest Inspiron E1405 costs $699.
Weight
Apple and Lenovo rule this category. The tested ThinkPad and MacBook each weighed only about 5.1 pounds, with power adapters adding about 10 and 9 ounces, respectively.
The Toshiba weighed a bit more than 5.3 pounds plus nearly a pound for its power brick while the Dell, HP and the Gateway laptops exceeded the 5.5-pound mark.
The heaviest setup of them all on the road? The Inspiron and its power adapter, just shy of 6.5 pounds together.
Power
Apple and Gateway offered the best battery life. In a worst-case test DVD playback with the screen fully backlit and all power-saving options off the MacBook lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes and the Gateway ran for 2:53. In a best-case test digital-music playback with the screen dimmed to its lowest visible level and all power-saving options on the MacBook hit 4:32; the Gateway, 4:20.
These machines had issues with other unwanted consequences of today's fast processors: noise and heat. The MacBook's underside approached beach-sand-in-the-sun temperatures, and the Gateway and HP laptops weren't much cooler. Yet the MacBook was the quietest in normal operation.
Design
The MacBook and the ThinkPad lived up to the high expectations raised by earlier models. The MacBook the thinnest laptop in this lineup is one clean machine, with all its expansion ports lined up on the left side, a slot-loading CD/DVD drive on the right, and a screen that shuts without a latch and holds a built-in Webcam.
Lenovo's ThinkPad Z61t lacks the MacBook's seamless feel but offers clever touches of its own, such as the LED that illuminates the keyboard, a fingerprint-recognition scanner to secure the machine and a wide array of user-replaceable components you can eject the DVD/CD drive in seconds.
HP obviously wanted to imitate Apple with its Pavilion, down to the built-in Webcam and latchless lid but the effort was ruined by an infuriatingly jumpy touchpad.
Dell's one standout feature was an LED readout on the battery to indicate its remaining charge (copying Apple's practice) and Toshiba's was a fingerprint scanner. The Gateway was utterly generic, lacking even volume-control buttons.
Performance
Although every computer reviewed included a fast Intel Core Duo processor, other components slowed some of them. The MacBook and the ThinkPad included only 512 megabytes of memory a particularly inadequate amount on the Mac, thanks to the extra memory needed to translate old Mac software for its Intel chip.
In casual tests of common operations, only the Toshiba and the Apple stood out. The Toshiba took about three times as long as any other laptop to copy data from a CD to the hard drive, while the MacBook woke from sleep in under two seconds three or four times faster than any Windows computer.
