Performance
The IBM ThinkPad X40 takes first place in our round-up of ultraportable laptops. It barely beat the heavier HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1100 in mobile performance, coming in just a hair above it. Compared to the Sony VAIO TR2A, however, the IBM ThinkPad X40 is a clear winner, scoring more than 20 points higher. The X40 is the highest-scoring Pentium M 1GHz-based system we've tested, so rest assured that it will satisfy your ultraportable mobile performance needs.
Performance analysis written by CNET Labs assistant lab manager Eric Franklin.
 |
BAPCo MobileMark 2002 performance rating |
To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark 2002. MobileMark measures both application performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0).
System configurations:
HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1100Windows XP Tablet; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; Fujitsu MHT2040AT 40GB 4,200rpm
IBM ThinkPad X40
Windows XP Professional; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 333MHz; Intel 82852/82855GM/GME Extreme Graphics (up to 64MB); Hitachi DK13FA-40 60GB 4,200rpm
Sony VAIO TR2A
Windows XP Home; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME Extreme Graphics (up to 64MB); Toshiba MK4004GAH 40GB 4,200rpm
Regarding battery life the IBM ThinkPad X40 has a place at each end of the spectrum. Configured with its small 14.4V, 1,900mAh (27WHr) battery, the IBM ThinkPad X40 lasts more than two and a half hours. Not too exciting, but you can't expect much from such a small battery. That said, two and a half hours is still great for a 27WHr battery. When we configured the IBM ThinkPad X40 with its large 14.4V, 4,300mAh (62WHr) battery, the laptop lasted for more than five hours. There are no surprises with the comparison systems; the HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1100m, with its average-size 11.1V, 3,600mAh (40WHr) battery, comes in third place, with nearly four hours of life. Also, the Sony VAIO TR2A comes in second, utilising its more powerful 11.1V, 4,300mAh (48WHr) battery to get over the four-hour hump. With its battery score, the IBM ThinkPad X40 is one of the longest-lasting systems we've seen and should satisfy even the most demanding on-the-go user.
Battery life analysis written by CNET Labs assistant lab manager Eric Franklin.
|
|
BAPCo MobileMark 2002 battery life in minutes |
To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs use BAPCo's MobileMark 2002. MobileMark measures both application performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0)
HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1100
Windows XP Tablet; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; Fujitsu MHT2040AT 40GB 4,200rpm
IBM ThinkPad X40
Windows XP Professional; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 333MHz; Intel 82852/82855GM/GME Extreme Graphics (up to 64MB); Hitachi DK13FA-40 60GB 4,200rpm
Sony VAIO TR2A
Windows XP Home; 1GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME Extreme Graphics (up to 64MB); Toshiba MK4004GAH 40GB 4,200rpm
IBM helps you resolve troubleshooting issues yourself, with comprehensive documentation and online resources that you can garner with a simple press of the Access IBM button above the keyboard. The ThinkPad X40 also comes preloaded with IBM's new Rescue and Recovery platform, a secondary operating system that lets you recover data on your hard drive and access the Internet even when your primary operating system won't boot.
Additional editing by Tom Espiner
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters