Mid-sized Dothan Notebook Roundup: Dell, Gateway, and HP/Compaq
by Andrew Ku on September 30, 2004 1:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
HP/Compaq NC6000: Construction - Build, Appearance, Size
From HP/Compaq's Business Notebook line, we have their flagship notebook: the NC6000. This model is similar to the Dell D600 in the sense that it has been on the market for some time, but with the introduction of the Dothan processor, it has undergone a refresh.As most people undoubtedly know, HP and Compaq are really HP/Compaq, due to the merger. As a result of the merger, the one big company has been integrating the two different engineering teams over time. This means that the HP side may have former Compaq people working on their products, and vice versa. Either way, it is still pretty easy to tell which side designed what. HP designs and those from Compaq each have a certain flare that distinguishes them in the marketplace. And as far as this notebook goes, it has a design feel more reminiscent of the Compaq team.
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This notebook is bulkier than either the D600 or the 320XL, but it is definitely a sturdier design in feel compared to the other two notebooks in this roundup. The casing specifically feels stronger.
The front of the system is fairly straight, with a slight tilt toward the surface on which it sits, by a few degrees. To release the notebook, hold the silver release clip down, which releases two security hooks in the base of the notebook.
Front side (left to right):
- IR port
- Mute button
- Volume down/Volume up
Click to enlarge.
Left side:
- headphone port
- microphone port
- hard drive door
- Multibay
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Back side:
- Exhaust vent
- Power port
- Serial port
- Parallel port
- S-video port
- VGA-out port
- Ethernet jack
- 2 x USB 2.0 ports
Click to enlarge.
Right side:
- 2 x PCMCIA slots
- SD CardReader
- Modem jack
- Kensington lock port
Click to enlarge.
Peculiarly, the NC6000 has a business card holder, which we found to be kind of handy for business users. Measuring in at 12.5" x 10.3" x 1.4" and weighing close to 6 lbs. (ours came in at about 5.8 lbs.), this marks it as the biggest and heaviest notebook of the three.
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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.