http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1507/pcmg0023.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
PC Magazine -- April 9, 1996
Brian Nadel and John Morris
Notebook computers have inched one step closer to the Holy Grail of being true desktop replacements with the introduction of systems based on Intel's mobile Triton chip set and its 133-MHz Pentium processor. When combined with generously sized screens, large hard disks, and multimedia features, Pentium/133 notebooks approach the functionality and performance of desktop PCs.
For this miniroundup, we tested the first Pentium/133 notebooks on the market: AST Research's Ascentia P50 and Micron's Millennia TransPort P133. Both sell for about $5,000 fully loaded, weigh about 7 pounds each, and are top-flight performers. They are likely to appeal both to those looking for a portable computer with staying power as applications demand ever more processing power and to traveling executives who want the muscle and multimedia capabilities of a high-end desktop PC.
In addition to pushing the clock speed of the CPU to new heights, the Pentium/133 also boosts performance by using the broader bandwidth of a 66-MHz motherboard. The result is about a 30 percent improvement in all-around performance that goes beyond the 11 percent speed difference between Pentium/120 and Pentium/133 processors.
The notebook version of the Pentium/133 delivers these performance gains while providing at least 2 hours of battery life, thanks to the chip's energy-efficient architecture. The processor is manufactured with Intel's 0.35-micron process and wrapped in film-thin Tape Carrier Packaging, which is then attached directly to the motherboard. This mobile Pentium/133 uses dual-voltage technology: The computational core operates at a miserly 2.9 volts (2.9V) while running externally at the standard 3.3V. All told, the processor draws just 3.3 watts of power at peak usage.
The final piece of the portable puzzle is Intel's mobile Triton chip set, also known as 430MX. This PCI-based core-logic chip set streamlines operations and supports sophisticated power-conservation measures.
Our last major roundup of notebooks ("On the Road with the Pentium," January 23, 1996) contained a trio of Pentium/133 notebooks. Each, however, used a traditional 3.3V desktop processor. As a result, battery life and performance of the ACW SoundPad IIIB and the FutureMate 5413T and FutureMate 5513D twins were disappointing; we report the benchmark test results of the FutureMate 5413T alongside those of the Ascentia P50 and TransPort P133 for comparison.
With all these units have going for them and with other manufacturers expected to follow with equally exciting notebooks in the near future, the hardest part may be deciding which notebook is right for you.
AST Research has built a dual personality into its $5,098 Ascentia P50. As a result, it is just as comfortable being a powerful notebook for traveling executives as it is being a desktop replacement system.
AST started with all the necessary ingredients: a Pentium/133 processor, 256K of external cache, an 11.3-inch active-matrix screen, a 4X CD-ROM drive, an 800MB hard disk, and lithium ion batteries. To that, it added multimedia features, a touch pad, and even a joystick/MIDI port. The case includes an RJ-11 telephone connector for an optional 28.8-Kbps internal data/fax modem that AST says will be available soon; for now, a PC Card modem will suffice.
The Ascentia P50 measures 2.3 by 11.3 by 8.9 inches and weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces. It has a travel weight of 7 pounds 14 ounces with the AC adapter, which measures just 1.3 by 2.3 by 4.5 inches.
We tested an Ascentia P50 that was based on Intel's mobile Triton chip set and had 16MB of EDO memory. For audio, the Ascentia P50 uses the 16-bit Sound Blaster Vibra circuitry; there is a pair of stereo speakers and a microphone in the palm rest. One of the strong points of the Ascentia P50 is its bright, 11.3-inch Super VGA screen, which is capable of displaying 64,000 colors at 800- by 600-pixel resolution.
The rear panel of the Ascentia P50 has the standard complement of connectors: serial and parallel ports, an external mouse/keyboard port, a VGA connector, and a slot for connecting a port replicator. There's also a microphone audio jack, as well as an IrDA port for wireless communications. The Ascentia P50 can accommodate two Type II PC Cards or one Type II and one Type III card.
The Ascentia P50 is one of the first notebooks to incorporate the Windows 95-specific keys. In addition, the convenient touch pad allows you to drag the pointer or cursor to the desired location and then tap the surface to activate the location, although it took a while for us to get used to this feature.
Although it posted stellar scores across the board, the Ascentia P50's score of 54 on our Winstone 96 tests was tied by the TransPort P133. On our CPUmark processor tests, the Ascentia P50 barely beat the TransPort P133, with scores of 257 and 259 on 16- and 32-bit tasks, respectively.
On our WinDrain battery test, which measures battery life with power conservation disabled, the Ascentia P50's lithium ion battery lasted 2 hours 34 minutes, half an hour longer than that of the TransPort P133. If you're willing to sacrifice the CD-ROM and floppy disk drive, you can install a second, smaller lithium ion battery pack that contains 8 cells, rather than the 12 that are in the primary battery.
With its excellent performance and well-rounded personality, the Ascentia P50 is an attractive alternative to a desktop PC in the office, on the road, and even at home.
--JM
AST Ascentia P50. List price: With Pentium/133 CPU, 16MB RAM, 256K external cache, 800MB hard disk, 11.3-inch active-matrix display, $5,098. AST Research Inc., Irvine, CA; 800-876-4278, 714-727-4141; http://www.ast .com.
Micron, a company that has garnered several Editors' Choice awards for desktop PCs, has branched out into notebooks. By all accounts, the $5,498 TransPort P133 is nearly a dead ringer for IBM's ThinkPad 760CD (First Looks, November 21, 1995) but performs better and saves you about $2,500.
The TransPort P133, which is manufactured by Sanyo, includes all you're likely to need on the road: Pentium/133 performance, a 1.3GB hard disk, lithium ion batteries, a 4X CD-ROM, infrared communications, Sound Blaster audio, and an 11.3-inch active-matrix display capable of 800- by 600-pixel resolution and 64,000 colors. With a travel weight of 7 pounds 2 ounces and dimensions of 11.0 by 8.5 by 2.3 inches, the TransPort P133 is roughly the same size as and a little lighter than the ThinkPad 760CD, which has a 12.1-inch screen.
On the left side of the TransPort P133, you'll find space for a pair of Type II PC Cards or a single Type III card. The right side contains a modular bay for either the system's floppy disk drive or a battery. In the front, the CD-ROM module can be swapped for a battery, the floppy disk drive, or a second hard disk, raising internal data storage to more than 2.5GB.
Depending on what's installed, this modularity results in seven distinct computing personalities, ranging from two hard disks for information-safe mirrored data to a setup with CD-ROM and battery installed for multimedia programming on the road or a double-battery notebook for the long haul.
There are two penalties, though, because the floppy disk drive is not hot-swappable, and you can't have both the CD-ROM and the floppy disk drive installed and run the system on battery power. To have it all, you'll need to have access to an electrical outlet.
While the Ascentia P50 provides a touch pad, the TransPort P133 offers the flexibility of either a similar touch pad or a keyboard-mounted pointing stick. Unfortunately, you can't have both activated at once. On the other hand, the Ascentia P50's keyboard includes the three Windows 95-specific keys, whereas the TransPort P133's doesn't.
Three unexpected extras stand out. First, the TransPort P133 has a pair of IrDA infrared transmission ports, one in the back and one in the front. Also, at 0.9 by 4.4 by 2.2 inches and 8 ounces, the TransPort P133's power adapter is among the smallest and lightest around. Finally, there are ports for both an external keyboard and a mouse.
Based on Intel's mobile Triton chip set, the TransPort P133 comes with 256K of external cache and 16MB of EDO memory. Its performance set a new standard for notebook computing with top scores on our Winstone 96 (54), Graphics WinMark 96 (12.3 million pixels per second), and Disk WinMark 96 (781) tests. The system's 16-bit and 32-bit CPUmark processor test results were slightly behind those of the Ascentia P50.
With power conservation disabled, the TransPort P133 lasted 2 hours 4 minutes on our WinDrain battery test. But with the TransPort P133's flexible power management in place, the system lasted quite a bit longer. If you put the system into suspend mode, it'll take a little experience to remember that the tiny resume button, which has a coffee-cup logo, is above the right-side drive bay.
The TransPort P133 has an optional multimedia Port Replicator that includes a pair of speakers and an Ethernet adapter as well as a power adapter for changing the unit's batteries and a variety of audio and video connectors. At $299, it's a bargain for those who split their time between the office and the road.
If you are turned off by the price of full-featured notebooks, the Micron Millennia TransPort P133 will seem like a breath of fresh air, as long as you don't venture far from an electrical outlet.--BN
Micron Millennia TransPort P133. List price: With Pentium/133 CPU, 256K external cache, 16MB RAM, 11.3-inch active-matrix screen, 4X CD-ROM, extra battery, extra hard disk, $5,498. Micron Electronics Inc., Nampa, ID; 800-388-6334; http:// www.mei.micron.com.
Copyright (c) 1996
Ziff-Davis Publishing Company