Asus S37E/Z37E: battery life

Hello forum,

I just bought a new laptop based on the Asus S37E/Z37E barebone with these specs:

. C2D T7500 @ 2.2GHz
. 2GB RAM DDR2667
. 160GB @ 5400RPM
. Intel GMA965 X3100
. Intel WiFi 4965
. Bluetooth, Webcam, Card Reader

I have installed Debian Sid (luckily I could buy the machine without OS ) and I am very happy of the performance and of the build quality. The 13.3" glossy screen is kind of annoying, but I guess nowadays it's hard to find different screens. If it had LCD backlighting it'd have been almost perfect.

Anyway, it came with a 55Wh - 6cell battery that runs out in a bit less than 3hrs, at the current ~20W consumption I have while running with the CPUs in the lowest state (600MHz), disks spinning down and no wireless on.

Can anyone comment on the power consumption of a similar system running Windows Vista? I wanted to know if there is something else that can be done software-side (i.e. better ACPI) or if it's as good as it gets, even with proprietary drivers.

Thanks for your help, feel free to ask questions about the machine if you're interested!

 

where did you get the system? how's the build quality and other things like heat/ confortable of usage?
I'm planning to get one.....

 

I bought it here: www.littlebit.ch
I find the build quality good, it does not feel sturdy as a Thinkpad but it does not feel cheap either. It is slightly thicker than what I'd have wanted it, but it's not dramatic. It is also very light (around 2kg I reckon, feels lighter than my old iBook G4). My only gripe is probably with the screen: the lower end does not seem the best build quality ever, but the screen does not flex and the hinges are pretty firm.
Heat does not seem to be an issue, although looks like the fan is always on. The CPUs are steady around 45°C, unless when I have them at 100%, obviously

HTH

 

Portable One claim 4.8 hours for 6 cell battery in their SXS37, which is the same chassis (see the detailed product information). If my memory is correct, Rizeon told me 4.5 hours for their S37E.

I have a 14.1" Zepto 6024W (T7300 + X3100) which is struggling to get past 2.5 hrs with a 6 cell battery and running Vista. It should achieve around 3.5 hours and I think there are some BIOS-related power management issues (the CPU is never getting into the C3 low power state). My minimum power drain currently is around 17W.

However, I have a theory that 4MB cache on the CPU leaks more power than the slower CPUs with 2MB cache, although this is not reflected in Intel's data sheets, and it is quite possible that the manufacturer's battery life tests were done with a slower CPU and only 1 stick of RAM.

John

 

.. this model won't be available in US until mid August or so * according to reliable seller in US)...

HOw's the screen color quality?
That machine won't hold long for more than 3 hours with 6-cell battery. It also depends on which CPU you are using. If you u're using a T7000 series, it'll consume lots of power. I'll just settle with 7100 formy machine cause that thing can't game so why put a powerful processor. even though T7100 is pretty decent in watching HD vids and multitasking.

Hm... seems like my next laptop gonna be a small one.

 

I didn't think about the second stick of RAM, that's very clever.
Thanks for your answer!

 

I find it very good, but I come from a washed out 3 yrs old iBook

I think you're right. I bought the T7300 mostly because it costed only a little more (less than 10%) than the T7100, plus Intel's website didn't show differences in power consumption of the two. But I could have probably lived with the T7100 too

Oh btw, it costed me 1800 Swiss francs, that amount to 1500$. Dell's XPS M1330 on similar specs goes over 1900$, although with Windows (but I guess it's not 400$ )

 

That second stick of RAM is probably only about 1W. We are looking for several watts.

You might be interested in this Samsung Q45 review and this thread about maximising battery life.

John