Compal HGL30 (Nvidia Go 7600)

You can put customizable notebook templates on top?

 

Darn that looks like one tasty machine...me want

Maybe people want VBI to pinch as many pennies as possible? Or maybe it just sounds...more assuring..."Verified by Intel" ooo...

 

Hi all,

I haven't seen anything yet in this thread to convince me that the HGL30 is a better buy than the A8Jm. The Asus has firewire and DVI output, plus 512 video memory.

So I'm still favoring the Asus...problem is I can't find a reseller for it. MilestonePC doesn't have as long a track record as Powernotebooks, it seems, but the latter doesn't carry the A8Jm, as far as I can tell, and PortableOne is too expensive. Other resellers like Newegg and Gentech don't allow enough customization.

So, I have two questions. First, why buy the Compal? And second, where could I buy a customizable Asus? Also, Donald, any reason why Powernotebooks doesn't carry the A8jm?

-Eric

 

depends on what one uses it for. if one absolutely demands dvi out, then a8jm it is. However those who are concerned with battery life may prefer the compal as it has an extended battery.. something the A8jm will never have, due to the battery placement being deeper in the notebook. Others may consider the compal due to heat (from palm rests or the right vents) as the HGL has it on the left instead, while compal models themselves, generally run cool. Others like myself are considering it mostly for the cheaper costs (if you lowered the specs).. this is not possible with the A8jm because it's an ensemble, not a whitebook. $1499 will be the base price, and it will only go up after you configure it (a reseller upgrade would void the Asus warranty).

 

Last time I heard the A8Jm was suppose to be for sale in Canada only, PortableOne brought them down to the US. And they are getting rid of extras now in the US so newegg and some other resellers have some. So that explains the shortage of A8Jm in US.

If the HGL30 is anything built like the HEL80, I would say it's probably better built and more sturdy than the A8Jm, Probably more like the quality of W3J. A8Jm is also notorious for running hot, but of course we have no idea how well HGL30 handles heat untill paladin tells us

 

What is the weight difference using the 6 cell battery versus the 9 cell one?

 

No one has seen the 6 cell battery yet so there is no way to tell for sure, but it generally makes about a quarter of a pound difference.

 

The HGL30 handles heat just like the HEL80... Probably the best of any laptops we have seen in a long time.

 

Thats great to hear. Is it pretty quiet in spite of the good cooling?

 

what kinda temps does it get under idle and load...and how long could the 9cell last doing office type work?

 

The Compal HGL30 is a top of the line laptop while the ASUS A8Jc (in the US, A8Jm in Canada) is an entry level laptop.

The HGL30 is better built, runs cooler and has other features like the GeForce 7600 w/256MB, 1.3M Pixel camera and BOTH a PCMCIA and Express Card slot. It also comes with the 9 cell battery.

ASUS built the A8J down to a price point, and in doing so it does not have the value that the HGL30 has in spite of DVI and IEEE 1394. Since we tend to carry the higher end models with discrete video solutions, we did not see a need for the A8J that only has a GeForce 7300 w/128MB. We do carry the ASUS Z62F (our PowerPro P 2:14), which we feel is a better offering at this level. It uses the GMA950 video solution, which we feel is just as good as the GeForce 7300, and has an excellent price point.

If it were me, I would be choosing between the PowerPro P 2:14 (ASUS Z62F) or the Crown P 14:2 (Compal HGL30) depending on what video solution I wanted.

 

Yes, both models run cool and quiet...and even more so with Arctic Silver 5.

 

The temps with Arctic Silver 5 are in the mid 40's idle, and can go into the 60's under heavy load.

The 9 cell battery will last 3.5 to 4+ hours doing general office applications.

 

Hi Donald,

Thanks for the info. It was very helpful. One quick question, though. Regarding the A8Jm--are we both talking about the same machine? The one that I know of has an nVidia 7600 w/ 512k ram, no?

 

That is the A8Jm which is only available in the Canadian market. The A8Jc that is available in the US market has the 7300 w/128MB

I wasn't clear about this distinction, and I apologize for that.

Are you in Canada, or the USA?

 

Well, it looks like the A8Jm may be coming to the USA market...

We will know for sure in the next day or so.

 

quick question, what's the length between the keyboard and the end of the palmrest, as shown in this pic?

it looks around 4-5 inches?

 

It is 3.5"

 

The A8Jm is indeed now in the US.

I am not sure whether we will carry it. We will evaluate it and see if it fits our lineup...I hear it is pretty hot and built down to a price point...we will see.

 

Hey Donald, I know you had said that you won't know about the Hgl30's powerpro status for sure until this week but...any updates? I've been considering this model over the s96j lately for portability and am quite eager...

 

Yeah, im really hoping for the PowerPro version soon too...

 

Hehe...come on now this is only Tuesday

 

Hey Donald,

Could you try running a 3dMark test on one of the HGL30's you have? I'm curious to know if it scores higher than the HEL80, as per the recent review of that computer.

Eric

 

Good news and bad news.

The HGL30 shipment arrived earlier than expected...they are here

The first shipment is sold out but for one at this moment.

The next shipment will be in the week of the 24th.

Sorry ebfreedman, with the limited supply and limited time available, we will not be doing any 3DMark05 or other evaluation testing for a little while. However I can virtually guarantee you that the scores will be quite similar.

 

Sooo...any news on the PowerPro version? Is the crystal ball working yet??

 

The A8Jm is in fact in the US market. Distributors should be getting their shipments in late July to early August if they haven't gotten them already. If you are anxious to get one now, you can buy from Portable One, if they aren't sold out of them.

The HGL30 looks like a sweet unit, however. I'm still awaiting a firm answer on the the presence of an IEEE1394 port. This is the one notebook that I have not had a chance to check out up close.

 

Ok, short of doing a 3dMark test, does anyone know what the HGL30's GPU is clocked at? Is it underclocked like the HEL80's is?

Thanks.

 

As previously reported...375MHz/400MHz so it should benchmark much higher out of the box than the HEL80

 

OK, I just saw this notebook up close. The top panel is actually a darker shade of teal and looks better than the pictures. I still don't like the top panel, personally. It's fairly lightweight and not too bulky. The screen quality was pretty good as well. I actually prefer the overall design of the HGL30 over comparable ASUS models. It does not have an IEEE1394 port. Aside from the A8Jm, this is the 14" to get!

 

hi noobified, where did you see it at?

 

I work in the industry. I visited one of my customers earlier today, who is a Compal distributor. They were testing a unit.

 

just wanted to add, Agearnotebooks now has the HGL30 on their site too.
it is $10 cheaper than the Asus Z62J, which has an Nvidia 7300 rather than a 7600.

 

Holy Sweet Mama, I may jump on that one. Thanks Goren.

 

Just got mine from PowerNotebooks. They have awesome personal service and great prices, but best of all if you call instead of order online not only do you personally get to speak to someone but they offer telephone promos... Can't go wrong with them

 

Hi there, A8Jm user here... just wondering why the A8Jm is branded as being hot? My A8Jm idles at about 49 - 50 without AS5, and at full load for extended periods, prob maxes at 62-63. Regular work at 54-55... It's not that much difference.... I know the W3J runs hotter (about 54-55 idle and high 60's full load)....

 

That is actually a z62f if you try to customize it.

 

Agearnotebooks.com is also advertising this notebook with IEEE1394. Well, I hardly know anyone who uses firewire, so hopefully they don't get any returns for listing an incorrect spec.

 

yes if you click on it because they haven't added the Z62j customization page. However base price is there.

hgl30 - 1059
z62j - 1069
z62F - 949
http://store.agearnotebooks.com/14display.html

 

I recall several months ago, an ASUS rep told me that the Z62J was supposed to be the barebone version of the A8Jm. This was before the specs were released. What a disappointment considering that it only has the GeForce Go 7300 graphics. The HGL30, being cheaper than the Z62J, is a great option!

 

Running hot can mean externally or internally - obviously such notebooks as the Macbook, the Macbook Pro, and the A8jm don't overheat internally (they would malfunction), but a laptop may be regarded as hot if it's excessively warm to the touch.

 

Wow.... agearnotebooks.com has a good price on the HGL30. Anyone know how well their service is?

 

www.resellerratings.com is the best place to check a dealer's service.

 

Except that agearnotebooks isn't listed on resellerratings if im not mistaken. Take a look at this link: http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrating/user_rv.html?merchant_id=1004054


So Donald, its Friday, any news on the PowerPro yet?

 

Agreed.. but the A8Jm is not excessively warm to touch either... so don't really know where people are coming from saying it's hot ... oh well.. sorry to go OT here...

 

oddly, after talking to them, they claim they have the grey one.. (was asking what color they had as they clearly have two colored models on their pics page).

I thought most resellers get their compals through the same distributor?

 

Well, at least where *I* heard it was from some review or other - seemed pretty clear that multiple people were saying it runs uncomfortably hot, so that's why it seems it got a reputation for running hot!

If agearnotebooks.com has a different color that would be FANTASTIC - too bad I think I'm kind of out of the HGL30 market (decided that now is not a great time to be buying notebooks, so I'll get an inexpensive HP/Compaq, and if I don't like it after I've used it at college for a few months then I can always return it to Costco for no money lost! ).

 

They are not listed at ResellerRatings.com...first clue

The ONLY HGL30 is the US is the one with the teal LCD cover...second clue

The grey one is the HGL31 in the US market...third clue

I will leave the rest to your own investigation of this reseller.

 

dunno about agearnotebooks, but your neighbors down the street (Discountlaptops) seem to have a greyish version as well?
http://www.chemusa.com/chembook_4030.htm

or is this how it really looks in "real world" pics?

 

That is just a bad picture of the teal.

Our picture's lighting brings the teal out to be brighter, but their picture goes to the other end of the wonderful spectrum of photography.

In reality, once you see it in person it will between those two pictures. Marasst may have actually captured the most accurate shade.

Oh, and our neighbors down the street ARE on ResellerRatings with an almost perfect rating...they are a great company.

 

lol, are they literally down the street? You're both from Nevada, both offer similar models, and both offer the same great service.. i wonder if you guys are the same company