Compal IFL90 vs C90 vs G1S vs Dell 1520

Hello All,

This is my first post, but I have been lurking in the background for a few couple of months now.

I originally ordered an Asus z84jp (Power Pro 2:38 from Powernotebooks.com). When it arrived i was stunned at how beautiful of a machine it was, but I was also shocked at how big it was. I travel extensively (150 nights away a year) and needed something more portable so I returned it to Powernotebooks.

While talking to Ron at PNB about returning my Asus, he told me about the IFL90 that is coming out, so I ordered one of those on the spot (June 4th I might add). So I have been patiently waiting (NOT!!) for my new lappy to be shipped. In the meantime I have had extra time on my hands to look around at other 15.4 options.
Here is what I have ordered with PNB.....
Geforce 8600GT 512MB
T7300 Intel processor 2.0ghz
WXSGA+ Matte screen 1680x1050
2gb of ram (1 stick)
120GB Seagate Momentus 7200rpm
Wireless card
NO TV tuner
NO Bluetooth
Windows XP

All of that for around $1722

So I was in Best Buy yesterday and lo and behold they have an Asus G1S sitting on the shelf. So here I am playing around with this thing and thinking it is a pretty sweet machine. Virtually the same specs as the Compal EXCEPT 256mb instead of 512mb on the video card and a 160GB 5200 rpm HDD instead of the the 120GB 7200rpm. Glossy screen on the Asus too instead of the matte screen (nice looking screen btw). Price there at B.B. was $1749 but only one year warranty. BUT..... it could be in my hands TODAY. LOL!

Also went over the the ASUS forum and looked at the reviews and comments about the C90. Was leaning heavily towards that until I read that the left wrist rest area gets hot, especially with the 7200 rpm hard drive.

Went to the Dell website and configured a 1520 for kicks. Turns out it was not just for kicks because of this.....
Choice of cool colors......... Blue is my favorite
Decent specs including a 160GB 7200 rpm HDD.
Detractors.....256mb on the video card again. Windows VIsta. Bloatware. Dell support issues. BUT....... all for $1628 w/3 year warranty.

The question I have is this....
Is the Compal really worth that money? I have heard about keyboard flex issues, that concerns me. Also, the FN and Ctrl keys are reversed (whats up with that?? ) Also, NO HDMI output on the Compal... A huge oversight as far as I'm concerned.
What about the screen on the IFL90. I understand that the one that I have ordered is the same that is on the HEL80. I have read the reviews and the reviewers seem pleased with it. Is there anyone there who would like to chime in on how they like their matte 1680x1050 on their HEL80?? I really would like to hear some feedback on that.

One last thing.... I have talked to both Ron and Don at Powernotebooks extensively and they have been absolutely super to work with. I talked to Don the other week about this screen issue and he said it was one of the best screens he has ever seen, hands down. This is one of the reasons that I have stuck with this order. When I tell my friends and colleagues about being able to call and speak with the same salesman, they usually look at me like I have fallen off of my rocker. They cant fathom being able to talk someone in the good old U.S. of A, and then when I tell them I can talk to the same GUY, wow!

So, any thoughts? Sorry for the rambling post.

Oh, one last thing.. Is the Video card in the Compal that I have ordered DDR2 or DDR3. I searched the Nvidia website and could not come up with and answer.

 

The Compal I believe is a DDR2 but there have been so many discussions about what it really is.

The Asus does have DDR3, however.

 

The Dell, C90 and Compal are all gddr2, the G1S is gddr3. The G1S has proven to benchmark higher with that higher memory and in the end will likely game better, although it may only be slightly noticeable to most people.

I will toss out the C90 since the battery life is so short and there really is no benefit in my opinion that overtakes the heat and loud fans when the machine is under load.

I think between the Dell, Compal and G1S the choices amount to a few things:

XP with the Compal, Dell can be configured with it, not the G1S

Looks, Black with Compal, gamer looks with G1S and the blue you like with the Dell

Glossy or matte screen - I too am trusting the Compal's screen to be top notch, as I settled with matte now after originally wanting glossy. The G1S has been called an amazing screen as well.

Support - This is probably the biggest factor, or at least the one with the biggest differences between the 3. Dell is Dell, Asus has been good to work with for me in the past, but Best Buy will just get in the way, and you already explained the benefits with powernotebooks.

I think since you waited this long, being able to get the G1S in your hands now shouldnt be too big a factor since you are so close to getting the IFL90 anyway.

If you are a huge benchmark guy, want that hdmi and you are thrilled with the G1S, maybe you go that way. The Compal offers nearly the same output with better battery life and a different style. I think the Dell and Compal are so similar it just comes to looks and support with them.

 

I agree with you sco_fri. I forgot about the battery life. C90 is out in that regards alone. Thanks for bringing that up.

As far as benchmarking, I'm not real big into that but I do like to game. My current desktop has a score of 1376 in 3DMark 06 so I know that the laptop (any of them) will be a huge improvement over my current desktop (wife and I were just talking this morning and I have the blessing to go ahead and build a new gaming machine....wooot!).

When would I use and HDMI port? The only two times that I could think of is if I wanted to hook the lappy up to a flat screen tv to watch something off of the laptop or to hook up when I game. Is that realistic though to use a flat screen tv (LCD) for gaming.

I have no problem spending a little more at PNB because of their excellent service, it's just that I don't want to have a nearly outdated or subpar machine the day it arrives while laying down that sort of coin.

 

You can configure the Sager NP2090(Compal IFL90) to be cheaper with bluetooth included and a T7500 CPU, This is what i'm gonna buy:

15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) LCD w/PCI-e nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT w/512MB
CPU: core 2 duo santa rosa T7500
RAM: 2GB (2*1)
HDD: Seagate 160GB 7200RPM
CD/DVD Read/Writer: Combo Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
Wireless Networking: Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11a/g/n
Built-In wireless blutetooth
Battery: 9-cell Smart Li-ion Battery

us$ 1,592.00 at powernotebooks.com

 

Isn't sager a little more expensive when you upgrade your 1 year warranty to a 3 year warranty?

 

The price becomes almost identical (within about $5) when you bring the warranty for the Sager up to 3 years. However, it still is not apples for apples because with the Sager I would be actually getting a 160GB hard drive vs 120GB in the PowerPro for about the same money. Hmmmmm. Also, the Windows XP option is about $10 cheaper for the Sager too.. weird.

One other thing.. When looking through these forums I found this screenshot someone had taken. It is of their Sager 2090 but I thouhgt that the Sager and PowerPro were the same essential except for warranty. It does show the video card ram as being DDR3. Hmmm. http://picasaweb.google.com/DrScratchAndSniff/Sager2090/photo#5081181491692707410

I guess an email to Powernotebooks is in order for tomorrow.

 

from what i understand, the ram on the IFL90 and the dell 1520 shows up as ddr3 in rivatuner, but runs at ddr2 speeds, so it is almost definitely actually ddr2. i'm guessing that the same is true with the sager

 

Compal IFL90, Sager 2090, Asus C90S, and Dell 1520 have DDR2 (GDDR?-type) memory with 475/400 clocks. The memory has been shown to overclock to 500/550MHz...

 

The Sager IS the IFL90

 

Use a Dell coupon and watch the price plummet. I just ordered a 1520 w/ 8600GT, 160GB 7200 RPM, 2.2GHz C2D, etc. for ~$1312 shipped.

 

I configured mine:

Dell 1520 for $1624.29 after tax, shipped.
Powerpro J 10:15 for $1725.63 no tax, shipped.

I'd rather pay the extra $100 for a better video card, having the option to install my own OS, not having the extra crap Dell puts on their notebooks, an option to upgrade memory eventually and just simply not having to deal with Dell. I think powernotebooks customer service has been wonderful.

 

qed. agreed.

 

Not sure how you did that Torchlyte. I configured mine virtually identical (or as close as possible to my compal) and it came in at $1601. Plus $88 tax but free shipping. Total is then $1689. With the coupons that are posted too. ($1901 regular price). For that kind of money I will stick with my Compal I guess or get an Asus G1S.

 

$1,537.00 after coupon though before taxes. It's pretty comparable.

Although it seems that the 1520 gets 3.2k from 3dmark06, while the ifl90 is at 2.8, 3.2 overclocked. Though with the lack of units for both notebooks, its too early to say.

 

i've seen a ifl90 get in the low 3ks stock somewhere around here.
either way...that doesnt tell us much. dont know what kind of processor or ram the 1520 and the ifl90 had. does seem to have a slight effect on the 3dmarks.
ahh who knows =)

 

if you're going in the 1700-1800 range, you might be better off to splurge for an Asus G1S-A1...

 

True true. I have been holding out for the Compal because I really wanted that matte screen which has received great reviews and seems to be much better that your "average" matte screen.

I still would like to know how Torchlyte was able to get it down to $1312. I don't see how that can be done in the configuration that he has listed, although some specifics are missing (screen for example).

There are two issues holding me back regarding the Asus right now. 1). Comes preloaded with Vista. I really want/need to run XP. Maybe a dual partition/boot may be an option, or a clean install with XP alone. 2). Glossy screen. Really would have liked the matte on the Compal. I am in a lot of airline terminals with a lot of weird lighting.
Asus from Newegg with shipping is $1915. Same configuration from Gentech is $1805 with shipping. Plus I would have to spend another $100 or so for Windows XP.

One last issue..... the Dell appears to be having a potential issue with the screen. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141895
I wonder if the 1680x1050 on the dell is the screen used on the Asus?

What to do, what to do!

 

See this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=139569

Look at the stock benchmarks in the first post. With a T7300, the poster got 3281 with 3dmark06. I think the ~2900 benchmark was with a slower processor (T7100, I think).

Just goes to show we have to pay careful attention to what hardware is used to produce benchmarks and compare various laptops.

 

Yeah but I hate the way it looks. Its a bit too flashy for my taste.

 

Indeed. In fact, the first benchmark posted for the 1520 that I saw was 2990, and I believe it was again the T7100 processor. They seem as far as speed goes to be about the same, which makes sense since they are both gddr2 8600gt's

 

haha i know what you mean. if the design was like the np2090, i would consider it.
along with dell's grainy screen issue, they seem to be having some audio problems too =\
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141100
along with cpu high pitch wine. im sure hope these problems dont follow to the ifl90 pleasssssse

 

I'm not happy with the looks of the G1S either but these days I keep having to remind myself why I selected the Sager NP2090 over the Dell 1520 and the G1S 'cause the pace at which units are trickling out of Compal's plants sure does not look good. There are things I can do on a new laptop during the summer that will be really hard to do once the fall semester has begun.

 

the Sager 2090 was benchmarked at 1280x800 WXGA resolution and the 1520 and IFL90 were benchmarked at 1280x1024 what justifies the lower score. Actually all 8600M GTs with stock clocks 475/400 score around 3k in 1280x1024 depending on the processor and drivers.

 

If you live by this rule in the notebook industry, you will never have a notebook because they are effectively old news by the time the delivery guy arrives to your house.

Why buy Santa Rosa stuff when Penryn is months away? Why wait for that when next year we get Nehelem!

Buy what you want now, sell it while there is still something of a warranty left and you will get a decent amount back.. Better the warranty, the more that holds true.

For example, I tend to buy notebooks with the 3 year warranty (GO POWERNOTEBOOKS!) that carries alot of weight. Then after about 1-1.5 years into the warranty I sell the notebook for 60-80% what I paid and upgrade the "latest" machine that is in roughly the same price range as the machine I previously bought.

That method usually brings ~8-15% improvements depending on the year, I'm never out of warranty, and upgrades aren't that expensive.

 

Regarding the looks of the G1S. I went to Best Buy to check one out face to face, so to speak. My opinion now is that the G1S does not look as bad in person as it does on the web. Asus has accentuated the green in the promo images they produced probably thinking that it would appeal to some customers without realizing that it would turn off others.

I'm not thrilled by the green accents but now I think I could live with it.

 

One of the big gripes I have about the G1S is the hinge...it's...weird. I guess for some that's fine, but I'm a stickler when it comes to those sorts of things.

I also hate that huge black area above the LCD, it seems like wasted space to me, you can practically land a jumbo jet on that!

 

Yeah, I agree they did not use their space well.

 

When you configure laptops on the dell website, Start with the l owest (no warranty) option, and build up. I configured my system below starting from different initial points, and ended up with different values.

 

The reason the top bezel is so large is because the bottom half is deeper than other laptops, presumably to keep things cool/isolated.

 

The Asus is looking more and more appealing. Especially since I can go over to Bestbuy and pick one up and have it instantly and not wait for 2 more weeks...

 

As long as you don't mind the weaker processer, and lack of a normal Asus warranty...

:\

 

I think the Asus is ugly, and too expensive compared to the IFL-90.

 

The prices are very comparable between the two.

1680x1050 screen, C2D 2.2ghz, 1x2GB mem., 160 gb hd 5400 (stock for the Asus), Wireless-n, Bluetooth, Vista Premium all came to $1859 plus shipping. I can pick a Asus up from Gentech with identical specs for $1805 with free shipping.
The argument that the Compal is cheaper doesn't hold water, IMHO.

And you get an HDMI port in the Asus.

The only reason I am holding out is because of the Matte screen. If there is not positive news by the 25th or so of this month regarding the Compal, I'm pulling the plug.

 

I stopped in to look at the WXGA res screens at BB, and the G1S there was listed with a 7500 processor, he looked in the sys properties and it was actually the 7300.... typical BB

He said the one year is a manufacturers warranty, not a BB one, so thats not an issue. But for 1750 you also have tax to pay, so to save $50-75 you are giving up proc speed, 1 year of warranty and the backpack/mouse

 

That's why you order online and not pay tax Get a better system, too. And I don't care what it looks like. Function over form (wouldn't have gotten a dell if that wasn't the case hehe).

 

Agreed. I meant to point out the savings weren't worth it.

 

C90 Wins IMO.

The only negative is the battery life as mentioned very early on in the thread. However can any of these notebooks play a game on a battery for more than say 30min??? I dont think so.

The G1S has the best gaming scores right now due to the video card, however in games performance tho the C90 is right behind it the 512mb of memory is very usefull and a slight overclock to the card brings it right behind the G1S, and given the nature of the C90s advanced cooling an overclock is very easy and safe to do.

However whats more important tho is that in the next few months video cards like the HD 2600XT should be avalible to the c90 making it even faster than the g1S.

Also its honestly the cheapest of all the units if you are smart enough to buy your own parts for an etailer and put it together rather than have your dealer do it for you.

Less than 1500$ configured with high end parts.

I am very much enjoying the super powerfull cpu allowing me to have all the vista stuff going and high end visulazations for say winamp, also my music and video encoding is so fast now.

I am very happy I have the C90S and think it was a great buying decision.

If battery life is important to you tho, stay away, that little 6cell battery is the real killer, not so much the systems power draw. I got over an hour listening to music with all my vista stuff on thats about all you would get with any notebook on a 6cell.

I challenge anybody to give me there exact config for any of the other 3 units, and then let me show you a C90 configured to beat it for alot less money.

Infact here you go:

My system setup.

Asus C90S 979$ (was 969$ when I got it) http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=C90S

50$ for a Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/b/g/n: also from gentech and installed by them

250gb Western Digital 5400rpm Hdd from newegg.com 180$

3gb DDR2 667 Ram 120$ (ram deals thread)

Core 2 Duo E6600 220$ newegg.com 2.4ghz stock (and can get a cheaper one if you wish and it will still be stronger than the moble cpu's and the c90 can overclock any model by up to 20% (note2 I have a e6700 that I got off ebay for 150$, lots of cheap desktop cpus on ebay due to the new cpus comming out this month, can probably get a e6600 for 100$ or less)

Total:

970 + 50 + 120 + 180 + 220 = 1540$

Now look at the performance you get:

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/2322WD250gbscorpio.jpg
a 250gb hdd with nearly 100gb more storage space than the 160gb drives you can get in the other units, with the speed equal to a 160gb 7200rpm drive.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=123570
The fastest cpu out there with 29seconds on wprime vs the 38 seconds of the fastest moble cpus, wich means all the cpu hungry stuff you want to do is now ok. You want a movie desktop on vista, with a ton of gadgets going, while encoding a mp3, while watching a movie?? Its ok.

Stock 3dmark scores are right at 3k for 3dmark 06, however like I said they have conservative clocks on the video card, a mild overclock has us right at 3800 3dmark06 scores with new video cards on the way soon with alot more potential.

That setup for 1500$~ will absolutly decimate anything you configure for the rest, and if you dont want the best of the best settle for a smaller hdd, a slower cpu, and less ram and you can walk away with somthing still on par or better than the rest for 1300$ or less.

And while you much on the price vs performance aspects of things, all the while the C90S comes with all the extras from hdmi 1.3, to a high quality web cam, to bluetooth ect... none of the others match except the G1S is very close and comes with a mouse/bag and the c90 only comes with a bag.

 

Yeah, but id much rather not have that turbo engine in the back... doubt my class mates will enjoy it. If only the c90s variant with the mobile santa rosa was out now (and 4 GB RAM capacity)...

 

its there, but you cant see it, and you cant hear it unless your overclocking and benchmarking. I would say the c90 is silent under normal operation.

too many myths about how hot/loud it is... well no more myths now we have several owners.

Remember you have about 33% more cpu power now, avalible to you if you want to run at a mere 2.2 - 2.4 ghz this thing is seriously silent, and even still at the same clock speeds as a moble cpu the desktop cpu offers more performance at the same speed.

 

One thing that I liked about the compal, before I ended up choosing the C90, was that it looked "boring", not flashy, but not particularly attractive (granted, I don't find the G1S particularly attractive, but I don't think many people would say it looks boring!). This probably doesn't matter for some, but for someone taking their laptop to some high traffic areas (school), I feel the G1S looks like a more attractive target for theft.

 

Yeah thats the main thing that killed the g1s for me too, I really loved the exterior, the black on the inside and the touchpad, but the green lights killed it for me.

The c90 has the same basic look to it tho, but its like the medium between the compal and the g1s. Its got the nice glossy black outside with a basic interface and inside so it was a perfect fit for me.

 

The C90 does not come even close to being an option for my needs. I'm only looking at the IFL90, G1S and Dell 1520.

 

nobody ever said it did, its up to the individual what qualities are needed in there notebook.

the c90s only has one flaw imo and thats battery life.

I think a 2nd battery is a good remedy for that btw. even with a 2nd battery its alot cheaper tha the rest of the bunch.

it takes just abit more than a miute to go into hybernate, swap batteries then boot back up

 

While I agree the C90 is good machine, many people have reported gaming battery times around the 1.5 hour range on the IFL 90.