Compal's Two basic Faults..

I have been researching Compal notebooks as much as possible since the IFL90 was announced and comparing it to the Asus G1S. However, this thread isnt about a comparison between the two because neither are out and have been reviewed. As I have searched through Compal notebook satisfaction reviews and Compal reviews in general, it appears to me that if bought from a reliable re-seller they only have two real problems: over heating and build quality. Has anyone else noticed this trend? Or are there one or two things in general to take into consideration when buying a Compal notebook, other than the two I mentioned?

 

Could you go into a bit more detail on the two, just so those of us lazy people don't have to do ton's of research?

 

Yeah sure, sorry about that. For example, on the over heating bit. I mean GPU and CPU over heating when playing graphic intensive games and the laptop just shutting down; the laptop just not being cooled properly even under ideal situations, AC on, nothing clogging vent, etc. Also, the new IFL90 is going to have 512mg of RAM on the 8600GT instead of 256 like the G1S. And if you were to max out CPU, RAM and HD on the IFL90 spec. list say off of power notebooks, wouldn't all that faster hardware give off more heat? And on build quality. I mean does the screen usually have a lot of flex, or does the keyboard flex, do Compal models usually feel sturdy and well built. Essentially, I know if I were to get a Compal notebook and put nice hardware in it, it would be a great notebook. But what about the things I cant change, i.e. build quality and proper ventilation. And to even go off on a tangent, do Compal LCDs usually have good quality gaming wise. Is there ghosting, a clear picture, etc. I know this is a lot of information but Im kind of in a dead lock about whether to get an Asus or Compal laptop and it seems the winner will be decided in the small details.

 

Hmm.. I have an HEL80 and have only ever had over heating ONCE because I needed to clean the dust out of the fans and vents (which should be done every 3 months), which happens to almost every laptop (my GPU was at 80 degrees.. HOT!). Normally my GPU stays at 40c, which is perfectly fine. My CPU never really runs that hot. 512mb of ram compared to 256 will only let you run games at high resolutions, nothing to do with heat. Maxing out HD, which is a 7200rpm 160gb right now gives off just a bit more heat than the 5,400, 4gb of ram won't increase heat really, and the CPU being clocked higher shouldn't have too much more. Yes you may have 5c degrees higher, but they wouldn't let you configure that if they knew it wouldn't handle the heat.

The screen is fine for gaming and the most twisting I can do only leaves tiny ripples. Not much flex in the screen at all, no ghosting or anything. Sure the blacks could be blacker but what can you do with a laptop LCD? The matte 1680x1050 screen I have is wonderful. The keyboard flexes a little bit, but is very easy to type on which makes up for it. It feels like a very solid notebook and would withstand a bit of pressure.

The IFL90 will also be less expensive that the Asus G1S I'm pretty sure, and looks much more professional and subdued than the G1, and I think will probably come out a little sooner.

 

Build quality is one of the strengths, from my perspective, with regard to the two HEL80 machines we own. I had overheating problems as well that actually caused cpu shutdown but that issue was resolved when I disabled the automatic overclocking on the nvidia card, thanks to a great tip from another HELion here.

My biggest issues personally have been with some of the drivers which I have resolved by either upgrading, tweaking or removing the offending piece of software (smart watchdog, touchpad, fingerprint scanner, etc).

Currently I am quite happy with these machines.

Peace,

D

 

This HEL80 is about as sturdy as non-magnesium alloy chassis get.. (Good thing)

One thing I've gotten very attached to is how firm the LCD hinges are, even after nearly a year I don't think it's gotten any looser, and definitely doesn't suffer from any play.

As for heat, For the most part any computer, large/small/mobile is going to require that you do some basic cleaning maintainable to keep it optimal, so I'm not sure if I'd say it's a problem other then for that first time before you know what to do

I have to agree with Locker420 on the drivers / proprietary software being "iffy" at times. But again, that's kind of an "All notebooks" thing.

 

On the plus side, I've had better linux compatibility with my HGL30 than I've seen with anything other than Thinkpads. I'd assume that the new models will be similarly compatible. And I haven't had any overheating problems. It's definitely hot when gaming, as any performance 14" is, but it hasn't overheated. I even use it on my lap for non-intensive stuff, and it's perfectly usable for long periods of time.

 

OK, thank you. this is what I wanted, a few testimonies from Compal owners. I thought that the few problems I witnessed from Compal machines were generic notebook issues that they all suffered. This puts a few of my fears to rest.