Hel 80 Owners Lounge

Okay, I thought this would be good as asus w3j and 96j have them and they basically bring alot of discussion about many things to do with the laptops also we can discuss the way it works and problems especially with this model also it has a central area for all owners of this notebook to post rather than making another 10,000 useless topics asking the same questions

 

Great idea. Let me start with why I like the Compal HEL80 (our PowerPro L 8:15 and Crown P 15:2) better than the ASUS 96J series.

If you study the specifications carefully you will notice that the PowerPro L 8:15 and Crown P 15:2 (Compal HEL80) are more feature rich than the PowerPro A 2:24 ULTRA (ASUS S96J) AND the PowerPro A 2:24 SUPRA and FORCE (ASUS Z96J):

1. nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 w/256MB
2. Built-in Bluetooth (Optional) – it is not available on the ASUS S96J and standard on the Z96J so you have to pay for it whether you want it or not.
3. Built in Fingerprint Scanner w/Softex OmniPass Control Center software – Standard. This will allow you to encrypt boot up and any application, file or folder on your laptop, and will also encrypt and remember all of your User IDs and passwords for the various websites you visit.
4. 9 Cell Battery - Standard (6 Cell spare is optional) This will give you an additional 1+ hours of battery life.
5. Media short cut buttons to the left of the keyboard. Lets you control your media play with the buttons instead of on screen – Standard
6. Built in Multi Regional TV Tuner with Remote (Optional)
7. Has both a PCMCIA slot and Express Card slot – This is really important to me because I currently have a PCMCIA VTBook video adapter ($239) for my 2nd external monitor and a Sprint Merlin Air Card ($200) for Internet access anywhere Sprint has coverage. Others have the Creative Labs PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (about $90) and several other types of PCMCIA cards. Most of the new Core Duo laptops only have the Express Card Slot so without a PCMCIA as well, we would have to throw away our expensive cards and sit around and wait for this functionality to come out in Express Cards, and then buy them all over again.
8. Carrying Case – Standard
9. In my opinion the PowerPro L 8:15 and Crown P 15:2 are better looking. The LCD cover and the ring around the keyboard (see the Picture Gallery) are brushed aluminum, and the fit and finish is definitely a step (or two) above the S96J.

 

hmm what about the speakers how do they sound? are they tinny as the 96j ones are or do they have some more bass there?

 

Like most laptops, speaker volume is mediocre without a GOOD set of headphones or external speakers (no cheap stuff here please ).

On the HEL80 the sound quality is quite good, but the volume is less than I would like to see. It is fine in a quiet room if you are watching a movie, but you really need to use the headphones (with a splitter for more than one person) or external speakers if you want the best from its audio system.

Now, it does have the Intel High Definition (Azalia) audio system with the latest and greatest Realtek ALC883 chipset, and S/PDIF out port, so it will drive any good external system for quality (and LOUD) surround sound.

One great little device we found to split and amplify the audio for headphone listening on an airplane or other environment where you want to keep the rest of the area quiet is the Boostaroo. The Boostaroo is worth every penny.

 

hmmm will have a look at that as i'm regularly on planes and the ambient sound is frustrating and annoying.... thanks

 

The sound quality is not tiny at all. It is quite good. The volume is also adequate for regular listening, but if you want to really crank up the sound...see my post above.

 

Donald, does the TV Tuner work with Media Center? I'm also wondering whether it is a dual tuner such as the one in the Sager NP5760. Either way, having an internal tuner is a both rare and convenient option.

 

MCE 2005 is an available OS on it, but I still have to research whether you would need the Microsoft Remote or whether the standard Remote will work.

If you mean is it NTSC and PAL I still need to confirm that as well. It is so new there are still a few details that we need to nail down, but both of these questions are on my list.

 

Get a good set of noise canceling headphones and the Boostaroo and you will find you won't be annoyed by ambient sound anymore

 

Hey, I just ordered one of these! It should be here some time in the next two weeks.

Wow, Compal's own forum; this is nice.

I had a question, though:
I bought the PowerPro from powernotebooks.com and I was just wondering, what exactly is the difference between the PowerPro and the Crown (the two Hel80's)? It seems the Crown is cheaper, but for what reason?

Thanks!

 

The difference between the PowerPro and the Crown brands is the warranty package.

The PowerPro comes standard with a 3 Year Warranty with Next Business Day shipping paid both ways and Lifetime 24/7 Tech Support.

The Crown comes standard with a 1 Year Warranty with "Match Shipping" but then offers several other warranties including On-site and Accidental Damage Protection for either 1 or 3 years.

 

I am trying to decide between the HEL 80 and HGL 30, The main factor for me is weight and price. The specs show them both having similar dimensions, and only a .4kg (1lb) difference in weight.

Can someone with the HEL80 weigh there system with all components installed (battery, HD, optical drive, anything else) and let me know what the weight is? Also, does the system seem bigger or heavier than other 15" notebooks, like say dell? Thanks in advance

 

GJ on the forum everyone...compal deserves one!!

Has anyone noticed the left side of the HEL80?....am i seeing things or are there 2 vents (one on the side and a smaller one on the back) around the fan (CPU area)? If so do they both blow air out or is one of them for intake...cause i see the regular bottom vent right where the fan is...a little confused but VERY immpressed none the less!!

Second...does anyone have any idea what that keyhole shaped "thing" right behind the left vent is??

Credit goes to powernotebooks.com for the pictures...Donald, hope i didnt violate any copyright laws!!

 

^ You posted pictures of the left side and back. The big vent is on the left side.

Donald, my biggest concern with the EL80 is with the big fan intake on the underside of the laptop and what effects it may have when placing the laptop on ones lap.

 

The vents on the side and back are for exhaust air. Just look at the picture of the bottom with the covers off and you will see.

No problem with the copyright...yes those pictures are copyrighted...but permission is hereby given (for the purpose of use in this forum ONLY)

SaferSephiroth, virtually all laptops have the intake vent on the bottom, so you do have to be careful not to block it when it is on your lap. That is also why we strongly recommend not using a laptop...any laptop...on carpet or bedding unless you have something like a TV Tray with a hard surface under it.

 

We have weighed the HEL80 on our calibrated digital scale and it is a true 6.95 pounds.

You will find that almost all laptop manufacturers list their weights at least a half a pound lighter than they actually are. That is why we got the digital scale so that our Specifications pages will be dead accurate on the weight. However I cannot comment on the weight and size of other's models other than to say they tend to be very similar when compared by screen size and battery size.

 

How is it that the 96J does not have this even though it has a big fan in the same area? I would think that it's ok to put the 96J on your lap because it does not have that fan intake.

 

It does have the intake vents on the bottom. Please take a close look at the picture at the bottom of http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/images/p2-24/

 

thanks for getting me the weight, I didn't realize you already had them posted on your site.

 

The weight on the ASUS Ensemble models we cannot get from our digital scale, so we have to rely on the manufacturer's specifications...I apologize because I should have made this clear. We only weigh the Sager, PowerPro and Crown models.

 

my mistake on the right - left thing (just changed it)....so any suggestions on the keyhole shaped "thing" behind the LEFT vent?

 

paladin, do you have or know of any pic's of the matte screen next to the glossy one for comparison?

 

Donald,

Any idea if the HEL80 has MXM inside?

I know/think the HEL30 does, but I can't find drivers for the 80...

 

The matte screen hasn't started shipping yet, so there is no way to get side by side shots yet. What I can tell you is the WXGA Glossy screen is 150 nits of brightness and the WSXGA+ Matte screen is 200 nits of brightness.

So, unless you are simply in love with the glossy screen...

 

Yes, the video card is MXM III, but what about the drivers?

 

would you think that the HEL80 is small/light enough to carry around a college campus? As an engineering student, id like the space on the screen to view several windows at once, but i dont want to sacrifice too much mobility as well

 

There will be thousands of students doing it this year

The 15.4" laptop will be by far the most prevalent screen size on campus. The 14.1" laptop will only be 1 to 1.5 pounds lighter, which after a day of lugging around will feel friendlier, but not enough in most people's opinion to make it worth giving up the screen real estate.

 

:O as its MXMIII compatible does that mean we could stick in a 7800...!:O oh the possibilities:O

 

Sure, if you want to burn it up!

 

what about if i make a little air conditioner and attach it to the bottom lol

 

A bowl of ice cubes might work

 

Or a 7900GS.

I was asking about the drivers because about half of the MXM books out there have a reference to MXM in the *.inf. If you didn't know, I could have diagnosed it though the driver.

Thanks!

EDIT: Errhh... Did you say 'Type III' ??

 

I see the matte screen is about $100 more than the glossy. is that because it has higher resolution or is it just more expensive to make a matte screen?

Eric

 

Well, it is time for me to backtrack. I just ripped it apart and find that it is not MXM, it is a daughterboard that requires the entire bottom case removal to even get at it. It is right under the case part that separates the CPU/Fan area from the memory area. You can see the copper piping going to it in the lower right corner by the fan.

 

It is because higher resolutions are always more expensive, and Matte screens are more expensive.

 

Hey, Im thinking about ordering a HEL80 from powernotebooks, but I would like to know the heat levels, the temperature when on your lap, fan sounds, and your configs for your HEL80s. Also for the Nvidia overclockers, what is your 3dmark05 score and your settings(core/mem)?

Thanks

-Ham

 

Hmmm... I suppose a picture is out of the question?

*puppy eyes*

 

Click on the link in my post, and go down to the picture that is 2nd from the bottom

 

thanks!

I just assumed it was the opposite (matte vs. glossy). Are glossy screens more likely to break/crack? My five-year-old Dell matte screen seems quite flexible; the glossy screens I see nowadays are like TVs and would presumably crack easier, no?

BTW, when will you be shipping out the mattes? I see it as a selection on your site.

Eric

 

Yeah, saw that, but I was hoping for a look at the card itself

 

Sorry, we aren't inclined to take it apart that far...wish we had the time.

 

OK, no problem.

But if you ever do...

What about the driver?

 

I ordered mine!

1 PowerPro L 8:15 ULTRA - $1,599.00
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) "Matte" LCD w/PCI-e nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 w/256MB
Intel� Core� Duo T2400 1.83GHz Processor w/2,048k L2 On-die cache - 667MHz FSB
2,048MB (2 SODIMMS) CORSAIR DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory
60GB SATA/150 Hitachi Hard Drive at 7,200 RPM
Combo 8X DVD/24x10x24 CD-RW w/Softwares
Built-in Intel� PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g
Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter
NO Video Adapters for External Monitors
NO Operating System
1 Majesty Carrying Case - $0.00

I can't wait!

 

Heat is a non issue with this model. The left palm rest barely gets warm, and it is right over the 7,200 RPM hard drive. The bottom, under the hard drive and processor, is barely warm as well. It is comfortable to type and to have on your lap, but be sure to not block the intake vent that is on the left rear, so it is easy to avoid.

The fan is also rarely on and pretty quiet when it does come on (quieter than most), even when it kicks up the RPMs.

Its default core/mem is 350/350. 3DMark05= 3,109
Overclock to 374/350 yields a stable 3DMark05 of 3,197

We are continuing to increase the overclocking and will push it until it becomes unstable, and then report back with the results.

Our unit has the T2500, 1,024MB (2 SODIMMS), 60GB 7,200 RPM drive.

Here is our Sale Specials page for the PowerPro L 8:15 and here for our Crown P 15:2 Just click on the Customize/Buy button at the bottom of the base configuration you want and it will take you to the Configurator where you can custom build it. Notice that if the item has a white background it can be upgraded, but if the background is blue it cannot.

 

We have no way to know for sure, but we really don't see any reason why one screen would be more inclined to break than the other...you hit either one of them or put much pressure on the top of them and they are going to break.

We will start shipping the WSXGA+ Matte version Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

 

Donald,

Appreciate all the good information. What utility are you using to overclock the video card and thanks.

Gary

 

Instructions for Over clocking the HEL80:

"For overclocking an Nvidia video card I use a program called Coolbits. My reason for choosing this is the fact it is already in your system, though it may be hidden. It also offers auto-overclock, which is nice for people that are just beginning, and it gives a solid starting speed from which to start tweaking.

To enable Coolbits click Start, then Run. Type “Regedit”, and click ok. This should bring up your registry. Make your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\NVTweak. Once there right click and create a new DWORD value. For the name call it “coolbits”, then right click and modify it. Set the value to “3”. Once done you may exit the registry editor.

To get to coolbits, get into your display properties and go to the settings tab. Click advanced, then select your card from the tabs. Now you will see a Clock Frequency Settings option. I start by using auto-overclock, and go from there. Once it decides what my overclock is I test it. I usually set up a run through of 3DMark05. If it fails to pass due to heat or too high of an overclock, I drop the overclock a few MHz and retry. If it passes, I raise the clock speed some. Once I find the highest clock speed, I will back down a few MHz and then test a game for a while with that clock speed. If it holds up, that is my overclock. I’d recommend finding either the core first and then the memory, or vice versa."

This is from http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Video-Cards/Video-Card-Overclocking/1/ where you can go to see some results of using this method to overclock.

If anyone else has other favorite utilities for overclocking please lay it on us.

 

We have now tested at 410/350 and have stable 3DMark05 results of 3,341

More to come...

 

Thanks for that. Have made a reference of this so I can use it when I get my laptop but will be glad to hear your or anyone else's results also. Thanks.

Gary

 

Interesting 3d Mark Results to say the least.... the GPU looks to be as underclocked as a Macbook Pro....

The 128 Mb version of the 7600 in the Sony FE690 pulled 2900, and if I have read correctly the X1600 in the Asus lineup get around 3900 stock with a 410/410 clock I believe.