IFL90 vs. G1s

I realize there are about a million threads and posts on comparing these two models, but I figured another one wouldn't hurt all that much.

Specs:

G1s
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2 Ghz, 800 mhz w/ 4 mb cache)
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) Color Shine Glaretype LCD
Intel 965 chipset
2 GB ram (2 sticks) upgradeable up to 4 GB
nVidia GeForce 8600 GT (256 MB) DDR3 VRAM DX10 compat.
Intel Pro/Wireless 4965 a/b/g/n mini-PCIe
8x Super Multi DVD Burner w/ LightScribe
Gaming Mouse and Gaming Backpack

price - approximately $1900

IFL90
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 (upgradeable up to T7700)
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) "Glossy" Display
Intel 965 Chipset
1 GB Ram upgradeable up to 4 GB
Intel Robson Turbo Memory (optional)
nVidia GeForce Go 8600 GT (512 MB) DDR3 VRAM DX10 compat.
Intel Pro/Wireless 4965 a/g/n
Internal Bluetooth (2.0)
carrying case optional
fingerprint reader

price - approximately $1700 (same setup as G1s)

by the price alone the IFL90 seems to be the better buy, but the G1s looks a lot better (IMO at least). I'll be a college freshman next year living on campus, so gaming, office, etc will be done. which is probably the better laptop to get for a college environment?

 

Personally I would go with the Compal IFL90 just because it is cheaper and it has the same features as the Asus G1s. However if you have the extra money and you really like the looks of the G1s I would get that.

Oh I almost forgot to mention that the IFL90 will have a longer battery life than the G1s.
Tim

 

The IFL90 looks like a generic laptop or as i recall someone saying before "someone *#)@_ on it and called it a chassis."

Would the Turbo Memory do anything at all for the IFL90? I will probably have up to $2000 to spend so would it be worth it to go with the IFL90 and upgrade it to around the same price of the G1s?

 

I think if you have 2000 to spend and you max out the ifl90, it will definitely be better than the G1S.

And I think that comment was on the HEL80.

 

No that was an Asus fanboy that said that.

I don't think people really know how much Turbo Memory will really help. I am probably going to get it since it is only $40 more.
Tim

 

i've read reviews where the Turbo Memory actually made booting up the laptop and stuff slower. is that true? if that's the case then would it really be a good thing to get the Turbo Memory?

 

Check out this thread in the Asus forum. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=129945
Tim

 

From what I've read, the turbo memory does not actually make too much of a difference. Also consider theft, since you're on a college campus. Many people know Asus is a good brand, while Compal is fairly unknown. Plus it doesn't look all flashy and doesn't attract too much attention.

 

The jury is still out on Turbo Memory. Sony is accusing Microsoft of not supporting it until Vista SP1. Microsoft is denying it. Some people are saying it makes a difference. Early reviews didn't show much of a boost, but there may have been bios issues.

Truth is no one knows. I think it makes sense and will work but there maybe some driver issues to sort through. Thats pretty typical with knew tech.

I do wish the Compal had an E-sata and an HDMI port. The G1S has both of these. I'm fine with the VGA only port to my flat screen and I can add an e-sata express card if I need it in the future. Other than that, I think the IFL90 is great for the money.

 

Here is a Robson test from the Asus forum:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=129945

Shows a 25% hard drive boost with Robson in a synthetic benchmark.

 

the ifl90 seems more like a business type laptop, at least chassis wise. so yeah...hopefully if i get it, there'll be less chance of it being stolen.

 

That test is methodologically flawed. The tester tested with various benchmarks until he found one that showed an improvement.

 

And as I pointed out its a synthetic benchmark, those are never as good as real world results because its easy to program a benchmark to be optimized to exploit specific hardward; something an application developer would rarely do.

But still, there was a 25% boost which is significant. We need more tests.

 

i just read a thread that someone was doing some upgrades on their IFL90. is it already out?

 

And even a 400MHz PowerPC will scream past a current Core 2 if you just benchmark pure addition operation throughput. A synthetic benchmark is just that, and is very often not at all related to real-world performance. I've seen benchmarks that showed 25% improvements for hyperthreading in Pentium 4's. Real world? Hyperthreading often SLOWED performance. Many business servers with the P4 era Xeon's turned off Hyperthreading because it made things slower.

 

Btw, guys, for you comparing prices, don't forget to add in price of Vista Premium to IFL90, and then pricing becomes much more comparable. However, IFL90 is more customizable, should have better battery life, more VRAM and will be easier to upgrade (since you can do so at the time of purchase).

 

Or seen from another perspective: Asus (or the dealers, I'm not sure) forces us to buy a Vista license with the G1S. That's a plus for the IFL90 in my book.

 

You should also compare the warranty. The IFL90 has a 3 Year Warranty with Next Business Day shipping paid both ways from several dealers as a STANDARD item...now that has significant value doesn't it?

 

Yea he makes a great point... Flashy lights sleek look etc. and it will get stolen

Compal is simple and elegant but doesnt look like a gaming notebook instead like your run of the mill laptop from HP or Dell (basic) Either way i would still get a kensignton lock.

 

This is a valid point if you want Vista Premium. If you already have an OS license or if XP or a different version of Vista would meet your need this isn't a plus for the G1s.

 

Your most definitly not going to want to put XP on this machine because its a DX10 GPU and DX10 is Vista only.

If you have a retial copy of vista at home already its only licenced for one machine so putting it on both is illegal!

You can buy an additional licence but thats probably nearly the same as the cost of buying it with the machine.

If you end up being one of the few that are sure to go "no OS" and later find themselves screwed and go buy it retail, you just spent more money in the long run.

 

I will be putting XP home on mine tyvm. The IFL90 is a gaming laptop so I would assume you would want to play games on it. I could probably count the high end games that work with vista right now on two hands.

 

Every game I own works on vitsta for me.

 

Why wouldn't Windows XP work? Even if it is a DX10 GPU, it can still use DX9. It is just that Windows XP can not use DX10, but there are not many DX10 games out at the moment anyway.

 

1. It will take several months before I need to run a DX10 game. By the time I need to do so, I'll probably be able to get an updated version of Vista.

2. If you have a license for XP, it is illegal to run that license on two machines at the same time. However, you can legally move it from one machine to another. I've moved my XP license twice, so I paid for XP once instead of 3 times.

3. Unless you request otherwise and pay a premium, the Vista installed on a G1S is a crippled version: it is preinstalled and you get a recovery DVD. You do not get the DVD required to do a full installation on a new machine. Therefore, you get a copy of Vista that will only work on that specific model of laptop. So if you change laptops before Vista becomes obsolete, you need to buy another license for the new laptop. You may be saving in the short run but in the long run you pay more. I'm basing this on looking at the configuration options for the G1S at GenTech:

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=G1S-A1&Category_Code=Notebook

Being forced to buy a new license with each new computer is a losing proposition for the customer.

 

OEM licenses are tied to the machine. If you bought an OS license with your machine it likely is OEM and you legally can't move it to another machine, even if you remove it from the first machine or that machine no longer functions.

Retail licenses can be moved to another machine if your remove it from the prior machine.

OEM versions of Vista Business and Ultimate also give you downgrade rights so you can legally install a version of XP on a machine that came with Vista Business or Ultimate. I'm not sure where you get the media or the key.

 

You are correct with your license analysis.

You would have to already own a legal XP retail, academic, volume or other non OEM license and CD for the downgrade (and then back to Vista later) path.

 

I thought downgrade rights made it legal to run XP on the machine under the Vista license - no additonal XP license required?

 

No, you do have to own the XP license...just owning Vista won't do it.

 

Here are documents describing downgrade rights. It appears you can install the downgrade from from any media, but you have to call Microsoft to validate the install.

I'm not sure I understand the "legally licensed version" for the downgrade - I thought owning Vista Business or Ultimate gave you legal rights to install XP.


http://shoponline.com.sg/pdf/d-nexus_microsoft_windows_vista_downgrade_rights.pdf



http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/2/3/d23b9533-169d-4996-b198-7b9d3fe15611/downgrade_chart.doc

 

It does give you the right to install XP if, and only if, you already own a legal license for XP.

"The downgrade media must be supplied to you from the end user and must come from a legally licensed version of Microsoft retail, OEM/System Builder, or Volume License channels."

 

Hey Donald, you should just do a side-by-side review and comparison of the IFL90 when you get it and the G1S and sticky it in the Compal and Asus forums

 

There is so so sooooooo much more to any product ownership than just comparing equivalent specs.
All hardware manufacturers have literally brainwashed each and every consumer to think and purchase your next product based solely on their marketing ads of who is faster, who has more, which is cooler, which is lighter etc etc blah blah...
One of the most important things for me is resale value. I seldom own anything longer than 2 yrs and for laptops theres no exception. Everything i buy i always say to myself, 'is anyone else gonna wanna buy a used item such as this in 2 yrs'. For such a product made by Asus or Sony for that matter or even Apple, IBM i know id have no problem attracting lots and lots of buyers 'in my market area'. I can definitely cant say the same for a Compal product.
Maybe Compal has a higher visible product profile in youre own area but it sure doesnt in the big city of Toronto.

 

mikeymike, Compal is the 2nd largest ODM in the world and builds computers for Sony, Toshiba, Dell and most of the other Multi National Corporate brands you know. ASUS is somewhere around 8th.

Therefore knowledgeable buyers worldwide will recognize Compal, or the MNC brands that are on them, instantly.

The important thing for resale value is the model itself. Most brands, including ASUS, have models at the low end, middle and top end. Resale value, and more importantly velocity, is always better at the top end of any quality brand.

 

I would love to do that, but we no longer carry the Ensemble line. We decided we wanted to stay in the business of offering totally configurable laptops that we custom built and could provide the 24/7 support, and provide the better warranty.

I am sure there will be someone else that can and will make the comparison.

 

Im aware of who and what Compal is!
But it doesnt matter even if they made each and every single notebook in the world because it all comes down to 'brand recognition' to average joe and jane consumer. If my HP breaks down i aint gonna send it to Compal am i??
Compal just does not have the brand recognition as Asus does. And it certainly doesnt have the exposure it probably deserves. But thats nobodys fault but Compals itself.

People buy based on comfort zones whether theyve owned them before or their parents or friends have owned or had dealings etc. etc etc...
Yes, resale value is predicated on the specific model at which is being sold but im not talking about specifics of retained percentages of return on models but rather the return on the 'brand' in general.

Do me a favor, monitor the worlds number 1 used marketing tool eBay. Go find a $1000 or $1500 Compal or whatever cost notebook then go do the same for Apple, Hp, Sony, Asus.
Find notebooks with simular specs and pricings and monitor them and their bids.
Now eBay is worldwide and you will soon figure out what people buy and what they look for. Now imagine what your rate would be in your local paper. Sure you may see a simple mac-book or vaio thats 3 yrs old with 20 bids thats 2yrs old tech and wonder why its getting so many bids when you know theres a Compal thats far superior for the same money.
Strange as it happens but it does

Its easy to pick apart comparisons when the product is brand new as so many have done on the endless comparison threads everywhere. But when it comes down to selling it in 3mths, to a year to 2yrs believe when i say your enquiring buyer probably wont care.

 

Your statement is pretty accurate in most cases, but I disagree with it in regards to used laptops. I think joe and jane consumer wont be buying a used laptop at all for the most part, and if they do they won't know the Asus or the Compal name, they will be getting Dell or HP.

Edit - To clarify, I think you're right with name brands, but to the general public Asus isn't very recognizeable either, so its a small factor. If it were the Compal vs Dell then clearly the one with commercial recognition is much easier to re-sell. To me, I would be very nervous selling my notebook to someone who didn't know much about it, I would rather it take a couple extra weeks to sell just so it went to someone that knew what they were getting, and what to do with it.

 

Well if you try to sell your laptop on the forums here in the Buy/Sell/Trade area you would probably make more money because people who visit a website like this know that Compal is a good laptop. It really just depends who your audience is.
Tim

 

I understand what MikeyMike is saying. Quite frankly, I hadn't heard of Compal before I started this round of research and I'm the IT director for a group of companies. Sad, I know.

I'm not sure the average Ebayer is the type of person to do alot of research before they buy. Most won't know that Lenovo were IBM, alot won't have heard of Asus unless they're a computer enthusiast, and even some of those are unaware that Asus makes laptops.

Its sad, but true that many consumers are uneducated and don't take the time to research products before they make a major purchase. They're the ones who end up with consumer level laptops.

 

Although it's true that most consumers are uninformed and therefore get stuck with the most mediocre of consumer-level laptops from big name brands, there's no reason to limit yourself to those same consumer-level laptops just for resale value. They have the excuse of ignorance...you don't

You're buying a laptop to use, not to sell.

Compromising your own wants and needs merely because you want better resale value is pointless. In 3 years, you're not going to get much for your laptop anyway, and the difference from what you'd make selling a Compal vs a Thinkpad would nearly be made up in the price of what you originally paid anyway - it's certainly not worth the 3 years of enduring a system you're not 100% satisfied with.

 

G1s is over $2000 right now, IFL90 with the exact same specs will be $300 cheaper. I'd say go with the IFL90 unless you want a flashy laptop

 

Yea I was a bit harsh on the looks of the IFL90, in the beginning, but they aren't THAT bad. I do find that 200 dollars is a decent price to pay for better looks, a bag and a mouse, albeit at the expense of a better warranty. Also, I was introduced to Compal through some of their rebranded-by-Dell models which made me always very weary. People also seem to discount some other pet features of the G1S, the OLED screen, built-in microphone, and a myriad of ports to enjoy. On the other hand the IFL90 has a better camera, better speakers and more convenient places for the ports. Neither laptop flys higher than the other, it comes down to personal preference and financial issues.

EDIT: To support mikey, imagine showing the average joe consumer on ebay the G1S and the Compal. Say they have never heard of either. This is going to sound like an unfair knock, but when the argument started I tested it (between 3 friends of mine who I don't really ever talk about notebooks around and who had not heard of the two companies. I tacked on the prices from GentechPC for the G1S and XoticPC for the IFL90):
The Compal LOOKS cheaper. Plain and simple, it LOOKS older. We know that isn't the case, WE know that they are quite comparable in their specs, durability and in many other areas. 1 of my friends chose the Compal because he liked the 512MB GFX card and 2.0 MP camera for less money. The other 2 picked the Asus because "It is only 200 bucks more but looks 1000 bucks better" and "The other one doesn't look legit..."

So there you go. Real data. Maybe not the best data, but it is some idea.

 

Guess youve never bought or sold a car. Not caring about what a product is worth in the future is just doing yourself a disservice.
But i guess theres lots of people who will spend $2000 on a laptop and expect it to be 'not worth much' after 3 yrs as you say. To each its own i guess

 

Some of us have kids or younger siblings, etc. and the notebook will be going to them once we are done with it, so resale isnt even a factor at all for guys like me. Also, with a car you are looking at a large chunk of change in resale if you choose the right vs the wrong vehicle, with a notebook I would guess 100-200 dollars tops. The beauty of it is that we all have different factors in what and when we are buying, and thankfully the market is broad enough to satisfy all of us.

 

I've always thought the G1S was way too flashy, I mean the lights. I think the interior of the ifl90 (palm rest etc) looks like it's a cheap rough plastic. Maybe the ifl90 is a little bland, especially the lights, it looks like it's from a toy, but at least you won't get mugged.

 

oh, one more thing, do you think it'll be possible to wax the ifl90's top to make it shine more? LIke with car wax or something.

 

Take a look at the LG S1 refresh if you want a piano finish

 

Yep, besides the fact that I would be force-fed a Windows license with the G1s, I find its looks rather unappealing. I like style but it has to be the right style for me. I prefer bland to some sort of cool gamer look.

 

It already shines like the black piano. It is just hard to get the shine to show in the pictures.

Anyone who says it is not attractive simply has not seen it and is relying on the pictures.

 

That's true...but even in the pictures, it doesn't appear to be as good a finger-print attractor as the LG