The Hannspree HannsBook SN12E2 Thread!

Hello NBR forums,

I picked up the HannsBook SN12E2 this last summer, and it has been a really nice piece of machinery for what I paid for ($400). Coming for a atom powered netbook, you really appreaciate the little things loading quick such as flash, and being able to multi-task as well as play HD video. Comes with an awesome neoprene case too! (Stretches to fit all of my accressories, mouse AC adapter etc.)

Incase you are not familiar with the specs, here they are:

• 
  Brand: Hannspree

• 
  Model: SN12E23BUP212

• 
  Colors: Pearl Black, Red

• 
  OS Provided: Windows 7 Home Premium

• 
  CPU: Intel Dual-Core SU4100(1.30GHz), 800MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache ULV

• 
  Chipset: GS45

• 
  Display: 12.1", 1366 x 768, LED HD Widescreen

• 
  Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD with HDMI out.

• 
  RAM: DDR2-800, 1 slot, 2GB installed.

• 
  HDD: 320GB SATA 2.5"

• 
  Dimmensions: 11.70" x 8.50" x 1.25"

• 
  Weight: 3.40 lbs

• 
  Camera: 1.3 Megapixel

• 
  LAN/WLAN: Gigabit Lan and N-draft Wireless.

• 
  USB Ports: 3 Total

• 
  Video Ports: 1x VGA, 1x HDMI

• 
  Audio Ports: 1x Microphone, 1x Headphone

• 
  Audio: 2 Speakers Built in

• 
  Card Reader: 3in1 SD/MMC/MS

• 
  Battery: 6 Cell Battery 5200mAh advertised at 6 hrs, lasts about 4 for me.

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 runs like a dream on this machine. I'm even able to play some games at very low settings such as team fortress 2 and battlefield heroes.

I did notice that there was a freezing issue while playing these games when I first got it, but updating the bios (provided on the hannspree website) seemed to have fixed it.

Ubuntu in my opinion really makes this laptop shine, almost instant boot times, nice resolution, and fully capable of running all the gui enhancements that it offers.

There is one thing I do wish for, maybe an aftermarket battery, like a 9 cell would be nice.

Any questions, comments, regarding this laptop should be posted here.

Manufacturer's Page (Drivers/Manuals/Info etc): http://www.hannspree.com/US/product_detail.aspx?id=54205&c=54091

Reviews:
http://www.digitalversus.com/hannspree-hannsbook-sn12e2-p479_8451_431.html
http://www.retrevo.com/s/HANNSPree-SN12E2-Laptops-review-manual/id/23714ag319/t/1-2/
NBR User Review, VERY well written!

Retailers:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834237003
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6243829&SRCCODE=SHOPPINGDF&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCmtB55bETCjCVqHCjCdwwp&cpncode=19-49570155-2

Tips and Tricks From the Thread:

Bluetooth Install Guide on Page 2 by Hanspree: LINK

 

I love that little subnotebook. Good price, great performance, and it's awesome it just got it's own forum!

 

100% Agreed!

 

Just got this notebook today. Cheapest SU4100 notebook I could find.
It's a bit big for my tastes -- I wanted the Acer 1830T or the new Macbook AIR -- but for $400, I'm not complaining.

A really major letdown is the 'Warranty Void' stickers covering the hard drive and memory panels. What was Hannspree thinking?!

I have to upgrade the HD to an SSD and the 2GB ram to 4GB, so there goes my warranty. Pretty upset about that.

After that, I have to find out whether it will be possible to overclock this laptop using setFSB or some kind of hardware mod. Have to find out what kind of motherboard and chips are inside there.

I'm also going to install a crystal hd card and see if that makes any difference in playback of HD content.

Overall, it's a good buy.

By the way, mine came with DDR3 memory. Are there different versions of this laptop floating around?

 

Chrystal HD is useless on this laptop. The laptop has a GMA 4500MHD, which easily handles 40mbps+ 1080p content smoothly. (VC-1, H264/AVC)

The GS45 chipset can use either DDR2 or DDR3, though that choice is upto the vendor, not to the end user (don't try DDR2 sticks in a DDR3, at any rate).

There should be a way, similar to the older m11xR1 (SU4100/SU7300) that can flip the FSB bus to 1066, up from the default 800, for a 1.73 GHZ clock...



Welcome to NBR

 

Thanks for the quick response and warm welcome, Jeremy. You just saved me $50 towards the purchase of a Crystal HD decoder card.

I'm really liking this laptop. I decided to throw caution into the wind and opened the casing. This looks like what the Acer 1410s should have been.

There is a fully functional SIM card holder ready for use. The miniPCIE slots are both functional as well. The bluetooth module is connected and I replaced the 320GIG scorpio blue drive with my Vertex2 SSD.

Now I have to add a 4-port usb hub inside and I should be good. There is plenty of space to stick in an accelerometer or a fingerprint reader or even a tiny tv-tuner usb stick on the side which makes me wonder if hannspree could have shrunk this thing down to a 10" footprint.

Oh darn. I just remembered what I forgot to do. I forgot to jot down the PLL part for this thing. I'm still hoping it will be possible to overclock this to 1.7-1.9ghz.

ETA: Forgot to mention. The touchpad is terrible. Not as responsive as the synaptics one.

 

Hannspree, how exactly do you take it apart? Can you post some photos as well as a brief tutorial? And please post the clock generator info when you do find out what it is. Thank you.

 

I have a few assignments this week so I won't have much time open the notebook and tinker until the weekend.

With that said, taking it apart is actually extremely similar to the ACER notebooks.

First you remove the screws on the bottom. Then you flip it over, and remove the keyboard using a plastic pic to press in the tabs at the top of the keyboard while pulling the keyboard up. Then you disconnect the small wires and lift off the keyboard. Remove the screws underneath, and then you gently pry the sides apart. (I broke a small tab because I forced it open, but if you use a plastic pick at the front left and right edges to separate the cover, it should be fine.) I didn't take apart the LCD because it required removal of those plastic and rubber tabs and I don't want to scratch up the notebook trying to do that.


I'll update this post next weekend.

 

I'm getting an SN12E2 from Costco. Costco's website has the screen listed as a 12.1” LED HD Widescreen (16:9 Diagonal) Color Active Matrix TFT (Anti-Glare) screen. Some of the stuff around the internet shows the screen as being glossy, but they also have it listed as the SN12. Does that mean the SN12E2 has a matte screen?

 

Mine has a glossy screen

 

Mine has a glossy screen as well.

 

Funny. I got this and an Alienware M11X and I think I'm more excited about this laptop. Squeezing the most out of something that's a little underpowered is more exciting to me than having the latest and greatest.

 

Hi guys,

I took apart the Hannspree and took lots of pictures but I'm not sure if the quality is going to be that great (student on financial aid and a tight budget = crappy macro camera )

I will edit this post in a few hours with step by step instructions on how to disassemble the notebook and upgrade the bluetooth. It's Saturday night and the GF wants to get crunked/watch the UFC fights so the update is not gonna happen now. Sorry!


A few quick notes:

1. There is a lot of space in this notebook! You can definitely add a bunch of mods like GPS/Accelerometers/USB hubs/internal ViDock/TV Tuner/Fingerprint reader/etc without much trouble.

2. The bluetooth module is 8-pins. The Broadcom BCM92046 with an 8-pin to 8-pin connector will work perfectly.

3. The PLL clock generator on the motherboard is ICS9LPRS430BGLF. Unfortunately, it's not (yet) supported by SetFSB.

I have emailed the developers of SetFSB and given them the following information:

a. the motherboard(/PC) name: Hannspree Hannsbook SN12E23BUP212
b. the chipset name: Intel GS45
c. the clock generator name: ICS9LPRS430BGLF

That's all correct, right?

Lets hope they add it to their program soon and we can overclock this little gem to 1.7+Ghz.

Any questions, please let me know. I should be back in about 6hours to update or I'll probably update tomorrow if the night goes well.

A little teaser for you guys... http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/8062/250mhz.png

This little notebook just became my new favorite tweak toy.

Will update later with details tomorrow. Let me know what kind of tests you guys want me to do to compare with stock settings.

 

OMG, this is great stuff. Incredible how the SetFSB author got it working so quickly. Now I can't wait for the updated version of it. I will need to send the author a donation in order to get the key though and it's totally worth it.

 

As promised, here is the bluetooth write-up.


0. These are the tools we will be needing.


The internal bluetooth module (Broadcom BCM92046.)


A small phillips screwdriver (X or 4-way screwdriver) and a plastic lever (A hard guitar tab also works, but get the lever. It makes things much easier.)



1. Power down our fully functional multi-boot laptop.


2. WARNING: If you continue past this step, you risk VOIDING YOUR WARRANTY (Actually, that depends on the laws of your country. I have found out that in some countries, it is not legal to void warranty from opening the two access panels. You will have to research those laws.)

Flip over and remove battery by sliding the TWO levers circled in RED. Then unscrew the FIFTEEN screws circled in YELLOW.


3. Remove the TWO antenna cables circled in RED from the wireless card.


4. Flip the laptop back over and open it up. Use the plastic lever or a guitar pick or a credit card and press the FOUR tabs circled in RED towards the top of the laptop (where the battery gets inserted) to dislodge the keyboard.

My technique is to start with the SECOND TAB from the left. I insert a lever or a credit card under the "7890-" keys from the top side and push the credit card down towards the battery bay. At the same time, I use my plastic lever and push the tab and the keyboard pops up. Then I stick the credit card underneath the gap created from popping one of the tabs and I proceed to pop out the rest of the keyboard. BE CAREFUL when you do this step. It's very easy to scratch your case or break a tab, even though it's not a big deal. I'm disassembling my laptop so often that I keep my keyboard popped out all the time now.

QUICK TIP: FIXING THE FLEX

The keyboard flex on this laptop is annoying. To minimize it, you can cut out pieces of thin foam roughly 1-2mm thick and place it underneath the keyboard. Try different locations to see what works best for you. When you pop the keyboard back, it'll be a nice tight fit and the flex will be virtually eliminated.


5. Once the FOUR tabs have been popped, the keyboard will freely swing up. DO NOT PULL ON IT YET. You have to disconnect ONE main cable circled in RED.


6. Gently push back (towards the battery bay of the laptop) the TWO small black tabs circled in RED on either side of the cable holder and the cable will easily slide out.


7. Next remove the SIX screws that are circled in YELLOW and the TWO small cables that are circled in RED.


8. For the trackpad cable at the bottom, use the same method as with the keyboard cable and gently push back (towards the trackpad) the TWO small black tabs circled in RED on either side of the cable holder and the cable will easily slide out.


9. For the power/led cable at the top, simple flick the black lever circled in RED straight up and the cable will easily slide out.


After this, just use a credit card or the plastic lever and GENTLY pry apart the top panel. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH FORCE OR YOU WILL BREAK THE TABS.



10. The next image is the laptop with the top tray removed. Everything is covered in insulating tape. We must remove the motherboard from the laptop. To do this, we have to disconnect the FIVE cables circled in RED and unscrew the THREE screws circled in YELLOW. I have found it to be much easier to remove the speaker housing along with the motherboard rather than unsticking the insulating tape and disconnecting the speaker wire from the motherboard. However, you can disconnect the speaker wire circled in BLUE instead of the TWO speaker screws and that would work as well.


12. Our first picture of the motherboard. Looks like a reference design with nothing crippled! The second mPCIE slot and the SIM slot are fully connected and fully-functional. Also there is no hardware locking of the FSB or anything of that nature.


13. The bluetooth connector is labeled BT1 and is circled in YELLOW. Note that it has an 8-pin connector.


14. I used double-sided tape and stuck my bluetooth module on the laptop housing circled in GREEN. It was a perfect fit and looks to be designed specifically for this module.

15. To reassemble, follow the steps backwards.


Any questions or comments on how I can improve this write-up, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

The preliminary overclock post:

I did some more testing. This laptop is stable up to roughly 1.63-1.7Ghz (250Mhz-260Mhz FSB) at normal voltages.

When I clock it over to 1.73-1.8Ghz, it becomes unstable. The problem is likely not enough voltage so I'm going to have to find a way to increase the voltage to the processor.

My goal is to have two settings. One is to lower voltage and underclock the cpu or disable one of the cores when I want a little bit extra battery life or when I'm doing websurfing/writing assignments.

The other to increase voltage and overclock to 1.8+Ghz when I want a bit extra juice.

I'm still looking for a good program to compute power consumption and another program to control voltages.

PS - A new version of SetFSB will be out shortly that supports the Clock Generator in the laptop. If you end up using it, please think about supporting the author by donating 500Yen (that's about $6US - less than a combo meal at McDonalds) and registering the program.

Until next time.

 

Very Cool Guide!! I think it deserves its own thread too!

 

Thanks for all this work. I hope to have mine in the next couple of days.

 

The new version of SetFSB with SN12E2 support is now available. Enjoy everyone.

 

I didn't realize this subforum existed.

OP might want to add Costco to the list of sellers. Costs $400 there and supposedly warranty extended to 2 years.

BLACK and RED

Also, just a note that I put in an 80GB Intel G2 SSD and my battery life is over five hours with light to moderate use, wi-fi always on, screen dimmed to about 60%. It was only about four with hard drive.

Check out this Toms Hardware review if you want to get an idea on power consumption for SSD's if battery life is important to you. One user (Phil, actually a moderator) in the hardware forum indicated he went from six hours to almost eight using one of the new Samsung SSD's too. So I guess they're super power efficient. Something to consider.

 

Will do! Wow that much huh? How much was the SSD?

 

Can you tell me how you're measuring your power consumption?

I've got Wifi Off, screen dimmed 1 notch away from minimum, Win7 Power saver scheme and I'm still seeing 13.3w expenditure in the Battery Status program. Also, my CPU speed seems to stay at 1.3ghz even at idle.

This means I'm getting roughly 4hours on a battery charge with my OCZ Vertex SSD.

When I probed my battery, it's still reporting 55.1mah at full capacity, so it's not the battery.

How are people able to get Win7 to consume less than 8-9 watts on these machines?

 

Would 32 vs 64 bit make a difference in battery life?

 

I am using BatteryBar. You need one full discharge before it can completely calibrate. I think I was getting like 11-12WHr discharge. I'll check it again. I just did a reformat and reinstall so have to recalibrate BatteryBar. I know there is a way to export the settings, but I haven't figured it out. That's the other thing, with this machine from a manufacturer that doesn't really make laptops wonder if getting a replacement battery will ever be a problem.

I think the SU4100 only goes down to 1.2GHz in power saving mode, but perhaps drops the power consumption but a watt or something. I dunno. I was going to look at undervolting it too.

 

Ok, gotcha. Yes, just re-checked. The CPU clocks down to 6x for 1.2ghz operation but the discharge doesn't change for me. 13.3 when I'm in performance mode or power saver mode which leads me to believe perhaps the measurement is not correct on my end.

I want my power consumption to drop down to 7-9whr. Then I'll be happy.

Looks like I'll have to start reading the Acer/Asus SU4100 threads and see what they're doing.

 

I don't think you'll ever get it that low. Maybe a Watt or two at best, of course that would translate into a much better battery life. The SU4100 is already power sipping, and when idle or barely being used I'm sure its power consumption is less than 5W, GPU is probably 2W idle or in Windows desktop, screen probably your largest power drain at 6-7W most likely, even on dimmest setting probably doesn't change the power consumption by a whole lot.

I might use my Kill-A-Watt meter and mess with that a bit.

 

Just did a quick evaluation. Using my handy Kill-A-Watt I measured the power draw from the wall. Of course the actual power used by the PC will be less than that, all depends on the efficiency of the AC adapter or power supply. Let's assume 85% efficiency. Read Watts will be first followed by calculated efficiency Watts in parenthesis (). The Kill-A-Watt only reads to the nearest Watt, so while that's really a +/- 0.5 variation, it's adequate for our purposes I guess. Not super accurate, if I did it over a decent period of time it would tell me how much total power consumed, I could get a better reading but for this purpose

Idle power with max brightness was about 11.5W. It bobbled between 11 and 12W, so even erring on the side of caution, let's say 12W (10.2W)

Idle power with 10% brightness (one notch above lowest because lowest is too darn dark, lol) is 9W (7.6W)

That's approximately 2W power saving from max to min brightness. And 40-70% brightness read 10W (8.5W), so it's pretty linear.

However, when setting the SSD to turn off after a minute of idle, Wattage didn't budge. Not surprising considering the Intel SSD supposedly only draws 0.06W when idle.

So you can see that the system actually only draws about 10W when idle or mildly used with a power sipping SSD.

Just for the record, with Prime95 running (i.e. CPU maxed) it ran at 24W (20.4W).

 

Wonderful results! And I have updates on my results as well. For some reason, the wattage consumption softwares (battstat, batterybar, etc) are not showing proper power consumption.

I did a 'real world' test over the last 3.5 hours.

I was working on an essay, had my screen at 30% brightness, had two PDFs open, was refreshing 3 tabs on chrome at 3 min intervals (news sites) and in the last 3.5 hours, battery power dropped from 90% to 40%. So looks like I was wrong about my power consumption. Seems everything it working as it should even if the battery is not calibrated properly (and I don't want to waste recharge cycles just for the sake of calibration. I'm sticking to the 80% to 20% charging cycle based on battery capacity.)

Out of curiosity, why do you turn off your SSD after a minute of idle? You should let it idle but never turn it off so the SSD's firmware can do GC/Trim during idle state. That is if your SSD does GC/Trim when idle.

And while we're on the subject of SSDs, what a pain in the *** it was to properly align all the different partitions when I had to set mine up. GParted and Win7 would not do proper alignment so I had to manually set each partition to start and end at specific sectors and then install each OS without hosing any of the boot loaders.

But totally worth it in the end.

Now to figure out why this laptop keeps smelling like burnt PCB. It's making me dizzy!

 

A fresh install of Windows 7 will set proper alignment. Newer imaging programs are now aware of SSD alignment, but older ones are not. I am waiting to find a decent one, because alignment with imaging is obviously important. Once the first partition is aligned, the rest will be aligned properly unless you leave any kind of gap between partitions. I would use Windows 7 to create your partitions because it is SSD aware.

For a 'full discharge' your machine doesn't need to go all the way down in one session. It can go down and back up and down again, as long as discharge equals one power cycle it should be well calibrated. You should do a full one time discharge every six months or so just to maintain calibration in general. Considering a battery typically only lasts about two years or so before it starts to take a nose dive, you'd only have to do it a few times before needing to replace it.

Regarding turning off the SSD, I was just checking to see if there were any power advantages to doing so. For the most SSD's it's not necessary, but for some it would be.

Just for the record. I let my machine idle last night unplugged, with my 'new' (actually used from my desktop) Intel 80GB G2 SSD, with screen on half brightness, never turned off, SSD always on, and it got over six and a half hours!!! (from 12:51am to 7:26am) I only used the web a couple times, once before I went to bed, and once at about 5am when my little boy woke me.

Obviously with more use it will be less, but I'm still looking at five to five and a half hours with regular web and basic app use!

As much as I've used this thing on battery, I'm impressed, I only have 5% wear. I am planning on buying a new battery. Hannspree quoted me $50 plus shipping and AC adapter for $25 plus shipping which really isn't too bad. But obviously after I've worn my battery down considerably. Once I get less than four hours consistently is when I'll probably splurge for a new battery, unless I buy a new netbook by then. But then again a new battery is always a good selling point.

 

I know it's only a $400 laptop, but what do you guys think of the build quality on this thing? After my experience with the M11X, I'm a bit worried about build quality in general. I'm not expecting miracles or anything, but I would like to think it could handle the beatings my kids will dish out. This is a replacement for my beloved eeepc1000. That thing is a workhorse... I could drop it from a 3-story building and it would boot up with no worries.

Also, do you think upgrading the ram to 4GB would be worth it? I'm already going to crack it open to put an SSD in it, so voiding the warranty is not a worry.

 

I love the build quality. It is solid, and don't notice anything significant as far as massive gaps or blemishes. I wouldn't recommend dropping it from a 3-story building though, lol.

4GB depends on what you do. 2GB is more than adequate for most tasks, especially a machine with lesser power like this where you won't be doing any heavy duty 3D modeling, gaming, or photoshop, or multiple virtual machines. If you do decide on 4GB though might as well opt to reinstall with 64-bit.

 

My take is that the build quality is "standard/average." It's your basic laptop with thin/bendy plastic. Try to make sure it's not used as a frisbee or a chew toy and it should be fine.

I'm loving the difference between 4GB and 2GB. I can finally run VMs on it and keep more programs open, but I think that might have more to do with the SSD upgrade than the memory upgrade. Well, it was worth it for me to upgrade for only $40. I ended up selling the 2GB stick for $30 and purchasing the 4GB stick for $70.

I must be doing it wrong. Win7 starts with the 100MB partition that cuts at a cylinder boundary so the main system partition starts at a sector that is evenly divisible by the erase block length of my SSD. However, the partition doesn't cleanly end at a cylinder boundary. I think that's what messed up my other partitions? I must have left gaps or done something stupid. I also probably didn't run gparted with proper switches because it was viewing my SSD in LBA mode. Ah, it's too complicated to think about.

I'm happy doing it the 'hard' way with "fdisk -H32 -S32 -u /dev/sdX" and assigning my own partitions.

Now I'm just concerned about uneven wear because I tend to use linux more often than windows so the linux partitions get used more heavily.

I didn't know that! Thank you for the pointers. After doing the 'real world' test, I'm not too concerned with the calibration anymore. This notebook lasts long enough for the things I have to do at school before coming back home to charge it. Actually, I wish it lasted 2x as long but I'm not complaining.

The more I play with this laptop, the more I like it. It's such a great reference design. I wish Hannspree offered a 9cell or 12cell battery. The standard 6cell battery is designed so well and compact that I don't mind a little extra bulge for a 10hr battery.

Mine came from the factory with approx 5% wear as well. What is the maximum charge and your rated charge for your battery in batterybar? Mine is 55.2/57.7

 

Am I correct in assuming that it only has one 1 ram slot?

 

Yes, that is correct. 1 RAM slot only good for up to 4GB.

 

I'm getting the SN12E12 (MINE!) and a Lenovo Y460 (FAMILY LAPTOP). I would like to put an extra 4GB in the Y460 and 4GB into the SN12E12. Will this work? I'm pretty sure it will just downclock. Right?

Corsair PC10666 RAM - 8GB, (2x4GB), DDR3, 1333MHz, SODIMM Laptop Memory, Class 9 at TigerDirect.com

 

Yes, you can get faster RAM, but it will onlly run at the lower speed if that's all your system needs.

 

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I ordered one of these from Costco after giving some consideration to an Ipad and a MacBook Air. I just need something robust to connect me to my office via Microsoft RDP, and do some general internet searching and email. I ordered from Costco Sunday night, and it should arrive tomorrow.

I understand the possibility of adding a Broadcom BT module for internal BT connectivity. How does the SD card slot work? Will this allow me to go to a provider such as Clear and get an SD card that will provide me with 3G or 4G (whichever it is) data connectivity over cellular network? Does the HannsBook have the antennas built in for that?

 

The SD card slot accepts SD and SDHC media cards. Install the appropriate drivers if they are not already installed, pop in the media card and it should show up as a removable drive.

I have never heard of an SD WWAN (3G/4G) card - didn't even think that was electrically possible - but if you want to get data connectivity over cellular, you'll have to open the large panel on the bottom of the laptop via 3 screws - that might void your warranty - and install a mPCIe WWAN module into the free module. Then you just insert your SIM card into the SIM card slot located in the battery compartment, install the appropriate drivers and you should be good.

One caveat - I tried it and got horrible signal strength. It is highly recommended that you open up your laptop and run the antenna cables from the bottom of the chassis to the back of the LCD screen. You can follow the antenna leads from the wifi card to the back of the LCD and attach it in the same vicinity. That should work well.

HTH

 

Thanks HTH. I actually meant to say SIM card instead of SD card in my original post, but you answered the question. I thought all you might have to do is plug in a SIM card and get instant cellular connectivity. I see now that you have to add the mPIEe WWAN module and do an antenna mod to make it work.

 

I got my SN12E2 two days ago and have to say that I am mightily impressed with this thing. The screen is glossy, but does not have a lot of glare. It is clearly a better screen than what was on my $1,600 M11X. The keyboard is nice and "clicky," which I kind of like. It's "generically classy" looking. The cover is hard plastic with fake metal trim. The hinges are meaty, which again I welcome after the disaster that was the M11x. It's sparse and a little plain on the inside. A small power button and four small indicator lights on the left. The touch pad is good with an off and on button between the left and right click buttons, something I have never had before.
Performance wise, it seems pretty snappy. I noticed Windows started in about 40 seconds with the 5,400 RPM hard drive that it came with. It starts in about 20 seconds with the Vertex 2 - without any services tweaks. I was a little worried about battery life, but I seem to get about 4:15 right out of the box, which is acceptable to me.

3 bad things.
Some of the keys on the keyboard were not actually push in all the way, so as I first started typing, some of the keys seemed to be snapping into place.
When I pulled off the plastic covering on the screen it left behind some glue that was hell to take off.
The charger started buzzing loudly at one point. It has not done it again, but if it does, I will probably just take the machine back and order a new one.

WEI
4.0 Proc
4.7 RAM
3.2 Aero
3.3 3D gaming
7.7 hard drive

 

I just received mine today. It's charging up right now. Out of the box, the build seems solid enough.

I noticed the two "warranty void if removed" stickers are wholly on the access panels so that the access panels can be removed without removing or tearing the stickers. I would argue that this is ambiguous, and that the warranty is only void if the sticker is removed, not the access panels.

 

Glad you got one!

Well there are screws under the stickers, which you have to break in order turn the screws.

With alcohol I was able to completely remove any evidence of the stickers. In a pinch I could always plead dumb and say they were never there. I wouldn't do that though, end considering I sold the original HDD already I couldn't. I got mine when Bing Cashback still existed and ended up costing me about $300. So not a bad deal at all overall.

 

Bummer.....

 

With SetFSB, mine is running stable at 1600Ghz (246.2Mhz x 6.5) but would get random lockups if I push it any higher. Processor score in WEI jump from 4.0 to 4.6.

 

What PLL are you running? Did you open your machine to find the actual PLL? I considered opening my machine to find out and submitting to the author of SetFSB if it didn't exist. I was hoping there'd be some opportunity for a decent overclock if the mainboard was well built, the memory is DDR3 1066 and CPU is only at 800MHz so there's some headroom for overclock there.

Did your GPU score jump any? I was thinking it should since it's clocked based on the FSB of the machine.

 

Hannspree did all the work, read his posts on page #2, the info you're looking is there.

 

Ok, thanks, I just noticed it. +1 to you both.

Hannspree, did you ever figure out changing the voltage? Maybe something like ThrottleStop could help with voltage. It would be nice to be able to drop the voltage for longer battery life though, even if you can't increase it.

 

I'm a complete noob. I was wonder if I can open the laptop and reposition the 50MM pci-e slot. Or is that something that is soldered to the board. I have a 32GB 70MM mini pci-e Runcore SSD that I would love to put in the machine, then leave the stock HD (which again seems faster than 54K to me), but I can't fit the 70MM in the space provided. I'm a software tweaker, but hardware stuff is not something I do often other than changing RAM and HDs.

 

Typically mPCI-e's aren't wired for storage drives unfortunately. You could try it, but I doubt it will work. Usually geared for 3G cards and such. But if you try it and it works let us know. I might be willing to invest in a small 1.8" mPCIe SSD as a boot drive.

 

Thanks for all your work. One thought, is you mentioned much above 1.73GHz it will lock up? It could be due to RAM. My machine has DDR 1066MHz RAM, at 1.73GHz, you're at that limit. If they used cheaper memory then perhaps the RAM won't budge a whole lot more over 1066MHz (533MHz) at stock voltage.

Amazingly at 250MHz so far I've run on my machine, CPU does not exceed 65C.

I'm thinking to change the voltage may require a hardware mod. After botching up with that on a machine once, I won't do it again. Those electronics are so darn small, that you need the steady hand of a ninja to get it right.