difference between these Compal systems?

I've been looking for a new laptop for a while now, and I have been looking at a couple at www.cyberpowerpc.com, mainly the X5-7900. But I noticed that some of these are based on the Compal iFL-90, and the X5-7900 is based on the Compal FL-90. Is there a difference? Or is this just a typo? I looked on the Compal website and they don't mention a FL-90 anywhere that I saw.

 

The main difference between the iFL-90 and the FL-90 is that the FL-90 does not have the fingerprint reader (or the TPM module, I think), and some people think the FL-90 is of slightly cheaper construction than the iFL-90.

 

Yeah, I've been trying to vet this out, too. For what I think, I think the guy above is right, as far as one of the differences. I also think that one has the touch-panel soft keys above the keyboard, while one has hard buttons for those hot keys. I am pretty sure that I have the IFL-90.

My recent unboxing video (which is not that good) can be downloaded here:

GearWERKZ Unboxing

Pertinent blog posts can be found here:

http://gearwerkz.com/cgi-bin/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070909-201925

http://gearwerkz.com/cgi-bin/pblog/index.php?m=09&y=07&entry=entry070910-193645

 

The FL-90 system from cyberpower does have a fingerprint reader though... at least the one i was looking at does. it's the X5-7900.

 

I've noticed that several factories working with Compal have been mixing up IFL90 and FL90 orders, and I've also noticed that some resellers actually just drop the "I" altogether, no matter which model they're selling (possibly so that the recipient is only expecting an FL90, but may be presently surprised to receive an IFL90?), so you may actually be looking at an IFL90 on CyberPower.

 

ok. thanks a lot. i'm sure the quality on both units is higher than most other computers, so i feel a lot better.

 

The IFL-90 and the FL-90's differences are largely aesthetic. The plastic on the FL-90 has a slightly bluer tint than the IFL-90s pure black construction. Also, the FL-90 doesn't have the heat-sensitive buttons above the keyboard, but rather, circular buttons in place of the heat-sensitive strip the IFL-90 would have. Personally, I think that's uglier than the IFL-90, but that's all personal preference. Also, the FL-90 has a different lid design than the glossy IFL-90's design.

If you don't mind aesthetics or the differences you get for getting an FL-90 than an IFL-90, then by all means, get the Cyberpower, as they're pretty much the same computer otherwise.

 

heat sensitive?

 

cool thanks for all the help. i'll probably be ordering monday or tuesday.

 

The IFL90 has one of this nifty little touch strips instead of hotkey buttons. You just tap part of the plastic strip to turn your volume up/down/off, and I think there are display controls on there, too. Of course, another mixup was that a large shipment of them left Compal with that nifty little pad not actually hooked up, so the keyboard removal instructions are actually available online, even though other disassembly instructions (including how to reseat the ODD) are not.

 

i've always just called them touch sensitive.

 

What do you guys think of this build? I'm pretty sure this is actually an iFL-90, after comparing it to pictures in the FAQ threads here and iFL-90's from other sites.

Cyber Power PC Xplorer X5-7900 Notebook
NOTEBOOK: Compal FL90 Notebook 15.4" WXGA 1280x800 Pixels w/ 2.0 Megapixel Built-in Webcam, Bluetooth, Fingerprint Sensor, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter
NOTEBOOK_COVER: XPLORER X5-7900 Notebook Cover (Original Reflective Black Piano Finish)

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Mobile T7500 Dual-Core Processor @ 2.20GHz 800FSB 4MB L2 Cache
VIDEO: Built-in NVIDIA Mobile 8600GT 512MB Video
MEMORY: 2GB (2x1GB) PC5300 DDR2-667 SODIMM Memory
MOTHERBOARD: NVIDIA PM965 + ICH-8M Chipset Mainboard
HDD: 160GB 5400RPM SATA150 HARD DRIVE
CD: 8X DVD REWRITABLE DRIVE
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate (32-bit Edition)
MODEM: BUILT-IN 56K V.92 FAX MODEM
NETWORK: Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Card
WNC: Intel 4965AGN Wireless 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N 54Mbps MiniPCI Card
FLASHMEDIA: Built-In 4in1 Media Reader
IEEE_CARD: BUILT-IN 1394 IEEE FIREWIRE PORT
BLUETOOTH: Built-in Bluetooth Ver. 2.0 module with USB2.0 interface
USB: 4 x USB2.0 Port Connectors
SECURITY: Built-in Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
BATTERY: 9-cell Li-On Battery Pack (FL90)
BAGS: Free Deluxe Carrying Bag for 15.4 Inch Notebook
# FREEBIE_CU1: FREE! CyberPower Multi-Purpose Carrying Briefcase
# FREEBIE_CU2: FREE! Cyberpower Unleash The Power T-Shirt

$1305 - 5% instant discount = $1239.75 w/ free fedex ground shipping

I priced pretty much the same thing on powernotebooks.com and a couple other sites with the iFL-90 and Sager NP2090, and they were about $400 more on average...

 

all disassembly instructions are online, just check the compal website.

 

I would call them and ensure that they have a commitment to the estimated ship date displayed on the order page, within a reasonable amount of slip time. When I pulled the thread on variants of this model a couple of weeks ago, with companies like ProStar and Sager, no one would commit to firm estimates of when they thought they would be shipping. I think you can find another thread in here of lots of people waiting to receive units they ordered in August. At the end of the day, because I travel so much, I went with an off-the-shelf variant from Newegg because I knew they would ship upon receipt of my order, and because I knew I could return it for replacement if it completely failed.

The pluses of your model are that you'll be getting +40GB of hard drive space and come in $150 cheaper than what I paid (if you order by tomorow). If you don't travel, don't need the notebook right away, and don't get concerned about the time-value of money, the advantages are definitely to the CyberPower. I would definitely make the phone call today, though, since it may not be feasible to get ahold of someone tomorrow.

I would also concur that, based upon all the responses here, and what I've been able to figure out about my own model, that the version displayed on CyberPower is an IFL versus an FL.
- Vr/Zeux.

 

Well I went ahead and ordered the X5-7900 from Cyberpower tonight. I just changed the config above to have a blank formatted HD instead of coming with Vista Ultimate. I remembered I'll be getting cheap copies of Vista Business and XP Pro through MSDN-AA at school here soon.

Final price $1117 - 5% discount = 1,061.15

Hopefully it's the iFL90. If not, it's still a pretty good system for the price IMO.

Thanks for all your advice guys. Really helpful!

 

I would actually err on the side of caution if the price is that good. Powernotebooks and XoticPC's been known to price their laptops very competitively than the other big brand names, but if a company like CyberpowerPC has their laptops priced a full $400 cheaper than the average price, then I'd suspect something's being skimped upon or is fishy. You might want to check on their warranty and their customer service ratings, it's entirely possible that $400 difference is a result of their negligence of noncommitment on these areas of business.

 

yep, make sure to check before getting crazy and order something you will not get.

 

Why don't you just call them, and then let us know as well?

 

well, i emailed them about their warranties. they don't offer anything in the way of extended warranties past their 1 year parts & labor/lifetime tech support. the guy who responded to me was kinda short and somewhat rude too. <sigh> they've got a 7.31 lifetime rating on resellerratings.com and 309 complaints with the BBB. damnit, i just wanted to save some money! lol

i was planning on picking up an accidental damage warranty through staples (i work for 'em) to cover it in case cyberpower screwed me. well it doesn't ship until the 24th, so maybe i'll give xotic and powernotebooks another look over.

yet more proof that hasty decisions are made at 4am

edit: thought it over good and hard and read all the positive responses to powernotebooks.com on resellerratings, reread the responses to cyberpower, and decided to go with powernotebooks. cancelled order with cyberpower and got the Sager NP2090, which is exactly the same as the iFL-90 apparently. I'll put up with the wait time for a near-guarantee of a great warranty. reminds me of the good old saying "if it's too good to be true, it probably is".

same configuration was $1541 with shipping from powernotebooks. which is about what i would have spent after getting the accidental protection plan through staples.

 

Thought I might give everyone who is thinking of ordering this unit from CyberPower PC a little update on my experience with them. I know there's been a bit of time elapsed here, but late is better than never.

On Sept. 16th, I emailed CyberPower to ask them to cancel my order. I then placed my order with PowerNoteBooks.com (who are awesome btw) that same night. Late in the afternoon on the 17th (around 5pm Central US time, about 3pm CyberPower time on the west coast) I called just to check and make sure my order was actually cancelled so I didn't get charged for 2 laptops. The first guy I talked to was relatively pleasant, and transferred me to the person I needed to talk to. Within 5 seconds of the 2nd service rep picking up, I was being yelled at for cancelling my order. He claimed that that was the 2nd time I had called already that day, even though it wasn't. I explained that I had sent an email, and just wanted to be reassured that I wasn't going to be charged for a laptop I wasn't wanting to get, and the "gentleman" proceeded to yell at me once again, and then hang up.

How any company can stay in business with customer service like that is beyond me...

PowerNoteBooks, on the other hand, was a dream to deal with. I received a couple of polite phone calls with updates on my order, and when I called to make a small change and add Vista Business to my order, I believe I spoke to Donald, and he was very helpful, and I was done and off the phone in under 5 minutes. I was quoted a 2-3 week backorder on my Sager NP2090, then quoted 12-15 days in a subsequent email confirming my order. The laptop ended up shipping out in about a week anyway! In one of my phone conversations with a PNB.com rep, I told them about how I went with them after cancelling an order for the same laptop with another company for almost $500 less, and they agreed that something fishy was probably going on.

Anyway, for anyone thinking of ordering from CyberPower... save yourself the trouble, and just don't do it. lol

Thank you guys for convincing me to look elsewhere.

 

Thanks for the report on Cyberpower, giblets!

It's always good to know that we have good resellers watching our backs, PNB and Xotic are awesome.

 

Yeah it pretty much blew my mind when i checked on PowerNoteBooks.com on Resellerratings and saw that they only had 2 dissatisfied reviews out of over 1200.

BTW, this is a kickarse laptop! Glad I didn't go with that HP dv6500t I was planning on getting.