Gateway E-155-C: A Lightweight Convertible
by Jarred Walton on July 4, 2007 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Test Setup
Before we get to the benchmark results, we want to emphasize that several of the laptops are running Windows XP while only the Gateway E-155-C and HP dv6500t are running Windows Vista. We intend to benchmark most future laptops using Windows Vista, and over time we will remove the outdated scores. The configurations of the other laptops can be found in our previous laptop articles.
Obviously, in terms of raw performance we don't expect the Gateway E-155-C to come anywhere near most of the other laptops. While it uses a Core 2 Duo processor, the CPU is only running at 1.067 GHz. Core 2 Duo is based off of much of the work that went into Core Duo, which in turn came from Banias/Dothan... and those processors were more or less a power optimized version of the venerable P6 architecture (i.e. Pentium III). All of the architectural improvements certainly help, but we're basically talking about a chip that is similar in performance to what you might get by combining two hypothetical Pentium III 1.6-2.0 GHz into a single package.
If that sounds like a terribly slow computer, consider that there are plenty of businesses that are still running Pentium III laptops. Yes, that's right: people actually survive without dual cores! Also remember that we're talking about a thin and light notebook that is still easily capable of handling most office tasks. Gaming, video editing, or other computational intensive applications aren't the intended tasks for this sort of laptop.
Before we get to the benchmark results, we want to emphasize that several of the laptops are running Windows XP while only the Gateway E-155-C and HP dv6500t are running Windows Vista. We intend to benchmark most future laptops using Windows Vista, and over time we will remove the outdated scores. The configurations of the other laptops can be found in our previous laptop articles.
| Gateway E-155-C Tested Configuration | |
| Processor | Core 2 Duo U7500 (1.067 GHz 533FSB 2MB) |
| Chipset | Intel 945GM + ICH7-M DH |
| Memory | 2x1024MB DDR2 SO-DIMMs (Samsung M4 70T2953EZ3-CE6) DDR2-667 5-5-5-15 Tested at DDR2-533 4-4-4-12 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950 |
| Display | 12.1" WXGA (1280x800) Touch Sensitive BOE Technology Co., Ltd. BOE 089A (Jan 2006) |
| Hard Drive | 80GB 5400RPM SATA (Hitachi HTS541680J9SA00) |
| Optical Drive | 8X DVD+/-RW (HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-U10N) |
| Networking/Communications | Intel 3945ABG (802.11A/B/G) Mini PCI Wireless |
| Audio | SigmaTel HDA |
| Battery | 4-Cell 38.5WHr 6-Cell 57.7WHr |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit |
Obviously, in terms of raw performance we don't expect the Gateway E-155-C to come anywhere near most of the other laptops. While it uses a Core 2 Duo processor, the CPU is only running at 1.067 GHz. Core 2 Duo is based off of much of the work that went into Core Duo, which in turn came from Banias/Dothan... and those processors were more or less a power optimized version of the venerable P6 architecture (i.e. Pentium III). All of the architectural improvements certainly help, but we're basically talking about a chip that is similar in performance to what you might get by combining two hypothetical Pentium III 1.6-2.0 GHz into a single package.
If that sounds like a terribly slow computer, consider that there are plenty of businesses that are still running Pentium III laptops. Yes, that's right: people actually survive without dual cores! Also remember that we're talking about a thin and light notebook that is still easily capable of handling most office tasks. Gaming, video editing, or other computational intensive applications aren't the intended tasks for this sort of laptop.
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JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
13-15" screens, discrete graphics, and faster CPUs all generate more heat, which requires better cooling, which makes them quite a bit heavier. And there's still plenty you can do with a laptop that you can't do with a PDA... even if you get a keyboard attachment (which pretty much makes your PDA heavier and less portable). As stated, this laptop certainly isn't for everyone, but it does serve a purpose. It was quite a bit easier to use on an airplane than even a slightly larger laptop, and forget about trying to use a 17" DTR if you're sitting in coach!gigahertz20 - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
Sorry to have to ask this question here but I was wondering when the P35 roundup article will be released? Gary Key promised it would come at the end of June yet here it is July and nothing. Will this roundup be delayed until the end of summer or is it cancelled.Thanks for any response.
Gary Key - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
Sorry about the delay, it will go up right after the m-ATX roundup (which is upside down after NV and AMD had a driver war for IGP solutions this month) that finally starts this week. I have been trying to keep people updated on changes to each board with the short articles. We just received P35 boards from abit, Foxconn,and Biostar that have made it through the first test passes. Please email me if you have any questions about the boards or need further information. I will be glad to provide opinions on the eight boards we have now and an educated guess on the three coming next week.
FireTech - Saturday, July 7, 2007 - link
Sorry Gary, but another update in the µATX review update thread you started would be much preferable to this particular comment hidden in a totally unrelated review.There are a bunch of guys waiting to hear from you about this and currently feel very let-down.
najames - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
It will happen right after the mATX roundup.