Posts in Notebooks

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Intel G965 driver update: Performance boost or bust?

Julie Rivera | Oct 03, 2007

Back in mid-August, Intel's Nick Knupffer made a promise to casual 3D gamers by suggesting that a new driver update would give systems which use the Intel G965 integrated graphics chipset a much-needed performance boost. I was highly skeptical of this claim, but wanted to put Intel's claims to the test.

To test Intel's claims, I chose an Acer TravelMate 4720-6727 laptop, which uses a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 CPU, 1GB of RAM, an integrated 965GM Express graphic chipset with 384MB memory allocated, and running Windows XP Professional SP2. While this hardware combination is not the fastest available, I feel it comes close to representing a typical configuration for a midrange laptop with integrated graphics. I tested the laptop with CNET Labs' regular suite of 3D gaming benchmarks, using the originally installed driver (14.29) as well as the updated version (14.31.1).

First up on the list was Quake 4. At a resolution of 640 x 480, using the low-quality video settings, and with only vertical-sync and antialiasing (AA) turned off, the result was an average of 20.2fps with the updated driver. With the video quality changed to high quality and AA set to 4x, the average framerate decreased by only 2 percent. I continued to up the ante to 1,024 x 768 at high quality and AA set to 8x; ending at 12.2fps. In comparison to the older (14.29) driver, I consistently saw only a 3 percent to 3.5 percent performance increase--which actually falls within our acceptable margin of error.

Next up was F.E.A.R. At 640 x 480, using fairly conservative performance settings, but with Enable Shadows turned on, it reached 22fps. By turning off the Enable Shadows feature, however, it achieved a more respectable 43fps. F.E.A.R. was actually the only game I saw that truly benefited from the driver update dramatically, nearly doubling the frame rate.
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ASUS announces F8 and U6 laptops

Darius Chang | Oct 03, 2007

The latest notebooks to join the Taiwan maker's lineup are the ASUS F8, a portable entertainment machine with built-in TV tuner and the fashion-conscious U6 for the corporate user.

The ASUS F8 is based on the Santa Rosa platform with a powerful 2.2GHz processor, 2GB RAM and 160GB harddisk. Besides a hybrid TV tuner (which can accept both digital and analog signals), the 14.1-inch display is driven by a powerful Nvidia GeForce 8600M GS graphics card with 256MB of VRAM. Only the BenQ JoyBook S41 offers a similar video engine in a 14.1-inch package. Other notable features comprise of a fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combo, built-in Webcam and 802.11n Wi-Fi radio. It will be available in Asia from the third week of October at the S$2,898 (US$2,065.72).

The ASUS U6 is an ultraportable which not only looks good, if has a wealth of features that throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Connectivity-wise, the U6 includes a 3G HSDPA radio for use with mobile broadband networks, while keeping 802.11n for Wi-Fi connections. Though we did expect to see a fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combo for this business machine, we were surprised by the inclusion of an integrated optical drive, hybrid harddisk and discrete graphics card. Despite the surfeit, the U6 manages to weigh only 1.57kg with dimensions of 300 x 220 x 31.6mm. Its top cover has a unique glossy paint job with shimmering fiber (don't ask us. We can't see it from the image, either), while the palm rest is covered with leather. No news on the pricing yet, but it will be out in Asian stores come November.

ASUS F8

ASUS U6

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HTC Shift(s) sights to UMPCs

Darius Chang | Oct 02, 2007

Well known for its range of PDA-phones, the Taiwanese maker may be seeking to make a dent in the UMPC market with the HTC Shift.

Announced together with a trio of new PDA-phone models, the Shift actually looks a lot like the older Dopod U1000 with a thicker keyboard. However, unlike the latter which runs on Windows Mobile, the Shift gets its kicks by hopping onto the Windows Vista platform. Why? Well, try watching someone trying to get work done in a hurry while running Vista on a 800MHz Intel processor and 1GB of RAM. Just make sure that fellow is not armed or he may try to shoot you, then himself out of sheer fustration.

What separates the Shift from the competition are:

It has a built-in HSDPA radio.

It has dual processors: The Intel 800MHz for applications and a 400MHz Qualcomm MSM 700 for the PDA features.

Despite rumors and videos that the Shift has dual OS (Windows Mobile and Vista), the official Web site states that it actually has the new SnapVUE feature that should behave like the Windows SideShow concept.

So how attractive is it? Considering it goes for over 1,000 euros in Europe, don't expect to get this baby for anything less than S$2,500 (US$1,782.02) when it hits our shores come Q4 2007.

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