2011 laptop: the features to look for

[Ilya]

I must say I am somewhat disappointed with CES laptop announcements. Particularly with Dell: just two 17" laptops for gamers??
Where are all those "leaked" Latitudes and Precisions? I guess I will have to wait another month or two to see what comes out of Dell.

 

[diogen]

Interesting article about Sandy Bridge on the desktop
Sandy Bridge motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, Intel, and MSI - The Tech Report - Page 1

Really impressive new UEFI BIOS on the ASUS

I was surprised to learn USB3 isn't in the chipset yet.

No word about bootup times...

Diogen.

 

[Steve Mehs]

Well my dream laptop is here. Only problem is having just spent close to $5,000 on home theater type gear in the past few weeks, I can’t bring myself to spend another $2K so fast.

HP Pavilion DV7T
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
- Intel Core i7 2820QM Processor at 2.3 GHz
- 8 GB DDR3 RAM
- 640 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
- 1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6570 Graphics Card
- 17.3" HP HD+ BrightView Infinity LED Display (1600 x 900)
- BluRay Disc Burner
- Intel Wireless BGN Card w/ Bluetooth
- One 6 Cell and One 9 Cell LION Battery
- HP Wireless Optical Mini Mouse
- 90W Auto/Air/AC Adaptor


$2,067.63 subtotal + $180.92 tax = $2,248.55 - $200 Coupon Code = $2,031.05

Incredible price. Over $300 less for a comparable but lesser laptop of just a few months ago. I really wish HP would make the display 1080p though. Even though I have the cash I can’t bring it in me to drop more money this soon. Maybe in a few months and hopefully by then this series will have a 1080p display.

 

[Ilya]

Problems with Sandy Bridge

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 - As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.

The company expects to begin delivering the updated version of the chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery in April...

Intel Identifies Chipset Design Error, Implementing Solution

It's not clear yet how this will affect new laptops. While some reports on the Internet indicate that only desktop chipsets are affected, others state that the laptop production may be delayed as well.

 

[diogen]

The way I understand, there are no Sandy Bridge compatible chipsets from anybody but Intel.
And Cougar Point is the only one they have at the moment.

If that's true, every Sandy Bridge quad-core i5 and i7 PC including motherboards would be affected...

Diogen.

 

[Foxbat]

“SATA ports… …may degrade over time” doesn't sound like something we'd expect from solid-state circuitry. Every time we boot up, we expect our computers to work just like they have always work. It's good that Intel discovered this before it got out into consumers' hands like the original Pentium math bug.

I guess we've waiting months for Sandy Bridge, so what's another couple of weeks? HP, Dell, Acer, and Apple all have new notebooks and desktops waiting for this chipset and I'm willing to bet they don't share my cavalier attitude about this delay.

 

[diogen]

No word about bootup times...

They are average.
I guess the promise of sub-10sec boot times using the EFI BIOS is coming later.
But you can use the mouse in the BIOS, something lost since the 486 days (?)...

Bought the mATX version of this ASUS mobo last week.
Don't really care about the SATA2 bug: need just 2 SATA devices and the SATA3 works fine.

Works really good so far.

Diogen.

 

[Ilya]

New laptops from Dell

This week Dell announced the 2011 line of business laptops, including Latitude E5420, E5520, E6220, E6320, E6420, E6520, E6420 ATG, XT3 convertible tablet, and two Precision mobile workstations: M6600 and M4600.

Prices and release dates are not known yet.

Dell Unveils New Solutions for the Evolving Workforce | Dell

 

[diogen]

I was surprised to learn USB3 isn't in the chipset yet.

Today's unveiling of Thunderbolt shed some light on this...

It looks like the LightPeak idea was born to kill all other connectivity options: display, storage, network, peripherals, etc.
It was just too expensive (like any new optical technology is). That in turn triggered development of a copper version introduced today in the new Macs.
But at 10Gbps (even full duplex) it isn't exactly a killer. So USB3 will stick around for a while and Intel will even support it in future chipsets.
Intel: 'PC makers took the light out of Light Peak' ? The Register

It does sound like a good idea: just one connector on a PC (laptop, tablet, etc), daisy-chained - just like FireWire - to all other peripherals.

Diogen.

 

[Ilya]

It will be hard for Thunderbolt to compete with USB 3.0. USB 3.0 has one huge advantage: backward compatibility!
And even though USB3 is not natively supported in the chipset yet, most computer manufacturers will offer it anyway, at least as an option.

 

[diogen]

That is very true, I think. And the fact Intel is planning to support it, speaks volumes.
Also, having the fourth (!) video connector in about as many years - DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt - is really pushing it...

But the convenience, especially for mobile devices (maybe one day even on phones) is really tempting.
If you can keep the power consumption low and technology (licensing) cheap.
Like Intel did with PCI to replace ISA and compete with MicroChannel/EISA...

Diogen.

EDIT:
Unless this is fixed, I don't see this taking off, especially on PCs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/24/thunderbolt_mac_threat/

 

[diogen]

An interesting article from some 18 months ago
Exclusive: Apple dictated Light Peak creation to Intel, could begin migration from other standards as early as 2010 -- Engadget

Some of it came true, some - not.
USB3 is alive and well, optical LightPeak is still in the labs (too expensive?), Apple looking for one connector to rule them all...

And according to Intel, Apple doesn't have exclusivity...
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/24/intel-refutes-apple-exclusivity-for-thunderbolt-i-o-lacie-and-p/

Diogen.

 

[Ilya]

Dell is now taking orders for the new Latitudes with Sandy Bridge. All the specs and options are now posted.

I glanced through the specs and I am not thrilled. "USB 3.0 Module option via optical bay" - what the heck is that?!!
RAM appears to be limited to 8GB and the latest SSD drives apparently are not available yet.

I am not jumping in yet. Will wait to see what the new Precision laptops will have to offer...

 

[diogen]

...the latest SSD drives apparently are not available yet.

You mean the SATAIII generation?
That might take a few more month on business line laptops...

Diogen.

 

[Ilya]

Intel SSD 510 is already shipping. I was hoping Dell would offer it as an option, so I wouldn't have to buy it separately.
OCZ Vertex 3 should be coming soon.

 

[diogen]

I missed that.
I just remember the Vertex 3 (first) SSD that was shipped to Anand for review without a casing.

Diogen.

 

[Ilya]

New Dell Vostro laptops have just been released.
Unlike the new Latitudes, Vostros do have USB 3.0 ports. (Though they do lack in some other features.)
Still no word on Precision M4600/M6600 laptops.

 

[diogen]

Still no word on Precision M4600/M6600 laptops.

Here they come...
Dell beefs up Precision mobile workstations

Diogen.

 

[Timmond]

what will be the actual price of this laptop and should I get the discount on this laptop?

 

[Ilya]

Well, those Dell Precision M4600 specs look much more attractive than those of the new Dell Latitude! Not only USB 3.0 is standard, but what I am mostly excited about is four RAM slots! That brings the 16 GB RAM within reach. Great!

M4600 specs: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/precn/en/precision-m4600-spec-sheet.pdf
M6600 specs: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/precn/en/precision-m6600-spec-sheet.pdf