Zacate laptop upgrade or downgrade to celeron 743 system?

[slackerinabox]

I have a dell vostro v13 that I do like quite a bit but does get bogged down if I have say a bunch of tabs open in chrome. I use it for work so portability and battery life is more important than raw performance, so I'm considering getting a zacate laptop... Would that be a downgrade or an upgrade? Benchmarks show it being slightly slower than the celeron 743 but would like to hear some other opinions - the celeron would be fine if it didn't jump to 100% cpu utilization just using chrome (not just flash).

Thanks!

 

[wirednuts]

i think the zacates are going to be wildly popular. they are faster then atom, better battery life and a video solution that is not a joke. its what we all wanted netbooks to be in the first place.

 

[ericlp]

just plug in amd 350 notebook and a few come up.

MSI CR650-016US


Or

Acer® Aspire AS5253-BZ480 15.6" Laptop

 

[Zap]

I have a dell vostro v13 that I do like quite a bit but does get bogged down if I have say a bunch of tabs open in chrome.

Do you like the form factor of the Vostro V13? I'm typing this message on a Latitude 13, which is the same chassis. Your Celeron is a single core 1.3GHz with limited cache, which hurts performance. My Latitude 13 has a Core 2 Duo SU7300, which is a 1.3GHz dual core with 3x the cache of your Celeron, and I do notice it lag a big here and there.

Why I ask if you like your V13 is that there is the new V130. It has the same chassis, but with updated components. Battery life will probably not get any better, but performance should be a lot better. CPU in the $430 bargain basement model is a Celeron Dual Core U3600. It is an Arrandale core like the Core i3 and Core i5, and is a true dual core running at 1.2GHz with 2MB cache. It not only will be faster than your Core 2 based Celeron 743 (newer architecture, double cache, twice the cores), but it will have roughly 2x the graphics performance as well. If that isn't fast enough, the V130 is available with up to a Core i5.

 

[slackerinabox]

Do you like the form factor of the Vostro V13? I'm typing this message on a Latitude 13, which is the same chassis. Your Celeron is a single core 1.3GHz with limited cache, which hurts performance. My Latitude 13 has a Core 2 Duo SU7300, which is a 1.3GHz dual core with 3x the cache of your Celeron, and I do notice it lag a big here and there.

Why I ask if you like your V13 is that there is the new V130. It has the same chassis, but with updated components. Battery life will probably not get any better, but performance should be a lot better. CPU in the $430 bargain basement model is a Celeron Dual Core U3600. It is an Arrandale core like the Core i3 and Core i5, and is a true dual core running at 1.2GHz with 2MB cache. It not only will be faster than your Core 2 based Celeron 743 (newer architecture, double cache, twice the cores), but it will have roughly 2x the graphics performance as well. If that isn't fast enough, the V130 is available with up to a Core i5.

Thanks so much for the reply. I actually really do like the form factor of the V13, but I also liked the 11.6 form factor of my old thinkpad x100e (gave it to my dad because the old amd neo chip got hot enough that I seriously worried that it would limit my ability to have kids!). I slightly prefer 11.6 because it fits better in my messenger bag, but the weight feels similar enough.

The v130 does seem like a very viable option, and $430 puts it right in the same ballpark as that hp zacate notebook (and I hate hp's touchpads). Intriguing option!

Hows the build quality on your dell? I thought it was top notch but mine cracked near the arm rest, and i don't recall dropping it. The touchpad's buttons are a bit too mushy too, but I can get used to that.

I'm seriously considering the thinkpad x100 zacate replacement (x130?) - reviews seem great!

 

[Zap]

I've had good luck with my Latitude 13, but TBH I don't use it all that much. I much prefer using my overclocked Core i7 with 30" monitor when I'm at home. 😛 I'm using the Latitude 13 right now because I've been traveling. That's really my only use for it.

I got mine as a Dell Outlet refurb (big green sticker on bottom that says so) with 25% off coupon, making it $450 shipped price. Besides the SU7300 CPU, it came with 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD. I swapped out the HDD for an SSD. The Latitude doesn't come with a webcam, which is kind of odd because I'm more used to consumer notebooks which all have them.

The only issues I've had are a stripped screw hole and slightly warped lid. It came that way, but again, it was a refurb. On this trip I just noticed that the lid almost doesn't lay flat. It might be just a side effect of the slightly warped lid.

LIKE
Metal exterior
Almost zero glossy surfaces
Matte LCD
Keyboard is full size and has a GREAT feel, plus keys all in "proper" places.
Touchpad is suitably large compared to smaller notebooks (like 12.1" or 11.6" models)
Service manual available on Dell's site for disassembly
Slim profile
13.3" form factor seems a really good compromise between being really portable and being really usable
Came with powered eSATA external slim DVD drive

HATE
Sharp edges, especially front corners
Lack of properly fitting sleeves
Short battery life (just over 3.5 hours, my netbook and other CULV both get much more)

MEH
Single SODIMM slot so no dual channel
Seems heavy for something so thin
Fresh install of Windows and there's a mystery unknown device in Device Manager
Touchpad doesn't seem to support multi-touch
Still feels laggy on occasion in normal usage
Unsure if Bluetooth is present or operational, maybe that's the mystery device?
Single speaker seems tinny even compared to my netbook

If I count each time I've used this notebook as a "day" then I probably have less than 3 weeks of use out of it so far.

My hope is that someone comes along and really loves it, so I can sell it and pay the difference to go up to a Vostro V130. 😀 Even the base $430 model should have slightly more performance on the CPU while being significantly better (though still not that great) with the integrated graphics. I played some multiplayer Flatout 2 this past weekend with a couple buddies and... it was laggy with everything turned down as low as it can go. Supposedly the IGP of the Arrandale is roughly 2x the performance of the GMA 4500 HD that is part of the GS45 or whatever chipset these older Dells have. I know these aren't "gaming" notebooks, but would be nice to be able to crank up some games newer than the original Starcraft. 😛

 

[wahdangun]

I've had good luck with my Latitude 13, but TBH I don't use it all that much. I much prefer using my overclocked Core i7 with 30" monitor when I'm at home. 😛 I'm using the Latitude 13 right now because I've been traveling. That's really my only use for it.

I got mine as a Dell Outlet refurb (big green sticker on bottom that says so) with 25% off coupon, making it $450 shipped price. Besides the SU7300 CPU, it came with 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD. I swapped out the HDD for an SSD. The Latitude doesn't come with a webcam, which is kind of odd because I'm more used to consumer notebooks which all have them.

The only issues I've had are a stripped screw hole and slightly warped lid. It came that way, but again, it was a refurb. On this trip I just noticed that the lid almost doesn't lay flat. It might be just a side effect of the slightly warped lid.

LIKE
Metal exterior
Almost zero glossy surfaces
Matte LCD
Keyboard is full size and has a GREAT feel, plus keys all in "proper" places.
Touchpad is suitably large compared to smaller notebooks (like 12.1" or 11.6" models)
Service manual available on Dell's site for disassembly
Slim profile
13.3" form factor seems a really good compromise between being really portable and being really usable
Came with powered eSATA external slim DVD drive

HATE
Sharp edges, especially front corners
Lack of properly fitting sleeves
Short battery life (just over 3.5 hours, my netbook and other CULV both get much more)

MEH
Single SODIMM slot so no dual channel
Seems heavy for something so thin
Fresh install of Windows and there's a mystery unknown device in Device Manager
Touchpad doesn't seem to support multi-touch
Still feels laggy on occasion in normal usage
Unsure if Bluetooth is present or operational, maybe that's the mystery device?
Single speaker seems tinny even compared to my netbook

If I count each time I've used this notebook as a "day" then I probably have less than 3 weeks of use out of it so far.

My hope is that someone comes along and really loves it, so I can sell it and pay the difference to go up to a Vostro V130. 😀 Even the base $430 model should have slightly more performance on the CPU while being significantly better (though still not that great) with the integrated graphics. I played some multiplayer Flatout 2 this past weekend with a couple buddies and... it was laggy with everything turned down as low as it can go. Supposedly the IGP of the Arrandale is roughly 2x the performance of the GMA 4500 HD that is part of the GS45 or whatever chipset these older Dells have. I know these aren't "gaming" notebooks, but would be nice to be able to crank up some games newer than the original Starcraft. 😛

isn't zacate GPU was powerful ? it can even play some modern games (with lower detail of course )

 

[watzup_ken]

I think getting a Zacate laptop will be a decent upgrade, though I won't expect a huge jump in performance. Personally, I think the beauty of Zacate is the balance between a decently powerful CPU and GPU with low power requirement. Atom by itself less ION draws less power, but is an absolute let down when it comes to graphics. CULV i3m draws more power for a mobile CPU, but graphic is still not comparable with the HD6310. So actually, it really depends on what you are using your laptop for. I will happily go for a Zacate. 🙂