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From...
Top 10 notebook PCs
October 13, 1998
Web posted at: 4:20 PM EDT
by the PC World staff
(IDG) -- If you're shopping for a fast notebook, it usually doesn't pay to get too excited about the latest Intel processor. Most new mobile chips don't significantly boost performance over that of the previous processor. It makes a lot more sense to go with a notebook based on a slightly older chip--the machine won't be much slower, and you'll save hundreds of dollars.
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But the mobile Pentium II-300 appears to be different. The five new laptops we tested with Intel's latest notebook CPU chalked up an average PC WorldBench 98 performance score of 159 -- a notable 10 percent jump over the average score of PII-266 laptops. In other words, you will notice the difference in speed, whether you're running basic apps or graphics-intensive programs. It might even be enough to justify the few hundred dollars more you'll pay for one of these new notebooks.
Not surprisingly, a new PII-300, Dell's $3499 Latitude CPi D300XT, lands atop the power chart, replacing the PII-266 Latitude CPi D266XT as Best Buy. Our longevity roundup champion -- the tough, upgradable Toshiba Tecra 8000 -- also makes the power chart, in fifth place.
On the budget side, a $150 price drop shoots the $1999 Gateway Solo 2500SE, a plain-looking but fast Pentium II-233 with both floppy and CD-ROM drives built in, to the number one spot.
Top 5 power notebooks
- Dell Latitude CPI D300XT
- Dell Inspiron 7000 D300GT
- Micron GoBook 2 266
- Gateway Solo 9100LS
- Toshiba Tecra 8000
Top 5 budget notebooks
- Gateway Solo 2500SE
- Acer Extensa 367D
- Chem USA ChemBook 5033
- Quantex H 1331
- WinBook XL 233 DSTN