The Mac Observer: AAPLTalk System Shootouts - US$2,300 Laptop System Shootout

	DATES CONFIGURED: between 11/01/02 - 11/06/02 Must include 14"+ Display, DVD, CD-RW Note: Read the AAPLTalk System Shootout FAQ before procededing!!! All images and logos are copyright to the respective companies listed.
Total must be within $50 of $2,300 INCLUDING SHIPPING!

Company

Apple

Dell

HP/Compaq

Gateway

Sony

Toshiba

BOLD

= Best of Field

PowerBook G4

Inspiron 8200

Pavilion ze5000

600X

VAIO PCG-GRX690

Satellite Pro 6100

Dimensions:

127 cubic in.
1" x 13.4" x 9.5"

246 cubic in.
1.75" x 13.0" x 10.8"

250 cubic in.
1.8" x 13.0" x 10.7"

269 cubic in.
13.9" x 11.4" x 1.7"

290 cubic in.
1.8" X 14.0" X 11.5

206 cubic in.
12.9" X 11.3" X 1.4"

Weight:
(all bays filled)

5.4 lbs.

7.9 lbs.

7.5 lbs.

8.7 lbs.

8.4 lbs.

6.8 lbs.

Battery Life:

5 hrs.

2-3 hrs.

2.5 hrs (?)

1.5 - 4.5 hrs.

1.5 - 3 hrs.

Processor:
Rating Notes

1.3 GHz
867 MHz PowerPC G4

1.8 GHz
1.8 GHz M Pentium 4

2.4 GHz
2.4 GHz M Pentium 4

2.0 GHz
2.0 GHz M Pentium 4

1.8 GHz
1.8 GHz M Pentium 4

1.7 GHz
1.7 GHz M Pentium 4

L1 Cache:

64k

32k

L2 Cache:

256K on-chip

512K on-chip

L3 Cache:

1 MB DDR

Memory Type:

SDR PC133

DDR PC2100

Frontside Bus:

133 MHz

400 MHz

Memory Amount:

512 MB (2 DIMM)

512 MB (DIMM)

768 MB (DIMM)

512 MB (1DIMM)

512 MB (2 DIMMs)

256 MB (2 DIMMs)

Max RAM:

1.0 GB (2 slots)

Hard Drive Capacity:

40 GB

60 GB

40 GB

60 GB

40 GB

Hard Drive Type:

Ultra ATA 66

Ultra ATA 100

Ultra ATA ???

Ultra ATA 100

Hard Drive Speed:

4200 rpm

5400 rpm

???? rpm

CD-ROM:

24x

CD-RW:

8x8x CD-RW

24x10x CD-RW

8x8x CD-RW

24x10x CD-RW

16x10x CD-RW

?x?x CD-RW

DVD-ROM:

12x

DVD-RW:

Floppy Drive:

Yes

Zip/Other Drive:

Memory stick port

PC Card Slot?

1 + 802.11b slot

Yes

Type of Bays:

Fixed

Swappable

Fixed

Swappable

USB Ports:

Firewire Ports:

Legacy Ports:

1 Par, 1 Ser, 1 PS/2

1 Par.

1 Par, 1 Ser, 1 PS/2

1 Par.

1 Par, 1 Ser, 1 PS/2

Graphics Card:
Rating Notes

ATI Mobility
Radeon 9000

nVIDIA
GeForce4Go 440

ATI Mobility
Radeon ???

ATI Mobility
Radeon 7500

nVIDIA
GeForce4Go 420

Video RAM:

32 MB DDR

64 MB DDR

32 MB DDR

VGA Out:

Yes

S-Video Out:

Yes

Composite Out:

Yes

DVI Out:

Yes

Display Size:

15.2" TFT XGA

15" TFT UXGA+

15" TFT XGA

15.7" TFT SXGA+

16.1" TFT XGA

15" TFT UXGA+

Max. display resolution:

1280x854

1600x1200

1400x1050

1600x1200

Microphone/
Audio In:

Built-in microphone
Digital audio-ready

Line-in port
Digital audio-ready

Headphone & Speaker Jacks:

Yes
Digital audio-ready

Stereo Speakers?

Yes

10/100 Ethernet?

Yes

Gigabit Ethernet?

Yes

56k Internal Modem:

Yes

802.11b Wi-Fi Card?

Yes

802.11b Antennae?

Yes (integrated)

(on card)

Yes (integrated)

(on card)

Yes (integrated)

Bluetooth Card?

Hardware Extras Included:

HP DeskJet 3820

Spare battery

Epson Stylus C42UX

Included OS:

Mac OS X 10.2;
Mac OS 9.2;
BSD Unix;
Apache Web Server

Windows XP
Home Edition

Windows XP
Professional

Windows XP
Home Edition

Windows XP Professional

Windows/DOS Support:

DOS/98/ME/2000/XP
(via Virtual PC)

DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native)

Mac OS Support:

Mac OS 8,9,X (Native)

Mac OS 8 only (via emulation)

Linux Support:

Various flavors (Native)

Unix Support:

Various flavors (Native)

Java 2 Support:

Native

(must be downloaded)

Zero-Config Networking:

Rendezvous

Word Processor Included:

MSFT Word XP

WordPerfect 9

MSFT Word XP

Save-as PDF:

Native (any file)

(requires 3rd-party app.)

Spreadsheet Software Included:

MSFT Excel XP

Quattro Pro 9

MSFT Works 6.0

Presentation Software Included:

Database Software Included:

MSFT Works 6.0

Drawing/Painting Software Included:

Art Directors Toolkit
Graphic Converter
PixelNhance
OmniGraffle

Handwriting Recognition:

Inkwell

Calendar/PIM Software Included:

iCal, iSync
Address Book

MSFT Outlook XP

MSFT Works 6.0

Planning/Project Software Included:

OmniOutliner

MSFT Publisher XP

Web Browser Included:

Internet Explorer 5.2

Internet Explorer 6

E-Mail/Address Book Included:

OS X Mail
OS X Address Book

MSFT Outlook XP

Outlook Express 6

Media Player Included:

Quicktime 6
DVD Player
Media Player 7 avail.
RealOne Player avail.

Media Player 8; DVD Player
Quicktime 6 avail.; RealOne Player avail.

Media Player 8
DVD Player
Quicktime 6 avail.
RealOne Player avail.

Financial Software Included:

Money 2002

Quicken New Users

Money 2002

Quicken 2002

Reference Software Included:

Encyclopedia Brittanica

Encarta 2000
Streets & Trips

Digital Photo Management:

iPhoto 1.1
Graphic Converter
Snapz Pro X

Image Expert 2000

Arcsoft Funhouse
Photo impressions4
Greeting Cards

Picture It!

Photoshop Elements
SmartCapture
Sony PictureGear

Digital Video Editing:

iMovie 2

MGI VideoWave 4

CyberLink® Power Director Pro VE

MovieMaker 2

Sony MovieShaker
Sony DVgate
Premiere LE

MovieMaker 2

Music Software/
CD Burning Software:

iTunes 3
Disc Burner

MusicMatch 6.0
Adaptec EasyCD

MusicMatch 7.0
RecordNow

Unknown (?)

SonicStage
Screenblast Acid
Sound Forge

DVD Burning/
Authoring Software:

Games Included:

Chess

Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games

Mine Sweeper, WildTangent MyGames, Asstd. classic games

Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games

Additional Software Included

FaxSTF
Palm Desktop
Asstd. system software

Asstd. system software

Asstd. system software
"Two software titles" (?)

Free ISP/
Other Services

1 month EarthLink

6 months Earthlink

1 year AOL

3 months AOL

Virus Susceptibility/
Security Issues:

45 known viruses

50,000+ known viruses
McAfee AntiVirus

50,000+ known viruses

50,000+ known viruses
Norton AntiVirus

Built-in Firewall?

Yes

Warranty:

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 days phone

3 yr. ltd./at-home
3 yr. phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 days phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
1 yr. phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 days phone

Quality of Products & Service:
Consumer Affairs

"Good Guys"

"Rogues Gallery"

"Poor"

Navigation?

Easy

Fair

Easy

Fair

Poor

Customization Allowed?

Some

Full

Very Little

None

Subotal:
(includes rebates, add-ons, etc.)

$2,339

$2,259

$2,248

$2,257

$2,340

$2,299

+ Ground Shipping:

No Charge

$45

$50

$49

No Charge

$10

Total Price
as configured:

$2,339
tax not included

$2,304
tax not included

$2,298
tax not included

$2,306
tax not included

$2,340
tax not included

$2,309
tax not included

ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMERS: The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' websites. Obviously there is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best one could come up with; assorted bundles, including free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. Also, a few pieces of data are missing, some might be a bit off, and in a couple of instances I might have been dead wrong, due purely to not being able to find the correct information. This is not intended to be a rock-solid analysis of every single feature which these systems offer; the point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against ANY brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. IN SHORT, DO NOT BASE ANY PURCHASE DECISION PURELY ON THIS CHART; DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. THIS CHART IS MEANT PURELY AS A DEMONSTRATIVE TOOL. I WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY PURCHASE DECISION MADE BASED ON THIS INFORMATION.

The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation.

Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design.

AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives

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