Walmart's $598 ECS Wonder-Laptop

[Fushigi]

Dell gold corporate support will have the laptop fixed in a day or two. Been there; done that, although with hard drives & not with a beverage. But we're a very good customer (several hundred servers + thousands of desktops/notebook, everything replaced every 3-4 years) so we do get good treatment.

Anyway, keep in mind my mentality is that of the corporate user; not the SOHO person. If I were buying a laptop for myself, it would be skinnied down quite a bit. Probably around $2K or so. But then I've yet to see a reason to actually own a laptop. Besides my employers providing them steadily since 1993 or so, I don't care to travel with one unless necessary for work and around the house I have my desktop to use. For beyond the house, my Treo is generally adequate.

 

[e_dawg]

I use the native XP functionality (in 2K as well; dunno about other releases). Right-click the desktop, Properties, Settings, click on screen 2 (should be the external monitor) and hit the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" checkbox.

Videos & Powerpoints can auto-play full size on one screen while the other is free for other tasks. Really nice for Powerpoints; edit on one & preview on the other. Nice for multiple browser or terminal server sessions and really nice when cutting & pasting across apps.

Hmm, I seem to recall trying that once without too much success. I think the external monitor was flickering at a 60 Hz refresh rate and I just couldn't stand it. Is there a way to set the refresh rate of external monitor at 75 Hz? Maybe the laptop just didn't have a good video card (I think this was way back when I had a ThinkPad 385XD)...

Anyways, I'll give it a shot on Monday. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Fushigi]

Hmm, I seem to recall trying that once without too much success. I think the external monitor was flickering at a 60 Hz refresh rate and I just couldn't stand it. Is there a way to set the refresh rate of external monitor at 75 Hz? Maybe the laptop just didn't have a good video card (I think this was way back when I had a ThinkPad 385XD)...

Anyways, I'll give it a shot on Monday. Thanks for the tip.

Yes, select the 2nd monitor and then click Advanced. From there you can use the Monitor tab to change the refresh settings. That's how it is on my machine, anyway. Good luck.

 

[Adcadet]

Speaking of which, what was the rationale for recommending a 60 GB 4200 rpm drive over a 40 GB 5400 rpm drive for more money? Notebook hard drives are such a bottleneck that I would categorically rule out 4200 rpm drives unless 80 GB of capacity were required. And I doubt she would even fill up a 30 GB drive, let alone a 40 GB drive.

I didn't even realize the 5400 RPM drive was an option on this laptop.

 

[sechs]

my sister-in-law is just starting college. My recommendation to her father, who took it line-by-line is as follows:

Latitude D600
Pentium M 1.4 GHz with a 14.1" screen
512 MB RAM in 2 DIMMs (cheaper, and I doubt she'll ever upgrade it)
no floppy (!)
60 GB hard drive
8-24-24-24X SWDVD/CDRW combo
$1825

A bit expensive, but I know the Latitude D600 is a solid laptop (used one for about a year now).

Wow. Paid less than $1300 for the R51 with a bigger monitor and smaller harddrive. Is Dell including a gold necklace or something?

 

[e_dawg]

... speaking of which, what is the difference between the R and T series, anyways? Seems very similar to me. The X series is easy to see: it is designed primarily for mobility and is small and lightweight. But the R and T series seems to blend into a single product range... what am I missing?

 

[sechs]

The T series are "thin and light." R series are more or less "standard" laptops.

 

[Mercutio]

R's are average-sized. T's are nice and light. X's flutter away when you blow on them. G's are exercise equipment.

 

[Fushigi]

My boss probably won't care unless I go decently north of $4K. With that in mind, so far I'm looking at a D800 with the 2GHz CPU (with 2MB L2 cache), 1GB RAM (2 DIMMs), 60GB 7200 HD, WUXGA 1920x1200 LCD, and a docking station. Undecided on the graphics - 64MB GF4 52xx or 128MB 56xx. Don't really need the extra, I suppose. Was wondering if the 56xx series would be significantly faster since I run dual-monitors. No Floppy.

So, what's a SWDVD?

Just submitted the request. Basically as above. I added Bluetooth support.

According to nVidia, the diff between the two graphics chipsets are that the 5650 has Intellisample and is 0.13 micron while the 5200 doesn't have Intellisample and is 0.15 micron. It doesn't matter for what I do but I'm asking for the 5650 anyway.

Still don't know what a SWDVD is; I went with the 8X DVD burner as it is supposedly dual-layer.

 

[e_dawg]

But what is the actual weight difference between the ThinkPads? Are the R and T series not almost the same weight when similarly equipped? i.e., when both have an optical drive in the Ultrabay, both with 14" screens, they are both around 5.7 lbs. But the X series is quite a bit lighter at ~3.5 lbs with optical.

 

[CityK]

Still don't know what a SWDVD is

Just guesses:

1) Software DVD player....doubt it
2) Related to this company ..... doubt that one too
3) Slim width or ware or something like that, in reference to the drives form factor....my money is on this one.

I wouldn't worry about it Fushigi as this is apparently a question that has plaqued mankind for ages.

 

[Fushigi]

I'd doubt the Slim Width as all of the drives available for the laptop are slim width. Actually, Slim Height is more accurate. Slim Width would imply it wouldn't accept 12cm discs. So maybe it's a mini-disc drive. :lol:

 

[CityK]

Bah, any techie worth their salt knows that you just bought yourself an expensive floppy drive.

Anyways, the the non-definitive information on Dell's users forum seems to suggest its in reference to the laptop being equiped with DVD decoding software....stupid Occam's Razor.

 

[sechs]

But what is the actual weight difference between the ThinkPads? Are the R and T series not almost the same weight when similarly equipped? i.e., when both have an optical drive in the Ultrabay, both with 14" screens, they are both around 5.7 lbs. But the X series is quite a bit lighter at ~3.5 lbs with optical.

I think the point here is that you're generally *not* going to get them similarly equiped.

 

[Fushigi]

I got the new laptop last Thursday & have been getting it set up whenever I have some spare time. I think about everything's done now. Between the installs & downloads & updates for all the products I use, it takes a while to set up a new work machine.

It is noticeably faster than the old unit. Physically, it is a little wider, about the same depth, but a little less tall; overall around the same volume. A little lighter, but that's to be expected as I had dual battery packs in the old unit. Very bright screen. Next to the 21" CRT, which it's also driving and is set to 6500K, the CRT looked very dim. I dropped the brightness on the LCD a notch or two to even it out.

Since it was a clean install I went ahead and put XP SP2 on it before loading any apps. No problems so far; just a few minor annoyances at the various warnings it comes up with.

I haven't tried the DVD burner yet. Once I get my files that I copied from the old laptop organized onthe new one, I'll burn a backup to check it out.

The hard drive is an HTS726060M9AT00. If anyone would care to have me bench the drive, just let me know your free tool of choice & where I can get it. I haven't benched a drive for quite some time and haven't kept up with the available tools.

WCPUID 3.3 doesn't recognize the Pentium M 755 CPU. It reports most things correctly like the CPU MHz & bus speed, but only detects 128K of L2 cache (it has 2MB).


And today I got in an SD card I had ordered from NewEgg. I can now say my phone has over 1GB RAM. :lol:

 

[Buck]

Sounds nice Fushi.

 

[CityK]

WCPUID 3.3 doesn't recognize the Pentium M 755 CPU. It reports most things correctly like the CPU MHz & bus speed, but only detects 128K of L2 cache (it has 2MB)

You could try CPU-Z.

 

[mubs]

Ain't it fun to have a neat, fast new toy?? I'd be very interested in your ongoing assessment of the hard drive, Fushigi. Especially the reliability part.

 

[Fushigi]

You could try CPU-Z.

----------------------
CPU-Z version 1.23.2
----------------------

CPUID Output
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of CPUs 1
Name Intel Pentium M 755
Code name Dothan
Specification Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 2.00GHz
Family/Model/Stepping 6D6
Extended Family/Model 0/0
Brand ID 22
Package mPGA-479M
Technology 0.09µ
Instructions Sets MMX, SSE, SSE2
Clock Speed 1993.5 MHz
Clock multiplier x20.0
Front Side Bus Frequency 99.7 MHz
Bus Speed 398.7 MHz
L1 Data Cache 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L1 Instruction Cache 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L2 Cache 2048 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L2 Latency 5L2 Speed 1993.5 MHz (Full)
L2 Location On Chip
L2 ECC Check enabled
L2 Data Prefetch Logic yes
L2 Bus Width 256 bits

Chipset
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northbridge Intel i855PM rev. A3
Southbridge Intel 82801DB (ICH4-M) rev. 1
AGP Revision 2.0
AGP Transfert Rate 4x
AGP SBA supported, not enabled
AGP Aperture 128 MBytes
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 1024 MBytes
Memory Frequency 132.9 MHz (3:4)
CAS# 2.0
RAS# to CAS# 3
RAS# Precharge 3
Cycle Time (tRAS) 6


Memory SPD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Module #1

General
Memory type DDR-SDRAM
Manufacturer (ID) Hyundai Electronics (AD00000000000000)
Size 512 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2700 (166 MHz)
Part number HYMD564M646A6-J

Attributes
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Registered no
Buffered no

Timings table
Frequency (MHz) 133 166
CAS# 2.0 2.5
RAS# to CAS# delay 3 3
RAS# Precharge 3 3
TRAS# 6 7


Module #2
* Same as Module #1 *


Software
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Workstation Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0b

 

[CityK]

CPU-Z version 1.23.2 CPUID Output

L2 Cache 2048 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64 Bytes line

Looks like it worked

Memory Frequency 132.9 MHz (3:4)

Stop riding the clutch Fushigi, give it some gas!

BTW, which DVD playback software did it come with?

 

[CityK]

Memory Frequency 132.9 MHz (3:4)

Stop riding the clutch Fushigi, give it some gas! [/quote]Actually, I guess that its a dual channel design, so it likely wouldn't matter (i.e. already sufficient bandwidth).

 

[Fushigi]

One thing I clipped from CPU-Z was the memory frequency of 10MHz so CPU-Z isn't perfect either. But it did do a better job than WCPUID.

Man, you be knowin' if I could OC this baby I be doin' it. That be sum phat monster rig! I be OCin' the LCD to 2048x1536. :lol:

...

HDTach 3.0.1 reports a sequential read speed of around 40MB/s at the beginning of the drive, tapering to about 20MB/s at the end of the drive. Burst Speed is 93.5MB/s (it's an ATA-100 controller). Random access: 15.1ms, CPU utilization: 0% Ave. read: 31.1MB/s. Note that Folding, Outlook, some AS/400 sessions, some Firefox sessions, etc. were running during the test, but they shouldn't have had a noticeable impact on the results..

Not blazing numbers compared to a good desktop drive, but defintiely better than my old laptop. The SRS is around 30% less than an 80GB Maxtor DM9, although the Hitachi's burst is a hair higher.

Hmm. SRS stats are nearly the same compared to a Quantum Atlas 10K II (which is what my wife has in her PC) and the Hitachi actually beats the Quantum's burst rate by 20MB/s. Maybe I should upgrade the wife's HD to something larger & quieter; it appears I wouldn't lose any performance.

 

[iGary]

About 3 weeks ago, I bought one of these ECS A535 "Walmart" notebook computers. It has 4 USB 2.0 ports, "good" Wi-Fi (G), and Gigabit Ethernet.

Since then, I've added a 512 MB Corsair DIMM, a Hitachi 60 GB E7K60 hard drive (NOTE: This is the 24x7 rated "enhanced" industrial-grade Hitachi 7200 RPM 2.5-inch hard drive used in routers, machinery, and whatnot), a 3600 mAH high-capacity battery, and a CD-R/W DVD-ROM.

The RAM upgrade, from 128 MB to 640 MB total RAM, transformed this notebook in a MAJOR way. This transformation was elevated when the significantly faster E7K60 hard drive was installed, making it a blazing little beast! Amazingly, total investment is only US$1129.

When not mobile, I use it with a nice compact little full-size-key'd Viewsonic USB keyboard that I can take along in a small bag as well as a groovy 3-year-old Logitech Marble Mouse optical trackball (one of the best trackballs ever made -- now it's out-of-production! grrr....).

 

[sechs]

What was your total for computer + upgrades?

 

[iGary]

What was your total for computer + upgrades?

<cough> 1129 buckaroos.

...Amazingly, total investment is only US$1129

 

[sechs]

I was, uh, hoping for a bit of accounting....

 

[Explorer]

I was, uh, hoping for a bit of accounting....

Well, I didn't want to burden anyone with details, but, here is itemised pricing:

• "Walmart" ECS A535 Notebook,which includes CD/DVD-ROM, power supply / charger, battery, WinXP Home US$655.83 ($598.00 + $7.00 S/H + $50.83 tax)
  
• High capacity 3600 mAH lithium ion battery (otherwise, unit comes with a basic 1200 ~ 1400 mAH battery) $125.00
  
• Corsair 512 MB PC-2100 SO-DIMM $88.00
  
• Hitachi E7K60 hard drive, 60 GB (24x7 industrial grade version of 7K60 ) $180.00
  
• 24x CD-RW / DVD-ROM with ECS-compatible Bezel $59.95
  
  TOTAL (exclusive of some shipping charges, which were about $20 total) = US$1109.00 ...or just $1129, give or take a few $.

Even though I already had a power inverter for providing 120VAC mains power in automobiles -- via the cigarette lighter receptacle, I also bought an "automobile" power supply, so that I wouldn't have to drag around the power inverter (which is not at all large or cumbersome) AND the A535 power supply. The "automobile power supply" simply has a cigarette lighter plug on one end and the required 19VDC plug of the proper size (i.e. -- the amp rating) that fits the A535. ($59.95)

I also have a little NetGear WG121 WiFi external antenna. ($55.00)

 

[CityK]

Actually, I guess that its a dual channel design, so it likely wouldn't matter (i.e. already sufficient bandwidth).

Actually (to my actually), I just saw on SR that this is not the case at all; the mobile chipsets employ a single memory channel design.

What are the memory frequency options in your BIOS Fushigi?

 

[Mercutio]

Hopefully Tannin will wander back here soon with more impressions of his Thinkpad.

 

[Fushigi]

What are the memory frequency options in your BIOS Fushigi?

<takes a toke> Dude, I got a Dell.

You don't really get BIOS options beyond boot devices and some piddly power management stuff. But the next time I reboot I'll pop in and check just in case.

 

[CityK]

You don't really get BIOS options beyond boot devices and some piddly power management stuff. But the next time I reboot I'll pop in and check just in case.

I guess I'm expecting a little too much from a laptop....no, make that a corporate laptop model....no, make that a Dell corporate laptop model.

<takes a toke> Dude, I got a Dell.

Lol. I wonder what has become of Steven. Dell said that his character wasn't gone for good, and that he would make return appearences...not sure if that was before or after the pot smoking incidence. I hope in his next commercial he comes back all strung out and beats the snot of the interns by beating them over the head with a Inspirion.

 

[Howell]

[*] High capacity 3600 mAH lithium ion battery (otherwise, unit comes with a basic 1200 ~ 1400 mAH battery) $125.00

[*] 24x CD-RW / DVD-ROM with ECS-compatible Bezel $59.95

Where did you come by these items?

It has 4 USB 2.0 ports, "good" Wi-Fi (G), and Gigabit Ethernet.

Also, are you sure it has Wireless G? Walmart only claims 802.11b.

 

[Splash]

[*] High capacity 3600 mAH lithium ion battery (otherwise, unit comes with a basic 1200 ~ 1400 mAH battery) $125.00

[*] 24x CD-RW / DVD-ROM with ECS-compatible Bezel $59.95


Where did you come by these items?

Not too hard to find 'em:

http://store.yahoo.com/laptoppartsnow/ecselsya5amd1.html


The CD-R/W is just a Compaq / HP notebook part. You remove the sleds from the A535 CD/DVD-ROM drive and attach them to the new unit and re-install.

It has 4 USB 2.0 ports, "good" Wi-Fi (G), and Gigabit Ethernet.

Also, are you sure it has Wireless G? Walmart only claims 802.11b.[/quote]

Mine certainly seems to respond to "G" Wi-Fi nodes, telling me I've connected to one at that speed. Besides, I've seen "other specs" showing the A535 with 802.11g, but as an "option." When I plug the NetGear WG121 in, I get the same connect speed messages.

Even though the anarchist in me wants to steal a bulldozer and push over Walmarts (and McDonald's), I'd have to say this is a recommended basic notebook solution for anyone needing a "good enough" portable computer. If you really need un-tethered battery life, I'd generally recommend AGAINST it, though. Otherwise, after a couple of month's use, I still have no gripes with it.

 

[Howell]

After about a year of owning my A535 the motherboard died. This was a month before the warranty ran out. It took the repair center a month to get it back to me. Now another six months later, the laptop has died again. Good thing I purchased the extended warranty as I actually kind of expected this. They say the laptop is unrepairable and they are refunding my purchase price.

So I basicly got to use the laptop for a year and it cost me $200. I'm buying myself a used X31 this time.

I have been borrowing a 1.5G Inspiron 2200 with 256MB and it has been a good little computer. Feels like quality. I wouldn't mind owning this one at all. I do like the small size of the X series. Good for carrying between coffee shops.

 

[Mercutio]

It might also interest folks to know that Walmart is going to start offering ala carte PC parts for those interested in building their own PC. I can't imagine how that will work out, but supposedly they're going to outfit something like 1/3 of their stores for it.

 

[ddrueding]

It might also interest folks to know that Walmart is going to start offering ala carte PC parts for those interested in building their own PC. I can't imagine how that will work out, but supposedly they're going to outfit something like 1/3 of their stores for it.

Radioshack is doing the same thing. They have some of the major player involved as well.

 

[timwhit]

Interesting. I wonder if they will sell stuff through their online store as well.

I do hate Walmart in principal, but if their price is low enough, even I can be convinced.

 

[Mercutio]

Given that I've seen trailer-park types do things like bolt the motherboard directly to the chassis (no standoffs), then take a jigsaw to the case (with motherboard attached!) to make cards fit right, I'd be very, very, very scared of what a Walmart shopper would do with DIY components.

 

[Howell]

Interesting. I wonder if they will sell stuff through their online store as well.

I do hate Walmart in principal, but if their price is low enough, even I can be convinced.

That doesn't sound very principaled.

I hate walmartification.

 

[Sol]

I'm finding it hard to tell from the coverage if they mean Walmart will be selling parts as in video cards and hard drives or parts as in boxes and monitors...

At any rate if it's anything like the department store parts in Japan they'll probably mostly be over prices third party boxed stuff (Although I guess Walmart would likely box stuff themselves). I forsee Walmart branded ECS motherboards and Maxtor hard drives...