System setup and notes
| System name | HP Pavilion dv2-1030ea | MSI Wind Atom |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Athlon Neo NV-40 (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 cache, single-core) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 cache, single-core) |
| Motherboard | HP 690E | MSI U-100 (i945GE+ICH7M) |
| Memory | 2GB PC5400 | 1GB PC5400 |
| Memory timings and speed | 5-5-5-15-2T @ 639.4MHz | 4-4-4-12-2T @ 640MHz |
| Graphics card(s) | ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 512MB (550MHz core, 1,000MHz mem) | Intel GMA 950 |
| Screen size and native res | 12.1in - 1,280x800 | 10in - 1,024x600 |
| WiFi | Broadcom 802.11b/g | 802.11b/g |
| Disk drive(s) | Western Digital 320GB, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | Western Digital 120GB, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache |
| Optical drive(s) | External DVD-ReWriter | None |
| Graphics driver | CATALYST | Intel 6.14.10.4906 |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 32-bit | Windows 7 RC |
| Weight | 1,668g (without optical) | 1,042g |
| Current price | £599 | £265 |
| Benchmarks | 7-zip (7z4.65, 32-bit) compression of 205MB worth of
photos VLC 0.9.9 playback of Terminator Salvation 480p.mov VLC 0.9.9 playback of Terminator Salvation 720p.mov Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 - 1,024x600 and 1,280x800 Battery test - flvplayer playback of looped HEXUS.tv Flash movie |
|---|
Notes
We've chosen to look at the HP dv2's performance alongside an MSI Wind netbook whose specifications are indicative of the segment. It takes in an Intel N270 Atom chip running at 1.6GHz (with HyperThreading) but relies on integrated graphics for 2D/3D work.The netbook/ultra-mobile sector focuses on low weight, low-ish pricing, and Internet-centric performance. That's why we've changed the benchmarks to reflect the probable usage pattern.
7-zip is a compression program that's multi-threaded for optimum performance. We're compressing 59 photos into one file and measuring the time taken to do so.
The video-playback tests take in two resolutions of the Terminator Salvation trailer, as found here. We use VLC player to play a one-minute section - from minutes one to two - on both the 480p and 720p clips. An average CPU utilisation is then derived from the Resource Monitor.
A nod towards gaming, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is fired up and run at 1,024x600 - the base resolution common to most netbooks - and the machine's native resolution. A script sets the game to medium-quality.
The above tests are run on mains power with the laptop(s) set to high-performance mode. The tests are re-run with the same high-performance mode but in mobile mode, on battery.
Lastly, the actual battery test involves setting the laptop to power-saver mode, using a full-screen (HEXUS.tv) Flash movie, via FLV Player, with screen set to mid-brightness (50 per cent) and WiFi/Bluetooth switched off. We time how long it takes for the laptop to go from full charge into hibernation.
