The comparo
| System name | Scan 3XS ION | Acer Timeline 5810T |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Atom N330 (1.6GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB, dual-core) | Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.40GHz, 3MB L2 cache, dual-core) |
| Motherboard | ZOTAC ION Mini-ITX | Acer GS45 |
| Memory | 4GB DDR2 | 4GB DDR3 |
| Memory timings and speed | 5-5-5-15-2T @ 800MHz | 6-6-6-15-2T @ 800MHz |
| Graphics card(s) | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (ION) | Intel X4500 MHD |
| Screen size and native res | N/A | 15.6in - 1,366x768 |
| WiFi | AzureWave 802.11b/g/n | Intel WiFi 5100 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Disk drive(s) | Samsung 1TB Eco Green, 5,400RPM, 32MB cache | Hitachi 500GB, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache |
| Optical drive(s) | Sony Optiarc BC-5500S Blu-ray combo drive | 8x DVD ReWriter |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 64-bit | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 32-bit |
| Current price (as tested) | £722 (as tested) | £649 (as tested) |
| Benchmarks | 7-zip (7z4.65, 32-bit) compression of 205MB worth of
photos VLC 0.9.9 playback of Terminator Salvation 480p, 720p, and 1080p PowerDVD 9 Blu-ray of Die Hard 4.0 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 - 1,024x768 - medium detail Power-consumption tests |
|---|
Notes
We're comparing the performance of the standalone Scan 3XS ION system to an Intel CULV-powered laptop from Acer. The reason for doing so lies with understanding what benefits, if any, a screenless system has over a new laptop that's designed for low-power use. Scan's system ships in at £722, and for the same money you can purchase a Core 2 Duo Blu-ray-toting laptop with discrete NVIDIA graphics card.In terms of benchmarks, 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 the 480p, 720p, and 1080p clips. An average CPU utilisation is then derived from the Resource Monitor.
Further, we run Die Hard 4.0 Blu-ray from minutes 40-42 and derive an average CPU load. The Acer is run via an external Blu-ray drive, connected via USB2.0.
A nod towards gaming, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is fired up and run at 1,024x768. A script sets the game to medium-quality.
We also include power numbers for both, with the Acer plugged directly into the wall with the battery removed..
