| uwestolt | | Administrateur | | 6 messages postés |
|  Posté le 22-04-2013 à 06:50:15   
| Dell Inspiron 17R-5721 Notebook battery and Dell Latitude 10 Tablet battery life
Review Dell Inspiron 17R-5721 Notebook
Compared to the 2012 Inspiron 17R-SE-7720 (anodized aluminum) and the 2011 Inspiron 17R (N7110), both with replaceable display covers, the new Inspiron does not have such an exchangeable cover anymore. Now a matte, sparkling blue anodized and brushed aluminum surface covers the display and the palm rest. A good choice by Dell, even if the material has a negative impact on the weight (2.91 kg/6.41 lb.). The cool surfaces are a significant design improvement, avoid fingerprints and enable very good stability. This is seen especially with the large palm rest, which cannot be dented even slightly with substantial pressure. [b]DELL Inspiron M102ZD Battery[/b]
The cover has limited torsional resistance and can be bent when forced. The hinges are firm but come with plastic covers. Nevertheless the hinges have a very solid connection to the base unit. During opening the heavy cover hits a point at which no further motion is possible.
The base unit is very pressure resistant even from underneath and can only be slightly twisted. All in all, the stability is very good for a heavy 17-inch device in this price range. The selected mixture of materials is of adequate quality. A similar appearance can be found on the HP Envy dv7-7200sg (matte aluminum surfaces, good stability).
The device has a maintenance cover at the bottom. The hard drive (2.5-inch), RAM (two slots occupied, 2x 4 GB) and CMOS-battery are accessible. Unfortunately, the WLAN module remains concealed. The whole bottom panel has to be removed to get to the fan. [b]DELL Vostro 5460 Battery[/b]
Performance
The Inspiron 17R-5721 is equipped with a Core i5-3317U (1.7 GHz). This 17 watts processor (TDP, ultra-low voltage) is the only choice for the configuration with the dedicated Radeon HD 8730M and HD Graphics 4000 (switching via AMD Enduro). Two other versions without Radeon can be ordered with a Core i3 and i5 (only HD 4000) for a lower price.
8192 MB memory (dual channel, 2x 4GB) and a 750 GB HDD complement our package. The choice of a processor, which is currently used in many ultrabooks (MacBook Air 11-inch 2012-06), small subnotebooks (Aspire V5-171, 11.6inch) and thin 14-inch and 15-inch devices (IdeaPad U510) is very interesting, since we have a thick 17-inch device in front of us that should have no problems with the cooling of a 35 watts chip with integrated graphics (standard voltage). [b]Dell Inspiron M421R Battery[/b]
Furthermore, we investigate if the selected CPU brings advantages for ergonomics, power consumption and of course, the battery runtime. The 17R is, so far, the only 17-inch notebook with an i5-3317U (and an i3 alternative) on the market. Until now, you have had to choose a device with the AMD E2-1800 (or the older E-450) if you wanted a low voltage 17-inch notebook. However these processors had scary low performance. [b]DELL Inspiron M521R Battery[/b]
How does the chosen Core i5 stand against the i7-3610QM, the Pentium B980, the i5-3210M and the i7-3612QM that are used in the competition? In terms of price, the i5-3210M fits perfectly for our 17R (e.g. Packard Bell EasyNote LV44HC, starting at 575 Euros).
The Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi benchmark (2.38 points) delivers equal results to numerous other 3317Us in our reviews. We couldn't detect any difference in the Turbo for the different tests (2.4 GHz for multi core, 2.4 GHz for single core). We expected Turbo boost to allow the processor cores to reach the designed 2.6 GHz frequency. [b]Dell Inspiron N4420 Battery[/b]
Nevertheless, the cooling solution in the 17-inch body is a bonus. Many ultrabooks want to offer Core i5 or even Core i7 processors but overextend on the design with their cooling solutions. The result: The Turbo is not in use (e.g. HP Folio 13-2000) or the clock is reduced below the design clock. This does not happen with the 17R, which is indicated by the stress test (see ergonomics).
But back to the comparison with standard voltage processors. As expected, the quad cores are far ahead of the 3317U in the Multi benchmark. However, the i7-3610QM (+163 %) and the i7-3612QM (+160 %) cannot be found in the base configurations of the Pavilion g7, Asus K75VJ, Aspire V3-771G and the Inspiron 17R SE. In these cases, we get a i5-3210M (+21 %), like in the EasyNote LV44HC. The G780 performance is below average with the same CPU due to some throttling issues. Only the Pentium B980 (Vaio SV-E17, -21 %) is beaten by our low voltage model. [b]Dell Inspiron N4520 Battery[/b]
The differences are not that big in the Cinebench R11.5 Single benchmark (1.07 points). Here, our 17R is behind the i5-3210M (Medion Akoya +7 %; G780 throttling). The quad cores are ahead by 17-27 %. During use on the battery, the user does not lose any performance. The R11.5 Multi benchmark result is identical.
PCMark 7 evaluates the system performance of a Windows PC. The result of 2349 points is only superior to the G780 with throttling issues and the slow Pentium based Vaio SV-E17. But even quad core systems get 17 % more points at most. In the case of the Pavilion g7-2007eg, the higher overall score is due to the Radeon HD 7670M. The more powerful GeForce GT 650M (Inspiron 17R SE) cannot enhance the System-Score significantly which is interesting. The HDD is the bottleneck for this benchmark. Only an SSD would improve the overall score significantly for our 17R and the competition. [b]Dell Inspiron N4720 Battery[/b]
Gaming Performance
The gaming performance of the Radeon HD 8730M shows what 3DMark 11 already indicated: The popular HD 7670M gets 20-30 % less frames. A GT 635M can be saved by a strong quad core depending on the game (Hitman), but is otherwise slower (Mass Effect). The GT 730M is always ahead, at least around 20 %. Again, Hitman benefits from the standard Core i5 (+179 %).
Gaming is usually not possible in the native HD+ resolution (1,600 x 900). We resort to minimizing the resolution to 1366 x 768 setting to get smooth game play. One demanding game was not playable at all: Hitman: Absolution (repeatedly tested, dGPU active). The nearly identical Inspiron 15R had a similar problem with Assassin's Creed II (18 fps average). Higher settings are not possible with the Radeon HD 8730M. [b]Dell Inspiron N5420 Battery[/b]
Power Consumption
Is the 17R as frugal as an ultrabook? Due to the lack of a 17-inch notebook with a 3317U, we compare it to the Acer Aspire V5-571G (HD 4000 + GT 620M). The Acer uses 7 to 10 watts (minimum to maximum settings) during idle. The smaller screen and the 50 cd/m² higher luminance distort the comparison, nevertheless our 17R consumes disproportionately more energy from the socket: We measure 13 to 18 watts (idle) without charging the battery.
During 3DMark 2006 the consumption rises to 42 watts, with the HD 8730M active instead of the HD 4000 (Enduro switching). The stress test consumes even more power with a measurement of 52 watts. Compared to the competition these values are low. The following table shows other 17-inch devices with similar or identical 3DMark 2006 scores needing up to 60% more power. [b]Dell Inspiron N5520 Battery[/b]
Power Consumption
Is the 17R as frugal as an ultrabook? Due to the lack of a 17-inch notebook with a 3317U, we compare it to the Acer Aspire V5-571G (HD 4000 + GT 620M). The Acer uses 7 to 10 watts (minimum to maximum settings) during idle. The smaller screen and the 50 cd/m² higher luminance distort the comparison, nevertheless our 17R consumes disproportionately more energy from the socket: We measure 13 to 18 watts (idle) without charging the battery.
During 3DMark 2006 the consumption rises to 42 watts, with the HD 8730M active instead of the HD 4000 (Enduro switching). The stress test consumes even more power with a measurement of 52 watts. Compared to the competition these values are low. The following table shows other 17-inch devices with similar or identical 3DMark 2006 scores needing up to 60% more power. [b]Dell Inspiron N5720 Battery[/b]
During idle, the review unit manages 5:16 hours, and even standard voltage systems with lower battery capacities reach this runtime. In contrast, the 17R comes with a 65 Wh battery.
Verdict
The 17-inch mainstream notebook, the Dell Inspiron 17R-5721 is targeting price sensitive customers who want a fully equipped notebook with gaming capabilities. The Intel Core i5-3317U (1.7 GHz) feels to be too little power at first. Based on the measurements, the performance of the low voltage system is not above ultrabooks with the same processor. Yet the 17-inch chassis with its large cooling solution offers sufficient reserves for the full CPU-Turbo feature, even with combined GPU load. This is not the case for most ultrabooks with low voltage CPUs. [b]Dell Inspiron N7420 Battery[/b]
The ergonomics also benefit from the large chassis. The fan does not immediately speed up with spontaneous load, and it is able to keep the fan quiet until temperatures really rise to unbearable limits. The result is a quiet system that can be used in an office environment without disturbing the neighbor.
People who like to be green will be pleased with the low consumption under load, thanks to the 18 watts TDP that is lower than the standard voltage competition (35 W). However, the AMD Radeon HD 8730M does not offer the highest frame rates in games. Gamers will have to reduce the resolution to 1366 x 768 pixels and use medium quality settings. In some cases the 3317U can be a bottleneck for games too. [b]Dell Inspiron N7520 Battery[/b]
Review Dell Latitude 10 Tablet
The release of Windows 8 has started to bridge the gap between tablets and notebooks. Although the ARM-series of processors has been getting more and more powerful - two and even four cores, 3D graphics - they never really had a platform to develop their full potential. Windows 8 is about the change that: the new OS, with its touchscreen-interface on top of the well-known desktop, features the diverse software offerings we've come to expect from Windows. [b]Dell Inspiron N7720 Battery[/b]
Most of us are quite familiar with Intel's Atom processors, as they were once ubiquitous in the now pretty much defunct netbook-category. Atom CPUs have a new lease on life: Intel's Atom Z2760 is used in many different Windows 8 tablets, and is starting to become a serious competition for CPUs based on the ARM architecture. The 32-bit dual-core CPU is of course not nearly as powerful as full-sized notebook processors, but with a TPD of 1.7 Watts it is frugal, which extends battery life. The Dell Latitude 10 ships with 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage - sufficient only for less demanding desktop and office-type tasks.
The first impression confirms it: the Dell Latitude 10 comes closer to emulating a notebook than any Android tablet could ever hope to. Even though some of the devices were designed as convertibles and featured keyboard-docking stations, they usually lacked a replaceable battery. Dell also offers a docking station, which adds additional ports and makes the tablet suitable as a desktop PC replacement. [b]Dell 9KGF8 TRM4D Battery[/b]
Dell offers many different configurations: the user can decide between batteries with 30 Wh or 60 Wh capacity, eMMC storage of 32 GB and 64 GB, and choose a UMTS module, if required. The slot for the microSIM card is located behind the battery. The least expensive version of the tablet retails for 499 Euros (~$650); our top-of-the-line review unit costs 785 Euros (~$1000). Either way: for a tablet with an Atom processor and Windows 8, the Dell Latitude 10 is expensive. Notebooks offer a lot more performance for this kind of money. With features like a TPM chip, Dell targets business more so than home users, however. [b]Dell XX1D1 Battery[/b]
The Dell Latitude 10 only comes in an unobtrusive black color. The touchscreen bezel is glossy; the back of the unit sports a no-frills matte finish. The edges of the tablet feature a non-slip rubber coating, which wraps from the back to the front - the display features Corning Gorilla Glass - without any unsightly gaps. The buttons are also integrated into the rubber and feature a distinct click point - although actuation requires significant pressure. According to Dell, the back of the unit features magnesium to increase strength. The tablet is quite sturdy and overall well made.
Weighing in at 820 grams (1.81 pounds), the Latitude 10 is a heavyweight among Windows 8 10-inch tablets. Before we go into specifics, please note that we tested the tablet with the heavier battery (60 Wh), which not only increases its weight by 170 grams (0.37 pounds), but also the thickness. The iPad 4 comes with a 42.5 Wh battery and weighs 653 grams (1.44 pounds). The Asus VivoTab Smart features the same Atom processor, a battery with a capacity of 25 Wh, and weighs in at 570 grams (1.26 pounds). [b]Dell XPS 12 (L201X) Battery[/b]
Performance
The Latitude 10 incorporates the Intel Atom Z2760. This SoC (System on a Chip) integrates both CPU and GPU in one unit. As a member of the Atom series, clearly Intel's main goal is energy conservation and not flat-out performance. Because of the very low TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 1.7 Watts, the Z2760 is suitable for slim and passively cooled systems. In addition, the tablet comes with 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM (running at 800 MHz) and TPM-compatible eMMC flash storage with 32 or 64 GB - our review model features the latter. [b]Dell XPS 12 Battery[/b]
Processor
The processor component of the Intel Atom Z2760 features dual cores running at 1.8 GHz, which idle at 600 MHz to conserve power. Each core can execute two threads for a total of four. Even though the cores are theoretically designed for 64-bit, the Intel chip only supports 32-bit. Because of that, its performance is more comparable to the ARM processors found in tablets and smartphones - like the Nvidia Tegra 3 - and not other x86 processors.
A look at the benchmark results reveals that AMDs E1-1200 offers more than 50 percent more performance when tasked with single-core rendering. The 64-bit AMD processor also has a much higher TDP of 18 Watts (compared to 1.7 Watts for the Atom) and is therefore predominantly used in notebooks. [b]Dell XPS L201X Battery[/b]
Surprisingly enough, the Z2760 offers the same performance as the AMD E1-1200 during the multi-core test. Most likely, Intel's hyperthreading technology has distinct advantages here.
The difference to i3 CPUs is substantial: the Intel i3-3110M, which is used in entry-level notebooks (an example is the 15-inch Acer Aspire E1-571G, which retails for around 500 Euros / ~$650), scores about three times higher than the Atom CPU. [b]Dell XPS L301X Battery[/b]
System Performance
The CPU benchmarks make it clear that the Latitude 10 will not be able to deliver performance equivalent to a notebook. Because of Windows 8, quite a few office-type applications are available and work well- a significant advantage compared to Android and iOS. Together with the docking station, the Dell tablet makes for a better PC replacement than devices with other operating systems. Because of the low performance of the Atom SoC, compromises are necessary: the GPU part, for example, does not support DirectX 10 on up. CPU intensive tasks like photo and video editing are better suited for conventional notebooks - simpler tasks like spreadsheets and word processing the tablet handles well. [b]Dell XPS L302X Battery[/b]
We did not have a lot of options as far as running benchmarks is concerned. Pretty much all notebooks support 64-bit operating systems and applications, so a direct comparison is difficult. To evaluate overall performance, we used PCMark 7. Not surprisingly, the Dell Latitude 10 scored similar to other tablets with the Atom processor. AMDs E1-1200 in the HP Pavilion dm1-4200sg falls behind our test candidate by more than one third. The Acer Aspire E1-571G with its i3 processor, on the other hand, outscored our tablet by 67%.
The cross-platform benchmark Geekbench 2 shows that the class leader iPad 4 is still a bit more powerful: its score was about one third higher. [b]dell 0TN1K5 Battery[/b]
Storage Devices
The eMMC flash storage features a capacity of 64 GB and cannot really be compared to the much faster SSDs. The reason why it is used in tablets has to do with the compact dimensions and low power consumption. We saw an average transfer speed of almost 80 MB/s during sequential reads - quite comparable to other tablets, like the Asus VivoTab TF810C. Compared to regular hard drives, the eMMC flash has advantages when dealing with smaller block sizes.
GPU Performance
The Intel Atom Z2760 comes with integrated graphics based on the PowerVR SGX 545, which features a clock speed of 533 MHz. DirectX is not supported - so most 3DMark benchmarks won't run. Normally, this GPU supports DirectX 10.1 - but not in this Atom chip. The only benchmark we were able to use is 3DMark 06. [b]dell 1C75X Battery[/b]
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Depending on the applications in use, we recorded a power consumption between 2.7 and 11.2 Watts. The Asus Vivotab TF810C features the same processor, but needs a few Watts less on the top end - the reason could be the display panel, which does not get as bright as the one the Dell Latitude 10 uses. The power adapter supplies 30 Watts and has more than enough power.
Dell offers either a two-cell battery with a capacity of 30 Wh or a (much heavier) four-cell battery with 60 Wh. Of the tablets we mentioned before, the Asus VivoTab TF810C comes closest, as it has a main battery of 30 Wh and features an additional battery in the keyboard dock with 25 Wh. HP's Envy x2 11 has a main battery with 26 Wh and an additional one with 25 Wh integrated into the dock. Dell's XPS 10 Windows RT tablet has only the main battery with a capacity of 28 Wh. [b]dell 312-1176 Battery[/b]
Our review of the Envy x2 11 attests the device's "exceptional" battery life - and we called the Dell XPS 10 a "Marathon tablet". The Dell Latitude 10 has no problem raising the bar: featuring the largest battery in a tablet ever, it outlasts all other tablets in this area. When we ran the Battery Eater test, we recorded a battery life of almost 30 hours. If the Latitude is used as an eBook Reader (with Wi-Fi turned off and the screen set to its lowest brightness), the tablet lasts longer than a whole day. The Asus VivoTab TF810C needs the battery in its dock to eek out an additional 3 hours.
The WLAN test is more realistic: we set the screen to medium brightness and use a script that cycles through different websites. The tablet lasted about half the time - but 15 hours are still very good indeed. [b]dell 312-1177 Battery[/b]
With the brightness set to its maximum and the hardware under load, the Latitude 10 still lasted longer than the other three tablets we mentioned in this review - a record-setting 7 hours and 45 minutes.
The Latitude 10 supplies sturdiness and security instead of good looks and gimmicks. Dell designs this tablet for business use - and does it right. There are definitely better looking and more powerful tablets out there - but that is important for the private and not the business user. As long as looks are not of the utmost importance, the chassis is a good one. It is unobtrusive and built very well. Because of its excellent display and the high maximum brightness of over 450 cd/m², the tablet can also be used outdoors - even though the screen is reflective. The IPS panel also has exceptional viewing angle stability. The overall quality of the display compares well even with higher-priced devices. [b]dell 312-1178 Battery[/b]
The tablet is not really well suited for multimedia tasks - not surprising, since business users usually do not need the best sound and high quality cameras. As such, the Latitude 10 is no substitute for a digital camera - the quality of the pictures is not good enough. For listening to music or watching movies, we recommend using headphones - the speakers cannot convince.
The plethora of accessories allows for increased flexibility. The docking station adds several USB ports and an additional full-sized HDMI port. The active Wacom stylus turns the tablet into a notepad. While the pressure-sensing technology works well for drawing, the palm check feature is not quite as robust. [b]dell 312-1354 Battery[/b]
Tablets usually don't have replaceable batteries, so we appreciate the fact that there are two to choose from: either a small and light one with 30 Wh or the heavier model with 60 Wh. Only some convertibles come close in capacity - if you also count the battery in the dock. The large battery allows for a runtime of up to 30 hours when the tablet is used as an eReader; the 15 hours we recorded during our WLAN test are also very decent, since the Latitude 10 lasts almost for two workdays without needing a charge. The only disadvantage: the larger battery pushes the weight of the unit beyond 800 grams (1.75 pounds) - something to consider.
Although the overall performance is pretty average, it is still good enough for simple office tasks. Those who do not need a top performing tablet but rather want a sturdy and secure device should definitely consider the Dell Latitude 10.
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