while i was at my friend homes , i ad a chance to test wireless connection , the intel pro 2100 work really good ,had to enter network name and unlock access
the 11mbps is fast enought for web browsing and download , since 300k/sec is your max target ! but for files transfer from 2 machines in the network , a 54mbps will be a lot faster ( like jassperjazz toshiba that done the test with me )
AND first real web reality append to me , while i was scanning the i8600 with NORTON antivirus 2003 ,i try to open win explorer , seem to be to much work in the same time , or a virus good work , but system begin to get errore about corrupted files ! , i had to reboot and BANG the dammage was done ! didnt want to boot anymore , missing file hall.dll !!!!!!!!!! thats why i ait aintivirus , they seem to get more trouble instead to prevent it .
try to fixe it with win XP CD , ( repair mode ) cant replace the file , since not allowed to exit the XP cd and put other one with missing file , would need floppy or usb key and restore option didnt work either .
i finally decide to try the norton ghost backup and restore the system as it was , put initial recovery CD , than the 3 other CD with partition images and bingo ! ,back to the future !
so a good usb mem key and cd burner are necessary options for disaster recovery.
other news , did you know that i8600 had built in microphone ! , i just found it , works good
thanks tantonine , i set my shortcut like this >\halo\halo.exe -use14 < and game play become excellent ! if DX 9 game play experience is like this (with low fps ) i will stay with lower specs for now ! i like extra fluid game play , and like you said , there is no significant improvement in texture from my eyes !
randy , tantonine had a good explantion about our game play difference , now its fluid at 1024X768 ( not very good , just fluid ) ,but that game gonna have a hard time to sells in the market !
we should read txt help file about that HALO game , it explain how to do lots of tweak , because this game need tweak ! exept if you have a 4000$ real up to date machine to playwith .
for new nvidia driver , i will wait for DELL official driver release. thanks anyway
good news , the new video driver just came in , and my only doubght was DVD full screen playing.
so i trust them , and the first response just came in ,and i'm glad about it .
i have just instaled the new driver and GPU clock monitoring show about the same spec than before , CORE clock is between 324 and 119 and MEMORY between 590 and 250 depending on powermizer.i also use typical aquarium time to monitor fps ( type S while aquarium running) and fps are 140 at max powermizer performance an 30 fps at max battery save .
So , about DVD issue ,the lines almost disapear in max batt saving mode , and full power is perfect ( i use power DVD ) , thats make it usable at all power setting ,and very nice at max power ( AC in ).
dont tell my girl friend that i post her picture here ,LOL
i just came back from a plane ride ( south amigos ! ) and enjoy its extended battery performance on the plane and also on the beach , and was able to monitor my picture and edit+burn videos to send from inetrnet cafe.also playing intense games on plane with max power save , with good performance ( fps ).
you can order the targus auto/air via other supplier , the tip # 103 is supposed to be complient to inspiron 8100 only , but it looks like dell confirm that its also good for i8600 since they send me this TIP.
while plugged to my car ( engine OFF ) the i8600 need 1.6 amp from 12volt source ( only 1amp without LCD power on ) with no activity,with powermizer at full power ( plugged mode ) , if you start a very demanding apps , like game , the max i had drain is 2.8 amp from 12 volt . You cant charge the battery of the i8600 with this power supply , only able to keep it working in "plugged mode "
this targus auto-air supply have failed , the first mouth of use , had to return it for exchange.....
you should consider a "ordinary" 12 to 120 converter instead , more reliable , and you will be able to recharge your laptop battery with it !
i stil
NEVER had a "freeze" since i receive that machine ! ( october 10 2003 to mar04 ) , its stable like a rock .
the wireless intel pro adapter working good with my linksys WRT54G .
next test is the USB mem key , i want to make it bootable , but not the one from DELL ( lexar third party ),have buy LEXAR jumpdrive 128meg , and it work good with dell utility ( boot in win 98 mode )
my only disapointment is gaming with DX9 games , and DVD in battery mode , hope that DELL will release the new nvidia video driver soon. ( 53..... series )
ok , about USB mem key , i own a LEXAR jumpdrive 128meg , and the DELL mem key utility work fine with it( probably need a 128 meg key for partition recognition ) and i was able to boot the i8600 with it ( WIN98 start disk ),thanks to http://images.lunarpages.com/uxga/dos/bios/ for the best USB bootable image i ever try yet !
also had a chance to run the machine for extended period of time with targus auto/air supply , good result , 6 hours operations , no-inside battery drain(i8600 battery ), the i8600 handle the vibration and road bump very whell ! see the video here , but the next time i have try the PA358U , it was dead , have to replace it .
if you actually own a P4 2.4 laptop , it is surely to soon to change it ! . Mobile computing evolve to fast to upgrade for fun right now , unless you are a milionaire !
your 8200 have dedicated video memory , and thats already a big improvement compare to actual laptop market .
+ the ati 9600 GPU seem to have less success than expected , so you must wait . ( i think ...)
BUT , yes the i8600 probably blast the 8200 performance ,i have never experience any lag with all the DX8 games i have tried yet . the only exeption is with DX9 and it seem to be a "game desighn" more than lack of performance .
thats good advice but i just get frustrated that if i bring my laptop to my friends and a buncha other peeps like there 50 lb towers that i can't get as good performance as them......or even smooth performance......i mean I wanna friggin play battlefield without lag
so eh, the chances of me actually buying a Quadro4 or selling my laptop and gettin an i8600 are very slim. I figure, the next time will be when my brother decides he wants a laptop and I can give him mine and get me somethin to go to college with (w/e Alienware or Inspiron is out by then). Until then tho I finally stumbled accross some settings that worked. I moved a couple of slider bars in my video card menu to performance and whalaa........BF runs at 1024x768 at 60FPS (single player).
GAME RESULT : FARCRY demo , 500 megs to download ! this is a big hardware testing 3D games, running DX9 hardware graphic. http://www.farcry.ubi.com/system.php
first , i try the game with all the default setting from install, 1024X768 AA was off, most of detail was MED. game play was excellent, 35 fps
then i set resolution to 1680X1050 turn AA on , set water detail to very high, and all keep all other setting at MED, game start, but fps was between 4 and 6 OUCH! , not playable .(slide show )
the setting who decrease performance is resolution in my case , when back to 1024X768, game play became excellent, 20 to 30 fps, even with AA turned on ,and water detail at high.
the game type is also excellent ( like it more than HALO ), because i like real environement situation.
my P4 2.6 gig desktop with RADEON 7200 32M cant run the game, even with everything set at low, 800X600 , the game crash ! ubisoft ask a minimum of 64 meg memory video card !
Have to tell you that I like this thread.. wish that I'd read it before I'd bought my laptop. I'll make a review or something this weekend and add it here after a fresh install of xp and such if there is anything recent news / fps in games etc :)
If you are not going to use your laptop for computer games, I think an I8600 and I8200 are almost the same.
As for a CPU performance, I8200 with 2.6 GHz Mobile Pentium 4M CPU is equivalent to an I8600 with Pentium M CPU between 1.6 and 1.7 GHz. By default, the CPU is running in the Dynamic Switching mode. If you want a max performance, select a max performance in the BIOS.
As for lack of USB2 ports in the I8200, I think it is not important. It has a firewire port, which is much better than USB2. The most important thing is to be able to boot from the USB port. For this you should have an option in the BIOS. Unfortunately, the I8200 does not have such an option (I am not sure about I8600).
I mean to boot directly from the USB hard drive (not from the floppy drive or CD to get an USB drive in MS-DOS - now it is possible for almost any laptop).
CSmith06
2 Intern
•
956 Posts
0
October 30th, 2003 02:00
Firtol88
189 Posts
0
October 30th, 2003 02:00
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
October 30th, 2003 14:00
other result
while i was at my friend homes , i ad a chance to test wireless connection , the intel pro 2100 work really good ,had to enter network name and unlock access
the 11mbps is fast enought for web browsing and download , since 300k/sec is your max target ! but for files transfer from 2 machines in the network , a 54mbps will be a lot faster ( like jassperjazz toshiba that done the test with me )
AND first real web reality append to me , while i was scanning the i8600 with NORTON antivirus 2003 ,i try to open win explorer , seem to be to much work in the same time , or a virus good work , but system begin to get errore about corrupted files ! , i had to reboot and BANG the dammage was done ! didnt want to boot anymore , missing file hall.dll !!!!!!!!!! thats why i ait aintivirus , they seem to get more trouble instead to prevent it .
try to fixe it with win XP CD , ( repair mode ) cant replace the file , since not allowed to exit the XP cd and put other one with missing file , would need floppy or usb key
and restore option didnt work either .
i finally decide to try the norton ghost backup and restore the system as it was , put initial recovery CD , than the 3 other CD with partition images and bingo ! ,back to the future !
so a good usb mem key and cd burner are necessary options for disaster recovery.
other news , did you know that i8600 had built in microphone ! , i just found it , works good
Message Edited by ggtronic on 10-30-2003 08:24 PM
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
November 4th, 2003 15:00
thanks tantonine , i set my shortcut like this >\halo\halo.exe -use14 < and game play become excellent ! if DX 9 game play experience is like this (with low fps ) i will stay with lower specs for now ! i like extra fluid game play , and like you said , there is no significant improvement in texture from my eyes !
randy , tantonine had a good explantion about our game play difference , now its fluid at 1024X768 ( not very good , just fluid ) ,but that game gonna have a hard time to sells in the market !
we should read txt help file about that HALO game , it explain how to do lots of tweak , because this game need tweak ! exept if you have a 4000$ real up to date machine to playwith .
for new nvidia driver , i will wait for DELL official driver release. thanks anyway
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
November 20th, 2003 01:00
good news , the new video driver just came in , and my only doubght was DVD full screen playing.
so i trust them , and the first response just came in ,and i'm glad about it .
i have just instaled the new driver and GPU clock monitoring show about the same spec than before , CORE clock is between 324 and 119 and MEMORY between 590 and 250 depending on powermizer.i also use typical aquarium time to monitor fps ( type S while aquarium running) and fps are 140 at max powermizer performance an 30 fps at max battery save .
So , about DVD issue ,the lines almost disapear in max batt saving mode , and full power is perfect ( i use power DVD ) , thats make it usable at all power setting ,and very nice at max power ( AC in ).
dont tell my girl friend that i post her picture here ,LOL
i just came back from a plane ride ( south amigos ! ) and enjoy its extended battery performance on the plane and also on the beach , and was able to monitor my picture and edit+burn videos to send from inetrnet cafe.also playing intense games on plane with max power save , with good performance ( fps ).
http://www.intel.com/products/benchmarks/notebook/
this link get compare between pentium M an P4
Message Edited by ggtronic on 11-25-2003 06:47 PM
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
December 17th, 2003 01:00
long time since last info
just to mention that i'v tried the targus auto/air power supply , and verify its current drain :
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A0188489&c=ca&l=en&cs=CADHS1&category_id=5436&page=external 117$ ca
you can order the targus auto/air via other supplier , the tip # 103 is supposed to be complient to inspiron 8100 only , but it looks like dell confirm that its also good for i8600 since they send me this TIP.
while plugged to my car ( engine OFF ) the i8600 need 1.6 amp from 12volt source ( only 1amp without LCD power on ) with no activity,with powermizer at full power ( plugged mode ) , if you start a very demanding apps , like game , the max i had drain is 2.8 amp from 12 volt . You cant charge the battery of the i8600 with this power supply , only able to keep it working in "plugged mode "
this targus auto-air supply have failed , the first mouth of use , had to return it for exchange.....
you should consider a "ordinary" 12 to 120 converter instead , more reliable , and you will be able to recharge your laptop battery with it !
i stil NEVER had a "freeze" since i receive that machine ! ( october 10 2003 to mar04 ) , its stable like a rock .
the wireless intel pro adapter working good with my linksys WRT54G .
next test is the USB mem key , i want to make it bootable , but not the one from DELL ( lexar third party ),have buy LEXAR jumpdrive 128meg , and it work good with dell utility ( boot in win 98 mode )
my only disapointment is gaming with DX9 games , and DVD in battery mode , hope that DELL will release the new nvidia video driver soon. ( 53..... series )
Message Edited by ggtronic on 02-28-2004 07:57 AM
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
January 4th, 2004 16:00
ok , about USB mem key , i own a LEXAR jumpdrive 128meg , and the DELL mem key utility work fine with it( probably need a 128 meg key for partition recognition ) and i was able to boot the i8600 with it ( WIN98 start disk ),thanks to http://images.lunarpages.com/uxga/dos/bios/ for the best USB bootable image i ever try yet !
also had a chance to run the machine for extended period of time with targus auto/air supply , good result , 6 hours operations , no-inside battery drain(i8600 battery ), the i8600 handle the vibration and road bump very whell ! see the video here , but the next time i have try the PA358U , it was dead , have to replace it .
Message Edited by ggtronic on 03-03-2004 08:30 AM
hotshot8867
158 Posts
0
January 10th, 2004 22:00
is 8600 w/ P 1.7M and 128mb ATI Radeon 9600 > 8200 w/ P4M 2.4 and 64mb ATI Radeon 9000
is it noticeably better? worth the expense?
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
January 11th, 2004 00:00
if you actually own a P4 2.4 laptop , it is surely to soon to change it ! . Mobile computing evolve to fast to upgrade for fun right now , unless you are a milionaire !
your 8200 have dedicated video memory , and thats already a big improvement compare to actual laptop market .
+ the ati 9600 GPU seem to have less success than expected , so you must wait . ( i think ...)
BUT , yes the i8600 probably blast the 8200 performance ,i have never experience any lag with all the DX8 games i have tried yet . the only exeption is with DX9 and it seem to be a "game desighn" more than lack of performance .
Message Edited by ggtronic on 01-11-2004 09:15 AM
hotshot8867
158 Posts
0
January 11th, 2004 01:00
thats good advice but i just get frustrated that if i bring my laptop to my friends and a buncha other peeps like there 50 lb towers that i can't get as good performance as them......or even smooth performance......i mean I wanna friggin play battlefield without lag
RandyB
518 Posts
0
January 11th, 2004 10:00
Much, much better. At the very least, the 8200 is still using USB1.1
hotshot8867
158 Posts
0
January 11th, 2004 16:00
ggtronic
219 Posts
0
March 29th, 2004 22:00
GAME RESULT : FARCRY demo , 500 megs to download ! this is a big hardware testing 3D games, running DX9 hardware graphic. http://www.farcry.ubi.com/system.php
first , i try the game with all the default setting from install, 1024X768 AA was off, most of detail was MED. game play was excellent, 35 fps
then i set resolution to 1680X1050 turn AA on , set water detail to very high, and all keep all other setting at MED, game start, but fps was between 4 and 6 OUCH! , not playable .(slide show )
the setting who decrease performance is resolution in my case , when back to 1024X768, game play became excellent, 20 to 30 fps, even with AA turned on ,and water detail at high.
the game type is also excellent ( like it more than HALO ), because i like real environement situation.
my P4 2.6 gig desktop with RADEON 7200 32M cant run the game, even with everything set at low, 800X600 , the game crash ! ubisoft ask a minimum of 64 meg memory video card !
Message Edited by ggtronic on 03-29-2004 06:31 PM
chram
9 Posts
0
August 21st, 2004 06:00
hey gg :)
Have to tell you that I like this thread.. wish that I'd read it before I'd bought my laptop. I'll make a review or something this weekend and add it here after a fresh install of xp and such if there is anything recent news / fps in games etc :)
cheers.
How2do
75 Posts
0
August 22nd, 2004 18:00
If you are not going to use your laptop for computer games, I think an I8600 and I8200 are almost the same.
As for a CPU performance, I8200 with 2.6 GHz Mobile Pentium 4M CPU is equivalent to an I8600 with Pentium M CPU between 1.6 and 1.7 GHz. By default, the CPU is running in the Dynamic Switching mode. If you want a max performance, select a max performance in the BIOS.
As for lack of USB2 ports in the I8200, I think it is not important. It has a firewire port, which is much better than USB2. The most important thing is to be able to boot from the USB port. For this you should have an option in the BIOS. Unfortunately, the I8200 does not have such an option (I am not sure about I8600).
I mean to boot directly from the USB hard drive (not from the floppy drive or CD to get an USB drive in MS-DOS - now it is possible for almost any laptop).
Message Edited by How2do on 08-22-2004 03:13 PM
Message Edited by How2do on 08-22-2004 03:39 PM