Can SLI in a Notebook Beat Desktop Graphics?

System Impressions And Quick Facts

The following table shows the features of the iBuyPower Battalion SC-650 SLI. For a comparison, we included two Core Duo based computers that we've reviewed: the Dell XPS M1710 and the Fujitsu Lifebook N6410. Though these are different systems, they will help illuminate the features of the iBuyPower Battalion SC-650 SLI.

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ManufactureriBuyPowerDellFujitsu
ModelBattalion-101 SC650 SLIXPS M1710Lifebook N6410
URLwww.ibuypower.comwww.dell.comwww.fujitsu.com/us
Dimensions & Weight
Width x Height x Depth19 x 1.2 x 13.72"47.6 x 2.95 x 34.3 cm15.5 x 1.7 x 11.3"39.4 x 4.24 x 28.7cm16.1 x 2.02 x 11.8"40.9 x 5.13 x 30cm
Unit & Battery14.8lb / 6713g8.13lb / 4000g10.31lb / 4670g
Battery2lb / 680g1.025lb / 464g.69lb / 312g
Charger & Power Cord2.9lb / 1315g1.77lb / 800g1.86lb / 844g
Total (Computer, Charger & Power Cord)17.7lb / 8029g9.9lb / 4464g12.17lb / 5514g
AC Adapter & Battery
Battery I CapacityLi-Ion 12 cells(14.8V, 6600 mAh, 97.7 Wh)Li-Ion 9 cells(11.1 V, 7200 mAh, 80 Wh)Li-Ion 6 cells(10.8 V, 4000 mAh, 43.2 Wh)
Optional Battery CapacityNANANA
AC adapter220 W130 W150 W
Pointing Device(s)TouchpadTouchpadTouchpad
Display and Graphics Controller
Display Size19" (48.26 cm) wide screen17" (43.18 cm) wide screen (Truelife)17" (43.18 cm) wide screen
Display Resolution1680x10501920 x 12001400 x 900 internal1600 x 1200 external
Graphics controller2x Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX, 512 MB (SLI)Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX, 512 MBATI Mobility Radeon X1400, 256 MB
System
BIOSPhoenixDell [Phoenix] A00Phoenix v1.04
CPUAMD Mobile Turion ML-44 E4(2.4 GHz, 1 MB L-2 Cache, HT 1 GHz)Intel Core Duo T2600(2.16 Ghz, 2 MB L-2 Cache, FSB 667 MHz)Intel Core Duo T2300(1.66 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, FSB 667 MHz)
Memory2 x 1 GB 667 MHz DDR22 x 1 GB 667 MHz DDR22 x 512 MB 667 MHz DDR2
Hard Drive
Manufacturer & ModelSeagate Momentus ST9120821AHitachi Travelstar 7K100Hitachi HTS721010G9SA00
Size120 GB100 GB100 GB
Performance(SATA / 5400 rpm / 8 MB / 12.5 ms)(SATA / 7200 rpm / 8 MB / 10 ms)(SATA / 7200 rpm / 8 MB / 10 ms)
Other Drives
Manufacturer & ModelPioneer DVR-K16NEC ND-6650AMATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ-841S
Speed DVD/+-R/+-RW/RAM/+DLna / +-R 8x +rw 8x / -rw 6x / RAM 5x / +DL 4xna/+rw 8x/8x/-rw 8x/6x/na/na8x, 4x, 2.4x, 5x
Speed CD/R/RW24x/24x24x/20x24x/10x
Floppy Drivenonenonenone
Hard drive baynonenone2nd Hitachi HTS721010G9SA00
ConnectorsB=Back side, F=Front, L=Left side, R=Right Side
Camera1x (above display) 1.3M Digital Video Cameranonenone
PS2 Mouse/Keyboardnone / nonenone / nonenone / none
USB 2.02x (B) / 3x (R)4x (B) / 2x (L)1x (R) / 4 (B)
IEEE1394/Firewire1x (R)1x (R)1x (R)
Serial COM Port1x (B)nonenone
Parallel LPT Portnonenonenone
Microphonenonenonenone
IR port1 F, 1 RnoneFor remote control - plugs into USB port
Bluetoothyesyesnone
VGA / DVI out1x DVI (B)1x (B) / 1x (B)1x (B) / none
Video In / Outnone / 1x S-Video (B)none / 1x S-Video (B)S-Video & Composite (L) / (B) S-Video
AC Poweryes (B)yes (B)Yes (L)
PC-Card / PCIe-Card Slotsnone / 1x (R)none / 1x (R)1 / 1 (R)
LAN1x (R) Gigabit Ethernet1x (B) Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet1x (B) Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
WLANGigabyte GN-W101 GS 802.11a/b/gIntel PRO/Wireless 3945ABGIntel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Wireless WANnonenonenone
Audio Connectors1 x Microphone In (R) Headphone (R)1 x Microphone In (R) Headphone (R)Mic (R) Headphone (R) Line In (none) / RCA Stereo In (L)
Audio ChipRealtek AC'97SigmaTel STAC9200Realtek ALC262 HD Audio Controller
Modem/Model1x (B) Integrated V.90/56K Modem (V.92 compliant)1x (B) Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.921x (B) / Agere Systems AC'97
Card-Reader:1 x (R) MS, MS PRO, SD, MMC1 x (R) SD, MMC, MS, MSPro, XD1x (R ) Memory Stick/SD/xD Card Slot
Fingerprint Security Sensornonenonenone
Manufacturer's Docking SocketNoyes (B)yes (USB 2.0)
Software
OSWindows XP Pro (Home Edition Available)Windows XP Media Center Edition (XP Pro Also Available)Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; Windows XP Home or Professional
Application SoftwareN/ADell Media Experience (if XP MCE not ordered with computer), Paint Shop Pro (trial) and Photo Album, Sonic MyDVD, McAfee Security Center (90-day trial)Depending on OS: Adobe Reader, Norton Internet Security 2006 (90 day license), CyberLink PowerDVD, CyberLink PowerProducer, CyberLink PowerDirector, MakeDVD, Quicken New User Edition 2006, Roxio Digital Media SE, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2003 (60 Day Trial Edition

The first thing that stands out on the chart is the Battalion's size and weight. It is the size of a small briefcase and weighs almost 15 lbs. This is certainly not a highly portable computer, as it is over a foot and a half long. The power adapter alone weighs almost three lbs. The total weight of 18 lbs is equivalent to carrying around a small child. This is where the title "desktop replacement" fits as well; while mobile, I would not want to move it very far.

The RAM and the wireless card.

However, when looking at the functionality of the system, it has everything one could need. A large display is always a very nice feature, and with a 19" diagonal it is a centerpiece of this notebook. While you won't open it up anytime soon on an airplane - except in first class - it is great to have such a large and wide viewing capacity. Sitting on a desk it looks impressive and the full size keyboard makes working on it feel like a regular system.