Putting laptops to the test

Laptop computers, which have become a primary tool for students these days, come in so many sizes, shapes and forms — and trying to figure out which one is best for you can be challenging.

We borrowed six machines with a variety of specifications and features: the Apple MacBook ($1,099), Dell's Inspiron E1405 ($1,160), the Gateway NX260X ($1,220), Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion dv2000t ($1,225 before a $50 mail-in rebate), the Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t ($1,399) and Toshiba's Satellite M105-S3064 ($1,150).

For each, we looked at pricing, weight and power issues such as battery life, heat and noise. We checked out the design and performance of each machine, as well as the included software and number of expansion and connection ports. Finally, we sampled the tech support provided by the manufacturers.

Here's a rundown:

Price

The cheapest model in this bunch came from Apple, the $1,099 MacBook. That price, however, requires giving up the DVD-recording capability and extra memory offered by most laptops in this lineup.

Dell, Gateway, HP and Toshiba sell cheaper versions of the tested laptops for those willing to accept less processing power, storage or memory. For instance, an entry-level version of the HP Pavilion dv2000t (sold only online) goes for $800, while Dell's cheapest Inspiron E1405 costs $699.

Features to consider


Laptop makers often add other capabilities worth noting.

Built-in Webcam: As video chatting becomes more popular, some computer makers are building miniaturized Web cameras into the system. Apple's iSight — easy to miss when looking at the opened laptop — is built into the MacBook.

Ports: Overlooking the ports on the side or back of a machine is easy when you're focused on speed, price and weight. But when it's time to plug in a mouse, portable keychain drive, printer, digital camera or any other add-on, two ports on the side of the machine might not suffice. Count how many ports are built into the laptop you're eyeing.

Multimedia buttons: As the laptop becomes the home stereo or DVD player (likely in a dorm-room setting), you'll want to look for a machine that includes easy-to-reach rewind, fast-forward and volume buttons. The Dell Inspiron E1405 puts them just below the mouse pad while others put them near the fold of the machine.

Fingerprint reader: Makers of high-end laptops realize that some security-conscious users will find the need to use a biometric fingerprint reader to "unlock" the machine. The Toshiba Satellite M105-S3064 conveniently places its reader in an area that otherwise would be wasted space.

Recall information

Problems with overheating rechargable batteries have slammed laptop makers Dell and Apple Computer in the past couple of weeks. Here are Web sites to consult for more information.

Dell: https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/

Apple: https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/

Weight

Apple and Lenovo rule this category. The tested ThinkPad and MacBook each weighed only about 5.1 pounds, with power adapters adding about 10 and 9 ounces, respectively.

The Toshiba weighed a bit more than 5.3 pounds — plus nearly a pound for its power brick — while the Dell, HP and the Gateway laptops exceeded the 5.5-pound mark.

The heaviest setup of them all on the road? The Inspiron and its power adapter, just shy of 6.5 pounds together.

Power

Apple and Gateway offered the best battery life. In a worst-case test — DVD playback with the screen fully backlit and all power-saving options off — the MacBook lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes and the Gateway ran for 2:53. In a best-case test — digital-music playback with the screen dimmed to its lowest visible level and all power-saving options on — the MacBook hit 4:32; the Gateway, 4:20.

The Dell lasted 4:08 in the music test but just 2:10 in the DVD test. The Toshiba, Lenovo and HP machines did the worst; they lasted no longer than 2:50 in the best-case music test. (Dell, Gateway, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba offer higher-capacity, heavier batteries.)

These machines had issues with other unwanted consequences of today's fast processors: noise and heat. The MacBook's underside approached beach-sand-in-the-sun temperatures, and the Gateway and HP laptops weren't much cooler. Yet the MacBook was the quietest in normal operation.

Design

The MacBook and the ThinkPad lived up to the high expectations raised by earlier models. The MacBook — the thinnest laptop in this lineup — is one clean machine, with all its expansion ports lined up on the left side, a slot-loading CD/DVD drive on the right, and a screen that shuts without a latch and holds a built-in Webcam.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Z61t lacks the MacBook's seamless feel but offers clever touches of its own, such as the LED that illuminates the keyboard, a fingerprint-recognition scanner to secure the machine and a wide array of user-replaceable components — you can eject the DVD/CD drive in seconds.

HP obviously wanted to imitate Apple with its Pavilion, down to the built-in Webcam and latchless lid — but the effort was ruined by an infuriatingly jumpy touchpad.

Dell's one standout feature was an LED readout on the battery to indicate its remaining charge (copying Apple's practice) and Toshiba's was a fingerprint scanner. The Gateway was utterly generic, lacking even volume-control buttons.

Performance

Although every computer reviewed included a fast Intel Core Duo processor, other components slowed some of them. The MacBook and the ThinkPad included only 512 megabytes of memory — a particularly inadequate amount on the Mac, thanks to the extra memory needed to translate old Mac software for its Intel chip.

In casual tests of common operations, only the Toshiba and the Apple stood out. The Toshiba took about three times as long as any other laptop to copy data from a CD to the hard drive, while the MacBook woke from sleep in under two seconds — three or four times faster than any Windows computer.

Software

Apple provides the best software bundle. In addition to the capable Internet software of its secure, reliable operating system (Mac OS X), it ships its outstanding iLife multimedia suite, plus a handful of such third-party programs as Quicken 2006.

Only HP and Lenovo came somewhat close. HP bundled a modern Web browser (even if it was the ugly, awkward Netscape 8), its Photosmart digital photo editor, and both Quicken and Money 2006; Lenovo's ThinkVantage utilities can handle such important tasks as bringing over data from an old computer and backing up your files.

Everybody else varied between mediocre (Gateway and Dell) and pathetic (Toshiba). Not a single machine arrived with an e-mail program able to automatically filter spam.

Support

No vendor did well in this area. All but Lenovo limited hardware-specific guidance to PDF copies of printed manuals. Among the vendors of Windows machines, only HP and Toshiba placed their help files under the Start menu's "Help and Support" link; the others buried them deeper in the Start menu.

Toshiba provided the best phone support, answering two calls in seconds and correctly dealing with my questions. HP was nearly as quick to pick up the phone, but some of its reps had trouble understanding me. Gateway's hold times were brief, but one rep flubbed a query about battery settings.

Lenovo and Apple put me on hold for way too long (I abandoned one call to each after 20 and 15 minutes of hold music), but their reps knew their stuff — and looked up the right answers when they didn't.

Then there was Dell, worst of the bunch: long hold times, one overseas rep who needed a little work on his English comprehension, a laughably incorrect diagnosis on one call (after the rep wasted 35 minutes inspecting the laptop's settings using a remote-assistance program) and a dropped transfer on the second call.

Connections

The Dell and the Gateway offered the most ways to hook up other gadgets; each provided four USB ports, one FireWire port, a multiple-format memory-card reader, a PC Card expansion slot and Bluetooth wireless capability.

The others offered a subset of those capabilities; Bluetooth was missing on the Toshiba and the ThinkPad, and the ThinkPad and the HP omitted a fourth USB port.

The MacBook was in another, lower class, with just two USB ports, no memory-card reader and no PC or ExpressCard expandability. It was also the only machine to leave out a dial-up modem.