Desktop-replacement notebook PCs

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1999 by Rick Broida

Ditch your desktop-we test eight feature-packed portables priced comfortably under $3,000

YOU'VE ALREADY LIVED the dream of chucking your long commute and cramped cubicle. Why not enjoy similar satisfaction by eighty-sixing that big, slow desktop computer and replacing it with a powerful, go-anywhere notebook?

There are plenty of compelling reasons to consider a notebook as your next or only computer. Today's laptops offer virtually all the amenities of their boat-anchor cousins--big screens, roomy hard disks, built-in modems, and more. Though you may sacrifice some expandability, you gain the ability to bring your primary PC to the corporate office or to a client's conference room. And for tackling tough tasks, such as graphics and databases, these notebooks' battery-powered processors are only a step behind the state of the art in desktop computing performance.

These multipurpose marvels don't come cheap, though: You'll pay substantially more for a notebook than you would for a comparably equipped desktop. For this roundup, we sought notebooks that cost about $2,500--a price that seems steep in the face of today's $1,000-and-under desktops. Admittedly, there are some home office workers who'd be better served by spending that money on two PCs: a thrifty desktop and an entry-level notebook.

If yours is a cramped office, however, you'll love the extra room afforded by using a notebook computer. There's no big tower to bump into, and no bulky monitor hogging precious desk space. But remember that desktop replacements aren't the smallest laptops on the market. Many of the eight units we tested are too big for the confines of an airline tray table.

When shopping for a desktop replacement, look for many of the same features you'd want in a regular desktop: a brilliant display, a hefty hard drive, removable storage, and expandability.

A DVD-ROM drive is a nice perk, as it lets you watch movies when you're stuck in a hotel or airport. And you'll definitely want at least one USB port, which opens the door to many peripherals, ranging from scanners and CD-RW drives to digital cameras.

A final word of advice: If you're going to put all your eggs into one PC basket, it's vital that you make complete and consistent backups of your data. Notebooks have been known to walk off at airport gates and hotel lobbies, and gravity has been known to strike without warning. Either of these disasters could leave your business crippled, but a current backup can save the day. If your data backup needs are modest and you don't want to spring for external storage or tons of extra space on an online backup service, try one of the many free Web-based backup services now available. Driveway (www.driveway.com), FreeBack (freeback.com), DiskWise (www.diskwise.com), FileMonkey (www.filemonkey.com), and Visto (www.visto.com) only require that you register and choose a password. In exchange, you'll get anywhere from 15 to 20MB of storage.

Apple PowerBook G3

While Apple's colorful iBook grabs the headlines, it's the matte-black PowerBook G3 that deserves the spotlight. This mighty Mac combines a distinct sense of style with a robust selection of hardware, resulting in an ideal desktop replacement for Macintosh users.

The curvy PowerBook features a comfortable, translucent keyboard. Under the hood lies a suitable 333MHz G3 processor, and a modest 4GB hard drive.

Minimal as the hard disk is, a real sense of power comes from the Power-Book's other integrated goodies: A 10/100BaseT Ethernet adapter and 56Kbps modem make it easy to connect the PowerBook to existing Apple-friendly networks and get on the Web; two USB ports provide quick connectivity to a variety of hardware options; and an S-Video out port and 8MB ATI Rage graphics accelerator will give video and graphic designers endless options.

The only things missing are standard floppy and DVD-ROM drives. In fact, the PowerBook is the only portable we tested that didn't include an internal floppy drive.

You do get a speedy 24x CD-ROM drive that can slide out to make way for an optional Zip, SuperDisk LS-120, or DVD drive, or even a second battery.

Partly because of the absent floppy, the laptop weighs 6.7 pounds; this is light for such a powerhouse and makes the PowerBook the lightest unit we tested.

Not so light is the $2,499 price, although it isn't far out of line with the cost of other desktop-replacement systems. With a larger hard disk, standard removable storage, and some bundled productivity software, the PowerBook G3 would be an even more attractive buy.

Compaq Presario 1600S

Sometimes the difference between a good notebook and a great notebook boils down to a few minor features. Case in point: Compaq's rock-solid Presario 1600S is made even better by the inclusion of powerful speakers, worthwhile software, and some truly convenient extras.

The speakers impressed us with their clarity and power; they're loud enough to project presentation audio across a conference room. The preinstalled software suite includes Microsoft Works and Encarta 99, Intuit's Quicken Basic 99, and Rand McNally TripMaker Basics--a decent mix of productivity titles.