16. Influence Of PowerMizer On The Battery Life

We selected two scenarios for these measurements. To simulate the power requirements of standard office applications, we ran a presentation in an endless loop until the battery was empty. We simulated the workload of a typical 3D application (constantly changing GPU load and frame rates) by continuously repeating the 3D Mark2001 demo (1024 x 786 x 32).

As the scores for battery life at different PowerMizer settings show, the effectiveness of this battery-saving technology is highly dependent on the application being used. With applications that run at constant frame rates (and thus do not stress the GPU) such as office applications or presentations, this battery-saving technology offers little or no measurable benefit. It is a different matter with 3D applications, where frame rates vary a great deal and the GPU can ease the workload of the CPU.

Summary: A Speedy Machine At A Fair Price

The marriage of mobile Athlon XP 1800+ CPU, Nvidia's Geforce4 Go 420 GPU and VIA's KT266A chipset proved to be a very powerful combination in our test.

Contributing to the good overall results, besides the high performance of the graphics subsystem, is the VIA chipset's fast memory interface. Compared to a mobile PC using ATi's IGP320M chipset, this configuration is out in front, at least as far as performance is concerned.

While the PCG-NVR23 is a convincing performer, its luggability is less so. Weighing in at nearly 4 kg and offering a maximum battery life of 2.5 hours, this notebook is not particularly tempting for mobile use.

We have no complaints as far as the features are concerned. The multipurpose bay allows the notebook to be converted from a video-audio-gaming machine with a subwoofer to an attractive work tool with an excellent retractable number keypad.

Whether you are a student or a discriminating first-time buyer, before parting with your money, you would do well to take a closer look at the Vaio PCG NVR-23.