8. Performance

The UX180P's 1024 x 600 display makes it difficult to test the computer using benchmarks that rely on display resolution being at least 1024 x 768. This includes the graphical portions of FutureMark's PCMark05 and all of the company's 3DMark05 or 06. BAPCo's MobileMark 2005, which focuses on battery life, can also fail in certain places if the display isn't set at least at 1024 x 768.

To test battery life, I simply used the UX180P until the battery ran out. I did this test three times. I didn't do the same things on the computer each time, but I did work for an hour then put the micro PC into standby mode for 30 minutes (which still requires battery power) and then I used the device until it ran out of power (battery alarms and options to enter standby or hibernation mode were turned off). With these tests I got between 2.5 and 2.80 hours of battery life. That's about what Sony says you should get. So, I feel confident in my tests.

If you're looking for more battery power, you can buy an extended life battery for the UX180P. It is double the capacity of the standard battery, double the weight at .48 pounds and a little larger. Sony claims this battery will run for 5 to 9.5 hours depending on use. The extended life battery isn't cheap at $350.

I decided to use PCMark05 to test the computer's CPU, memory and hard disk drive performance. Though the UX180P's Intel 945GM Express graphics controller can do low end graphics, the display's 600 pixel high resolution precluded using any of MobilityGuru's standard graphics tests. So, I have no graphics performance data for you. However, given earlier tests of similarly outfitted computers, I'd expect the UX180P to receive a 3DMark05 graphics score somewhere around 500.

The following PCMark05 v1.1 test results include the Sony T350P laptop. The T350P is a close equivalent to the UX180P, except that the T350P uses last generation Intel Centrino technology while the UX180P is based on Intel Centrino Core Solo technology. You can read my review of the T350P.

As you can see from the charts below, the two computers' CPUs performed very similarly. On the memory side, the UX180P enjoys a 200+ point advantage due to its 533 MHz memory. The older laptop's 60 GB Toshiba hard disk drive performs better than the same drive in 30 GB format in the UX180P. Currently I have no explanation for disk performance differences. Interestingly, the UX180P boots a bit faster than my Sony T350P and it seems to run most applications a bit faster. Maybe I haven't loaded it with enough software to bring it to its knees.