6. Application Benchmarks: MP3 Encoding And Archiving

Based on two typical tasks that modern users frequently perform, it is plain that the substantially reduced CPU performance in battery mode conceals a considerable speed deficiency in practice. What's particularly annoying for the user is that the speed cannot be raised when running on battery. Even more annoying is the fact that Dell documents this energy-saving feature neither on its German-language homepage nor anywhere in the handbook. The English homepage, in the meantime, features a footnote: "Power management features limit processor speed when running on battery." This is pretty well hidden, however.

MP3 Audio Encoding: Lame MP3 Encoder 3.92

Lame MP3 Encoder was used under Windows XP to convert a 178 MB sound file from a WAV format to a "MPEG-1 Layer 3" format.

Here, too, the SmartStep failed to perform well in battery mode.

Archiving: WinACE 2.2

Archiving is a very practical application. WinACE 2.11 was used under Windows XP to archive a 178 MB WAV file while the clock was running.