21. MobileMark 2005: Discussion Of Results

We have to begin this section with an explanation of the zero values that show for the Sony VAIO VGN-AX580G in some of these tests. The test methodology grants any machine that can't complete a test a score of zero. Because the Sony's battery didn't have enough battery capacity to complete one iteration of the Office Productivity performance test, it scored zero on the two Office Productivity performance tests. We contacted Sony and asked them to send us a replacement battery, thinking that the one we had in hand might have been defective, but the company elected not to respond to that request.

Where the other units are concerned, the HP is the clear leader. Given its powerful 63.4 Wh battery and equally powerful T2600 Mobile Centrino Duo processor, this comes as no surprise. The Acer's slightly more powerful battery (63.6 Wh) with the Pentium M 760 landed it in second place on a surprising number of tests, including the Office Productivity average response time, and the Research and Reading, DVD Playback and wireless browsing benchmarks. In our estimation, this means the Acer provides outstanding performance, considering that it uses an older, less powerful processor. Though the margin between the HP and the Acer is sometimes slender, in some cases it's dramatic: 29 minutes (15 percent) on the Office Productivity benchmark, 20 minutes (10.4 percent) on the Research and Reading benchmark, and 22 minutes (13.2 percent) on the Wireless Browsing benchmark.

Relatively speaking, the Sony and the Fujitsu lag near the back of the back, while the Toshiba Qosmio brings up the middle. But this probably matters less for an MCE notebook than for other notebooks. Here's why: ranging from nearly 10 pounds to as high as 12.38 pounds including their power supplies, these notebooks are all classified as desktop replacements and not really intended for use on an airplane or other places where AC power isn't available. That said, please note that only the HP and the Acer provide more than two hours of battery life in the DVD Playback benchmark, which is an average playing time for most motion pictures nowadays (the Toshiba Qosmio comes close at 1:57). Those who want to use such a unit for untethered viewing in bed or elsewhere around the house might want to keep these numbers in mind.