How does a PC portable stack up against Apple's high-end notebook?
Introduction
Apple's PowerBook Titanium is by no means the smallest or the lightest notebook on the market. However, it is one of the most stylish portables on the market. However, in Oct. 2002, Best Buy began selling the vpr Matrix, the first PC portable we've seen that effectively competes with Apple's unit in both style and power. In this article, we'll look at the features of each.
vpr Matrix 200A5 Summary
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PowerBook Titanium (800) Summary PPC G4 800MHz and 15" Display 512 MB SDRAM Mac OS 9.2/ OS X 30 GB Hard Drive DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive Total: $2499.00
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| vpr Matrix | PowerBook 800 | |
| Processor | 2000 MHz Mobile Pentium 4-M | 800 MHz G4 |
| Bus speed | 400 (quad pumped) | 133 |
| L2 (backside) cache | 512KB | 256K On-chip 1:1 ratio |
| RAM, expansion | 512MB (2 x 256); max. of 1024 MB RAM. | 512MB. 1 SO-DIMM slot available, for a max. of 1024 MB RAM |
| Screen size | 15.2" | 15.2" |
| Resolution | 1280 x 854, with resolution scaling | 1280 x 854, with resolution scaling |
| Video chipset | NVIDIA GeForce4 420 2Go w/32MB SDRAM | Radeon Mobility 7500, 32 MB SDRAM |
| Video out | VGA, S-video/TV-out | DVI/VGA, S-video |
| External video mode(s) | Mirroring, extended desktop | Mirroring, extended desktop |
| Hard Drive | 40GB, 4200 rpm | 40GB, 4200 rpm |
| ATA interface | UltraDMA/100 | UltraDMA/100 |
| Floppy Drive | - | - |
| Audio I/O | Headphone/audio out jack with volume control located in front. 1 S/PDIF port. Digital Audio out through parallel port using available Digital Interconnect Cable*; Audio Control 4 button and volume dial | USB in, built in microphone, stereo minijack out |
| Speaker(s) | vpr Matrix Sonopür stereo audio system; 24/192 upsampling technology | stereo |
| Keyboard | Full size, 82-key keyboard plus vpr Matrix button | Full size |
| Pointing Device | Touch Pad (two button) | Glide Pad (one button) |
| Optical drive options (Internal) | Slot-loading DVD/CD-RW Combo 8x max DVD-ROM; 8x8x24 CD-RW |
Slot-loading DVD/CD-RW Combo 8x max DVD-ROM; 8x8x24 CD-RW |
| PC Card slot(s) | 1 Type II | 1 Type II |
| USB | 2 x USB 2.0 | 2 x USB 1.1 |
| FireWire | 2 | 2 (six pin connector); bootable, powered |
| Ethernet | Internal 10/100baseT | Internal 10/100/1000 baseT, autosensing crossover |
| Modem | Internal 56k / v.92; data and fax support | Internal 56k / v.92 |
| Other ports | Parallel | - |
| IRDA | Yes | - |
| WiFi | 802.11b Built-in | 802.11b Antenna Built-in, card optional |
| Weight | 6.4 lbs. | 5.4 lbs. |
| Dimensions | 13.9" wide x 10" deep x 1.21" thick | 13.4" wide, 9.5" deep and 1.0" thick |
| Case construction | Magnesium, black polycarbonate plastic | Titanium |
| Battery | 12-cell Lithium Ion Battery runs 3+ hours | 42 watt/hours Lithium Ion (est. 5 hours) |
| Operating System, software | Windows XP Home, Microsoft Works® 6.0 CyberLink PowerDVD MPEG2 |
Mac OS 9.2/OS X 10.2, Apple iApps (iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, etc.) |
| Price | US$2399 | US$2499 |
* Optional
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