Dell Adamo 13: CULV Goes Upscale
by Vivek Gowri on July 6, 2010 1:51 AM EST
Dell Adamo 13: Performance
At this point in its life cycle, CULV is a pretty well known quantity - there's nothing really that changes from computer to computer with the same general configuration. The Adamo has the 1.40GHz SU9400 processor, to go along with the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics chip, 4GB of soldered 800MHz DDR3 memory, and the Adamo's only real hardware uniqueness, the SSD.
Our Adamo review unit has an Intel X-18M G1 80GB solid state drive, while the stock Adamo has a 128GB SSD with a Samsung controller. The Adamo benchmarks pretty similarly to the other CULV units in our test suite, running a bit quicker in the CPU benchmarks, probably due to the SU9400 having a slightly higher clock speed than the SU7300. In the Futuremark benchmark suite, the Adamo was on par with the rest of the CULV ultraportable class. And, as always, GMA 4500MHD is basically useless for anything resembling modern gaming. It's good enough for older games though, and it can handle up to 720p HD video playback (including Flash with the latest drivers).
But the part that doesn't show up in any of our full system benchmarks is the speed of booting, launching applications, and overall perkiness of the system. It's certainly not a powerhouse, but it's quick. The SSD is lightning quick in anything that requires disk access, so overall in the OS, it feels a lot faster than more powerful systems. Not to say that regular CULV systems are slow, but side by side with the Adamo, you can definitely feel the difference. Everything happens just a bit quicker, a bit smoother. It's awesome.
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sidaja - Monday, August 23, 2010 - link
Did you ever find a good computer to buy? I'm in the same boat - looking for a Windows alternative to the MBP.JohnMD1022 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
And I must admit that, generally, their notebooks are a cut above most of the desktops I see.But the Dell desktops we see in our shop are pretty much junk.
It tends to color one's opinion.
stimudent - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
We call them Packard Dell's in our labs.Freddo - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Still cost $2000 here in Sweden. But it sure is a beautiful laptop, I would have considered it if it had HDMI and if it was possible to get an old non-SDD hard drive to lower the price.beginner99 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
999$ for an C2D CULV with useless GMA and a non-trim ssd? Well, people that go for looks tend not to know much about the interor so it's probably good opportunity for dell to get 2 year old hardware sold for a high price.JarredWalton - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
FWIW, Vivek actually liked the design enough that he bought the laptop for his own use. Obviously, opinions on aesthetics are just that, but it does look nice and runs well enough. I believe he bought it off eBay with the X25 SSD for $700 or so; getting a different SSD is possible but I'm not sure if anyone does the requisite 1.8" form factor with a higher performance + TRIM model.rtothedizzy - Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - link
I think OCZ has released their new lineup in 1.8" form recently.Jvboom - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Pricey and underpowered. It's a shame too, the thing looks amazing. If it performed half as well as it's design looks I would definitely get one as my next laptop.mrjminer - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Yea, I wish they'd toss some sort of discrete graphics in there.erple2 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Then it would also be significantly thicker than 0.65"...Discrete GPU requires beefier cooling which requires more space. More space than 0.65" can give.