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.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
67 Comments
View All Comments
estee - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Sure, it's also made by Dell, but it's almost identical to the Adamo (same .65" profile, display, battery, slightly slower CPU, w/o the ID though) and costs $330 less!Scott66 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
I am sure dell will get a few customers complaining about broken USB ports due to having all of the ports on the back.When a person reaches around to plug in a jump drive, one tends to lift the laptop. Unfortunately anything plugged on the back will get pressed down against the desk and either bend itself or, over time, crack the connector on the Motherboard.
Main reason all Mac laptops now do not have any ports on the back, instead using the back for moving warm air out.
afkrotch - Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - link
Think it's all about how users deal with ports on the back. Me for example, I twist my laptop around to access ports on the back. With ports on the side, I tend to lift the laptop sideways to get to them. I personally prefer ports on the back of my laptop, as it's out of the way.rtothedizzy - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
This is pretty much the laptop I want. Love the look. Love the feel. I won't be buying one anytime soon though because it's basically a year or two old technology. It needs to be updated.Give me:
i5/i7 ULV processor with their improved integrated graphics.
at least 4GB of ram
a newer SSD with trim or an option to get a normal HDD so I can replace it with a SSD myself
As soon as it has those specs I'm getting one. That is assuming they stay near the current price and don't go back to the crazy original price. They updated the 11 inch alienware finally, hope that means the adamo is due for an update soon as well. Anyone heard anything on this front??
solipsism - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
When the machine is geared to compete more directly with Macs than most other non-Mac PCs I’d like to see the charts include Macs. You certainly compare them to Macs in text, but never at a glance in the performance and battery charts.tipoo - Saturday, July 17, 2010 - link
Agreed!brianh902 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Looks nice... I am waiting for MacBook Pro 13 to go Core i... That will be the one.mindbomb - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
if it has a 4500mhd, then it can fully hardware accelerate 1080p h264, vc-1, or mpeg 2.And it has the added benefit of being able to output hd audio via hdmi.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - link
Not Flash... 10.1 still dies at 1080p on 4500MHD. Sorry if that wasn't clear, though I don't know if a high bitrate (say >20Mbps) H.264 could decode on 4500MHD, lower bitrate certainly works.techandtech - Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - link
Best alternative is the iPad and wireless keyboard when necessary.And if not that, then the next version of the iPad...