[This pre-prepared and auto-posted as I'm on holiday - Back soon. Chippy.]
The Gigabyte M704 has really surprised me. I wasn’t really expecting anything too exciting due to having tested the older version of the hardware last year but the vastly improved screen, the better mouse layout and the 1.2Ghz processor have made an impressive difference. So much so that I consider it to be up there with the great all-rounder, the Q1 Ultra. But cheaper! It should definitely be on your shortlist if you’re looking at the Q1 Ultra.
The video below goes through most of the differences with the device and the only thing I can really add is that both devices perform as well as each other. The Q1 Ultra has the edge on video playback and on battery life but the M704 is a much nice machine to input text into. Where might only write a very brief ‘i’ll get back to you later’ email on the Q1 Ultra you’ll find that you can make a detailed response in comfort on the M704.
Anyway, take a look at the video and let me know if you have any questions. The M704 has gone back to Mobilx now but I’ll still be able to answer questions when I get back from holiday on Monday.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Hi Chippy
Have you found out why M704 could handle 6Mbps WMVHD video? That’s the most surprising thing and I want to improve my 2133 as the M704 did.
Thanks a lot!
chippy Reply:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Try the Nero media solution.
It seems that that might have been the reason. Perhaps it has the drivers for the VIA acceleration in it?
Steve.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I was waiting for that video. Thanks.
Questions:
1) You forgot to compare the Displays. Resolution? Touchscreen? Which is better for handwriting recognition…etc
2) Gaming: How better is the graphics card on the Q1? The form factor is very psp-like so I’d like to knowhow it good it plays games, and how fast that card is.
Thanks!
chippy Reply:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I wouldn’t recommend either for gaming but in theory, the Q1 Ultra has a much better 3D capability.
Steve
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Off-topic!
Interesting scientific comparison of battery life of devices using SSD flash vs Hard Drives (the hard drives win). See:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-hdd-battery,1955.html
“Conclusion – The results of our testing are a shock for anyone who cares about battery runtime, as our results prove unmistakably that battery runtimes do not increase when using flash based SSDs. As a matter of fact, most flash SSD products actually contribute to emptying your battery even faster”!
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I wish this had the Via-Nano the purchase would be a no brainer but since it’s sporting a clearly out dated chipset it’s very hard to take the plunge.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
How about noise? I had a loaner OQO 02 for a while, but the fan sounded like an angry beehive, a deal-breaker in meetings or anywhere I wanted to have a low-profile experience. The Q1UP is supposedly a noise-free experience under “typical” usage. Is the M704 similarly quiet?
chippy Reply:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
M704 is as quiet, yes.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
You didn’t happen to take any photos of this next to an EeePC for size comparison, did you?
I doubt this will ever get to the U.S. except via importers for a high price. Shame. I’d like to have fondled it a bit.
chippy Reply:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Sorry Mike. No! (And sorry for the late response)
Steve.
October 11th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I am having a hard time being able to compare te M704 to the Q Ultra. I travel alot for work and have the ability to purchase my next traveller’s laptop from the U.S., U.K., Dubai, or Saudi Arabia. Between the Middle East – the States – UK I am finding vast differences in prices for the M704, while the Samsung is pretty much the same. The only spec differences in the M704 are the size of the L2 Cache which ranges from 64kB to 1MB, but price from $500 to almost $1000, and some place the docking station is included, while others its a seperate accesory to be purchased.
When testing the two devices side by side, did you notice the M704 being much slower then the Q1U, due to a Cache deficiency, or only in video playback as noted?