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Difference between revisions of "IBM Thinkpad 380Z"
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== Best retro purpose == | == Best retro purpose == | ||
Early Windows 98 era gaming released before 1998 or as office computer. Unfortunately, despite the somewhat adequate CPU speed, the video chipset lacks any 3D capability, with great DOS games support and mediocre Windows support (DirectDraw only). However, screen scaling is very good for a laptop of its time, including a great character resizing that makes text very nice on a full screen display. Games run fast on 640x480 resolution. The good RAM expansion capability and good VRAM size create quite a powerful mix for great retro gaming with excellent compatibility. | Early Windows 98 era gaming released before 1998 or as office computer. Unfortunately, despite the somewhat adequate CPU speed, the video chipset lacks any 3D capability, with great DOS games support and mediocre Windows support (DirectDraw only). However, screen scaling is very good for a laptop of its time, including a great character resizing that makes text very nice on a full screen display. Games run fast on 640x480 resolution. The good RAM expansion capability and good VRAM size create quite a powerful mix for great retro gaming with excellent compatibility. | ||
== Benchmarks == | == Benchmarks == | ||
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The mediocre plastic quality of most of the chassis means that cracks of internal plastic screw stands as well as entire cracks of the display's casing and bottom parts are extremely common, making disassembly and assembly operations quite difficult, with screws that are difficult to remove or tighten. Access to the hard-drive is easier than on 380, 380D, 380ED, 385D, 385ED, requiring only a single screw removable to access the drive tray. | The mediocre plastic quality of most of the chassis means that cracks of internal plastic screw stands as well as entire cracks of the display's casing and bottom parts are extremely common, making disassembly and assembly operations quite difficult, with screws that are difficult to remove or tighten. Access to the hard-drive is easier than on 380, 380D, 380ED, 385D, 385ED, requiring only a single screw removable to access the drive tray. | ||
Although the screen size is quite large for a laptop of the 380 series, in fact, the largest, the bulky case is still a major | Although the screen size is quite large for a laptop of the 380 series, in fact, the largest, the bulky case is still a major disadvantage. The case's fragility is, however, a real issue with drops likely to be fatal to integrity despite the laptop's look and finish of plastic components that suggest durability. Note that even the keyboard's key caps are quite fragile. | ||
== Greatest features & flaws == | |||
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 | |||
|- style="background:#efefef;" | |||
! Features !! Flaws | |||
|- | |||
| Good Windows 98/95 3.1 2D Gaming platform || Annoying, high speed CPU cooling fan | |||
|- | |||
| Good MS-DOS SoundBlaster compatibility, good speaker output || Limited RAM speed and expansion capability | |||
|- | |||
| Durable, comfortable keyboard and trackpoint || Fragile laptop case and keyboard keycaps, prone to cracks | |||
|- | |||
| Great Floppy, CD-Rom, Harddrive access || Bulky, tall, heavy laptop | |||
|} | |||
== Review == | == Review == | ||
A midrange, very bulky, business laptop, released in 1998. It had the best combination of parts of a 380 model but still and a large and heavy chassis. Although you may expect that the 385 model is better, it is entirely wrong due to the doubtful choice of differentiation in the 380/385 lineup. The Pentium II CPU model offers great performance improvements compared with previous 380/380 models with moderate improvements in features. The graphics chipset is quite fast, actually the best among Pentium II laptops, with good Windows acceleration and compatibility. | A midrange, very bulky, business laptop, released in 1998. It had the best combination of parts of a 380 model but still and a large and heavy chassis. Although you may expect that the 385 model is better, it is entirely wrong due to the doubtful choice of differentiation in the 380/385 lineup. The Pentium II CPU model offers great performance improvements compared with previous 380/380 models with moderate improvements in features. The graphics chipset is quite fast, actually the best among Pentium II laptops, with good Windows acceleration and compatibility. | ||
The major issue with the laptop is the obsolete platform. Having a platform that supports only EDO | The major issue with the laptop is the obsolete platform. Having a platform that supports only EDO RAM, that can use a costly a difficult to find RAM that reaches only 96MB in total with the internal memory included, means that limitations are quite clear. Moreover, old EDO RAM means also a reduction in performance compared with DIMM SRAMS. The inclusion of an USB 1 port is welcome but it does not improve too much the typical situation of a laptop that could be mid-range but is closer to low-end due to manufacturer's odd design choices. The Neomagic graphics is the top performer on 2D graphics both for compatibility as far back as Windows 3.1 and DOS as well as competitive with Chips&Technology or S3 Trio 64 videocards. | ||
The keyboard is not so comfortable due to the case's height that make touch typing quite annoying. The steep angles on the palmrest also feel exhausting after a while. The trackpoint is very good, being quite smooth, predictable as well as with quick response at the classic, renowned IBM quality. | The keyboard is not so comfortable due to the case's height that make touch typing quite annoying. The steep angles on the palmrest also feel exhausting after a while. The trackpoint is very good, being quite smooth, predictable as well as with quick response at the classic, renowned IBM quality. | ||