The dual-core Intel ultralow voltage processor makes a huge difference compared with the Atom/Neo/Nano CPUs we've spend most of our time with lately, and the Adamo handles multitasking chores much more like a mainstream system. The tiny, low-power ULV chips that allow the Adamo to hit that 0.65-inch thickness are expensive, however, which is why you don't find them in Netbooks, and why a basic sub-$1,000 Core 2 Duo 13-inch laptop such as the HP Pavilion dv3510nr, can outperform the Adamo.
While it's not intended to be a speed demon, in anecdotal usage the Adamo worked well, with no slowdown or stuttering during regular usage: Web surfing, working on office documents, and media playback.
One area we'd expect a high-end system like the Adamo to excel at is battery life. It ran for 2 hours and 36 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included battery. Our battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use, but we had hoped for a more robust battery, especially with the efficient CPU, LED display and SSD hard drive.
Dell wisely includes an enhanced one-year warranty with the system. Called Adamo Premium Service, it includes a special 800 number to call, an average wait time of about 2 minutes, and you can request the same technician every time you call. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $349. Dell also has a robust set of online support features, including an online knowledge base and driver downloads.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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System configurations:
Dell Adamo
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U9300; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 779MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 128GB Samsung SSD
HP Pavilion dv2
Windows Vista Home Edition SP1 (64-bit); 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo Processor MV-40; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3140; 320GB Western Digital 5400rpm
Dell Studio XPS 13-163B
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600; 4,096MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M G; 320GB Seagate 7,200rpm
HP Pavilion dv3510nr
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350; 4,096MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS; 320GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, Nvidia GeForce 9400M)
OS X 10.5.5 Leopard; Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz; 2048MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M; 250GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
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