System performance

Various portable computer models are tested to measure their performance compared to each other and to desktop computers: performance declines as weight and size decrease. The performance test results will likely be found more useful when comparing different portable models. The Toshiba T1000SE and Compaq LTE, two low-end laptops that run at the same processor speed, differ in performance as a result of standard memory supplied (1Mbyte in the T1000SE and 640Kbytes in the LTE) and the fact that Toshiba supplies DOS in ROM, which allows the T1000SE to run much faster than the LTE; similar results are found when comparing other Toshiba and Compaq models. All the portable computers tested did better when memory was increased, but the performance increase was more pronounced for the T1000SE and the Poqet PC. Users are cautioned that these tests measure performance only; other factors must also be considered when selecting a unit.