Serval Questions

[andddlay]

I guess posting these questions instead of PMing someone is my best bet.
First off, mods, if this is the wrong spot to post these questions, please move it or delete it.

I saw a video showing some fan openings on the bottom (is this true?) - Does this make the lap of the user too hot?

Would a 35 watt processor cause the system to overheat?

Does the Serval have a metal frame, or is it just painted metal?

Is the battery life of the beauty 3 hours because it has an 8-cell battery? This somewhat concerns me, for I have a 6-cell laptop currently and it did 3-4 hours when I got it (if I remember correctly).

A question regarding Serval vs. Pangolin (or just computers in general): is DDR3 that much better than DDR2?

Thank you!

[thomasaaron]

I saw a video showing some fan openings on the bottom (is this true?) - Does this make the lap of the user too hot?

TA: No. That is an air intake, not an exhaust port.

Would a 35 watt processor cause the system to overheat?

TA: No.

Does the Serval have a metal frame, or is it just painted metal?

Hard plastic and inlaid brushed steel panels.

Is the battery life of the beauty 3 hours because it has an 8-cell battery? This somewhat concerns me, for I have a 6-cell laptop currently and it did 3-4 hours when I got it (if I remember correctly).

It lasts about an hour. We provide a tutorial that can extend that somewhat, but the graphics card in it uses a lot of energy.

A question regarding Serval vs. Pangolin (or just computers in general): is DDR3 that much better than DDR2?

TA: The biggest differences show up during intense usage. So, yes. But somebody who is just going to use it for browsing the web, checking email, and creating word processing documents wouldn't notice as much as someone doing 3-D gaming, video editing, etc...

[andddlay]

Great. Thank you! I don't game on my laptop, nor edit videos, so would you suggest the Pangolin? Would the Pangolin get more battery life even though it only has the 6-cell if all I do is browse the web, listen to music, word process and check my email?

[thomasaaron]

Under Intrepid, the Pangolin got 1-1.5 hours on a charge. We've recently gotten some reports that it is doing better under Jaunty. I plan on testing this tomorrow.

[Viranh]

I know the serval performance and serval pro aren't the same computer, but their size/weight seems pretty similar. I will warn you that the Serval is a true desktop replacement. It gets poor battery life, and is bulky and heavy. I love it, but I have a netbook for when I'm on the go. If you need a mobile engineering workstation, it provides great performance at the best price on the market, but it is overpowered and ill suited to e-mail checking and web surfing on the go. That's just my 2 cents. System76 is great though!

[andddlay]

I guess I'm really looking towards a mobile computer, not so much a desktop replacement to play games and stuff. The Pangolin and Gazelle are looking pretty good to me right now. Thomas, once you find out about the new battery life test on the Pangolin with Jaunty installed, could you please report the time in this thread?

I will definitely read reviews on both. I am pretty used to a 15" screen like the one I am using right now.