ALDI Laptops

dahamsta · 02-03-2004 03:11PM

Originally posted by machalla
I don't think its a personal thing.

Nope. As RS says, it makes posts hard (and annoying) to read. And LOL is a convention btw, not an error.

Any tips on when Lidl or Aldi will do another desktop machine?

adam

RicardoSmith · 02-03-2004 04:47PM

Originally posted by dontasciime
The fx go 5600 has 128 meg of ram, it does not share system ram.
It has it's own memory.

Like I said it depends on which version you have.

So you only want to change the aperture, though it makes no difference performance wise, just because you want to.

dontasciime · 02-03-2004 05:18PM

Well the version i have, has its own ram. I don't know about yours as i can only speak for the one that i have. Besides which, search using copernic. Then have a look at the results from search. There are many varying opinions as to what to exactly do with the aperture size.
Have a look at this for instance http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/aperture-size/

I have some performance tests between the computer i am using now and the laptop i bought from Aldi.
These are from performance test 4.

www.dontasciime.f2s.com/a7v8x_laptop.rar

ozmo · 02-03-2004 06:57PM

Originally posted by dontasciime

Have a look at this for instance http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/aperture-size/

Ahh - Tweak3D site are just plain Wrong!!
Definitely. It just doesnt make sense. Why would you buy a Video card with 128 Meg dedicated memory - only for it to use system memory??

I think they are confusing cheaper Shared Memory Cards like Intel Extreme etc or maybe even Video ROM Caching.

Someone should email them.

---
Here is a more accurate definition -

AGP Aperture Size

Common Options : 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256

Quick Review

This BIOS feature does two things. It selects the size of the AGP aperture and it determines the size of the GART (Graphics Address Relocation Table).

The aperture is a portion of the PCI memory address range that is dedicated for use as AGP memory address space while the GART is a translation table that translates AGP memory addresses into actual memory addresses which are often fragmented. The GART allows the graphics card to see the memory region available to it as a contiguous piece of memory range.

Host cycles that hit the aperture range are forwarded to the AGP bus without need for translation. The aperture size also determines the maximum amount of system memory that can be allocated to the AGP graphics card for texture storage.

Please note that the AGP aperture is merely address space, not actual physical memory in use. Although it is very common to hear people recommending that the AGP aperture size should be half the size of system memory, that is wrong!

The requirement for AGP memory space shrinks as the graphics card's local memory increases in size. This is because the graphics card will have more local memory to dedicate to texture storage. So, if you upgrade to a graphics card with more memory, you shouldn't be "deceived" into thinking that you will need even more AGP memory! On the contrary, a smaller AGP memory space will be required.

It is recommended that you keep the AGP aperture around 64MB to 128MB in size, even if your graphics card has a lot of onboard memory. This allows flexibility in the event that you actually need extra memory for texture storage. It will also keep the GART (Graphics Address Relocation Table) within a reasonable size.

dontasciime · 02-03-2004 08:23PM

Then my point is made, As Gericom have set the agp aperture size to 256mb half the memory installed in laptop 512mb. So i want to change it to a lower value equal to my gfx card. And you really should have given credit to Adrian Rojaks for his explanation of the aperture size setting.

RicardoSmith · 03-03-2004 12:41AM

Actually on checking mine has 64mb of dedicated ram and 512mb for the main system.

ozmo · 03-03-2004 02:33AM

Originally posted by dontasciime
And you really should have given credit to Adrian Rojaks.

There wasnt credit where I found that clip - but thanks for finding the source.

When I get a chance I'll benchtest my pc with a few different aparatures and report if it actually makes any difference. Probably wont.

phil_trick · 04-03-2004 01:18PM

Does this look familiar to the spec of the Aldi laptop (excluding the graphics card and the size of the Hard Disk):
http://www.beyond3d.com/reviews/ati/mr9700/index.php?p=3

Phil

dontasciime · 04-03-2004 01:43PM

Yep pretty much the same other than what you pointed out.

bosun · 05-03-2004 10:06PM

Also bought one and although no expert am very happy with it. F2 will get you in to the bios and if you want more info then check out www.uniwill.com cus this appears to be one of theirs. Its a model 755INX and there are downloads available.

carbsy · 05-03-2004 10:26PM

btw ppl , there's a full review of the "Aldi Gericom 3.06Ghz Smart Power" laptop in issue 157 of Computer Active.Selling for 899 sterling.Needless to say it got an outstanding review.

dontasciime · 05-03-2004 10:29PM

899 without Vat

carbsy · 05-03-2004 10:39PM

Sorry, yeah

bosun · 16-03-2004 07:55PM

Can anyone out there who bought the Gericom laptop from Aldi confirm that it has "speedstep technology" like it says on the label? I tried loading speedstepXP to measure the speed when it was on battery but it still comes up as 3.06 when from what little I know, true speedstep should slow the processer down? Or is it just that the displayed speed is not accurate. Tried several config settings but it didn't make any difference. Otherwise, I think it a great piece of kit.

dontasciime · 16-03-2004 09:07PM

When you say you loaded speedstep xp, what do you mean? is it a program?
If so there is another program you can use, called speedswitch xp.

bosun · 18-03-2004 07:25PM

SpeedstepXP is a utility that allows greater control of the settings on your laptop if it has the facility to reduce the processor speed whilst on battery power. Its features include displaying the true speed on your task bar. I just ran sisoft sandra on the laptop and discovered that of the four supposed USB 2 ports, three are actually USB1.10 and it also reports that it does not support Smart Battery (if that is related to conserving battery power through running the processor slower. Otherwise am quite happy with the laptop but am curious as to whether any of the other components are not what they seem to be or are "older generation".

RicardoSmith · 18-03-2004 10:31PM

I'd be very surprised if 3 out of 4 ports were difference versions. The chipset supports 4xUSB2 ports. There simply isn't a chipset that supports 1xUSB2 and 3xUSB1.1. Theres a software problem. If the chip is a P4m then it should support the speedswitch thats my understanding of it. Only a desktop P4 doesn't.

bosun · 19-03-2004 01:02AM

Apologies to all. The utility I tried to use was speedswitchxp. The max and min throttle fields came up grayed out and when I tried to use the measure speed option, the software locked up. As for the USB, I can only report what SANDRA came up with. I am guessing that this lap top does not have speed step technology despite the lable unless anyone knows of another way to verify it. If it has not got speedstep then I guess it might well be a desktop processor.

slartibardfast · 19-03-2004 01:24AM

seen a heads up on a aldi desktop today, in the a4 paper leaflet thingie

"A cracking PC deal for Easter, on sale 1st April"

It appears to be the same as the last desktop, with the red somthing design award, ati graphics and p4ht. The specs are not listed however.

seems it's not on the website because it's next week, next week!

Cloyne man · 26-03-2015 03:44PM

found this by clicking on wrong page look what we where paying 11 years ago and specs

Thargor · 26-03-2015 03:57PM

My Aldi laptop from 2007 is still going strong down at the parents house, they dont want an upgrade. Medion made great pcs for Aldi for a long time.

galljga1 · 26-03-2015 04:07PM

I popped into this thread and read through the first page thinking it was current. I was just about to comment on the rubbish specs detailed within when I realised it was from 2004.