Q1 Ultra Premium performance: impressions and info
We’ve got a bridal shower here at house today, so in preparation for that I’ve had little time this weekend to play with Samwise, the new Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium. However, I have to say that I’m still very impressed with this device; more than I originally thought I’d be. It was hard to get a feel for performance in the few minutes we played with the device at CES. After using the device for less than 10 hours, I think I can form a first general opinion that might help folks decide if this is the device for them:“If you’re looking for a UMPC form factor with the performance of a solid notebook, this is definitely a contender. If you don’t need notebook-like performance 100% of the time, then the A110-powered units should be considered”.
Why do I say that? Because the processor in the Q1 Ultra Premium truly is a notebook processor. I mentioned this in a comment prior, but let me explain a little bit because the CPU is the key differentiator between the Q1U and the Q1U Premium.The Intel Core Solo used in the Q1U Premium runs at 1.33 GHz, has a 533MHz front side bus speed and includes 2 MB of L2 cache memory on the chip. The Intel A110 CPU used in the Q1U devices run at either 600- or 800 MHz, have a 400 MHz front side bus speed and include only 512 KB of L2 cache. Since we’re chatting about CPUs, it’s probably worth a mention that the new Intel Atom CPUs will run at up to 1.8 GHz on only 2.5 Watts. My understanding is that will have the faster 533 MHz front side bus like the Core Solo, but only 512 KB of cache like the A110.So why would someone want an A110 vs. a Core Solo? The performance for battery life tradeoff. The A110 chips use up to 3 Watts of power, while the Core Solo uses nearly double: 5.5 Watts. The reason I’m seeing 6+ hours of battery life on the Q1U Premium is mainly due to the high-capacity 6-cell battery…Hopefully this info explains my statement above and of course, all of this assumes you like the form factor of this particular device. If not, then the CPU options don’t mean much. 
I’ll be running benchmarks and such over the next week, but I wanted to share my first thoughts on performance as that’s usually one of the first aspects people ask about.Part of the reason I purchased this device from CDW was due to their liberal return policy, but I’ve already decided that I’ll be keeping the device. In fact, I just ordered a second 6-cell battery and a 2 GB RAM stick. The battery was around $98 and the RAM was $55. Combined, they’ll boost my productivity by turning this UMPC into an all day device. This also means that when I put my Q1P up for sale (later this week probably), I *will* be including the 2 GB RAM that’s currently in it so you won’t have to worry about the upgrade.More to follow if time allows today… with 30 ladies due to arrive here in about an hour or so, I have to go get my Hugh Hefner bathrobe on.
sorry i am not trying to insult you, but until you test it with Vista this opinion just doesnt mean much. even the A110 unit i had absolutely flyed with XP Tablet, almost everything performs well with XP.
Vista is MUCH more resource heavy than XP & until you get some performance comparison while running it then it’s still really unsure what this unit can actually do. even your master James said he has never used a non-dualcore device that could run Vista well. unless now he is going to take that back or use trick wording to back away from that statement? but honestly, i do hope that it will perform well with it.
Kinra, I agree with everything that Kevin said here. The largest impact on Vista is definitely having at least 2 GB of RAM, I’m on record for saying that repeatedly. Some single core processors may handle Vista fine with that much RAM or more, but without the 2 GB forget it. I stand by my assessment that Core 2 Duo processors are needed to be sure that Vista performs well but with 2 GB of RAM even some Core Solo processors can likely handle it, at least well enough to be productive.
I don’t use trick words to twist things I say later.
I am not Kevin’s (nor anyone else’s) master and in spite of your intentions it’s insulting for you to say that.
agreed, XP is not a test what-so-ever. we all know XP runs well on almost anything, just look at all the old hardware we used to run it on. my 1st XP machine was a lowend P3 & XP flew on it. OBVIOUSLY XP is going to run well on a 1.33Mhz Core Solo, so did the A110, so wheres the news here?
you need to step it up with a current OS like Vista to truly test how it runs in modern day.
I appreciate the most of commentary above, but let me clear up the initial point here. I’m trying to provide people with the information and understanding of the different CPUs in an out-of-the-box device. I’m certainly aware of the challenges that Vista has offered UMPCs. Feel free to search our site for Vista and UMPC; you’ll find that I’ve been running Vista on UMPCs since *before* Vista was released to the public. That was on a 900 MHz Celeron device in the fall of 2006. Since January of 2007, I’ve been happily running Vista on a Q1P with a 1.0 GHz Pentium M, although I upgraded the RAM to 2 GB, something I recommend anyone running Vista on a UMPC to do if they can.
I will certainly be installing Vista on this machine but not everyone will buy this device and then purchase a Vista license to use on it. These people will benefit from impressions of XP Tablet Edition, so the first week will be using the device with XPTE.
I also find the first comment personally insulting and uncalled for. Let’s keep it clean going forward, shall we?
when are you going to test it with Vista? i do hope it runs well. but right now its like a heavy-weight boxer (Core Solo) taking on a light-weight boxer (XP). i want to see the match between heavyweights only, Core Solo vs Vista.
i do agree with the previous posts, Vista is a resource hogging whore. but it’s a great way to test the muscle of any machine. i do so love XP, in comparison it was such a lightweight diverse OS for nearly any hardware.
i do slightly disagree with you James, although 2GB RAM does help with Vista. your CPU & GPU performance are MUCH more important factors when running it.
i think he was joking with the master comment lol, try to remember that everybodys 1st language isnt english.
Kevran, in the video Kevin states he is going to load Vista soon and report about that so just hang on and it will come.
We will have to disagree, I have run Vista on many, many devices with many different processors and 2 GB of RAM is the single largest factor contributing to how well Vista runs. The processor is important too but even with a good processor I’ve never seen Vista run acceptably with only 1 GB of RAM.
I do understand that English is not everyone’s first language but when someone starts their comment with “I am not trying to insult you” and then continues to do so it is clear they realized their comment could be taken that way. In that case they shouldn’t even make it IMHO.
I personally have never come across the ‘resource heavy’ issues of Vista on any reasonably modern kit. For example I’m currently running Vista Business on the HTC Shift and it’s absolutely fine, MS Office, DivX, Paint.net all running quite happily. Sure, I could load the CPU with intensive tasks but for day to day use, absolutely fine and I know the Samsung will be great with Vista, especially after Superfetch (the cause of the ‘resource heavy, where has all my ram gone’ myth) does its job after a few days intensive use.
i have my doubts as to how this unit will handle Vista as well, because i was not pleased with Vista’s performance under my 1.2ghz machine. i do wonder though Kevin, if once you install Vista on it if you will be able to be fair in your judgment especially after your initial positive impressions. you seem easy to please since you liked the performance on your 900mhz Celeron. but it seems odd to me you didnt like performance on a 800mhz A110 that was an almost clock-for-clock clone of the P-M series (8% performance decrease in most CPU specific benchmarks i saw). the performance difference between clock cycle equals of a 900mhz & 800mhz unit at best would be negligible. it might make some question your tech knowledge & if maybe some other prejudice wasnt what resulted in your negative opinion (like the fact you wanted the successor UMPC’s to have better performance & run longer **instead of** similar performance & run longer).
in the US the word master often has a negative connotation due to the popularity of the word created by the “bondage scene”. in many other countries the master/apprentice relationship is 1 of great admiration & respect. he probably just meant master for James because this is afterall JKontherun & he is the originator of the site. the comment about retracting statements or using creative wording to back away (like politicians do) is fair, it’s a natural human occurrence & people should be skeptical.
Kevin, are you going to provide video footage of your Playboy Mansion party? Does your bathrobe have pockets large enough for Samwise?
I admire Samsung for increasing the processor power on this device but I’d wish they sort of the ergonomics. Most people dont want slates for umpcs, they want thumbboards or mini keyboards
yeah Gavin, Vista isnt resource heavy *rolls eyes* then thats why the overwhelming #1 complain about this OS from nearly ever professional reviewer, critic, news source, etc has always been the sluggish performance. but you, an anonymous JK blogger knows best. go look at how videogames run under each OS, nearly all of them get half the framerate under Vista. besides the ridiculous eye candy that heavily taxes the GPU, take a look at default installs of XP vs Vista & check out running processes, go look at the amount of admin services as well, this goes on & on.
if you dont see a difference, you either have low standards, havent used each OS on identical machines, or are Bill Gates
Lati, folks can certainly question my technical knowledge if they like; I have no issue with that and I certainly make mistakes. When they’re pointed out, I tend to address them appropriately.
While we’re on the subject of technical knowledge however, I’d like to point out your comment that the 800 MHz A110 is an almost clock for clock clone of the Pentium M. Simply not true. As I’ve pointed out in the post, the A110 has 512 KB of cache. The Pentium M in my Q1P has 2 MB of cache, which certainly helps increase performance. If you meant to compare the A110 with the Celeron, then it’s a closer approximation.
I have little doubt that Vista will perform more than adequate for my needs. I’m basing that on how it runs on my Q1P which has the slower CPU and earlier generation of Intel graphics. Since both components are upgraded in the Q1U Premium, it’s probably a reasonable assumption that I’ll be happy.
Opinions are just that and everyone has them. I really get cheesed off when our opinions are questioned as having some ulterior motive. You don’t have to agree with our opinions but don’t question our sincerity. That’s just rude in my book.
Kevin, thanks for sharing your first impressions.
I’m eagerly awaiting any bit of info you are posting on this device.
@Tim
Don’t patronise me Tim. I’ve used PCs since 1989 and computers back to the ZX81. I’ve been through Amiga OS, TOS, DOS, Linux, MACOS, Windows 95 to Vista.
While Vista isn’t perfect it is a decent OS on modern hardware. I remember the shrieking and wailing when XP first came out and how people would stick with WIN 98.
Your ridiculous generalizations do your comment credibility no favours. James is correct, 2GB and you’re away but hey, guess what, here I am with 1GB on my HTC shift and loving it.
Games at half the frame rate? Haha, you CLEARLY have no idea what you are talking about and that comment right there shows it.
Any chance you’ll post a video showing how to upgrade the ram to 2gb Kevin?
And do you use screen protectors?
“While we’re on the subject of technical knowledge however, I’d like to point out your comment that the 800 MHz A110 is an almost clock for clock clone of the Pentium M. Simply not true. As I’ve pointed out in the post, the A110 has 512 KB of cache. The Pentium M in my Q1P has 2 MB of cache, which certainly helps increase performance. If you meant to compare the A110 with the Celeron, then it’s a closer approximation.”
Kevin, technically the cache has nothing to do with clock cycle work. yes it is absolutely true that the P-M, Celeron, & A1xx series are nearly identical clock cycle equals.
i dont want to get started on a cache rant but much like HDD cache, it is more myth than reality solely created for spec sheets & skewed benchmarks. cache difference would make a minuscule at best difference in performance, the best way to compare these particular CPU’s is based on HZ.
people can question me if they like, but this is what i do for a living.
I like all the comments on how XP runs on everything. I still remember the days of running 98SE when XP first came about. The comments then were and are the same as the comments being said about Vista, bloated, slow, resource hog, and much more.
When I first got my VyeS37 I read all the comments about Vista not running on an 800mhz device. I was concerned that I made the wrong choice, and should have waited for something better. I’ve since changed my mind and am quite happy with the performance of Vista on my device.
I’ll agree with JK as the only thing I did to my VyeS37 was the upgrade to 2GB of ram. It made a just OK device to one that is a pleasure to use. I can run the programs that are important to “me”, such as Office 2007, VLC media player, and my nav programs among others without a hiccup.
I guess what it comes down to is, what do you expect from the UMPC form factor? These devices were developed as companion devices. They were not intended to replace home computers or laptops. If you want something to run multiple applications, and eat Vista for breakfast, you’re probably not going to like any current device on the market.
Wow, take it easy guys. There’s almost no real life info posted on this new device and Kevin is helping out by giving us his thoughts. If you want a formal review please wait a few months, or go buy one and test it out yourself.
Though I’d love something with the horsepower to run Vista well, I intentionally steered away from UMPCs with it installed. Vista is just too much bloat for a portable device in my opinion, and XP runs everything I need it to TODAY.
Matter of fact, I own 2 copies of Vista and don’t use it. My desktop (C2D, 4G RAM, DX10 graphics) runs it fine, but too many things weren’t ready for it so I always dual-boot into XP. My C2D laptop has both as well, but I always find myself running XP. So for me, I want to hear how XP runs on the stock Q1UP, knowing that I can always load Vista later if I feel the need. If it was usable on an A110 I’m not worried that it won’t run on a core solo at 1.33.. sure maybe not as quickly as I’d like but that’s why I want XP.
I recently returned a Q1UP due to a defect and am expecting a replacement to arrive.. this site has been one of the few places I could get any info prior to my purchase.
Thank You Kevin, please keep up the good work.
I have a Q1 Ultra with A110 processor, and it runs Vista fine with 2GB RAM. But, I found the gain from running Vista on UMPC is pretty minimal for my usage, and downgraded to XP for better performance and longer battery life.
In addition, Q1U has a serious issue with Vista in wifi connection. When 802.11g connection is made, cpu usage spikes up and overall performance severely suffers. I wonder Q1UP shares the same problem and if so, hope Kevin explores the issue once he installs Vista.
Kevin..thanks for providing this information. I just purchased this device and will receive next week. Could you tell me where you purchased the 2 GB upgrade stick and what the part number was? Thanks again.
Long time reader, and appreciate the many reviews. I have the Q1U which despite what others say, doesnt run XP all that great for me. I don’t know if it is the 4200 drive, the CPU or what the bottleneck is, but something is there. Not to mention the wifi driver don’t like streaming video much, my evdo card streams it well.
Also wanted to express my surprise at the “thin skins”, we are all long time web users, so getting so defensive really just feeds into any malice that may or may not have been there from the start.
So which keyboard are you planning on using with the Q1UP? Samsung makes a nice one that has a pointer stick built-in, but it uses a USB port and it doesn’t fold up like the iGo stowaway.
There’s a nice review that compares these 2 keyboards, but I’m curious as to which one you’ll choose.
http://www.pocketables.net/2007/03/review_samsung_.html
this is a now well-known HUGE bug in the Atheros driver that was bringing A1xx Q1U’s to their knee’s. it was resolved by rolling the wifi driver back to the MS generic version.
this was a huge reason that contributed to unknowing bloggers & critics negative reviews.
that comment was in response to ignar
Good grief. Kevin just got it. Let him play with it for a while. The world won’t end if he takes up to two weeks before trying Vista!
This unit is just not for me, XP or Vista. The wings to accommodate the keyboard make it larger than comfortable for me.
Ooh, Kevin, you must do a photo comparing its size to the EeePC!! Yeah, go on, be that kind of Fiend to me!! Haha!
>>>with 30 ladies due to arrive here in about an hour
By the time I hit that line, I’d forgotten all about the bridal shower in the intro and was wondering if you were trying to outdo my former Governor!! HAHA!
@tito, I have read the MS driver can resolve the issue, but I also learned it has its own problem. The details of the problem escapes me right now, but it was serious enough for me to decide to skip the option. So far, only doable (but still painful) way to resolve the issue was disabling 802.11g in my access point and using 802.11b only.
Wow, so much animosity at the beginning of this thread.
As I’ve said before, I’m quite happy with Vista on my P1610 with a 1.2Ghz core solo processor and I have no doubt that it’ll run fine on the Q1UP. The extra RAM will obviously help as well.
It won’t ever compare with a C2D and lots of RAM but different users have different needs in different circumstances and you don’t always need maximum power.
Hello. Call me a dreamer, but I have been awing at the mobile computing stuff for several months now. This UMPC looks very nice, but do you think it would be a wise investment (especially for those without much money) to wait to purchase UMPCs until this new Intel processor comes out?
Also, is it possible to upgrade the hard drives in these as well, to something a little faster?
Here’s my take on the Q1U / Premium performance.
I’ve had a Q1 UV for a while and it was terrible. Got very dusty! I tried XP a long time back nad it was much much better but the driver set wasnt complete. After testing the Q1 U Premium at CeBIT though (http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1306) I came home and was determined to try XP on the Q1U again. I did, and it’s much better and had a complete driver set, but note, the Wifi bug still seems to be there. I’m amazed its not fixed yet. Its still pretty good though and as i’ve put an HSDPA module in it, i’ll probably be OK when i’m on the move. I’m going to try using it as my main UMPC for a while.
Back to the Q1 U Premium though, there’s a noticeable difference in performance. Not just in the CrystalMark scores (something like 17000, vs 27000!) but in real-life usage. You can actually take, edit, post-process and write videos on-the-fly. That’s something I haven’t seen in any UMPC yet apart from the Sony UX. I also heard that Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 works very well which could be a real advantage for some people. It should also run Joost smoothly, media center smoothly and skype video with overhead,
If someone wants the best possible UMPC/VIsta experience, the Q1U Premium is definately the one to go for. Personally I wouldn’t put Vista on it as I don’t need inking features but if you do, its the way to go.
Looking forward to the Vista test Kevin!
One thing I disagree with is Kevins comment about the mouse. Or maybe I agree. Kevin said it was way better than the Q1. Yes it us. But….its still very poor. Still an 8-way analogue joystick and not a real mouse pointer.
Steve / Chippy
@jake
The new Atom processors are much lower processing power than this Core Solo.
You might want to wait for Isiaha from VIA but that could be a long wait.
No doubt we’ll see more high-powered UMPCs in the near future but they will never be cheap. The processors in them are something like 4 times as expensive as the Atom processors!
Steve
I have a Fujitsu P1120 with a Crusoe 800mhz processor. It is not the best for multi-tasking. I put wimdows 2000 on it because of performace issues. I personally think that the older the operating system and the latest hardware will give the most performace gaines. The problem is with drivers. I think the concept of the umpc was to be a companion computer and under $500.00. Hopefully the intel atom proccesor will be good for the performace and price of these devices. I bought mine for about $700 dollars about three years ago. I would like a performace upgrade but $2500.00 for the Fujitsu p1620 is alot of money. I put a in a ide to compact flash adapter. I lost storage space, but gained battery life and complete silence since this machine does not have a fan. It is uses passive cooling. The main uses of this machine is for reading, music and web surfing. I enjoy reading JKonThe Run and Kevin 2.0 when it was being kept upto date. I really think Kevin needs more credit and also a Paypal or some other account so the reader can donate since he is living off the earning from Vegas and we know that money will not last forever, at least not with him buying $1200.00 umpcs. Keep up the good work and don’t let the comments get to you to much.
Thanks,
Joshua A. Hall
I vote for flashing red comment boxes for stuff like this in stead of the gold. Maybe some fireworks or something too.Keep up the good work Hef, I mean Kevin.
CT
Hey Kevin-
I, along with many others, really appreciate your on-going efforts to give real-world/real-user impressions of mobile tech. It s why we read your and JK’s stuff on a regular basis.
Threads like this remind me that I ESPECIALLY appreciate your doing it with humility, thoughtfulness, a sense of humor AND in situations such as this thread… patience.
Hope you are enjoying your new toy.
@ “Chippy”
Isn’t it crazy they haven’t fixed the wifi in XP either, perhaps it’s the same chip in the Q1UP and they have updated the driver. It makes streaming video unwatchable, and like you I have to go on 3G for it to work.
@ Kevin C.
Please add testing the wifi to your list. I suggest trying to view a windows media stream, that’s where my Q1U falls down.
Looks like they use a new chip, or perhaps it’s built into the CPU on the Solo huh. Either way ignore my last comment.
Hey Kevin
Thanks for reviewing these devices for the UMPC enthusiast. I Don’t understand why some of the comments are so brutish, but I’m sure you handled more of these devices than most of us, so your opinion has heavy weight. Keep posting those good videos so I can make my decision on which device is best for me!!
@Steve Sorry if my post was confusing but I wasn’t referring to the Atom (perhaps you mixed me up with someone else – unfortunately my posts don’t highlight to make them stand out
). I was comparing the 1.2 Ghz Core Solo on the P1610 with the 1.33 Ghz Core Solo on the Q1UP.