> > Besides the 280c, I have a 230 and wonder if it would consume less power. > >I would suspect so, since the 230 is not a color machine. Takes more >juice to run color.
Colour displays do inherently use more power than monochrome ones, but that's the least difference here: - Any mono display can also be used in bright ambient light with the backlight turned off, which saves more power than just about any other single thing. - The 230's passive matrix display uses less power than an active matrix (like those in the 250, 270[c] and 280[c]). - The 230's 68030 CPU inherently uses much less power than the 280[c]'s 68040. Beyond that it also supports more in the way of power-saving modes. In particular the 68030 can be run at a reduced speed for light use and better battery life (much as the G3 in an new iBook). Although another way of achieving this would be to use a Duo 210 instead, which runs slower to start with. ;) I gave a 230 with a (then) new Type III battery to a friend some years ago, and measured the battery life at nearly six hours of regular use - two to three times what a 280 or 280c will get. In theory the 68040 is about twice as fast as a 68030 at the same clock speed, but in practice the 230 is fairly snappy with appropriate OS and other software choices. As with the 2300, the innards of the Duo were originally designed for a 68030 and this leads to some diminishing returns with the 280[c], though not to nearly the same degree as the 2300 suffers. Other caveats: the original keyboard in a 230 is even worse than a 280c, which is saying something. Either will benefit greatly from being upgraded to a revision F model. Also, the passive screen on the 210 and 230 takes some getting used to. The ideal choice (maybe the ideal Duo) is probably a 250, which has most of the battery life of the 230 with an active-matrix monochrome display. The 230 is much more common and cheaper, though, as well as more durable. One last thing to note is that the Duo mono screens are all 640x400, as opposed to the 640x480 active-matrix colour screens on the 270c and 280c. In practice this doesn't matter much except for the occasional arcade game. The benefit of being able to work in bright sunlight makes it more than worth it most of the time. -- Marc Sira | [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you can't play with words, what good are they? ---------- Duo/2400 List, The friendliest place on the Net! A listserv for users and fans of Mac subportables. FAQ at <http://www.themacintoshguy.com/lists/DuoListFAQ.shtml> Be sure to visit Mac2400! <http://www.sineware.com/mac2400> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Need help from a real person? Try. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------- Dr. Bott | 10/100 Ethernet for your 2400 is finally here! MPC-100 | <http://www.drbott.com/prod/mpc100.html> RoadTools $30 PodiumPad available at Apple retail stores, $20 Traveler CoolPad at Staples. Both in white for iBooks at <http://roadtools.com> Midwest Mac Parts ][ <http://www.midwestmac.com> After-market parts for Macs. ][ 888-356-1104 ][ MacResQ Specials: LaCie SCSI CDR From $99! PowerBook 3400/200 Only $879! Norton AntiVirus 6 Only $19! We Stock PARTS! <http://www.macresq.com>
