ASUS M6000N
The last time a notebook bearing the ASUS name to be reviewed here at HardwareZone was back in 2001. Back then, it was an ultra-portable notebook which took home only 3 stars from us. Zooming back to the present, ASUS sent us their latest award winning and lightest desktop replacement notebook from their stable of notebooks. Much larger than the ultra-portable notebook which we reviewed the last time, it comes in at just 2.6kg. It may sound heavy, but in fact, the M6000N happens to be one of the lightest 15.4-inch notebooks around. In the notebook business, weight is of paramount concern and every manufacturer would want to shed as much grams as possible to allow their product to have that extra bit of weight advantage over their competitors.
The usual terms conferred to notebooks of this class are usually either Desktop Alternative or Desktop Replacement notebooks. For ASUS however, the preferred term is Digital Entertainment Gateway. For a rather large notebook that has the qualities and persona of a desktop replacement, this move is nothing more than a fanciful naming scheme.
Processor
* Intel Pentium-M 1.6GHz
* 1MB L2 Cache
Chipset
* Intel 855PM & ICH4-M
Memory
* 1,024MB (2,048MB maximum supported)
Storage
* 2.5-inch HDD with Ultra ATA-100 and S.M.A.R.T support
* Interchangeable DVD-RW module
Display
* ATI Mobility� Radeon� 9600, 64MB VRAM
* 15.4" active matrix color TFT
Sound
* AC 97 S/W audio with 3D Effects & Full Duplex
* SoundBlaster PRO compatible
* Built-in stereo speakers (x 4)
* Built-in Microphone
Interface
* 1 x EPP/ECP Parallel port
* 1 x D-sub 25-pin VGA (external display)
* 1 x PortBar III 68-pin Connector
* 1 x PCMCIA 2.1 compliant
* 1 x TV-Out (S-Video)
* 1 x Headphone-out combo jack
* 1 x Microphone-in jack
* 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external DDC monitor
* 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
* 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
* 4 x USB 2.0 ports
* 1 x IEEE 1394 port
Communication
* IrDA FIR 4Mbps supported
* 10/100/1000 Base-T PCI Ethernet LAN
* Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection 802.11b/g
* Separate ON/OFF switch for wireless network connection
Size and Weight
* 354 x 273 x 22-34 mm (WxDxH)
* 2.6kg (with traveller's drawer)
OS Supported
* Windows 2000 Professional Edition
* Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition
Bundled Accessories / Software
* Travel Drawer
* Telephone Cable
* S-Video Cable
* USB Optical Mouse
* Notebook Carrying Case
* Notebook Adapter and Power Cord
* Notebook User Manual
* Driver and Utilities User Manual
* Recovery CD
* Driver CD
* Nero 5 Express Version 5.5.10.38 (or later)
* AsusDVD Software
* CyberLink Power Director Ver2.5 ME
* CyberLink Medi@Show SE 2.0
* Battle Engine Aquila
* GunMetal War Transformed
* Tom Clancy Splinter Cell
* Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
* Big Mutha Truckers
* BREED
* Colin McRae Rally 3
* TOCA Race Driver