Xeno-m

PCW Magazine (March '03)

Great connectivity and battery life are on offer

Rockdirect designed its Xeno-M series notebooks with mobility in mind and this is evident the first time you pick up one of these units. The Xeno 2.4 is just 25.4mm thick and weighs a delicate 2.4kg - not bad for a Pentium 4-based system.

The 2.4GHz Mobile P4 is coupled with a hefty 480MB of DDR SD-RAM memory and a 40GB Hitachi hard disk.

With such a beefy components line-up, we expected a solid performance in our benchmark tests. The Xeno-M lived up to expectations in Sysmark 2002, clocking up a score of 197. The integrated graphics on the SiS650 chipset let it down slightly in 3Dmark 2001, however, where it managed only 1,027, less than the cheaper Advent 2.4GHz P4 notebook we tested in the January issue. Battery life was nonetheless good for such a powerful notebook at one hour, 44minutes.

The keyboard is robust and well designed with large keys laid out in the right places.

When it comes to connectivity, the Xeno 2.4 really shines. At this price a Wifi antenna, which is built into the screen surround, and a Wifi 802.11b internal mini Pci card are included, allowing you to tap into wireless networks while you’re on the move. There is also an integrated modem, a 10/100 Lan connection, mini Firewire port and three USB ports.

On the right-hand side of the units is a DVD-CD combo drive that can be swapped out for a second battery if you want to use your notebook on long journeys without regularly recharging. Meanwhile over on the left-hand side there is a PC Card Type II slot.

There is no floppy drive, so you might want a USB key to back up your work and make use of all those ports.

OVERALL - A good all-rounder impressive connectivity and extendable battery life make this a good buy if you’re frequently on the move, but you can find cheaper deals around.

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