ECS i-Buddie P4 Desknote

Author: Ian Cunningham
Published on: 16-09-2002
Views: 82895


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Introduction

A brief introduction to the ECS i-Buddie 4 Desknote

ECS have been touting the new "Desknote" series of computers as a desktop / notebook crossbreed - hence the name. The theory behind this is to bring desktop-type performance to a notebook-size computer, a rather innovative and unique idea!

The difference between a notebook and this desknote cannot be easily detected at a glance, but there a few huge differences between the two:

• No Battery
• Desktop standard CPU
• Desktop standard Memory

The lack of battery means that portability is out of the question, unless you buy one of the optional battery packs, or a car adapter. The second differences are the desktop standard components that are used, meaning a wider variety of products and potentially better upgrade options. This unit was supplied with a P4 1.6 CPU, PC2100 256 MB RAM, 15" XGA+ LCD, 20Gig IBM Hard drive and internal DVD-ROM drive.

With using standard CPU and memory types the desknote can be customised to a multitude of performance/price levels - and often for a cost comparable to a similar specification desktop. This particular model, the i-Buddie 4 A928 can handle any socket 478 400Mhz FSB Pentium 4 chip.

Specifications

Specification for the i-Buddie 4 Desknote

• Supports Northwood/Willamette CPUs from 1.4 - 2.8Ghz (Socket 478) 400Mhz FSB
• SiS 650 & SiS 961, 4X AGP bus interface, supports host bus at 400MHz
• Supports PC2100 128/256/512/1024MB DDR-SDRAM
• AMI Mobile PC Bios; PnP, ACPI, DMI
• 15.0" XGA+ TFT LCD
• Built-in SiS 315 graphic core and AGP 4X supported
• 256bit 3D graphics engine up to 143MHz 3D engine clock speed
• Video bridge supported by SiS 301LV, TV-out function provided
• Dual full-duplex Direct Sound Channels
• Built-in two high quality stereo speakers with chamber and mic
• 8 x DVD-ROM, 24 x CD-ROM, CD-RW and combo drive options available
• Onboard full duplex 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
• 56K / V.90 Conexant PCI software data/fax modem
• Built-in SIR transceiver module, IrDA 1.3 standard compliant up to 4.0Mbps
• Incorporated with one 1394 port supporting power, transfer rate up to 400Mbps
• Incorporates with four USB 2.0 ports, transfer rate up to 480Mbps

The hardware built into the laptop is very impressive, and will certainly have more features than some desktop PC's - especially the 15" XGA+ TFT monitor! The onboard graphics chip is not going to be amongst the high end graphics cards - but will most likely play current games at an acceptable speed. It is possible to buy a desknote as a "barebones" system, and add the CPU/Memory/Hard drive yourself - and will most likely be the most popular option.

The included hard drive is still the notebook 2.5" type - slow compared to the desktop equivalents, but they are much better suited for mobility (due to power, size and weight). The hard drive ECS provided was a slower 4200RPM drive, whereas the newer notebook drivers are clocking in at just over 5400RPM - a reasonable performance difference would be gained.

Ports:

• 1 x Parallel port
• 1 x external VGA port
• 1 x S-Video TV-out port
• 1 x RJ-11 jack for Modem
• 1 x RJ-45 for Ethernet
• 1 x SIR port
• 1 x 1394 port
• 4 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x MIC-in jack
• 1 x headphone jack
• 1 x 3-pin DC-in jack for AC adapter / external battery pack

Port Layout

As you can see, the i-Buddie has no shortage of ports! The Firewire and USB 2.0 ports ensure that almost any expansion device will work with the desknote (such as web cams, printers, keyboards etc...) - but the lack of PCMCIA slots is another difference from most laptops. There is no built in WiFi or Bluetooth support, which would have been an excellent choice to build in.