The Bottom Line
- Excellent Software Bundle
- Fairly Low Weight for Desktop Replacement
- Good Battery Life
- Not As Powerful as Most Desktop Replacements
- No Wide Aspect Ratio Screen
- Above Average Price
Description
- Intel Pentium M 715 (1.5Ghz) Processor
- 512MB PC3200 DDR Memory (2GB Maximum)
- 40GB 5,400rpm Hard Drive
- 24x CD-RW Combo Optical Drive
- 15" SXGA+ LCD Display and ATI Mobility 9700 Graphics with 64MB of Memory
- AC'97 Audio
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, 1Gbps Ethernet and 802.11g Wireless
- Two USB 2.0 Ports, One FireWire and Two Type II PC Card Slots
- 13" x 11.2" x 1.7" @ 7.1 lbs.
- Windows XP Professional and Small Business Edition Office 2004 Suite
Guide Review - MPC TransPort X3000
7/21/04 - Desktop replacements have been very big in the consumer market because consumers want a notebook that is as powerful as larger desktop systems. They often use desktop components to match these requirements, but the MPC Transport instead opts to use mobile parts.
Powering the X3000 system is a the Intel Pentium M 715 (1.5GHz) CPU. This isn't the fastest processor by any means especially compared to other desktop replacements, but the power savings allow the X3000 to run much longer than other models when not connected to a power outlet. The CPU is matched up with 512MB of PC3200 DDR memory to allow it to run smoothly.
Storage is middle of the road for the X3000. Hard drive space is provided by a 40GB 5,400rpm drive while optical storage is provided through a 24x CD-RW combo drive.
Graphics are pretty good. While the system only features a 15" LCD display, it does sport a very fast ATI Mobility 9700 graphics processor. These are limited compared to other systems by the standard aspect ratio screen and 64MB of video memory. This will tend to slow down games especially at higher resolutions.
One area where the X3000 is really strong is the software bundle. Most systems ship with XP Home and a consumer based productivity software, but the X3000 ships with XP Professional and the Small Business Edition of Office 2004. This makes the X3000 well suited for corporate environements but only average for the consumer market.
