- Low Cost
- Relatively Thin Profile
- Lacks FireWire Port
- Could Use Faster Wired and Wireless Networking
- Pink Color Likely to Deter Most Buyers
- AMD Turion X2 TL-56 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 12.1" WXGA (1280x80) Wide LCD With Webcam
- AMD Radeon Integrated Graphics
- v.92 56Kbps, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wireless
- Three USB 2.0, PC Card Slot, HDMI, Fingerprint Scanner, 4-in-1 Reader
- 11.9" x 9.1" x 1.1" @ 3.6 lbs.
- Vista Home Premium
9/17/08 - Systemax is taking a big risk with their Medallion XII ultraportable laptop. The systems exterior chassis features a pastel pink color that many will dislike. If you can get past the exterior color, it is one of the least expensive ultraportable laptops on the market.
Rather than using Intel for their Medallion XII laptop, Systemax has chosen to use a relatively old AMD Turion X2 TL-56 dual core mobile processor. This is a decent processor, but lags a fair distance behind even many of the relatively inexpensive and older Core 2 Duo parts. The two gigabytes of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory let's it run the Vista operating system without much problem.
The networking features of the Medallion XII are behind much of the industry these days. It uses a slower 10/100 Ethernet controller rather than a new gigabyte version. It also relies on an 802.11b/g wireless rather than a new draft 802.11n wireless. Many low cost notebooks are now featuring this new high speed wireless controller standard.
Ports are somewhat mixed. While the system does feature an HDMI digital video interface in addition to the older VGA connector, Systemax does not include a FireWire port that is commonly used for importing digital video from DV camcorders. This makes it more difficult to use as a video editing platform for aspiring videographers.
One nice thing going for the Medallion XII though is its size. While it isn't the smallest footprint out of the 12-inch laptops on the market, it does feature a relatively thin 1.1-inch high thickness. Most companies have elected to go with systems that are pushing upwards of 1.5-inches.
