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This impressive Asus machine makes use of the new mobile version of Intel Pentium 4. The L3C runs at a relatively modest 1.7GHz, although it provides good performance and good battery life.
The other important factor, and one that's readily seen from the L3C's dimensions (326 x 267 x 40mm), is that the Pentium 4-M processor consumes considerably less space than its desktop counterpart. So, although this is still quite a weighty machine (3kg), it's still portable.
The L3C looks pretty good as well. The case's styling isn't anything special, but it's black and quite discreet. The majority of the casing is made from plastic, although it's thick enough to survive a few knocks and drops and there's sufficient screen support to prevent any serious flexing.
The 1,400 by 1,050 pixel resolution LCD is sharp and bright and gives plenty of work space. The screen is driven by the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32Mb of DDR SDRam. There's also the option of sending the display output to either another monitor via the VGA D-Sub port at the rear or a television via the S-Video port.
The L3C's 30Gb E-IDE hard disk drive is configured to use the Ultra ATA/100 protocol for faster sustained data transmission. In our review system, the drive was divided into three partitions: one for Windows ME, one for XP Professional and one for data storage.
This configuration is unusual, though, and in retail machines, there will usually be just the single operating system installed, most probably Windows XP Professional.
Aside from the hard disk drive, there's also a floppy drive and an eight-speed DVD-Rom drive as standard. The latter is a modular unit that can be swapped with other factory options, such as a CD-RW drive or a combo CD-RW/DVD-Rom drive.
The floppy disk drive, on the other hand, is integrated into the left-hand side of the case and can't be swapped, which restricts your choice a little.
Asus supplied our review machine with 256Mb of DDR SDRam, which can be upgraded to a maximum of 1Gb via SODIMM sockets that sit in the base of the unit.
Coupled with the graphics adapter and processor, this provides plenty of power for office applications and demanding 3D games, so the L3C really is suitable for use as a desktop replacement.
The L3C's size means that it can make use of a fully featured keyboard. The one included is very good, with an excellent tactile sensation and all but the cursor and function keys being full size.
Set into the wrist rest at the front of the keyboard is a track pad with two mouse and two scroll buttons. There are also three user-configurable program shortcut keys, as well as a key for swapping between high performance mode and lower speed/power consumption mode.
In terms of connectivity, the Asus L3C is well equipped. It comes with a V.90 modem and a 10/100Base-T network adapter built in, plus a brace of IEEE 1394 ports for digital video editing or the connection of external hard disk drives and other high-bandwidth peripherals.
The usual pair of 1.1 USB ports is provided as well, along with a legacy serial port, a parallel port and the usual audio connectors. There's also an optical S/PDIF audio connector for 5.1-channel output and a manual volume control with mute button, which is more useful than a software-only solution.
Additional connectors include a pair of Type II PC Card slots, as well as a connector for the optional PortBar II port replicator (£59.99 ex. VAT). An 802.11b wireless network adapter is available as an optional extra (£55.99 ex. VAT), as is a Bluetooth module (£TBA) and GPRS modem (£TBA).
The casing has a Kensington Security slot, although there's no carry case included as standard, which is quite an oversight given the weight and cost of this notebook.
Price: £1,899 (ex. VAT)
Specifications:
OS: Windows XP Professional
Processor: 1.7GHz Intel Pentium 4-M
Memory: 256Mb of DDR SDRam
Graphics chipset: 32Mb ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
Hard disk: 30Gb
Optical drive: DVD-Rom
Display: 15.1in. SXGA+
I/O: Two USB 1.1 and IEEE 1394 ports, IrDA, V.90 modem, 10/100Base-T, S-Video.
Contact: Dabs.com 0870 429 3220
www.asus.com
See also:
With its large screen and good battery life, this portable will challenge your desktop's supremacy. 29 Jul 2002
A robust desktop replacement system with an excellent large screen. 15 Jul 2002
A Pentium 4-based notebook that's ideal as a desktop replacement system. 21 May 2002
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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