Uniwill 259IA1 Review (Vega 259)

The Vega 259 would be just another machine in the by now endless line of clone machines based on the Centrino technology, were it not for the fact that we are dealing with the first laptop with 256 MB graphics memory. 256 MB RAM on the graphics chip is usually a privilege only enjoyed by desktop computers, but now the time has come for notebooks to have a slice of the cake too, which will likely have many gaming enthusiasts shouting with joy! Can it live up to its impressive specifications too? That will hopefully be revealed in this review!

The Vega 259 is based on the Uniwell 259IA1 barebone, which is also available as Mybook 259. In other words the same machine, only without software and hotline. The machine is delivered in the typical brown box which could essentially contain just about anything – it is a bit unrefined compared to those of the big manufacturers, such as Fujitsu Siemens and IBM – but on the other hand, the box is not what sells the product. The accessories are as could be expected: A modem cable, an AC-adaptor, English manual, Windows XP recovery CD as well as Microsoft Works, which is a part of the Vega package. Furthermore, there is a Danish quick start guide – extra credit to the importer for adding a little service beyond just assembling the machine.

Physically it is a large machine because of the big display, but the weight is still a bit high. We measured it at 3.21 kg on our scales, which is 200g in excess of the specified weight.

Processor	1600 MHz Mobile Intel Pentium-M 735 (Centrino)
RAM	512 MB DDR RAM
Harddrive	60 GB 5400 RPM
Optical drive	CD-RW/DVD drive
Graphics chip	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 256MB DDR-RAM
Display	15,4" TFT WXGA display (1280x800)
Communication	V.90 modem, 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet LAN, IEEE1394 Firewire, 802.11g wireless LAN
Battery	Li-Ion
Operating system	Windows XP Pro DK
Pointing device	Touchpad
Weight	3 kg
Other	Card reader

The keyboard has a fine keystroke without being exceptional – it will easily do for everyday use. Some keyboards have a tendency to bend in the sides from the pressure, which I could not recreate on the Vega. This makes working with the keyboard a generally positive experience.

Unfortunately, the touch pad is not that pleasant to use, as the manufacturer has chosen to make it extra wide because of the scroll function they have added. Scroll function on a touch pad is nothing new, but on the Vega it has been made extra wide, as it has been assigned a place on its own. The result is that you constantly activate the touch pad by accident while using the keyboard, as your palms are resting on the cabinet. This is very annoying, as the mouse cursor constantly moves around while selecting other windows. Needless to say, this is not very productive when you are doing serious work.

There are 3 different hot keys with each its own function. The most special one control the CPU fan. If you press it, the speed of rotation of the fan is decreased, thereby lowering the noise level. This has a limited effect though, as only a short time passes before the speed of the fan increases again, as the machine becomes to hot. Furthermore, the Vega 259 has the capability of playing DVDs without starting Windows. This function is also activated with a hot key while the machine is turned off. The player itself is made by Intervideo, which means the quality is quite okay. It is a function that is guaranteed to see widespread use.

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The display is a 15.4'' wide-screen with a resolution of 1280x800 – in other words, the standard resolution for wide-screens today. For an additional cost it is also available with a fancy 1680x1050 resolution. The display itself is quite good – fine sharpness and contrast without being brilliant. The view angle is rather good too – you can easily seat several people around it for watching a DVD.

As far as connection options are concerned, you find those than could be expected from a modern Centrino model, no more no less. TV-out, Firewire and 3 USB 2.0 ports are all placed on the right side – you might have wanted just one or two to be placed on the left so you wouldn't have to deal with too many cables. Network and modem are connected on the left side. There are no serial nor parallel port, so if you have older hardware that needs to be connected, this is not the laptop you should choose.

One special feature is the option of installing an internal TV-tuner. It can be ordered when you purchase this model, but it can also be installed at a later stage. Unfortunately, the test machine did not come with a TV-tuner, so I cannot attest to its quality.

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This is one of the vices of the Vega! It is definitely not a machine that appeals to the user in the noise free work environment, nor in a class room. The fan is constantly running, and while not annoyingly loud, it is still audible. In any case, it is enough for it to emit more sound than the average. The fancy hot key function for reducing the noise level has only a temporary effect, so you should not expect to be able to use it constantly.

All Vega models are bundled with Microsoft Windows XP Home/Pro with Recovery CDs, as well as the Microsoft Works Suite 2005 OEM. In addition, the Nero suite (CD/DVD writing software) and PowerDVD have been included. A quite reasonable package, of which especially the Microsoft Works Suite can come in handy. But where is the anti-virus software which you have come to expect from all manufacturers by now?

The Vega comes with 3 months of free hotline, 6 months of right to claim compensation for defects on the battery, as well as 2 years for the machine itself. The importer has created www.notebookservice.dk for handling RMA, support and driver downloads, which is a definite plus for the customer. Unfortunately, there is no real guarantee, which subtracts from the final score – I believe most people would prefer a 2 year guarantee and perhaps 1 year on the battery, instead of 3 months of hotline. All repairs are carried out in Denmark in the workshop of the importer – in general, repairs are done in a week, including transport time, which is quite fair and worth attaching importance to.

Most people have probably been looking forward to the 3D results, so let us jump into it right away and comment on those first.

This is beyond any doubt the fastest notebook for 3D we have tested so far. Almost all benchmarks are very clear on this:

More RAM equals better performance. The question is just how much better... for the extra 128 MB have the strongest effect in terms of percentage when the level of detail is turned up. For instance, FarCry shows a distinct difference in 1280x1024 high details, where it can handle 20 frames per second – which is significantly more than second fastest, Mitac 8050D with 15 FPS. But is 20 FPS enough for gaming? Most people would probably say no. The general stance is that a game must never drop below 30 FPS if you want to avoid serious lag. For that reason it is obvious to lower the level of detail in order to get a more fluent gaming experience. If we do this, the next problem of the 256 MB is revealed, namely that the difference is negligible compared to the same chip with 128 MB. FarCry 1280x1024 low details is a fine example of this. The Vega scores just under 100 FPS, but the Mitac is a close second with 90 FPS. In other words, more than enough to secure a good gaming experience. 3DMark results are also very clear. The 256 MB provides better performance, but this improvement is rather limited. The most recent games of today and those to come might possibly require more RAM, but presently you should not demand 256 MB on the graphics chip in order to get a good gaming machine.

The battery life is disappointing, as we only achieved 162 minutes on the battery. This is not even close to the average. We tried conducting more Mobilemark tests than usual, as the battery might have been in a less than perfect condition, but unfortunately without any improvement. Admittedly, the importer has listed the machine with no more than approximately 3 hours of battery time, but this is still disappointing for a Centrino product. There might be several reasons for this, but it could be caused by the 256 MB on the graphics chip (double that of its competitors).

Below you find the results based on the original graphics driver. In addition, we have chosen to test using Omega Drivers from http://www.omegadrivers.com, which are based on the most recent Catalyst drivers for regular desktops, but unlocked for laptops as well. The advantage of using the Omega drivers is the frequent updates, as drivers for laptops are not updated that often.

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All tests results are available here.

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The Vega 259 is a machine, which leads the field in several areas, but also has a number of inconveniences that speak against it, resulting in an overall average score. The Vega 259 is to some the perfect machine, while others would not even call it a laptop. This depends on your needs, as the gaming enthusiast is possibly not interested in battery longevity and noise level. On the other hand, the people who need an all round machine will emphasize exactly these points.

The advantages are easy to spot. You get the presently fastest graphics solution with 256 MB RAM, as well as generally nice specifications considering the price. The disadvantages are hard to spot in the initial attempt, but having used the machine for a couple of days, it will be disappointing to many people because of its relatively high noise level in combination with a below average battery longevity. Most people will have figured out the conclusion by now...

If you are into games and need a machine that will mostly be sitting on your desk at home, then buy it! But if you are a business man, student, or simply somebody who prefers a light, mobile machine with low noise levels and long battery longevity, then keep on looking!

+
Overall good performance in all applications and games. Presently the fastest laptop for 3D tested so far. Nice sound.

-
Noise level above average. Poor battery longevity. Annoying touch pad.





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