Arima M623 Review (ABook 3600TX)

“The wildest ATi Mobility X700 graphics chip with 128 MB VRAM, 15” SXGA+ TFT display, DDR2 RAM PC533, built-in Bluetooth, Wi-fi, 8x Dual Layer +/- DVD recorder and a low weight (2.55 kilo), impressive battery lifetime with up to four hours along with it being low-noise makes the ABook 3600TX a favourite of power users and gamers”. Big words from the company itself which is why we’ve chosen to test this notebook to see if it can live up to the hype!

With the new ABook 3600TX they’ve retired the old 3000TXi making headroom for the new technology. We’re talking about DDR2 memory with an X700 graphics chip and the newest Alviso platform making it exciting to see how it performs. On paper it’s pretty powerful especially when considering the price which is why it seems so enticing when it’s packed with these specs. It sure sounds like a notebook any hardware enthusiast would want to consider before making the final decision about what to purchase.

ABook have chosen not to ship the notebook with a big software bundle as most international manufacturers do. It was expected since ABook is mostly known for their most-hardware-for-the-price policy. If you want the bundle it can be bought separately. There’s only the needed driver CDs and a Nero CD and that’s about it. The normal paper manual has been deserted in benefit of an electronic version that’s on the bundled CD. You also get a decent nylon bag. It has a street price of about 300 DKK though you get if for free with the notebook and you can also buy another one if you don’t like it.

The ABook 3600TX is shipped with a 15” display with a native resolution of 1400x1050 pixels. The chassis is built to fit to a 15” display which eliminates the option of configuring it with a widescreen display. On the other hand it keeps the design slim and trim with no spare plastic. Of special mentioning is the low profile that’s only 27.2 millimetre making it close to IBM’s T-series that’s been configured with slim-line to keep the profile low – very impressive! The chassis is made entirely of plastic leaving no room for aluminium or other materials. Luckily it’s been painted with a neat dark colour scheme giving it an impression of a thorough finish and not that of a “cheap” notebook. To be perfect the hotkeys and the sides should’ve been painted in dark too as the rest of the chassis. The grey colour looks a little cheap and spoils some of the overall finish.

The notebook has an impressive weight of only 2.55 kilo including the battery and DVD recorder on our own weight which is excellent in this price category. Previously the low weight meant notebooks on the wrong side of the 20.000 DKK mark. It’s actually the lowest weight we’ve measured so far of all of the 15” models and up. Most of the competition weights from 2.8 kilo and upwards which only makes it more impressive. It measures 32.8 cm wide, 26.8 cm deep and 2.74 mm high.

Processor	1730 MHz Mobile Intel Pentium-M 740 (Centrino)
RAM	1024 MB DDR RAM
Harddrive	60 GB 5400 RPM HD
Optical Drive	DVD–RW
Graphics Chip	ATi Radeon X700 with 128 MB dedicated RAM
Display	15.1” TFT SXGA (1400x1050)
Communication	V.90 modem, 10/100/1000 Mbit Ethernet, IEEE 1394 FireWire, 802.11 g WLAN
Battery	Li-Ion
Operating System	None
Pointing Device	Touchpad
Weight	2,55 kilo
Other	3-in-1 Card Reader
Price	DKK 10.495 without vat in USD: $1355

The keyboard is very standard in its form and resemblances that of the competition. The area were most keyboards differ is by the placement of the Fn, Ctrl and Enter buttons. The latter is most often placed at the outmost right side of the keyboard though it can also be placed a little to the left thereof making room for the Page Up button and the likes. In this scenario the Enter button has been moved a little to the left which I personally find a little irritating. Most notebooks have placed the Enter button on the right side like IBM does for instance and though it’s only a minor inconvenience it’ll pass after a little while.

The keystroke is pretty fine and seems better than that of many other more known brands. It hasn’t got that slouchy feel as most keyboards have in this price segment. There’s no tendency for the buttons to skew either which is a nice thing as well. There are two hotkeys were one of them enables and disables the WLAN. The volume is controlled via a rotating wheel button on the right side which is very practical as you don’t have to use specific hotkeys for this function as you do on other notebooks. It’s a nice initiative that other manufacturers should use more often.

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As has already been mentioned the display is a 15” screen with a native resolution of 1400x1050 making it perfect for office applications and games that don’t support the widescreen format. It’s a non-glare display meaning it hasn’t got any special coating to improve the contrast or dept of the colours. Instead you’re free of the rather irritating reflections you get from time to time. The display itself features a good brightness and seems to be of first-class material. Even at a very sharp angle the display is still easily readable – something not all notebooks can brag about.

The ABook 3600TX is equipped with 4 USB 2.0 ports where the three of them are placed at the left side and the fourth on the right side. The external monitor port and the various communication ports are placed on the back of the notebook ridding the user of cable cluttering. Overall a very fine layout that leaves nothing to spare.

4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x Extern monitor port
1 x 32 bit Type II PC Card slot
1 x S-Video Out
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
1 x RJ-11 jack
1 x RJ-45 jack
1 x Line-In jack
1 x Line-Out jack
1 x DC-in jack
3-in-1 Card Reader (MS, SD, MMC)

Full size | Medium size

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The noise level is disappointingly only mediocre. But it’s the general tendency we’ve observed when it comes to the use of an X700 graphics chip combined with the new Alviso platform. Unfortunately this implies that the fan is spinning a lot and this notebook is no exception. Though it’s not that bad it’s still enough for those that want to hear it! When unplugged the fan is rarely spinning due to the lower frequency the processor operates with. The hard disk operates with 5400 RPM and it’s only slightly hissing in the background though it’s not bothering.

Note: ABook has produced a new BIOS for the notebook that’ll reduce a lot of the idle noise that’s being mentioned in the test. The warranty expires if you’re to upgrade it yourself although they offer it as a free service. It only applies if you at your own expense send the notebook to them as valuable goods with a fragile mark on the package. They upgrade the BIOS the same day they receive it and returns it immediately thereafter on their account. It’s a very nice gesture which also signals the overall rating wasn’t too high. Added 15-11-2005.

Note: All new notebooks are naturally being shipped with this BIOS upgrade installed. Added 28-11-2005.

The only bundled software is the Nero package in addition to the drivers. Not a very impressive feat though it keeps the price a little lower which is what most buyers want anyway.

The support ABook is offering on their 3600TX notebook is significantly improved when compared to their previous models. They’ve increased their warranty to two full years while keeping the barely acceptable standard of six months on the battery as their competitors.

ABook is in charge of the repairs themselves and they’re usually quick to respond. It’s normally 1-3 days plus shipping back and forth. This is one of the benefits of not having an external service centre that’s usually a fair bit longer with their repairs.

Let’s be frank and put it this way: There’s a serious butt-whipping being handed to the “old” graphic chips that we’ve previously tested. The X700 chip is simply superior. 128 MB of RAM is always nice to have though it’s no good if you haven’t got the power to pack the punch. The ATi Mobility X700 chip truly shows its worth in our benchmark suite. It beats the competitors with the highest scores in all of the tests with a big margin to show for it. At certain instances we’re talking about a doubling of points in regards to the previously tested notebooks. For instance the 3DMark 2003 and 2005 shows with clarity how much speed there’s packed in the new X700 chip compared to its ATi Mobility 9700 predecessor.

The SYSmark score is a little low in our opinion. It might have something to due with its slower processor when compared to other models that have scored higher.

On the downside the battery isn’t that impressive since the ABook 3600TX “only” performs a little over three hours in MobileMark 2005. The test is very realistic as it’s based on various office applications that are constantly stressing the notebook. If you’re typing in Word with low brightness the battery might stretch itself to four hours.

All tests results are available here.

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Along with the Acer Ferrari 4000 (Athlon CPU and X700) the ABook 3600TX is the fastest notebook we’ve tested thus far when it comes to 3D performance. It’s highly recommendable for gamers that need top-notch performance and a good all-round notebook. It doesn’t hurt you get a compact design and a good quality at a bargain price either.

No notebook it perfect which is why we haven’t given 5 out of 5 stars yet and it’s not the case this time either. The fan is spinning a little too much when it’s plugged and the battery life isn’t the longest we’ve measured. Some might claim it hasn’t got much of a software bundle though I personally wouldn’t mind as you get the most hardware for your money which is what counts with these specifications. In the end it sums up to a 4.5 rating for its superior performance, quality and bargain price making it a nice offer!

+
Fine 3D performance, keyboard, quality, price
–
Low battery life, noise level (*)

(*) = Please refer to the notes under the “Noise Level” heading.

We can hereby give our first award – Recommended Purchase!





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