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• Processor - Socket 479M - Intel Dual Channel DDR333 FSB 133 MHz Pentium M 770 (2.13 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Dothan) Single Channel DDR333 FSB 100 MHz Pentium M 745 (1.80 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Dothan) Pentium M 735 (1.70 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Dothan) Pentium M 725 (1.60 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Dothan) Pentium M 715 (1.50 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Dothan) Processor - Socket 478 - Intel Dual Channel DDR400 FSB 200 MHz Pentium 4 3.4 GHz (3.4 GHz, 1 MB L2-Cache, Presscott) Pentium 4 3.4 GHz (3.2 GHz, 1 MB L2-Cache, Presscott) Pentium 4 3.4 GHz (3.4 GHz, 512 kB L2-Cache, Northwood) Pentium 4 3.2 GHz (3.2 GHz, 512 kB L2-Cache, Northwood) Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (2.8 GHz, 512 kB L2-Cache, Northwood) Processor - Socket 775 - Intel Dual Channel DDRII-533 FSB 200 MHz Pentium 4 660 (3.6 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Presscott) Pentium 4 650 (3.4 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, Presscott) Pentium 4 EE 3.40 GHz (3.40 GHz, 2 MB L3-Cache, Northwood 2M) FSB 266 MHz Pentium 4 EE 3.46 GHz (3.46 GHz, 2 MB L3-Cache, Northwood 2M) Processor - Socket 939 - AMD Dual Channel DDR400 FSB 200 MHz Athon 64 FX-55 (2.6 GHz, 1 MB L2-Cache, Clawhammer) Athon 64 FX-53 (2.4 GHz, 1 MB L2-Cache, Clawhammer) Athlon 64 3800+ (2.40 GHz, 512 kB L2-Cache, Newcastle) Athlon 64 3500+ (2.20 GHz, 512 kB L2-Cache, Newcastle) Memory DDR400 2x 512 MB - DDR400 (200 MHz) Corsair CMX512-3500C2 (XMS3502 V1.1) (CL2.0-2-2-5-1T @ 200 MHz) DDR2-533 2x 512 MB - DDR2-533 (266 MHz) Infineon HYS64T64000GU-3.7-A (CL3.0-3-3-15 @ 266 MHz) Motherboards AMD Platform Asus A8N-SLI Premium (Rev. 1.01, BIOS 1003-004) NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Chipset Intel Platform Asus P5AD2-E Premium (Rev. 1.02, BIOS 1006) Intel 925XE Chipset Asus P4C800-E (Rev. 1.02, BIOS 1021) Intel 875P Chipset System Hardware Graphics Card (PCIe) NVIDIA Geforce 6800 GT (Reference Board) GPU: NVIDIA Geforce 6800 GT (350 MHz) Memory: 256 MB DDR-SDRAM (500 MHz) Hard Drive Hitachi Deskstar HDS722516VLSA80 160 GB, 8 MB Cache, 7200 rpm Network integrated NVIDIA GbE LAN DVD-ROM Gigabyte GO-D1600C (16x) Power Supply Enermax EG701AX-VH (600Watt) Software Chipset Drivers NVIDIA Forceware 6.53, Intel 7.0.0.1019 Graphics Driver NVIDIA Forceware 71.84 DirectX Version: 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) OS Windows XP Professional 5.10.2600, Service Pack 2 Benchmarks And Settings Benchmarks and Settings OpenGL Quake III Team Arena Version 1.32 1024x768 - 32 bit Timedemo1 / demo thg3 "custom timedemo" Graphics detail = High Quality Doom III Version: 1.0.1262 1024x768 - 32 bit Video Quality = High Quality DirectX 8 Unreal Tournament 2004 Version: 3255 1280 x 1024 / 32 bit / Audio = off THG8-assault-single DirectX 9 3DMark03 Version 3.4.0 1024 x 786 - 32 bit Graphics and CPU Default Benchmark FarCry Version 1.3.1 1024 x 768 - 32 bit (light) qualtity options = low 3DMark05 Version 1.2 1024 x 786 - 32 bit Graphics and CPU Default Benchmark Video Mainconcept MPEG Encoder Version: 1.4.2 1.2 GB DV to MPEG II (720x576, Audio) converting Pinnacle Studio 9 Plus Version: 9.1.2 from: 352x288 MPEG-2 41 MB to: 720x576 MPEG-2 95 MB Encoding and Transition Rendering to MPEG-2/DVD no Audio Auto Gordian Knot DivX 5.2.1 XviD 1.0.2 Version: 2.01b Audio = AC3 6ch Custom size = 100 MB Resulution settings = Fixed width Codec = XviD and DivX 5 Audio = CBR MP3, kbps 192 182 MB VOB MPEG2-source Windows Media Encoder Version: 9.00.00.2980 720x480 DV to WMV 320x240 (29.97 fps) 282 kbps streaming Audio Lame MP3 Version 3.97 Alpha 2 Wave 17:14 minutes (182 MB) to mp3 32 - 320 kbit VBR = level 3 Applications Winrar Version 3.42 283 MB, 246 Files Compression = Best Dictionary = 4096 kB 3D Studio Max 7.0 Discreet Characters "Dragon_Charater_rig" Pixel: 1024 x 768 Rendering Single Synthetic PCMark 2004 Pro Version: 1.2.0 CPU and Memory Tests SiSoftware Sandra 2004 Version 2004.10.9.89 CPU Test = MultiMedia / CPU Arithmetic Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark Wstream Version: 5 100 Operations with 24.9 MB file

• The Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A. Thermaltake is back again with another new case called the Xaser III. We reviewed the Xaser II in our last review and found it to be a great case. So, how do you design a new case that is better than the last case? You start with the design of one of the previous THG Editors Choice cases and then customize the case to incorporate all of the features of that case. Well, that is at least how we would go about it. We are not sure that Thermaltake did it this way, but they do have a smash hit on their hands with the introduction of the new Xaser III. Number Of Internal 3-½ Bays 6 Number Of External 3-½ Bays 2 Number Of External 5-¼ Bays 4 Number Of Case Fans Supported 8 Construction Material Aluminum Power Supply Included None Special Features Fan Speed Control, Temp. Alarm Function, °C / °F display switch, Thermaltake elegant E-LED blue light in front panel, All aluminum front panel, Two way lock in front panel, top mounted audio/USB/1394 ports Size 531 x 206 x 521 mm Sample Case Provided By www.thermaltake.com Estimated Cost $249 US Cooling Potential Rating 10 Construction Quality Rating 9 Overall Case Rating 9 A look inside the Xaser III. The Xaser III is a big case, but thanks to its aluminum design it is quite lightweight. The case itself offers some exceptional construction that features little bend and no twist to the case itself. The unit is sturdy, which is important for a case of this size. The case itself comes shrink wrapped within the box to protect it and it is shipped with nice big foam blocks to protect the case. You will want to hang on to the box in case you have to ship the case anyplace. The case is loaded for bear with Fan Speed Control, Temp. Alarm Function, °C / °F display switch, Thermaltake elegant E-LED blue light in front panel, All aluminum front panel, and Two-way lock in front panel. It is obvious that Thermaltake has spent a great deal of time finding all of the best options to add to the Xaser III. If this wasn't enough, the Xaser III offers a snazzy window on the side panel of the case, as well.

• Price Asus does not sell its own computers direct to consumers, so on its corporate Web site, it offers a range of links to third-party resellers who carry its notebooks. The Asus U2E-A1B is a distinct model—for example, there are more costly options that come with a 32 GB solid state drive in place of or in addition to the 120 GB conventional hard drive—that sells for a range of prices at various retailers such as Best Buy and NewEgg. The U2E-A1B is almost always configured identically to our review unit, though no Web site is currently offering configurable versions of the machine. The price range is $1899 to $1999, and Asus offers no manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Purely productivity-oriented buyers should note that the U2E offers one of the worst price-to-performance ratios of this ultraportable roundup: its price is in the middle of the pack, buts its performance is at the bottom. Yet, if there are other things that matter to you when considering a high-end, tiny computer, the Asus doesn’t seem like such a bad deal. With the U2E, you’re paying for design; if you don’t fall in love with the U2E’s design, the computer will seem like a huge rip-off. But if leather and chrome are your thing, you’ll be willing to pay for the privilege. Additionally, if as-small-as-possible-yet-still-has-optical-drive is high up on your priority list, that might be worth a few hundred bucks to you, and the U2E will look better and better. Finally, if a bit of durability is required for your lifestyle, this machine is a bit more rugged than others in the roundup. No matter how you slice it, though, compared to the competition in this roundup, the Asus machine is objectively underpowered and subjectively overpriced. Price Score: 3 Battery Life The Asus U2E came with two batteries; we chose to test the higher capacity one. According to our battery life test program, BatteryEater Pro, the battery’s design capacity is around 2344 mAh (milliamp hours) at 10.8 V. The actual capacity after a full charge, again according to BatteryEater Pro, was about 2000 mAh. This is a comparatively low capacity battery and the BatteryEater Pro battery life tests confirm this: the U2E ran for exactly 60 minutes on a full charge. Battery Life score: 1.45 Performance With only a 1.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 CPU and a 4,200 RPM ATA hard disk drive, the U2E achieved the lowest score of the five ultraportable notebooks on our performance tests, even though it was the only notebook to sport 3 GB rather than 2 GB of memory. Performance score: 2.43