September 2, 2004
By pitching its business like a low-cost airline, Tiny.com believes that it can carve itself a sizeable slice of the computing cake. But just as you wouldn’t fly to Madrid in an old Lancaster bomber, Tiny.com can’t compromise on the quality of its technology. So savings have to be made elsewhere – note the basic one-year warranty, the optional support packages, and the L1 per minute telephone helpline. Extended cover is available, but that will jack up the cost. In some ways, the price really is too good to be true.
This Mediabook MK64-3200+ has been built around a versatile Athlon 64 processor, running at a speed of 2GHz. While you’ll get good performance from the 754-pin chip, the 32-bit Windows XP environment still doesn’t show it off to its full potential. Nevertheless, with 1GB of RAM packed in, the Mediabook MK64-3200+ has the components in place to be capable of even better performance, either when Microsoft’s 64-bit Windows OS appears, or if you opt to dump Windows for Linux.
The rest of the specification isn’t bad either. The 80GB Toshiba hard disk is deep and roomy, but it’s only a 4,200rpm-rated drive. Alongside the HDD, you’ll also find a Matsushita UJ- 815 DVD/RW unit, a good all-round write and rewrite solution.
The 3DMark scores provide a demanding test of the Radeon M10 IGP, but a high-performance processor can often boost these scores. In terms of visual vigour, the Mediabook MK64- 3200+ returned a score of 7,396 in 3DMark2001SE. 3DMark2003, meanwhile posted a score of 2,382. It’s worth noting, though, that the numbers here are lower than those recorded by laptops equipped with a Radeon 9600 chipset and a 3.2GHz Mobile P4 chip. So while the Athlon 64 is certainly quick, it’s not the fastest chip around. In truth, a MobileMark score of 134 should be considered so-so at this level, although the battery retained power for 226 minutes, trumping similar P4-based machines by an hour-and-a-half. The bulky black and silver 8555 chassis used here does enable the Mediabook to feature a wide array of extras. The 15in digital fl at panel is spacious, supporting resolutions right up to a maximum of 1,400x1,050 pixels.
We’ve seen better displays, with far better viewing angles than this. But at the low L999 inc VAT price point, the panel here is good enough for both business and multimedia use. Running Windows XP Home Edition, Tiny.com also supplies a lightweight software selection with the Mediabook MK64-3200+. This is, however, notable for the trial of Microsoft Office included, an exclusive opportunity to use the 2003 editions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook for 60 days for free.
We’ve yet to see the Athlon 64 at its best; Intel’s Mobile Pentium 4s have proved themselves to be more powerful, while its Pentium-M chips dominate thanks to their combination of swift performance and extended battery life. But these Intel chips don’t have the longevity of AMD’s 64-bit renegades, and this alone makes a machine like the Mediabook well worth a second look.
Priced at L999 inc VAT, this is a limited offer system, the availability of which has been extended to cover the period that this issue of PC Plus is on sale. If you’re confident enough to ignore Tiny.com’s inadequate after-sales provisions, this is a good opportunity to buy a next-gen system. Ring 01282 77 7555, and quote PC Plus, the June issue, and the name of the system.
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