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Review: Peter's M6BNe Review with Photos - Page 2

post #21 of 51
9/12/04 at 4:23pm
Sorry about the dog talk.

So ... another reason I appreciated your review is that I'm more of a business user like you rather than a gamer. I play some games, but they're pretty lightweight. I don't think I need 128MB of dedicated VRAM. The 64MB in your M6BNe sounds like plenty.

You mentioned screen resolution -- on my desktop monitor, I'm used to working at 1600 x 1200. As long as I enlarge fonts, I have no problem reading text or seeing icons, etc.

Anyway, have you played a DVD on your M6BNe? If so, how would you describe the image quality?

Ideally, I'd like a 15.4" screen with 1680 x 1050 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio for excellent DVD playback, but those are hard to find.

Thanks for info/help!
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post #22 of 51
9/12/04 at 4:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quicksilver57
So ... another reason I appreciated your review is that I'm more of a business user like you rather than a gamer. I play some games, but they're pretty lightweight. I don't think I need 128MB of dedicated VRAM. The 64MB in your M6BNe sounds like plenty.
I think it is plenty unless you are big on games or very serious drafting or graphics program work and it doesn't sound like you are. I ran a gamer's benchmark, 3DMark2001, and am told that this machine does pretty well despite the 64MB of video memory (see the review).

Quote:
You mentioned screen resolution -- on my desktop monitor, I'm used to working at 1600 x 1200. As long as I enlarge fonts, I have no problem reading text or seeing icons, etc.
Well, you are used to doing it so I guess you are okay with it, but I've had trouble trying to work with increased DPI. It leaves inconsistencies in some apps.

Quote:
Anyway, have you played a DVD on your M6BNe? If so, how would you describe the image quality?

Ideally, I'd like a 15.4" screen with 1680 x 1050 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio for excellent DVD playback, but those are hard to find.
I have played a DVD. The image I think is bigger than on a 15" since the aspect ratio is closer to theater and the black bars are smaller. The quality is fine, but I don't have much to compare to. It might look even better on a glossy screen like Sony's Xbrite, or Toshiba's TruBrite. But I don't think you gain any advantage in DVD playback by having a higher resolution screen. So I've read here anyway. Others may know more about how DVD playback works.
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post #23 of 51
9/13/04 at 12:19am
Peter,
Thanks for the info. I don't like the glossy screens at all. In a way, that's fortunate, as it has allowed me to rule out a number of models. I'm already driving myself crazy trying to make a decision.

Quote:
But I don't think you gain any advantage in DVD playback by having a higher resolution screen. So I've read here anyway.
Hmmm. I've noticed a significant difference between, for example, a 1024 x 728 screen and a 1600 x 1200 screen in terms of DVD playback quality. Maybe it's just me.
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post #24 of 51
9/13/04 at 12:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quicksilver57
Thanks for the info. I don't like the glossy screens at all. In a way, that's fortunate, as it has allowed me to rule out a number of models. I'm already driving myself crazy trying to make a decision.
Yeah, it's tough for us obsessive types.

I ruled out the glossy screens too. I'm mostly text and I found the gloss is more tiring for reading than the non-glare screens.

Quote:
Hmmm. I've noticed a significant difference between, for example, a 1024 x 728 screen and a 1600 x 1200 screen in terms of DVD playback quality. Maybe it's just me.
Maybe so. You could start a new thread called s.t. like "DVD playback resolution" and get some more knowledgeable opinions.
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post #25 of 51
9/13/04 at 10:38pm
DVDs are all encoded at 720x480 (NTSC, PAL are 720x576). Scaling up to arbitrary screen sizes can degrade the picture quality. Scaling up to multiples shouldn't be too bad.
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post #26 of 51
10/17/04 at 5:36pm
Thread Starter 

Low Profile Speaker Plug adaptor

I picked up a speaker plug adaptor from Radio Shack for something like eight bucks that keeps the plug low profile. This might be even more attractive for folks with the headphone jack on the front of their computers. It has a volume control in line.

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post #27 of 51
10/21/04 at 4:28am
I would like to ask about the battery life. You said you got 3h 45mins the first day, while installing etc. How does it do with normal use ? (Lower brightness, less disk access etc.) Also while gaming ?
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post #28 of 51
10/21/04 at 11:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by orestis82
I would like to ask about the battery life. You said you got 3h 45mins the first day, while installing etc. How does it do with normal use ? (Lower brightness, less disk access etc.) Also while gaming ?
Unfortunately, I never did get to further battery tests. Since we are likely talking about 4+ hours, I don't usually have a stretch that long of straight computer use.

There is a thread though, on another forum, that might give some indications of typical battery life:
http://www.notebookreview.com/forums...?TOPIC_ID=6647
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post #29 of 51
10/24/04 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 

3DMark05

I ran 3DMark05 at default settings (free version). Better score with screen in 1024x768 mode. Overall was 746. Not so good. From reading others' posts, it looks like this benchmark is severely impacted by VRAM but does not correspond meaningful to real game graphic results. Results added to original review, FWIW.
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post #30 of 51
12/8/04 at 11:27am
Ok. It seems a lot of Asus M6N owners and lovers here. I have been thinking about this laptop for months now. I have narrowed it down to this or the Mitac 8050. What are the pros and cons of each? Also, there is this one from portableone.com. It is also an asus with 14" screen but they send it with an optional bluetooth adaptar which is cool. It is the Portable One MX. What do you all say?
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post #31 of 51
12/8/04 at 1:00pm
The only thing I can say is a drawback for the Asus is 64 mb RAM. But depending on your needs that may not be a drawback at all.

The Mitac, from what I've heard, does get a bit warm. Might want to do a search on here and see what you come up with on that.

I've never owned either, but just purchased the Asus and am waiting to receive it now.

I think they both have a reputation for being well made and seem to have very happy owners here on the forum.

Good luck with your search. It took me months!
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post #32 of 51
12/8/04 at 1:29pm
Ok. Thanks for your response.
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post #33 of 51
12/12/04 at 9:20am
Is it just me or it says the screens are 256k colours? Isn't that bad quality considering desktop LCD monitors and some notebook LCD's support 16.7 million colours?
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post #34 of 51
12/12/04 at 1:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sgt_Strider
Is it just me or it says the screens are 256k colours? Isn't that bad quality considering desktop LCD monitors and some notebook LCD's support 16.7 million colours?
I can't really say. I'm still waiting for mine! And it's my first, so I'm in no way an expert. Maybe someone else on here will be able to answer your question.
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post #35 of 51
12/12/04 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sgt_Strider
Is it just me or it says the screens are 256k colours? Isn't that bad quality considering desktop LCD monitors and some notebook LCD's support 16.7 million colours?
I'm running at 32bit colors. It should not be a concern. Typical TFT LCD displays used in laptops natively display only 256K colors. It is through palette extension techniques generated by the GPU, such as dithering, that more colors are displayed.

Engineers correct me where I'm wrong !
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post #36 of 51
12/12/04 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pstrisik
I'm running at 32bit colors. It should not be a concern. Typical TFT LCD displays used in laptops natively display only 256K colors. It is through palette extension techniques generated by the GPU, such as dithering, that more colors are displayed.

Engineers correct me where I'm wrong !
It doesn't matter whether you're running at 32bit colour or not. If your screen can't display it, then it won't.
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post #37 of 51
12/13/04 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sgt_Strider
Is it just me or it says the screens are 256k colours? Isn't that bad quality considering desktop LCD monitors and some notebook LCD's support 16.7 million colours?
Quote:
It doesn't matter whether you're running at 32bit colour or not. If your screen can't display it, then it won't.
What notebook with lcd screen natively supports 16.7 million colors?

Do you know of any XGA/WXGA notebook with lcd that natively supports more than 256K colors?
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post #38 of 51
12/16/04 at 7:42pm
I am interested in video editing and also want to play games too. I am a little bit confused , I am interested in Asus but when i started customizing it, It says that the one that i am about to purchased is a Chembook 2060-x. Is it the same? Is there anything that you can suggest. I hope you can help me. If ever this will be my first notebook . And It will cost me 2500 +


15.4" WXGA+ (1280 x 800) Active Matrix Display
2.0 GHz Intel Pentium M (755) Processor (Dothan / 2,048k L2 Cache)
64 MB Dedicated DDR Vram - ATi Mobility 9700 Pro (M11) w/ 4X AGP
60 GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
2048 MB DDR333 (PC2700) SDRAM (1 GB x 2)
2X DVD-R/RW / 8X DVD / 24X CD / 16X CD-RW Combo Drive w/ Softwares (Toshiba SD-R6112)
Internal 56k Modem
10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet LAN Port
Internal IntelPRO 2200 Wireless Ethernet/Lan (802.11 b+g)
Smart Lithium Ion Battery (4+ hour battery life)
Built-in Flash Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro)
S-video out, 4 USB (2.0), 1 PCMCIA, IR, 4-in1 Card Reader, IEEE Firewire
AC Adapter w/ power cord
Free Deluxe Carry Case
MS Windows XP-Professional Installed, CD Included
2 yr ChemUSA warranty w/ lifetime tech support
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post #39 of 51
12/16/04 at 8:02pm
Chembook is just the name of the model from the reseller (ChemUSA). It's the same notebook.
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post #40 of 51
12/16/04 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon64
I am interested in video editing and also want to play games too. I am a little bit confused , I am interested in Asus but when i started customizing it, It says that the one that i am about to purchased is a Chembook 2060-x. Is it the same? Is there anything that you can suggest. I hope you can help me. If ever this will be my first notebook . And It will cost me 2500 +
Hi Dragon64. Yes, discountlaptops sells the Asus M6BN/M6BNe as the Chembook 2060E. Chembook buys the barebones chasis from Asus and adds standard components and their own branding to the computer.

Your system is on the expensive side since you are getting 2GB ram, 2GB Dothan, and DVD writer. I would get the DVD/CD-RW and an external DVD writer. The Toshiba isn't very fast by today's standards and there has been some issues with media compatibility. If you really need the faster processor and 2GB ram, go for it. The "sweet spot" for Dothan processors right now is 1.7GB. You pay quite a bit more to jump up to 2GB.

In any case, you'll end up with a great machine.
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