PACKARD BELL EASYNOTE E3 225SE
EXCLUSIVE

IN BRIEF: The white chassis is unusual and appealing, although graphics performance is weak

Packard Bell is putting a great deal of effort into the styling of its latest computers, in both the laptop and desktop environments. One of its key strategies is to offer a white chassis, and the EasyNote E series is the first of its laptop range to sport the new colour. From the reactions we have observed at WL, the company has got it right, since responses have been extremely positive.

Although largely made of tough creamy-white plastic, the look is nicely balanced by silver-grey trimming and the overall appearance is attractive. Blue activity LEDs complete the contemporary design. For those with more traditional tastes, the EasyNote E range has also been available in a black and grey design since May.

The model we saw was an EasyNote E3 225SE (£899 inc. VAT), which had an AMD Athlon XP-M 2200+ processor (1.8GHz). This was supported by 256MB of DDR SDRAM and a Fujitsu 30GB hard disk drive. Other E3 configurations are available, and the E5 version of this chassis (black only) will have Intel's Centrino technology.

Graphics processing was handled by an integrated S3 Graphics ProSavageDDR solution set up to share 32MB of system memory. The result of 642 shows graphics capability is the system's weak point. While it's satisfactory for playing DVDs, surfing the internet and operating productivity packages, such as word processors and spreadsheets, it won't handle intensive multimedia tasks or games. The screen resolution was 1024 x 768 pixels. The image wasn't particularly crisp but there was good brightness and contrast, although with very little adjustment range.

It's important to note that our unit was a very early pre-production sample, and unfortunately we couldn't get our benchmark software to run, apart from the 3D test. However, from the specification and our experience of the machine we'd expect the processing and battery performance to be well ahead of the 3D result. This may also account for the break-up of sound we experienced at the very start of any sound playback. Otherwise the build quality was impressive. There were no creaks from the casing when handled, and it seemed capable of withstanding life on the move. The fan came on when the processor was working hard, but the sound level was reasonable.

At 3.1kg, the laptop may not be in the category of an ultraportable (under 2.5kg), but the EasyNote E3 is still quite portable. This model doesn't include wireless connectivity, but those who want it could opt for the E5 Centrino. Along with the contemporary styling, the system has favoured modern connector types at the expense of legacy ports, so it won't suit people with old peripherals. Most of the connectors are on the left of the case where they're easy to reach. There's a cluster of four USB ports along with modem, Ethernet and external monitor connectors, and a single Type II PC Card slot. At the front there's a mini-FireWire port, microphone and headphone jacks and a Flash memory card slot (SD/MMC/MS/SM), and there's an S-Video connection on the rear.

The optical drive is a Teac DVD/CD-RW combination drive on the right of the case. Packard Bell supplies CyberLink's PowerDVD XP and Sonic's RecordNow DX to use with the drive. Other titles include Ulead's DVD MovieFactory SE, and Norton's AntiVirus and Internet Security.

We had an exclusive look at the only whitechassis EasyNote E series sample in Europe, and we think it is promising (expect UK release by October). It has visual impact and it's well-built and affordable, although the graphics performance of the E3 version is poor. Nevertheless, because of the styling, it should suit people looking for an attractive everyday laptop with a modern 'lifestyle' edge.

PRICE: £765/£899 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR: AMD MOBILE ATHLON XP-M 2200+
MEMORY: 256MB DDR SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: FUJITSU 30GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE: 15.1-INCH TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 1024 X 768 PIXELS
GRAPHICS CARD: S3 GRAPHICS PROSAVAGEDDR
DIMENSIONS (W X H X D): 325 X 276 X 42MM
WEIGHT: 3.1KG
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III): 1/0
WIRELESS LAN: NO
ETHERNET: YES
MODEM: YES
USB PORTS: 4
FIREWIRE: 1
STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 YR C&R
WARRANTY UPGRADE: THROUGH DSG
01628 512456 WWW.PACKARDBELL.CO.UK

RATINGS AND TEST RESULTS

BATTERY LIFE: NOT AVAILABLE
MOBILEMARK 2002: NOT AVAILABLE
3DMARK 2001: 642

VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
PERFORMANCE: 5
BUILD QUALITY: 8
OVERALL: 7