Multivision Ionix XT

With notebook computers becoming increasingly popular, users don't need to make compromises on performance and pay over the odds for the privilege. Therefore, more and more buyers are downsizing their PC.

We know Multivision more for its desktop computers than its notebooks but this is the second portable PC we have seen from them. On paper, it looks like a powerful performer.

The first thing that strikes users about the Ionix XT is the looks. It's not often that a notebook PC makes a visual impact but the odd (yet stylish) matt black and silver case is very tactile. This might well be irrelevant to those who rank portability and compactness over looks, as it's neither light (3.4kg) nor small.

Considering its specification, however, we expect it to be more at home as a desktop replacement than a true portable PC so we're willing to overlook its bulk.

With 512MB of DDR memory supporting the powerful 2.53GHz Pentium 4 processor, good performance looked like it was on the cards. Our labs tests demonstrated that resource hungry operations such as video editing won't pose any problems.

Indeed, with a mini-Firewire port and a 60GB hard disk, a spot of video editing is practically encouraged. Better still, the inclusion of a DVD-Rom/CD-RW combo drive means you can make Video CDs of your videos to distribute to friends and family.

The Ionix isn't a video editing computer though. The one thing that really makes this notebook standout in its price range is the inclusion of a 64MB ATI M9 Radeon 9000 Mobile Graphics chip. Putting good graphics chips in notebooks has traditionally been tough for a number of reasons.

Good graphics chips tend to require lots of power and generate a lot of heat as they complete all the complex maths involved in creating 3D graphics.

The Radeon M9 overcomes these problems sufficiently to make the Ionix an eye-catching games machine. It runs the latest games with ease. The only slight flies in the ointment are regarding the 15in screen.

The screen has a maximum resolution of 1400x1050 which is good for working with documents but in games, it can cause problems. We had to manually set the display to a lower resolution of 1024 x 786 to make games run which is bit fiddly.

The viewing angle on the large 15in TFT screen wasn't that great either so people looking at the screen from either side will not see much of the onscreen action.

We managed to get 2 hours 24 minutes battery life on our test which, considering the processor isn't a mobile version with fancy power-saving features, is pretty good.

On the back of the machine is a VGA port for adding an external monitor and an S-Video port so you can hook it up to the TV when watching DVDs, there is an infrared port useful for beaming contacts to and from your mobile phone and one PC card slot to add any other peripherals.

Whether you're planning on using it at the office or at home there are integrated connectors for 56k modem and network which lends it a little more flexibility.

To finish of the package there are 4 USB ports allowing you to connect all your other devices, including a keyboard external and mouse, as there are no PS2 ports. The fitted keyboard is perfectly pleasant to use but like any notebook, no substitute for a full-size one if you are working at a desk.

The software bundle is better than some but note desperately exciting. Lotus Smartsuite is adequate for all your office needs while Easy CD Creator and WinDVD means you can make CDs and watch DVD movies. There is no antivirus software.

We would have like to see a another year on the one-year collect and return warranty but for the price we've still not seen much to beat this machine.

Contact: Multivision Computers
www.multivision.co.uk