Medion MD42676

The Medion MD42676 is aimed at those who want an ultra-portable notebook at an affordable price. Inside the attractive case is a 1.4GHz Celeron processor, which is fairly slow by today's standards but enough to power most Windows applications at a tolerable pace.

This is backed up by 256Mb of memory, which is acceptable for office applications and basic computer use. However, if you're planning to do highly intensive tasks such as video editing, the machine slows to a crawl.

This is worsened by the fact that the notebook's graphics steals 64Mb of the main memory, so the MD42676 isn't suitable for playing modern 3D games.

Where the MD42676 excels is in its portability. The system is very compact and weighs just 1.75kg. To its credit, Medion has managed to squeeze a number of commendable features into a relatively small space. Its 12.1in TFT screen isn't large, but it is widescreen and is well suited to DVD movies.

Considering the price, we didn't expect a particularly good optical drive, so we were surprised with the inclusion of a recordable DVD drive that can write to plus-rated DVD discs as well as standard CDs.

There is a decent amount of hard disk space to keep your files too. The 40Gb drive won't meet the needs of audio and video editors, but there's plenty of room to store your office documents and digital photos.

The MD42676 can also be commended for its inclusion of Wi-Fi. If you walk into a wireless hotspot, you'll be able to use the internet without having to connect to a phone line. You'll also be able to connect to a wireless home network to share files.

On the whole, the MD42676 is a very attractive and usable notebook. It may not be the most powerful but, for those on a budget, it is a worthwhile consideration.

Contact: Medion 01793 715715
www.medion.co.uk

Also consider:
Tiny PowerLite C725 XS. Bigger than the Medion, but more powerful.