Review: Zepto Znote 6625WD Santa Rosa notebook

The Znote 6625WD also contains Nvidia's first mobile DirectX 10 graphics card.

Zepto provided us with Nvidia's fastest design, the Geforce 8600M GT with 512MB of dedicated Ram.

Similar to the desktop 8600 graphics card , it has 32 stream processors running at 950MHz.

The memory is clocked at 700MHz and the GPU runs at 475MHz.

In our PCmark05 test it scored 4,607 overall, which is exceptional for a laptop of this price, with 4,513 in the CPU section and 3,794 in the memory section.

Comparing this to the most similar processor in Intel's old '667MHz FSB' arsenal with 2MB L2 cache, the Core 2 Duo T5600 (clocked slightly higher at 1.83GHz) shows a mixed bag in terms of performance.

Compared with an almost identical system containing Intel's i945GM chipset, 1GB DDR2 667MHz Ram and a T5600, the T7100 was four per cent slower in the CPU section but four per cent faster in the memory section.

This means the T5600 with its 'smaller' model number is actually better at file compression, encryption and audio compression. On the other hand, the T7100 is marginally faster at memory heavy tasks – this will only improve with 800MHz Ram.

Graphically, the system was very capable too, scoring 3,637 in 3Dmark06 and 5,691 in 3Dmark05. This is 80 per cent faster than the Geforce Go 7600 achieved, but not as fast as 7950GTX; mobile versions of the Geforce 8800 series aren't due for some months, according to Nvidia.

You can see how this compares to other notebooks we've tested at our benchmarking site.

An 80GB Hitachi Travelstar was supplied, rotating at 5,400rpm (an average speed) for testing, however, retail laptops will ship with a 120GB version. Z e pto bizarrely splits it into three partitions resulting in a 20GB, 24GB and 31GB volumes after formatting to NTFS. The 20GB contains the Windows installation and programs.

Bluetooth is provided and our review model came with Intel's new Wifi link 4965AGN mini PCI Express card. As previously stated, this supports the relatively new Draft N standard. In testing we found it had excellent reception, providing better distance than a USB 802.11g dongle we'd previously been using.

The notebook weighs 2.9kg (3.5kg including the PSU), which is average for a 15.4in laptop and not something you'd want to carry around for extended periods. The screen has a resolution of 1,280x800 and a reflective coating to increase contrast. Overall, we were pleased with its bright and evenly lit performance.

The keyboard, however, is flimsy and curled up a little on the right hand side. The trackpad lacks any real border, so can be difficult to use, but is not as disappointing as the keyboard in terms of build quality.

Aside from the keyboard and trackpad, the chassis construction is extremely solid and doesn't flex when pushed. The LCD bezel is reasonably thick and the laptop, in general, understated – more function over style.

Media Center buttons are located on the front of the notebook while the stereo speakers are impressively loud. There's also a multidirectional webcam installed into the chassis.

Vista Ultimate was provided on our review model, however Vista Home Premium is an option that will save you £50.

Battery life under our DVD playback test was poor with the Zepto lasting just one hour 16 minutes. We suspect Nvidia's graphics card is to blame and we're currently investigating this further. In ordinary usage it achieved just over two hours.

After several hours of gaming, the system remained perfectly cool on the top and only warm on the bottom of the device – extremely impressive for the frame rates we were achieving.

In testing we ascertained the panel has a response time of 16ms, which is adequate for non-blurred gaming.

However, Nvidia's Vista drivers leave a lot to be desired. They are currently buggy with missing textures and graphics occasionally going completely amok. We've been told to expect updates very soon.

This Zepto Santa Rosa costs £973, however there's a nasty £27 credit card surcharge on top of this as well as a delivery charge. It takes 27 days to build the laptop and the 12 month return to base warranty is a little stingy.

Overall, this is an impressive laptop for the price, with its only real problem being the keyboard. If you use this as a desktop replacement and plug in an external keyboard though, it's ideal.