Building A Whitebox Notebook: Part 1
The Parts We Picked:
The Notebook: ASUS M6000N (PRICING)
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The first step to building a notebook is to find a chassis that fits what you are trying to do. In our case we wanted a notebook for business and gaming that we could take on the road with us when needed. This narrows out 99% of the notebooks on the market! Luckily May 24, 2004he ASUS M6N series. This notebook is based on the Centrino platform, which is also perfect for our needs as we demand power along with long battery life. Besides all the great features that are listed below this notebook will also support the upcoming Dothan mobile processor from Intel that is due out in May of 2004.
For many years buying a notebook means you either pick from a business notebooks or a gaming notebook. With the introduction of the Intel Centrino platform it allows companies like ASUS to piece together a whitebook that can do both. Thanks to ASUS’s implementation of ATI’s Mobility Radeon 9600 64MB graphics solution we can use intensive graphics applications and then switch over to the spreadsheets for office work. If that alone isn’t enough to sell you consider the fact that you also get your warranty & support from ASUS and not a company that outsourced their customer service to India.
Since the ASUS M6N series packs the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 under the plastic it allowed ASUS to have numerous display options (15.1″ SXGA+//1400 x1050 pixels or 15.4″ WXGA //1280×800 pixels) that are capable of a high resolution. Although we have hit on some of the features it’s best to let the below chart tell them all to you!
ASUS M6N Series Features:
| Processor & Cache Memory | Intel Pentium M processor 1.30GHz-1.70GHz, 1MB On-Die L2 Cache (Dothan ready) |
| Operating System Support | Microsoft Windows XP Home Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition |
| Chipset | Intel 855PM & ICH4-M |
| Main Memory | DDR333 SDRAM, 2x SO-DIMM socket expandable to 2GB |
| Display | 15.1″ XGA/SXGA+ & 15.4″ WXGA/WSXGA+ 256K Color Dual Channel LVDS I/F |
| Video Graphics & Memory | ATI Mobility T Radeon T 9600, 64MB RAM |
| Hard Drive | 2.5-inch 9.5mm IDE HDD with DMA 100 supported, 40/60/80 GB |
| Optical Drive | – Interchangeable 24X/24X/8X/24X DVD+CD-RW Combo module – Interchangeable 1X2X/16X10X/8X24X DVD-RW module – Interchangeable 2X(2.4X)4X/24X24X/ 8X24X DVD-RW/DVD+RW Dual/Multi module – Support Module Hot Swap Function and 2nd HDD/2nd Battery |
| Card Reader | Build-in card reader support (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO) |
| Fax/Modem/ LAN | – AC 97 s/w MODEM and 10/100/ 1000 Base T PCI LAN on board – Pass and support worldwide regulation |
| IrDA | SIR-115.2Kbps supported |
| PC Card Slot | PCMCIA 2.1 compliant One type II/I |
| LED Status Indicator | Power-on/Suspend Battery Charging/full/low Storage device access Capital Lock Scroll Lock Number Lock E-mail in box Touchpad lock LED Wireless indicator Audio DJ Activity |
| Interface | 1 x EPP/ECP Parallel port/D-sub 25-pin 1x PortBar III 68-pin Connector 1x Infrared port support IrDA V1.1 1 x TV-Out 1 x Headphone-out combo jack 1 x Microphone-in jack 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external DDC monitor 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 4 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x IEEE 1394 port |
| Audio DJ | On the left side Play/Pause/Stop/Fast Forward/Rewind |
| Audio | AC 97 S/W audio with 3D Effect & Full Duplex SoundBlaster PRO compatible Built-in stereo speaker and Microphone |
| Hot Keys | Instant launch Keys 5 buttons: Email, Internet, WLAN On/Off, Touchpad Lock On/Off Power4 Gear+ Hot Keys |
| Battery Pack & Life | – Li-Ion 8 cells, 14.8V, 4400mAh, 65W battery pack – Swappable Second Battery Support (Using Optical Drive Bay) – Run-down life, 5.5 hrs (8.5 hrs with the 2nd Battery) |
| AC Adapter | Output: 19 V DC, 3.42 A, 65W Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal |
| Dimension & Weight | 354 x 273 x 22-34 mm(WxDxH,) 2.6 KG or 5.7 LBS (with traveller’s drawer) |
| Security | Pre-OS Authentication by programmable key code BIOS Booting / HDD User Password Protection and security lock Kensington lock hole provided |
| Wireless Connectivity (optional) | Integrated 802.11b Integrated 802.11 b/g module |
| Multimedia Software | ASUSDVD XP V4.0 |
| Virus & Tool Software | NERO Express V5.5 |
As the features clearly show this is one powerful notebook that packs a ton of punch for the user looking to have it all at a great price! Now that the choice of a readily available whitebook has been taken care of we need to pick out the rest of the pieces!
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