4x4: A Comparison of Four Mobile Pentium 4-M Processors

1:00 PM - February 12, 2003 - by Harald Thon

6. The Test System: Asus L3C

Asus provided THG with the all-in-one L3C notebook as a test system, in addition to several P4-M CPUs.

Asus L3C
Type	All-In-One
Dimensions (WxHxD)	327 mm x 48 mm x 270 mm / 12.9" x 1.9" x 10.6"
Weight of unit	3430 g / 7.55 lbs
Weight including charger and cable	3877 g / 8.53 lbs
Display Size	15.1"
Display Resolution	1400x1050
CPU	P4-M
Memory Type	PC2100 DDR SDRAM
Amount of Memory	512 MB
Chipset Northbridge	845MP
Chipset Southbridge	ICH3-M
Graphics Controller	Ati Mobility Radeon 7500 (LW)/M7 32 MB DDR
Hard drive bay	2.5", 12.5 mm height
Ethernet	Realtek RTL8139 (10/100 Mbit)
Modem	HSP 56MR
Audio	Intel AC97
Battery Capacity	59 Wh
Battery Weight	422 g / 14.9 ounces
Pointing Device(s)	Touchpad
CD/DVD ROM	Toshiba SDR2102 (ATA-2) 8x/8x8x24xDVD/CDRW Combo
Harddisc	IBM Travelstar IC25N020ATCS05-0 ATA-5 20 GB/5400rpm/8 MB
PCcard Slot(s)	2x type II or 1xIII (R)
Floppy Drive	Yes (L)
USB ports	2x USB 1.1 (B)
1394 ports	2x ( R)
IR port	IrDA 1.1 ( R)
Serial Ports	Yes (B)
Parallel Ports	Yes (B)
VGA out	Yes (B)
Keyboard/Mouse Connector	Yes (B)
Headphone/Microphone/ Line In Connector	Yes/Yes/No (B)
Video-In/Out	No/Yes (B)
B=Backside, L=Left side, R=Right Side

The chipset in the Asus L3C is a product of the combination of the MCH-M (memory controller hub mobile) 845MP and Intel's ICH3-M (I/O controller hub).

Ideal combination: MCH-M 845MP and ICH3-M.

MCH-M and ICH3-M communicate via the hub interface. The I/O controller hub plays an important role in connection with all energy-saving mechanisms offered by the Pentium 4-M: it not only controls the processor speed and the Speedstep function, but it also produces the signal that switches the CPU to Deep Sleep or Deeper Sleep.

The Asus L3C is ideal for this test because it contains the very latest in notebook technology and allows users to switch CPUs in a matter of seconds.