Eurocom Laptop Proves Size Matters :
Introduction
Eurocom's M620NC weighs under three pounds and measures 11" x 1.25" x 9.3". See full specifications below.
There are three things that mobile workers crave from their laptops: light weight, long battery life and solid performance. The Eurocom M620NC Titanium delivers on at least two of those cravings and the price is quite competitive for its class. In this article we compare the M620NC to Toshiba's Tecra A8. The two offer different approaches to mobile computing. The M620NC is small and light with more modest computing power. The Tecra A8 is larger, heavier and outfitted with somewhat higher end components.
In the first slideshow listed below we take you on a a visual tour of the exterior and interior of the M620NC. In the performance slideshow we show you the results of our benchmark tests, comparing the Eurocom to the Toshiba. Benchmarks include: 3DMark05, PCMark05, MobileMark 2004 and our display brightness and contrast evaluations.
Slideshows:
Photo Slideshow: Exterior and Interior shots of the Eurocom M620NC Titanium Performance Slideshow: 3DMark05, PCMark05, MobileMark 2004 as well as our display brightness and contrast tests.Features Table
| Manufacturer
Model |
EUROCOM
M620NC TITANIUM |
TOSHIBA
Tecra A8 Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions & Weight | ||
| Width x Height x Depth | 11" x 1.25" x 9.3"
27.9 x 3.2 x 23.6 |
10.5" x 1.75" x 14.25"
26.7 x 36.2 x 4.4 cm |
| Unit & Battery | 2lb 14oz / 1304g | 5lb 14oz / 2665g |
| Charger and Power Cord | 14oz / 397g | 15oz / 425g |
| Total | 3lb 12oz / 1701g | 6lb 13oz / 3090g |
| AC Adapter & Battery | ||
| Battery I Capacity | Li-Ion (7.4V, 5200mAh) | Li-Ion (10.8 V, 4400 mAh) |
| Battery II Capacity | na | na |
| AC adapter | 64.75W | 60 W |
| Pointing Device(s) | Touchpad | Touchpad |
| Display and Graphics Controller | ||
| Display Size | 12" Full Screen | 15.4" wide screen |
| Display Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 |
| Graphics controller | Intel 945GM | Intel 945GM |
| System | ||
| BIOS | Phoenix 1.00.11C (08/11/06) | Toshiba 1.5 08/28/2006 |
| CPU | Core Solo U1400
(1.2MHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, FSB533) |
Core Duo T2400
(1.83 GHz, 2 MB L2-Cache, FSB667) |
| Memory | 1 x 1 GB 533MHz DDR2 1 x 256 MB 533MHz DDR2 | 2 x 512 MB 533 MHz DDR2 |
| Hard Drive | ||
| Manufacturer & Model | Hitatchi HTS726060M9AT00 | Fujitsu MHV2100BH PL |
| Size | 60 GB | 100 GB |
| Performance | (IDE / 7200RPM / 8 MB / 10 ms) | (SATA / 5400 rpm / 8 MB/ 12 ms) |
| Other Drives | ||
| Manufacturer & Model | MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ-842S | TOSHIBA DVDW/HD TS-L802A |
| Type | DVD-ROM/DVD-RW | DVD-ROM/DVD-RW |
| Floppy Drive | None | none |
| Media Bay | None | none |
| Connectors | ||
| PS2 Mouse/Keyboard | none / none | none / none |
| USB 2.0 | 2xRight 1xLeft | 3xBack |
| IEEE1394/Firewire | 1xLeft | 1xBack |
| Serial COM Port | None | None |
| Parallel LPT Port | None | None |
| Microphone | Yes | None |
| IR port | None | None |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| VGA / DVI out | 1xVGA Left | 1xVGA Back |
| TV out | None | None |
| TV in | None | None |
| AC Power | Yes Back | Yes Back |
| PC-Card Slots | 1xLeft | 1x Left |
| Express-Card Slots | 1xLeft | 1x Left |
| LAN | 1xMarvell Yukon 88E8038 Back | 1xIntel Pro/1000 Back |
| WLAN | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG |
| Wireless WAN | none | none |
| Audio Connectors | Mic & Headphones Right | Mic & Headphones Front |
| Audio Chip | Realtek ALC260 High Def | Realtek ALC262 High Def |
| Modem | 1xMotorola SM56 Back | 1xAgere Athens AM2 Back |
| Card-Reader/Writer | 1xSD Left | 1xSD Left |
| Fingerprint Security Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Manufacturer's Docking Socket | None | Yes |
| Software | ||
| OS | Windows XP Pro SP2 | Windows XP Pro SP2 |
Conclusions
Slideshows:
Photo Slideshow: Exterior and Interior shots of the Eurocom M620NC Titanium Performance Slideshow: 3DMark05, PCMark05, MobileMark 2004 as well as our display brightness and contrast tests.
The EUROCOM M620NC Titanium exhibits performance typical of other mobile computers that use its Ultra Low Voltage 1.2 GHz Intel Core Solo CPU. Considering the CPU, you shouldn't expect bleeding edge speed, but you should expect better battery performance than our tests showed.
If you're looking for a small, lightweight laptop, consider the M620NC. Its keyboard is useable if a bit cramped and it is solidly built, so solidly built in fact that we could not remove the case entirely to get a peek at the CPU. And, overall, it rates well against the Tecra A8, which is after all nearly double its weight.
Priced at the time of this writing at just under $1500 (as tested) the Eurocom M620NC Titanium is more expensive than the Toshiba Tecra A8 which can be had for several hundred dollars less. However when compared with other very small laptops, the price is not out of line at all. In fact it is lower than most similar products from other manufacturers.
Related Article:
Toshiba's Tecra Notebooks Just Keep Rollin' Along
