6. Conclusion - Good Performance & Nice Package

Although the fan in our unit did run all of the time, the system never was really hot. At times, it was perhaps on the warm side, but never what we would consider to be hot. "The WinBook J4 3.06 engineering sample proves the outstanding thermal characteristics of the WinBook J4 and this shows the extraordinary performance possible with Intel's fastest Pentium 4 processor. This J4 offers the most advanced components in a notebook including the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 GPU and 5,400 RPM hard drives," says Kevin Hollingshead, WinBook Vice President of Future Products. We would agree that WinBook has certainly done its homework on the thermal levels for the J4 and they have provided a desktop-oriented solution that can work pretty well in the J4's mobile form factor.

As we explained earlier in this article, the WinBook J4 models with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 GPU are available now with Intel Pentium 4 processors 2.0 GHz thru 2.4 GHz versions. 2.8 GHz versions will be available within the next month. When we asked Kevin Hollingshead when we can expect to see the 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 processor in the J4 available for retail purchase, he replied, "We are making some additional enhancements that will be available in the production J4 3.06 GHz version. This will include a 125 Watt power supply, 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 with HyperThreading, 333 MHz DDR SDRAM and ATI's next GPU - code named 'M10' - for performance even more awe-inspiring than the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000." Look for these to debut when ATI launches the M10. (We estimate this be as soon as Q1 of 2003.)

As far as the design of the J4 test unit, we found it to be very good, but we really missed the floppy drive that we are so accustomed to having with most portable units. The lack of a track point might also be something that you miss, as well. We did like the addition of the new scroll button, however. The clean, sleek, black color of the J4 is a bit more attractive than the previous J4 revision that was high-tech silver.

WinBook has put a good package together with the J4. With the upcoming enhancements to the next revision of the J4, WinBook appears ready to take it to the next level. The J4 offers solid performance in a well-rounded package, and is a viable solution for travelers who remain close to a power source and aren't dependent on battery power. It offers a more than capable solution for those who want a system to carry to LAN parties, for example, or to take along on short trips. Unlike some other systems, the J4 puts desktop performance in a desktop replacement form factor. The J4 indicates WinBook's attention to detail in its design, and both the CPU throttling to better extend the battery life and the excellent thermal design are features that deserve high marks.