It's a sleek, vigilante version of a ThinkPad
Written: Dec 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: - Solid Performer
Cons: - Lack of expansion slots, Integrated sound/video
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| ozgamer's Full Review: IBM NetVista X40i all-in-one |
System Specifications
Processor: Celeron 533Mhz
Chipset: SiS 630
RAM: 64Mb 100Mhz SDRAM
HD Space: 10.1 Quantum Fireball
Graphics Card: Integrated
Video RAM: N/A
Monitor: 15in LCD
Optical Drive(s): NEC 24x CD-ROM
Sound Card: Integrated
Speakers: N/A
Modem: N/A
The NetVista X40i is what is commonly known as an all-in-one PC, that is the system unit and monitor exist in the same cabinet. IBM has taken a novel approach. Conventional wisdom says the monitor should be a LCD and this is the case but the rest of the formula goes out of the door in producing one of the most striking PC designs in years.
The effect starts when you pull the machine out of the box. It’s black, just like the IBM ThinkPad line of notebooks. There have been other PCs that come in black but there is something unmistakably IBM about the lines of the X40i. This IBM machine feel is indefinable – it’s in the fine chiselled edges of the display, the ventilation louvres of the power supply in the base – it even extends to the keyboard and mouse. Other than the look and feel if it wasn’t a computer you could just as easily mistake it for a piece out of a Swedish furniture catalogue.
The next noticeable thing is the distribution of weight in the machine. It’s not a heavy PC but carrying it awkward due to the relatively high centre of gravity that is apparent once you figure where everything goes.
It sits solidly on the desk and the 15in TFT screen adjusts vertical tilt but cannot rotate or raise any other way. Plugging in the keyboard and mouse makes you realise something else: there are no ports you would normally expect to see like a serial, parallel or PS/2 port. The keyboard is an IBM Rapid Access model with programmable functions and an action not unlike IBM’s old style of Selectric keyboard. It has an USB interface. An inspection or the X40I reveals five USB ports altogether, three grouped in the base and a pair at the side of the display uni. Like the keyboard the mouse is also a USB device and it is called the IBM Scroll Point mouse for the button in the place of the wheel which performs scrolling functions like a wheel-enabled mouse.
External storage is hidden in a bay under he lip of the bottom edge of the display. It is exposed by one of the four buttons below the screen where both floppy drive and CD-ROM reside, which releases the drives for access. The main internals are hidden behind the screen, accounting for high centre of gravity. Gaining access is a chore and is not recommended for the most users although experienced tinkerers would look on this as a challenge. There are four screws recessed into the back of the display that releases the cover. Place the screen face down before unscrewing. The hard disk is strapped to the first housing. When this and some thumbscrews are released the rest of the internals are exposed. The motherboard is compacts after boasting high integration from the use of a SiS 630 chipset. This chipset handles audio and video functions doing away the need for dedicated cards (Not really a good idea since it means the soundcard and videocard are of cheap quality). An IBM chip handles networking (there is a built in Ethernet port on the right side near the USB ports) and if you really need to fit an expansion card there are two PCI slots on the left side. One of the slots is occupied by an internal modem.
As you might have gathered the X40I is not friendly to the traditional practice in the PC arena of replacing and upgrading components plus to on top of that it’s not much of a speed demon. What the NetVista X40I offers is something for everyone with some home accounting, entertainment, general office productivity and more specialised software offerings. IBM has been generous in this regard. The lack of expansion options might be a concern but you would live with it as a trade off for one of the most stunning designs seen in an industry standard PC.
Benchmarks Results
2D Apps 1.04
WP/Spreadsheet : 0.96 Database : 1.15 Graphics : 1.16
3D Marks 3Dmark 2000 Pro would not run on this system
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 501-600
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 9-12
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ozgamer
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Member: Setzer
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