Some questions about Zepto 6625 WD

tried emailing their uk sales info., but without success, so since I've seen there are a few zepto related people here, and I expect some fairly knowledgeable users, hopfully some of you can help me.

Researching options for a notebook to use primarily for audio applications - some editing, production, a lot of sequencing, the option to record, and the ability to use it to perform live. I also want to use is to some extent as a desktop replacement - internet, networking, some graphics work, multimedia, probably some games. I like the configurability of the Zepto site, the good prices, good specs, and Windows xp rather than Vista.
Looks to me like the Znote 6625WD could be spec'd to suit me very nicely.


Has anyone here used one successfully with external sound cards? If you have then what type of card? Any experiences would be good to know.

I ask this because a lot of external soundcards are firewire, and often don't work with the onboard firewire on laptops. Dells are particularly well known for this it seems, and Macs the exception.

So, next question, could someone tell me what firewire chipset is used? For audio, a few manufacturers have recommended Texas Instruments... this is why I ask - I've used an external soundcard before with a cheap firewire card and it's not an experience I want to repeat, it just does not work, certainly not at all reliably.

Anyone with a 6625 might well be able to help me with the chipset, in case no-one from Zepto can answer... here's how to check:
- Open Device Manager
- Find "ohci compliant ieee 1394 host controller" or your firewire controller
- Right-click on it and choose Properties
- See if the General tab tells who who it's made by (probably won't - it'll probably just tell you the driver is made by Microsoft.)
- Assuming it doesn't say anything useful, click on the Details tab.
- Select "Device Instance ID" from the pull down menu (if that's not there try "Hardware Ids"; if that's not there try "Matching Device Ids"; if that's not there try "Compatible Ids"; if that's not there then you've tried hard enough to help, thanks, but now's the time to give up)
- Look for something that says "VEN_" and note of 4 characters that follow "VEN_" (the fifth character following "VEN_" should be "&")

If you could post that here I can google it and find out a bit more.


Is the fan really noisy when the cpu's being pushed? Anyone replaced the fan? Does this bugger any warranty?

And, if there are any Zepto employees watching, is there any way to have both pcmcia and expresscard fitted?

I know that's a lot of (possibly odd) questions, but I want to avoid any problems (or as many as possible) before I buy anything, rather than having to work around them once I do. Plus, I'm used to desktops, where I can easily upgrade or replace parts.

Thanks,
Matt

 

The IEEE 1394 Bus control is made by texas instruments

and the fan gets quite loud when on max, but you really have to push it to get to that (gaming for example). You can help (NOT change) the fan by removing the keyboard and putting some extra cooler above it. Ofcourse you need a external mouse/keyboard for that to work, but it shouldnt (not shure) void the warranty.

About the card, you cant have both, it only has one cardplace, and im not shure what name it has, but its about 10 cm 'deep' and maby 7 cm wide and it has a corner off it in the right-top corner.

 

Sprint, thanks for the quick reply, that's excellent news. Will try to confirm with Zepto that that is still the case with the models they are shipping now.

The card slot is an Expresscard according to the spec. sheet, which makes sense in that it should be the new standard, but for audio cards it's currently much less used than the older pcmcia/cardbus was.

Sorry to see your bios troubles, hope you've got that sorted out.


Are you happy overall with your 6625WD? What would you say are the good and bad points (have read a few reviews already, but good to get more impressions)?

Thanks again for the quick response.

 

Mine was built last week (got it a few days ago) and it says the same as Sprint's:

Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller

VEN_104C

 

well BIOS problems and problems, more audio driver problem, and a bit video earlyer too. But its sorted enough for the moment.

And yes im happy with mine so far, its as good as any regular desktop in gaming, perhaps i would want/need a faster hdd but you cant get everything. The design is cool, but the quicklaunchbuttons would need some redesigning, and made a bit softer to touch, you have to push them right now.
The screen, once more, is totally awsome. You just have to watch out for bright lights behind you, it might reflect badly.
And to me, its quite quiet, might not be as quiet as some ultraportable but for being a 15" gaming laptop its good enough.