Zepto Znote 6324W First Impressions.

Hi all,

Just received mine yesterday and got Vista Ultimate etc, etc installed (a review is forthcoming)...
WOW; it's the proverbial dogs b*****ks, very fast, very powerful and doesn't get too hot at all. Fans very quiet at mo. I used Microsoft Flight Sim X as a real world graphics test and it ran smooth as butter, all settings defaulted to ultra high at 1440x900 as soon as the lastest service patch was applied; having owned a 8800GTS SLI system on a 1920x1200 screen in the past, I can honestly say this game ran as good as the desktop system.
I've yet to install other benchmarking / gaming software as yet, but I will keep you all updated with screenshots etc, so watch this space...

Peter

 

Sounds like a happy customer!

Do you have the 800mhz ram? I am still waiting for someone with 800mhz ram to check what the ram runs at. Can you download CPUz and make a screenshot of the memory tab so I can finally see what the ram timing is?

Thank you!

Oh yeah and pictures are always nice

 

Will do definitely. The ram is 667 I'm sure, but will do a CPU-Z screen when I get home from work, no problem. BTW got 4309 at 1280x800 on 3DMark06.

Peter

 

That is very good! In the Zepto Quickreview of the pre lunch models they got a score of 3800 @ 1280x800. They used a T7500 so you got an extra 200mhz and 2GB more ram but still. I think it's mostly the ram! Impressive jump.

 

The Zepto test was made with the 800MHz RAM and T7500 I think. What about 1440x900?

 

Thank you! I have been looking for that. It is the same timing normal 667mhz ram has.

 

5-5-5-15 at 667MHz Is that good or bad, for PC6400?

 

It is the same as normal PC5300 (667mhz) ram. Not good, not bad, no differance.

 

So the "improved" timings are not even there even if you did get DDR2-800?

 

Maybe Peter could do some memory benchmarks to make sure but yes it looks like it.

 

Wow, in Sweden you pay almost €200 more for the same amount of DDR2-800, for only improved timings, which seem to not even exist! Waste of €200, I'm so relieved that I got the DDR2-667

 

Hi guys,

Here's a few pictures as promised. I was a little concerned about the fact that my processor is only showing a clock speed of 1.2ghz but then I realized about the underclock feature of this chip; as soon I started really doing something it started to creep up to 2.4ghz.
Sorry about the quality of the pics guys...

 

Awesome.

Also, what do you think of the qualtiy of the exterior, the keyboard, and the touchpad?

 

For some reason I never feel pictures do these models justice (or is it just me?)

 

Nice wine collection! Oh and nice laptop too!

 

After using the notebook for two evenings now, I'm still really impressed by the responsiveness of it all. I'm a real stickler when it comes to keyboards, as I touch type, but this one is actually perfect; it just feels so right! As regards the touchpad, it's absolutely spot on, I was more than a little worried by the stories I'd read about people keep touching it with their wrists; it isn't happening for me at all, and I have big hands!
The notebook has been switched on now for about 4 hours and I've been installing things, patching, pulling programs and files from my network drive and external drive and cropping pics from my attached Cybershot and talking to 3 of my mates on messenger: All of this happening without stutter and completely seamless. If someone told me I was working on a top line desktop, I would have absolutely no reason to disbelieve them! On top of all of this, I've heard the fan boot up twice!
I've previously owned an X6800 custom built PC and this notebook feels no less the spec... Seriously!
The draft 'N' wifi card is something else - giving me in excess of 1.8mbps! Wirelessly! (See pic) Before I was getting around 600/700kbps!
Forgot to mention, the exterior is excellent; obviously it's not up to the standard of say, a Macbook, but it still oozes quality! The screen too is great (not up to the standard of my work Vaio FE41Z, but then, what would be?)...

 

Errr, it's purely for show... I don't drink, lmao!

 

No it's not you, you're dead right!

 

Tried any games on it yet?

Also it seems like the 32-bit OS only recognizes 3GB of RAM.

 

As mentioned, I've been playing Flight Sim X on it (let me get some pics together, hang on) and it runs perfect and so does my current fave game of the moment; Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes... (taking some more pics now).
Gutted I can't upload them in all their 10.1 megapixel hi-res glory to show you all how good it is, but suffice to say it's all running at 57fps! All the settings are on ultra-high.
These pics just don't do it justice at all...

P.S. Could just hear fan ticking over as I was taking these pics!

 

Nice, also very nice setup you got at home

 

Thankyou, glad you like it.

 

Yep, that's Microsoft's little fly-in-the-ointment again!
I forgot to mention. My son's new 6324W with 2gb T7300 cpu and 2gb memory also runs fantastically. I'll get some real benchmarks together for tomorrow.

 

Very nice! I'm hoping my 6224W will run Medieval II: Total War, C&C 3: Tiberium Wars and Company of Heroes on high details with 30FPS+. All my other favorite games are from 2004-2005 and should run with maxxed out details; Dawn of War + Exp's, Neverwinter Nights 2 (not so advanced engine), Titan Quest + Exp and a **** load of other games. I'm hoping it can run up and coming games like Hellgate: London, Starcraft II and Spore pretty well too

Yeah, a lot of RTS games, I do all my RPG/FPS gaming on my X360. Can't wait for Bioshock, Mass Effect, Too Human and Halo 3

 

My son's sitting next to me now, playing Company Of Heroes on his notebook, with the directX 10 patch, getting over 52fps on ultra settings. Also he plays C&C Tiberium Wars and he says that it runs very fast. Hope this helps to put your mind at rest. I'm looking forward to you receiving yours as well now, so you'll see what I mean.

 

Hehe, the 6x24w certainly sounds like an amazing machine. I'm glad you're happy with you're purchase. Thanks a bunch for all the info you're giving us. It just makes me want to buy one so badly .

What's the battery life like on that puppy? (light load versus heavy load)

 

Plugged the power in about 2 and half hours ago, first time since I got it yesterday. Installed everything up until then on battery so overall very impressed.

 

Any idea of the time in hours? I'm wondering whether or not to wait for the 12 cell or not. TBH, it seems like the 6cell would do me (at least for the time being).

 

I think I must have gotten about 3 and a half to 4 hours on the battery I reckon. I do a lot of work at my desk so battery life isn't really an issue for me to be honest. I think it just boils down to how often you're going to be away from a nearby power outlet, while doing extremely demanding tasks. I mean, how often would you be on a train journey playing Oblivion for example?

 

I'm really interested in how Vanguard: SoH runs. The game it self is still quite buggy even on my desktop.

 

Woah!? On the 6324W? 52FPS with the DX10 patch?!? I thought that patch made the game near unplayable on desktop cards!

 

Great info! I hope you are working on a a full review for us to enjoy soon...

 

I'm sold, gonna order one as soon as the T7700 becomes available again!

 

Sounds nice to me as well. Can't wait to get the hardware. Going to install Xp pro in it to get smoother output.

 

Very nice, seriously considering it with the XPS M1330..

 

Hi all,

Going to certainly try and get an in depth review together this evening. Time allowing of course!

 

Hello !

First post on this forum. Being really interested in that laptop, I read this thread (and others) carrefully, and I'm glad to find very usefull informations here.

Just wondering : could you post some screenshots of your 3DMark06 benchmark ? 4309 pts is an impressive score. I'd really like to see the settings you used for the test, to compare with other garphic cards and laptops.

Thanks !

 

Hi, just wanted to add some of my impressions.

I've had my 6324 for one and a half week now and I really like it. Most things are awsome but ofcourse I have a couple of small gripes.

1. The screen backlight lights through the plastic on the back of the lid of the laptop. There are also 2 spots next to the speakers where the light shines through the plastic. It looks very weird!
2. The blue leds are annoying when I watch a movie or use it in the dark.
3. The fans are a bit annoying. I run XP atm and they kick in at 55 degrees and stop at 44 degrees. In general it's 2 minutes off and 3 minutes on. Even though you can change the trip points in the bios it doesn't seem to make any difference.
4. When I enable bluethooth I get bluescreens , I guess the drivers needs updating.
5. Ubuntu was really hard to get working because wireless and nvidia drivers wasn't very well integrated.
6. There's already marks from the keyboard on the screen surface .

Other than that I'm really happy with my Zepto so far.

 

Smoother output with XP Pro? With a machine specced like this I bet Vista will give a better experience unless NVidia still have issues with their GPU drivers...

Marks on the screen from the keyboard sounds bad! And the backlights, do they shine *through* the backside of the display lid like it's "transparent", or does it shine through cracks?

 

outch !

and outch again !

The last point makes me think there can be problems with some completions, like this. Does the screen seem to get spoilt ?

About the fans : of course, they need to work with such a cpu/graphic card in such a small space, but are they noisy ?

Thanks

 

keyboard marks on the screen ; ! can you post some pics ?

 

MMMMMM, going to have to check this out when I get home.

 

It's a bit worrying :S.

Are these permenant marks or scratches? Or cleanable smudges from dirt/grease on the surface of the keys comming in contact with the screen?

 

I do hope this is the case; was just thinking the same as you Ultim4.

 

It happens to many laptops when they are carried in a tight bag and force is acting on the back of the lid. At first it will be dirt but over time it can turn into scratches. Some people put some cloth or plastic over the keyboard to protect the screen.

 

Here's a picture of the light shining through the plastic on the back of the screen.

 

That looks pretty strange. I was expecting an even distribution. Maybe the plastic is particularly thin at those spots. Zepto needs to do something about this. Just a simple sheet of black plastic would hold of the light.

I bet it doesnt happen with the 6224W because it is black.

 

Marks on the screen from the keyboard doenst only sound bad its a frikking distaster if thats true!!

 

Your definition of disaster is not mine, I would say, use a camera lens cloth, from jessops ($10) and your sorted. My tosh had the same problem, if you carry it side on and place pressure on the lid then the keyboard can mark the screen, or if you have it in a packed bag horizontally.