14 DAY TRIAL // Taiwanese conglomerate Asustek is reportedly working on its new 17-inch multimedia notebook in the M70Sa line-up. The company has managed to obtain an interesting hardware cocktail, and the notebook promises to deliver everything a multimedia enthusiast could ever dream about.
The mobile computer is built around Intel's 45-nanometer Core 2 Duo T9300 processor running at 2.5GHz with 6MB L2 cache. The memory options are also extremely generous, and users can stuff as much as 4 GB of system DDR2, which should be just fine for a multimedia unit.
More than that, Asustek has bundled a Blu-Ray combo drive with the M70Sa notebook, and two 5,400rpm 500GB SATA hard drives to meet the storage requirements of any high-definition enthusiast.
The 17-inch widescreen LCD display can deliver maximum resolutions of 1,920x1,200. However, the peak resolution would depend on the model. One thing is for sure: the flagship notebook in the series will be able to drive the LCD display at full 1080i resolutions.
Under the sleek and ethereal bonnet, the manufacturer has stashed an ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 1GB of dedicated graphics memory, but it is unclear whether it would be GDDR2 or GDDR3. The card is expected to come with both HDMI and DVI digital video connectors, that would allow users to connect the device to the living-room high-definition TV whenever they feel the urge to go really wide.
The notebook's motherboard will be based around Intel's PM965 chipset. Other worth-mentioning features include HD audio, 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi, as well as 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory. The manufacturer also plans to include a built-in TV-tuner with video input options. However, video-in will be supported via a special connector located on the notebook's rear panel.
The M70Sa sports an eSATA connector, four USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, a multi-format memory card reader, an Express Card slot, optical S/PDIF out, a D-sub and a built-in 56k modem for users who stick with the phone line for Internet access.
The notebook is rumored to hit the market later this quarter with an estimative price tag of between ?2,000-2,200.