It wasn’t all that long ago when a laptop’s list of “features” could’ve been more aptly described as “things you put up with in the name of portability."  12”, passive-matrix screens weren’t exactly anyone’s idea of fun (though you did get to play “find the mouse cursor” about sixty times a day).  Keyboards were cramped, expandability was limited, and sound quality was dismal.  Not only was gaming on a laptop impossible, the limitations of the form factor itself would’ve made fragging more akin to some type of geek torture than a pleasurable experience. 

Over the last few years we’ve seen remarkable improvements to the mobile computing market.  Integrated LCDs have risen dramatically in quality and size, while dropping prices have made higher-end model screens more affordable.  Mobile drive storage capacities and spindle speeds both have increased and the number of peripherals integrated into your typical notebook today is far higher than what was available three to five years ago.  Most impressive at all has been the advent of mobile designs actually capable of gaming.  Until quite recently, acceptable 3D accelerator performance has been considered the sole purview of desktop systems.  With the introduction of the GeForce2Go and Mobility Radeon series, cutting-edge technology from ATI and NVIDIA began pushing back even these boundaries, blurring the line between desktop and laptop in the process.  It’s arguable that mobile computing has advanced far more than desktop computing in the same period of time, given the difference in form factors.  The standard mid-tower is not a form factor that limits expandability or performance (save in the largest systems) while mobile computing by its nature puts much tighter restrictions on the space components have to work with and the heat they can generate. 

The Concept of the Desktop “Replacement.”

As the differences between desktops and laptops grew increasingly smaller the concept of a hybrid machine that would adopt certain features of each emerged.  Generally dubbed “desktop replacements”, these are systems that trade a certain degree of a notebook’s portability for nearly-full desktop power.  Typical features of a desktop replacement system include:

No internal battery.  Some companies offer an external battery pack that can be connected to the system, but it is available as a peripheral, not a standard item. 

Use of standard desktop components:  Another common feature of these designs is their use of desktop CPU’s and regular-size RAM over typically more-expensive mobile components. 

Upgradeable:  Components in hybrid systems are usually placed in easier-to-reach places than on a standard notebook.  Depending on the configuration, RAM, hard drive, or even CPU’s may be user-accessible and easy to swap out.

Larger Size / Decreased Portability:  Desktop replacements will typically offer slightly larger than average keyboards and may have larger LCD’s as well.  The systems are typically bulkier than your standard portable and heavier. 

How Portable is a Desktop Replacement?

Portability is a straightforward concept, but it can be surprisingly difficult to precisely define.  Although a modern desktop mid-tower would never be referred to as “portable”, take that same system and compare it to systems forty years ago that took up a room and weighed thousands of pounds.  Portable?  You bet.  You don’t even need a cart to carry it. 

From a certain point of view, even the standard Small Form Factor system is portable, especially when combined with an LCD.  Ask anyone who’s ever lugged a 19” CRT + mid-tower to a LAN party which they’d rather be trucking in, and it’s not hard to figure out the answer.  A desktop replacement clearly is more closely related to a laptop then a desktop; the differences between laptops and desktop-replacement hybrids when it comes to portability are subtle?but important. 

A laptop has two major features that increase its portability that a desktop replacement lacks?lighter weight and a battery capable of running for at least a few hours, possibly longer.  The typical notebook is in the 5-6 lb range, while the hybrid usually weighs between 7 and 9 pounds.  At nine pounds a desktop replacement is still much more portable than even our SFF+LCD combo, but its additional weight may bother some people. 

The best way to think of the D1 is that it’s transportable, rather than strictly portable.  Its not the best thing to have on your arm if you’ve got to hike 30 blocks in New York City, but if you’re driving to and from work it’ll fit on the seat next to you (or in the trunk) just fine. 

ASUS D1

The ASUS D1:

 

The general goal of the desktop replacement, therefore, is to offer as many capabilities of a standard desktop in a laptop-like form factor, trading a certain degree of size and portability for an enhanced feature set.  Lets take a look at the D1's feature set specifically and see how ASUS' entry into this market defines itself from the competition.

 

 

Rear View


 The D1 has built in support for smart-card readers, FireWire (IEEE1394), USB 2.0, Ethernet, a 56K modem, S-Video out, and an onboard audio solution capable of six channel output (through an appropriate set of desktop speakers obviously).  It also has a single Type II PCIMCIA slot for additional cards, though what you'd be adding to this thing escapes me.  Those of you wanting to run with dual monitors also have that option, as the D1's video system can be configured to run the primary LCD and a secondary monitor simultaneously.

 

Left Side

Right Side


The D1 uses a standard desktop P4 (the system specs indicate it'll use a 2 GHz CPU or up-our model has a 2.4 GHz CPU running on a 533 MHz FSB.  Video is provided through the onboard SiS 650m chipset and the system can be configured for up to a 64 megabyte frame buffer. 

The CPU, hard drive, and video RAM are all located on the underside of the system and are easily accessible, although an end user choosing to upgrade their own CPU will void the system warranty.  Certain enthusiasts / system users have no problem voiding warranties, however, and the CPU CAN be upgraded by anyone with a moderate amount of practice doing such things.  It's recommended you use a magnetized screwdriver when removing the ASUS heatpipe, however, as it wouldn't be too difficult for the screws that lock down various components to slip down into the compartment.  Holding the system over your head and shaking it while simultaneously trying to watch a tiny screw fall on the floor and track where it rolls is not the most fun in the world. 

The 15" LCD is set for a 1024x768 native resolution, which was a comfortable size when doing work in Word or Excel.  The screen is bright and the color reproduction is good, even when viewing DVD's.  They keyboard feels closer to a standard keyboard in size, as someone who tends to hate mobile keyboards I found working on this one quite comfortable.  The entire package weighs in at about 8 lbs, which is more then I'd want to lug around a major city, but not bad for transportation from vehicle to office or vehicle to home. 

 

 

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