Flying low with the X340 Slim…
The crowded mini notebook market is often a little confusing to those wishing to move into truly mobile computing territory. There are too many options sometimes on the road to urban cool. City slick, portable notebook computing takes in some very unremarkable hardware these days - dull screens, shoddy keyboards, slow processors, underwhelming style over function. The X340 'Slim' from Taiwan's up and coming MSI looks to change all that.
The current champion amongst lightweight and mobile computing is of course the Macbook Air. The fantastic wafer thin aluminium shell of the Air coupled with knockout design and decent computing power under the hood shook up the notebook industry upon arrival last year. It has taken a while for other manufacturers to come close and with the MSI X340 'Slim' we have a very good looking and usable alternative.
With sleek dark or all white looks and weighing in at only 1.3kg - with a lot more guts than your average netbook - the X340 Slim is perfect for those needing form and function alongside easily portable computing. The muscle on offer includes a decent 320 GB hardrive plus 2GB of RAM and a decent glossy 13.4-inch (1366 x 768 pixels) screen. Running at the heart of this contender is a 1.4-GHz ultra-low-voltage SU3500 chip, which is based on Intel's Core 2 Solo CPU. Intel's CULV technology is a step up from Solo and offers much lower power consumption - 5.5 watts in this case. Graphics are integrated and overall performance is decent. The X340 also boasts great connectivity with two USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, 2-in-1 SD-Card reader, RJ-45/Ethernet (Gigabit) plus stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in sockets.
The X340 Slim fits directly into the category of netbooks offering more power and function for a bit more money, comparing favourably with the lower end of this sector. The slightly larger 13.3 inch screen also enhances usability. The keyboard is solid and responsive although has a tendency to flex. There is though a marked feeling that you are using a much more expensive piece of hardware, excellent news for those wishing to get the best value for money. The X340 feels actually even lighter than it looks, another bonus.
Since the rush of netbooks into the marketplace there have been consistent rumblings on lack of power for those needing to get work done versus simply looking good while accessing the web. The X340 is notably much faster than Atom-based alternatives and in Photoshop and iTunes tests performs well against similar competition. The X340 will even run Vista well with no noticeable slow down, an important point especially as we approach the arrival of Windows 7 which should offer even snappier performance if included.
In all this good looking and higher performance ultra-portable is ideal for those needing do more serious work on the move. With the addition of Windows 7 alongside an already gutsy set of hardware and attractive lightweight packaging you have a great alternative to some of the more pricey competition.
MSI X-Slim X340 Specifications:
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor: Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 CULV (1.4GHz, 800MHz FSB, 3MB cache)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
Internal Storage: 320GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
Display: 13.4-inch diagonal WXGA (glossy, 1366x768)
Graphics: Intel X4500M Integrated
Wireless: Intel 5100AGN, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Ports and connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, 2-in-1 SD-Card reader, RJ-45/Ethernet (Gigabit), stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, 1.3 megapixel webcam
Dimensions: (LxWxH) 13" x 8.82 " x 0.24"-0.78"
Weight: 2lb 14oz (not including weight of AC adapter).
Power: 4-cell 32Wh battery
Warranty: Three-year standard warranty