Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
Until I was handed this unit for review, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that the AMILO range extends beyond notebook PCs. I recently had the pleasure of taking a look at one of the high-end AMILO entertainment notebooks (the Xi 3650, reviewed in last month’s issue), and was very impressed with it, so when I received the Pi 3645, my expectations were relatively high. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Until I was handed this unit for review, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that the AMILO range extends beyond notebook PCs. I recently had the pleasure of taking a look at one of the high-end AMILO entertainment notebooks (the Xi 3650, reviewed in last month’s issue), and was very impressed with it, so when I received the Pi 3645, my expectations were relatively high. And I wasn’t disappointed.
In terms of aesthetics, this unit matches the styling of the AMILO series of notebooks – white and glossy black, in stylish lines. I was also surprised to find that the case is very compact, much smaller than I would expect, yet is quite heavy. The weight speaks of solid construction, and yet the compact size means that the PC doesn’t occupy much space. A nice touch is the power button, which not only features the power LED, but also changes colour to indicate hard drive activity.
The system is also relatively quiet, which makes it well suited to media centre applications. Additionally, its powerful graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT) means that it is more than up to the task of playing back videos, even in HD. This is supplemented by the combo Blu-ray Drive, and a massive one terabyte of hard drive space, ideal for storing hundreds of hours of video and even more music. In fact, the machine’s specifications are such that it is comfortable even playing the most demanding games as of the time of writing this (yes, even including Crysis at highest graphics settings except for antialiasing).
The package includes a keyboard and a mouse, both of them featuring styling that matches that of the ‘box’. The keyboard is quite nifty, with flat ‘notebook-like’ keys, and is comfortable to use. Backlit keys would have been nice in terms of style, but this is not a serious lack. The mouse, however, is quite ‘inferior’. While it looks very slick, it feels light, flimsy and overall cheap, and lacks precision, even making working on the desktop quite challenging (though, ironically, some games don’t mind this – though don’t try to play a strategy game with this mouse in hand).
Until I was handed this unit for review, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that the AMILO range extends beyond notebook PCs. I recently had the pleasure of taking a look at one of the high-end AMILO entertainment notebooks (the Xi 3650, reviewed in last month’s issue), and was very impressed with it, so when I received the Pi 3645, my expectations were relatively high. And I wasn’t disappointed.
In terms of aesthetics, this unit matches the styling of the AMILO series of notebooks – white and glossy black, in stylish lines. I was also surprised to find that the case is very compact, much smaller than I would expect, yet is quite heavy. The weight speaks of solid construction, and yet the compact size means that the PC doesn’t occupy much space. A nice touch is the power button, which not only features the power LED, but also changes colour to indicate hard drive activity.
The system is also relatively quiet, which makes it well suited to media centre applications. Additionally, its powerful graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT) means that it is more than up to the task of playing back videos, even in HD. This is supplemented by the combo Blu-ray Drive, and a massive one terabyte of hard drive space, ideal for storing hundreds of hours of video and even more music. In fact, the machine’s specifications are such that it is comfortable even playing the most demanding games as of the time of writing this (yes, even including Crysis at highest graphics settings except for antialiasing).
The package includes a keyboard and a mouse, both of them featuring styling that matches that of the ‘box’. The keyboard is quite nifty, with flat ‘notebook-like’ keys, and is comfortable to use. Backlit keys would have been nice in terms of style, but this is not a serious lack. The mouse, however, is quite ‘inferior’. While it looks very slick, it feels light, flimsy and overall cheap, and lacks precision, even making working on the desktop quite challenging (though, ironically, some games don’t mind this – though don’t try to play a strategy game with this mouse in hand).