Compaq Evo N600c review

There's a gargantuan leap between chunky desktop replacements and sleek ultra portables, which gives rise to a little-known category - sometimes referred to as 'thin and light' - for those in between, combining hardcore functionality with portability. This category continues to outsell all others, and you only need to look at Acer's TravelMate 610 (see Reviews, issue 83, p144) or IBM's ThinkPad T23 (see Reviews, issue 87, p154) to see why. Compaq's latest entry is the Evo N600c and, with its modest dimensions and fast processor, it may well become one of the most sought-after notebooks around.

At 2.7kg, the 'light' branding is a little optimistic, but it's certainly thin. It measures only 35mm at its thickest point, which is bumped up slightly by the silver MultiPort on the lid. This silver strip can be removed for the seamless addition of hot-swappable USB-based wireless or security devices, in addition to the two USB ports and two PC Card slots. The lid, while made of plastic, is remarkably solid and will afford good protection to the screen in transit.

This sets the tone for the rest of the N600c's build quality, which is superb throughout, with no flex in the lid or palm rests. The keyboard is sensibly sized and organised, producing a satisfying click with each key press. It also includes some items that IBM tends to miss out on - a Windows key and a touchpad, in addition to democratically offering a trackpoint.

Even the ports are well organised, with front-mounted headphone and mic sockets as well as an infrared port, which makes far more sense than having it on the side or the back, especially with its line of sight limitations. All the other necessary connectors are also there, although there's a notable absence of modern interfaces like IEEE-1394, Bluetooth or 802.11b. The latter can be easily added through the MultiPort, but its absence as standard puts the Compaq behind the previously mentioned IBM and Acer notebooks.

However, the other features more than make up for these exclusions. First is the 16Mb DDR ATi Radeon Mobility graphics chip, offering enhanced DVD playback and fast 3D performance. We produced a 3DMark2000 score of 3,263 at 1,024 x 768 in 16-bit colour - it's not cutting edge, but it makes the N600c fully functional as a desktop alternative.

This is further complemented by the 1.06GHz Pentium III-M CPU, which produced an overall 2D benchmark score of 2.98 - great for a notebook of this class. Granted, IBM's 1.13GHz T23 managed 3.31, but it costs almost £1,000 extra and doesn't offer that much more.

Likewise, the 20Gb hard disk isn't in the same league as IBM's 46Gb disk, but 20Gb is plenty for average use. What's more, you only need to remove one screw to slide the hard disk out and replace it. The spare SODIMM socket is easily accessed too, via a single screw, with the battery also unclipping with ease.

You shouldn't need a second battery, though. The one supplied lasted 147 minutes in our rundown test, which should translate to over three hours of normal use. This can be boosted by Compaq's proprietary power management applet, which allows you to adjust the screen brightness in advance for when it's unplugged and calibrate the battery.

The screen itself is another strong point. The combination of a 14.1in diagonal and XGA resolution makes it comfortable to view from a distance and offers wide enough viewing angles to make the lighting even. It deteriorates quickly if you're not looking at it head on, but the lighting is sufficient for a single user and the image quality is fantastic.