GiGTEK Producer T4000

PC-generated music is getting more commonplace, but although we're accustomed to seeing huge 19in rack cabinets, synthesizers and even Atari STs at gigs, you rarely see a PC tower and monitor generating the stage sound. This is a pity, as these days just about everything can be done from the PC music-wise, but no-one wants to risk damaging expensive computer equipment or losing data. But an interesting innovation is upon us in the form of the GiGTEK Producer series - a portable chassis you can take on the road, boasting all the latest specifications as well as a Yamaha SW1000XG (reviewed issue 51, p180).

The T4000 is GiGTEK's flagship system, and features Intel's new 815 Solano chipset to support its Pentium III/800 processor and PC133 SDRAM to their maximum potential. It's an odd design to look at, and at first glance looks more like an early 1980s Bond film gadget than the latest in PC technology. When it's all packed up, the T4000 is a strong single unit and, once unfolded, features a high-quality sturdy keyboard, with proper keys and a touchpad. The tightly-enclosed case contains an additional fan with a speed adjustment switch to reduce noise levels. Weighing in at 11kg, it's a lot heavier than the average notebook, and you can forget about using it on your lap as well.

Performance was fantastic, and its superb 2D benchmark score of 2.66 makes it the fastest portable we've seen yet. With support for AGP cards, GiGTEK has wisely chosen a DualHead Matrox Millennium G400. While it's unlikely you'll use it for 3D games, it still produced a respectable 3DMark2000 score of 2,177, and supports environment bump mapping.

The 15.1in TFT display pulls out neatly at the front although it fared poorly in terms of image quality. Although bright enough with reasonable viewing angles, it produces unacceptable amounts of streaking and ghosting and reacts slowly to quick movements. That said, the display is large enough to support a resolution of 1,024 x 768, which is needed for space-intensive software.

Audio comes in the form of two devices - the integrated PCI128 and a Yamaha SW1000XG, both of which run together with no conflicts. By connecting the Yamaha to the line-in on the PCI128, and the integrated speakers to its line-out you can get everything running simultaneously in one unit, which is also quite useful. The integrated speakers are built into the top on either side of the handle, and while you couldn't use them professionally, you don't have to hook up separate speakers when it isn't connected to a professional amplifier. The Yamaha SW1000XG is also a great choice of audio hardware, offering 20Mb of fantastic XG MIDI voices and great sound quality to boot.

GiGTEK hasn't compromised on any other features either. The T4000 uses a shock-mounted 40.9Gb UltraDMA/100 Maxtor hard disk, which isn't only fast but gives you excessive space for both software and audio recordings. GiGTEK has partitioned the drive into a 19.5Gb C drive for software in the form of Windows 98 SE, Norton SystemWorks and Yamaha XGworks 2, and an 18.6Gb D drive for data. The choice of music production software is up to you, as different packages suit different users. There's also a Philips CD-RW, which works perfectly despite its vertical angle.

With all the drives included, there are no spare drive bays, although the existing spec should be enough for a while. However, with its full-sized ATX motherboard there's three PCI slots left free for future upgrades, as well as space for Yamaha plug-in expansion, such as the PLG150-AN (reviewed issue 67, p173). With the 256Mb of PC133 SDRAM supplied on two 128Mb DIMMs, there's only one DIMM socket free.