Averatec's Ho-Hum 2500

Boasting AMD's Turion 64 chips, the Averatec 2500 performs speedily but is strictly no-frills

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Thin, light Vista notebook, crisp screen, built-in camera

The Bad: Skimps on memory, software; casing feels cheap

The Bottom Line: Decent no-frills notebook for budget-conscious consumers

Reader Reviews

Amid the hoopla in tech circles over high-power notebooks running Intel's (INTC) new Centrino 2 chips, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has been making steady headway with its own Turion 64 mobile chips that also deliver good performance. I was able to see just how well these chips perform with a recent test of the Averatec 2500, by South Korea's TG Sambo, one of the computer manufacturers that remains committed to shipping computers with AMD chips inside.

As well as the Turion 64 performs, the Averatec 2500 seems strictly for those looking for a no-frills PC. Averatec's only real concession to style is a paisley imprint on the outer lid (though my review unit came in basic black). Overall, it covers the basics, but there's little that sets it apart from the pack.

The 2500's Solid Innards

The machine has solid innards. The 2500 features a Turion 64 running at 2.2 gigahertz, an ATI Radeon Express 1270 graphics card, and 2 GB of RAM memory. It also boasts a hard drive with 160 GB of capacity and a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera.

AMD's Turion processor delivers speedy performance and handles basic tasks well. It took slightly more than a minute to download and install a 7 MB file containing the Firefox Web browser and about 15 minutes to install the very hefty 60 MB Apple (AAPL) iTunes and QuickTime software combination. Intel pre-Centrino 2 systems I've been using typically have taken a minute or two more.

On the right edge, it has two USB 2.0 ports and slots for an SD card and wireless data modem. A third USB port sits on the left, next to an Ethernet jack, VGA-out connector, and DVD optical drive. There are also jacks for a microphone and headphone on the front. Above the standard keyboard sits the power button, which lights up in a pleasing blue hue when turned on, and very small, poorly marked buttons that offer no real clue as to their purpose (the largest one powers the 802.11g Wi-Fi connection).

Battery Challenged

Yet this notebook doesn't measure up to competitors. The 2500 sports a 12.1-inch screen, smaller than those on computers from rivals such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Dell (DELL)—but it has a bright, readable widescreen format for watching movies and handling productivity tasks. The notebook also comes with a skimpy four-cell battery that conks out in less than three hours of typical use.

The $800 unit would have been better received if it had offered more pre-installed software. Out of the box, it includes only a trial version of Symantec's (SYMC) Norton AntiVirus; CyberLink's DVD-playing software; Adobe (ADBE) Reader, and video capture software. Given that the 2500 is pitched toward a younger school-age audience, TG Sambo should have included at least trial versions of Microsoft (MSFT) Office or Works.

The Averatec system feels lighter than its 3.8 pounds. But the lighter weight comes with a price. The molded plastic casing feels cheap to the touch, and the hinges connecting the screen to the base do not feel solid. If you're worried about dropping your laptop or accidentally knocking it off a desk—and for that matter, if you're looking for a machine that goes beyond the basics—I would look beyond the 2500.

Edwards is a correspondent in BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley bureau.