NEC's Stylish, Slim Notebook

If you like the chrome-plated look and need a superlightnotebook that can double as a desktop, consider NEC's Versa SX, a thin-and-lightlaptop that comes with a faux brushed-steel case. Just be prepared to digdeep into your wallet: A Pentium II-233­based SX costs more than manyPII-266 notebooks. I evaluated a preproduction model of the $3499 PII-233version with a 13.3-inch active-matrix screen and a 2GB hard drive.

The SX, a slimmer successor to NEC's Versa 5080X (see June's "Different Notesfor Different Folks," page 158), is impressively light and fast. Measuring1.3 inches thick with a traveling weight of 6 pounds (with AC adapter anda floppy and CD-ROM drive), it's one of the lightest portables we've seenwith a dedicated battery and full-size keyboard. With a PC WorldBench 98 score of 128, it's also almost as fast as a similarlysetup PII-266 laptop. As with most thin-and-lights, however, the SX leavesout some items found in other portables. There's no built-in modem (an optional56-kbps x2-based PC Card modem costs $149). You get two drives, a floppy anda 12X­24X CD-ROM, but you can install only one at a time in the lonemultipurpose bay.

The SX does give you more options for that one baythan any other notebook we've seen: a SuperDisk LS-120 drive ($159); a Zipdrive ($250); a DVD-ROM drive ($199); a second hard drive ($299 for 5GB, $499for 6GB); or a second lithium-ion battery ($129), which you'll need if you'llbe away from an outlet for more than 4 hours. If you want to go even lighter,plug the included place-holding "travel module" into the drive bay to reducethe weight to 4.8 pounds. All components are hot-swappable (you can installthem without turning the notebook off) and work in NEC's new, slightly higher-endVersa LX line.

NEC says the SX's good-looking, quarter-inch-thick screenis 33 percent thinner than those in standard notebooks. It seems fairly rugged,too. The four-inch-wide wrist rest made for luxurious typing, but looked slightlycheesy.

The SX comes with either Windows 98 or (for $100 more) WindowsNT. No major software applications are bundled, but you do get some systemand network utilities. NEC also sells two docking stations. All in all, theSX is a real head-turner that should make a good corporate laptop.

SUMMARY

NEC Versa SX PRO: Lightweight, fast, comes with versatile multipurposebay. CON: Expensive, can't load both floppy and CD-ROM drive at once. VALUE: Good choice for travelers prepared to pay through the nose fora thin, fully loaded notebook. $3499 NEC ComputerSystems Division 888/863-2669 www.necnow.com