ABS Mayhem G4 Revolution

The pricey $2149 unit I looked at came decked out for speed, including a top-shelf 2.26-GHz Pentium M 780 processor and a hearty 1GB of RAM. The 7.1-pound Mayhem G4 turned in an equally impressive WorldBench 5 score of 99, one of the highest notebook performance numbers we've recorded to date.

The Mayhem G4's design is fine but not outstanding; it includes a combination CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive and a four-in-one memory card reader. I found the touchpad-equipped keyboard comfortable enough, and the mouse buttons were easy to press, but the unit lacks quick-launch buttons. Four rubber feet keep the notebook raised and cool.

An S/PDIF port on the front will connect with an external set of digital speakers or other device with an S/PDIF input. A generous number of USB ports--four, including three on the right and a bonus fourth on the bottom--handle connections not covered by the S-Video-out port, the VGA port, or the modem and ethernet jacks.

As a right-handed person, I didn't mind having the optical drive on the less-convenient left side of the case because of the can't-miss eject button. But too much space separates the Wi-Fi switch atop the keyboard from its LED on the front of the notebook. Still, these are minor design flaws.

Upshot: This gaming notebook's top-notch performance and multimedia features don't quite offset its price tag and less-than-stellar battery life.

Carla Thornton