Zepto Notus A12: A super cheap ultra-portable

So that we can get an idea of the machines power and position it against existing devices, we have performed a few tests by using well known tools. Everything was done running the native 1280 x 800 resolution. The results we obtained can easily be compared, with the online help of the benchmark editors, so that we can better estimate the potential of the Zepto Notus A12.

PCMARK05
For overall performance, we have used PCMARK05 (CPU, graphics performance, hard drive, memory…). For more details, look at the Futuremark website. The number we obtained was 1 022 points. As an example, the Lenovo ThinkPad X61s (Intel Core 2 Duo L7500, 1.6 GHz) which is a completely different machine, scored 2929 points.

Here are the details:

• CPU Score: 1272
• Memory Score: 1486
• Graphics: 451
• HDD: 1733

We quickly understand that this ultra-portable is penalized, like most machines in this category, by its graphics card. That said, it is more then enough for normal office use.

3DMARK06
The 3DMARK06 tool concerns all of the graphics circuits supporting Direct X 9. This is the case with out Intel GMA 950. The 3D test delivered an overall score of 58 points against 280 with the Lenovo ThinkPad X61s.

• CPU: 329
• Graphics tests SM2.0: 27
• As you can see, 3D isn’t the strong point of this ultra-portable.

HDTune
The performance of the Toshiba MK8009GAH (80GB), 1.8 inch, 4200 RPM has been measured with HDTune. The average temperature should vary between 38 and 42 degrees. When reading, the average speed is 20 MB/sec with maximal peaks of 25.5 B/sec. The average access speed of the hard drive is 21.1 ms which means we above the 15ms advertised by Toshiba.

Battery life comparable to the Lenovo X61s
Concerning the battery life, we have used BatteryMon. Zepto announces 10 hours maximum. We got a score of 554 minutes which is 9h14. We should precise that to obtain this score, which is quite impressive, we have to run everything at a minimum and with the WiFi disabled. It is possible to work in this mode if you are located in a room that is poorly lit.

Here is the battery life of other portables that we tested:

• MSI Wind: 190 min
• EeePC 701: 250 min
• Eee PC 900: 140 min
• Lenovo ThinkPad X61s: 540 min
• Zepto: 554 min (9h14)

The Notus A12 is therefore excellent when it comes to battery life going well past the battery life of the Lenovo Thinkpad X61s which is the reference in its category.