Benchmarks

So, how does the Gigabyte M912 convertible tablet PC netbook stack up in the performance department? Based on the benchmarks we used, it seems to do reasonably well.

Running the 160GB Fujitsu hard drive through HD Tune provided the results shown above. We were able to achieve an average data transfer rate of 48.2MB/sec and a burst rate of 70.6MB/sec. It’s not really a speed demon, but this is more than adequate for an Atom-powered netbook.

Moving on, we fired the M912 through PC Mark 05. When I tried running the full slate of tests on the MSI Wind U100 and Asus Eee PC 1000HA, they were not able to complete them all. By contrast, this little wonder from Gigabyte had no trouble pumping out a final score of 1511 PC Marks. The processor and memory results were otherwise similar to the the MSI Wind, except for the hard drive score (better on the GIGABYTE).

Unfortunately, the GIGABYTE M912 could not complete the 3DMark06 tests, just like its competitors from Asus and MSI. It would reach a certain point where the screen would go black and the program would stop responding.

Final Thoughts

When you look at most of the other netbooks being offered by GIGABYTE’s competitors, they’re all very similar. They all have screens that are about 8.9 to 10.2 inches, they all get powered by an Intel Atom processor: the mini-laptop experience. Instead of tossing out another generic-looking netbook, GIGABYTE has tried to be a little different with the GIGABYTE M912 by making it a convertible tablet PC. That’s a huge plus, especially for artistic types. The downside is that it will probably stumble under the command of a real graphic artist with a full install of Photoshop.

On the bright side, Photographers that use less power hungry applications like Lightroom may find the added on assignment post processing and storage capabilities of the M912 to be an asset. It also beats carrying around a 15 inch MacBook Pro.

The GIGABYTE M912 Convertible Tablet PC certainly has its quirks, like the somewhat frustrating keyboard and the cheaper choice of plastic, but at least it’s trying to bring something innovative to the table. The performance is quite good and I liked having the higher WXGA resolution, especially when it came to surfing certain websites. There’s work to be done and the price may scare off some potential customers, but GIGABYTE may have just changed the game for everyone else.

Pros

• It’s a convertible tablet in netbook form!
• Best performance figures of reviewed netbooks to date
• Stylish background for top panel
• Power switch easily accessible while in tablet form
• High-resolution WXGA display can handle 720p video

Cons

• Considerably more expensive than most non-tablet netbooks
• Build quality and choice of materials are suspect
• Somewhat heavy and bulky for a netbook
• Kind of pricey at around US$800 MSRP

Overall Rating: 8.5/10.0

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