Asus G50Vt-X1

Gaming on a budget just got easier

AVAILABLE ONLY AT BEST BUY, the Asus GSOVt-X1 offers one-touch overclocking and interactive lighting effects. Although it
struggles with some 3D performance, it can't run today's DirectX 9 gaming titles with ease.

The 7.2-pound G5OVt-X1 sports a piano-black lid with blue detailing. The same glossy black trim surrounds the 15.6-inch, 1,366x768 display, which
offers good viewing angles.

The full-size keyboard and wide touch pad are responsive and comfortable. A 3.1-inch OLED display sits above the keyboard, and four buttons let you change the look and performance. You can toggle among Normal (2.26CI lz),Turbo (2.3801z), and Turbo Extreme (2.49GHz) modes, without having to reboot or enter the BIOS.

The G50Vt-X1 is equipped with HDMI, VGA, FireWire, external SATA (eSATA), S/PDIF audio, and four USB ports, along with a multiformat card reader, an ExpressCard slot, and a DVD burner. A 320GB hard drive comes with 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium.

With a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, 4GB of system memory, and a 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS graphics controller, the G50Vt-X1 turned in an above-average Futuremark PCMark Vantage score of 3,690. Its WME score of 6 minutes and 48 seconds was also strong. In Turbo Extreme mode (2.49GHz) the system scored 3,703 on PCMark Vantage and finished the WME test in 6 minutes and S seconds—not a great improvement.The system's 3DMark06 (1,024x768) score of 8,873 was excellent, however.



An impressive score of 74.3fps on our Company of Heroes test proves this machine's DX9 gaming prowess.the system managed only 23.9fps on the DX10 version, however. The six-cell battery lasted a scant 1 hour and 3S minutes.

This system is comparable to the Gateway P-7811FX, which is less portable. The Asus G50Vt-X1 is good for penny-pinching garners who need a rig to travel with. —John R. Delaney


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Computer Shopper January 2009

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Asus N10Jc

A netbook with pep

THE ASUS N10JC NETBOOK suffers from an identity a isis. Even Asus stumbled when categorizing it, first calling it an ultraportable and then a netbook. Now that we've had a chance to review it, we understand the conundrum. But its unclear identity doesn't make it a bad choice.

At the crux of the confusion are two key attributes: its discrete graphics, which can handle HD video and visually intensive applications (just not 3D games); and its $649 price, which makes it among the more expensive netbooks on the market and puts it in direct competition with larger and more powerful budget notebooks. As a netbook—and by definition, a secondary, low-cost, highly portable PC—the N10JC seemingly comes up short. But as a budget utraportable (an oxymotonic term in itself), it offers something unique: a highly portable PC with discrete graphics at an affordable price.

The glossy champagne-and-black color scheme is sharp yet subdued. At 3.1 pounds. the N10Jc is light enough, but its 1.25-to-1.5-inch thickness is similar to that of a full-size notebook. On the plus side, so is the selection of ports: three USB, mincrophone, S/PDIF-enabled headphone, LAN, VGA, and HDMI. It even has a 34mm ExpressCard slot and an 8-in-1 memory-card reader.

The 10.2-inch wide-screen display delivers a bright, crisp image. The panel's resolution is 1,024x600, which means you'll often need to scroll vertically. The most welcome ergonomic feature of the N10Jc is its keyboard: Just slightly undersized, it is much easier to type on than those of most netbooks we've tried. The right-hand Shift key is small, but at least it's in the right place.

The 1.6GI lz Intel Atom N270 with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive (but no solid-state drive option), and Windows XP Home Edition are all standard netbook fare, as is the lack of an optical drive. 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth wireless capabilities, a fingerprint reader, and a 1.3Megapixel Webcam are also
onboard.

The N10Jc is the only netbook to offer not just discrete graphics but switchable graphics. You'll find Intel's 945 chipset as well as an Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS GPU with 256MB of VRAM. A toggle on the side of the N10Jc lets you decide whether to use the Intel graphics to save battery life or the Nvidia GPU for enhanced graphics performance. How enhanced? We ran Futuremark's 3DMark06 using the Intel graphics, and the N10Jc scored an abysmal 90. Switching on the Nvidia chip (which requites a reboot) gave us a score of 1.575, which is good enough to handle moderate 3D tasks. That score destroys not just every other netbook score, but it outperforms all the budget 15.4-inch systems as well.

By other performance measures, the low-power Atom processor shows its limitations. We couldn't get PCMark05 to run, and our media-encoding tests were sluggish. The N10Jc needed 24 minutes to complete our Windows Media Encoder 9 trial and 24 minutes and 25 seconds for out Mines conversion test—long for most notebooks but not for netbooks. It managed above-average scores of 134 on Cinebench 9.5 and 774 on Cinebench 10.Those numbers aren't too fat off from HP's Mini 1000, which earned scotes of 27 minutes and 8 seconds rot the WME test, 19 minutes and 24 seconds for mines, and 135 and 835 on Cinebench 9.5 and 10, respectively. Unfortunately lot Asus, the Milli 1000 costs $100 less and has an even better keyboard.

Of course, a netbook like the N10Jc is not intended as a workhorse but as a communicator. We were able to surf the Web via Wi-Fi, listen to streaming Internet radio, and open multiple Internet Explorer sessions without much trouble. Battery life while surfing and performing other chores was around 3 hours while using the Nvidia graphics, and it was 3 hours and 10 minutes with integrated graphics, which is good.

In addition to Windows XP, Asus includes its Express Gate preboot environment. Express Gate lets you access the Splashtop Browser, basic music and photo managers for accessing files on the hard drive and attached USB devices, the Pidgin IM applet, and the Skype VoIP utility without booting into Windows.

Asus backs the N10Jc with its standard two-year global warranty, which includes 24-hour toll-free tech support and free overnight shipping There's even a one-year accidental damage warranty that covers drops, fire, spills, and power surges.

If all you need is e-mail and Web access while you're out and about, one of the less-expensive netbooks on the market should suffice. But if you want all the portability and some of the graphics power of an ultratable notebook without the $2,000 price tag, Asus's NIOJc is the way to go. —Jamie Bsales



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Computer Shopper January 2009

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Asus M70S

Asus M70S
Media machine handles HD at high price

ASUS' MEDIA-CENTRIC M70S delivers top-notch performance, great HD capabilities, and a full terabyte of hard drive space-at an appropriately large price.
With its 17-inch display running at a native resolution of 1,920x1,200 (capable of showing 1080p HD video at its full resolution), the $2,399 M70S looks the part of a media machine. We were impressed with the screen's clarity and brighness, and HD Blu-ray disc playback was quick and effortless.
The rest of the M70S is just as eye-catching, except for the full-size keyboard, complete with a 10-key pad, that's on the plain side. Tapping the system's touch pad twice on its upper-right corner will activate a blue backlight with a range of media-control buttons under it. The touch pad is a unique addition, though we found ourselves accidentally activating it many times during Web-surfing sesions.
The M70S gets a lot of mileage from its 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo T9300 processor. It scored well on our productivity and multimedia bench mark tests; more impresisve is the system's battery life: The 1 hour and 55 minutes it lasted in our DVD-playback test is enough to get through most movies. Its weight (8.5 pounds) and dimensions diminish its portability, however.
While the system's GPU-the new ATI Mobility Radeon 3650-offeredsolid scores at lowe resolutions, its performance dropped when we played games at its native resolution, with all the details maximized- Seqguei Servianov
source: Computer Shopper September 2008.

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ASUS EEEPC 900

Feature-Rich Ultramobile PC


The term ultramobile PC (UMPC) used to mean unattractive dysfunctional, and overpriced. But the ASUS EeePC 900 breaks the mold with its sleek look, full feature set, and low price point.
The feature set is generous for the EeePC 900's 2.2-pound frame: three USB ports, a VGA port, an Ethernet port, a modem, and built-in Wi-Fi (802.11g), ASUS has added an SD and MMC card reader and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The absence of an optical drive keeps the EeePC small and light. A faster processor than the 900-MHz Intel Celeron M would have been nice, but the 1GB of RAM is double that of the previous version, the $400 EeePC 4G. Storage capacity is much improved,with a total of 20GB on two solid-state drives. This is a game changer, because now you can put multiple operating systems on this unit. The EeePC 900 comes with either Windows XP Home or Xandros Linux, shipping for the same price.
I couldn't run my performance tests, but according to ASUS, the 42-Wh, four-cell battery should last 3 to 4 hours. As for environmental certifications, the EeePC 900 is RoHS-compliant and meets Enery Stat's specifications (though it has yet to be certified). No matter how you slice it, the EeePC 900 is still a tremendous bargain, despite the higher price.


Specs: 900-MHz Intel Celeron M processor; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; 4GB and 16GB SSD; 128MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 915; 8.9-inch, 1,024-by-600 screen; 2.2-pound system weight (2.7-pound travel weight); 42-Wh. 5.8-Ah lithium ion battery; Xandros Linux.


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Asus U2E

Asus U2E
Tiny system is slow but stylish



A FASHION-FORWARD ULTRAPORTABLE with middling performance, the $1,999 Asus U2E is a real head-turner. It's a great choise- as long as speed is not your primary concern.
Measuring just 10.9x7.6x1 inches-including a built-in optical drive and three-cell battery-the U2E's svelte design is highlighted by leather trim and brushed black aluminium.
Helping the U2E achieve its low 2.8-pounds weight and tiny dimensions is an 11.1-inch LED-blacklit screen. The glossy 1,366x766-resolution display is bright and produces vivid colors, but it suffers from too much glare and offers poor off-angle viewing.
Like all 11.1-inch laptops, the U2E's keyboard is cramped: Not only are the letter keys tiny, but the notebook also has some oddly positioned function keys. With practive, however, our fingers were able to adjust. The touch pad is comfortable to use, as well. Plus, Asus includes a Bluetooth mouse and a carry case.
With its ultralow-voltage processor and integrated graphics, the U2E certainly didn't break any record on our benchmarks tests, scoring lower than more-powerful ultraportables we've tested.
In our battery-life test, the U2E's three-cell battery lasted a abysmal 1 hour and 6 minutes; fortunately, the nine-cell battery Asus bundles with the machine more than tripled that time. But there's a drawback: The nine-cell battery protrudes about an inch from the rear of the notebook, adding significant bulk and weight to the system.


source: Computer Shopper August 2008.
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Asus Eee PC 900

Asus Eee PC 900
Budget model has bigger screen, higher price than predecessor




THE ASUS EEE PC 900 offers a larger screen and more storage space than its predecessor, the Eee PC 4G, but you'll have to pay more for a few of the same trade-offs.
At first blush, the Eee PC 900 looks identical to the 4G. It features the same pearly white plastic case, and, at 8.9x6.7x1.3 inches and 2.2 pounds, the chassis is only marginally larger and a few ounces heavier. To accommodate the bigger 8.9-inch screen, Asus moved the two speaker grilles, which framed the display o the 7-inch mode, to the front edge of the Eee PC 900.The company also boosted the screen resolution from 800x480 to 1,024x600, and the Eee PC 900 features a larger touch pad that supports gesture controls. Unfortunately, Asus stuck the laptop with the same cramped 8-inch keyboard we saw on the 4G.
The Eee PC 900 is available in Windows XP and Xandros Linux flavors (our evaluation unit featured the latter), and both models have 1GB of RAM and more onboard storage: The $599 XP version has 12GB solid-state drive (SSD), while the $549 Linux version gets a 20GB SSD. Processing power is still limited to the same 900MHz Celeron processor, another component we hoped Asus would pump up. Still, for basic Web surfing and productivity work, the Eee PC's underpowered CPU delivers just enough oomph-as long as you keep your expectations in check.
As for battery life, we eked out 3 hours and 30 minutes while writing using OpenOffice.org (with Wi-Fi and the speaker disabled).

source: Computer Shopper August 2008.
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