 A few words about this laptop. |
| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael McCray, |
I have been playing around with this laptop for about a week now. I dont know what people are doing to their keyboards. I type very fast using this notebook and do not see the complaint about it flexing.
Now I am not new to computers or notebooks. I have believed the hype and bought an Alienware a few years back. It was probably beautiful on paper and reality it was something else.
This time around though. I was looking for two things. Portability and good graphics. I found this laptop with switchable or hybrid graphics. It is quite impressive to say the least. I enjoy the portability of it. First time I took it out of the house. I had to check the bag to make sure it was in it. It is that light. If you turn off the wireless radio when using it. You can get over 10 hours of battery life and with the wireless radio on. You average about 7-8.
The heat situation in laptops is something else people talk about. I don't think this even generates heat. I have yet to feel any type of discomfort due to the heat issues. You can not say that about the previous laptop. I probably could have cooked an egg on the shell.
I really dont mind the glossy shiny coating. It stands out and says to people walking by "Hey Look at me!" If you want a dull leather wrappings that crack with age. Then go for it. But i prefer the gloss. It serves as a reminder to wipe the laptop down and keep it clean.
The speed is great. Windows 7 is great. Its very responsive and you can hit that power button and be literally working on your computer in less than 30 seconds. Its that fast.
On the warranty, You can apply for it online. You dont have to send that card in. You can register and go about your merry way.
On the graphics on it. I was running high settings in Dalaran on a heavily populated Warcraft server with zero lag. Not even a bit. That is something that i thought was impossible.
Being this is the first generation in a new direction in laptops. I look forward to seeing what ASUS can do with it. I know Nvidia is planning more for Hybrid Graphics and we as laptop users can finally get the best of both worlds. So in two years or more. I am going to look forward into seeing what asus has to offer. They earned a new customer and that loyalty is not misplaced.
So take the chance on this laptop. You will not reget it.
(Update)
Smooth Gameplay when playing Modern Warfare 2 and still no heat issues. |
Best bang for the buck in the industry...really.
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Walker, Virginia |
I did a fair amount of research on machines in this category...for the money, ASUS is the clear winner. This is one sleek machine! The battery life is great, it feels like it's built to last and the performance (overclocked cpu with the VT's) is great for this class of machine (thin/light/long battery life). The only negatives are tolerable: 1. It could stand to have a better(1.3mp) webcam. 2) The display does have somewhat limited viewing angles, but then again how many viewing angles does one person need?? I was initially concerned about these two drawbacks before I purchased the machine but now that I have it...it's really of no concern any longer, I'm very pleased with this machine. Did I mention that this a damned good looking piece of hardware! LOL!
Another note worth mentioning, ASUS recently beat "everyone" in laptop reliability ratings, including Apple and Sony...and it wasn't even close!
You can lay your money down for this machine and not be disappointed. |
New Owner Loves 12 hour battery life
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| Review Date: December 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nick A. Shertzer, Bloomington, IN |
So, maybe you don't get 12 hours? But at least that's a ballpark figure being thrown around... Especially when you consider the smart power management Asus has thrown in this peppy, thin, cool to the multi-touch, 4GB DDR3, 16:9 LED, laptop. The intel core 2 duo + nvidia G210M is a potent combonation.
The system claims EXPRESS GATE boots in 8 secs, and it really is 20 secs to a Hulu video. Windows 7 Premium took my picture instead of a password after an impressive 1:05 and was streaming video in another 12. I easily overclocked the 1.3Ghz duo by 5% using the super customizable Asus bios. I want to tweak the embedded linux, or maybe just run ubuntu on that 500GB hard drive (it came pre-partitioned with two 250GB partitions).
There are two POWER buttons. One controls windows power options; stepping down the processor. It has 4 power modes, that could frankly use some tuning. Too bad I can do a better job customising, but Windows 7 isn't saving my desktop prefrences right now.
Turning off the discrete grapics also turns off Aero. Then this HUGE 15" becomes a netbook, seemingly gaining unplugged longevity by closing the lid. Standby resumes in an impressive sub 5 secs. Maybe I'm the only one who remembers when computers were slow. I haven't had this computer plugged in all day! The touch pad seems a bit off at first, but then you realize that it has to be offset to the left to keep your palms out of the way. This allows for a full keypad to the right and a plethora of FN keys. And did I mention the multi touch trackpad? It does three fingers. Now I'm considering the 2 yr warranty and 1 year accidental damage that is included?!
Best machine for the OPTIONS!
[EDIT]
I have loaded Ubuntu 9 (thus triple booting the laptop). You can enable all CompizFusion desktop effects, including the desktop cube with no jitter (very smooth animations)! Very fast, very impressive. Also, unexpectedly, Ubuntu picked up on the multi-touch trackpad. I haven't played around with it too much to figure out how to change the two finger tap to be right click (it is set to do some desktop effect right now), but knowing it is possible is awesome.
Also, I only plug in this laptop at night, while I am sleeping. I have been using it all day at work (I am an IT systems administrator) and even watched a couple full length movies while working and still never had to plug it in. WOW! Asus has it loaded up with the "Power4Gear Hybrid" program that lets you set your power options (High Performance, Entertainment, Quiet Office, & Battery Saving). The built in defaults are fine for most people, but again the options are what sets this baby apart. You can define the Maximum and Minimum processor state, toggle Turbo mode, adjust display brightness, change sleep / hibernate options, enable disable devices (camera & ODD), and base it all on the plugged in state (thus giving you eight 8! power modes).
[...]
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Unbelievable value
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jimmy S. Ghostine, |
Great product, well designed, very ergonomic, well thought out. The battery life is not a hoax (I thought it would be). I haven't gone to 12 hours yet, but have gotten to 10 hours with about 22% battery life left.
I'm very familiar with ASUS components from multiple desktop PCs I've built over the last 15 years, and have always been impressed with their quality, features and performance. This laptop, a new foray in finished products for ASUS is a success.
The discrete and integrated video cards transition involves a 1-time blinking of the monitor, but it's not annoying, especially when you realize the battery savings you're making when switching to the Intel card. When you wish it you have an ultra fast Nvidia G210 at your fingertips. I believe the addition of the discrete Nvidia in addition to the integrated Intel graphics card, is well worth the 50 or so dollar difference of the UL50V vs the UL50A.
The ultra low voltage CPU is overclockable and you have a noticeable improvement in performance when doing graphics and processing intensive applications such as photoshop or video editing. It's very satisfying in standard mode as well, but the overclocking ability is unique to ASUS from my prior research.
My other laptop is an HP Pavillion DV 9200t. It's a monster size-wise compared to this laptop, without any noticeable performance advantage despite a 2GHz dual core 2 CPU. The fact this had DD3 memory vs the HP's DDR2 may be part of the reason.
I endorse this ASUS product without reservation. |
The Reason Why I Always Recommend Asus Now
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| Review Date: March 13, 2010 |
| Reviewer: L. Byer, Miramar, Florida United States |
Hi,
I really don't feel the need to waste my time on reviewing half the products I have because usually I am not satisfied and as much as I want to spread the word to everyone I know, I find myself with very little time to constantly write reviews so I save my breathe, or should I say "key strokes", for amazing products because I feel they deserve the praise and I can only hope that the companies are reading these reviews and keeps up the great work.
This machine I have only had for a day, but it is far from being my first laptop or first Asus computer. This is my second Asus product and I know other friends that have Asus so I have enough experience overall to give a fair review. I have the Asus Eee Pc1000H and well I will put it this way....it is a nice little machine, extremely stylish when compared with the other plastic garbage out there, and the screen is just absolutely gorgeous...don't take my word for it...try it! The speakers were God awful (ironically it says "dolby digital" on the sticker that they slapped on it) but you don't buy a netbook because you are ready to roll down the street blaring your Asus Netbook sound system. I have also had 3 Sony Vaios (which btw...NEVER EVER BUY SONY....unless you want to spend another $1000-$2000 in about a year and a half), 1 HP, 1 Lenovo, 2 Toshibas, and an Acer 18.4" (which again btw is probably the most amazing 18.4" laptop you will ever encounter in your life...try the 5.1 speakers that comes on it and you will thank me again later)
Now on to this Asus UL50VT. I purchased this at Best Buy yesterday (3/11/10) for actually $729.99 (cheaper than Amazon oddly enough) and let me say I have absolutely no regrets on this purchase as I type this review on this very same laptop. The screen, yes, can be crisper but I am truly fine with it and I do think it looks very nice, but you have to understand that the resolution appears differently to your eyes than a traditional lcd display so keep that in mind when thinking about it. I promise you though that it looks good and I bet you will still love it as you play around with the unit. The keyboard is the best on the market in my opinion. I may say that Lenovo makes the best keyboards but you pay for that build quality. If I had money, I think I would have a Lenovo for home and this laptop for the road....even though this computer can do it all...I love technology so I wouldn't mind having both manufacturers to enjoy. The first thing I think of when anyone says the word "Asus" is "build quality." Asus makes rock solid motherboards and over the past couple of years have been pushing to be the number one laptop manufacturer. I was as skeptical as next guy about them pulling off such a difficult task, but just get your hands on an Asus before you pass judgment. The chicklet keyboard is so easy to work off of, the kind of matte/rubbery texture to the palm rest is so elegant looking and really feels so good when you rest your palms on it and type on the computer. The mousepad i need to given and standing ovation for. I heard others talking about the stiffness of the buttons, but I really have not found that to be a problem and I rather have solid build quality then wondering when those buttons are going to snap off. The mousepad itself is why I am clapping. It is very responsive and silky smooth to the touch. It is impossible to explain it until you try it for yourself. It's the first time I ever felt anything this good, and I thought my Asus netbook was the best, but man was I wrong :). The speakers are actually pretty darn good. I never expect much out of speakers, and when you are as spoiled as I am having Acer 5.1 speaker/subwoofer surround sound in the 18.4" laptop, nothing can ever top it. The Acer has a 17.3" model that apparently has the same speakers...try them...you will never want to go back to another manufacturer again (if high quality speakers are a must for you)! The quality of this Asus UL50VT is just so darn solid. I pick up a Toshiba or a Dell and I feel like I have to gently touch it or it will snap in half, but this guy is solid at every corner. The exterior styling is so classy and elegant that my friends and random strangers I run into ask me if this unit cost $1600. Yes, I know I have only had it for a day, but I go to coffee shops daily and I am in med school so I do interact with many people and I already got 5 comments on this computer asking me what it is and where I got it. Another thing that even worried me was how the weight would feel and how big it was because in the store, the battery wasn't on it so I couldn't truly feel the weight, and it was in some medal encasing so it was hard to see the thickness. Simply put, this laptop DOES NOT feel like 5.5 lbs...I would say at max it feel likes 3.8 lbs. The weight distribution must be so evenly distributed that you mind thinks it's lighter than it really is because the battery believe it or not is actually not that heavy. I was surprised myself. Plus, the unit is so slim and sleek that you can put it anywhere.
In summary...I really am in love with this laptop, and it is very rare for me to actually get excited about a product because I always find flaws. I am averaging about 6 hrs and 42 min of battery because I have WiFi on, but I can push about 9hr 45min...maybe 10hr with WiFi off, but to achieve the 12 hrs you need to turn their Turbo 33 feature off, but I really don't care. 10 Hrs is fine for me at the moment and I rather have the faster boot ups. Also the graphics card apparently is working very well. I honestly have not even pushed it close to what it is capable of yet, but even with the dedicated graphics card turned off (Fn + Space Bar to switch between the 4 profiles), I have found this thing to be very speedy. What I mean is that, I just returned an HP TM2 Table Pc the other day because it didn't work too well, and even THAT computer (with very similar specs minus the dedicated graphics card) wasn't as zippy and fast as this asus is. I am telling you that the difference was VERY noticable.
Overall...amazing machinery and Asus has convinced me that for years to come, they will always be my laptop manufacturer and that is final! Only exception is for BIG laptops I will go with Acer for the amazing surround sound, but if Asus does something like that...then back to Asus I will go. I have tried every single manufacturer out there and I have been so POed for years with the terrible quality of each one, but now I am happy to report that my problems have finally washed away. Thank You Asus for another amazing product.
[...].....you can E-mail me with any questions and I will try to respond when I have time. I put the e-mail there because I am showing that this is an honest review and I feel that a product like this deserves this kind of credit. You will NOT find anything even close to this if you are looking for an all-in-one quality package. |
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