ASUS M50Vm Montevina Review and Benchmarks

ASUS M50Vm (Montevina) Review & Performance Benchmarks
By EXcaliberPC.com on Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Overview and Introduction:
A bit more than a week after the 4th of July festivities and it’s now a notebook enthusiast’s turn to celebrate. Intel has finally released its fifth-generation Centrino platform code-named Montevina. Our focus today will be on the Asus M50VM-B1 model which is basically the Montevina platform transplanted into the immensely popular M50SV notebook’s shell. Users will notice the same design, casing, speaker, mostly same ports except for 1 extra USB port on left side and esata no longer combo with USB, etc but inside it is a major platform change in terms of memory speed, CPU, graphics, chipset, etc. Also added is the new Asus Express Gate which is like a little OS that boots in seconds and provides users with select applications for web, music, Skype, chat, photo, and games without running Vista and conserves battery power. Parts of the review will mirror our M50SV-A1 review for obvious reasons. The key difference between the M50SV versus M50VM will be performance.

Express Gate

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Specification:

M50Vm-B1
• Screen: 15.4" WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Color Shine Glossy LCD (CPT1465 by Chunghwa Picture Tubes)
• Processor: 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (1066 MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache)
• Chipset: Mobile Intel PM45 + ICH9M
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS (1024MB dedicated VRAM)
• Memory: 4GB RAM (2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Memory)
• Hard Drive: 320GB 5400RPM Serial ATA
• Optical Drive: 8x DVD Super Multi Dual Layer
• Camera: 1.3 megapixel webcam (240 degree swivel)
• Card Reader: 8-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo)
• Ports/Slots: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 1 x Express Card, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x eSATA Port, 1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire
• Wireless LAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Base T
• Communication: Bluetooth V. 2.0 + EDR
• Security: Fingerprint Authentication Reader
• Speakers & Mic: Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers and built-in microphone
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Dimensions: 14.7" x 10.5" x 1.7" inches (W x D x H)
• Weight: 6.65 pounds
• MSRP: $1449 USD

M50Vm-A1
• Screen: 15.4" WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Color Shine Glossy LCD (CPT1465 by Chunghwa Picture Tubes)
• Processor: 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (1066 MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)
• Chipset: Mobile Intel PM45 + ICH9M
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS (1024MB dedicated VRAM)
• Memory: 4GB RAM (2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Memory)
• Hard Drive: 320GB 5400RPM Serial ATA
• Optical Drive: 8x DVD Super Multi Dual Layer
• Camera: 1.3 megapixel webcam (240 degree swivel)
• Card Reader: 8-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo)
• Ports/Slots: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 1 x Express Card, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x eSATA Port, 1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire
• Wireless LAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Base T
• Communication: Bluetooth V. 2.0 + EDR
• Security: Fingerprint Authentication Reader
• Speakers & Mic: Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers and built-in microphone
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Dimensions: 14.7" x 10.5" x 1.7" inches (W x D x H)
• Weight: 6.65 pounds
• MSRP: $1299 USD



Reasons for Buying:
The M50VM-B1 occupies the upper portion of the value performance notebook category. It packs power (Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 4GB of system memory, 1GB dedicated video memory) and fingerprint security in addition to a large hard drive. The e-sata connector is relatively uncommon for notebooks but provides excellent way to use fast external hard drive storage. The M50VM-B1’s numeric keypad makes data entry very easy for those who are used to the regular keypad and the multimedia touchpad is a cool feature to have. Finally, the new Express Gate is a really neat tool if you just want to do a quick browser or chat session!

Build & Design:
Being an Asus notebook the M50VM-B1 naturally has an attractive design. The outside of the notebook is black with faint straight lines running across it and is very glossy. The cover is made with the In-Mold Roller technology which means the surface is very scratch resistant. The notebook opens smoothly and pushes back against you as it opens making it feel very solid. The same IMR technology is used on the inside of the notebook except it’s gray in color instead of black. The borders around the LCD are black and solid glossy surface. Pushing in on the lid from the outside does not cause ripples on the LCD picture. It’s possible to twist the LCD casing slightly so it is a bit above average in construction. While the notebook is open pushing on the LCD the hinge wobbles very little and holds its position well. The M50VM-B1 feels quite heavy if you were to hold it with one hand so it is best not to operate it while holding it up with just one hand.

Screen:
The M50VM-B1 features a 15.4” WXGA+ (1440x900) screen. The screen surface is slightly reflective and is almost like a rear view mirror if showing black background. Text and lines are very clear. The image quality is sharp and bright with nice contrast. Asus integrates AI Light features (sensor) so it adjusts brightness to ambient lighting should provide images with the best lighting effects and least strain on the eye. Our test units had no dead pixels but with Asus 30 day ZBD guarantee nobody should have a problem with dead pixel. The viewing angle on the M50VM-B1 is quite good both horizontally and vertically. Panel ID: CPT1465 by Chunghwa Picture Tubes

Speakers:
Asus integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers into the M50VM-B1 and the results are quite good. Sound is clear and fairly loud at the highest setting. As is with most mobile speakers it is lacking in bass. The speakers are located prominently in the upper left and right corners of the inside of the notebook instead of being tucked away at the sides for most notebooks for the best sound effects.

Processor and Performance:
The M50VM-B1 takes 58 seconds to go from the user pushes the power button to when Windows is ready. The system comes with 4GB of system memory now at 800MHz which the system information reports correctly since Vista Service Pack 1 is loaded.. The 320GB hard drive is only 5400 RPM but programs executes quickly on it. The performance is fast as seen below due to the latest Intel Penryn CPU and its speedy GeForce 9600M GS 1024MB graphics card.

Vista Windows Experience Index


Heat and Noise:
Overall this notebook is cool except for slight heat from the exhaust fan on the upper left side due to the use of Penryn CPU and new GF 9600M which lowers heat output substantially. Noise is also almost non-existent during operating. The only way to hear noise is to our ears next to the hard drive compartment during hard drive search or next to the fan exhaust to hear a faint hum. The DVD super-multi drive makes noises only during initial reading of the drive or during changes in chapter. Other wise during operating the DVD drive is very quiet.

Keyboard and Touchpad:
The keyboard on the M50VM-B1 has a definite flex on the top. The keys don’t feel as nice as other notebooks we have reviewed. The great thing about this notebook is the addition of numeric keypad. For people who are used to entering numbers quickly using numeric keypads this is a great feature. The touchpad is very smooth to the touch and has printed on it the multimedia controls that you can activate by tapping on the upper right corner of the touchpad upon which the touchpad printing lights up in blue so you know you are in the multimedia mode. It is very convenient and easy to use. The multimedia functions work with Windows Media player. During multimedia touchpad mode you can also use the scroll feature to change volume or mute sound.

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340mm keyboard w/ numeric keypad (Click on the thumbnail to enlarge)



Input and Ouput:
The M50VM-B1 now features 4 USB ports, 3 on the right side of the notebook. Also on the right side of the notebook are 3 audio ports (microphone, headphone, s-pdif out) . On the back of the notebook are modem port, wired LAN RJ45 port, and power in jack. On the left side of the notebook you have an e-sata port, one USB port, IEEE 1394 firewire port, VGA out, HDMI, SD card slot, and express card slot.

Wireless & Bluetooth:
The M50VM-B1 provides wireless connectivity through either the built in WLAN 802.11AGN wireless card and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR – an enhanced data rate that transmits up to 3 times faster than standard Bluetooth. The wireless LAN works great with our office router and can be turned on or off via software (off to conserve power) or a switch in the left front area of the notebook.


Device Manager


CPU-Z


GPU-Z


HD Tune Pro





3D Benchmarks:

System Hardware:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 667 (2GB x 2)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS 1GB (1024MB)

System Software & Drivers:
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
NVIDIA ForceWare Version: 177.66



Results (M50Vm): 3DMark06 Score: 5602 (800x600) - 4707 (1024x768) - 4224 (1280x800) - 3790 (1440x900)

Results (M50Sv): 3DMark06 Score: 4419 (800x600) - 3804 (1024x768) - 3578 (1280x720) - 3091 (1440x900)


3DMark06 Score: 5602 (800x600)

3DMark06 Score: 4707 (1024x768)

3DMark06 Score: 4224 (1280x800)

3DMark06 Score: 3790 (1440x900)


Battery life: (test in progress)

• 6-Cell, 4800 mAh (Standard)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 2 hour and 5 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 2 hour and 29 min to hibernate. (warning at 2 hours and 13 mins with 11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

• 9-Cell, 7200 mAh (Optional)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 3 hour and 8 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 3 hour and 55 min to hibernate. (warning at 3 hours and 44 mins with 8~11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

Operating System and software:
The M50VM-B1 is factory loaded by Asus with Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit. It is also loaded with the Symantec Internet Security, Nero 7 Essentials, MS Office Trial version, and several other trial/freeware. As with all with notebooks, it comes with a recovery DVD and software CD which are easy to use.

Conclusion:
The M50VM-B1 is a substantial leap from its predecessor. It is pleasing to the eye in styling and screen quality. The Express Gate feature is really useful and will truly make using the notebook more efficient.

• Pro:
New Montevina Platform
Fast 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
Solid construction
Good viewing angles
Multimedia touchpad
Numeric Keypad
Runs cool and quiet
Express Gate

• Con:
Keyboard flex at top

Users are more than welcome to request for additional info on here. Thank you for reading!

EXcaliberPC.com

 

Nice! Thank you

So the $150 difference is only because of the CPU?

 

Great! Been waiting for this! Thanks!

Also, is it possible to upgrade to 64-bit Vista with the discs included?

 

That is correct, everything else is identical.

 

Thanks for this very well organized review! Looking forward to seeing it finished. Some things that could be added are in-game benchmarks and battery life with the Asus Express Gate (so that we can see the difference).
It's coming great: keep up to good work!

 

Yes, the CPT1465 is on the reviewed laptop.

Have a guess wich panel will the poor guy will get. I am sure a crapy AUO panel.

 

Cool. I am interested to see the GPU temps idle and under load, though, any chance you can run those tests?

 

I ordered the m50vm-a1 model of this last night from excaliber, because the extra money did not seem worth it for the better processor. I also wanted the 25w one for better battery, as asus already has enough problems with long battery life.
Can't wait for it to come in.

Is CPT a good screen?

 

Sure, I'll see what we can do on this.

 

I'm considering purchasing this laptop as well. There are a few things I'd like to know that have been mentioned by some of the above posters:

- Battery life (which I guess you're about to do soon). I'm surprised it only comes with a 6-cell battery. This laptop seems stronger than the Asus G1Sn, and that still comes with an 8-cell battery. This is kinda discouraging...
- Is it possible to upgrade to 64-bit Vista? I don't understand why they're including 32-bit Vista with a laptop that has 4 GB RAM since only ~3.25GB will register, correct?
- How is the actual screen itself?

Also, what's the difference between the 9500M GS and the 9600M GS? I know the 9500M GS is based on the 9600M GT chip, but what's the deal with the 9600M GS? I can't find that much info on it either.

Thanks a lot. I will be eagerly waiting for an update.

 

Does the M50VM use all 4GB effectively? Or is that only available in a 64 bit OS?

 

Only 64bit OS can utilize all the 4gb of ram. Vista 32bit can use ~3.2gb

 

I am also interested in whether the CPT1465 is actually a good screen. The only thing I found on google was something about lots of light leakage and not much else.

 

Yeah, not too sure if it's a good screen. In a video I looked at about the M50Vm-B1, I think I saw some major light leakage, but I wasn't too sure.

The video is here (120MB): http://ynot2k.com/btotech.com/m50vm/m50vm-b1.wmv

 

Keep in mind, folks, that Asus purchases lcd's in bulk orders from whichever manufacturer they have a contract with at the moment. As example, other specific models have either CMO or AUO screens. Thus, it's not certain that anything beyond the immediate product launch would have the CPT screen that Ken describes, since presumably they all would be built in the same initial production run (but even then Asus may have screens from multiple suppliers on-hand for the build).

One also has to be careful about assessing screen quality or light bleed based on video, as visuals are highly dependent on 1) your viewing screen and 2) Eddie's camera angle/video quality/camera settings/processing/transcode. Not the same thing as in real life.

 

Battery life: (Revised on 7/17/2008, 10:57PM)

• 6-Cell, 4800 mAh (Standard)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 2 hour and 5 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 2 hour and 29 min to hibernate. (warning at 2 hours and 13 mins with 11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

• 9-Cell, 7200 mAh (Optional)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 3 hour and 8 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 3 hour and 55 min to hibernate. (warning at 3 hours and 44 mins with 8~11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

 

I can't decide. A1 or B1.... I like the idea of using the 25w. Not sure if the processor is overkill or not on the B1...

 

Was that the B1 or A1 model? Those numbers are pretty disappointing. Was this conducted before you cycled the battery one time?

 

seems to be a huge difference when compared to gentech's review
kinda odd

 

Indeed, we will look into a few things and run a few more tests tonight.

 

Battery life: (Revised on 7/17/2008, 10:57PM)

• 6-Cell, 4800 mAh (Standard)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 2 hour and 5 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 2 hour and 29 min to hibernate. (warning at 2 hours and 13 mins with 11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

• 9-Cell, 7200 mAh (Optional)
Battery Saving Mode (DVD Movie Playback) :
Approximately 3 hour and 8 min to hibernate.
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: Off

Battery Saving Mode (Internet Video Streaming & Web Surfing) :
Approximately 3 hour and 55 min to hibernate. (warning at 3 hours and 44 mins with 8~11% battery)
LCD Display Brightness: 40%
Maximum / Minimum processor state: 60% / 5%
Wireless/Bluebooth: On

 

Thanks for posting the battery life times. Is there a big difference between the A1 and B1 model? (In battery life, that is)

 

To be honest with you, we have not tested the battery life on the A1 model, however the battery life should be slightly better than the B1, but not by much. Intel has lowered the TDP by 10W to 25W by dropping voltages a bit further on the P series Centrino 2 45nm CPUs. You would not be disappointed with either model.

 

Thank you for the review, it was added to the Info Booth sticky.

 

thanks for review!

do you happen to have brightness rating (nits or cd/m2) for that CPT1465 panel?

 

Has anyone had a chance to test out battery life while web browsing with Express Gate? Like Arondel I'm interested to see if there is a significant difference in battery life while browsing in Windows OS vs. Express Gate OS.

Edit:
I watched BtoTech/Eddie's video review of the unit where he said the notebook didn't see any increase in battery time using Splashtop/Express Gate. (He appeared to be going off the estimated time on the task bar as opposed leaving the system running until the battery reached its end.)
(I find that suprising since I'd think Windows processes, services, and other active hardware systems would produce more of a power drain then the limited Splashtop/Express Gate environment.)