Asus C90S Review and OS shootout!

just ran pcmark05 with vista ultimate 64 bit

config is in the sig

stock settings: 5801
OC'd to 2.93ghz: 6198

so perhaps having ultimate in 64bit is better than the others (based off the review in this thread)

3dmark06: - no overclocking of the gpu. drivers 163.11

3063 with stock settings at 2.66ghz

3149 with oc to 2.93ghz

 

How does that 8600GT runs in games?

I mean, it does have DDR2 (at least according to Bryan from GentechPC, wich I e-mailed yesterday) rather than GDDR3.

Is it running at 400mhz (DDR2 800) or at 700mhz (DDR2 1400?)

 

its 400mhz.

 

Oh damn, I knew this laptop was too good to be true. But at least it's upgreable, or I hope asus will release other cards for it like 8800M (if its released....) or the 9600M.

Does the memory OC well?

 

I just got mine yesterday!! I love it and of course there are questions I have. I have installed XP pro and Vista home Premium.

On XP whenever I boot the Turbo Gear Folder appears. I looked but didn't see it in the startup config. Anyone else had that problem?

I can't get the turbo button to work but havent tried that hard. I have been busy and there is so much I need to do on this thing.

What is the Power for phone utility on the cd?

 

Click your Start menu --> Run --> type "msconfig" --> click the startup tab --> uncheck the wbctlvga
This will get rid of the turbo gear folder at startup

 

My C90S with a WD 250GB 5400rpm is generating too much heat on the touchpad and on the left hand position.
Using HDTune I see the temperature rise to 60ºC!!!! Is it normal??
Or can the notebook have some problem?

Does the IFL90 or the G1S have the same heating problem on that zone?

tx in advance!

 

If you're talking about the GPU memory, my friend can take his to 520 MHz without heat problems.
If you're talking about the system memory, sort of. The C90S BIOSes like to keep even clock ratios between the memory and the processor...

 

Thanks emporiumboutique. I could get as far as the list but couldn't find which was causing the folder to pop up. Usually the entry will have the folder name in it.

Are you running Vista? If so just give it some time, it'll cool down. It is archiving all the stuff on your hd so the search will work quickly. If you are running xp im not sure but mine running xp right now is at 50. I don't think mine or your temps are that high.

 

Yeah I'm talking about the GPU memory. 520 is not that bad, well, it would do better than the 256MB DDR2 at dell. Although I'd prefer the 700mhz GDDR3 (my desktop 8600 is running a 920).

For the system one, well, it goes with the FSB so when the cpu is OCed...

 

First I want to say thank you to all for all the wonderfull post about the Asus C90S. It helped me make my decision towards buying it. But I have just one issue which still bothers me abit. I worried that the laptop will over heat, and the fans will not be enough to play games on it (Halo, Doom FFXI, Call of Duty etc...) full graphic mode. Also wondering if the laptop is a "gaming laptop". The last laptop I had was able to make grill cheese sandwhichs even when the graphics were at the minimum, not toasted, but enough to melt the cheese and soften the bread.

Thank you again for anyone who can respond to these questions, and I'm sorry if it sounds noobish to you.

 

i always plays games, halo and halo 2, call of duty, doom 3. and not once has it ever gotten too high of temps, half the time, my fan doesn't even need to really even turn on and still perfectly fine.

i think this laptop is definitely a gaming laptop, not only because of the gpu but because the cpu is so powerful. now i don't play the really high tech games likc crysis or fear and this isn't as powerful as the 7950gtx or the 8700m gt but to me, this is perfect.

 

It wont overheat, its designed to run hot and make the fans go faster if it needs too. Gaming mode is over rated anyways, the cpu power will just go to waist on most games as the gpu will be the bottleneck.

 

Sounds like the voice of experience...

 

thats fantastic Wkudman! i didn't know they made hybrid laptops but i think thas cool, i wish my laptop could make grilled cheese sandwhiches....all it can do now is just the boring computer stuff

 

Yeah with a 8600M GT you don't really need more than a E6320, or even a 4300 would do the job. Of you OC them to 2.93 while doing video encoding

I'm going to check with my college if the laptop needs a minimum of autonomy. If it's 1.5-2.25 hour I'll just get a second battery. If it's more I'll go for an Inspiron 1720 (about $100 more and it's 17'')

 

Hey, what is the rating index that vista rating thingy gives to the 8600M GT 512MB DDR2?

Because I just saw the Mobility Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB DDR2 gets 4.2, wile the X1600 and the Go 7600 gets a 4.5.

My Desktop 6600 gets a 4.7 and my desktop 8600GT GDDR3 gets a 5.9

 

desktop graphics: 4.5

gaming graphics: 5.2

 

It gives 5.9 for desktop and 5.6 for gaming on my deaktop 8600GT.

How can desktop be below? This is because of DDR2 right?

Because my 6600 wich has 128MB of DDR2 got 4.7/4.7 =/

 

desktop cards have alot more power than the moble versions, plus vistas test is little more than a program that just says... HMMM he has X equipment wich is worth X points... Its not a real benchmark.

 

Er, it really is a benchmark. Not an especially informative one... but Vista isn't spending a few minutes pegging your graphics and system processors to the max just looking up your model number in some table. Plus, if that were true, then how on earth would it know what new video cards were, those released after vista was? Via some magical secret microsoft updates to the lookup table?

 

I think it goess with the clocks and specifications. It is not normal my 6600 128MB scores higher than that 8600M GT 512MB DDR2

 

Yep its just numbers not a benchmark.

here is a personal example.

My 2.8ghz Opteron 148 gets a 4.0 on the test, wich is tied with many of the 1.6ghz c2d's on all the cpu benchmarks (check our wprime thread here on the forums for proof)

So as a single core cpu its tied with a 1.6ghz dual core with both cores at full power.

Now ONLY in a optimal situation will the 1.6ghz dual core tie the 2.8ghz single core via severe multi tasking or a program that is multi threaded (and even then usually, its not a even load and the single core will do better) Wich means in 95% of all real life situations the single core is better, because nearly every program is single threaded, and by far the majority of games. Then even if optial situations are met for the dual core, its only TIED with mine in terms of processing power.

However Vista hands out a 4.0 to my cpu, and over 5.0 to the 1.6ghz dual cores.

Why?? not because the 1.6 is better, by no means is it, but because its dual core and they get higher marks on vistas little chart of points.

Debate it further and I can surly find many more situations like this, not to mention hunt for another thread based on this very same subject of vistas test where everybody on the thread agrees with me.

 

Well, there is merit in the review, but overall, the review was horribly biased, had problems in its testing and full of grammar mistakes which really shouldn't happen in such an article. The notebook is not too heavy; Those who find it heavy should go to the gym? That's just one example of the bias that makes it difficult to trust the reviewer's judgement. He does not even post the weight.

Also, you have to compare XP vs. Vista results using the latest drivers. The stock drivers are OBSOLETE. That is just shoddy reviewing.

Note that your barebones configuration is not the only one. There are those that come WITHOUT the 8600m and WITH a wireless card.

Finally, you need to post what aftermarket parts you bought for your system. OCZ sells dozens if not hundreds of models of RAM. Be specific. I've read that the C90 uses SO-DIMMS, and if true, you may wish to mention that.

Like I said, there are parts worth reading in your review, but as a whole you need to be far more professional.

 

Lol, Vicious is one the most knowledgeable people I have seen on the forums. In case you haven't noticed this isn't his own website. He doesn't have to write a review for us you know. I thought he did an excellent job. Also the stock drivers were because he was one of the first to get his c90 and tested it out of the box because he got it before everyone else did so the people who were wondering whether to get the c90 or not would have a review. Hes helped tons of c90 owners with their questions so its not fair for you to come here and discredit his review.

 

So because you cannot argue with any of my points, it's "not fair"? I mentioned that his review has merits, but why be a suck up and pretend as if he is perfect? There were faults, significant ones. Argumentum ad misericordiam is not an excuse.

 

I'm not here to argue with you. Point being most people appreciated his review, if you feel its not good make your own. Its not like you paid to read his review.

 

I'm trying to constructively criticize HIS review. I'm trying to HELP. Why are you so defensive towards someone else's review? Why is it not okay to point the mistakes out? It can only be of benefit to everyone. I can't believe that you're being so juvenile about this.

 

There are better ways to criticize someone's work. You didn't criticize and analyze in a helpful manner. Calling it "shoddy reviewing" and "horribly biased" is not really helping. You are not helping when you point out flaws and offer little to no solutions on how to improve it. I think you need to re-read what you wrote.

Yes I know its not MY review but regardless I found what you wrote to be rude. Also just find it funny you want a "professional" quality article, while this is a forum. I'm pretty sure he put a good effort into it and you just come in and say these are the flaws and overall it is marginal to poor quality and it also has spelling and grammar mistakes. Yeah a few spelling and grammar mistakes really deter us forum members from understanding what the laptop is like.

About the heavy issue. Yes a 7 pound laptop is heavy for some people who also have to carry other heavy books. In my college experience carrying around 4-5 books around campus gets tiring on long days and not to mention what a hassle it is while on a bike. Point being that comment is useless of course 7 pounds is not hard to carry around, you have to factor in what situation people are going to be using it for.

 

Perhaps you should reread my first post.

"Post the weight instead of telling people to go to the gym"
"Compare XP vs. Vista with the latest drivers instead of obsolete stock driver"
"Mention that the DDR2 RAM is of SODIMM variety lest people get confused"

These are simple, obvious solutions. Did you miss them in my post?

How can you preach about "rudeness" when the first word in your post was "lol"? I was straightforward. It's quite amusing that you took offence on his behalf. I truly think he can speak for himself. I've seen his other posts. He's done a lot of research and helped the forumgoers immensely. However, his review was not great (poor grammar hurts credability, not to mention the other problems I've listed) and I have the right to say that without needing to defend my valid criticisms against petty fanboism.

And again with the weight issue, for people to factor in the weight of the laptop into their daily lives, they need to know the weight. Having someone preemptively insult their fitness doesn't help. 7 pounds will be difficult for some people whether or not it is for you and blanket statements like that and yours are the exact opposite of what is helpful.

 

Lol= laughing out loud which is very rude compared to "shoddy reviewing" and "horribly biased". I see your point on that one. A fan-boy? Good comment? I just found your post rude, my criticism on your post. Ok done, this debate is getting us nowhere.

 

Hey guys just got home from the hospital, thought I would share I have a new baby boy that was born today!

Besides that I am glad to see my review has been bumped to the top of the topics because I did put alot of work into it.

In my absence I thank Forerunner for defending my honor but now that I am back let me make a few points for our new "critic"

1.) Grammar - Its no secret that I have the worlds worst spelling, and any grammar mistakes are usually due to how fast I type without proofreading everything. This is not a final version of the review, this is my posted version, the admins of this site go back and edit it for the final version in which they post. Plus last I checked as long as you can read and understand what somebody is saying then there is no problem.

I do however encourage you to PM one of the site admins and tell them you wish to apply for the spelling police position, see if they have it open.

2.) Drivers - I much much disagree with you on using the newest drivers. For more than one reason.

First - Not everybody is a member of this forum and a enthusiast to computers that know about laptopvideo2go and how to use modified inf's and unoffical drivers for there notebook, I think the point is to judge the product on the drivers that its released with because they are offical and 100% backed by the manufacturer.

2nd, because (and I do believe I stated this in the review) the driver version on the disk is the same for xp and vista, but if you go snag the newest drivers for xp and vista from a 3rd party site they no longer match up, so now if you compare vista to xp. Your more of comparing the drivers rather than the operating system for performance. You have to eliminate every variable except the one you want to test... in this case it was the OS, not the drivers that I wanted to test. Swoley and a few others have done alot of test with newer drivers and I expect each person to try unofficial drivers at there own risk because each person may have different results.

3. Weight - Common its heavy?? sure it may be heavy to you, or if your comparing it to a much smaller and lighter notebook but overall its not heavy. What you consider biased tho or offensive when I say go to the gym... I don't understand how you took me serious and didn't catch the humor. I mean that was the point... to be abit humorous. I like to laugh now and then, and make other people laugh. Girls love it, you should try it sometime. After spending years in the marines carrying around a rifle at port arms for hours on end, I must admit this notebook is pinky weight to me personally.

The last thing you should take to mind about the whole thing was this was a very early review, I tried to get it out as fast as possible because there were alot of eager people waiting for feedback and info on the notebook because they were waiting for word before buying. Since this review, I have updated alot of things and posted alot of new info in the many other threads on the forum.

So let me update a few things for you then:

Yes the ram is So-Dimms the only desktop component on this notebook is the cpu.

2x2gb will not post its not supported, I recommend you get the ram directly from your retailer and not 3rd party and install it on your own because many people are failing to get working configurations. 2+1gb is the one thats causing problems, the 2gb sodimms are having massive compatibility problems, so I recommend you get a 1+1 config unless you feel you NEED 3gb of ram.

 

Yeah the review was excellent as it was put up in the first few days of people getting their c90s. Regardless of any errors it was still good. Also, bias is to be expected...I mean its not a group review. The review is just to give you a good feel of how the laptop is and it did an excellent job of it. For the life of me, I cant find anything wrong with it. Especially somethin worth commenting so strongly on...

 

Hey Vicious, to put it simple, and from one Marine to the other, there is no excuse for blue falcons. Semper I, know what I'm saying?

This guy came on saying you need to be professional and give exact specs of the C90 and bla bla bla.

When was the last time you saw a paycheck for writing a review and sharing the information and knowledge that you have to offer?

Ichigo, you need to realize that we're all simple internet goers that just happen to be Computer/Laptop enthusiasts and we SHARE information of our own free will. If you don't like it, boo hoo. Go cry to someone who cares.

Yea, I may be an A**hole, but I'm not here to be nice to people. Show respect and respect will be given. If you've got something helpful and intelligent to say, say it. If not, well that's up to you now isn't it?

 

It was my criticism.

You could have accepted the criticism and kept mind of it for the next review.

You could have not cared and went about your merry way.

My criticisms of your review are as legitimate as the review itself. Some of it will be useful and some people will be defensive because of their pride.

By the way, the fact that you have posted this review on this forum makes a clear statement as to the target demographic, who really should be aware how to update to the latest drivers.

@WhiteEightBall: You're making me out to be a villain by putting words into my mouth. I didn't say that I don't like the review. It's dead useful.

And I don't care what you are. I may have been overly berating in my first post, but the advice was helpful. "Post the weight so people can make up their own minds about how heavy it will be for themselves" is good advice. If you want to tell me I'm lame for being snarky, go ahead. The advice still stands and it is up to the reviewer to take it or leave it.

 

Well subject closed, back on topic.

Semper Fi WhiteEightBall, always good to see a fellow Marine. Hope your enjoying yourself where ever you may be.

 

Gosh... reading those 19 pages totally fried my brains for a computer noob like me...

First of all, cool review. And how awesome of you to stay active throughout the 19 pages. I'm a potential C90S buyer and I found it helpful.

A few concerns that I wish people on this board can clear for me... (hope you guys still checks this thread.. it's been about 3 weeks..)

Let me first state my purpose.
I'm looking for an AWESOME laptop.
Main purposes: Gaming, video editing, hardcore multitasking, and photoshopping.
It's gotta last for at least 5 years.
Budget: 2.5k. Saves more the better, but can go over limit if the laptop is a beasty-must
I stumbled across the C90S. Looks pretty good so far, and my friend suggested it after he did some research for me.

So I was comparing between... (click for links)
Dell XPS M1710
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1710?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~section=specs#tn2

Alienware Area-51 m9750
http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/area-51_m9750_b.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-AREA51M9750B&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

My friend told me that the C90S is the best for me - not only is it stronger, but it is cheaper as well.

But is it really stronger??
I know the CPU tops the other two.. it's the graphics card that I'm worried about (for the games, you know)
What do you guys think?

Another thing..
Where do I get the C90S?
Here's the link I got from my friend.
I've never actually bought stuff from them, so I was wondering if there are other good places as well.. or if they're pretty good already..
http://btotech.com/store/products/laptops/asus/c90s/c90s.htm

Lastly.. how's this set up that my friend chose?

C2D E6700
3072 mb (2GB + 1GB) DDR2 800mhz
200gb 7200 rpm Seagate HDD
Windows XP Pro

I don't know that much about computers but I'd do the best I can to make this purchase my best...
But from reading the posts, it seems like this is a bad set up? Compatibility issues? You guys tell me... Cuz I dunno..
But from I've read, I don't need the 7200rpm, nor the 800mhz?

One game that I would love to be able to play smoothly (and on a good quality at last since my older computers could only handle low settings):
WarCraft 3: The Frozen Throne
Would XP or Vista work better w/ that?

I'd prefer the best set up I can get on the C90S.. since I'm already saving $ from not choosing the other 2 laptops that I looked at.

A bit of a long post... sorry!
But please help me out! Want to make the best choice if I'm going to spend at least $2000 on something.. which is a first on comps!
Thank you in advance!

 

Dell and alienware are overpriced, so not really good choices

Well with tha budget yo could also look for a customized g1s (15.4) or even a g2s (17 inches) both can be found at the stie your friend recommended ( www.btotech.com)

This two are better at gaming right now because of faster video cards. They also have a "gamer look" and cool backpacks.

The c90 its sort of a bet if there is an upgrade for the gpu (which is what im expecting) then the c90 will be better at gaming if not then ....

Anyhow frozen thorne its not a demanding game the c90 will be able to play like if it was solitarie

If you do decide for the c90 then ill recommend getting 2x1gb of ram (they work at dual channel so it will be faster) a 2.4 ghz cpu (conroe e6600) and the largest 5.400 rpm drive you can get.

If you want choices for vendor i can vouch for gentech ( www.1toppc.com) they also carry the g series and the c90 as well

 

Thanks for the reply ^^

The G1S / G2S are better at gaming right now?
How about other operations?
Haven't looked at them at all.. maybe give me a quick overview?

5 years down the line though... C90S will own in the long run?

And yes, TFT is old.. not demanding at all.. but that was just question concerning the OS =)
I'll be doing other gamings as well

Why E6600, 5400 rpm?

And yes, 2x1GB Ram.. But I don't know about the 800mhz or a lower one.. what's the difference?

Thanks!

 

As far as the GPU goes Ken at GentechPC was sent two GDDR3 versions of the 8600M GT for testing, so those should be either standard or an option in the future for the c90s. If you are set on getting a c90, and you can wait for a bit I recommend you do so to see if you can get a GDDR3 in your system.

As for your friend's setup a number of the parts are overkill (possibly wasting money). The 6600 is the recommended processor by most C90 users since it can enter Overclocking mode that brings it around the speed of the 6700.
The 800mhz memory is overkill since it down clocks to 533mhz like the 667 memory, so unless you can find a reliable source that tells you that Asus is going to release a BIOS update to allow the memory to run at 667 in standard mode and 800 in overclock mode. (The only other thing that might make the 800mhz worthwhile, and it depends on if this would be worthwhile to you, is if it can be proven that the 800 runs more stable and is less prone to BSOD many c90 users are experiencing).
Like Cancer said a 5400 hard drive will likely work just as well for you.
With XP you will loose the ability to take advantage of DX10 that the 8600 card supports, and if you read ViciousXUSMC's review you'll see that XP does not perform significantly better than Vista. If you follow the tweak guide on the homepage, and update your system with the latest patches Vista should preform as well (if not better than XP).
Put the money you shaved off on each of the above components, and put it towards the gddr3, and you should have a pretty strong system.

If you're ok with the weak battery life (which will likely not be improved for this system), the warm/hot palm rest , downclocked memory , and the limit to 3gb of RAM (4GB might not have shown a significant increase in performance anyway) then the c90 may be a good system for you.

Asus has a list of resellers on their website. Among them are GenTechPC, BtoTech, XoticPC, Milestone PC and a number of others resellers that visit the NBR forums.

 

A short battery life hurts me for sure..

Dunno much about GPU's and how they compare..

Is GDDR3 coming out soon? I kinda need a laptop ASAP.
My guess is it won't be another few months until it's available?

I'll make a new topic so I don't hog this one ^^

Update.. New thread at:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2478824#post2478824

 

Hey Vicious, couple questions for you. Did you embed the sata driver in you XP disc to complete the XP install or did you use other means?
Is the XP x64 sata driver included on the driver disc? haven't seen on on the Asus website. I'm planning on dual booting XP x64 and X64 Vista.

 

I dont know about x64 XP drivers I have 32bit xp, I have not heard anything good about 64bit OS's except Vista and some servers. So I would personally stay away from XP 64bit and go with Vista.

As for sata drivers and XP as long as your disk is Service Pack 2 your ok already, if its the older version of the disk you have to do something called slip streaming, to embed SP2 into the install disk.

There are several guides to do that online, here is the first one that came up on google: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

 

XP X64 is a home version of Win Sever 2003 X64. It has the same kernel, thus needs the same software versions.

Has a lot of compatibility issue (way more than the vista x64)

 

I've got a rock solid x64 XP Desktop system that I've been running that for a couple years now, that's the main reason that I wanted to go with that as the secondary OS. Familiarity being a big motivator.

I'll probably install the x64 Vista an see if I feel the decrease in real time performance first.

I can't wait to see some BSOD with this as I haven't seen one except when maxing out my OC. Like I said it's stable.

 

what sort of battery life are you looking at here? comparable to the g1?

 

1:30 for me on a E4500

 

yeah, I get about 1:15.

 

Just placed my order with GenTech.

Your review was very helpful and I've been following Ken (Gentech's rep)'s posts here as well. He seems like a very nice and helpful guy.

Let's just hope I don't get shafted by Canadian tax and duties when the item arrives.

I opted for the 8600GT with the 256MB DDR3 ram as it sure outperforms the 512MB DDR2 version.

I couldn't convince myself to go with anything better than the base CPU (the E4400 2.13 GHz with 2MB cache/800MHz FSB). The cost justification just wasn't there and it's supposed to be a laptop afterall!

I also got the FREE 160GB 5400 drive. I wanted the 250GB drive but just couldn't resist the deal! I may put in my own drive later on if needed.

I'm so excited!

Here are the full specs:

C90S Asus C90S 15.4" WSXGA+/GeForce 8600M GT 512M MXM II/Bluetooth/FingerPrint/Webcam
Installation: Hardware Install
Carrying Case: Included
Warranty: 1 Year Warranty with CPU purchase
RAM: 2GB DDR-2 667 SODIMM (2X1024)
HD: 160GB 5400rpm S-ATA
Operating System: None
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Conroe E4400 2.0 GHz 800FSB 2M
Heatsink, Fan, Thermal Paste: Included
WiFi: Wireless 4965 802.11 a/b/g/n
SATA HD Enclosure: None
TV Tuner: None
Webcam: Built-in 2.0 MP Webcam
Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.0+EDR
Optical Drive: 8 x DVD-RW Dual Layer Super Multi
GPU: GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GDDR3 (700MHz) MXM 2.0
Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ 1680X1050 Glossy
Availability: In Stock
Fingerprint Reader: Built-in
Platform: Desktop Replacement Notebook
AC Adapter & Battery: 120W AC Adapter & 6 Cell Battery included
Additional Battery: No Additional Battery
Free 160G 5400 HD Promotion: CPU, RAM purchase required

 

Congrats Synthetic....those specs will work! You know, the one thing that it turned out I really like is the fingerprint reader....just logging on with it....soooo very convenient! Good company to order from...Ken is a guru on compatible ram.