ASUS K40IN Review

ASUS' K-series notebooks promise a blend of value and performance. The K40IN is a 14-inch notebook with Nvidia graphics and an $800 price tag. How did it hold up in our testing?

Our ASUS K40IN-B1 review unit has the following specifications:

• 14-inch 720p (1366x768) display with LED backlighting
• Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 (2.1GHz/2MB L2/800MHz FSB)
• Nvidia GeForce G102M integrated graphics card w/ 512MB DDR2 memory
• 4GB DDR2-667 RAM
• 320GB 5400RPM hard drive (Seagate Momentus 5400.6/ST9320325AS)
• 802.11n wireless (Atheros AR9285)
• DVD Super Multi drive
• Two-year warranty w/ one year accidental coverage
• 6-cell Li-ion battery (11.1v, 4400mAh, 46Wh)
• Weight: 5.3 lbs
• Dimensions: 13.4” x 9.5” x 1.4-1.5”
• MSRP: $799.99

Build and Design
The K40IN has a traditional notebook design and shape; it looks like an ordinary notebook and is visually uninspiring. Corners are rounded off to give the notebook a soft look. Nearly all surfaces of the K40IN save for the keyboard are glossy plastic, which is a dual-edged blade. On one hand the glossiness makes the notebook look more attractive, but on the other hand it reduces durability and makes it a real chore to keep clean.

The physical build quality of the K40IN is satisfactory. The quality is consistent; no particular area seems to be stronger or weaker than another. The base of the notebook resists twisting well and the palm rests barely flex under pressure. This lid is one of the better-reinforced lids I have seen on a value-oriented notebook; it is resistant to flexing and pushing in on the back of the lid does not yield any ripples on the screen. The hinges anchoring it to the base of the notebook are strong and display wobble is minimal.

Overall the build quality meets expectations; it is not outstanding and matches up to the competition at the very least. The design is rather plain though not unattractive. However, the glossy plastic will be a turn-off for some.

Screen and Speakers
The K40IN has a 14-inch diagonal display with LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The overall quality of the display is 'very good'. Brightness is excellent and contrast is reasonable. Pictures and movies are a pleasure to view on this display. The viewing angles are above average; side-to-side are nearly flawless, and while the colors wash out and darken from above and below respectively, the picture is fine for about thirty degrees vertically off center. The backlighting is not even with a significant amount of bleed at the bottom; fortunately it is not noticeable during normal use.

The display's 1366x768 resolution is a standard resolution for mainstream notebooks. The horizontal resolution is adequate, however only 768 pixels of vertical space means a good deal of scrolling while surfing the Internet and only enough space to view about one-half of a page in a Microsoft Word.

The K40IN has Altec Lansing speakers located underneath the palm rest. Simply put, the K40IN has two of the worst speakers I have heard on a notebook; my ears cringe every time a sound gets played. The speakers are muddy, tinny, and too quiet. Using the included SRS WOW software enhancer distorts the sound and put this odd pressure on my eardrums that I cannot stand. The headphone jack is fortunately static-free and the best way to get audio signals out of the notebook.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The K40IN's full-size keyboard is responsive and pleasing to use. The keys are large and flat and have a matte texture, which may wear over time. There is no noticeable flex unless a lot of pressure is used. A nice aspect of this keyboard is its quietness; it does not click or clack. It is also good to see the keyboard has a standard layout; all keys are more or less in their expected places.

The touchpad is a mixed bag. The glossy surface can be difficult to track on with moist fingers and the touchpad buttons are loud. Another complaint is the lack of a dedicated scroll zone.

The status lights on the K40 consist of three tiny circles below the touchpad buttons. From a functionality standpoint, they should be larger and brighter for better visibility.

Ports and Features
The K40IN suffers from a lack of ports relative to its competitors. HDMI is noticeably absent; the notebook's only video out option is VGA. Furthermore, there is no ExpressCard or PC Card slot for wireless broadband cards and other add-on devices. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Left side: DVD drive, 2x USB

Right side: headphone and microphone jacks, 2x USB, VGA out, 1000Mbps Ethernet, power jack

Front: Speakers, media card reader (SD/MMC/MS)

Back: Kensington lock slots, exhaust vent

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Performance and Benchmarks
The K40IN is a good performer thanks to its Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, and speedy 320GB hard drive. This machine is more than capable of handling everyday tasks and even more intensive applications like Adobe Photoshop.

Wprime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune storage drive performance test:

Graphics performance from the integrated Nvidia G102M will only suffice for older games; newer games are out of its league. Despite having 512MB of its own memory the G102M simply lacks the processing power necessary to play modern games. I question ASUS' decision to use Nvidia graphics in this notebook versus Intel integrated graphics, which have lower power consumption. The extra power consumption of the Nvidia graphics versus Intel graphics is not justified since this machine cannot play modern games and its HD video acceleration capabilities will go unused since the K40IN lacks a Blu-ray drive.

Something to note about the Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor is its lack of VT (Virtualization Technology). This means that the K40IN will be unable to utilize the virtual Windows XP mode in Windows 7. For most users this should not be an issue.

Heat and Noise
The K40IN excelled in managing heat and noise. Even under stress the surface of the notebook never got warm and the palmrests remained completely cool &ndash; there is even a sticker on the palm rest showing this off stating "Feel the cool comfort &ndash; 25% cooler than body temperature." The bottom of the notebook also remained cool, only getting warm in a few areas.

The heat exhaust fan is located in the center of the back of the notebook. This is a convenient location since it keeps heat as far away from the user as possible. The fan is nearly silent even when under load, and is barely audible at idle in a silent room. Well done, ASUS.

Battery Life
In power saving mode with 25% screen brightness, the K40IN lasted for four hours, thirty-five minutes while surfing the Internet and using a word processor. This is a good number for a notebook that packs a six-cell battery, standard voltage processor, and Nvidia integrated graphics. If ASUS had used Intel integrated graphics instead of Nvidia, the battery life would likely have been a bit longer.

Operating System and Software
The K40IN comes with Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit and a ton of pre-loaded utilities. There are at least ten utilities installed &ndash; managers for this, monitors for that, and so on. Many of them are startup items which increase log-on time. If ASUS could consolidate all of them into a central control panel then this would not be such an issue. The sheer number of them at present is unnecessary.

Conclusion
The K40IN has good build quality, a pleasing keyboard and screen, and gets over four and a half hours of battery life. Unfortunately the K40IN's value proposition is questionable. It lacks an HDMI port and is priced $100-$150 more than competitors with the same specifications minus the Nvidia graphics. The Nvidia graphics are a puzzling choice for the K40IN; they are not powerful enough to play modern games and consume more power than Intel graphics. The only advantage the K40IN has over its competitors is better warranty coverage. Overall we like the K40IN but are hard-pressed to recommend it for the stated reasons.

Pros:

• Reasonable build quality
• Great screen and keyboard
• Four and a half hours of battery life
• Good system performance
• Runs very cool and quiet
• Two year warranty and one year accidental damage coverage

Cons:

• No HDMI port or ExpressCard slot
• Weak graphics
• Horrible speakers
• Price point too high versus competitors
• Glossy plastic difficult to keep clean
• Loud touchpad buttons
• Too many pre-installed utilities

Related Articles:

• ASUS K50IJ Review

 

Hm, This is the first Asus i've seen (Or noticed) in a long time that didnt have an HDMI port.

Also the preinstalled thing is surprising i was always under the impression that most Asus notebook don't come with much bloatware. Good job.

 

Thanks for the review!!
Is it possible to compare this with a 9400M G based laptop such as the 14z from Dell or a MBP13?
According to NVIDIA the G102 is the next gen for the 9400M G, and performance wise it would be great to know how much difference is there really. And if you can get your hands on a 4200HD it would be even better (to settle the best IGP around).

Thanks!

EDIT: Red you ninja! lol

 

Wow this is pretty badly priced....

 

Asus needs more powerful graphics in the their mainstream notebooks at these prices to make them worthwhile.

Or Intel GMA for more battery life at a lower price.

Their mainstream lineup has gotten questionable (less hardware for your $).

The cooling system and build quality are usually awesome though.

 

The last Vista machine to be reviewed on NBR, the end of an era.

 

Actually, this notebook with a T4200 at Staples Canada only costs about $600 Canadian:

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?webid=799393&AffixedCode=WW

 

too expensive for the specs

 

It would be nice to mention in the article if display type is matte or glossy.

 

definitely too expensive for the specs
they had the K50IN with similar specs, plus a 500gb hdd priced at $750 but on sale at BB for $600. i would've jumped on it if it had HDMI and if i could find at least a 9 cell battery for it.

 

very nice and concise review...unfortunately it's a bit steeply priced...add a few hundred dollars and you can gt a more durable, solid notebook with better specs(such as lenovo ideapad or the thinkpads which are currently cheap due to the new lines being introduced in january).

 

In addition to its steep price, I think the K40IN is quite thick to most notebooks today.

 

How is it that Asus has so many difficulties with battery life nowadays? My C90S managed 1:30 on a 6 cell (My battery is now dead). This should do, way, way more!