ASUS M50VM-B2 Review

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by Charles P. Jefferies

The ASUS M50VM is a well-built 15.4-inch desktop replacement notebook based on the latest Intel Centrino 2 platform. The M50VM is designed for multimedia enthusiasts and gamers. It features a powerful Core 2 Duo processor, 500GB hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce video card with a whopping 1GB of memory. Read on to see how the M50VM did in our tests.

Before we start the review, I would like to give a special thanks to Justin Nolte at XoticPC.com for sending us this unit for evaluation.

System Specifications &amp; Pricing

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Our ASUS M50VM is the B2 variant, and has the following specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor (2.53GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB, 35W TDP)
• Windows Vista Home Premium w/ SP1
• Intel PM45 + ICH-9 chipset
• 4GB DDR2-800 RAM
• Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GS with 1024MB of DDR2 video memory
• 500GB 5400RPM Hitachi hard drive
• 8X DVD-RW Super Multi drive
• 8-in-1 card reader
• Built-in 1.3 MP megapixel camera
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, built-in Bluetooth

As of the publishing date, the M50VM-B2 is currently listed at $1,549 on XoticPC.com.

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Reasons to Buy

The ASUS M50VM is aimed at customers looking for a powerful desktop replacement notebook with reasonable portability and battery life at a value price. The large screen, powerful Nvidia graphics card, and large hard drive make it appealing to multimedia enthusiasts and gamers.

Design

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The M50VM has an understated look - it will not turn many heads when viewed from a distance. ASUS follows the glossy trend like the rest of the mainstream market. The palmrest area and the back of the lid have a striped imprint design, which looks detailed. The back of the display has the same striped design.

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The keyboard is surrounded first by glossy black trim, then by a silver stripe. Above the keyboard, the circular Altec Lansing speakers have a chrome ring around them, which looks high-end. The area immediately below the display is a strip of black brushed aluminum surrounded by glossy black plastic. This area is where keyboard status lights and multifunction buttons are located; it is also surrounded by a chrome border.

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Above the display is a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam. It can rotate 180 degrees and has a mirrored border. The array microphones ensure accurate sound quality. I found the webcam's quality to be average - the person on the other end will be able to see you without issues.

One characteristic of the M50VM is that it is noticeably larger than a standard 15.4&quot; notebook - see the picture below, where the M50VM is compared to a standard-size HP Pavilion dv5t notebook:

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Also note the relatively large screen bezel in the other pictures.

The reason it is large is because ASUS integrates a full keyboard in this machine; it features a standard keyboard in addition to a separate numeric keypad. The larger footprint is one of the prices paid for the numeric keypad addition (more on the keyboard later).

Overall, the ASUS M50VM looks stylish without being flashy - this is a notebook that would be at home at a LAN party and a business meeting. It is not as sleek as mainstream notebooks from HP and Toshiba, but still looks modern.

Build

The M50VM is made of high-strength plastic and is mostly flex-free. The palmrests barely flex, even under modest pressure. The chassis is resistant to flexing, which shows it has a strong internal frame. The display is very strong, and does not flex easily. The display also does not wobble, even when the notebook is shaken (or stirred) - this is impressive. No ripples appear on the display when the back of the lid is pushed on. The bottom of the notebook has strong plastic. The M50VM is well made inside and out. Its weight with battery is 6 lbs, 12.6 oz.

Processor &amp; Performance

The M50VM-B2 is a strong performer thanks to its powerful components.

All benchmarks were done with the Nvidia 177.72 video card drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com.

System Performance Benchmarks

Windows Experience Index (WEI)

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WEI is not the most accurate benchmark, but is a reasonable way to see how it stacks up against other Vista systems. The RAM performance is especially strong, thanks to the fast DDR2-800 RAM.

Overall System Performance using PCMark Vantage

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Futuremark's PCMark Vantage is a new benchmark exclusively for Windows Vista. It stresses every component of a computer to its limits, especially the hard drive and CPU.

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*Insert wPrime

wPrime is a multi-threaded CPU test - it is similar to SuperPi but has a few more features. It is a much more accurate benchmark for dual-core CPUs. Please see our big comparison thread here.

Hard Drive Performance using HDTune 2.55

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I expected higher results from the 500GB hard drive, though as it stands, the drive is reasonably fast and responsive. This is the highest-capacity 2.5-inch hard drive available on the market as of writing.

Gaming Performance

The following benchmarks will focus on the M50VM's Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GS 1GB graphics card. This graphics card is roughly on par with the older GeForce 8600M-GT.

3DMark06

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This score is on par with a DDR2 memory-equipped 8600M-GT, which is a balanced card for modern gaming. Note that this benchmark was run at the default 1280x1024 resolution, and not 1280x800.

A score of 3675 means the M50VM can play all of today's games with medium settings and resolution (1280x800).

3DMarkVantage

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Real-World Gaming Performance

Crysis

Crysis has become the most famous (or infamous) game benchmark today, as it is more demanding than any other game. I benchmarked Crysis using the Crysis Benchmark Tool 1.05 Final from Guru3D.com. The game version used is 1.21. I used all high and all medium settings during two runs. The benchmarked results are as follows:

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The game is more than playable at a 1280x720 resolution with medium settings, and it looks great.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 is a popular first-person shooter. It has a large online gaming community and is quite demanding on a computer's hardware

Prior to benchmarking, I patched the game to version 1.7. The following settings were used for benchmarking. They are a mix of medium and high; these settings push the M50VM to its limit while keeping the game visually appealing and playable. I benchmarked the first two levels of the game using FRAPS.

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The benchmark results are as follows:

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The game is more than playable, and it also looks great.

Overall, the ASUS M50VM makes a strong showing and is a good choice for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. This notebook comes fully loaded out of the box - no need to do any aftermarket upgrades.

Screen

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The M50VM is available with several different resolutions. Our M50VM-B2 review unit has a 15.4&quot; WSXGA+ display with a glossy finish. The display has pristine picture quality - it is incredibly clear and bright. Contrast is excellent with pure whites and deep blacks. Viewing angles above average, though nothing to write home about. There is some color shift horizontally. The picture darkens when viewed from below and washes out viewed from above. There is some backlight leakage from the bottom of the display, but it is not noticeable when looking at anything but a solid black background.

A convenient feature of this display is the ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the screen brightness according to the surrounding light. It is nice not to be greeted by a blindingly bright display in the dark. The ambient light sensor is located above the keyboard area.

Speakers

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Despite the Altec Lansing badge, the M50VM's two stereo speakers are like typical notebook speakers - tinny and no bass. Given the brand name badge and multimedia focus of this notebook, I expected better sound quality.

Heat &amp; Noise

This is an area where the M50VM really shines. One clear advantage the M50VM has over competing notebooks is that there is no air intake for the single fan on the bottom. You can easily use this notebook on your lap without issues.

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Heat is pulled out of the notebook though a large vent on the left side of the notebook. Under full load, the fan is difficult to hear, and at idle, it is silent for all practical purposes (even in a library, this machine would be nearly impossible to hear).

The notebook remains cool top and bottom - even while running benchmarks, the machine never rose more than a few degrees above room temperature.

I am most impressed with the thermal design of this notebook. This is by far one of the best cooling solutions I have seen on any notebook. Well done, ASUS.

Keyboard

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The M50VM's keyboard is easy and enjoyable to type on. It is quiet and offers solid tactile feedback. It is easy to feel your way around this keyboard. There is a hint of flex around the upper left side, but it is not noticeable.

My gripe with this keyboard is that there are no true dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. This is one of the sacrifices ASUS made by including the numeric keypad in a 15.4-inch chassis. The keys are only dedicated if the number lock is turned off. As someone who uses those keys frequently, I found this to be an inconvenient setup. I have to give up number pad functionality in order to use those keys.

Overall, the keyboard is quite good with the exception of its lack of certain dedicated keys.

Touchpad

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Finally, a touchpad surface that is not glossy! The touchpad is simple to use on the M50VM - its matte black surface is easy to track on, whether your fingers are moist or dry. The touchpad buttons offer quiet clicks that will not annoy your neighbors. In-between the touchpad buttons is the fingerprint reader, which offers an extra layer of security. The ASUS security manager software allows you to use the fingerprint reader to log into websites and other applications - it is a great tool.

Input &amp; Output Ports

Another area where the M50VM stands out is its comprehensive array of input and output ports. Follow me on a picture tour (all descriptions are from left to right):

Left Side:

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VGA, heat exhaust vent, USB, IEEE 1394 (mini-Firewire), eSATA, HDMI, 8-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot

Right Side:

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Microphone, headphone, S/PDIF, 2x USB, optical drive, USB

Back:

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Kensington lock slot, 56k modem, Gigabit Ethernet, power jack

Front:

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Infrared port, wireless on/off switch

Port variety and quantity is outstanding on the M50VM. Two notable ports are the HDMI and eSATA ports. The HDMI port transmits audio and video through one cable and can be used to connect to HDTVs, projectors, and monitors. The eSATA port provides the full bandwidth of SATA to external hard drives.

Wireless

The M50VM features the latest-generation Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, supporting 802.11a/b/g/n wireless signals. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of secured networks.

Battery

A six-cell battery is standard; it is 11.1V, and 4800mAh. With the screen dimmed and while surfing the Internet, I measured 2:30 in power saving mode. This machine is not designed for extended trips away from the plug, but 2:30 out of a desktop replacement is respectable.

Operating System &amp; Software

ASUS includes a variety of utilities with the M50VM. The only real &quot;bloatware&quot; is Norton Antivirus, though 30 days of protection is included at no charge. The ASUS utilities are, for the most part, useful, especially the Power4 Gear Express power management software. There are perhaps too many pre-installed utilities; users can pick and choose which ones to keep.

Customer Support

ASUS has a leg-up on competing notebook makers when it comes to warranty coverage. Not only is the M50VM covered by a two-year international warranty, but also one year of accidental coverage. The accidental damage warranty covers drops, fire, spill, and surge damage. Icing on the cake is a 30-day Zero Bright Dot LCD warranty, which gives you insurance against dead pixels. Overnight shipping is paid both ways for warranty replacements. This is the grand slam of warranty coverage in the mainstream notebook business.

Through XoticPC, customers are provided with lifetime 24/7 domestic tech support. XoticPC allows customers to return their notebook within 15 days of the ship date for a full refund (minus shipping). Full details of XoticPC's warranty services and coverage can be found here.

Extras

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ASUS sends the M50VM with a bag and mouse. The mouse is small but usable; it is great for travel. It features an optical sensor and is corded. The bag is just large enough to fit the M50VM, and of decent quality. There is enough room for the notebook, power adapter, mouse, and a few magazines both inside and in the external compartment.

Conclusion

The ASUS M50VM is an impressive notebook in more ways than one. Strong overall performance and a fantastic display make this a winner among gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. Other high points include excellent warranty coverage, a vast array of input/output ports, great input devices, and an outstanding thermal design. The ASUS M50VM is a smart value no matter the configuration; if you liked what you read in this review, then it is difficult to go wrong with this machine.

Pros

• Gorgeous WSXGA+ display
• Strong performance
• Solid build quality
• Great input devices
• Vast input/output port array
• Outstanding thermal design (cooling system)
• Reasonable battery life

Cons

• Larger than a normal 15.4-inch notebook
• Missing dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys
• Middling 500GB hard drive performance
• Disappointing speakers

 

Great Review
^^

 

Thanks for the review. It has a well-decorated palm rest.

It would be helpful if you can add the size and weight to the specifications and also mention the WSXGA+ display. I reached the conclusions before discovering what the display was (it looks to be a good mirror when outside). I wouldn't grumble too much about the HDD performance. Perhaps the important point is that the chassis can hold a 1/2" thick HDD.

John

 

Good review. Would recommend putting in a link to the M50VM-B1/A1 review which uses the WXGA+ display and 320GB hard drive; see http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273404. It would also be useful to discuss the advantages/disadvantages of each display; for example, I decided to go with the 1440x900 WXGA+ display for the native and default larger icons and text because of my aging eyes!

 

With the weight (nearly 3 kgs) and the weak GS variant of the 9600M, I'd go for a dv5t anytime.

 

Wow. Asus sure got the port selections right!

 

Surprised that Asus did such a good job on heat, because my experience has been their notebooks are subpar in this area. Would you be willing to take some actual hardware temperature readings with a program such as HWMonitor so we can know what the cpu, hard drive, and graphics card are running at idle and full load?

 

bleh... talk about an ugly laptop, especially that stab-your-eye-out webcam

 

In Canada you can't get a dv5t and you can't configure what is available @ hp.ca, the dv5-1000 series; with an Intel CPU, its only available with the P7350 and ATI HD3450/256 MB graphics. Why doesn't hp.ca allow me to configure the dv5 as I can in the USA? I feel that HP is treating me as a second-class citizen in comparison to people in the US; and because of this feeling I'm less likely to purchase any HP product in the future. Note that I've been a longtime HP user and fan of their printers, cameras, desktop computers, and laptop computers (I purchased a dv-6500 last year for my daughter). Because I couldn't purchase a dv5t in Canada, I decided to buy an Asus M50VM.

 

Just curious, how much did this system cost?

 

^^ this system runs at about 1,449 at xotic pc.

 

That's a steep price for what you get. :-/

 

Quite good. Not great.

 

I just got an A1 and was wondering if you could take some pictures of the display on a black background, in a dark room. I read on a taiwanese site that the 1680x1050 screen is much better for vertical viewing angles.

The A1 has very nice contrast and is sharp and bright, but the vertical angles are pretty bad. There is no position where you aren't either getting bleed from the bottom or inversion at the top. Pics would really help me decide if I should trade up! Thanks!!

Great review btw.

 

In Canada, M50VM-A1:$1400; M50VM-B1:$1500 including taxes and delivery

 

Nice review Chaz (and nice pictures as always).

I'm a little suprised that the (not very significant) Windows Experince Score, and graphics rating reported at 4.8. Both Ken (GenTechPC) and EXcaliberPC got 5.0 ratings during their testings.

GenTechPC reivew:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273404

ExcaliberPC reivew:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273365

The 2 hour 30 minute battery life seems to indicate that the higher resolution screen (1680x1280 in your review) doesn't burn any more battery then the lower resolution (1440x720 in the above linked reviews). Guess that's logical.

Its interesting to see see that the M50Vm-B2 outpreforms the Dv5t in all of the PCMark Vantage tests (including the gaming rating? How did that happen? ).

M50Vm-B2 PCMark Vantage:
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Dv5t PCMark Vantage:
http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/35749.jpg

 

Nice review as usual.

The laptop looks OK, aesthetically, but I feel Asus could do better. Also, it seems expensive for what you get. And, pbviously the 1 GB VRAM is for marketing.

 

Good review! I am kind of disappointed by the performance of the hdd, I've seen 320gb hdds with 5400rpm running faster than 50mb/sec.

 

Thanks to everyone for the great compliments.

It is more of a business decision than anything. In my opinion, the ASUS M50VM is an excellent alternative to the dv5t. I know I would be very happy with an M50VM after testing it, and I own a dv5t. They are both great machines.

It is $1,549 on XOTICPC.com, or $1,502 with the cash discount.

Hi killermojo - I don't have the unit any more so I obviously can't take a picture, but I remember the vertical viewing angles were average on this machine, nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either. I would not call the vertical angles bad by a long shot on the WSXGA+ my unit had.
The ASUS M50VM-B2 had the best WSXGA+ screen I have seen on a 15.4" laptop. It is even brighter and has slightly more contrast than my dv5t's WSXGA+.

The performance does seem middling, I agree. I think the 500GB Hitachi drive has three platters . . . which would bring down the average transfer and seek times.

 

Great Review as usual, Chaz.

^^ Forgot to remove something?

 

Personally, I think the B2 variant of the M50VM (the one reviewed here) isn't overly good in terms of bang for the buck. The A1 is a really good deal IMO in terms of what you get for the price, but in the B2 case you can literally get a G50 for what? $100 more? When you're talking about $1500 for a laptop you might as well spend the extra $100 and get the G50 which features the 9700 GT and multiple RAID-capable HDDs.

 

Hey chaz, how do you think the two video cards compair, this and the dv5t?

I thinking about sending back the dv5t for this, would u advise against?

 

Thanks for the response, this was very helpful . I'll just be keeping my A1, I only notice the angles on blacks, and even then it's not that big a deal.

 

1Gb DDR2 VRAM?! What a waste - 256mb would be enough considering it's DDR2 (so will have limited bandwidth with a 128 Bit memory bus).

 

I share your grief, but don't stare yourself blind on the options people in the USA get. HP also does not offer configurable systems in any of the countries in Europe, nor does Sony. In fact, I desperately want a HP DV7 with 1680x1050 screen, but can not get in in the The Netherlands. I must look for another brand.

I think HP (and Sony) are using the USA to test out configurable laptops (easy: large market, single language and legislation, etc). In time, it will probably be implemented elsewhere too I guess.

 

There's approximately a 10% difference between the two. The GS is merely a lower-clocked version of the 9600. A bit of overclocking would make up for that difference, I imagine.

 

So... It's a typical Asus mainstream laptop. Decent build (bit better than mainstream), Decent price, decent to good specs and performance, decent looks, Very good port selection, bad battery life, easy access to upgradable parts, bad battery life and some gimmicky features (like the 1GB vRAM). All in all, it makes a good laptop to have around the house, but not to bring with you.

My F8Sa is like a smaller version of this. Except, you know, for a bad screen (all CCFL 14" wxga+ screens are kinda bad)

 

Nice ... I agree about the webcam being kinda an eyesore - my F8VA-B1 has one like that too.

Ah well.

 

thanks for the review. was a bit shocked to see the windows score of only 4.8, same as a normal FW with the ati card, might be the ddr3 mem.

I am not a fan of the shiny design nor the busy design of the area around the keyboard.

 

Agreed. The performance seems a bit disappointing considering the 9500 GS was supposed to be equal to the 8600 GT if I remember correctly. Would've been much better off with 512 MB or 256 MB of DDR3 most likely.

What would really be nice is if nVIDIA hadn't introduced so many varieties of 9-series video cards, but it's too late to undo that.

I was thinking the same thing. I think two of the three 500 GB laptop hard drives available are three-platter right now, but I don't recall for sure if the Hitachi one is.

 

Just a note, these 128bit notebooks should run cod4 without softened smoke edges, and fraps, so the cod4 benchmark/test is a bit understated. Softened smoke edges is surprisingly a pretty big hit on performance, as well as fraps.

 

please give me more information about, Operation system, Can i upgrade OS to Ultimate, and Downgrade to XP Professional.

how is asus laptops for long and Hard work(hard working for days) and performance stability?

 

If you have a Vista Ultimate CD key, any laptop can be upgraded. You can install the additional features through the Ultimate DVD. The XP Pro thing you'll also have to do yourself. You could talk to XoticPC and see how much they charge for the option (if it's not on their website already). Asus generally have good build quality.

I really like the rotatable camera, I find it a very useful feature. You don't have to move the whole screen to adjust the angle and you can turn it around to record, say someone speaking (like in a class lecture). I am disappointed in the 9600M GS performance though.

 

i have xp Pro CD but i ask about Hardware Driver Support?

you there is no different between this Asus and For example DELL or HP, IBM about hardware stability?
i listen about a Blu-Ray burner or this laptop but not in reviews?

 

This one is one of my target before I then chose the 5920G...
Too bad, they are out of stock when I want to buy it...

Anyway, I like this review too.
Like you can read in my signature, can I post it in my blog?
Of course in your name as the reviewer.

 

This Notebook Really Does Stink.. You will be stuck with Vista and no other options with this new chipset(only 2 months old)

.With the new Chipset there is no XP or linux support.. or drivers for xp(xp CraSHED TRYING TO INSTALL FOR EXAMPLE)( NEW UBUNTU BUILD LOCKED UP AND FROZE)
with the new cd rom none of my boot cds worked and left the dvd/cdrom drive undetected
So my Disk cloaning and partion tools did not work.

Also with a complicated restore disk crashed during instal..


.I got a big " fail" on screen while trying to restore to original state,,,,,I returned it[ the same day