Asus M51 Review

by Jerry Jackson

Asus might have become a household name recently thanks to the Eee PC, but this innovative company still makes a variety of traditional form factor laptops. The Asus M51 series notebooks are 15-inch laptops offered with a range of Intel Core 2 Duo processors, dedicated graphics, and enough extras to keep most students or families happy. We gave the M51 an in-depth review to see what makes this laptop worth a second look.

The Asus M51 (starting at $1,029.99 MSRP) is available with a range of Core 2 Duo processors. There is only one 15.4" screen offering, a 1280x800 WXGA glossy display.

Our review unit of the Asus M51Sn-B1 has the following specifications:

• Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5550 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
• 15.4" WXGA Glossy Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
• 3GB DDR2 System Memory (supports up to 4GB)
• Nvidia GeForce 9500M GS dedicated graphics (512MB)
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Optical drive: Dual Layer CD/DVD Recordable
• 1.3 megapixel integrated camera
• Sound: Two Altec Lansing speakers
• Modem, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• 6-cell battery
• Weight: 6.89 lb. including battery
• Dimensions: 14.2" x 10.5" x 1.1-1.6"
• Price as configured: $1,029.99

Build and Design

The Asus M51 is a traditional form factor 15-inch laptop with a glossy display lid and palmrest area. The overall chassis design is a combination of smooth, rounded lines on the top and sharp angles on the bottom. In short, the M51 looks nice, but the design isn't exactly going to turn any heads.

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The build quality of the M51 is a bit of a mixed bag. The glossy imprinted surfaces look nice but the plastics feel thin and there is considerable flex to the chassis when pressure is applied. I'm sure the M51 will hold up just fine as a desktop replacement if it's sitting on your desk all day, but if you transport your laptop to and from classes every day you can expect the plastics to show some wear in short order.

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The M51 lid uses a latch to hold it closed, but the hinge mechanism works well and firmly holds the lid in place. There is almost no flex to the screen. Weighing in at more than six and a half pounds with the battery, the M51 does feel a little thicker and heavier than most current generation 15-inch consumer notebooks, but the chassis does pack a few interesting surprises inside.

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Asus is known for included free accesories with most of their laptops. Even the cheap Eee PC comes with a free slipcase. M51 owners can look forward to a free laptop bag and USB optical mouse. While neither of these accessories are overwhelmingly impressive, it's nice to get a free case and mouse with your purchase.

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Performance and Benchmarks

The M51 has plenty of performance for a full range of multimedia entertainment needs thanks to the range of Core 2 Duo processors that are available. Even the entry-level 1.83GHz T5550 packs more than enough punch for most average consumers who need a general use laptop. The real story here is the new dedicated Nvidia GeForce 9500m GS. People looking for a nice budget gaming laptop will probably be very interested in the M51. As the 3DMark 06 benchmark suggests, the Nvidia 9500M GS offers a considerable performance boost over previous generation Nvidia cards.

Additionally, the 250GB hard drive in the M51 is more storage than most consumers are likely to need in a laptop. Sure, if you download tons of music, movies, and TV shows then you'll quickly fill the 250GB hard drive in a few months ... but that's what external hard drives are for.

With the basics out of the way, let's jump into the performance benchmarks.

wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi. (Lower numbers mean better performance.)

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
Asus M51S (Core 2 Duo T5550 @ 1.83GHz)	46.293s
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (Core 2 Duo T5450 @ 1.66GHz)	50.184s
HP Pavilion dv6700t (Core 2 Duo T5450 @ 1.66GHz)	50.480s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.485s
Portable One SXS37 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	41.908s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz)	58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)	76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz)	38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	38.720s
Samsung Q70 (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)	42.218s
Acer Travelmate 8204WLMi (Core Duo T2500 @ 2.0GHz)	42.947s
Samsung X60plus (Core 2 Duo T7200 @ 2.0GHz)	44.922s
Zepto Znote 6224W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)	45.788s
Samsung Q35 (Core 2 Duo T5600 @ 1.83GHz)	46.274s

3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
Asus M51S (1.83GHz Intel T5550, Nvidia 9500M GS 512MB)	3,749 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Intel X3100)	543 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv6700t (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Nvidia 8400M GS 256MB)	1,556 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	545 3DMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	504 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	4,332 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66GHz Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

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

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Asus M51S (1.83GHz Intel T5550, Nvidia 9500M GS 512MB)	4,649 PCMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Intel X3100)	3,749 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv6700t (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Nvidia 8400M GS 256MB)	3,386 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	4,616 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,591 PCMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	3,283 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)	3,646 PCMarks

HDTune results:

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Screen

The 15.4" WXGA glossy screen on the M51 isn't ideal for HD video, but it does offer sharp contrast, excellent color, and very even backlighting. On the plus side the 15.4" 1280x800 pixel display on the M51 doesn't suffer from "graininess" and both the straight-on and horizontal viewing angles were good. Likewise both vertical viewing angles were good or average. The screen itself didn't suffer from ripples or stuck pixels.

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One minor issue I want to mention is that Asus recently began their "HD Vision" promotion on multiple laptops. Even the M51 with its 1280x800 display has a "HD Vision" sticker on the palm rest. While I think it's great to draw attention to laptop screens that offer full 1080p resolution, this laptop screen does not. Sure, 720p is still technically considered "HD" ... but most people think of the 1080p standard when they see something labeled "HD."

Keyboard, Touchpad and Other Input Buttons

The mostly full-sized keyboard on the M51 is reasonably nice with a dedicated number pad for those who like that sort of thing. Key presses are deep with good travel and cushion and the keys aren't loud when pressed. Still, there is considerable flex across the entire keyboard surface.

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The touchpad is nice and large and features a durable surface that is also covered in the same glossy finish as the rest of the notebook chassis. Unfortuantely, the surface isn't particularly responsive and my fingertip didn't exactly glide over the touchpad. The touchpad buttons have shallow feedback and produce loud clicks. All things considered, the touchpad works, but you're better off using the cheap optical mouse that Aus includes free with purchase of the M51.

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The M51 also features dedicated buttons above the keyboard for media center, power management, touchpad disable/enable, display adjustment, and Internet Explorer. These buttons are nice, but there are no dedicated media buttons on the M51 series notebooks. If you want to control media (such as pause a movie or skip a music track) you have to press the function key and one of the arrow keys at the same time ... this isn't convenient.

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Input and Output Ports

There is a reasonable selection of ports on the M51 with just about every port the average consumer is likely to need (or want) on a 15-inch notebook. The complete list of ports includes:

• ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• Four USB 2.0
• IEEE 1394 Firewire
• TV out (S-video)
• 8-in-1 digital media card reader
• Microphone in
• Headphone out
• RJ-11 (modem)
• RJ-45 (LAN/Ethernet)
• DVI out
• VGA out
• Antenna connector

Let's take a quick tour around the port offerings of the M51:

Front side: Wireless on/off switch, lid latch release, microphone in, headphone out, USB, and 8-in-1 media card reader.

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Back side: Power jack and two USB ports.

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Left side: Security lock slot and optical drive.

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Right side: ExpressCard slot, USB, FireWire, antenna connector, S-Video, DVI, VGA, modem and Ethernet.

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Although I was glad to see at least four USB ports on the M51, I found the placement to be a little odd. One of the ports is located on the front edge which is nice for USB flash drives but not much else. Additionally, two of the ports are located on the back of the notebook which makes them difficult to reach. On the bright side, Asus includes a full-sized DVI port for connecting the M51 to an external display.

Audio

The built-in Altec Lansing stereo speakers located above the keyboard are quite good. The built-in speakers produce a full range of high and middle frequencies, and even do an acceptable job with low bass for a laptop without a subwoofer. Clarity and loudness are also very good. The only negative issue with the built in speakers is that they are located very close to one another and don't offer very good separation for stereo sound.

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There is, of course, a headphone jack located on the front edge of the notebook for people who like to plug in earbuds or external speakers. This location is great for headphones but isn't the best for external speakers since you have to stretch the cord around the front of the notebook.

Webcam

I don't typically make special note of the webcam on most notebooks. The reason for my lack of commentary about webcams is because most webcams are pretty much the same. They're great for video conferencing and not much else. The reason I'm drawing your attention to the webcam on the M51 is because Asus was nice enough to include a rotating webcam.

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While the webcam itself isn't anything special, the mount inside the display lid rotates 180 degrees so that the webcam can be pointed in the opposite direction. This is great for students who need to record a professor's lecture or business professionals who might need to brodcast live video footage while on location.

Heat and Noise

The M51 runs extremely quiet and in general pretty cool to the touch. The fan remained on most of the time when the notebook was plugged in and turned on frequently while the notebook was on battery power. There was a fair amount of warmth coming from the bottom of the notebook near the main heat sink and exhaust. That said, the heat coming from the bottom of the notebook shouldn't be a problem for most people who want to use the M51 as a "laptop."

Below are images with the temperature readings listed in degrees Fahrenheit:

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Battery

The M51 is available with the standard 6-cell battery which delivers reasonable battery life. With the screen brightness set to about half, wireless on, and the "Power4Gear" power management application set to the "battery saving" setting, the M51 powered down after 2 hours and 24 minutes. Clearly the 6-cell battery will provide enough power short term use, but most consumers will find this battery life to be unacceptable while traveling.

One other item of note regarding the battery is that the 6-cell battery did not fit snug inside the notebook when locked into place. I thought this was worth mentioning since more and more consumer notebooks from other companies seem to have loose batteries. A battery shouldn't wiggle and rattle around when locked inside a laptop.

Conclusion

The Asus M51 is a nice consumer notebook with good performance, decent port selection, and a solid graphics card option for gaming. Asus has clearly risen to the challenge of creating an attractive general use laptop in an attempt to attract a wide range of consumer laptop shoppers.

Still, I can't shake the feeling that the M51 is lacking something. Build quality could have been better, there are no dedicated media buttons, and the display doesn't offer a high enough resolution for a 15-inch laptop in 2008.

In the end, if you can live with the lower resolution of the screen and cheap plastics the Asus M51 is an impressive notebook with more than enough power and features for most users.

Pros

• Nice built-in speakers
• Convenient power management
• Solid dedicated graphics performance
• Excellent webcam design
• DVI port for external display
• Good value for light gaming

Cons

• Poor battery performance
• Bad touchpad and touchpad buttons
• Too much keyboard flex
• A little heavy compared to competition
• Display not very "HD" despite "HD Vision" sticker
• No dedicated media buttons

 

it looks so damn sexy

 

btw nice review

 

All of Asus's laptops look relatively similar to me.

 

Nice review Jerry, and great pictures.

This is a disappointing notebook - poor quality, middling battery life, and a flexible keyboard. Also, a groveling WXGA resolution. Asus notebooks are a mixed bag in general, this company can't seem to get it right. Ever since the discontinuation of the W3V/W3J they have gone downhill.

 

True, the performance on this notebook is pretty good, but the build quality isn't particularly high and WXGA just isn't enough resolution for a 15-inch notebook nowadays.

2+ hours of battery life is fine for a 17-inch notebook but a 15-inch should have at least 3 hours of battery life ... even with dedicated graphics.

 

yes, all Asus notebooks look similar and near all, are getting too hot and
the fan blows all the way and than after one year you have to RMA it.
Not Solid!

Greets

 

I am assuming that since this laptop has a native resolution of 1280 x 800 that the 3DMark06 score was done in that resolution. If this is correct then if my calculations is correct a 3DMark06 score of 3749 @(1280 x 800) is approx. equal to a 3DMark06 score of 2928 @(1280 x 1024) which is lower than what the 8600M GT is getting. Just my observations. God Bless

 

This would have been a nice laptop if it had been released a year ago. There is nothing "special" about this laptop. In this age where there are so many laptop manufacturers, each new release trying to be a little bit better than the competition, in my view, this laptop failed.

 

My thoughts exactly...

Yup...it is slower than the 8600GT GDDR3...

 

Straight in the nail Chaz.

It's really a shame Asus discontinued the W3V/W3J laptops, I think the W3J is one of the most impressive and beautiful laptops ever.

 

Quality has either stagnated or worsened for every generation. I'm still trying to figure out if my old A8Js was better or worse than my present F8 (i'm inclined to say better, but my A8 was quite solid).

2006 was the high point for asus. V6 and W3 were still around. W3J had excellent performance, and V6 was no slouch. I think it was the success of the A8 that ruined it all.

 

Nice review

15.4 with 1280 * 800.... the icons must be HUGE.

I do like the number pad...

I don't see the point of having Nvidia GeForce 9500M GS... I think the Intel chipset would be better.

 

Other than the built-in number pad, I don't see much going for this notebook. The Asus V1J looked like a much nicer machine IMO.

 

6.9lb for 15.4inch laptop with 6cell battery, single HDD, 9500GS and single lamp panel? Aside from eeePC, Asus is really loosing it......

 

something the review missed, that makes this notebook very special

its under 1000 bucks. that makes the lower build quality, lowend processor, and other minor things quite tollerable. it was basically meant for those who wanted something affordable and really only stress the graphics card.

as far as the build quality and statements about asus quality going down hill. as an s96j owner ill say, im dissapointed, things feel cheap, but it has been reliable. theres a difference being feeling cheap and being unreliable, and from my understanding even the newer, cheaper feeling asus notebooks have some of the lowest RMA rates among all notebook. speaking of RMAs the warranty is very nice for an under 1k notebook.

also when talking about asus build quality, its really not fair to compair their old line to their new consumer line, they still have a business line thats quite well made.
the u6 and u3 are absolutely beautiful, and very sturdy. the v1 and v2 are a bit dissapointing compaired to what they replace, but still quite well made.

edit: reviewer mentioned the msrp, although it can be found slightly cheaper (gentech has it for under 1000). it was mainly those responding who missed the price. so yes theres not much fancy or innovative, whats special about it is that it has a 9500gs, and 3 gigs of ram for under 1000.

 

asus u6 is a lot like a smaller w3

but they never made the w3 again

they did make the v1s like the v6

they still have top and bottom end lines its just that the bottom end sells millions now and the top end comes out out of date with the market.

this is a major thing with the market in general quanta dominates all the laptops made of metal they make all of them now except maybe the clevos

no one can compete with them for price.

so asus could make a new w3 for i dont know, 1800$ but why would you buy it over an hp for 1200?

 

This is a shame. I was undecided between this notebook and the Sony FZ for my next purchase, but after reading this review, it appears that I am going to have to settle for the Sony. Asus build quality has gone down. My four year old z70a is still rock solid. I've actually dropped it several times and the chassis didn't even scratch.

 

Nice Review too bad the 9500GS is pretty weak, overall ok!

 

well, ASUS may be Porche of laptop but now it is changing itself to be a company like Honda or Hundai , to compete in main stream consumer market, but like others said if you are a typical consumer, you dont care about an ASUS, especially when it is more expensive than a HP , Lenovo and Dell.

So ASUS is lost.

The build quality of my rented F8 was horrible , when I got it it was already cracking in the case, I wanted to like it though, I retruned it.

So I kept a HP and a Dell..........

And more serious question about this company: Why does it not offer CTO option at all?

 

This laptop is not horrible, you guys are way too critical. Did we read the same review, or are you just ASUS haters. For a gamer on a budget its hard to beat. By playing games at lower native resolutions you can up the frame rates without making it blurry.

Anyway, for a few hunred more ASUS gives you a speedy Penryn, the 1440x900 resolution, and better durability in the M50Sv-A1. It was reviewed here...
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4365

 

It definitely seemed like a nice laptop, especially for the price, but when I saw the pictures of the screen, meh. The screen looks quite horrible. Not sure if it's just dim, or the contrast was poor, or both, but it sure didn't seem as bright and colorful as it should be.

WXGA is an acceptable resolution for something this cheap, although a WXGA+ option won't hurt.

Overall it is disappointing, considering it's one of the few 15" laptops with a dedicated number pad, I thought this would turn out to be a pretty cool laptop.

 

From the reviews I've read the Asus laptops releaseed lately seem to have some pretty amazing features under such attractive price range. Though same as many people I still have my reservations about their overall build quality and battery life in particular, which can't seem to give off enough juice when compared to other brands' - I wonder why that is?

 

The lower chassis is the same as F3S and F3K series...

While the 1280x800 rez on a 15,4" screen isn't particularly spectacular, it is at least readable to people with poorer eyesight. The pixels are roughly the same size as a 17" desktop LCD (1280x1024). I, for one, find the 15,4" 1280x800 screen to be far better on the eyes than my current 14,1" 1440x900 screen.

 

The apparent build quality is pretty disturbing for those of us anticipating the M70.

Anyone know when the M70 arrives in the States? What the difference is between the se and sr? Any idea of the build quality.

It's so difficult to assess when you can't actually see the laptop you're looking to buy.

 

The problem with the $1,000 pricetag of this machine is that you can get a Dell Vostro 1500 with the same performance, better build quality, battery life, and a higher-resolution screen for less. I would take a Vostro over this any day.

 

You got there before me...hehe

 

It bothers me when you guys claim you can get them for the same price without providing a source to get it for that price, because when I configure them to be similar the Vostro costs $1700, the 1.86Ghz CPU on the Vostro is a celeron M540 compared to the C2D T5550 here.

Please cite a source that actually has it for that price with all of the options when you say you can get them for cheaper, because it starts adding up when you add bluetooth, webcam, RAM, a bag, the warranty, etc......

 

errmm...dell US site? Just a maybe? hint hint?

 

Yes, and have you actually tried to configure it the same? If so its going to be more than $1500, which is 50% more than the reviewed item. Going from a celeron to a C2D on the vostro jumps the price to $1000 right away.

I have not found a single vendor offering the same performance per dollar as ASUS. There are notebooks better suited for mobility, lighter, smaller and better battery life, but ASUS reigns supreme for affordable portable desktop replacements.

 

this competes directly with a vostro 1500 Im not positive which is a better deal bc this has more up to date components.

 

If you're talking about the Nvidia 9500M-GS, it's the exact same chip as the 8600M-GT. Nvidia just rebranded it.

 

Is price the only thing that matters then why do you go ahead and buy an ACER?

 

sorry,but even cant use configuration right!i configured dell with same space. and it come to 1050 + there are some coupons for them.point.

 

you said all right ,sir.

 

Ok, where did you customize it? in the US, Japan and Malayisa , Dell sells it cheaper than you think , and the build quality of the Vostro is hundred miles a head of the ASUS, at least.

Actually, not only the Vostro but also the XPS M1530 with better graphics and better CPU was much cheaper than 1300us in Japan with Dell coupon.

 

and an Inspiron 1520 with the same configuration as the XPS and Vostro was even cheaper(about 1200us) and it's including free delivery service.

T8300, 3gb, NV8600GT, 200gb 7200rpm hd, wsxga+ lcd, bt2.0edr , all this for about 1200us is an amazing deal. you can't beat it.

 

I dont suppose when you guys cofigure these you are adding in a 2 year warranty and an accidental damage coverage, and a laptop bag, which is included in the Asus price. As well as bluetooth and integrated webcam.

Some people may not need these things or already have a bag, but they do come standard with the ASUS laptops.

Just going to 3GB of RAM on the Dell was like another $300, which I know you can buy 4GB or Ram for $75 and put it in yourself, but its standard on the ASUS.

 

The M51 is not very well build...I guess thats standard with the M51 and in fact many ASUS notebooks. Also It battery life is crappy, but that do come standard with ASUS laptops.

 

I just configured it off of a Vostro 1500 link, but it says USA. Maybe there are coupons which makes it less..
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...code=ss&c=US&l=EN&dgc=SS&cid=27721&lid=628330

$200 here or there may not seem like a lot to many people, but when it represents 20% of the cost then it is a significant factor. Especially if working for minimum wage which means $200 is like a whole work week, or try paying a CA mortgage.

 

In that case I'd get a notebook with an entry level dedicated GPU...in fact I wont be playing computer games at all which means I only require a <$500 computer.

 

I don't think Vostros are well-built...Although I haven't seen new ones.

Well anyway, the problem is not that these recent ASUS are bad value, but rather, many of us (who remember old W/V series) don't want ASUS to compete with Acer or Dell Inspirons. Nowadays, ASUS's higher-end laptops are rarely updated, and they are nowhere as attractive as old W/V series.

 

I'm shopping for a laptop. I know a year back or so Dell was the best bang for buck. Also Dell was (probably still is) the only one offering higher resolution screens in mid level performance notebooks (inspiron 1520 / 6400).
I saw Asus M50SV-A1 / Asus M50Sa-X1 (couldn't find this one on Canadian sites. Only available on Newegg) and tried to configure Inspiron 1525 and XPS 1530 the price went couple hundres bucks higher on Dell. The Dell's default configurations are bad. When customizing I usually add higher resolution screen, better cpu, dedicated gpu, bt2.0. I would like to have either 1920x1200 resolution screen or LED backlit screen but these upgrades makes the price go up high. Above Asus models screen resolutions are low, they should offer a better display in those models. I have stopped checking RAM when comparing notebooks as one can buy it cheaper later on.

I checked that for current mid-level range laptops the chipset should be either PM965 or GM965.

A standard Wireless USB, WWAN antenna offering would be nice.

Vostros LAN is only 10/100. Gigabit 10/100/1000 should be a standard offering for all laptops in this age.

Which brand is current leader for best bang for buck in mid range laptop ( performance laptop for: multimedia, software development machine, light to mid level gaming machine)?

Mid level performance notebook should cost around $1200+/-200.

 

In that price range you aren't going to find a 1920x1200 LCD, but the Dell XPS is a good one you can configure to have it if you want to pay the extra few hundred dollars, plus they give you a lot of other options, like bigger battery, 7200rpm hard drives, better warranties, just going to cost you. If you can compromise on an older C2D and a small HDD you can get the XPS M1530 for less than $1400 with the 256MB 8600M GT video card.

The ASUS G1 series is the best midrange value for high resolution, 1680x1050
This one has the 8600M GT with DDR3, large 7200RPM HDD and fast C2D for $1400, and for a 15" laptop I wouldnt think you need 1920x1200, especially if you want to game because FPS will go down if you try to play with such high native resolution, and if not at native resolution screen may be blurry.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220216

There are other configurations with more RAM or HDD, or lower CPU, but I liked the 8600M GT with DDR3.

 

seems like the new ATI is better than the 9500GS.

check out the A305 bench mark here.

 

Eh, where?

 

After building it similar to the Asus...this is what you get...

Starting Price $1,711

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium edit
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-in Service edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 in Wide Screen SXGA+LCD Display w/TrueLife™ edit
MEMORY 3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive, 7200RPM, for Dell Vostro 1500 Notebook edit
MEDIA DIRECT Dell Exclusive MediaDirect™ Instant Play Software Application edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Internal-card edit
WEBCAM Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera

 

Nividia generates too much heat , don't you think?

And Vostro prices went up while XPS prices went down.

So now , I think XPS is a better value than a Vostro, or any ASUS besides the F8SN , of course.

I think only one interesting , current ASUS laptop is the F8 SN or SP because it's 14.1 with a decent gpu and runs cool.

In the US 15.4 is the main stream , but in Asia , EU and many other places I 've been to , 14.1 and 13.3 are much more ubiquitous.

I personally looking for a laptop of XPS M1330 size with M1530 kinda power.

 

ditto on the little package with a big punch

I'm hoping the new AMD or Intel launches in June will have what we seek, like maybe a ATI HD3800 series GPU in the mix, or at least a 3650 with GDDR3.

 

so any can name what laptop has the GDDR3 version of ATI 3650?