Specification | |
| Display | 18.4" (1920 x 1080) |
| Operating System | Vista Home Premium 64-bit |
| Processor | Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz |
| Memory | 4 GB |
| Hard Drive | 250 GB Serial ATA (5400 rpm) |
| Graphics Card | GF GT 130M |
| Optical Drive | DVD±RW / BD-ROM |
| Connectivity |
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| Ports and Expandibility |
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| Battery |
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| Dimensions | 18" x 12.2" x 1.9" (45.7cm x 31cm x 4.8cm) |
| Weight | 9.3 lbs (4.22 kg) |
| Built in Extras |
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Inside GeekWithLaptop.com
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I have been an avid computer user for over twenty years and I have to say this ASUS N90Sv Series of notebook computer is a nice portable way to carry your desktop around with you; if you do not mind the hulking 9.3lbs of weight! Keep in mind, too, that the battery to power this beast weighs about takes about 3 lbs and with a 2.5-hr time limit on battery power is being generous even with the minimal on. Also keep in mind the ASUS N90Sv hasn’t one but two SATA drives (mine came with a pair of 250GB SATAs). But you can get this puppy with up to a 1TB of HD space if you so choose!
The Intel Core2 Duo processor does a mean job keeping up with my high speed demands for my AV/Gaming needs. Combined with the Bluetooth 2.1; the WLAN (at up to 300Mbps); a 1GB LAN card; and 4GB RAM; I an a very happy camper!
The NVIDIA G130M with 1GB of VRAM and NVIDIA’s Physx 3D GPU is an excellent addition for the extreme gamest or the avid business person and definitely compliments the 18.4 inch HD monitor well. An HDMI output hook up to an even larger screen (and a better gaming experience…woot, woot!
is also available.
The built-in 1.3M Pixel video camera is great for the Skype-type calls and other video-conferencing type needs.
The DVDRW BluRay ROM (optional)will burn CD/DVDs, but not BD-Rs, at a pretty fast and reliable pace, too. With an ample enough size internal buffer and with a burning utility that uses an external memory buffer, burning times for a DVD9, for me, took only 2~3 minutes!
The audio is an Altec Lansing with SRS technology, 4-way speaker system; which kicks ass when playing back my MP3s and does extremely well during my gaming and movie times as well.
The main cool and unique feature of this computer is the 8-SECOND OS that ASUS has created to access most of your audio/video needs separate from Windows. This OS is unique because if you need to access the internet, make a phone call (using Skype), or just want to kill some time by playing on-line cards; it is all 8-seconds away by pressing the lighted, blue outlined power button. Pretty cool, I think!
However, there are a couple of problems, unfortunately, I found, and I would not give you the best possible review if I omitted them. First, I bought the computer with Vista x64(64-Bit) pre-installed and so I knew it did not have the 3GB memory boundary access that other x86 (32-Bit) OS had to worry about. But, as I am checking to see how Vista is utilizing the system’s memory (2 x 2GB DDR2 [maxed out]), Windows is only using 3GBs for my applications and games. Well, come to find out that the other 1GB is being “shared”, not by choice, I assure you, (not that it needed it, mind you, with the already on-board 1GB VRAM on the NVIDIA 130M CUDA) video card! And I wish they had included an anti-glare feature with how big this monitor is because in full sun setting you might as well have it off.
The second thing that I was angry at was that the LG BDDVDRW optical drive to play Blu-Ray discs will ONLY play Blu-Ray Discs with the “hacked” proprietary only 2-channel, Blu-Ray software bundled with the computer! Why this Blu-Ray LG drive could not be universally made to work with all Blu-Ray applications and software is beyond me! ASUS should have known better!
Finally, and not that big of deal is that the volume dial (rotor) is not that all responsive when it comes to increasing or decreasing the volume quickly. You might as well use the notebook’s Function Keys for the volume adjustments, they’re faster. Though, I’d have to say its center button for the Mute is a well-placed feature and is quick and easy to use.
Over all my choice in purchasing the ASUS N90SV is a very positive one. I like the full-size keyboard and built-in numeric keypad as well. I would highly recommend this computer to anybody who sole purpose is just into gaming, a business person, into audio-video editing, or somewhere in between. This is why the ASUS N90Sv got a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, from me. I hope this review has helped your decision whether or not to purchase this mean machine! Good Luck! ~Spirit Wolfe~