- 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor
- 4GB οf DDR3 RAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max
- 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM), DVD Super Multi Drive
- 14″ Widescreen HD LED LCD DіѕрƖау, NVidia G210M Graphics wіth 512MB DDR3 + Intel GMA 4500MHD (Switchable VGA), 0.3M Webcam, Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64 bit), 11.5 Hours οf Battery Life
List Price: $ 849.00
Price: $ 819.99
ASUS UL80Vt-A1 14-Inch Thin аnԁ Light Black Laptop (11.5 Hours οf Battery Life)
Thе thin аnԁ light ASUS UL80Vt іѕ a harmonious blend οf form аnԁ function. Powered bу аn Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor, іt boasts аn impressive 11-hour battery life fοr аƖƖ-day computing. It аƖѕο sports user-centric features such аѕ a multi-gesture touchpad аnԁ provides аn impressive multimedia entertainment experience wіth Altec Lansing speakers аnԁ аn NVidia G210M graphics engine (users саn turn thе graphics card οff іf longer battery life іѕ needed). AƖƖ οf thеѕе features аnԁ more аrе shrouded іn a robust brushed aluminum lid thаt nοt οnƖу looks magnificent, bυt аƖѕο helps іn maintaining thе notebook’s stylish exterior day аftеr day. ASUS notebooks come wіth ASUS’ 360 service program thаt includes a 2 year global wa
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Ultraportable with Excellent Performance and So-So Build Quality,
EDIT: An updated and revised review of this laptop can be found at over at Expert Laptop Review: [...]
I recently went on a laptop buying rampage and have ended up with the Dell Studio 14z, HP dm3z (L625 + Radeon 4330), and the Asus UL80VT-A1 in possession all at once. The first part of this review will focus solely on the Asus UL80VT-A1 and the second part of this review will compare it with my experience with the Dell Studio 14z and the HP dm3z.
ASUS UL80VT-A1 DETAILED REVIEW
First and foremost, let me say that I ordered the UL80VT-A1 because I thought it was simply an awesome idea to have switchable graphics in a laptop because you get excellent battery life + excellent performance when needed. There were no reviews of the UL80VT out when I purchased it, so I purchased the UL80VT-A1 from [...], which has a 100 percent refund on purchases just in case things didn’t work out with me and the new lady.
While I was waiting to recieve the laptop in the mail, I read a review over at [...]. Oh boy, was I disappointed considering all the bad things the reviewer had to say about it (i.e. bad keyboard, bad track pad, horrible build quality, poor gaming performance). Needless to say, I had second thoughts about even opening up the Asus UL80VT-A1 because I didn’t think it was worth my time considering the all the problems the reviewer had with his review model.
So that morning I got my HP dm3z in the mail and was really excited about how incredibly beautiful the laptop was. It is definitely sexier (in my opinion) than every other ultraportable out there, including the Macbook Pro 13″ and HP Envy 13. I’ll get to the dm3z a little later… either way, my first impression led me to believe that I’d probably be keeping the dm3z and just returning the Asus. When the Asus came in the mail, I wasn’t even watching for it like I had been the dm3z. But I did take it upstairs and opened it up. (Unboxing video coming soon…)
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first impression was astoundingly contradictory to review I had read. I picked it up, squeezed it, pushed on the keyboard, which had minimal flex that wasn’t noticeable to me when typing. My other first impressions were just how well the trackpad worked. The two finger scroll worked flawlessly (though it isn’t as smooth of a scroll as Apple’s, it functions equally responsively and is just as useful).
GRAPHICS PERFORMANCE – Rating 9/10
Over the last view days, I’ve been taking the UL80VT-A1 out for spin in a series of gaming tests. The first game I tested was the ever popular Counter-Strike: Source. I was astounded by the computer’s ability to put out 150 FPS in the stress test at native resolution of 1366×768. I had been expecting to get closer to 80-100 FPS. I then tested it with 4x AA on, and it resulted in 99 FPS, which is phenomenal considering that AA usually cripple weaker graphics cards like the Nvidia 210M.
I was eager to test out the UL80VT’s performance in some of the latest games because of the previous review I had read that had denounced its ability to play modern games. I had recently purchased Batman: Arkham Asylum. I loaded it up with the default settings, which were set on Very High at native 1366×768 resolution. Game play was moderately smooth and playable, but it was also noticably choppy at times with those settings (26 FPS average in the video stress test), so I dropped the settings down to medium. This time the Asus got 40 FPS average in the video stress test, and the game play was perfectly playable and smooth.
I then downloaded Team Fortress 2. It has been known to give ultraportable gaming machines a tough time due to its high shader requirements. When playing, I averaged about 50-60 FPS at native resolution with everything on High with no AA. I noticed drops down to 30 FPS when in heavy action, but it was not too disruptive to game play. I don’t think it went below 30 FPS during the time I played.
After hearing claims that Asus UL80VT could not run Need For Speed: Shift well. I downloaded the demo to see if these claims were true. Fortunately, they were not. I was able to achieve playable frame rates, though it was a little choopy with the default settings, which had the screen at 1024×768 resolution and everything else up in detail. I tried changing the settings, but after changing the settings to lower the resolution to 800×600, the game repeatedly gave me an error and crashed right as the race was about to start. Unfortunately, I was not able to do a formal test, but it was clear that the game was getting at least 30 FPS at 800×600 resolution with texture settings on High. I would expect the game to be very playable as long as you are content with 800×600 (or maybe slightly better res) and medium settings.
I also managed to squeeze in a little play time in Protoype, another…
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|Best Laptop Ever! My first review! Cuz it rocks that much!,
I don’t usually spend my time putting in reviews because it doesn’t benefit me much (I know, kind of selfish) but this product was just too good to not leave a review, especially since there’s no review here yet.
I’ve been looking at laptops for years now, always looking for the one that hits all the sweet spot. I didn’t NEED it so I was able to just keep waiting for the right one. Here were all the things I was looking for.
Fast speed – For gaming like World of Warcraaft, etc.
Long battery life – It’s not mobile if you’re chained to power cord.
Decent price – Nobody should be paying more than a grand for a laptop.
Temperature – This is something many people don’t think much about until too late. Laptops get HOT, and then they’re no longer LAPtop, but a DESKtop.
DVD drive – Because I like to keep my options open.
Every laptops I’ve seen through deal sites, etc NEVER met all of these criteria. Until now. This computer really is THE laptop to get right now.
Pros————-
Great speed – I just ran World of Warcraft and it runs SMOOTH with mid-high setting. I also saw from another review that this can run Farcry2 or Crysis2 at 40fps which is pretty damn good.
LED screen – This takes some getting used to since I’m not used to seeing such rich black on monitor but it looks bright, crisp, and shiny. (latter might be issue if you live with many light fixtures)
Video – YES it has Nvidia video card on top of Intel integrated. This allows for awesome gaming which many other laptops just can’t do.
Temperature – It doesn’t burn!
It still gets warm, especially on left side near vent but it’s not so hot that I have to put something underneath to shield my lap like previous laptops I had.
Weight – I’m kinda scrawny guy and I can lift this with one hand with no issue. This will be handy as you move around the house or carry in yer bag.
Battery life – AWESOME. just check any other review on this because they’ll all tell you this thing last a loong time. It was tough to find laptops that can last long WHILE also having great performance AND be under a grand. Now there is.
ExpressGate – It allows you to turn on a laptop from off or hibernation mode, into special operating system that has skype, photo, and web browser among others. So if you need to google something quick, now you can! There’s downside to that in cons section.
Cons———————-
Keyboard – This is very minor annoyance but I want to be thorough. When you type, sometimes, you hear this light metal ringing-ish sound that’s coming from metal underneath the keyboard. It’s not the quietest keyboard you’ll use but it won’t drive you crazy either.
Touchpad – I had to figure out the issue with this because it was bugging the hell out of me. It has two and three finger gestures like scroll and right/middle click. Issue was it wasn’t accurate and working sporadically. Scroll especially was driving me nuts because it’ll scroll at its own speed/time. I tried pressing my fingers lightly/heavily but difference. Then I figured it out. You have to have you movement straight up and down or left/right. When people use the touchpad, we usually have our hand in an angle so we end up scrolling in almost like instead of |. Well, touchpad doesn’t like that. Same goes for right/middle click that requires 2-3 fingers. It works best if you have your fingers in same x axis. Some people won’t be affected since they’ll use mouse but if you’ll be using touchpad a lot, be prepared for bit of adjustment. Oh, and if you prefer to click the button instead of tapping the touchpad for mouse clicks, exercise your finger because button’s bit harder to press than other touchpad buttons I’ve used.
ExpressGate – Idea is great. Execution, not quite. I was expecting instant on like when you come out of sleep mode but unfortunately, there’s still some wait involved. 10-ish seconds I believe. Also, Asus installed regular monitor version of expressgate onto this widescreen laptop so everything’s stretched to fit widescreen. So far, I haven’t figured out how to change resolution in this mode. It’s good for quick browsing but not for long session.
Power cable – OMG, where do ASUS think people live in? Castles!? Power cord is the longest I’ve ever seen. About 10-11 ft total (big power block right in the mid point). And although it comes with velcro strip to manage the cable, I found there’s too much cable to roll the cable neatly. Just prepare for some mess when packing cable. Good thing this has 10 hour battery life so you won’t have to deal with cable too much.
All in all, Pros are all important crucial items and Cons are minor annoyance at best. This is really the best laptop you could get at this price with this much features and performance. I…
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|Just plain awesome!,
I have never written a review of any kind, not that I don’t come across good products or service, but it’s like the next item on one’s list which one never gets to. However, the ul80vt-a1 is just too awesome a laptop that after one week of ownership, I am still jumping up and down like a little puppy, given my typical enthusiasm normally lasts no more than 48 hours.
By the time you read my review, you’ve already known all the good things about this laptop — very long battery life, fast performance, cool to touch, bright screen with sharp resolution, clear and loud speakers, thin and light weight in spite of the presence of an optical drive, fast to boot. The list goes on and on, and it is all true. By the way, there is one item I haven’t seen mentioned yet — the battery charges extremely fast without getting hot. And no, I don’t work for Asus. In fact, before I started researching for a good laptop to buy, I didn’t even know who or what Asus was, and I still cannot pronounce its name.
But what makes me so happy is that all the bad things I heard in these reviews are also not true. Not every single feature is perfect. There are some items one can fault with, but they really amount to nothing. This is what I want everyone to know so one doesn’t gloss over this great laptop because someone out there doesn’t like the feel of the keyboard.
1. Regardless of what other people said, the build quality of my laptop is very high, no different from the HP’s, the Dell’s and the Lenovo’s I have owned. No, it is not flimsy, and everything snaps correctly with no gap or sharp edge.
2. The keyboard is fine. It does not feel the same as a Lenovo, but it doesn’t flex like others say either. It’s just that the keys are not as bouncy, so they feel a little bit soft.
3. Some reviewers mentioned the screen does not have sharp contrast. It is true when the brightness is set on high, the screen may look a little washed out, but it’s not something you cannot solve by tilting the screen a little up or down. By the way, reflection from the glossy screen is not an issue, to my surprise, and you can see fine outdoor.
4. The touch pad arguably is the worst feature on this laptop. It is more sticky than one with a matte finish, and once in a while you will go out of boundary without realising it. The large single touch pad button below is positioned awkwardly and is quite honestly hard to press because the frame the button is set in is in the way. The touch pad one can get used to; the button, highly questionable.
5. Yes, fingerprints do show up, but they can be readily wiped off without much fanfare. However, if you like having a bag of greasy chips in one hand and use the computer with the other, this laptop can be a problem for you. On the other hand, it may help one kick one’s junk food addiction.
6. So far I have two minor problems. Both are related to switching the power management mode:
6a. When I plug and unplug from the power cord, the screen does black out for a couple of seconds, unlike other laptops I’ve owned. Furthermore, sometimes when the screen comes back on, it will flicker when I mouse over something on the screen. The only remedy I have found so far is to close the application (IE 8 in my case) and start it again.
6b. When I press the Graphix Boost button, it changes the time zone automatically to pacific time (GMT-8). I haven’t tried changing through the power management tool by selecting any of the Power4Gear options, but it probably will change the time zone just the same. It’s minor to change the time zone back, provided you notice something is wrong with the time.
I genuinely think there is more than a good chance you will be very happy with the laptop. I know I am.
p.s. If reliability is important to you, a Nov 2009 study published by SquareTrade on the 3 year reliability records of 30,000 laptops from 9 vendors ranked Asus at the top. [...]
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