An update to the previous G50 line of notebooks, the Asus G51VX is largely aimed at gamers. Prices start at $1049.
Specifications:
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (2GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Display: 15.6" TFT Widescreen display with LED backlighting (1366x768)
Memory: 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz System Memory
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3 Memory
Hard Disk Drive: 320GB 7200RPM SATA Seagate Momentus Hard Drive
Weight: 7.3 lbs
Build and Design
Build quality is satisfactory. The machine is strong in all the right places and looks and feels solid. Design is a bit understated. Just about every component of this laptop can be upgraded, but you cannot change the processor or GPU without voiding the one-year warranty.
Screen and Speakers
The G51VX has an LED backlit display with 1366x768 pixels. The screen is bright enough to become viewable in a bright office setting. Viewing angles are good, but color saturation is still very poor. The panel itself is mediocre. Speaker quality is average; the speaker placement doesn’t improve the situation either.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The chiclet-style keyboard comes with an adjustable backlight feature. The keyboard does show a decent amount of flex, but it is comfortable to type on. You will also get used to it in no time. The touchpad is good. It shows good sensitivity; the buttons also feel right.
Performance
The G51VX comes with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor. While this processor is good for getting most tasks done, it seems to have difficulty handling some new games. The 320GB Seagate hard disk spinning at 7200 rpm considerably improves the performance of this notebook.
Ports and Features
Port selection seems adequate but some users may find their placement a bit odd. There is a VGA port, 4 USB ports, FireWire port, eSATA port, HDMI port, ExpressCard 54 slot, Ethernet port, headphone jack, microphone jack, a DVD+/-RW optical drive and media reader. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel integrated webcam and WiFI 5100 (a/b/g/n).
Battery
It seems that the G51VX isn’t built to be off the mains. At about 2 hours, the battery life is pretty average. But this is hardly surprising given the power hungry graphics and 7200rpm hard disk.
Heat and Noise
The cooling system of this laptop is somewhat poorly designed. The machine tends to heat up during heavy gaming, so you can’t keep it on your lap for long. Fortunately the heat doesn’t radiate too badly off the top surface of the laptop. Heat problems can be solved to a great extent by buying a cooling pad.
Conclusion
The best thing about this gaming notebook is indeed its accessible price point which starts at $1049. Performance is strictly OK. The GeForce GTX 260M GPU can handle most modern games, but the processor performance seems lacking in some aspects. If you can live this, you must definitely consider buying G51VX.
Pros:
Faster GPU
7200rpm hard disk
Backlit keyboard
Good port selection
Cons:
Tends to heat up
Poor battery life
Average processor performance
