Asus F9Dc-A1 Quick Review

Spec rundown:

AMD Turion64 X2 TL-56 1.80G
1 GB DDR2 667 (1GBx1)
nVidia GeForce 8400M G 128MB Dedicated
12.1" WXGA 1280x800 LCD
120GB SATA 5400rpm HD
DVD Super Multi
Gigabit Ethernet
56k modem
802.11 b/g Wireless
Bluetooth
Express Card slot
1.3 mega pixel cam (front-back swivel)
Mic & Headphone jacks
3xUSB
HDMI
6 cell battery
Vista Home Premium
Targus bag
USB mouse
2 year global warranty, 1 year accidental

Pros:

- Solid construction, didn't notice much flex at all anywhere
- Sharp, beautiful screen
- Decent webcam
- Equipped with 2 RAM slots with a single 1 GB stick already installed. Upgraded to 2 GB RAM using the cheapest RAM available (Corsair ValueSelect) and had no compatability issues at all
- Very easy to upgrade, nearly all user replaceable parts can be accessed through the bottom panel
- Comes with separate recovery CD's for the OS and drivers/apps

Cons:

- Gets a bit warm under AC operation, less noticeably so on battery
- Expect about 2.5 hrs of operation on battery, a far cry from the 4 hrs. stated in the specs
- Battery sticks out the back
- Very slugglish performance upon first bootup. Expect to tweak many settings if not a full system restore minus all the bloatware to get performance up to an acceptable level.
- No fingerprint reader/TPM security hardware

Ran memtest for several hours, no errors reported. Wiped drive, recovered system using only the OS Recovery disc and restored it onto a single partitioned drive. Restored drivers manually. Allowed Windows to update online, found and installed 36 updates for Vista Home Premium.

Final Thoughts:

For under a grand including the RAM upgrade, this is what you get: a small footprint, light weight, dual core, 2GB RAM, a DVD burner, a Geforce 8400M G with a dedicated 128MB RAM, HDMI, Gigabit ethernet, wireless, bluetooth, a usb mouse, Targus bag and to top it all off a 2 year global warranty with 1 year of accidental coverage thrown in. In short, this notebook was an incredible deal and though classified as a consumer level model, I'd rate the overall construction very close to a business class system.

Windows Experience 3.1
3dmark05 1886
3dmark06 1069

Previous notebooks I've owned:

Thinkpad 701C
Thinkpad 365XD
Thinkpad 380XD
Toshiba Tecra 8100
HP/Compaq nc6320

 

Nice quick review, it's exactly how it was assumed to be, but comparing it to above average consumer model is quite a statement, especially for a 12.1" with an 8400G under one thousand. Nice!

 

How was the WEI score so low?

Thanks for posting your thoughts!

 

Other than the 2hrs of battery life, the ASUS F9Dc is an excellent system. But the way I see it is taht if it's small, the power pack is small too; which means carrying it around with you shouldn't add too much weight (compared to like teh Clevo I carry around with me ALL the time - it's killing my back).

Thanks for your thoughts

 

1gig of ram and bloatware probably

 

Nice quick review. If it's not too much trouble, can you take a few more pics... preferably with the screen on?

Odd... Asus lists the F9Dc as having a fingerprint reader/TPM. Hmm...

 

It doesn't have it, also has b/g wireless and not a/b/g if it matters.

Though, ASUS lists the F9dc/F9s with NO TPM but the F9s with FP. FP = Finger Print?

 

I think its the F9S that has TPM/FP scanner.

I still think that the low battery life really limits the mobility of the notebook. Portability is not just about weight and size; having a notebook means nothing if your battery is dead and your not near an outlet.

 

Yes, it's a very nice notebook for this price.

But I agree with Vivek, having a 2.5 hours battery life for a 12" is a bad joke. What's the point of making it small if you can't take it away from the plug?

 

well i only like small laptops, i use an X61 as a desktop replacement :/ so yea there's a niche market for small powerful laptops that are used on AC most of the time, mine has like 7 hrs battery time but i never unplug it

 

More pics added upon request. And I agree about the battery life as well, I'm curious as to how Asus came up with 4hrs battery life.

 

The same way every manufacturer does: by putting the brightness on minimum, turning off wireless, bluetooth and all the apps, and just letting the computer sit there. And if that doesn't give a nice enough figure, maybe they turn off the LCD completely or even put the notebook in standby.

 

Dimensions = 12.1" x 8.7" x 1.1-1.3" but does it measure with the battery or not. cuz the battery sticks out, so it will be 9,5" width with battery or 8.7" with battery?? thx

 

anyone know is a 9 cell is offered for this computer? and where I could get it...the battery life is really starting to irritate me. thanks.

 

Usually (well, always) the dimensions are with the smallest components that can be fit, i.e. the smallest battery. If that one isn't flush maybe it's measured as well.

Also take care: the feet height is not included in the marketed height.

 

hey, can u take a pic(top view) and cover with an A4 paper so i can see the size visually ? thank you