ASUS G1 user review

I've now owned an Asus G1 (model G1-AK007P) for 16 days and have settled into using it.


OVERVIEW & INTRODUCTION

The Asus G1 is a gaming notebook. The Asus website describes it “The ASUS G1 notebook series that redefines mobile gaming with advance graphics solutions, exclusive display technologies and unique design details.”



The standard straight out of the box specification from ASUS is as follows....
CPU = Core Duo 2 T7200
RAM = 2048MB DDR II 667MHz
HDD = Seagate (Momentus) 160GB 5400rpm SATA
GPU = NVidia GeForce Go 7700. PCI Express, 512MB true dedicated VRAM
Screen = WSXGA+ 1680x1050 Resolution, Glossy finish.
ODD = DVD Super Multi Light Scribe drive

Other built in features and ports....
1.3 mega pixel Web Cam
Bluetooth 2.0,
Intel Wireless ABG,
4in1 card reader,
PCMCIA slot 1 type II,
Infa-red port,
mini Firewire port (IEEE 1394),
SPDIF Output (&Headphone),
Mic input,
Audio Input,
S-Video output (TV out),
RJ45 Gigabit LAN,
RJ11 Modem,
4x USB 2.0 ports,
DVI output,
VGA output,
Kensington lock port (is there a notebook without one of these?)

On the front edge of the notebook there are a series of controls akin to a CD player or Walkman, these are "Audio DJ" buttons and allow you to play a CD through the speakers without powering the machine up.
Above the keyboard there is an OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen (size = 3cm x 1cm). Upon boot up this shines with the ASUS logo, once in Windows it defaults tell you the time, this is controlled by the "Direct Console" software included, you can customise this display to a degree with your own text and a series of supplied icons. I am awaiting a response from Asus regarding any further information on this to see whether there is a possibility of complete control over the screen.
HOT KEYS = there are four shortcut keys above the keyboard, these include 1) a "Power 4 Gear" button which allows you to switch between various Power Schemes quickly, e.g. Battery saving mode or gaming mode (lots more options in there also). 2) An Email Launch Key. 3) Internet Launch Key. 4) Touchpad Lock Key - Will disable the touchpad on demand.
Flashing Lights = yes this machine does really have green flashing lights! They flash when DirectX 9 is in use (gaming). I personally think this is a pretty neat quirky feature, very eye catching, but I am glad that you cannot see them flashing when facing the machine. They can be disabled using the "Direct Console" software.
You also get a Targus Backpack and Logitech MX518 mouse in the box (Both branded with the Asus gaming logo).

OS = Windows XP Professional (inc. Vista upgrade)
Warranty = 2 years Collect & Return UK Warranty & 2 Years (no carriage) Global Warranty.



REASONS FOR BUYING

I've been in the market for a new machine for some time, looking around and waiting but nothing had really caught my eye as much as the G1.

Machines I've seriously considered include a Asus W3J, Asus V1J, Samsung X60 & a Rock Pegasus 665. All of these machines have their own merits, but somehow I was drawn to the flashing green lights on the G1
I could have waited for another six months (the time I believe it will take to get a decent GPU into a 15” notebook), DX10 graphics and Santa Rosa around the corner, but I felt I'd waited long enough and this seemed to be the perfect machine for me right now.

My requirements for a notebook were as follows;

GAMING – I'm used to a 256MB X700 GPU in a desktop, and used to playing most games at medium settings... (since my X1800GT, Opteron desktop has been shelved for the past few months, but that's another, rather painful story!!)

CPU - Dual Core 2 T7*** - a must - 4MB L2 Cache. In real life usage - I do notice my AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor up to full pelt quite a lot, I've found I want more out of my computer as time goes by and that means more programs running more of the time.

RAM - Dammit Warcraft eats the stuff, as does having multiple programs running.

SIZE/SCREEN – Screen size was a big factor in my buying decision. With my previous notebook usage I predicted 50% on desk & the remaining 50% on my lap. I've ruled out 17” as even the lightest 17” machine was too cumbersome for me to use for any length of time on my lap. I felt an ideal size would be 14" widescreen, however I'd have to sacrifice pixels... which was a no go for me, I'm spoiled at work and at home with desktop areas of 2880x1050 and 2560x1024. So I was keen for a reasonably high res screen... you try finding a screen less than 15.4" or 15" in size at anything more than 1280x800 or 1280x1024 in res. Glossy screen was a plus point.

HDD - Size not important - speed is - been reading up on this and results are surprising - see toms hardware for the latest reports, however I'm looking into getting a solid state HDD or Hybrid HDD as soon as possible so upgrade in future is likely.

ODD – Was not bothered about this until the guy I sit next to at work scribed a disc a few days ago and although it took 25mins to scribe, the end result meant that Lightscribe disc/drives are seriously cool gadgets to play with.

INPUT/OUTPUT - All the regular ones in full force, I wanted a Firewire 2 port for external HDD backup, however I'm not aware of this being an option on a notebook so I guess I'll have to compromise on that one.

DOCKING STATION - Would be nice but not important as a USB port replicator would suffice.

OS - Ideally Windows XP Pro, but not too bothered.

BATTERY LIFE – Not a major factor, 2.5hrs would be nice but 1.5hrs would suffice, more than that is a bonus - used on mains while gaming as I need a flat surface for an external mouse.


BUILD & DESIGN

The looks of this machine are aimed firmly at a certain demographic. Boys who play games. I won't wax about the looks as you can see from the pictures, in short the looks suit me. I like the way it looks and I will enjoy the attention the green lights will bring.

The G1 is a solid machine, it is not lightweight or thin, it is aluminum re-enforced where you lean your wrists, it has no apparent flex in the base, no creaky or squeeky area's. The screen has three hinge supports. Comparing it to an automobile this machine feels and looks a little like I would imagine a military all terrain vehicle might be.
Any obvious faults in the build quality, if anything there is a little too much plastic around the top of the screen and you can squeeze the plastic around the web cam, but this is a very minor point. The speakers point outwards instead of upwards & toward you which means that I have the volume up louder than I would if they pointed at me (much to the displeasure of my wife).



KEYBOARD

I must comment on the keyboard, I have used many different notebook keyboards over the past few years and I feel this puts me in a good position to comment on a keyboard, it's probably one of the most understated, yet most important aspects (for me anyway). In my opinion the most luxuriously tactile notebook keyboard I've used belonged to a Samsung M50(now M55), however my (work) IBM Thinkpad T43 must be a very close runner up in the comfort and usability stakes.
The G1 keyboard has a good feel, it is very solid at every edge with a slight spring toward the middle. The keys are responsive and seem to have a very slightly deeper than average travel to them. The layout of certain keys is very much a matter of individual taste however I am personally pleased to point out that some of my most used keys are handily located along the right edge of the keyboard. My one gripe with the layout is that I have not yet adjusted to the position of the left CRTL key which my brain thinks should be one key position to further to the left. I keep pressing the function (Fn) key, which keeps leading to me changing Asus's “Splendid” screen correction modes (Gamma Correction, Vivid, Theater, Soft & Normal).



SCREEN

A very important factor for me going for this machine was one of screen resolution. I wanted higher than 1280x800 but lower than 1900x1200, I think the G1's screen res of 1680x1050 was a major factor for me purchasing this machine now.
It has I'm told a 500nit brightness level, which although the measurement of nits I'm not familiar with, is supposedly pretty good. I believe most normal notebooks have screens varying between 200 & 300nits.
However regardless of figures on a page, in practical use I'm very very very pleased with this screen. There is a range of 15 settings of brightness available and I find myself using 12/15 currently, but with a fiddle around the settings I'm even happy to use 3/15, I guess that shows that when running on battery you need not be compromised with the screen.
I've had a good look and I don't appear to have any duff pixels.
There would appear to be some uneven backlighting with it getting slightly brighter toward the edges of the screen, however I don't find this as a defect as it's actually not noticeable until looked for with the lights off.



SOUND

The speakers seem loud enough and adequate in a quiet environment. However when there is an amount of background noise, for example with the television on they seem to go almost inaudible, I have found my ears moving trying to stretch to hear the sounds coming out of the speakers (lol it's true!). I blame the fact that the speakers are on the side of the notebook and project noise outwards, I've found myself using headphones more often than not to save myself from getting a bashing from my better half. Sound via headphones is excellent.


PERFORMANCE AND EXTRAS

I will say that the overall performance is as I'd hoped it would be. The G1 feels significantly faster than any other machine I'm used to.

When I received the machine there was a lot of extra software loaded. It's typical of Asus to include a lot of items and software as standard, for the "lay" notebook user I would imagine this all helps enhance their notebook experience, however I got rid of some of the chaff and had a root around in msconfig as one does.

First things first;
Windows updates
AVG
MS Defender
DX9 & updates
WinRAR
Photoshop
OpenOffice


Let the fun begin;
Mark of Chaos
World Of Warcraft (nearly 1200MB of updates!!)
Warhammer 40k
Farcry- FRAPS (from where he gets into the jungle for the first time) - between 16 & 27 fps with all settings turned up to high.
Played this for thirty minutes and got completely immersed again after a year of not giving it a second glance. *note to self* must finish this game.

Couple of screen-dumps below.





BENCHPRESS

PCMARK 05

Aquamark 3

3D Mark 06

Super PI - 1m14s (25m28s) @ 32M
Windows XP PRO starts from post to log on in 42 seconds.


SUMMARY

Gaming and performance is great. To date this is one of the most powerful (<15.4” screen) gaming solutions in the world today. The looks are different from the norm, eye catching and well thought out. The screen is excellent, build quality is excellent. Overall my expectations have been met and exceeded. I highly recommend this notebook for anyone who wants to: have good overall performance, play games, own something a little bit different.


peted76

 

Very nice review thank you.

 

nicely done, very well