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ASUS W90Vp Review May 20, 2009 Brandon Sandman Bell |
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Summary: With two Mobility Radeon 4870 GPUs, dual 7200 RPM hard drives, an 18.4" 1080p display, and 2.8GHz Core 2 CPU, the ASUS W90Pv packs more horsepower than most desktop PCs. Remarkably of all though the system retails for $2199-$2499 depending on the SKU. Is this really the ultimate gaming notebook? Find out in today's review!
 ASUS W90Vp Review | Page:: ( 1 / 9 ) |
Take a close look at the image above. Notice the desktop PC and speakers in the laptop's reflection? This picture summarizes our feelings on the ASUS W90Vp laptop perfectly. It's literally a desktop PC in disguise posing as a laptop.The W90Vp isn’t just an average desktop PC either. The system sports serious gaming PC credentials. For instance, the notebook is equipped with dual ATI Mobility Radeon 4870 GPUs running in CrossFire mode. Packing 800 stream processors and 512MB of VRAM, the Mobility Radeon 4870 is just about as good as it gets right now when it comes to mobile graphics. Equipping the notebook with two of these GPUs is simply an extraordinary amount of graphics horsepower for a notebook PC – most desktop gaming rigs don’t have this kind of power on tap.
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But it doesn’t stop there. Running alongside the dual GPUs are dual hard drives. ASUS ships the system with two 160GB 7200 RPM hard drives from Seagate striped together in a RAID 0 array, Core 2 Duo T9600 CPU mounted on a motherboard based on Intel’s X38 chipset, 6GB of DDR2-800 memory, 5.1 Dolby-certified speakers, and finally, one of the most gorgeous laptop displays we’ve ever seen, an 18.4” 1920x1080 display backed by ASUS’ Zero Bright dot display policy which guarantees that the display will ship free of dead pixels or ASUS will replace it free of charge within 30 days of purchase.
Like we said, this system packs more power than most gaming desktops.
It shows too. The ASUS W90Vp is one of the largest laptops we’ve laid our eyes on. Measuring 17.5”W x 12.9”L x 2.08”H and weighing in at 12.5 lbs with battery, calling it a “laptop” is a bit of a oxymoron as the system is so large you probably wouldn’t want to run it on your lap for long periods of time. “Portable gaming desktop” is a more fitting description of what ASUS is providing here.
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Have a look at the rest of the system’s specs:
| ASUS W90Vp Specs | |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000/Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 |
| Chipset | Intel Express X38 chipset |
| System Memory | 6GB (3x2GB) |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon® HD4870 x2 512M DDR3 VRAM (Cross Fire) |
| Display | 18.4 Full HD (1920x1080) Color-Shine (Glare-type),Asus Splendid Video Intelligent Technology |
| Storage | 2xSeagate Momentus 7200.3 (320GB) |
| Audio | Built-in 5.1 Channel Altec Lansing® Speakers |
| USB 2.0 Ports | 4 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 |
| Video Outputs | 1xVGA, 1xHDMI |
| Audio Ports | 1xMic-in, 1xHeadphone |
| Card Reader | 8 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,xD,mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter |
| eSATA | 1 |
| Networking | Integrated 802.11 b/g/n Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.1+EDR ntegrated V.92 MDC Fax/Modem, with AC-Link Version. 2.1 Compliant 10/100/1000 Base T |
| Battery | 12 cells: 8800 mAh |
| Webcam | 2.0 Mega Pixel web camera with autofocus |
| Dimensions | 44.3 x 32.8 x 6.3 cm (W x D x H) |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner, Trusted Platform Module (optional) |
| Weight | 5.2 kg, (with 12 cell battery) |
| Warranty | 2-years |
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What’s in a name?
As anyone who’s followed ASUS’ notebook line will tell you, traditionally ASUS’ gaming notebooks that have fallen under the Republic of Gamers line have been designated with a “G” (presumably for gamer) followed by the model number. ASUS began this with the launch of their G1 and G2 notebooks back in 2006 and have continued this tradition with their latest G50 and G70 series notebooks. ASUS’ W90 line have then traditionally focused on the multimedia crowd looking for a high-end notebook for watching movies.
So what’s the deal with the W90Vp?
Apparently the system was somehow initially pegged for multimedia use. This despite the fact that ASUS offers it with multiple GPUs and hard drives – clearly features that high-end gamers would want. At the last minute, someone in marketing wised up and realized the mistake, and slapped a Republic of Gamers badge on it. ASUS basically reversed course and pitched it as a gaming machine. But the system was already too far in development to integrate the design elements featured on previous ASUS G-series Republic of Gamers notebooks.
As a result, the W90Vp doesn’t look like ASUS’ latest gaming notebooks, instead it sports the chassis of one of their multimedia systems. But it’s not quite a traditional ASUS multimedia system either, as it lacks the remote control ASUS has shipped with their media notebooks in the past.
In that sense it’s a bit of a Frankenstein for ASUS – it isn’t quite a G, nor is it a true W.
Fortunately this isn’t a huge deal, as clearly what you do get is one of the most powerful gaming notebooks on the planet right now.
| Graphics, Processor, and HD Display | Page:: ( 2 / 9 ) |
Mobility Radeon graphics
From a pure architecture perspective, ATI’s Mobility Radeon 4870 is pretty similar to its desktop counterpart. The only real compromise that’s been made to the Mobility Radeon GPU in comparison to the desktop Radeon is clock speeds, but more on that later.
The chip sports the same 800-shader architecture with a 256-bit memory interface, and utilizes GDDR5 or GDDR3 memory depending on the system manufacturer. In the case of
the W90Vp, ASUS uses GDDR3 memory.
By opting for GDDR3 instead of GDDR5, the GPU subsystem generates less heat and is less expensive, but the downside is memory bandwidth is significantly reduced. With an 850MHz memory speed (1.7GHz effective), the W90Vp’s peak memory bandwidth stands at 54.4GB/sec, about 10GB/sec less than a Radeon 4850 desktop GPU.
The graphics core is clocked at 550MHz. This speed is 75MHz slower than the Radeon 4850’s 625MHz.
With two MR4870s running in CrossFire though, the graphics horsepower behind W90Vp easily eclipses one Radeon 4850. A more apt comparison would be two underclocked desktop Radeon 4850 GPUs.
18.4” display
ASUS ships the W90Vp with one of the most brilliant laptop displays we’ve ever seen. Not only is it brighter than the displays that ship with most notebooks, colors are vibrant with accurate representation; blacks are deep and dark while on the other end of the spectrum, whites are nice and bright.
This display looks better than most desktop LCD monitors.
It’s an 18.4” widescreen unit with a native res of 1920x1080. Like most notebook displays today, it’s a glossy display, so it can be tricky to read in direct sunlight, but it’s perfect in every other regard.
Take for instance viewing angles. With most notebook displays, off-axis viewing can be a problem. This isn’t too big of an issue if you’re sitting directly in the display’s sweet spot, which is generally directly in front of it with a minimal angle from your eyes to the center of the display, but it can be a problem when watching a movie with two or three people, or if you just can’t tilt the monitor into the sweet spot because of glare or some other issue.
With the W90Vp’s display, the sweet spot is massive. You will see a little brightness drop off at extreme angles, but color reproduction remains consistent.
The display is more than up to the task for gaming as well. We didn’t experience any ghosting, flickering, or other issues. Even fast-paced shooters ran beautifully on the ASUS display.
CPU
We’ve got to admit, we’re a little late in getting this review up. We received the W90 notebook on March 30th, however, GPU launches in April from ATI and NVIDIA prevented us from spending much time with the system until May. In that time ASUS has since replaced the notebook SKU we’re reviewing with a newer SKU sporting a quad-core CPU (Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q9000) and Blu-ray drive for $2499. Our particular SKU shipped with a dual-core Core 2 Duo T9600 and DVD drive for $2199.
Our T9600 CPU runs at 2.8GHz with a 1066MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache and 35W TDP. In comparison, the Q9000 runs at 2.0GHz with a 1066MHz FSB, 45W TDP, and 6MB of L2 cache, but with four processing cores instead of two (both are 45-nm parts).
So you end up sacrificing clock speed in order to get more cores.
How much this will affect your performance in games will vary depending on the specific title you’re playing and the screen resolution you’re gaming at. RTS titles have so far been the first to push quad-cores, so games like Supreme Commander would probably run faster on the Q9000, while shooters would prefer the higher clock frequency found on the T9600. Obviously if you’re gaming at the 18.4” panel’s native res of 1920x1080 though, the T9600 and Q9000 would perform similarly in those same shooters that are only dual-threaded.
ASUS pairs the CPU up with an X38 motherboard in order to deliver optimal CrossFire performance.
| Design | Page:: ( 3 / 9 ) |
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We touched on this topic on the first page of this review, but in case you missed it, the W90Vp isn’t your traditional Republic of Gamers design. Gone are features like the gaming LEDs and styling found on the ASUS G50 and G70 series of notebooks.
This isn’t a new design direction for ASUS. Rather the notebook has been adapted from ASUS W90 series of multimedia notebooks, which are more understated designs focused on the media buff who wants to watch movies on the go with his laptop.
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The system sports a brushed aluminum lid emblazoned with the ASUS logo in the center. The lid is latch-less, so you don’t have to press a button to open it. The latches securely hold the lid in place, but we wouldn’t classify them as firm: the lid quivers back and forth when the system is pushed and pulled.
Open the lid and you’ll find an edge-to-edge display, a first for ASUS. Here you’ll also see that the palm rest and the rest of the system base are built from black brushed aluminum.
This gives the system a higher quality look and feel (and also helps to reduce weight), although as a result the system is prone to collecting smudges and fingerprints. For added flair, ASUS even flanks the power and Express Gate buttons with fake leather (leatherette?). Fake leather on a gaming notebook? That’s definitely a first! This is another obvious sign of the notebook’s original intended market -- multimedia-focused consumers.
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As a high-end notebook, the system is equipped with many of the features you’d expect to find on a laptop of this caliber. Touch-sensitive buttons are provided above the keyboard for turning on the webcam, muting sound, adjusting brightness, magnification, disabling the touchpad and switching power modes (standard, power saving, and overclocked). The buttons are lit up with blue LEDs, as are the power and Express Gate buttons.
Here you can also spot two of the system’s six Altec Lansing speakers, we’ll be discussing these gems in more depth a little later.
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To the left of the keyboard ASUS provides additional touch-sensitive buttons for media playback (play/pause, fast-forward, rewind, etc) as well as volume control.
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The system itself feels likes it’s been built for taking punishment. The phrase “built like a tank” definitely comes to mind. This is probably due in part to the system’s hefty weight, but the chassis itself does feel like it has been designed for durability. There’s very little keyboard flex, and all the hinges feel solid.
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Ports
ASUS outfits the W90Vp with a generous number of ports. On the right side of the system ASUS includes three USB ports, an eSATA port, IEEE-1394 Firewire, an 8-in-1 memory card reader, Express Card slot, and an on/off switch for the Bluetooth/WiFi. Here you’ll also find the system’s optical drive. On the left side of the system ASUS includes an additional USB port, headphone and microphone jacks, and a Kensington lock.
Finally, out back ASUS provides HDMI and VGA outputs, and modem and Ethernet jacks.
Keyboard/Touchpad
ASUS equips the W90Vp with a full-size keyboard with numpad. Typing aficionados used to the clicky feel of old school keyboards will like the W90Vp keyboard. Keys provide nice tactile feedback and aren’t mushy like many laptop keyboards. The feel isn’t as clicky as a midrange desktop keyboard, but definitely provides more click-feel than other notebooks.
Our only gripe with the keyboard is that it isn’t backlit. Hopefully this is a feature ASUS can integrate on their gaming notebooks shortly.
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Unfortunately, the touchpad ASUS uses with the W90Vp isn’t quite as good. The left and right buttons are tighter than a drum, and have very little travel. In fact it’s so bad they almost feel like an extension of the chassis itself, rather than functional buttons. When it comes to tactile feedback, these are among the worst left and right mouse buttons we’ve seen on a notebook, particularly one of this price range. In addition, to their glossy nature, the notebook’s buttons attract fingerprints easily.
The touchpad itself lacks support for multitouch gestures, and the button for scrolling takes practice to get it right.
Fortunately as a desktop replacement the W90Vp will most often be paired with an external USB mouse, otherwise the trackpad would be a bigger issue.
| Cooling/Audio | Page:: ( 4 / 9 ) |
Cooling
One advantage of using such a large chassis for the W90Vp is that its larger size helps to improve airflow inside the system. All too often we’ve seen notebooks and HTPCs with small chassis’ have to overcompensate for the lack of airflow by spinning the fans faster in order to keep the system components cool.
Even with dual Mobility Radeon 4870s and hard drives, this isn’t an issue for the W90Vp, the system runs remarkably cool considering its specs: the last system we reviewed with dual GPUs and hard drives, Alienware’s m9750 was the complete opposite. When plugged into the AC outlet and running a game, the system would get pretty hot after just a few minutes of use; running it on your lap was a definite no-no. We recorded the following temps at various points on the notebook:
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Three cooling fans provide the system with cool air. Each fan is responsible for cooling the system’s main hotspots, namely the GPUs and the CPU, with hot air exhausting out the vents located at the back of the chassis.
The fans run extremely quiet while the system is running at the Windows desktop. Our Extech sound level meter only goes down to 40 decibels, and even with the meter resting on the center of the W90Vp’s keyboard we couldn’t register a sound reading. We wouldn’t be surprised if the system was running below 30 dB while running apps at the Windows desktop. In fact, the W90Vp was so quiet, even under load we couldn’t get a reading, the system just whispered along quietly while running the Crysis GPU benchmark looped. Only when the system was overclocked did we finally register a reading: 44.8dB.
Audio
Audio duties are handled by a 5.1 speaker set from Altec Lansing. Two of the speakers are located above the keyboard, just above the numpad and escape key. These are the left and right surround channels when listening to movies and other 5.1 content. As such, they aren’t quite as powerful as the mains, so you’ll want to make sure they’re configured properly in the Realtek HD audio manager control panel.
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The main channels are located on the front edge of the system and are decked out with what ASUS describes as “stereo speakers designed to resemble the heating vents of a high performance super car”. Our guess is ASUS is referring to the Lamborghini Reventón here, as ASUS happens to have the exclusive rights to producing Lamborghini laptops. The center channel and subwoofer are also similarly tricked out.
In terms of audio performance, we were really surprised by the W90Vp. Most of the so-called gaming notebooks we’ve seen have shipped with underpowered speakers with disappointing highs and lows, only the midrange sounds somewhat passable. The W90Vp isn’t like this though. The system actually delivers bright highs, and excellent midrange. And for once we don’t feel like the system is lacking in power. In fact, ASUS has done a brilliant job mixing volume level with the capabilities of these speakers. They don’t fall over themselves like most notebook speakers do when you crank the volume all the way up to the max. We threw a mixture of different games at the system, and all sounded surprisingly good. Like most notebooks, we were expecting the W90V’s subwoofer to have a problem with booming sounds like shotguns and explosions, but it handled them well.
With that being said, the lows are still a tad on the weak side, but on the other hand it probably isn’t realistic to expect a 1.5” driver to deliver floor-thumping bass. The lows are certainly deeper than other notebooks we’ve seen.
Are these speakers better than a set of midrange desktop speakers? No. Again, expecting these drivers to outperform setups twice their size isn’t realistic. There’s only so much you can do given their size and power limitations. Are they better than most high-end gaming notebooks? Yes. Easily in fact.
| Express Gate | Page:: ( 5 / 9 ) |
In case you don’t recall, Express Gate is a custom Linux distribution sold commercially under the name Splashtop. It’s developed by DeviceVM. DeviceVM offers a number of different apps for their Splashtop OS ranging from games, to media playback, to browsing the web.
The idea is pretty simple. Rather than waiting to boot up Windows so you can perform a quick Google search or check for movie showtimes, a procedure that can take a minute or more, the Splashtop OS can boot within seconds. From there you’ve got near instant access to the Internet or other Splashtop applications. ASUS Express Gate features the Splashtop web browser, Splashtop music player (which can search your HDD, DVD/Blu-ray player, or external storage for audio files), Splashtop chat (which supports popular IM programs like AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger), Skype, games, and Splashtop photo manager. The games program actually is nothing more than an extension of the browser, taking you to DeviceVM’s game page where you can play a pretty decent selection of casual online games. The photo program is just that, a small application for viewing photos stored on your hard drive or external storage.
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The web browser is probably the feature you’ll use most, and it’s actually not that bad. It’s based on Firefox 2 and supports features like tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking for online ads, and offers native Adobe Flash support. Resolutions supported range from 800x600 up to 1440x1050.
Once inside Express Gate you can also restart your PC, turn off the system, or boot into the main OS.
Express Gate can be launched via its own button located on the left side of the W90Vp chassis, directly opposite of the system’s power button. You press the main power button to launch your system OS (the system ships with Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit), or the Express Gate power button to launch Express Gate. While seeing two power buttons may seem a little confusing at first, we actually prefer this to the implementation ASUS uses on their motherboards, where you essentially have to manually launch your system OS every time you boot up your PC or wait 10 seconds for the primary OS to load automatically on its own.
Our only real gripe about Express Gate as its implemented on the W90Vp is time. You see, we still remember the good old days when ASUS integrated the Splashtop software on a built-in flash memory chip located on the motherboard. With the OS embedded in memory, Express Gate would load in just 6 seconds on a system with a decent CPU. From there you could load the brower in another 2-3 seconds.
Nowadays ASUS integrates Express Gate on the system’s hard drive to cut costs. Only ASUS’ most expensive $300+ motherboards still ship with the built-in memory chip. Relying on the hard drive instead of the dedicated hardware comes with a huge performance hit. In our testing, the W90Vp loaded Express Gate in 13 seconds. From the Express Gate splash page it then took an additional 14 seconds for the Splashtop browser to load. That’s a total time of nearly 30 seconds compared to less than 10 seconds previously!
From start to finish, it took the W90Vp 74 seconds to load Windows Vista. So the time savings are still there, but they’re not nearly as drastic as they’ve been in the past.
| Overclocking, Accessories | Page:: ( 6 / 9 ) |
Webcam and micropohone
ASUS ships the W90Vp with a 2.0 megapixel webcam and an array microphone. That means that the system ships with two integrated microphones for optimal mic performance (both are located right above the 18.4” display).
The webcam and microphones handled Skype well. The camera has an autofocus feature, although this didn’t seem to work quite as effectively as we expected it to. It’s certainly good enough for average use though.
Turbo Gear Extreme
Like most gaming notebooks, the W90Vp can be overclocked for added performance. ASUS bundles the system with their Turbo Gear Extreme software, which can be used to switch between various power modes (standard, power saving, overclocked).
With the software in place, simply press the Turbo Gear Extreme quick launch button to switch between modes.
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Before you can dial in the OC you’d like, you’ll need to make sure that the system is plugged into an AC outlet, then you’ll need to manually boot up Turbo Gear Extreme from the Windows Programs menu. Once launched, you’ll then need to specify how much of an OC you would like (you can overclock the system up to 17%).
If the CPU is able to run cool at your predefined settings, Turbo Gear Extreme will OC the CPU up to 3.276GHz. The neat thing about this is even with the processor overclocked to the maximum Turbo Gear Extreme will allow, the system fans don’t automatically crank up to their highest settings. ASUS has done a good job of balancing performance with tolerable noise output.
Battery life
ASUS ships the system with a 12-cell battery. Considering the W90Vp’s specs, we didn’t expect the system to run long on battery power, and in that regard the system didn’t disappoint. Battery life while gaming was limited to just 57 minutes. Running just Internet Explorer at the Windows desktop, battery life surged to 88 minutes.
Neither one of these figures is going to win the W90Vp any endurance records, but again, considering that this system sports an 18.4” display with dual hard drives, a powerful CPU, and dual GPUs, the fact that we nearly managed an hour of gaming isn’t bad at all. Battery life at the Windows desktop isn’t bad either.
If you’d like to extend battery life even further, you can disable one of the MR4870 GPUs inside BIOS, but you’ll need to reinstall the graphics driver once you re-enable the second GPU.
Accessories
ASUS ships the W90Vp inside one of the largest laptop boxes we’ve seen. Inside the packaging you’ll find the system sitting inside a pretty sweet-looking ASUS clamshell backpack.
You’ll probably want to hang on tight to this backpack, as it’s probably the only one in the world large enough to house the W90V.
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ASUS also ships the system with a matching USB mouse.
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You also can’t miss the massive power brick that the W90Vp needs. It weighs 2.5 lbs and is larger than any other power brick we’ve seen. The ASUS brick makes the original Xbox 360 power brick look like a lightweight. This is fitting considering the size of the ASUS system.
In terms of software, fortunately ASUS keeps bloatware down to a minum. There’s the ubiquitos 90-day trial version of Norton Internet Security that pretty much all manufacturers provide and that’s it. You’ll also need to load up ASUS’ standard suite of software (including Splendid and Turbo Gear Extreme), but we don’t consider those applications to be bloatware. ASUS also includes copies of Microsoft Office Home 2007 as well as CyberLink PowerDVD, ASUS Lightscribe and ASUS Lifeframe, and finally ASUS’ facial recognition software, Smartlogon.
| Performance benchmarks | Page:: ( 7 / 9 ) |
| Ballistics Report | Page:: ( 8 / 9 ) |
Performance: Packing two Mobility Radeon 4870’s, dual hard drives, and a 2.8GHz Core 2 CPU with 6MB of cache, it obviously goes without saying that the W90Vp is a powerful performer. The system delivered very playable frame rates even with the detail levels cranked up and the system running at its native res of 1920x1080. Crysis nearly hit 30 fps with high settings at this res. Other demanding games like STALKER also ran well.
With so much graphics horsepower inside, you won’t have to compromise on any graphics settings with the W90Vp. You can run pretty much all the graphics settings of a desktop PC equipped with dual Radeon 4850s running CrossFire, albeit with slightly slower performance due to the slower graphics clocks.
18.4” display: ASUS equips the W90Vp with a beautiful 18.4” 1080p capable display. The panel delivers vivid colors and offers massive viewing angles: you won’t have to worry about sitting in the sweet spot with this display.
At 1920x1080 games ran razor sharp and thanks to the aforementioned frame rates, FRAPS runs with games like Crysis and STALKER weren’t unplayable slideshows.
Audio: ASUS doesn’t skimp on the audio side of the equation either. The company has sourced a six speaker setup from Altec Lansing that’s Dolby Home Theater certified. We’ve spoken with the folks at Dolby’s PC unit, they don’t just slap their badge on anyone’s product who pays for the logo. Dolby-certified products have to meet certain minimum specifications before they’re approved.
The Altec Lansing speakers ASUS uses are quite good. Their highs and midrange are where these speakers are at their best. They manage to handle full volume without distorting too.
Value: Priced at $2,499 (our SKU sells for $2199 but is no longer available) the ASUS W90Vp is a terrific value. Just look at what you’re getting here. An 18.4” display that looks as good as anything you’d find on a desktop PC, dual MR4870 GPUs, one of Intel’s fastest mobile dual-core CPUs, dual 7200RPM hard drives, and a whopping 6GB of memory. These kind of specs would set you back at least $4,000 if this notebook was sold by Alienware.
Oops, that’s right, they don’t offer a system with an 18.4” display or Mobility Radeon 4870 graphics do they?
Excellent cooling: Despite packing two GPUs, a fast Core 2 CPU, and dual hard drives, ASUS manages to keep everything cool without having to crank up the system fans to unbearable levels, or leave your lap burned in the process. How did they manage to do this? In large part, this is thanks to the size of the ASUS chassis. While some may not tolerate a notebook of this size, the added space helps improve airflow, making it easier for the fans and heatsinks inside the system to do their jobs.
Features: Besides the system’s impressive specs list, the rest of the laptop’s features standout as well. You’ve got touch-sensitive buttons for media playback, volume control, OC’ing, etc, ASUS Express Gate, an array microphone and 2.0MP webcam with autofocus, and a full-size keyboard with numpad.
The only feature this system is missing is backlighting for that aforementioned keyboard.
Cons
Massive size: Weighing it at over 12 pounds and over one foot in length and width, the ASUS W90Vp is a massive notebook. Believe us, you’re not going to be able to use this system flying in coach. Your back wouldn’t appreciate lugging this system through the airport anyway. I think my UPS driver even had some comments for ASUS when he dropped it off.
Categorizing this system as a desktop replacement notebook isn’t fair to other desktop replacement notebooks. This laptop truly is in a class of its own when it comes to size.
Bland design: While we aren’t huge fans of the blingy gaming LEDs, racing stripes, and flames most system manufacturers embarrassingly adorn their gaming notebooks with nowadays, at the same time the W90Vp is a pretty bland design for any notebook, much less one that’s supposed to be oriented towards gamers. The speakers and the touch-sensitive buttons are really the only stylish features ASUS has implemented.
Sure, we like the brushed aluminum, but overall the system has a fairly boring shape with no creases or other sharp angles to gaze upon. The fake leather is a bit douchey too.
Fortunately because of its bland design, the W90Vp is less likely to get stolen. The average person who looks at the system won’t see anything special and will just assume it’s a notebook with a really large display and nothing else. How wrong they would be though.
Express Gate ASUS claims Express Gate boots in just eight seconds. Boy do we wish that were true. We tried Express Gate numerous times and never got anywhere near that figure. Typical time was actually 13 seconds to get to the Express Gate splash screen, and then another 14 seconds for the Splashtop browser to load.
Why does the browser take longer to load than the OS? We wish we knew the answer to that one too.
The reason why Express Gate was universally praised at launch is because it offered you near instant access to the Internet, without having to use Windows. It really was pretty close to an instant on PC.
The implementation used on the W90Vp isn’t anywhere near this however.
| Final Verdict | Page:: ( 9 / 9 ) |
$2,500 buys you the most powerful gaming notebook on the planet right now. It really is that simple. The beauty of the system is it’s not like ASUS slapped in the dual MR4870 GPUs and called it a day either. They paired the system with a slick-looking display, powerful speakers, and a cooling subsystem powerful enough to keep everything cool without rivaling a vacuum cleaner in noise.
It really is amazing that ASUS managed to pull all this off while still managing to keep the price tag well under $3,000, which seems to be the starting point for most gaming rigs of this caliber, and a decked out example like the W90Vp selling for north of $4,000.
You could make a very convincing argument that this is both a Bull’s Eye and Editor’s Choice product all in one package. Because of the W90V’s outstanding value and performance, we wouldn’t disagree.
Sure, we wish it had a bit more style, and we’d gladly pay a little extra for a backlit keyboard. It would also be nice if Express Gate actually booted in 8 seconds and the touchpad buttons provided more tactile feedback too (they’re a little too stiff and have practically no travel). But these are pretty minor gripes considering everything else ASUS is offering. There were so many other places ASUS could’ve cut corners and compromised (speakers, cooling, etc) that we don’t think these are huge issues.
ASUS gets so much right with this notebook, we can’t wait to see what they do when they come up with a successor that’s built from the ground up as a true Republic of Gamers product. Remember that the ROG label was just slapped on at the end before the system went out the door to retailers.
Right now ASUS’ Eee PC notebook line is getting all the attention from press. But in our opinion, it’s notebooks like the W90Vp that are the real standouts. ASUS has put together an impressive array of hardware in a large, yet powerful package and priced it for the masses. It truly is one of those groundbreaking products that makes you question why spend the extra money on a gaming notebook from VoodooPC or elsewhere.