The graphics card works well in conjunction with the 15.4-inch widescreen display. Predictably, it is coated in a reflective gloss, but this improves the perceived brightness and contrast when used indoors. The high reflectivity reduces visibility outdoors or when in direct light. But even so, it's not as bad as on some glossy screens we've seen.
Asus goes out of its way to highlight the F3Ke's use of 'Splendid video intelligence technology', by plastering stickers all over the laptop. This system, using a button above the keyboard, lets you cycle through a range of video presets for gamma corrected, vivid, soft and theatre modes, but you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them. Whichever you choose, movies, games and just about everything looks lovely on the F3Ke.
Storage was average. Our test sample uses a 160GB Hitachi hard drive spinning at 5,400RPM although some vendors will include up to a 200GB drive. Either way, anyone that spends serious time using Bit Torrent is advised to purchase an external USB hard drive for backing up, or simply stashing space-intensive multimedia files. Notably, the laptop's DVD re-writer drive supports HP's LightScribe technology, so it can laser-etch labels onto the back of compatible discs.
The F3Ke isn't a Centrino laptop -- it doesn't use any Intel parts -- but it still has full Wi-Fi capability. The onboard wireless chip supports 802.11b/g networks and there's an optional built-in Bluetooth module you can use to connect wireless headsets or mobile phones. Some versions of the laptop also come with a fingerprint reader with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) V1.2, for added security.
Software includes AsusDVD 7.0, Power Director 5.0, Medi@Show 3.0, Norton Internet Security 2006, Nero 7 Essentials and Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. The laptop has a two-year limited global hardware warranty and a one-year battery pack warranty.
Performance
The F3's performance is in the middle
of the road. The AMD CPU at the heart of the system huffed and puffed
until it scored 2,801 in PCMark 2005. This is in no way as impressive
as the 4,815 the 1.8GHz Intel CPU in the Dell Inspiron 1520
achieved. Fret not -- the Asus score is indicative of a laptop that
will serve the needs of most users without noticeable slowdown.
The 3DMark 2006 graphics score of 1,077 is impressive for a laptop at this price point, and while it may not be Asus' vision of 'true-to-life gaming enjoyment', it will run many a game at a decent pace. Battery life wasn't too impressive, though -- it lasted 48 minutes in our Battery Eater test.
Conclusion
The F3Ke is a great all-round laptop --
there's very little to fault with it. The screen is great, the
performance is strong and while the styling isn't much to write home
about, it's exceptional value for money.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday
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