There's no option for a Blu-ray or HD DVD drive, but you do get an LG GMA-4085N dual-layer DVD burner with Lightscribe technology. This lets you burn up to 8.5GB of data to dual-layer discs and to laser-etch labels on to compatible discs by flipping it over in the drive tray. Our only gripe is the fact the drive uses a tray-loading mechanism -- we'd have much preferred a more stylish slot-loading design.
There's no skimping on the software. Asus supplies the VX2 with Windows Vista Ultimate Edition, which provides the Media Center interface. The laptop features the ubiquitous D-Sub and S-Video graphics output ports, but you also get an HDMI port, which HD TV owners will find useful. There's no onboard DVI port, but you do get an HDMI to DVI adaptor in the box. Sadly the laptop lacks a remote control of any form, and there's no TV tuner.
The 15.4-inch display is one of the VX2's strongest assets. It runs at a very high resolution of 1,680x1,050 pixels, which is more typically found on desktop monitors of 20 inches or higher. This gives you plenty of room to view multiple document windows simultaneously, and even for viewing two documents side by side, but there is a drawback -- such a high resolution makes text look a tad small, so you may want to enable the 'large fonts' display option if your eyesight isn't up to scratch.
Above the screen there's a 1.3-megapixel webcam, which can be swivelled through 180 degrees. The laptop's integrated microphone is mounted just to the right of this, which is a good position for video conferencing since users tend to speak towards camera lenses.
The VX2 has other welcome additions including a 4-in-1 memory card reader, a PCI Express card slot, an infrared port and a fingerprint reader for secure logins. When you swipe your finger across it for the first time it lets you 'enrol', so that on future occasions you may log into Windows without entering a password. It's a shame, however, that there are only three USB ports -- two on the left and one on the right -- plus one 4-pin FireWire port. You do, at least, get a Gigabit Ethernet port on the left side and a modem port on the right.
Performance
The Lamborghini VX2 is pretty quick. Its ample 2GB of RAM helped ensure it never felt slow during everyday use, and it fared well in our synthetic benchmark tests, too. It returned a positive 4,713 in PCMark 2005, which indicates it's right up there with the fastest laptops in its class, including Asus' own G2P gaming laptop.
The VX2's gaming performance is good, but it's nowhere near as good as the fastest gaming laptops. It scored 2,344 in 3DMark 2006, which is slightly quicker than the G2P, but nowhere near the 5,434 achieved by the Alienware m9700, which uses two graphics cards in an SLI configuration.
Conclusion
With its faster components, widescreen display and nicer design, this laptop is bound to make you the envy of all your friends. It can't, unfortunately, offer a cure for your mid-life crisis, but this is one fashion product that isn't style over substance.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
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wetfoot001 2 January 2011
Good: Everything! - The most reliable laptop I ever I owned
Bad: Price - but to be expected for what you get. Hard drive could have been bigger.
Comment: I was fortunate to pick my Asus Lambhorgini up in a sale at PC World, and still can't believe my luck. This laptop has been with me on thousands of miles of travel and has never let me down. It is the 11th laptop I have owned and it has received the usual gruelling punishment of frequent travel.
System stability is important to me, and the components and Vista ultimate have been perfectly matched. I recently upgraded to a Sony Vaio running Windows 7 Business x64, and regretted it immediately. I now plan to upgrade the hard drive on the Asus Lambhorgini as I cannot yet rely on the Sony having had to carry out a full restore within the first two weeks of use.
The accessories supplied with the Lambhorgini are luxurious, but not too gimicky. The carry case is top quality, and the docking station a great inclusion. Workmates are still impressed when it revs up at start up, and the Blue Ray drive gives the excellent quality video as expected. I will definately return to Asus in future if this is evidence of the laptop build quality.
John Clarke 23 August 2008
Good: Great image, well made and fantastic components.
Bad: Small faults ruin product.
Comment: The VX2 is perfectly styled and might be what you are looking for if you are searching for an overall multimedia laptop. The Core2 duo processor and 2GB RAM provide a fast and responsive user experience. The graphics card is a little dated but still runs all the games I want to play. There are some little faults however. The first is that the sound quality is poor for a laptop this expensive. Secondly, the VX2 is prone to overheating when used for extensive periods. Thirdly, the battery life isn't what you would expect and has a tendency to decrease more rapidly than a similar laptop. Finally, when using earphones, there is interference that is audiable and can become irritating when no sound is being used. However, it's appeal is huge but I would go for the VX3 now because of the much better spec for the same price as the VX2. Alternatively, you could customise an alienware laptop to a higher spec for the same price or opt for a dell or HP. But the Asus is the way for me.
jill33 13 May 2008
Good: The machine is actually wonderful - but ASUS .....
Bad: ASUS service destroys all
Comment: I have a VX2s - It's great - but don't buy one or anything else from Asus - the wire on my adapter broke - it's covered by the warranty - they collected it - and that's it -several weeks on no replacement no date for a replacement - and no one will respond to questions- if I didn't have a docking station the laptop would be useless. DON'T BUY ASUS
PS If you have any suggestions as to how to deal with these people do let me know - but neither phone calls nor emails have any affect
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