The Nvidia card has the advantage of being compatible with Nvidia's Cuda computing architecture, which allows the GPU to assist the CPU in solving complex computational problems, such as converting videos to iPod format, in significantly less time than the CPU would take on its own.
The UX50V comes equipped with a 320GB hard drive, which is par for the course on laptops of its ilk. A 500GB option would have been good, but 320GB is enough space to store a healthy number of videos, images and applications. Should you need to create backups, the slot-loading DVD drive on the right side of the device allows you to create dual-layer discs of up to 8.5GB in size.
Those who use the drive to play audio CDs will be glad they did. The UX50V incorporates Altec Lansing speakers along its bottom edge, and they're surprisingly good. With the right source material, they're loud and offer a good range of sound. They're in no way as good as a set of external speakers, but they're perfectly adequate for filling a small room with sound, or for enjoying audio while sitting relatively close to the speakers.
Media can be enjoyed in Windows Media Center -- a part of the Vista Home Premium operating system -- but also via Asus' Express Gate V2 software, a quick-booting alternative to Microsoft's much-criticised OS. we've always been fans of the original Express Gate, and V2 boasts an even slicker user interface. Unfortunately, the version on our review sample was unstable and often crashed.
The UX50V's wireless capabilities are very solid. It's capable of connecting to all manner of Wi-Fi networks, and its adaptor is compliant with the 802.11n protocol, which allows for faster transfer rates and a superior connection range than traditional 802.11g.
Performance
The UX50V's processing performance won't set your pants on fire. Its SU3500 CPU runs at a modest 1.4GHz and has just one computing core, so it's no surprise it achieved a mere 2,013 in our PCMark05 benchmark test. It's not particularly slow, but, given the machine's price, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a little more oomph. The Nvidia graphics card makes up for some of the shortfall -- it achieved 1,891 in 3DMark06, which indicates that the UX50V's capable of running 3D games at a low resolution.
Battery life is impressive. The UX50V lasted 4 hours and 57 minutes in Battery Eater's Classic test, which runs the CPU at full tilt until the battery's exhausted. In the less intensive Reader's test, which simulates the user browsing a text document, the UX50V lasted a whopping 7 hours and 12 minutes.
Conclusion
The Asus UX50V is great to look at, but it's let down by relatively average performance and design features that detract from the overall user experience. Its shiny finish will appeal to magpies and those with design degrees, but the cheaper, slightly less attractive MSI X340 -- or indeed an Apple MacBook -- might be better options.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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