September 25, 2008 4:02 AM PDT

Asus G50V: Gaming for the rest of us

by Michelle Thatcher
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 4 comments

Asus G50V

Sure, a gamer of independent means can drop several grand on a fully loaded Alienware Area-51 m15x, but what about the rest of us?

Asus seems to have budget-minded gamers in mind with its $1,699 G50V. The 15.4-inch laptop has many of the same features as the Alienware (and then some), but economizes on components, stocking the LED-decorated case with a slightly lower-end processor and GPU. However, its frame rates were not all that far behind the Alienware's--which is to say, they were entirely playable. That's a sacrifice we're willing to make in order to save $1,500.

It's true that the 17-inch Gateway P-7811FX is still our top pick for budget gaming, but the Asus G50V comes in a close second. And its smaller form factor makes it preferable for those who want a more mobile gaming rig.

For more details, read our Asus G50V review.

Michelle Thatcher has been reviewing technology products for nearly a decade. Her current focus is laptop reviews, with some kitchen gadgetry and Web 2.0 thrown in for good measure.
Recent posts from Crave
Robots in 2009: The wackier, the better
Time Warner Cable shows subscribers how to cut cord
Times Square New Year's Eve Ball, a timeline
Want to see Google's new phone on YouTube?
Photographers bless improved Canon autofocus
Gadgettes Podcast 168: The Web obviously-not-exclusive-at-all-anymore Episode
Report: Apple event to be held January 26
Job ad suggests Xbox Live headed for WinMo phones
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (4 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by scythie September 25, 2008 6:53 AM PDT
The Gateway link is linked to the ASUS review page.
Reply to this comment
by cmk4868 September 26, 2008 6:22 AM PDT
"budget-minded" and "$1,699" seems a bit of a contradiction. Only an infinitesmal portion of the population would spend that much money in order to play the 6 decent quality PC games that will be released before this rig becomes obsolete... That's about $283 per game. I guess a Porsche 911 Turbo can be seen as a sports car for budget-minded buyers as well!
Reply to this comment
by tucbryanker September 26, 2008 9:36 AM PDT
....for a gaming laptop $1700 is cheap.
Reply to this comment
by kevings31 September 28, 2008 11:58 AM PDT
simply a matter of perspective fellas...
Reply to this comment
(4 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

About Crave

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip or comment, please write to: crave@cnet.com

Add this feed to your online news reader

Crave topics

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.