Scott playing Left 4 Dead 2 on the Asus 3D laptop.
(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)Earlier this week, Asus unveiled a 15-inch laptop with Nvidia's 3D Vision technology built in. The $1,699 Asus G51J 3D has a 120Hz LCD panel, an Intel Core i7 CPU, and a high-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M GPU, and comes bundled with a pair of Nvidia's active glasses and the USB-powered IR emitter required to make the glasses work.
We've just had a chance to take the system for a test drive, and came away largely impressed with the results, especially compared with Acer's Aspire 5738DG, a 3D laptop that uses a pair of passive polarized glasses and a special screen coating to create a 3D effect.
That Acer model was unfortunately underpowered for gaming, especially with the added overhead of running its 3D software in the background. The Asus G51J, on the other hand, with a high-end processor and video card, seemed well-suited for mid-to-high-end gaming. Of course, it lacked dual SLI video cards and the 1,366x768 15-inch display is no match for some of the nicer 17-inch 1080p displays we've seen.
The Asus G51J with Nvidia's 3D glasses and IR emitter.
(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)While playing Left 4 Dead 2, the 3D effects appeared crisp and appealing, and didn't seem to distract from the speed of gameplay or the screen brightness. There appeared to be no real hardware burden in generating the 3D in terms of frame rate or graphics detail, either. On the other hand, the 15-inch screen is a little small as compared to a nice big gaming monitor, and that mitigated the overall immersion of the 3D effects.
The bigger problem is that 3D gaming is still a novelty. It's not actually needed to appreciate any game at this point, and it has an expensive and often clunky set-up for users to navigate through.
Many people haven't even seen 3D of the caliber that Nvidia is currently offering, and so they have no idea how smooth and crisp it is compared to the fuzzy double-vision experience of years past. What's particularly great about Asus' solution is that it's already integrated into a reasonably priced Core i7 gaming laptop, so the set-up and research into compatible hardware components is almost entirely eliminated.
This is an interesting trend to watch for in gaming laptops, and it should be included in more Core i7 laptops aimed at gamers, especially if Nvidia is serious about getting a larger adoption. We expect to see more 3D Vision capable laptops from major PC makers by early next year.
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So we've started our back-to-school retail roundup of laptops, and while Dan and Scott got their first reviews posted without incident (the HP Pavilion dv7-2185DX and Sony Vaio FW480J/T, respectively), I wasn't as lucky with the Asus G71GX-RX05.
Actually, that's not entirely true. You see, the review was sailing right along until I started reading complaints about the system's Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics adapter basically dropping frame rates to 1-2fps once the GPU temp hits roughly 81 degrees Celsius. So we did a little more testing and, sure enough, the frame rates dropped and we couldn't get them back up without a restart.
Turns out Asus is aware of the problem and has been busily working on a fix. Some hiccup in the BIOS is causing the drop out, and the manufacturer will be issuing a new BIOS version on or about July 9.
As soon as we have a chance to test it out, we'll be revising and rating our review. However, if you've already bought one, rest assured that a fix from Asus is on the way and your frame rates will be back where they belong. (Which, at least in our tests, was very good for the well-configured $1,149 laptop.)
Update: The new BIOS is ready for download. For the easiest updating, use the Asus Live Update app preinstalled on the laptop. It will download the new BIOS and then just follow the onscreen prompt to flash your system.
You can also go to the Asus support site and look up the model number and download the BIOS. Installation instructions are available from there as well.
We'll be testing out the new BIOS today and with any luck refreshing our review with performance results and ratings.
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Both of these new Gateway FX gaming laptops are listed as "available soon."
We've been getting a handful of reader queries per week recently about Gateway's well-known line of budget gaming laptops. The FX systems, including the most recent models, the P-7805u FX and P-7808u FX, have always impressed with mid-high-end components, big screens, and--most importantly--low prices. But these models have an unfortunate habit of vanishing from store shelves before the next update is ready, leaving PC gamers in a lurch.
Fortunately, two new models are within reach (although one isn't really all that new), even if they're not available for sale yet. Gateway lists both the P-7807u FX and P-7809u FX as "available soon," with the latter model slated for J&R and Fry's, and the former for "select retailers," (which usually means Newegg.com). Note that the P-7807u FX isn't exactly brand new--it's been available sporadically in some areas, but it looks like Gateway is "relaunching" it at a discounted price.
Both keep the same Nvidia GeForce 9800 GPU (which is getting a bit long in the tooth), but the prices are still hard to beat, and these should be fine for all but the most hard-core, frame-rate-obsessed gamers. Here's a glance at the specs: ... Read more
The beast from front and back.
(Credit: Alienware)With E3 around the corner, gaming news is breaking left and right. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that details on Alienware's M17x gaming laptop broke a little earlier than next weekend's onslaught of pixels and polygons. And indeed, Friday morning, the full profile of Alienware's All Powerful laptop has surfaced--ahead of schedule, and ready to steal a little weekend limelight while it can.
It's big. And thick--2.11 inches thick, to be precise. At 11.6 pounds, and 15.98 inches by 12.65 inches, the M17x comes with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 (which can be upgraded to a Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core) and up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM. And it can be outfitted with dual 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs (it starts with a single 1GB GeForce GTX260M, but why not dare to dream?). The hard drive capacity goes up to 1TB, or half a terabyte of solid-state. A nine-cell battery, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Blu-ray-upgradable optical drive round out the package. And, of course, there's the 1920x1200 17-inch screen.
It's thicker than Texas toast.
(Credit: Alienware)In case you're clamoring for audio/video options, the M17x includes HDMI, VGA and DisplayPort, as well as 6.1 audio out.
As you can see, glowing red lighting is everywhere, including the keyboard, trackpad, and considerable grille, fairly screaming, "I'm a gaming laptop" to anyone who dares approach this beast's cooling vents. Carry this one out of your dorm/bedroom at your own risk.
We'll report more on this when we've actually played with one here at the lab. But the All Powerful promise looks to have been kept. Prices start at $1,799, but if you want the maximum upgrades we've listed here, look for a credit card with a line much higher than that.
Fear the gaze of the Allpowerful...
(Credit: NotebookReview Forums via Engadget)Alienware's alien-alphabet-infused teaser site for the Allpowerful laptop has been counting down steadily, now at 15 days until the static-fringed menacing alien head reveals all there is to know in the world of ultrabeefy mobile gaming rigs. Or, it's a teaser for a new Crystal Skull movie.
Nevertheless, new intel has dropped in the forums at NotebookReview.com: a mysterious image from "mingocr83" features the contours of and is claimed to be the Allpowerful itself. Subsequent image-brightened posts seem to clearly reveal something else...... Read more
Gateway's budget-minded 17-inch gaming laptops have impressed, offering a mix of decent components and high-end video cards for around $1,200. While the now discontinued P-7811 FX is still hunted for on message boards and eBay, Gateway now has a mostly worthy replacement, the P-7805u FX (part of our Winter 2009 Retail Laptop Review Roundup).
Getting an Nvidia GeForce 9800 GPU and a big 320GB 7200rpm hard drive for only $1,149 is about as good a bang for your buck as you're going to find, but, there were a couple of corners to be cut, notably the 17-inch display's wimpy 1,440x900 resolution.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, we dropped by our local Circuit City store this weekend to see if the oft-derided liquidation sales had picked up any steam. Hopefully, a couple of weeks into the CC death spiral, the discounts would ratchet up and we'd finally see some good deals.
While others have been prevented by store managers from getting actual in-store shots of the liquidation sales, we ninja'd our way through with the help of the iPhone's built-in camera, much as we did when sneaking pics of Wal-Mart's iPhone kiosks.
Many items were still listed at 10-percent off -- and that's 10-percent off the MSRP, not Circuit City's normally discounted prices, a distinction that has been noted repeatedly by reporters and bloggers. A few categories went up to 30-percent off (time to stock up on video game-hint books!), and even the 10-percent is worth checking out for items that normally don't get any kind of list price discount.
Check out the gallery below for a quick survey of what's on sale. We've even tossed in a few direct price comparisons for laptops and video-game gear to test just how liquid this liquidation sale really is.
We've seen laptops with dual SLI graphics, such as the Alienware Area-51 m17x. We've seen laptops with switchable discrete and integrated graphics, such as the new MacBook Pro. But on Thursday, Toshiba announced two new versions of its Qosmio X305 gaming laptop that incorporate three GPUs: two Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS cards in a scalable link interface and one integrated GeForce 9400M.
Nvidia is calling the new triple-card solution "Hybrid SLI." Like other laptops with hybrid graphics, the Qosmio X305 can switch from discrete to integrated graphics, with the former offering better gaming performance and the latter offering better power efficiency for lower-level Windows tasks.
The lower-end version of the laptop, the Qosmio X305-Q706, costs $1,999 for a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor; 4GB of DDR3 RAM; a 320GB, 7,200rpm hard drive; and of course the two 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS cards plus GeForce 9400M integrated graphics.
For those unaffected by the economic downturn, the $4,199 Qosmio X305-Q708 offers a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 quad-core processor; 4GB of DDR3 RAM; both a 128GB solid-state drive and a 320GB, 7,200rpm hard drive; and two 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS cards plus GeForce 9400M integrated graphics.
The new Qosmio X305 models feature the same red-flame design, 17-inch display, and stereo speakers with subwoofer found on their predecessor, and both are available immediately.
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.
We've just finished testing and reviewing Alienware's flagship 17-inch gaming laptop, the Area-51 m17x. We'll just come right out and say the m17x is about as powerful as a laptop gets, at least if it's as tricked-out as our $6,000-plus review unit was. How powerful? How about around 120 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III at a 1,920x1,200 resolution?
Sure there are more modest Area-51 m17x builds available for as little as $1,999, but at that level, you might as well save up your pennies for a few more years, or switch to an entirely more affordable option, such as Gateway's P-7811FX, which offers about as much gaming performance as anyone not in the rarefied $5,000-plus market, all for a highly reasonable $1,450.
