ASUS G71G-A1 Review: Powerful laptop for hardcore gamers

ASUS G71G-A1 is not only a dream machine for a gamer, but it also serves as a powerful laptop. The system has been tailor-made for fitting the requirements of the most demanding gamers. Even multi-taskers, who crave for flamboyant and unique aesthetics, will find this notebook to be perfect for them. Equipped with Intel Montevina processor, dual hard drive & 6GB memory and 9-series Nvidia dedicated graphics, G71G-A1 has been designed for ripping through games and advanced tools with considerable ease.

Build & Design

ASUS G71G-A1 is quite robust and has been considered amongst the top laptops, which the reputed maker has built. Although the finishing is similar to the G 50 series, its chassis has a more durable feel and flex is almost non-existent. Ports of the laptop have been perfectly positioned near its back. Again, hot air will not propel your hand, as the vent in this new model has been placed on the rear. OLED display, similar to the G50 models, on the keyboard will allow you to view battery life, CPU usage, MSN messages and email notifications.

Screen

The dual lamp, strikingly bright LCD screen of ASUS G71G-A1 is one of the most striking features of this laptop. Equipped with Everest’s AUO 2088 - B170UW02 V0, its panel boasts of a 400 cd/m2 brightness, which has a contrast ratio of 600:1. G71G-A1 has got exceptional horizontal viewing angles, which allows you to clearly view the screen from a considerable distance. However, its vertical and steeper angles provide average performance. Panel of the laptop has an insignificant leakage, which comes from the bottom. However, it is noticeable only on pitch-black backgrounds.

Speakers

Sound quality of ASUS G71G-A1 is quite adequate, mainly due to the presence of 4-channel Altec Lansing speakers. However, speaker lacks proper bass. At maximum volume, its sound may get muffled up. If you wish to overcome these minor shortcomings, you only need to get an external speakers or headphones.

Keyboard & Touchpad

ASUS G71G-A1 is free from Keyboard lag, one area that has plagued most recent ASUS laptops. You will find using the keyboard very much pleasant, as it has very little flex. Its keys can provide you with typical travel, a common feature of most slim external keyboards. Again, there are no chances of any discomfort, even if you type for longer periods. Its touchpad, which has a matte finish, provides excellent response and your fingers can glide across it with ease.

Processor & Performance

Fueled by the T9400 2.54 GHz processor from Intel and 9800M GS graphics card from Nvidia, ASUS G71G-A1 is counted amongst the most powerful laptops in the market today. Apart from an excellent gaming performance, which is delivered by the 9800M GS, it can be an excellent replacement for a desktop or a multimedia system due to the presence of dual hard drives and 6 GB RAM. Although you (as an individual user) might not be able to fully utilize its 6 GB RAM, users running several virtual machines at a time are surely going to find it perfect for their operations.

Battery

The only drawback with ASUS G71G-A1 is that its battery life is way below expectation. On full charge and working on Vista, it only provided slightly beyond 1.5 hours when the users were listening to music on iTunes, surfing the web, word processing and downloading miscellaneous tools.

At $1,799, ASUS G71G-A1 is worth making an investment in spite of its poor battery life. As a gamer, if you are looking for a powerful laptop, the G71G series might just be ideal for you.

Specifications of ASUS G71G-A1

Processor: Core 2 Duo, T9400, 6MB L2 cache, 2.53 GHz & 1066 FSB from Intel

Graphics Card: GDDR3 9800M GS, 512MB from nVidia

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Memory: 6GB 800 MHz DDR2

Display: 17.1-inch WUXGA display (1920×1200)

Hard drive: 500GB SATA 5400rpm

Optical Drive: 8XDVD/RW Double layer

Battery: 8-Cell 5200mAh

Weight: 8.5 lbs

Dimensions: 16.5in x 11.5in x 1.7in

Pros: Excellent Screen (with perfect contrast & viewing angles), Powerful system for demanding gamer and affordably priced

Cons: Poor battery life (1.5 hours on full load)

MSRP: $1,799