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4.5 stars
"Smallest notebook on the market with high-end, desktop power."
Pros: Ultra-fast; exceptional construction; all the right ports; huge hard drive.
Cons: Battery-hungry; large AC adaptor; LCD only slightly above-average.
Summary: The VX3 is the perfect notebook for a power-user or enthusiast who wants desktop performance on the road.
PERFORMANCE
In the category of notebooks under 4 lbs, this is by far the fastest and most feature-packed notebook. It has most of the features found in top-end, oversize notebooks such as: nVidia graphics adapter, 320GB Hard Drive, 4GB RAM, 2.5GHz Core Duo processor, and 64-bit Vista Ultimate.
The VX3 *feels* like a high-end desktop. No laggy wait when loading a very long blog or huge PDF, no problem with a 2GB PhotoShop image. Instant search index on a 4GB Outlook cache file? No sweat. Because of the huge hard drive, you don't need to meticulously organize your files, like other $2,000+ ultra portable notebooks -- take for example, the Sony TZ, LeNovo X300, and MacBook Air. The hard drive is also very fast, scoring a Windows Experience Index of 5.4, and, more importantly, it feels like a regular desktop hard drive instead of a sluggish notebook hard drive.
The 2.5GHz processor and 4GB RAM really shines if you use applications like Illustrator or if you use Encrypting File System (EFS). The difference Using EFS on large files on a 1.2GHz processor can be painful -- just try decrypting a 1GB file, and you'll see the time difference. It also allows extremely good multi-tasking, an area where notebooks with Ultra-Low Voltage CPUs are woefully deficient.
CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN
This is probably the sturdiest, best-constructed, and best-finished notebook I have seen. Obvious finishes include the very slick leather wrist rest, titanium alloy hinge, and scratch-resistant car paint. The screen is very rigid, and the notebook has very little flex, except directly below the DVD drive.
The keyboard layout is perfect, with separate PgUp/PgDn Home/End keys, nice key depth, no flex, and coated keys to prevent wear. There are many thoughtful additions, such as a 1/8" inset fingerprint reader, preventing accidental swipes, USB ports placed on both sides of the notebook, and a second set of activity LEDs on the lid that show through a sportscar grill, for when an external monitor is used.
FEATURES
You can't miss the wealth of ports: 4 USB, HDMI, VGA, Audio, Gigabit, Webcam, Wireless A/B/G/N, and Modem. A cardreader and dual-layer DVD recorder round the VX3 off for a full complement of peripherals. And then, the gem: behind the battery, there is a SIM slot, for the built-in 3G modem.
The Fingerprint reader is very well designed, and comes with Asus Security Manager, which does a great job of automatically logging you into password protected websites. The Wireless adapter connected instantly to a variety of networks. It has a decent antenna, and does not suffer from on-off disconnects that plague many small ultracompacts. The Bluetooth tranceiver also keeps great connections with peripherals like keyboards & mice.
The VX3 is quite expensive (over $3,000), but it comes with a lot of bonus items that most people who buy $2,000+ notebooks end up buying anyhow. There's a logitech bluetooth mouse that works very well, a leather mousepad with wristrest, and a stylish Targus notebook carrying case. Of course, every accessory comes with Lambourghini branding. Most surprising is that the VX3 ships with two batteries: a 3-cell, and a 9-cell. At a guess, the bonus accessories add up to about $400 or so. Keep in mind that the VX3 also has 4GB of RAM; most notebooks, even at the high end, and especially in the ultracompact, come with only 2GB, and the extra 2GB is usually $200+. For those that care, 64-bit Vista Ultimate is a very nice bonus as well. Most other notebooks simply don't have a full set of 64-bit drivers, nevermind utilities and tools.
COMPLAINTS
The 3-cell battery has only about an hour of life in high-performance mode, thanks to the power-hungry CPU. The 9-cell battery has about three times that, but it makes the notebook significantly heavier, and extends awkwardly past the back of the notebook. A nice spare for road trips, but for the weight, I'd rather just carry a power inverter.
I also have a beef with the screen. The 12.1" 1280x800 gloss-coat screen is quite decent for office applications and email, but the viewing angles are not as good as the screens on Sony laptops, meaning that it has to be adjusted just right for optimal viewing. Also, Asus could have squeezed in a bigger screen, and/or a higher resolution. For comparison, the Sony TZ screen is 1 inch smaller, yet is 1378x768, and the LeNovo X300 is 1 inch larger, and 1440x900.
The touchpad buttons are quite stiff, and although the surface of the touchpad is excellent, where the touchpad widens at the top there is "dead space" -- that is, an area where the touchpad seems like it should work, but does not.
Finally, the AC adapter is a 90W unit, and is quite large -- the same size as a Targus 90W -- and also 1 lb in weight.
CONCLUSION
The Asus VX3 is an amazing performer for its size, and truly gives portability without sacrificing power. If you need desktop power and functionality on the go, but don't want to lug a 10 lb monster, this is the notebook for you. At 3.7 lbs, it's very portable, and the dimensions are only slightly larger than the smallest ultraportables.
For those that want a slick-looking laptop, it doesn't get much better; the Asus VX3 is very stylish, and its distinctive finish draws as many comments and glances as a MacBook Air.
