The real advantage of the Nvidia Optimus system is that you don't need to remember to switch off your GPU when it's not needed to save battery life. During our video playback battery drain test, the GPU wasn't needed, so the system ran for an impressive 4 hours on the dot. That's not as good as a 13-inch MacBook, which ran about 90 minutes longer, but it's still very good for a powerful, non-ULV 13-inch.
Asus includes a better-than-average two-year parts and labor warranty with the system. That said, we've always found the bewildering maze of Asus support and warranty Web sites to be a bit of a mess (although it's better than it used to be). There's a toll-free number for tech support, but it's only available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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1,280x800, 0X AA, 0X AF* | |
1,440x900, 4X AA, 8X AF* |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
Asus U30Jc
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.27Hz Intel Core i3 M350; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce 310M + 64MB Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Apple MacBook - Fall 2009 - Core 2 Duo 13.3 inch - 2.26GHz
OS X 10.6.1 Snow Leopard; Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz; 2048MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M; 250GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
Sony Vaio VPC-Z116GX/S
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 M520; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 330M; 256GB Intel SSD
HP Envy 13
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit); 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600; 3072MB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz; 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330; 250GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
Dell Adamo XPS
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Dedicated)/1759MB (Total) Intel GS45; 128GB Samsung Solid State Drive
What You'll Pay
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