by David Nguyen
Overview and Introduction
While Asus notebooks remain relatively unknown to most consumers in North America, there is a large fan base that continues to grow due to the quality of Asus' notebooks. Outside of the continent, Asus is relatively well known in both Asia and Europe where they maintain a strong presence. Asus has two types of notebooks, AsMobile (aka Built-On Asus) and Ensembles. The former are configurable whitebooks that often come with a reseller's warranty while the latter are non-configurable, generally built better and better looking, and come with Asus' warranty.
The model I'm reviewing is an Asus Ensemble notebook, the W7J-3P076P, aka the W7 "refresh". This particular model is black, and as of the time of writing, the only color available in the United States. There does exist however, a pearl white version. The specifications are as follows
- Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz
- 1 GB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM (2x512 MB) with one being soldered
- AUO B133EW01 13.3" WXGA (1280x800) Color Shine Screen (glossy)
- Fujitsu MHV2100BH S-ATA 100 GB 5400 RPM
- NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 PCI-E Graphics w/ 128 MB VRAM (256 MB w/ Turbo Cache)
- Intel PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g miniPCI
- Matsushita UJ-850 DVD-RAM 8x Super Multi DVD Burner
- 6-Cell Li-Ion 4800mAh
- Azailia compliant audio chip
- 1.3mp web camera (fixed)
- Dimensions: 315mm x 226.5 x 29 -- 36.9mm (W x D x H) [12.4" x 8.92" x 1.142 -- 1.453"]
- Windows XP Professional SP2
Reasons for Buying:
I am a graduate student who needed a computer to carry to school everyday but needed something with a little more power as I am using it to replace the desktop in my room due to space restrictions. While I do not do much hardcore gaming, often either playing my Nintendo DS or online games that do not require high end video cards, I still desired some gaming abilities.
My candidates were the Asus W7j, the Dell XPS M1210, and the Sony VAIO SZ. The Dell was quite nice. My coworker owns one and the build quality is easily superior to Dell's lower Inspiron line. It was also quite affordable as the price could easily be lowered by haggling with Dell's phone operators. Unfortunately I ruled out the XPS due to the screen being a little too small for use as a main computer, and the rather dim screen. The Sony SZ is a very attractive notebook, lighter and slimmer than both the W7j and the XPS with a nice brushed aluminum palm rest. The screen was also sharp and bright. In addition, the lower models such as the SZ340 were attractively priced. However the SZ did have an Achilles heel, being its keyboard. Being mushy and very flexy, I found it near impossible to adjust to, especially after using an IBM (now Lenovo) ThinkPad for so long. As a result, I opted for the W7j which recently re-released with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Where and How Purchased:
I purchased my W7j through BTOtech.com formerly known as Geared2play.com. Its owner, Eddie, is a well known member in the NotebookReview forum often assisting Asus owners with their tech problems. For me personally, the fact that I will be able to remain in contact with the reseller who will be able to provide support long after I have made my purchase, is another reason why I opted purchasing from BTOtech over large online resellers such as NewEgg. In addition, BTOtech also offers the cheapest pricing on the W7j as of current.
What's Included:
Targus carrying bag, sleeve, and the box containing the actual W7j (view large image)
Opening the box, I found another large white box, which contains the notebook itself, and the sleeve and Targus carrying bag separately sealed. Prior to this purchase, I often wondered if there would be a good sleeve to carry my W7j in as I generally prefer backpacks over carrying bags. To my surprise Asus included a nice sleeve that fits snugly over the W7. There's a nice Asus logo the front of the sleeve and a magnetic button that seals it together. The Targus bag features two compartments inside, and one outside. However I found it to be too small to carry anything other than the notebook. It was already a bit of a stretch putting in the associated power supply and mouse.
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Inside the Targus carrying bag and W7j sleeve
Opening the white box produced a smaller box with software and accessories and the actual notebook being placed on top of it being held in air by two cardboard holders (don't worry its safe and something most manufacturers are switching to nowadays).
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The software includes CDs of various software including Nero, recovery discs, etc. While the picture does show a Windows XP Professional packet, inside was actually a recovery CD that includes Windows (and all the other pre-installed programs). Also included was a nice micro-fiber cleaning cloth that has been very useful in screen cleaning, and a business card featuring the numbers of international Asus centers should you need to contact them when traveling abroad.
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Hardware includes a nice Asus branded Logitech Bluetooth mouse with two sealed Fujitsu AA batteries, a three pronged power cord and the associated power brick as well as some Ethernet cables and an S-video cable. The "brick" measures 5in x 2.3in x 1in.
Build & Design:
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A 13.3" W7j placed on top of a 14.1" Dell D620. The Dell is raised higher due to it being mounted on a docking station to which I was not allowed to remove.
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13.3" Asus W7j placed on top of a 15.4" Apple G4 Powerbook. Interestingly the G4 has a similar profile to the D620 as well as the same height as the W7j when the lid is opened to the same angles. This is due to the way the G4's screen hinges behind the notebook, while the W7 hinges on top of the chassis. In addition, the W7 is also slightly thicker than the G4.
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W7j on top of an Apple Macbook, both being 13.3" notebooks. The Macbook is slightly wider, but is significantly thinner and has a lower profile when the lids are opened at the same angle. Again this is due to the screen hinging behind the chassis. The W7 however, has a significantly brighter screen.
The W7j next to a Dell XPS M1210. Despite being a 12" laptop, both the W7j and XPS have similar dimensions, particularly in their height and thickness. The screen of the W7 however, is significantly brighter, while the XPS is dimmer than both the Asus and the Macbook.
The W7j is very solid. Upon pulling it out of the box, the feel instantly reminded me of the Dell Latitude D620 which is Dell's higher-end line, featuring a magnesium lid. Indeed, the W7j features a mixture of Carbon Fiber and plastic, ensuring a very sturdy lid and chassis. There is very little flex anywhere. If you press hard enough, there are some ripples near the middle of the lid, as well as a small amount of flex on the right palm rest, however the pressure required to create this flex is not natural.
The texture of the lid and palm rest is the same as the D620 we have at work, the only difference being that the W7j is black not dark grey. The camera on top is plastic and the hinges are quite sturdy. There is no creaking anywhere on this notebook. In the long run, it would probably be best to remove the two large stickers on the palm rest as they easily attract the dirt from your palms although I do admit, the left sticker has been useful as I have received numerous inquiries on the specs of my notebook, which is easily solved by pointing to the sticker which displays all the vital specs.
It should be noted that this design (as well as many Ensemble designs) do not feature a lid latch. Regardless the lid is very secure when closed and requires two hands to open. Grabbing the lid will result in some smudges left behind from your fingers which I find to be a minor problem, especially compared to the smudges left behind on a black Nintendo DS which are much more obvious.
While the W7's black lid attracts fingerprints, it is nowhere near as bad as those found on a black Nintendo DS (view large image)
Screen:
The W7j's screen is a glossy (or as Asus call's it, Colorshine) screen with a native resolution of 1280x800. While glossy screens tend to generate reflection under certain lighting conditions, I found the W7's screen to be less reflective than some of its contemporaries. As shown in the previous pictures, the W7 is significantly brighter than the Macbook and the Dell XPS M1210. There are 16 brightness settings, with the highest being a bit too bright! I often use it on the 13th or 14th notch.
The screen is very sharp and crisp easily rivaling the Sony SZ's screen. Horizontal angles are good while vertical angles are just okay. Unlike many 14.1" widescreens, finding the "sweet spot" on the W7's 13.3" screen is relatively easy. Unfortunately my model has two stuck pixels which can be replaced as Asus offers a zero bright dot policy in which consumers can have their panels replaced free of charge, provided it is within 30 days.
The screen in my particular unit is an AUO B133EW01, with a response time of 25ms, 16:10 aspect ratio, 400:1 contrast ratio, and brightness of 250cd/m^2. Detailed specifications of this notebook lcd can be found via this link.
The W7j includes software such as the "Asus Splendid Technology Utility" which adjusts the tone and brightness in order to optimize the presentation of different types of media.
The bottom is noticeably brighter than the top as with most notebooks (view large image)
Sound:
The speakers are located the lid right under the screen. As expected they are your typical notebook speakers where bass is lacking and sound isn't too great. However compared to my last two laptops, an IBM T series and a Fujitsu E series, the speakers on the W7j are superior. For those demanding a better sound experience, investing in a good headphone or external speakers should be considered.
What I like best about the sound of this laptop isn't the speaker itself, but the fact that there is an external sound dial on the right side, allowing me to change the volume with out resorting reaching out to the keyboard and pressing FN + F11/F12. While it may seem like a relatively minor feature, it is something that I use on a daily basis.
Processor and Performance:
The W7j has been refreshed to use Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processor, being 64-bit rather than 32-bit as on the Core Duo. However, unlike its bigger brother the A8jm, the W7j has been "reduced" to using a 1.66Ghz processor instead of a 1.83Ghz or a 2.0Ghz. This decision by Asus was made in order to keep W7j refresh prices the same as previous models. The Core 2 Duo will certainly appease those Windows Vista fanatics who demand a 64-bit processor in order to properly experience the new operating system. Indeed, there is a "Windows Vista Capable" sticker located on right palm rest.
Benchmarks and Gaming:
These benchmarks are based off stock drivers, no overclocking was done.
SuperPi: a program that calculates Pi to millions of digits, in this case we are using 2 million as the benchmark
| Notebook | Time |
| Asus W7J (1.66Ghz Core 2 Duo) | 1m 19s |
| Asus W7J (1.83GHz Core Duo) | 1m 15s |
| Asus W3H760DD (2.0 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 33s |
| Dell Inspiron e1505 (2.0GHz Core Duo) | 1m 16s |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo) | 1m 18s |
| Toshiba Satellite M100 (2.00GHz Core Duo) | 1m 18s |
| Samsung X60 (1.66GHz Core Duo) | 1m 29s |
| Dell XPS M140 (1.86 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 41s |
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