Over the past few years, Asus has focused on growth in the 15 and 17-inch sectors, and after the brand introduced its Eee PC 701 on the market, many eminent rivals like Acer, MSI and Fujitsu began to seriously worry about their “place in the sun” ". The company continues to update the capabilities of old models, improve new ones and quickly win the hearts of ordinary users who are bored with reliable and inexpensive equipment.
The hero of today's review is the Asus M50V laptop . Consider all the main advantages of the model and its disadvantages, taking into account the opinions of experts and reviews of ordinary users.
The design and appearance of the new model have not changed much from past rulers. M50V is very similar to its predecessors - M50S and M70S. “Asus” calls the chosen style of the Infusion laptop (“infusion”), and, by the way, very many liked it. Like the previous S-line, the new model is made in gray and black with a shiny surface.
As for the filling, everything is simple: Core 2 Duo T9400 2.5 GHz + GeForce 9650M 1024 MB + 4 GB RAM and 320 GB HDD. More technical specifications will be discussed below. The package, in addition to the device itself, includes an interesting, but small mouse, as well as a rather well-tailored bag, that is, you get mobility literally from the first minute of purchase.
Housing
The surface finish of the Asus M50V is at the same level as the previous S-line: glossy plastic inserts, various strips of chrome, a lined corporate logo, that is, everything that characterizes the model with the Infusion stylist.
The build quality itself is at a very high level, and, together with the color scheme and design, the device takes on a very solid look. Although the surface of the laptop is made in a glossy style, it is quite difficult to leave your fingerprints on it, for this you need to thank high-quality plastic.
Also, the strength of the case can be attributed to the advantages of the Asus M50V, even though it is made of plastic. There were no flaws or serious changes in the structure when pressing on the device. The revealed small deformations are so insignificant that they can be omitted altogether. During operation, no extraneous sounds like creaks or crunches are heard.
The only thing that users note as a flaw in the assembly is the lid of the device, which slightly falls short of the general strength indicators of the entire case. When pressing on the central part of the lid, you can feel the surface deflection, but this is the trouble of all plastic cases, so it makes no sense to blame specifically the Asus M50V. During the opening or closing of the lid, no squeaks, stretch marks or other similar defects were noticed.
Hinges located on the left and right sides of the device are responsible for the stability of the entire structure in the open state. They are quite enough to eliminate fluctuations during operation and to hold the laptop in a predetermined position. While the last line was hard to do without a lock on the cover, the Asus M50V's design features make it possible to do without it - the display closes and opens perfectly.
Interfaces
The device is equipped with all the interfaces necessary for a 15-inch gadget: four USB ports, a Firewire connector, eSATA and HDMI ports, as well as an analog VGA output for connecting external screens. All ports are correctly located around the perimeter of the laptop and do not interfere with the device.
At the top of the display is a 1.3 megapixel webcam with a built-in microphone. The camera can be positioned 180 degrees on the vertical axis, which fans of conferences on Skype will appreciate.
Realtek RTL8168C module and Intel (R) Wi-Fi Link 5100 AGN adapter for wireless connection are provided as wired Internet.
Input Devices
Despite the 15-inch size, the device is equipped with an additional numerical block, and the main keyboard of the Asus M50V remains unchanged - the same standard key size, so you don’t have to get used to it. Appearance, of course, suffered a little due to congestion, but you can quickly get used to visual crowding.
The keyboard of the new model is a little "noisy", as well as in the previous lines, it bends noticeably, this is especially felt in its central part. In the process, you can hear various sounds: in addition to the usual clicks, you can hear a dull sound that occurs when the key is returned to its place, this is especially noticeable when you actively type.
Clickpad
The clickpad is located under the main unit and is centered on the keyboard, and not on the case itself. During operation, it is noticeable that the manipulator is rather deeply recessed deep into the body, preventing misses when controlling the finger. Judging by the reviews, this feature of the model appealed to many users.
The clickpad surface has optimal glide and is pleasant to the touch. In addition to standard modes, the manipulator is endowed with the Dual mode function, that is, when you click on the inscription “mode” certain symbols remain highlighted, which is extremely convenient for working with multimedia functionality.
To select the operating modes of the device, quick shutdown, etc., the laptop is equipped with hot keys by analogy with previous lines.
Display Asus M50V
The technical specifications of the display have slightly better performance than the previous S-line. The device is equipped with a 15.4-inch LC-screen with reflective characteristics and a resolution of 1680 by 1050 pixels in 16:10 format.
The new model has a much better overview when compared with other WXGA screens, which greatly facilitates the work with programs that use multiple panels or windows. Due to the gloss, the display produces rich and vibrant colors, which gamers and fans of high-resolution photographs will surely appreciate.
The image looks quite clear and sharp, and any extraneous stripes during startup or working with applications are completely eliminated due to the high-quality matrix of the Asus M50V. User reviews especially note the successful automatic brightness control, which, as unnecessary, can be turned off in two touches (Fn + A).
It should immediately be noted that the display is not suitable for outdoor use on a sunny day, the reason is the reflective glossy surface and a low brightness threshold.
As for viewing angles, the device was very pleased - both horizontal and vertical image stability when changing angles has a high indicator and an extensive working area. Naturally, with a strong deviation of the viewing angle, the image will be far from ideal, but you can watch a movie in the company of two friends without problems.
Performance
The new V-model, like its S-predecessors, belongs to the segment of high-performance multimedia devices. The characteristics of the previous line are slightly different from the current Asus M50V: motherboard M50VM Rev 2.0 45 with Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor with a clock frequency of 2.5 GHz, video card from nVidia GF 9650 GT with a gigabyte of memory on board, 320 hard drive GB and 4 GB RAM.
Any office applications, watching high-definition video, music and the Internet are not a problem for the M50V. According to the results of tests in PcMark05, the device received a score of 6140 points, and Vantage rated the laptop at 3630 points. The average system performance indicator, according to internal Windows tests, was 5.0 points, - only the video card (5.0) failed, the remaining indicators were within 5.5 units.
Sound
The sound in the Asus M50V is controlled by a module from Altec Lansing - it has proven itself in past models of the M50S and M70S. The sound seems to be quite good, but there is a lack of a subwoofer that could not be pushed into the 15-inch model, so in terms of low frequencies the new device lags behind its older counterparts.
In any case, you can evaluate the overall sound by a solid four: the sound is clear and not choking, the volume is enough, and if someone can not do without bass, then there is always an alternative in the form of headphones or third-party speakers.
Autonomous work Asus M50V
The 4800 mAh battery provides quite good battery life. According to the test from BatteryEater Readers, the lithium-ion battery at 11.1 V can last almost four hours (maximum settings for energy conservation, minimum screen brightness and the included Internet module).
With a full load on the device (maximum brightness, everything that is possible is turned on) the battery lasts for 70-80 minutes, and this is a good indicator. When playing high-resolution video, the gadget lasted almost two hours, things are much better when working with the browser: at medium brightness with the active energy-saving mode and the Internet module turned on, the device “lived” for about three hours.
Summarizing
Model M50V has a beautiful high-quality case and relatively high performance. A successful and competent arrangement of interfaces allows you to work comfortably without being distracted by connected wires and without breaking flash drives on ports.
Winchester does not say that big, but 320 gigabytes should be enough for all the applications necessary for the work, and if there is not enough space, the eSATA port will allow you to connect an external hard drive or any other similar medium. Of course, playing modern games will not work, but leisure can brighten up the software of the past generation (2005-2012).
Notebook M50V can be recommended to those people who often move from point A to point B for work, as well as lovers of multimedia applications. The rest is a working office horse without claims to large volumes and high speed.