I checked out the speeds of the notebooks in Quake 3 with two graphics quality presets:

• 640x480; 16 bit; Lighting:Vertex; Detail:Low; Texture Quality:16 bit; Texture Filter:Bilinear;
• 1024x768; 32 bit; Lighting:Lightmap; Detail:High; Texture Quality:32 bit; Texture Filter:Trilinear.

The A4S00G is 61 percent faster than the A4B00L in the first mode and 81 percent faster in the second mode. The numbers are listed below:

And here’s the diagram:

So, the A4S00G can be a good replacement of a gaming computer, too. It can run modern games with advanced visual effects at an appropriate speed. I can’t say the same about the A4B00L, however, which is going to make a slideshow out of DirectX 9.0 games (if such a game would launch on it).

Next, I measured the battery run-down time with the help of Battery Eater Pro 2.30 at the highest and lowest screen brightness settings, and in three test modes:

• Classical – the system bears the maximum load;
• Reader’s test;
• DVD watch test.

The results of the test are listed below:

As the table shows, the A4B00L and the A4S00G cannot boast a long battery run-down time, but the manufacturer doesn’t promise it, either. These notebooks are intended as a replacement of office computers and workstations, i.e. to be used as stationary computers.

The table shows that the battery of the ASUS A4B00L can last up to 1 hour 29 minutes in the classic mode, 2 hours 2 minutes in the reader’s mode, and 1 hour 30 minutes in the DVD watch test. The battery of the ASUS A4B00L can last up to 1 hour 18 minutes in the classic mode, 1 hours 51 minutes in the reader’s mode, and 1 hour 27 minutes in the DVD watch test.

By reducing the screen brightness to the minimum, you don’t achieve any significant battery life bonus with these notebooks (and this setting isn’t comfortable even for reading): 20 minutes in the reader’s test and 11 minutes in the classic test with the A4B00L, and 16 minutes in the reader’s test and 7 minutes in the classic test with the A4S00G.

The results of the battery life tests are presented below: