X-bit labs

ASUS V6J Notebook on Intel Dual-Core Processor (page 7)

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 04/21/2006 | 10:36 AM ]

Configuration

Intel Core Duo

As mentioned at the beginning of the review, our samples of the ASUS V6J (V6X00J) feature dual-core Intel Core Duo processors with ratings of T2300 and T2400 and clock rates of 1.66GHz and 1.83GHz, respectively. These CPUs are based on the 65nm Yonah core with a shared 2MB L2 cache.

The tested notebooks both use the same new chipset from Intel, Calistoga 945PM. The 945 family chipsets support faster DDR2 SO-DIMMs and thus provide a higher memory bandwidth. The i945PM is equipped with a PCI Express X16 bus for connecting an external graphics card. The ICH7-M chip is used as the South Bridge and is linked to the North Bridge via a special-purpose Direct Media Interface. The South Bridge supports one Parallel ATA and two Serial ATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, and Intel High Definition Audio. It also offers six PCI Express x1 lanes for attaching peripheral devices. You can learn more about the platform at large from our Centrino Duo Mobile Platform review.

Our samples of ASUS V6J (V6X00J) are both equipped with a discrete Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card with support of TurboCache technology and with 128 megabytes of dedicated graphics memory. This GPU is manufactured on 0.09-micron tech process as opposed to the 0.11-micron GeForce GP 6200. The thinner tech process leads to lower power consumption, so the new graphics processor is meant specifically for thin, light and ultra-portable computers. ASUS only uses the new graphics card in the V6J series as yet. TurboCache allows the graphics processor to use a dynamically allotted section of the system memory in addition to the graphics card’s own for higher overall performance. The off-the-shelf sample can be given up to 256 megabytes of system RAM whereas the tech sample, up to 512 megabytes. The GeForce Go 7400 supports Nvidia’s PureVideo technology that provides high-quality HD video playback. PowerMizer 6.0 power management technology helps optimize the graphics card’s power consumption and reduce its heat dissipation. The tech specs of the graphics card are listed below, and you can also learn more about it at Nvidia’s website.

The notebooks use 2.5” HTS541080G9AT00 and HTS541010G9AT00 hard disk drives from Hitachi with a spindle rotation speed of 5400rpm and a storage capacity of 80GB and 100GB, respectively. Each of our ASUS V6J (V6X00J) is equipped with a Matshita UJ-832S DVD-burner.

The off-the-shelf sample is equipped with 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM, the tech sample with 667MHz DDR2. Both the memory slots are easily accessible. In the off-the-shelf notebook one slot is occupied with a 512MB module and the other is empty, so you can easily add in more memory up to the maximum supported amount of 2048MB.

The notebooks are both rather silent and cool at work. I measured the temperature of the hottest spots on the notebooks’ surfaces with an infrared thermometer after they had worked for half an hour in the Classic test mode of Battery Eater Pro 2.60 (the ambient temperature remained constant at 23°C during this test) and got the following numbers:

ASUS V6X00J (1.66GHz CPU)

• LCD panel – 32°C
• Keyboard – 34°C
• Bottom panel – 38°C

ASUS V6X00J (1.83GHz CPU)

• LCD panel – 34°C
• Keyboard – 35°C
• Bottom panel – 39°C

There’s a very small difference between the two samples of the notebook, probably due to the difference in their CPU clock rates.