ASUS N61Jv-X2: Optimus GT325M Meets Arrandale
by Jarred Walton on March 13, 2010 10:00 PM ESTASUS N61Jv-X2 General Performance
The N61Jv is like the Dell Inspiron 1564; we have many similar components and a good point of comparison. We have the same 4GB of DDR3, a slightly slower Core i5-430M processor, and a different GPU. General performance should be more than fast enough for all but the most demanding users; if you're one of those, consider moving to an i7-based notebook instead (with an accompanying loss in battery life). Here's the quick recap of our N61Jv configuration.
| ASUS N61Jv-X2 Testbed | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 520M (2x2.4GHz, 32nm, 3MB L3, Turbo to 2.83GHz, 35W) |
| Memory | 2x2GB DDR3-1066 (Kingston ASU1333D3S9DR8/2G) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GT325M 1GB 128-bit Optimus 48 SPs (CUDA Cores) @ 450/990/1400MHz GPU/SPs/RAM Intel HD Graphics IGP |
| Display | 16.0" LED Glossy 16:9 768p (1366x768) (HannStar HSD160PHW1) |
| Hard Drive(s) | 500GB 7200RPM 16MB HDD (Seagate Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420AS) |
| Optical Drive | 8x DVDR SuperMulti (LG GT30N) |
| Battery | 6-Cell, 10.8V, 4400mAh, 48Wh battery "Up to 4 Hours" |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Pricing | Available online for $899 |
We'll start with a look at general performance using PCMark05 and PCMark Vantage, Internet browser performance courtesy of Peacekeeper, and Cinebench and x264 encoding for computationally intensive tasks.
The results are great for a sub-$1000 notebook, trading blows with the Inspiron 1564 depending on whether the particular test benefits from a faster CPU or a faster GPU. PCMark05 doesn't benefit from faster graphics while PCMark Vantage does, which explains the swap in rankings. Peacekeeper also gives the i5-520M equipped Inspiron 15 a slight lead, along with x264 and Cinebench, but the gap is never more than 12%—exactly what we'd expect from the i5-430M vs. i5-520M matchup.
If you want something faster, you can see how the i7-720QM (ASUS G51J) and i7-920XM (Clevo W870CU) rank in terms of application performance. The W870CU also includes an Intel SSD, which dramatically boosts the PCMark scores (though the real-world impact is usually closer to a 10% performance increase). Obviously the i7-920XM isn't even in the same ballpark in terms of price, as the CPU alone will cost more than the N61Jv, but you can get notebooks with i7-720QM for around the same price as the N61Jv if you're willing to compromise on other areas (e.g. battery life).
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cknobman - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
Why did you not do any battery life comparisons of optimus enabled vs disabled for this laptop? It would have been really nice to see that so we can see the actual direct benefit of optimus on this laptop instead of having to compare it to another laptop from a different vendor using different specs.JarredWalton - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
Optimus is always enabled, but the GPU is shut off unless needed. The only way to test battery life with the GPU enabled would be to run a test that uses the GPU. That means games, CUDA apps, or certain video decoding scenarios. The problem is that the video decoding is now all done on the IGP without any glitches, so the GPU isn't needed.aguilpa1 - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
so it runs twice as fast around 60fps at ultra low and low resolutions on a low screen resolution..., yuk. Yes it is better than intel graphics and will play WoW like games fine but this is no gaming machine.JarredWalton - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
Which is why I include results from the same games at Medium and High detail, and as you can see it runs most titles at such settings with more than reasonable frame rates. Obviously it's not faster than GTX 260M, but 260M is able to run most titles at high details and 0xAA at a resolution of 1080p; for a 1366x768 panel there's no need to get much more powerful than the GT325M. You'd be better off upgrading the LCD first to something where the graphics quality difference wouldn't look washed out.Aidic - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
Though not specifically this laptop, I bought the N71jv-x1 from newegg a couple of weeks ago. Similar specs (larger screen, switched out core i5 for core i3, runs at 1600x900). I am able to play Left 4 Dead 2 with all graphics options turned high at the resolution of 1600x900. Also, my battery has similar run times.2 problems ive noticed though, and I am not sure if I am the only one: After the laptop has been brought back from suspend there is a greater chance for graphical errors when switching between gpus (specifically in WoW, though I have noticed it in Batman Arkham Asylum as well), and ASUS put a lot of bloatware on this thing. Some of it useful, the majority of it isnt.
nortexoid - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
They need to offer a high resolution version.mikeev - Sunday, March 14, 2010 - link
I've been spoiled by a fingerprint sensor on my work PC (to hell with passwords), and I noticed on the Asus website that it lists the N61jv-X2 as having an "Optional" fingerprint sensor. Has anyone seen this variant? I'd gladly pay an extra $50/100 for this feature.JarredWalton - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
Most laptops will charge about $25-$50 extra for a fingerprint scanner. We don't have the i3-330M or i5-520M N61Jv models yet, nor the Blu-ray version, but they're all supposed to be in the works. The reviewed X2 model is for Amazon.com and thus won't have the scanner, but keep an eye out and we'll likely see the other options start to show up. I'm curious as to where they'll position the scanner as well... between the mouse buttons, or somewhere else? It would be good to get it in the touchpad and get a separation between the buttons IMO.mikeev - Monday, March 15, 2010 - link
That's a good question. I've seen lighted variants now (LED-pipe around the scanner) for feedback these days. Hopefully it's one of those. I actually prefer it to be in the lower right hand corner myself.Hrel - Sunday, March 14, 2010 - link
IF it had a 1600x900 screen or better; hell, throw in a higher capacity battery give me a 1600x900 screen and I'll gladly give them an extra 100 bucks!