ASUS UL80Jt: Overclocked i3 ULV
by Vivek Gowri on November 17, 2010 1:15 PM ESTASUS UL80Jt Performance
So, here’s where we get into the real stuff. The UL80Jt has a 1.20 GHz Core i3-330UM that basically performs at half the speed of the 2.4GHz Core i3-370M currently shipping in the U30 and U33Jc. Logical, you say. Well, yes, but you’ll see why it’s not such a great trade off in a bit. But for now, let’s put it this way. In CPU benchmarks, the i3-330UM gives you 50% of the performance of the Core i3-370M and roughly 75% of what the i7-620UM will do. Compared to the trusty old CULV 1.30 GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300, you’re looking at a 20-30% advantage depending on benchmark.
ASUS’ Turbo33 mode gives it a bit more kick—the 33% overclock puts it almost on par with the i7 ULV processor, but still pretty far short of the regular i3. Here’s the thing though—given the amount of bloat ASUS puts on the notebook as is, you almost need to run it in Turbo33 mode in daily usage just to get decent performance out of it. Once you remove the bloat, it’s not too bad in 1.2 GHz mode, but it is noticeably slower in day to day usage when you’re switching to it from a regular Core i3 notebook. I went from the U33Jc straight to the UL80 and missed the extra performance on tap.
As with my last review, I’m gonna throw the Futuremark results at the bottom here for the guys that care about it. I’m not too sold on 3DMark and PCMark much anymore, I think there are more effective ways to measure performance. However, I do recognize that there are people that care for the numbers, so here they are.
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erple2 - Friday, November 19, 2010 - link
Nonsense. Those 12" screens are still 720p screens, just like these exceptionally crummy 14-15" screens in the mass market. For that, the 310m is just fine. Crummy dGPU for crummy screens.One of these days, people will figure out that resolution counts, not screen size. Which is why my 32" TV (720p) isn't nearly as nice as my 1080p 15" laptop screen.
mmsmsy - Thursday, November 18, 2010 - link
If the case is lack of additional performance you should definitely try UL80Jt with Core i5 520UM. Unlike the i3xx UM this one's got the turbo boost up to 1.83GHz, which should boost performance significantly, while, at the same time, powering the notebook almost just as long as the Core i3xx UM. Even if i5 costs a little extra, going for i3 is definitely not a good idea performance wise. Try it and I think you'll probably change your opinion. ;)fokka - Thursday, November 18, 2010 - link
@ vivek & jarred: a commenter posted a link to asus' upcoming u-series models:http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=qcgJ2RirwkZL...
have you any idea when they will hit the market? probably q1 2011, i think?
JarredWalton - Monday, November 22, 2010 - link
I don' t know the ETA for all of the new 400M models, but I can tell you that all of the newer models need to ship sooner rather than later (i.e. Sandy Bridge is coming). One of the new ASUS models is the 15.6" (I know....) N53JF, which has i5-460M, GT 425M, a 1080p LCD, and Blu-ray for under $1000. I just got my N53JF review sample, and first impressions are that the aesthetics will probably please quite a few relative to the Dell XPS 15. Unfortunately, the 1080p panel isn't a high contrast option and it comes with a 48Wh battery. So, ultimately it's looking good but not stellar.As for the new U-series, like I said, they need to come out soon because of the pending launch of SB. I guess SB is quad-core though, so that means Core 2010 dual-core options can still continue for a bit, but if pricing and battery life is good on SB I don't know why anyone would opt for Arrandale after January 2011. We'll have to wait and see. Since ASUS has the U-series updated on their site, I would expect them before Christmas at least.
freespace303 - Thursday, November 18, 2010 - link
PLEASE REVIEW THE ENVY 17 3D!!!Hrel - Wednesday, December 1, 2010 - link
Sub 2GHz CPU, less than 900p screen, non DX 11 GPU? Hmm, guess I don't need to read any further.Seriously, there's no reason at all they can't use a slightly faster Core i3, the GT430M GPU and a half way decent screen. 1600x900 or greater.
I'm really really baffled by the GPU choice, it's damn near 2011 people, DX11 or GTFO.
Hrel - Wednesday, December 1, 2010 - link
Also, anything with a sub 900p screen and a Core i3 shouldn't cost any more than 750 at the absolute max; really under 600. The U33Jc at 970 is asinine. 700 sure, ok, as long as they get a 400 series GPU in there. with at least 32 SP or Cuda cores or whatever the fuck they wanna call em.