Review: Asus G2P Review (Pics of G2 & G1 + Games + More)

[MilestonePC]

Introduction and Overview
The Asus G2P is a new gaming series 17” notebook. The G2P offers an array of interesting and cool design features. The Asus G2P reviewed here comes with a Core 2 Duo T7200, a 17” screen with a native resolution of 1440x900 (WXGA+), an ATI Radeon X1700 512mb, 2048M DDR2 @ 667mhz, 160Gb @ 5400rpm, DVDRW, Windows MCE, and Asus 2 years ASUS Global Warranty with Global Zero Bright Dot Guarantee for 30 days. There are many more features that the notebook has and will be described in the review.



Reasons for Purchasing
The G2P is a 17” notebook and the target market in my opinion is those who are looking for a moderate gaming desktop replacement. This notebook also appeals to those looking forward for a lower native resolution laptop, since it will be relatively easier one’s eyes. The price of the G2P is $1899 USD and $2179 CAD.

Specs of the Asus G2P

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0Ghz; 667mhz w/ 4mb Cache)
• Display: 17" WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Color Shine, AUO4087 (B170PW04 V0)
• Asus G2P w/ Intel 945PM Chipset
• Memory: 2048MB DDR2 667 (2x 1024mb)
• Hard Drive: 160GB @5400RPM SATA (Seagate)
• Graphic: ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 512MB
• Wireless: Built-In Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 A/B/G
• Optical: 8x Super Multi DVD Burner (LG Electronics)
• Battery: 8-Cell Li-Ion, 4800mAh, 71Whr
• Operating System: Windows Media Center
• Dimensions: 16" (length) x 12.5" (width) x 2.63" (height)
• Weight: 9.7lbs
• Warranty: ASUS 2 Years Global Warranty + Zero Bright Dot LCD Policy (30 Days)
• Ports: 1x Express Card, 1x VGA port, 1x Headphone-out jack (SPDIF), 1x Microphone-in jack, 1x RJ11 Modem, 1x RJ45 LAN, 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x IEEE 1394 port, 1x TV-Out, 1x Infrared Port, 1x μ-DVI, 1x Docking Port,
• 8-in-1 Card Reader
• (MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS-Duo/MS-Pro-Duo)

What’s in the box?

• G2P 17" Notebook
• Standard Capacity; 8 Cell; 4800mAh Li-Ion; 14.8V
• Asus Design Gaming Series Notebook Backpack made by Targus
• Asus Gaming Series branded Logitech Mx518 Carbon Fiber look
• S-video to RCA Cable
• Microfiber LCD Cloth
• AC Adapter (19v DC, 1.5A, 90W)
• Software:
• AsusDVD (CD)
• PowerDirector Pro (CD)
• Medi@Show (CD)
• Nero Burning Rom OEM Suite (CD)
• Microsoft Works (CD)
• G2 Driver and Utility (CD)
• Asus Recovery Disc for Windows MCE (DVD)

Packaging
The packaging of the G2P is very nice; the box presentation is very colorful and inviting. There is no rattling in side the box, but the box is quite heavy, and taking out the laptop form the box is also quite hefty.



Design
The design of the laptop has a very rugged look, but also very nice accents of faux aluminum on the lid and anodized aluminum on the palm rest. The laptop basically has 3 color tones, red, black and silver. The red color is used to signify some new features in the G2P, like the side lights, the top vents, and the trademark G2 symbol between the touchpad buttons.



My initial impression of the laptop was that it is reasonably sized for a 17”, great color scheme, but the glossiness of the screen exhibits a lot of reflections. I was also impressed by the lid design looks very unique and is glossy and emanates a brushed aluminum look.



Screen
The screen on the Asus G2P is a medium resolution glossy screen. The native resolution is 1440x900 (WXGA+) which may be a benefit to some but a detriment to many, since WSXGA+ or WUXGA is more desired on a 17” notebook. The screen is perfect, no dead or bright dot pixels. In my opinion this resolution is not satisfactory, I prefer higher resolutions, but the images, icons, and text on the G2P are very clear.

Max Brightness


The screen is very bright, and I do feel comfortable using it at the maximum brightness. There are 16 levels of brightness however, if I decrease the brightness from max, you will notice the screen does not decrease in brightness much. It feels like there are about 5 real brightness levels.

The viewing angles of the screen are excellent, just like I anticipated. The horizontal viewing angle is roughly 145 degrees both ways, and the vertical viewing angles are roughly 120 degrees. The contrast level is very high, the whites are white and the blacks are black.





There is a slight amount of light leakage at the bottom of the screen, it is quite hard to notice and I don’t find it to be a problem at all.

This image shows where the light leakage is in blue, but don't worry that is really glare, light leakage is white. Also it doesn't look that bad at all, you can barely even notice it.


Keyboard
The keyboard is a black color with white letters on the keys. The keyboard has 88 keys and the sizes of the keys are nice, except for the spacebar, because there are 5 key to the left of the spacebar, causing it to be smaller than usual. The CTRL key is left of the FN key, which I am happy about since that is my preference. I also don’t like the fact that there isn’t a full sized keyboard with num pad.



The sound of the keys is a soft click. If you type fast and lightly the sound is very minimal, if you type hard, then there will be some noise. The keyboard has a short travel, but still feels nice to use, I can type on it without a problem.

The keyboard has a reasonable amount of flex which is noticeable and so far it not a big problem for me, but you will notice it. The top left corner of the keyboard flexes, the bottom left corner flexes, the middle exhibits a lot of flex, the top right corner flexes but the bottom right corner has a minimal amount of flex.

Touchpad
The touchpad material looks like it has a textured feel, but instead it is very nice, a silky smooth touchpad, my fingers are able to glide nicely without a problem. There is a silver accent around the touchpad which enhances the look of it. There is a vertical and horizontal scroll embedded in the touchpad, and it works very well.



The touchpad buttons are silver and are very easy to press, the sound of pressing them is rather loud and somewhat annoying, but they are easy to use. The G2P emblem is in between the touchpad button and glows a nice red color. I did not find it to be a problem, being in the middle of the buttons.

Features
The Asus G2P has a variety of features that make this notebook unique.

Flashing Lights and Direct Console
The G2P has two lights encased on both sides of the lid, they are red and flash when you are gaming or even running benchmarks and will light up a small area. The G2P also has an emblem that is located in between the touchpad that glows red, and looks quite nice.

You are able to turn off the flashing lights by using a program called Asus Direct Console. Also in the Console you can adjust and tune the Direct Messenger. There is a little LCD in which it will show the ASUS name, and or time in digital, but then you can change it to an image, with your own text. This is a cool feature!

Red Light Off--------------------------------------Red Light On


Mini LCD Direct Messenger


Bluetooth
Bluetooth allows for wireless connectivity to other devices, like cell phones, mice, keyboards, headphones and others. There is a Bluetooth manager in which it will take roughly 5 minutes to set up a connection.

Multimedia Keys
There is a power button, then there is a previous button, forward, stop, and play/pause button. If you press the play button, it will open up the Media Center ability, where you can see pictures and movies organized in a nice interface.



Webcam
The Asus G2P is equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel camera, located above the screen and does not swivel. The quality of the camera is decent, certainly better than other laptops I have seen. I would feel comfortable using it for online conferences and chatting.



Webcam Images



Sound System
There are 4 speakers on this laptop, and it sounds amazing! The speakers are located under the left palm rest, the right palm rest, under the left side hinge and right side hinge. It gives a surround sound feel and is clear and crisp.

When using headphones, you won’t believe how well games sound. I am using Sennheiser MX400 earphones and love how games sound, everything is very crisp and clear.

When playing music on earphones the sound is excellent, treble is excellent and the bass is quite good. When playing music on the speakers, once again the sound is very loud, the bass is somewhat little but still better than most laptop out there.

When playing movies the sound quality is great on both earphones and speakers, the treble and bass are reasonable for watching movies.

The sound card is Realtek HD Audio and I am very pleased with its performance and quality. There are 16 levels of sound and I feel very comfortable using 3/16, any higher and you can support a small house party with just a laptop.

Input and Output Ports
The G2P has a great number of ports and a variety of them as well. They are mainly located on the left side and rear of the notebook.

The front side of the laptop contains:

• the latch
• multimedia keys
• front status indicators
• CIR, which is a consumer infrared port, which allows the consumer to use infrared devices like a remote

The right side contains:

• speaker located under the right palm rest
• optical drive with eject button
• power input plug
• direct flash red light on the lid.

The left side has a great amount of ports:

• direct flash red light on the lid
• LAN port
• Modem port
• USB 2.0
• Audio Input Jack
• Mic Jack
• SPDIF output jack
• IEEE1394 port
• Wireless Switch
• ExpressCard Slot
• Card Reader
• IrDA port
• Speaker located under the left palm rest

The rear of the laptop also has many ports:

• Vent
• Kensignton Lock Port
• S-Video Out
• VGA out
• DVI-D out
• 4x USB 2.0

The bottom of the laptop has several slots to open certain compartments.


There are button and indicators above the keyboard:

• Direct Messenger (LCD)
• Bluetooth Indicator
• Hard Drive Access Indicator
• Num Lock
• Caps Lock
• Power4Gear Button
• Power For Phone (Skype)
• Splendid Software
• Touchpad Enable and Disable
• Power Button