Reasons for Buying:
My old Dell 8600 was getting old and unstable, so I decided to start shopping around and got very frustrated with the usual big names. They touted customizability but sometimes only allow one choice. I was not getting the flexibility I needed. I wanted a powerful gaming laptop in a package no larger than 15.4” since I took my laptop to school on a daily basis. Settled on the Asus G1s as it provided me with what I wanted.
Ports 1 x Express Card
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
1 x Line-in jack
1 x VGA port
1 x DVI-D port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x IEEE 1394 port
1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x TV-out(S-Video)
1 x eSATA
1 x HDMI
1 x Memory card reader (MMC, SD, MS, MS-Pro)
Accessories Provided:
1 Optical Gaming Mouse (Logitech)
1 AC Adaptor
1 Targus Backpack
3 recovery CDs (1 for vista, 1 for drivers and 1 for Nero burning software)
O/S and other software:
Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit)
Assorted Asus Utilities
Nero Burning Software
Benchmarks:
3dmark05: 7704 on 1024x768 no anti-aliasing, optimal filtering, HLSL VS and PS target: 3_0
3dmark06: 3816 on 1280x1024 no anti-aliasing, optimal filtering, HLSL VS and PS target: 3_0
Retailers:
I was deciding between GentechPC.com and MilestonePC.com. Both got decent ratings on review websites but I decided to go with Gentech PC due to their lower price ($1929 as opposed to $1999). I was very happy with my choice of retailer as Ken Lee, a customer service rep at Gentech PC, accommodated my every request and was very patient with the thousands of questions I had for him.
Build Quality:
Solid construction and good finish. I was particularly worried about wobbly screens (my dell is a nightmare in that department) but the hinges of my new Asus were solid and the screen only wobbled very slightly. The glossy carbon fibre finish is a very nice touch.
There is a touch of light leakage from the bottom that is visible on black screens, but only a little and it doesn’t really bother me. I will update if it gets any worse.
There are no dead pixels (asus also has a 30 day zero-bright-dot guarantee) and no ghosting on the screen. I am very happy with the screen so far and it is a big improvement from my old inspiron 8600.
The keboard has great tactile response and is quiet. The keyboard is well built and key placement is quite intuitive. I did not like how the “Home”, “PgUp”, “PgDn” and “End” keys were in a vertical row at the very end of the keyboard but this will not be a problem in the long run and I just need to get used to it. The palm rest for the keyboard is made of brushed aluminum which looks and feels great.
I really like the “feel” of the touchpad. Instead of a smooth texture, it feels almost rough (not a good description I know but difficult to put into words, there is just slightly more friction) which gives great feedback when using the touchpad. The buttons are made of brushed aluminium and likewise feel solid and give great feedback when pressed. It doesn’t feel like a cheap plastic button that gets loose after a while (like my inspiron 8600)
I was particularly impressed with the keyboard and touchpad since factors such as tactile feedback and the like, really reflect the manufacturer’s attention to detail and demonstrate that they are looking to manufacture the complete package and not just slap a decent graphics card and processor in a plastic box.
The main issue with the G1s regarding build quality is the quality of the built in speakers. While there is a certain expectation of poor quality for laptop speakers, the G1S has speakers that do not even attain the average for laptops. They are tinny and the sounds echo as though the speakers were alone in a large chamber. Even when right next to the laptop, the speakers sound as though they were in another room with the door closed. It seems most likely to be poor placement and low quality speakers with bad fidelity. My inspiron 8600 has much better speakers, which thankfully is the only department my old laptop surpasses my new one. It definitely is not a sound card issue as the sound card is very passable with headphones or speakers. But this might just be the audiophile in me talking and in the big picture, I don’t expect to make heavy use of the laptop speakers and use my creative gigaworks instead (which are highly recommended for gaming).
The minor secondary issue is the placement of the USB ports. They are all clumped in the back. Since laptop users often make use of periphery devices, clumping the USB ports in one location is not the best thing to do. For example, if one had to use a USB key, the key would hamper access to the USB port below it. But this is still a minor issue.
[IMG]file://///WON-SUK-PC/Public/Pictures/asus%20g1s%20009.JPG[/IMG]
Processing Speed and Games:
The laptop has excellent start up time and is very responsive. I have run movies (in window) while chatting, browsing and typing with no problems whatsoever. Vista is also new to me, but the interface is much improved as it is more intuitive, after allowing some time to adjust.
So far I have played Supreme Commander at 1024x768 and high levels of detail with no problems at all (no antialiasing and low shadow, but texture details and other details on high).
Command and Conquer 3 posed absolutely no problems and was played on the highest level of detail.
As a side note, I would highly recommend the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 (upgrade available from Gentech) as it is very quiet and the SATA 300 makes it very quick. I am no expert when it comes to the architecture of the computer, but I suspect that the quick hard drive load times might explain my slightly higher 3dmark06 scores (to the editor, feel free to edit this if I am off the ball) compared to other postings of 3dmark06 scores of the G1s. (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=125246)
Unfortunately, I do not use CAD programs or similarly demanding professional software so I am unable to comment on the computer’s performance in that regard. Lastly, the bloatware supplied by Asus is time consuming and tedious to remove, but other than that, I am very pleased with the performance of the computer.
Wireless and Bluetooth:
The new Intel pro wireless cards seem greatly improved over my old wireless cards and consistently got 1mb/s download rates and above on a cable connection with a G wireless router (579 MB program in 9 min and 36 seconds). My old inspiron with an older a/b/g card maxes out on the same connection at 300kb/s for the same download (same download location, same file).
The Bluetooth works well and I managed to sync my Treo 680 with my laptop with no problems.
Heat and noise:
I was quite impressed with the heat management on this computer, after playing supreme commander for a few hours, the heat levels were still low.
I was likewise impressed with the noise. The cooling fan is quiet and the Seagate hard drive was extremely quiet. The DVD player was somewhat louder but will only be a problem in a room with zero ambient noise.
Battery Life:
Battery life was decent. I watched a movie on the power saving mode and the battery went for 2hrs 30 minutes. Not astounding battery life, but definitely decent.
Conclusion:
The G1S-A1 is a great buy with solid build quality and good performance for the price. I definitely recommend this laptop. I also highly recommend getting this laptop from Gentech PC as they did a great job of accommodating my somewhat demanding requests for changes in configuration and shipping as well as my constant stream of questions.
Pros:
-Solid build quality from the high quality screen to the minutiae such as the tactile feedback from the keyboard, touchpad and buttons
-Very good processing performance.
-Decent pricing
-Very nice aesthetic that is well suited to its gaming purpose.
Cons:
-Poor speakers
-Minor problems such as clumping of the USB ports and personal preferences for the positioning of the Home, PgUp, PgDn and End keys.
-Bloatware
My old Dell 8600 was getting old and unstable, so I decided to start shopping around and got very frustrated with the usual big names. They touted customizability but sometimes only allow one choice. I was not getting the flexibility I needed. I wanted a powerful gaming laptop in a package no larger than 15.4” since I took my laptop to school on a daily basis. Settled on the Asus G1s as it provided me with what I wanted.
Ports 1 x Express Card
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
1 x Line-in jack
1 x VGA port
1 x DVI-D port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x IEEE 1394 port
1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x TV-out(S-Video)
1 x eSATA
1 x HDMI
1 x Memory card reader (MMC, SD, MS, MS-Pro)
Accessories Provided:
1 Optical Gaming Mouse (Logitech)
1 AC Adaptor
1 Targus Backpack
3 recovery CDs (1 for vista, 1 for drivers and 1 for Nero burning software)
O/S and other software:
Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit)
Assorted Asus Utilities
Nero Burning Software
Benchmarks:
3dmark05: 7704 on 1024x768 no anti-aliasing, optimal filtering, HLSL VS and PS target: 3_0
3dmark06: 3816 on 1280x1024 no anti-aliasing, optimal filtering, HLSL VS and PS target: 3_0
Retailers:
I was deciding between GentechPC.com and MilestonePC.com. Both got decent ratings on review websites but I decided to go with Gentech PC due to their lower price ($1929 as opposed to $1999). I was very happy with my choice of retailer as Ken Lee, a customer service rep at Gentech PC, accommodated my every request and was very patient with the thousands of questions I had for him.
Build Quality:
Solid construction and good finish. I was particularly worried about wobbly screens (my dell is a nightmare in that department) but the hinges of my new Asus were solid and the screen only wobbled very slightly. The glossy carbon fibre finish is a very nice touch.
There is a touch of light leakage from the bottom that is visible on black screens, but only a little and it doesn’t really bother me. I will update if it gets any worse.
There are no dead pixels (asus also has a 30 day zero-bright-dot guarantee) and no ghosting on the screen. I am very happy with the screen so far and it is a big improvement from my old inspiron 8600.
The keboard has great tactile response and is quiet. The keyboard is well built and key placement is quite intuitive. I did not like how the “Home”, “PgUp”, “PgDn” and “End” keys were in a vertical row at the very end of the keyboard but this will not be a problem in the long run and I just need to get used to it. The palm rest for the keyboard is made of brushed aluminum which looks and feels great.
I really like the “feel” of the touchpad. Instead of a smooth texture, it feels almost rough (not a good description I know but difficult to put into words, there is just slightly more friction) which gives great feedback when using the touchpad. The buttons are made of brushed aluminium and likewise feel solid and give great feedback when pressed. It doesn’t feel like a cheap plastic button that gets loose after a while (like my inspiron 8600)
I was particularly impressed with the keyboard and touchpad since factors such as tactile feedback and the like, really reflect the manufacturer’s attention to detail and demonstrate that they are looking to manufacture the complete package and not just slap a decent graphics card and processor in a plastic box.
The main issue with the G1s regarding build quality is the quality of the built in speakers. While there is a certain expectation of poor quality for laptop speakers, the G1S has speakers that do not even attain the average for laptops. They are tinny and the sounds echo as though the speakers were alone in a large chamber. Even when right next to the laptop, the speakers sound as though they were in another room with the door closed. It seems most likely to be poor placement and low quality speakers with bad fidelity. My inspiron 8600 has much better speakers, which thankfully is the only department my old laptop surpasses my new one. It definitely is not a sound card issue as the sound card is very passable with headphones or speakers. But this might just be the audiophile in me talking and in the big picture, I don’t expect to make heavy use of the laptop speakers and use my creative gigaworks instead (which are highly recommended for gaming).
The minor secondary issue is the placement of the USB ports. They are all clumped in the back. Since laptop users often make use of periphery devices, clumping the USB ports in one location is not the best thing to do. For example, if one had to use a USB key, the key would hamper access to the USB port below it. But this is still a minor issue.
[IMG]file://///WON-SUK-PC/Public/Pictures/asus%20g1s%20009.JPG[/IMG]
Processing Speed and Games:
The laptop has excellent start up time and is very responsive. I have run movies (in window) while chatting, browsing and typing with no problems whatsoever. Vista is also new to me, but the interface is much improved as it is more intuitive, after allowing some time to adjust.
So far I have played Supreme Commander at 1024x768 and high levels of detail with no problems at all (no antialiasing and low shadow, but texture details and other details on high).
Command and Conquer 3 posed absolutely no problems and was played on the highest level of detail.
As a side note, I would highly recommend the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 (upgrade available from Gentech) as it is very quiet and the SATA 300 makes it very quick. I am no expert when it comes to the architecture of the computer, but I suspect that the quick hard drive load times might explain my slightly higher 3dmark06 scores (to the editor, feel free to edit this if I am off the ball) compared to other postings of 3dmark06 scores of the G1s. (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=125246)
Unfortunately, I do not use CAD programs or similarly demanding professional software so I am unable to comment on the computer’s performance in that regard. Lastly, the bloatware supplied by Asus is time consuming and tedious to remove, but other than that, I am very pleased with the performance of the computer.
Wireless and Bluetooth:
The new Intel pro wireless cards seem greatly improved over my old wireless cards and consistently got 1mb/s download rates and above on a cable connection with a G wireless router (579 MB program in 9 min and 36 seconds). My old inspiron with an older a/b/g card maxes out on the same connection at 300kb/s for the same download (same download location, same file).
The Bluetooth works well and I managed to sync my Treo 680 with my laptop with no problems.
Heat and noise:
I was quite impressed with the heat management on this computer, after playing supreme commander for a few hours, the heat levels were still low.
I was likewise impressed with the noise. The cooling fan is quiet and the Seagate hard drive was extremely quiet. The DVD player was somewhat louder but will only be a problem in a room with zero ambient noise.
Battery Life:
Battery life was decent. I watched a movie on the power saving mode and the battery went for 2hrs 30 minutes. Not astounding battery life, but definitely decent.
Conclusion:
The G1S-A1 is a great buy with solid build quality and good performance for the price. I definitely recommend this laptop. I also highly recommend getting this laptop from Gentech PC as they did a great job of accommodating my somewhat demanding requests for changes in configuration and shipping as well as my constant stream of questions.
Pros:
-Solid build quality from the high quality screen to the minutiae such as the tactile feedback from the keyboard, touchpad and buttons
-Very good processing performance.
-Decent pricing
-Very nice aesthetic that is well suited to its gaming purpose.
Cons:
-Poor speakers
-Minor problems such as clumping of the USB ports and personal preferences for the positioning of the Home, PgUp, PgDn and End keys.
-Bloatware
