X-bit labs

Traditions of Classical Notebook Building: Asus A8J Series Review

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 03/14/2007 | 09:42 AM ]

ASUS has presented its vision of a classic product in modern format. The A8J notebook family is not only portable, but also very advanced with high-performance components under the hood. The three constituents of its success are an appealing, even though simple, exterior design, very high performance in any applications, and mobility you can expect from a notebook. Read more now!

Table of contents:

• Package and Accessories
  
• Design and Ergonomics
  
• Configuration
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Performance
  
• Conclusion
  

New things often turn to be just well-forgotten old ones. Every now and then Fashion looks back and tries to sell us something old in a modern setting. When it comes to the notebook market, it all started up with 14” and 15” models and these screen diagonals have come to be regarded as classic.

And today we’ve got a representative of the relatively new A8 series of notebooks from ASUS. This series brings back the classic 14” notebook but with one remarkable difference. Following the recent notebook-making trends, the A8 series is equipped with a widescreen display. Thanks to its size/weight parameters (335x245x38mm and 2.4kg) the notebook is ready to start on a long journey with its owner. The exterior design, even though somewhat simplified, will make it a stylish-looking high-tech accessory in the hands of a businessman while its high-performance hardware configuration will easily crunch through any task given.

We’ll test the ASUS A8Jp following our traditional methods. First we’ll take a look at its exterior design, then at its internal configuration. And finally we’ll benchmark its performance in comparison with the ASUS W7J model which has a similar configuration (for details see our recent article called New Powerful Alternative to Asus W6 Series: Asus W7J Notebook Review).

Let’s get started now.

Package and Accessories

The package of the ASUS A8Jp lacks any special luster, but who cares about such one-time pomp? The box has the natural color of ordinary cardboard, resembling the related A6 (see ASUS A6Jc Notebook: New Reincarnation of the Popular Family) and F3 series. The manufacturer’s name is printed on each side. Blue rectangles are painted on the bigger sides, the name of the product series and the slogan “Wire-Free Video Communication on the Go” populating the largest rectangle. It’s not quite clear why the notebook’s video capabilities are emphasized. This machine is actually capable of much more than video communication on the go.

This big box contains a smaller one (with the notebook and small accessories) and a bag to carry the notebook about.

ASUS’ notebooks have always brought a lot of extra stuff with them. So, we were not at all surprised to find the following in the box, besides the notebook proper: a 4800mAh battery, a power adapter with LED indicator, a modem cable, a TV cable, documentation (Quick Installation Guide , 2-year warranty, a list of authorized service centers around the world, a user manual), a small USB mouse with ASUS logo, a bag to carry the notebook, and a set of discs that included:

• Two system recovery discs
• Driver & Utility version 1.0
• Nero version 6.6.1.7
• Medi@Show SE 2.0
• PowerDirector DE version 3.0.1208
• ASUS DVD version 6.0