What do the indicators on the laptop show. Deciphering graphics on the laptop case

19.06.2019 Windows 7, XP

IntroductionModern laptops can be roughly divided into two large classes: truly portable, with a weight of 2.8 kg, and the so-called "Desktop Replacement" (DTR), whose weight is usually 3.5...4 kg. The latter are not positioned as travel laptops - they are primarily designed to replace a regular home desktop computer, providing both relatively high performance and the ability to move freely around the apartment, and if necessary, even outside it. Nevertheless, in terms of their characteristics, they cannot be inferior to desktop computers: although, as we have already noted above, weight and size indicators are not a strong point of DTR laptops, manufacturers still prefer to use typically mobile components in them: processors, video cards, hard drives , LCD matrices...

Of course, attempts have been made by various manufacturers to create a laptop based on "desktop" components that do not differ in performance from a full-sized computer. Alas, such products can be called "laptops" only conditionally: they approached desktop computers not only in performance, but also in weight, which could exceed 7 kg.

However, ASUS was able to demonstrate an unconventional approach to the problem: its C90S model combines a "desktop" Intel Core 2 Duo processor with familiar notebook components. What is the meaning of this, you ask? The fact that processors up to Core 2 Extreme with a frequency of 2.93 GHz can be installed in the C90S, which simply has no analogues in performance among mobile versions. In addition, the manufacturer emphasizes the ease of upgrading the C90S, in particular, the possibility of replacing a video card made in the form of a standard MXM module.

However, both points initially cause some skepticism. First, a powerful processor coupled with a relatively weak mobile graphics card is unlikely to provide gaming performance comparable to today's desktop computers, whose graphics cards are much more powerful. Secondly, the execution of the video card in the form of an MXM module is found not only in the C90S, but also in many other laptops - however, their suitability for modernization is still in great doubt, because MXM modules are quite common in free sale separately from laptops. episodically.

Nevertheless, it is interesting for us - and, we hope, our readers - to see what the C90S is like in practice and how justified such a technical solution is. Fortunately, we have such an opportunity: the younger version of this laptop, built on the basis of a Core 2 Duo processor with a frequency of 2.4 GHz, visited our laboratory.

Older models may have a larger hard drive, a higher frequency of the central processor, an optical drive with support for LightScribe technology, and in the near future ASUS C90 will even come with Blue-ray drives.

To realize the possibility of installing a "desktop" processor, ASUSTeK engineers had to work hard on the ASUS C90S cooling system - after all, it's no joke, compared to mobile Merom processor heat dissipation is twice as high! The decision was chosen extensive: on the back side of the laptop is located block Turbo Engine, which includes a large heatsink and four fans.

ASUS C90S: Turbo Engine

The disadvantage of this design, in addition to dimensions, is the noise: when reaching maximum speed, the sound resembles an airliner taking off

Packing and scope of delivery

With packaging this time, ASUSTeK has outdone itself:

ASUS C90S: packing box

Inside a beautiful blue box, one more container is found, which vaguely resembled the packaging of ASUS U1F and ASUS S6F in terms of surface texture, however, due to the laptop form factor, it is much larger than subnotebook ones. ASUS C90S was found in it.

ASUS C90S: black box

The place with the laptop itself in the blue packaging box was divided: 4800 mAh (6-cell) rechargeable battery, AC adapter with indicator light on the case and power cable, RJ-11 modem cable, TV cable, "Quick Installation Guide" brochure ", a two-year warranty card for a laptop, a list of authorized service centers around the world, a user manual in Russian, a brochure "Freedom without wires", a USB gaming mouse with a PS / 2 adapter (despite the fact that the laptop has this connector no), two wipes for wiping the LCD panel and glossy surfaces of the case, a branded bag and a velvet velcro case for carrying a laptop, a Velcro cable tie, a booklet instructing on the operation of computer energy-saving systems, as well as a set of disks that included :

ASUS C90S: delivery package

System Recovery DVD #2298;
Driver CD ver. 2.0 (No. 2311);
Nero v. 7.5.13.0.

It is impossible not to focus on the presence of a branded gaming mouse, which is a version of the Logitech MX518 stylized as the G1 and G2 gaming lines. In addition to the two standard buttons and the scroll wheel, the mouse is equipped with five additional keys with the following functions:

Sensitivity increase/decrease keys;
Key to switch between open applications;
Keys forward / backward.

ASUS C90S: Stylized Logitech MX518

The gamepad operates at three levels of sensitivity: 1600 dpi, 800 dpi and 400 dpi, the default value is 800 dpi. The included SetPoint software and the game's Advanced Game Settings feature allow you to flexibly select the sensitivity setting based on your preference and the application you're running.

Exterior: design and ergonomics

The appearance of the C90S is rather atypical for ASUS products. At the back, the already mentioned ASUS Turbo Engine protrudes noticeably beyond the case. The top cover, in tune with fashion trends, is varnished, so that gift napkins will come in handy - the structure of its surface is very interesting in that it is ornate wavy stripes. A large chrome-plated webcam block stands out sharply in front of the cover.

ASUS C90S: appearance

The manufacturer's logo is located in the very center of the top cover.

ASUS C90S: logo on the lid

All ends are noticeably rounded, thus giving some visual lightness to the massive design of the laptop. There are silver moldings around the perimeter of the display and the base. In the center of the front part, a webcam is mounted in a prominent silver block, below which, at the base, the infrared port of the TV tuner is disguised as the surrounding surface (optional).

ASUS C90S front view

All in the same lower part of the case, to the left of the infrared port, there is a slot for a card reader that can handle the following memory card standards: Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Multi Media Card and Secure Digital.

ASUS C90S: flash memory slot

The built-in 2-megapixel webcam is made in the form of a movable block, which can be rotated up to 180 degrees; in addition, the camera can be moved upwards from the front and back sides by an angle of up to 30 degrees. Total, the total maximum range of rotation is 240 degrees. An activity indicator is located on the body of the rotary unit (next to the eye), and on both sides, at the very edges, so as not to damage the optics, thin rubber pads are glued for soft contact with the base case in any direction of the camera. Stereo microphone holes are located symmetrically on both sides of the block.

ASUS C90S: Webcam

Status indicator symbols were found on the left edge of the top cover.

ASUS C90S: legend of status indicators on the lid

This is done due to the fact that the symbols embossed on the base case are hidden by the lowered display, while the LEDs remain visible on the bevelled chamfer of the bottom of the laptop even when closed. The status indicators included (from left to right):

ASUS C90S: status indicators

Power indicator (on when the laptop is on; blinking when the PC is in power saving mode (STR); when the computer is off or in sleep mode (STD), the indicator is off);
Battery charging indicator (lights up when the battery is charging; off - the battery is charged or completely discharged; blinks when the battery charge is less than 10% and the laptop is not connected to the power supply);
E-mail indicator (blinks when one or more new messages appear in the mailbox, this feature requires software configuration and is designed for Microsoft email programs);
Wireless indicator (flashes when transmitting or receiving packets using the built-in wireless network adapter and / or Bluetooth, signaling that the WLAN / Bluetooth function is activated).

There is no screen lock, oddly enough for a rather rather large laptop form factor. The mechanisms that hold the lid in the locked state or fix the open position are hidden in the hinges, which are two protruding base elements. Thanks to this method of mounting the display, the opening angle of the laptop should be at least 180 degrees, but the ASUS Turbo Engine fan unit does not provide such an opportunity - the cover rests on it.

ASUS C90S: opening angle

The archaism of the internal colors is a bit surprising: the upper part of the frame around the display is light silver, with pads of the same color around the perimeter, which serve to softly touch the base of the laptop when closed. The near-hinged bottom of the frame is black, the rubber pads in this part also fit into the color of the surrounding surface. The base, including the touchpad, is a darker shade of silver. The jet-black keyboard is framed by an impressive frame of the same color.

ASUS C90S: open

ASUS C90S is equipped with a widescreen (16:10 aspect ratio, WSXGA+) 15.4-inch matrix with a working resolution of 1680x1050 pixels. The viewing angles are very large, the quality of the matrix is on top, which can be seen even without the help of special devices. One of the disadvantages is the "glass" coating, which makes it possible on a sunny day to admire your reflection or just sunbeams.

The nature of "glassiness" is explained by the use of "proprietary technology" ASUS Color Shine(Special Resin Coating) is a "glass" LCD technology that ASUSTeK claims to deliver exceptional picture quality and color saturation, resulting in a more vivid and colorful image. However, it is worth noting that the matrices are not produced by ASUS itself, so the phrase "proprietary technology" is in quotation marks.

The number of brightness levels in ASUS C90S, like in almost all laptops with the ASUS label, is sixteen, however, the lower levels are unlikely to be useful to you: the picture is almost invisible in them. Brightness is adjusted by pressing the "Fn" and "F5" or "F6" keys together.

Using the Pantone ColorVision Spyder calibrator and the OptiCAL ver. 3.7.8 were made measurements of the brightness and contrast of the monitor. When powered by mains and battery, the brightness value was set to the maximum position, after which the test was started. When powered by battery, the ASUS C90S has built-in power savings enabled. The brightness and contrast after removing the plug from the outlet have noticeably decreased:

Values from mains:

Contrast: 102:1;
Brightness: 135.3 cd/m2

Battery values:

Contrast: 87:1;
Brightness: 102.8 cd/m2

The black 87-key keyboard does not stand out from the crowd of its fellows. The key travel is soft, there is no backlash, everything is familiar and comfortable to use. "Enter" classic L-shaped. The location of the cursor control buttons at the level of the bottom line of the keyboard may not be very good, this increases the risk of accidentally pressing them. Occupation of the lower left corner of the keyboard "Fn" can be perceived as a signature touch of laptops with the ASUS label, which is not very convenient for those who are accustomed to frequently using the "Ctrl + ..." key combinations. There is a "conditional" (combined with the main) numeric keypad and two special Microsoft Windows buttons. One of them, which opens the context menu, is located in the bottom row of the keyboard, to the right of the spacebar through "Alt". The second "Windows button" that opens the "Start" menu is located symmetrically to the left of the spacebar. Function keys are noticeably reduced. "Home", "Page Up", "Page Down" and "End" are lined up on the right vertically in a row, just above the "right arrow"; "Num Lock", "Insert", "Delete" and "Pause" close the line of function keys on the right. Moving "Delete" from its rightful place in the upper right corner can also negatively affect the work, however, this is a matter of habit. Latin letters are highlighted in black, Russian letters are greenish-marsh, function keys are painted in pale green (the use of functions hidden under them is possible after pressing and holding "Fn").

ASUS C90S: Keyboard

The touchpad design of the ASUS C90S is very attractive - a silvery, slightly recessed touchpad with a good and vertical scrolling area, respectively, located on the right edge. At the base there are two rather tight, with a characteristic click when pressed, chrome-plated, and therefore instantly brought into an unpresentable form, "mouse" keys. The button separator is a fingerprint reader that works in conjunction with the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) hardware encryption module. The fingerprint scanner, which has entered the laptop fashion, can be considered a reliable guarantor of the safety and inviolability of the information stored on your computer. It is logical that there is no additional joystick for scrolling text, for which there is actually no space left in the block.

ASUS C90S: Touchpad

In case an external mouse is used or to avoid accidental cursor movement while typing, the touchpad can be locked by pressing the Fn and F9 keys together, or by using a special dedicated "quick" button, which will be discussed later.

The laptop's power button, illuminated with a "striped" blue light, stands alone above the left edge of the keyboard.

ASUS C90S: laptop power button

Four "quick" keys and three remaining indicators are tiled symmetrically on the right (from left to right and top to bottom):

ASUS C90S: keyboard shortcuts and indicators

Activity indicator (shows the computer is accessing storage devices: hard drive or optical drive, lights up at the time of access);
Numeric keypad indicator Num Lock (lights when the numeric keypad is activated);
Caps Lock upper case indicator (lights up if the typed letters are converted to upper case);
Internet access key (pressing activates the Internet browser);
Key to launch the mail program;
Touchpad lock key;
The launch key for the proprietary ASUS power saving utility, developed specifically for the C90 desktop line, ASUS Turbo Gear.

The ASUS Turbo Gear hardware and software system has four operating modes: "Standard mode", "Power Saving mode", "Game mode" and "Overlocking mode". Moreover, when powered by a battery, only the first two are available.

ASUS Turbo Gear

Each higher stage increases the frequency of the FSB bus and, as a result, the frequency of the processor. Oddly enough, when setting "Overlocking mode" the computer hangs after a few seconds - either due to an error in the program, or because ASUS forgot to check whether the processor installed in the laptop is overclocking ...

The highest functional saturation fell on the left end of the laptop, where the following components are located (from left to right):

ASUS C90S: left side view

Modem port (RJ-11);
Connector for connecting a laptop to a local network (LAN port RJ-45);
15-pin D-Sub connector for connecting an external monitor;
TV-Out port (S-video), provides connection to a TV;
HDMI connector with HDCP support for connecting external monitors and TVs;
e-SATA connector for "hot" connection of external drives with the appropriate interface (eSATA interface provides noticeably faster speed than the more familiar USB);
Microphone connector;
Combined S/PDIF digital output connector and headphone jack;
Four-pin IEEE1394 (FireWire) port, labeled "DV" (Digital Video Port);
Antenna input plug (if there is an optionally installed TV tuner, then this is the place to connect the antenna);
USB port (USB 2.0);
26-pin ExpressCard 34/54 connector.

ASUS C90S: ExpressCard slot

On the right side of the portable computer, only the optical drive fit, with an activity indicator, a CD eject key and an emergency opening located on it.

ASUS C90S: right side view

From the rear of the laptop there is very little (from left to right):

ASUS C90S: rear view

Kensington lock port (allows you to secure your laptop with Kensington-compatible security products);
Two USB ports (USB 2.0);
ASUS Turbo Engine cooling system;
Connector for power supply.

At the "bottom" of the laptop there is a single cover, under which are hidden all the functional components available for replacement or upgrade. Two RAM slots found under it are occupied by gigabyte modules. What is not at all typical for an ASUSTeK laptop, there is no emergency shutdown or reset button and stickers with data on the model and serial number of the operating system on the bottom. The location of the ventilation grilles can also be considered successful for working on your knees, the legs are unlikely to block the air flows intended for the "sigh" of the system. Another issue is that the knees will be a little hot, to put it mildly: do not forget that the C90S is a laptop with a very hot processor.

ASUS C90S: bottom

The stereo speakers are installed by engineers at the bottom of the base and as close as possible to the user. Such an arrangement of the speakers "kills" part of the sound, since its propagation is directed to the surface on which the laptop is standing. However, even this placement of the speakers leaves a very pleasant impression of the sound of the C90S, which is not loud in a notebook. Sound levels are adjusted by pressing the "Fn" and "F10", "F11", "F12" keys together.

ASUS C90S: stereo speakers

The 4800 mAh (6-cell) rectangular laptop battery is located at the bottom, approximately under the right wrist, therefore, the surface above it will heat up the least.

ASUS C90S: Battery

The battery is attached to the body with a single spring clip on it, located close to the battery pack.

Interior: interior content

Intel Core 2 Duo

As a processor in ASUS C90S, a "desktop" representative of the Core 2 Duo family with an E6600 rating and an operating frequency of 2.40 GHz is used, which is based on the Conroe core, manufactured using a 65 nm process and having a combined L2 cache for two cores 4 MB. The FSB frequency is 1066 MHz. Typical heat dissipation 65W. By and large, in terms of performance, the E6600 differs from mobile processors only in an increased bus frequency - for a 2.4 GHz mobile Core 2 Duo T7700 it is only 800 MHz.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600: cache memory

The Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 supports 64-bit x86 EM64T architecture extensions and Intel Wide Dynamic Execution technology, which means an increased number of decoders and execution units in the processor core.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 in two power modes

The Dynamic Cache Sizing technology is used - "dynamic change in the size of the cache memory", which disables idle blocks. For a more detailed acquaintance with the design of Intel Core 2 Duo processors in their desktop incarnation, please refer to the relevant materials. manufacturer's website.

If ASUS Turbo Gear was mentioned, let's take a look at how its modes were displayed by the CPU-Z program. Obviously, "Power Saving Mode" reduces the frequency of both the FSB and the CPU, and quite significantly:

Power Saving Mode

The "Game mode", on the contrary, overclocks the system above par:

Game mode

The "Overlocking mode" mode actually raises the FSB frequency above 1200 (300) MHz - as a result, as we noted above, the computer hangs.

The chipset used is Intel Lakeport i945P. The ICH7R chip is used as the south bridge, the north bridge is connected to it using a specialized Direct Media Interface (DMI) bus. The southbridge supports four Serial ATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports and has an integrated Intel High Definition Audio solution. In addition, it supports six PCI Express x1 lines, which are supposed to be used to connect external devices. More detailed specifications of the platform can be found at manufacturer's website.

Chipset Intel Lakeport i945P

The graphics accelerator in the C90S is the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600 GT mobile GPU with 512 megabytes of GDDR2 video memory. The core is made according to the 0.08 micron manufacturing process, which significantly reduced the level of energy consumption compared to 0.11 or 0.09 micron manufacturing processes. Microsoft DirectX10 Shader Model 4.0 is supported. The video adapter uses NVIDIA PureVideo technology, which provides high-quality playback of HD video stream. PowerMizer power management technology can effectively increase battery life - however, as we have seen on the example of laptops with two video cards, there is still something for engineers to work on. For more detailed technical specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600 GT, please visit manufacturer's website, but here is a summary table of characteristics of the GeForce Go 8600 family:

The laptop is equipped with a Seagate ST9160821AS 2.5" form factor hard drive with a spindle speed of 5400 rpm, SATA interface and a capacity of 160 GB. The laptop is also equipped with a Matsushita UJ-850S DVD writer with the following speed characteristics:

Recording:

CD-R-24X;
CD-RW - 16X;
DVD-R DL - 4X;
DVD-R - 8X;
DVD-RW - 6X;
DVD+R DL - 4X;
DVD+R - 8X;
DVD+RW - 6X;
DVD-RAM - 5X.

Reading:

CD-ROM - 24X;
DVD-ROM - 8X.

ASUS C90S uses DDR2 RAM with a frequency of 667 MHz, both available slots are installed at a gigabyte level. The memory, of course, works in dual-channel mode. The maximum possible amount of RAM is 3 GB.

Dual channel memory mode

In the process of passing the 3DMark 2006 1.1.0 test, after 30 minutes of continuous work, the temperatures were taken from the surfaces of the laptop with an infrared thermometer (the temperature in the room was maintained at 23 ° C). On each of the surfaces, a point with a maximum temperature was searched for. As a result, the following values were obtained:

LCD panel - 36 degrees;
Keyboard - 40 degrees;
Bottom surface - 49 degrees;
"Exhaust" - 47 degrees.

Actually, as expected, our "desknout" heats up, despite the presence of a specially designed ASUS Turbo Engine cooling system, very strongly - it will be problematic to work holding it on your knees at such a temperature of the case.

Below is a table with detailed technical characteristics of the tested portable computer and ASUS G1S specially tested as opponents with the closest possible configuration: at first glance, the difference between G1S and C90S lies only in the use of a mobile processor, and even then - with the same clock frequency of 2.4 GHz. It is especially interesting that these two laptops are quite close in terms of their cost - accordingly, by comparing them, we will see whether it is worth enduring the inconvenience of high heat and noise of a laptop on a "desktop" processor. Since the review of the G1S was published relatively long ago, specifically to compare it with the C90S, we re-tested it in order to eliminate the difference in performance due to differences in driver versions, test utilities, and the like.

However, looking closer, you can see another difference - video cards in G1S and C90S use different types of memory.

Test Methodology

Before testing, the ASUS C90S hard drive was formatted for the NTFS file system (Windows Vista does not accept another file system), then the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x86 operating system (English version) and drivers taken from the disk included in the package were installed. ASUS G1S was tested in the same way.

During testing, the following parameters were set:

Sidebar - disabled;
Welcome Center - disabled;
Screen Saver - disabled;
Windows Defender - disabled;
System Protection - disabled;
Windows Update - disabled;
Scheduled disk defragmentation - disabled;
User Account Control - disabled;
Screen brightness set to maximum;
Resolution of the liquid crystal matrix - maximum, 1680x1050;
Aero interface - activated, desktop theme - Windows Vista;
Volume level - 10%.

The tests were carried out in two modes by changing the settings of the power management scheme. The first part took place on mains power ("High Performance" setting, or "High Performance" in the Russian version of Windows, which provides maximum laptop performance, and battery life, respectively, is minimal). The second part is when powered by a battery (the "Power Saver" setting in the Russian version of Windows, in this case, the battery life is maximum). Some changes have been made to "Power Saver" other than the default ones.

The test package was divided into two parts:

1st part: tests to measure the performance of both the system as a whole and its individual components:

Synthetic benchmarks (SiSoftware Sandra 2007, PCMark 2004 1.3.0, PCMark 2005 1.2.0, PCMark Vantage);
General performance tests (SYSmark 2007);
Performance tests in the most used applications (DivX 6.7, iTunes 7.3, Photoshop CS2, Microsoft Excel 2007, WinRAR 3.7, Microsoft Movie Maker 6.0, CINEBENCH 10);
Gaming performance tests (3DMark 2001SE Pro, 3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.3.0, 3DMark 2006 1.1.0, Half Life 2, Quake4).

Part 2 is focused on determining the battery life of a portable computer from a battery, measurements are made using the MobileMark 2007 test application.

MobileMark 2007 contains three modes of operation:

Productivity mode - "torn" serious load on the system;
Reader mode - emulation of reading a pdf file (in the Read test mode, the page is rewound every 2 minutes);
Movie (DVD) viewing mode.

Testing

Traditionally, testing is opened by synthetic applications SiSoftware Sandra 2007 and PCMark in three versions.

Diagnostic package SiSoftware Sandra 2007 received from the creators of a user-friendly interface with excellent functionality. Supports three platforms (Windows x86, Windows x64, WinCE ARM), has 13 benchmarks, 34 modules with detailed information about system components, officially supports a wide range of devices through direct cooperation with Intel, AMD, ATI, SiS and VIA. The program is supported in six languages, including Russian, and has a Lite version (for free use for personal and educational purposes). SiSoftware Sandra displays information about the computer and tests both the system as a whole and its individual components.

PCMark is designed to measure computer performance when working with office and related applications, including tests to determine the overall performance and performance of individual subsystems (central processor, memory, graphics capabilities, disk subsystem). The synthetic package PCMark 2005, which continues the tradition of complex tests of this line, like PCMark 2004, uses elements of real applications as tests, which increases its value compared to "fully synthetic" tests. A series of eleven mandatory performance tests of various system components leads to the calculation of the overall result in some conventional units ("PCMarks"). PCMark 2005 features HD video load testing, audio encoding, and advanced multi-threaded CPU and HDD load testing. The overall test result is calculated by the formula: PCMark Score = 87 x (Geometric mean of the main tests) where the geometric mean is (result 1 * result 2 * ...) / number of results. PCMark Vantage is the first Vista-oriented synthetic test package. It allows for more detailed testing than its predecessors.

As you can see, very similar Intel Core 2 Duo processors with the same frequency behave a little differently from each other - and, surprisingly, the E6600 lags behind the T7700, despite the higher system bus frequency. However, it is very likely that it is not the processor itself that is to blame, but other components of the laptop, up to the features of its BIOS settings.

Changing the power supply results in a halving of the test results of the Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 due to the activation of the CPU energy saving systems, however, the inclusion of Merom's Intel FSB Frequency Switching technology was not noticed, and the processor frequency was fixed at around 1.2 GHz, as can be seen from tables. In the C90S, there is a greater "collapse" of results when the computer switches to "Power Saving Mode" (battery power), where the processor frequency is further reduced by cutting the FSB bus - apparently, ASUS engineers tried to squeeze everything possible out of power saving systems to maximize the battery life of a laptop with such a processor. As a result, the performance of the C90S fell by more than half - and the gap from the competitor has grown to noticeable values. In addition, the superiority of the more "nimble" Hitachi HTS542525K9SA00 (G1S) over the Seagate ST9160821AS (C90S) is striking. The performance results of the video system are no less interesting - although PCMark is not very indicative in this area, it already shows that the faster video memory in the G1S allows it to win over the C90S.

The new version of the SYSmark 2007 test package, like its predecessor, is aimed at determining the overall performance of the system under various load patterns. SYSmark 2007 models the user's work to solve specific problems in several of the most common applications. At the output, the package issues several indexes showing the performance of systems demonstrated under various scenarios of activity, measuring the performance of systems in real applications when solving specific problems. The appearance and adaptation of a new test package for the Windows Vista operating system came in handy for our testing. The results will be presented in expanded form, focusing separately on each type of load it creates.

The SYSmark 2007 test is more focused on the processor component of the computer, however, the overall result shows to the heap, albeit minimally, the characteristics of the graphics component and the speed of the hard drive, which allows ASUS G1S to again demonstrate a slight superiority over its rival.

The E-Learning test simulates the preparation of a learning website containing a variety of media content. The script uses the following applications: Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Macromedia Flash 8, and Microsoft PowerPoint 2003.

Well, at least in one test, the C90S still managed to demonstrate, albeit a small one, with a margin of less than 3%, but a victory. However, when switching to autonomous power, everything returns to normal: the C90S is an outsider.

The following scenario involves the production of videos using non-linear editing and the use of additional effects. The videos are collected from several sources, including static images. The result is prepared in two formats - HD and for online viewing via the Internet. When working on videos, the following set of software is used: Adobe After Effects 7, Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 and Sony Vegas 7.

The test results are not out of the already agreed framework. Unsurprisingly, the faster hard drive gives the G1S the edge over the "semi-desktop" C90S.

The next test, Productivity, simulates typical office work, including email, data processing, project management, and document management. Applications used: Microsoft Excel 2003, Microsoft Outlook 2003, Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Project 2003 and WinZip 10.0.

The Productivity application, which is very sensitive to the characteristics of hard drives, quite naturally prefers the faster Hitachi HTS542525K9SA00 installed in the ASUS G1S ..

The last one from the SYSmark 2007 test suite, the fourth scenario is dedicated to the creation of an architectural presentation, including a photorealistic image of the object and a fly-by video of the building being designed. This scenario uses two applications, AutoDesk 3ds Max 8 and SketchUp 5.

It is quite logical that in 3D the video card with faster GDDR3 memory installed in the G1S feels much better.

For greater clarity, in addition to assessing the integral performance of the system, we will conduct several tests aimed at measuring the speed of the laptop in individual applications.

DivX is purely a CPU test, and as a result the superiority of the G1S over the C90S is quite noticeable, especially on battery power, when the frequency of the "desktop" processor in the C90S drops much more than the mobile one in the G1S.

When archiving a specially selected folder with files of different extensions, ASUS G1S wins with tangible superiority.

The next test used a script that prepares a video for uploading to the popular YouTube service. Four video clips taken from a digital camera were used as source material. And here the tandem of a mobile processor with a fast hard drive looks much more preferable than the corresponding bundle in the ASUS C90S.

The final render speed test shows similar results to previous applications.

Due to the fact that both laptops are equipped with discrete video adapters, testing in 3Dmark was carried out only in three versions of the program: 3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.2.0 and 3DMark 2006 1.1.0. We will also add the remaining gaming applications in order to be able to analyze the entire gaming part of testing at once.

Despite the fact that the ASUS C90S video card uses obsolete GDDR2 memory, the laptop cannot be written off from gaming accounts. Of course, it is noticeably weaker than the purely gaming ASUS G1S (which uses the same GPU, but already paired with GDDR3 memory), but be that as it may, its performance can cause genuine envy of a number of multimedia machines. Installing 512 MB of video memory by itself does not give anything at all - the difference will only affect games that are so demanding on resources that the GeForce 8600M GT chip will not pull them in any case.

Battery life is one of the key characteristics of a portable computer, sometimes even more important than performance. Therefore, the measurement of this particular value is carried out by a test block separate from the performance. Testing was performed using the MobileMark 2007 test suite. During the tests, the laptop's transitions to the StandBy and Hibernate states were disabled (the latter constantly required the Productivity test to be returned).

The first scenario (Productivity) that was used to measure laptop battery life is based on a simulation of the user experience in typical office applications. The load is unstable, you can even say "torn", the user now and then breaks away from doing work. The second test is to measure the operating time of a laptop on battery power in the case of a simple text reading. Adobe Reader was used as the program that displays the document on the screen. The third and final scenario used in our "test" simulated using a mobile computer to play DVD video using an InterVideo WinDVD player.

The result, we can safely say, is simply catastrophic. We attributed the C90S's constant strong lag behind the G1S in battery performance tests to a lower processor frequency - but even such aggressive power saving could not save this strange "semi-desktop" laptop: the G1S demonstrated not only higher performance, but also one and a half times more work time! At the same time, the C90S barely exceeded one hour of battery life...

Advantages and disadvantages of ASUS C90S

Advantages:

original design;
Excellent performance on mains power;
The possibility of modernization (will it be the only one used?);
The presence of software and hardware overclocking ASUS Turbo Gear (minus: in our version, hanging in the "Overlocking" mode);
The presence of a fingerprint reader, coupled with a TPM module;
Rich delivery set.

Flaws:

"Mirror" matrix;
Markiness of the touch panel keys;
Strong heating of the case (however, the G1S is no better in this parameter);
High noise level in overclocking modes;
Not the lowest cost
Very short battery life;
Not a very comfortable keyboard (a few keys definitely occupy the wrong places).

Conclusion

Alas, none of the hopes we placed on ASUS C90S, a laptop with a "desktop" processor inside, came true. Compared to the mobile Core 2 Duo T7700, which has the same frequency, the Core 2 Duo E6600 used in the C90S is catastrophically uneconomical: it requires a powerful and very noisy cooling system and an extremely aggressive battery saving system, but at the same time it lags behind its mobile counterpart at the same time and performance and battery life.

Most surprisingly, both the hard drive and graphics card in the C90S were slower than in the G1S - and many buyers may be misled by the fact that both laptops use the same GeForce 8600M GT chip. The chip is one, but the type of memory it has is different, which only aggravated the backlog of the hero of our today's article.

The manufacturer positions the C90S as a laptop with the ability to install the most powerful processors that have no mobile counterparts. But is this opportunity really necessary? I don’t even want to think how the laptop’s cooling system will cope with the heat generated by, say, the Core 2 Extreme X6800 (TDP up to 75 W) – at the same time, it will not be possible to install new economical processors of the E8xxx series in the laptop in normal mode, because its chipset does not support bus 1333 MHz. And the actual meaning of upgrading the processor is completely unclear - it is unlikely that anyone will use such a laptop for pure mathematical calculations, and in games, performance does not rest at all on the processor, but on a relatively slow mobile video card, far behind modern "desktop" solutions.

As a result, we can't recommend ASUS C90S for purchase: in comparison with the G1S model of the same manufacturer, it loses absolutely everything, from performance to battery life, without demonstrating any visible advantages, even price.

What to do if the laptop stops turning on?

If the device does not respond in any way to the pressed power button, this problem can occur for several main reasons:

The power supply failed, and the battery was completely discharged. In this case, when you press the power button, the power indicator should blink several times, showing that the charge level is critically low, and there is no external connection to the network. With such malfunctions, the power supply will have to be changed.
The contact in the socket of the power supply is broken, the cable is damaged. These are common malfunctions: the socket fails when the laptop is jerked or moved with the cord connected. The power supply socket and cable must be replaced to restore functionality.
Short circuit on the south or north bridge. In such cases, the problem is solved only in the service by completely disassembling the device and soldering the affected microcircuits.

Laptop can't charge battery

If the charge indicator on the laptop is not on, that is, the device is working from the network, but does not charge the battery, the following are the most common causes of problems:

The battery has failed. If the battery indicator on the laptop does not light up, then it is most often easier to replace it than to repair it. The service life of even very good batteries rarely exceeds 4 years, and over time they have to be completely replaced. Otherwise, the laptop will lose mobility and become analogous to a PC.
Not enough power supply. The problem occurs due to incorrect selection of the block when replacing. It is important to choose a fully compatible model with the appropriate characteristics.
The problem is in the power supply. If the power indicator on the laptop is off, this may indicate problems in the operation of the controller; to eliminate the cause of the breakdown, the device will have to be disassembled in a service center. Problems with the internal module require professional diagnostics on special equipment.

Sometimes it happens that there is no mains power, while the laptop can run on battery power. The causes of the problem are either a malfunction of the controller, or problems with the power socket. In rare cases, the laptop will not start because of the battery: it can cause a failure on the motherboard, most often this happens when trying to install an incompatible third-party battery.

In case of any hardware malfunctions, it is not recommended to disassemble the laptop yourself if there is no experience in such work and professional knowledge. By entrusting the device to unverified "craftsmen", you run the risk of even more serious damage that will require a long and expensive repair.

If the problem is caused by a broken battery or faulty power supply, you can easily fix it by choosing new parts from licensed manufacturers in our online store. Affordable prices are offered for all products in the catalog, our consultants will help you make the right choice and find the most suitable option to solve the problem.

Why is the battery light blinking on my laptop

Often, inexperienced users have a question about why the battery indicator on a laptop is flashing. Almost all manufacturers without fail make battery status indicators on their models. This is necessary to inform the user about a particular state in which the battery is located. The indicators can be on, off, blinking slowly or quickly. Each such state indicates a certain state of the battery. Unfortunately, these indicator signals on laptops can vary depending on the manufacturer and even model. Because of this, confusion arises and it is difficult for an unprepared person to understand why the battery indicator on his laptop is flashing.

As already mentioned, most laptop models from different manufacturers have indicators that work in different states. Depending on the condition of the battery, the indicator can be on, off, flashing slowly or quickly. The indication may change depending on whether the notebook is plugged in or offline.

On most models, a green, purple, or blue indicator light indicates that the battery is fully charged. On many models, manufacturers separately make a laptop charging indication, which shows that the charging process is in progress. This is usually a flashing green, purple, orange or blue indicator.

As a rule, if the battery indicator is green, purple or blue, then the battery is working. It doesn't matter if the indicator flashes or not. If the color is orange, then in most cases this indicates that the battery is being charged.

Notebook manufacturers most often make the battery indicator blink to inform the user that the battery is low. When the battery charge falls below a certain limit, the indicator flashes red or orange until it is connected to the network. There is nothing to worry about, the battery just needs to be charged.

But if the laptop battery indicator continues to blink red or orange when connected to the power supply, this may indicate problems. In this case, the malfunction may be hidden both in the power supply and in the laptop battery. There may be problems with the correct operation of the indicator itself. In some cases, the indicator may remain red or orange even after being connected to a charger. It turns off only after reaching a certain battery level.

Laptop battery indicator in Windows. Red cross on the battery icon.

If you're having trouble determining the status of your battery using the indicator, you can view battery data in Windows.

The battery indicator is located in the system tray on the taskbar. If the icon shows an electrical plug, then at this moment the laptop is connected to the network through the power supply and the battery is in the process of charging (or fully charged). If you hold the cursor on the battery indicator in the taskbar, Windows will display information about the level of the current charge.

If you click on the battery icon, more detailed information will be displayed.

When connected to the network, an electrical plug appears next to the battery icon.

If there is no electrical plug, and the laptop is connected to the network, this indicates problems with the battery or power supply.

When the battery is discharged to a certain level, Windows will display a message about the need to charge and add an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle to the battery icon.

If Windows diagnoses a battery problem or a critical battery level, the battery icon will have a red X.

If you need to see more detailed information about the state of the laptop battery, then go to the appropriate section in the Windows control panel.

Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Power Options. There you can choose a power saving plan, set the action of the power buttons, etc.

The representative office of ASUSTek held a presentation within the framework of the STEK Computer partner conference, Igor Tarabrov, technical marketing representative of ASUS, spoke about the current model ranges of laptops from this company and their marking features.

I stopped in this blog on the marking features of ASUSTek laptops in 2011. I think many users will find the information useful.

By the first letter in the name of the laptop, you can clearly determine which segment it belongs to and what to expect from it.

Since 2011, the way to indicate the presence or absence of a discrete graphics accelerator in a laptop has changed slightly.

Notebook coding for Ukraine is as follows

Especially for Ukraine, laptops will have extended labeling, by which you can find out the complete set of modifications without unpacking the box and running information utilities. Moreover, the last character of this extended labeling even allows you to find out the package bundle of the laptop.

Now a few words about the Eee PC

For users who do not need a full-fledged laptop, since it is not supposed to solve complex tasks (just accessing the Internet, processing mail and simple entertainment), back in April 2008. ASUSTeK has officially announced the start of sales of the Eee PC ultraportable computer in Ukraine. The first device was the Eee PC 701. The basic modification was then equipped with 4 GB of built-in Flash memory, a Wi-Fi module, and a 7-inch display.

The product, priced at $400, was received with a bang by buyers. At first, the demand for Eee PC in Europe led to a shortage. Demand for a low-cost portable solution has led to the creation of a line of products with various configurations based on the Eee PC.

Comparison of ALL models (+ ALL body colors and battery life) of the ASUS Eee PC series for Ukraine event.asus.ua/eee/comparison/

Download as PDF event.asus.com/eeepc/comparison/ComparisonList.pdf

I'll stop for a few moments. more in detail. All models from presentations in Ukraine.

A feature of ASUS Eee PC 1001PXD is the use of Atom processors, which allows you to work with more efficient DDR3 modules. The series is also equipped with a hard drive - 250 or 320 GB. Modifications that cost a little more use Wi-Fi 802.11n. Autonomy is up to 11 hours.

ASUS Eee PC 1008P KR will be available this year, which have the design of Karim Rashid's "pen", which allows you to emphasize the taste of the owner of the device.

ASUS Eee PC 1015PD, 1015PED, 1015PEM and 1015PW modifications visually distinguish the chiclet keyboard and large touchpad, which allows for comfortable long-term work.

Autonomy ASUS Eee PC 1015PD, 1015PED up to 13.5 hours. ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM and ASUS Eee PC 1015PW support Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 3.0. These modifications are presented in the widest color design.

The most functional among the 10-inch models are ASUS Eee PC 1016P and Eee PC 1018P.

Modifications of 12-inch devices use dual-core processors, a large amount of RAM, hard drives up to 320 GB and advanced communications.

The Eee PC 1215N uses discrete graphics adapter nVidia ION, hardware HD video decoding and support for NVIDIA Optimus technology.

Asus Eee PC is still a device that complements the capabilities of a computer and is designed for users such as students, schoolchildren, travelers and journalists.

Asus netbook markings

"ee" means "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play" (Easy to learn, easy to operate, easy to play)

First two digits denote the diagonal of the device.

next two digits is the serial number of the model.

All letters in one place:

A - Presence of an Intel Atom processor on board;
D - Presence of an Intel Celeron-M (Dothan) processor on board;
E - High-capacity battery (for example, in 1000HE as much as 8700 mAh);
H - The presence of a hard drive instead of an SSD drive;
G - Presence of a built-in WiMAX module;
P - The presence on board the new Intel Atom processor (Pine Trail);
S - SSD-drive instead of a hard drive;
DN - the presence of a disk drive (only in the 1004DN model);
KR - Designed by Karim Rashid (1008P-KR only);
S - SSD drive instead of hard drive;
T - touch screen (Touch). MT - multitouch.
X - Pre-installed Windows XP.

There are also 2G, 4G, 8G subscriptions (in the "old" models - the volume of the built-in SSD drive in GB), Surf (lack of a webcam) and Go (the presence of a built-in UMTS module).

The ASUS EeePC 1005HAG model will be an example.

The first two digits mean the diagonal of the screen - here it is 10 inches (more precisely, 10.1). In models 7xx, 9xx, 11xx and 12xx, the diagonals of the screens are 7, 9, 11 and 12 inches, respectively.

The next two digits, in fact, do not mean anything - it's just the serial number of the model in the series. Three or four digits are followed by letters. In this case, the letter H means that a hard drive is used inside, not an SSD. A - Intel Atom processor. G - the presence of a WiMAX module.

The letter X is almost never used and used to be, for example, in the EeePC 701SDX model. However, some other characters are also very rare.

Some exceptions are the convertible netbook T91 and S101. The letter T means that the rotary touch screen is used. The T91MT has a multi-touch screen. Accordingly, the T101MT just has a slightly larger screen. The S101 is simply a stylish netbook.

What do the indicators on the laptop show. Deciphering graphics on the laptop case

Packing and scope of delivery

Exterior: design and ergonomics

Interior: interior content

Test Methodology

Testing

Advantages and disadvantages of ASUS C90S

Conclusion

Other materials on this topic

Step 1. Determining the laptop model

Step 2: Warranty check

Step 3. Determining the problem

1 TIME

2 TIMES

3 TIMES

4 TIMES

FIVE TIMES

8 TIMES