Asus U30JC Review Archive

Overview

The Asus U30JC is one of the first thin-and-light laptops that combine the new Intel Core i3 CPU with the NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics. The result is a powerful laptop that provides great gaming performance and long battery life at the same time.

If you have not heard of the Optimus technology before, it’s Nividia’s new switchable graphics solution, which automatically turns your GPU on and off on the fly. Previously, switchable graphics required you to actively turn off the discrete graphics card when you didn’t need it. But with Optimus technology, the users don’t have to think about when they want to use the different graphics options: Optimus will take care of deciding which graphics processor is best for the application or content.

Video demo of Nvidia Optimus technology vs switchable graphics:

Asus U30JC Specification

• Intel Core i3-350M Processor (2.26 GHz)
• NVIDIA GeForce 310M Graphics Engine with 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM with NVIDIA Optimus technology
• 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz DRAM (2GB x 2 slots), 4GB Max
• Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
• 320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• Super Multi Optical Disk Drive
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
• 13.3-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display
• 0.3MP Webcam
• HDMI Port
• 8 cell 5600mAh battery

Performance And Battery Life

The combination of 2.26-GHz Intel Core i3 CPU with NVIDIA GeForce 310M Graphics and 4GB of DDR3 RAM gives the laptop a very strong performance. Below are some of the benchmark test results for the Asus U30JC:

• Score 5,334 on PCMark Vantage (Average thin-and-light laptops score 3519, while the Macbook scores 4259)
• Booted to Windows 7 Premium in a speedy 54 seconds
• Score 3,711 on 3DMark06 when the Nvidia GT 310M GPU is activated (Average thin-and-light laptops score 1701, while the Macbook scores 4778)
• Get frame rate of 73.4 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III at 1,366×768-pixel resolution
• Lasted for 7 hours and 7 minutes on Laptop Magazine’s Battery test which involve continuous Web surfing over WiFi
• Lasted for 4 hours on CNet’s video playback battery drain test

Design

The Asus U30JC comes with a brush aluminium lid. The chiclet style keyboard are made from matte black plastic, while the area around the keyboard is a metallic silver plastic. Overall it looks pretty good although some design-savvy consumers might find it lacks a certain slickness.

The biggest drawback of this laptop is its size and weight. Measuring 13.1 x 9.5 x 1.2 inches and weighing 4.8 pounds, the Asus U30JC is bulkier and heavier than many other thin-and-light laptops.

360 degree view of the Asus U30JC:

Conclusion

Asus has found a winner by combining the Core i3 CPU with NVIDIA Optimus GPU. The strong performance and long battery life of the U30JC makes it one of the best 13-inch laptop around. While other 13-inchers may be lighter on the shoulder, the Asus U30JC provide an incredible three-way balance of performance, graphics and endurance at just $899 which is highly competitive compared to the rest.

Availability

The Asus U30JC is currently available at Amazon for $899.

Source: Amazon, Laptop Magazine, CNet