ASUS Lamborghini VX1 Notebook Review

It’s up to you to believe in dust-covered legends or not, but one legend, closely related to the subject of this review, goes like this:

One sunny day of the year of 1962 a Ferrari 365 GT pulled up at the entrance to the Enzo Ferrari office in Maranello. A middle-aged respectable-looking man stepped out of it and headed straight to the Chief’s office. The visitor, who was wearing a pair of eye-dazzling flaming-red Ferrari-style suspenders, told the secretary that he wanted to talk to Ferrari about the good and bad points of his car and to talk it over eye-to-eye as true businessmen. Going out to the Chief’s room, the secretary forgot to close the door and the visitor could overhear the ensuing conversation. “The signor is willing to talk to you, sir,” said the secretary, “He drives a Ferrari and wants to make some comments about the car.” The head of the already renowned company responded in a loud and irritated voice, “Who does he think he is? Tell him it’s no talk-show in here and I don’t have time for each client.” As the unlucky visitor confessed later, he hurried back home, gulped a glass of wine to calm down and sold his Ferrari the same day. He promised to himself that Ferrari would hear more about him soon! That’s the story and, as you may have guessed, the visitor was none other but Ferruccio Lamborghini, an influential and rich Italian, who had earned renown as a manufacturer of competitive tractors that were highly demanded by the post-war agriculture industry
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So, the origin of the firm was an emotional thing just like, “We begin to make cars and we begin to make them right now!” Economic considerations laid aside, the goal was to come up with a sports car that would surpass the products of the famous Scuderia. In early 1963 the first model, Lamborghini 350 GT, was showcased at the Turin Auto Show. The firm’s history knew high and low points since then. The car models were replacing each other along with the owners of the firm itself. Since 1998 Automobili Lamborghini has been a subsidiary of Audi which in its turn is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. The new creative ideas brought in by the new owners were embodied in the legendary Diablo and Murcielago models. And at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show the highly anticipated and rather miniature model Gallardo was showcased, its 500-horsepower engine delivering a top speed of over 300km/h and speeding the car up from zero to 100kph in a mere 4 seconds!

Lamborghini Gallardo

It is actually this model that inspired the designers and engineers of another famous brand, ASUS, to create, in collaboration with their colleagues from Lamborghini, the portable computer ASUS Lamborghini VX1 which is all about racing, squealing brakes, clouds of tire smoke, and the roar of the engine. This machine debuted in Bologna, Italy, on the territory of the legendary factory the famous sports and racing cars are manufactured at. This marked the beginning of a new round of competition between Ferrari and Lamborghini, but now in the field of portable computers and with two supporting parties, Acer and ASUS, respectively.

The ASUS Lamborghini VX1 is like a sports coupe – daring, extraordinary and aggressive. It is meticulous in every detail with its stylish lacquered lid, magnesium-aluminum insertions and a straight-shaped, yet elegant-looking, outline. The hood, embellished with the famous bull logo of Automobili Lamborghini (it is actually a Taurus, the Zodiac sign Ferruccio Lamborghini was born under) covers a top-performance computing motor, a fast graphics card, and other components to match. With all this high-tech stuffing the notebook is ready to dart forwards and vanish in the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Of course, it would be right to compare the racing notebooks from Acer and ASUS between each other, but the Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi is based on a single-core processor from AMD and wouldn’t stand a chance against the dual-core processor of the ASUS Lamborghini VX1 whereas the new dual-core Ferrari model hasn’t yet reached our test labs. Taking this fact into consideration, we chose the ASUS V6J as the opponent to the Lamborghini VX1 in today’s tests. These two notebook models have the same chassis and similar configurations, but differ in their CPU clock rates and the amount of memory (the V6J is inferior in both parameters). With the lids open, these notebooks resemble each other visually, too.

Package and Accessories

“This thing is far from cheap” – that’s the message the notebook’s package is expected to carry. The hood part of the notebook, with the Automobili Lamborghini bull, is depicted on its sides against a black background. The same logo can be seen in the top right corner. The model name and the name of the manufacturing firm are printed in white so that they were perfectly visible even though the print is small. ASUS’ traditional box-in-a-box principle is applied here: the notebook with small accessories is packed into a smaller box which is contained in the larger one along with a transportation bag.

The design of the package is up to its contents. Notebooks from ASUS have always boasted rich accessories and this model is not an exception. Besides the notebook proper, the box contains a 5200mAh battery, a power adapter with indicator, a modem cable, documentation (Quick Start Guide , ASUS-Lamborghini VX1 booklet, 2-year warranty, a list of authorized service centers around the globe, a user manual, and a 1-month LCD Zero Bright Dot warranty brochure), a small Bluetooth mouse from Logitech with the names of ASUS and Lamborghini and an installation instruction, a Lamborghini-style bag and pouch to carry the notebook about, a napkin to clean the screen, and a set of discs:

Two system recovery discs
Driver & Utility version 1.0
Nero 6.6.0.15
Medi@Show SE 2.0
PowerDirector DE 3.0.1208
ASUS DVD 6.0

The Bluetooth-interfaced rodent, manufactured by Logitech, is powered by standard AA batteries. To replace them, you should pull at the mouse’s cover away from the buttons. A wireless mouse is quite a handy tool, but you have to watch for the battery charge unless you want to find yourself having to switch to the touchpad at a most inconvenient moment.

It is not quite clear why they included a black-colored mouse into a box with a yellow-colored notebook (the Lamborghini VX1 that we were given for our tests was yellow). Perhaps ASUS had ordered only one batch of such mice and the designers couldn’t vary the color.

Design and Ergonomics

So, here is the hero of this review, the yellow-hooded portable auto. As a matter of fact, the ASUS Lamborghini is shipped in two color schemes: a yellow scheme like in this sample and a jet-black variant which is just as glossy and bright as the yellow one. Both color solutions are truly superb, so the potential customer has to face a difficult choice between them. The straight-lined geometry coupled with the color makes one recollect the car prototype. The lid is getting higher on the margins towards the rear, making up a kind of an air inlet. You can see system indicators in the middle of this inlet when the lid is closed.

The Automobili Lamborghini logotype is centered on the lid closer to the jutting piece that serves to lift the lid up. The name of the notebook’s manufacturer is modestly placed on the edge of the “air inlet” or “pseudo-spoiler”, whatever you want to call it.

Here are the indicators you can see on the lid (from left to right):

Power (alight when the notebook is turned on and blinking when in standby mode; this indicator doesn’t shine at all when the notebook is turned off or in sleep mode)
Battery charge indictor (alight when the battery is being recharged; doesn’t shine when the battery is charged or fully discharged)
Bluetooth indicator (alight when the Bluetooth interface is active)
Wireless indicator (blinking when the integrated WLAN adapter is sending out or receiving data packets)

The display lacks a lock. There is a small jut on the edge of the lid so that you could easily lift it up. The color scheme changes from yellow to black inside, which is good. If there were the same bright yellow here, it would be very distracting at work. The internal design of the notebook bears a strong resemblance to the ASUS V6J, so we suppose they have the same chassis. They are both the same size, except for thickness (due to the added “air inlet”). The ASUS logo is centered on the screen bezel which is equipped with rubber pads for softer contact with the notebook’s bottom part. Under the bottom of the screen and between its hinges, there is a battery that is exactly the same thickness as the notebook’s body. Near this battery is a second group of indicators along with a Power button and instant-launch keys that are placed closer to the keyboard and make up a small black edging.

The name of the brand is the only mention of Lamborghini here:

Configuration

The dual-core engine of the ASUS Lamborghini VX1 is an Intel Core Duo T2500 processor with a default clock rate of 2.00GHz (a 65nm Yonah core with a shared 2MB L2 cache).

Besides Intel’s traditional Enhanced SpeedStep technology that gives the notebook’s software and BIOS control over the CPU frequency multiplier (to reduce it under low loads), this CPU supports Dynamic Power Coordination (the power consumption of the cores can be independently adjusted depending on the current load; one core may even slip into Deep Sleep mode with the lowest power consumption possible) and Dynamic Cache Sizing (unused segments of the CPU cache can be turned off to reduce power consumption). For more information about Intel’s Core Duo processors refer to our review of the Centrino Duo platform.

This implementation of the Napa platform also incorporates an Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG adapter and an Intel Calistoga 945PM chipset. This chipset supports DDR2 SO-DIMMs, thus offering more memory bandwidth at lower power consumption, and a PCI Express x16 interface for an external graphics card. The ICH7-M chip is used as the chipset’s South Bridge. It is connected to the North Bridge via a special-purpose Direct Media Interface. The South Bridge supports one Parallel ATA port, two Serial ATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports and Intel High Definition Audio. It also offers six PCI Express x1 lanes to connect external devices. For more information about the platform, visit the manufacturer’s website.

Besides the ragingly fast computing engine, the ASUS Lamborghini is equipped with a powerful discrete graphics core Nvidia GeForce Go 7400VX that has 128MB of dedicated graphics memory and supports TurboCache technology. This 0.09-micron chip features low power consumption and is intended especially for light and ultra-portable computers. TurboCache technology allows the GPU to use some portion of system memory in addition to the dedicated memory to ensure higher performance in 3D applications. The notebook comes with 2GB of system RAM and the GeForce Go 7400VX can be allotted up to 512 megabytes of it.

The GeForce Go 7400VX also features Nvidia PureVideo technology for high-quality HD video playback and PowerMizer 6.0 technology that helps use power in the most optimal way to lower heat dissipation. The specifications of the Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 are listed in the following table. You can also learn more about it at the developer’s website.

The notebook is equipped with a 2.5” Seagate Momentus ST9160821A hard disk drive (a spindle rotation speed of 5400rpm and a storage capacity of 160GB) and a Matshita UJ-832S DVD-burner with the following speed characteristics:

Writing:

CD-R/RW (24x/10x)
DVD-R/RW (4x/2x)
DVD+ R/RW (4x/2.4x)
DVD+ R DL (2.4x)
DVD-RAM (2x)
CD-R/RW (24x/10x)
DVD-ROM (8x)
DVD-R/RW (4x/4x)
DVD+ R/RW (4x/4x)
DVD+ R DL (4x)
DVD-RAM (2x)

Testbed and Methods

The notebook’s hard drive was formatted in NTFS before the tests. Then we installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 with DirectX 9.0c, system drivers (from the included disc), and Windows Media Encoder 9.0 with Windows Media Player 9.0. We also installed Windows Media Player 10.0 for such tests as PCMark 2005 and SYSMark 2004 SE.

The following settings were used for the tests:

Power-saving services – Off
Audio subsystem – Off
Network services – Off
Maximum screen brightness
Maximum display resolution (1400x1050)
Windows Taskbar is Unlocked
Windows Taskbar hides automatically
Classic Desktop theme
No background image on the Desktop
No screensaver
Low security level
Pop-ups blocking disabled

There were two exceptions: we returned to the Windows XP desktop theme for PCMark 2005 since the program required that. And for SYSMark 2004 SE to work normally, we had to roll each parameter back to its default (as they are set right after you install Windows).

Two power modes were used. First, we selected the Always On power mode for maximum performance and the shortest battery life. Then we switched to the Max Battery mode for the maximum battery run-down time.

Our tests:

Performance benchmarks: synthetic (SiSoftware Sandra 2005, SiSoftware Sandra 2007, PCMark 2004 1.3.0, PCMark 2005 1.2.0), office and multimedia (SYSMark 2004 SE, Business Winstone 2004, Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004), and games (3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.2.0, 3DMark 2006 1.0.2, Quake 3, Quake 4, Unreal Tournament 2003)
Battery life tests (Battery Eater Pro 2.60)

There are three test modes in Battery Eater:

Classic (the system is under a high and evenly distributed load)
Reader’s test (the pages are browsed through each 15 seconds)
Idle mode

We used the first two modes as they are in Battery Eater, but in the Idle mode (when the test utility doesn’t put any load of its own on the notebook) we played a DVD movie.

If you are staying in touch with the Mobile section of our site, you may have noticed we begin to use SiSoftware Sandra 2007, the software suite for remote testing and diagnosing of personal computers, servers, PDAs, smart-phones, small home and office networks as well as large enterprise networks. The SiSoftware 2007 suite features an updated, enhanced-functionality interface, runs on three platforms (Win32 x86, Win64 x64, WinCE ARM), contains 13 etalon tests independently developed for each of the platforms, 34 informational modules, and supports a large range of hardware components thanks to the developer’s collaboration with Intel, AMD, ATI, SiS and VIA. The program is supported in six languages and has a free Lite version for personal and educational purposes.

We’ll go on using SiSoftware Sandra 2005 for a while, but we’ll abandon it eventually as soon as we collect enough statistical data with the new version of the benchmark.

We’ve also added SYSMark 2004 SE, which is intended to reveal a system’s overall performance under different types of load. It simulates a user who is solving practical tasks in a few popular applications and takes multi-tasking into account. As a result, the benchmark issues a few ratings that are indicative of the system performance under different loads. SYSMark 2004 SE is mainly positioned as a tool for testing desktop systems and includes applications that are not often run on mobile computers. That’s why the results for each test load will be shown and commented upon separately.

We now also use PCMark 2005 which carries on the tradition of complex benchmarks of the series and uses fragments of real-life applications as tests. This makes it somewhat more relevant for end-users as opposed to fully synthetic benchmarks. After running a series of 11 tests on the different components of the system, the program calculates an overall performance score in units called PCMarks. PCMark 2005 can check out a computer at processing HD video and encoding audio, and offers enhanced tests of the CPU and hard disk under multi-threaded load. The overall score is calculated by the formula: PCMark Score = 87 x (the geometric mean of the basic tests), where the geometric mean is calculated as (Result 1 x Result 2 x…)/the number of results.

We’ve also changed the version of Futuremark’s 3DMark suite that we use for testing notebooks. From now on we will benchmark notebooks with discrete graphics cores in 3DMark 2005 and 3DMark 2006. Compared with the previous version, 3DMark 2005 uses Shader Model 2.0x/3.0 instead of Shader Model 1.x, provides full compatibility with Shader Model 2.0, includes more complex tests (over a million polygons per each frame), and employs normal maps. 3DMark 2006 brings support for HDR, Uniform Shadow Maps, and multi-core CPUs. It is overall oriented at Shader Model 3.0, but two out of its four graphics tests work within the Shader Model 2.0 framework. We’ll still be using 3DMark 2001SE Pro for benchmarking integrated graphics cores, though.

And finally, we’ll use the latest version of Quake in addition to the older one. There was no standard demo record in Quake 4 , so we had to create it by ourselves and will use it in every following review of notebooks on our site so that different notebooks could be compared under identical conditions.

Performance

As usual, we will first run synthetic benchmarks, two versions of SiSoftware Sandra and two versions of PCMark.

SiSoftware Sandra measures the overall performance of the system as well as that of each of its subsystems, while PCMark benchmarks the computer’s performance in office and office-related applications and also produces performance scores for the main subsystems (CPU, memory, graphical, and disk subsystem).

Let’s first discuss the numbers we’ve got in the good old SiSoftware Sandra 2005 and PCMark 2004. Quite predictably, the CPU tests produce results proportional to the notebooks’ CPU clock rates. When the notebooks switch to their batteries and enable power-saving measures, their CPU frequencies are each dropped down to 1GHz, and the results become almost identical as a consequence. The file system tests produce similar results, too, because the notebooks’ hard drives have similar characteristics, except for storage capacity. The Lamborghini VX1’s memory subsystem delivers higher performance as it incorporates more memory working in dual-channel mode. Combined with the higher GPU frequency, this helped the Lamborghini VX1 win in the graphics subsystem test, too, as its GeForce Go 7400VX GPU could use its TurboCache technology to more effect.

We haven’t yet accumulated enough statistics in SiSoftware Sandra 2007 and PCMark 2005 to make any comparisons, but the results as such seem to be satisfactory and are generally alike to those of the previous versions of the benchmarks. We’ll use these data for comparisons in our upcoming notebook reviews.

The Business Winstone 2004 test runs scripts of the following real-life office applications, several scripts at a time to simulate multi-tasking: Internet Explorer, Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Project, PowerPoint, FrontPage, WinZip, and Norton AntiVirus Professional Edition.

The Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004 test evaluates performance of a computer in the following multimedia applications: Windows Media Encoder, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere, NewTek LightWave 3D, Steinberg WaveLab, Micromedia Dreamweaver MX, and Micromedia Director MX.

The following table and diagrams show the outcome of these tests:

Having very similar hardware configurations, the Lamborghini VX1 and the ASUS V6J have similar results, too, the variation being due to the minor differences in the hardware parameters. The Lamborghini VX1 has a more powerful processor, dual-channel memory, and a somewhat faster GPU, so it is ahead of its opponent when both are powered from the electric mains. When the notebooks switch to their batteries, their results are lower, and become almost identical, due to the CPU frequency drop.

Conclusion

ASUS and Lamborghini have got something competitive to pit against the Acer-Ferrari team that has been working for several years in the field of “racing” notebooks. We guess Ferruccio Lamborghini would be glad to see a Lamborghini – even though it is a notebook, not a car – provide such tough competition and even surpass rivaling products with the Scuderia Ferrari brand.

The combined effort of designers and engineers of the PC hardware giant ASUS and the famous sports car brand Automobili Lamborghini has resulted in a truly racing notebook. Featuring an eye-catching and aggressive exterior, the ASUS Lamborghini VX1 proves to be a well-balanced premium-class machine with an advanced configuration that is capable of delivering highest performance. What’s especially nice in this notebook is that it is one of the longest-lasting machines (we mean the time it can work on the battery) in its class. Its price is perhaps its only downside, but have you ever seen a cheap Lamborghini?

Winding up this review, we want to add that a new version of the ASUS Lamborghini, based on the updated dual-core Napa platform, has already become available. Its CPU is based on the Merom core rather than on the Yonah as in the notebook we’ve tested today. So, we are now waiting for the same move from Acer-Ferrari that have already showcased and announced their new red-colored machine, which hasn’t yet left the boxes, though. It means the struggle between Automobili Lamborghini and Scuderia Ferrari has only begun and we’re up to an exciting race of notebooks with their brands on board.

Highs:

Eye-catching exterior of a “racing” notebook
Good performance in all applications
A number of wireless interfaces and a Lamborghini-style Bluetooth mouse
Rich accessories
ASUS’ exclusive technologies for better image quality
Long battery life

Lows:

Mirror-like reflections on the display
Easily soiled lid
It’s hard to see the system indicators when the lid is open
High price (but it’s a Lamborghini!)

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