Asus M50VM Montevina, NV 9600M GS Review

[GenTechPC]

M50VM

Introduction:
The M50VM is the brand new upgrade to the M50SV featuring Intels newest Montevina platform. Asus did great with the M50SV and it only makes sense to keep a good thing going by refreshing it with the newest technology.

M50VM Video: (720p)
width="480" height="295">


Build Quality and Physical Specs
The build is just like the older M50SV, anything on the outside is exactly the same, it’s all of what’s in the inside that has changed.
If you’re not familiar with what Montevina brings to the table, here are a few of the major changes.

- Faster ram, full DDR2 800Mhz support standard, any memory intensive tasks can now benefit from the higher bandwidth of the ram as can the system as a whole. Note that Montevina also added support for DDR3 but the M50VM used DDR2 memory still and can not be upgraded to DDR3 because the slots are different. DDR3 is still incredibly overpriced right now and only marginally better than DDR2 so don’t let this be a negative thing to you.
-1066Mhz FSB for the cpu,
- Better CPU, The Montevina platform with 1066Mhz of bandwidth to move information along.
- New SATA controller, the chipset features ICH9M the update from the older ICH8M.

Onto the actual M50VM Models to be available at launch.
M50VM-A1:
MSRP: $1299
15.4" 1440X900 WXGA+
Chipset: Intel PM45 Montevina Mobile Platform
Southbridge: ICH9-M SATA Controller
GPU: GeForce 9600M GS 1GB VRAM DDR2
CPU P8400 2.26 Ghz 3MB 1066 FSB
4GB DDR2 800MHz
320GB 5400RPM SATA
Express Gate Technology
Aheros AR928X Wireless Network Adapter
DVDRW Super Multi
1.3MB Swivel webcam
Fingerprint Scanner

M50VM-B1:
MSRP: $1449
15.4" 1440X900 WXGA+
Chipset: Intel PM45 Montevina Mobile Platform
Southbridge: ICH9-M SATA Controller
GPU: GeForce 9600M GS 1GB VRAM DDR2
CPU T9400 2.53 Ghz 6MB 1066 FSB
4GB DDR2 800MHz
320GB 5400RPM SATA
Express Gate Technology
Aheros AR928X Wireless Network Adapter
DVDRW Super Multi
1.3MB Swivel webcam
Fingerprint Scanner


wPrime:
T9400: 30.311

P8400: 33.571












GPU load:




GPU idle:


The sticker of 9600M GS on the palmrest says it has 512MB, it's just the wrong sitcker, the card is actually 1GB:




So the first thing you probably noticed is that the video card is the 9600M, brand new to the scene loaded with 1GB of video RAM!
The next thing you may notice is that just like the last model the M50 is still fully loaded with a lot of ram and a big hard drive. This time around even better than the M50SV stock with 4GB of DDR2 800 ram and a 320GB HDD . Still even with the upgrades they are very competitively priced.

There is just one thing that is different from M50SV, the new M50VM is missing the Combo port of ESATA and USB, it's now only the ESATA:


While the M50SV has ESATA and USB combo port:


Express Gate


Express Gate is a small built in operating system based on Linux that is there to offer you incredibly quick boot up times if you have small tasks to perform that you don’t need to be in windows for. It has a few different modes. You can boot into internet mode wich will let you use a browswer and turn on your wireless/wired interent so you can just check some mail really fast or look up something online. There is a chat mode so you can use AIM or similar programs to chat with your friends. Plus several other modes like Skype, Photo, Music. This is a neat feature and also acts as a great emergency backup. If you corrupt your windows installation somehow, you still have a way to use your laptop and get things done.


Device Manager:


LCD from Everest report:
Monitor

[ Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB] ]

Monitor Properties:
Monitor Name Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID CPT1465
Manufacturer CLAA154WP05A
Manufacture Date Week 26 / 2008
Serial Number None
Max. Visible Display Size 33 cm x 21 cm (15.4")
Picture Aspect Ratio 16:10
Gamma 2.20
DPMS Mode Support None



Keyboard and Touchpad
Since the exterior of the M50VM remains the same, you can expect the same great keyboard and touchpad as the last. Top of its class with a full numeric keypad to use, the backlit media touchpad, good response and no perceivable flex. You could easily ask any current M50SV owner about how the keyboard feels and most would agree that it’s a great experience to use it. Infact if you want a good feel for how the M50SV is built I recommend you check out my review of that product here: M50Sv: Review & Owners' Lounge


Audio
Best Audio in its class, the M series is geared to be a media notebook, and without a doubt one of the most aspects of media is sound. So the great Altec Lansing speakers return to treat your ears and crush the myth that notebooks cant have good built in speakers.

Battery life:

M50Vm-B1 T9400
6 cell: 2 Hours 38 Minutes



9 Cell: 4 Hours and 2 minutes.




M50Vm-A1 P8400
6 Cell: 2 Hrs 50 minutes:




Performance and Benchmarks

WEI:


3DMark06


9500M GS 512MB DDR2 from M50SV


1280x720: 3580
1440x900: 3089

Compare with 9600M GS 1GB:

9600M GS 1GB DDR2
1024x768: 4622
1280x720: 4408
1440x900: 3794










COD4:




Game video:

Crysis:
Resolution: 1280X720

Shaders/Shadows: Low




Shaders/Shadows: Medium



Shaders/Shadows: High




Call of Duty 4




Devil May Cry 4


World in Conflict


____________________________________________________________________________________________
Windows XP:


XP Drivers:





For easy installtion press F2 at asus logo screen to enter BIOS, go to Advanced tab and IDE Controller, setup SATA mode from Enhance to Compatible, press F10 and exit.


Below is the drivers you can install from drivers DVD:

D:\DRIVER\ATK0100\VISTA32\2KSETUP.EXE
D:\DRIVER\KB_FILTER\XP32\2KSETUP.EXE

D:\SOFTWARE\ATKHOTKEY\VISTA32_64\SETUP.EXE
D:\SOFTWARE\ATKMEDIA\SETUP.EXE
D:\SOFTWARE\ATKOSD2\SETUP.EXE

D:\SOFTWARE\CARDREADER\RICOH_R5C833\VISTA32_64\SETUP.EXE
D:\Software\BLUETOOTH\AZUREWAVE_BT-253\VISTA32_64\WIN32\BRCM\DPINST.EXE
D:\SOFTWARE\MODEM\VISTA32\Setup.exe
D:\SOFTWARE\EXPRESSGATE\VISTA32_64\ST_ASUSIF00_HD_V0.7.6.0_20080624.EXE
D:\SOFTWARE\FINGERPRINTS\VISTA32_64\SETUPAIM.EXE
D:\SOFTWARE\TOUCHPAD\VISTA32\Setup.exe
D:\SOFTWARE\WCONSOLE2\SETUP.EXE


Drivers you need to download:

Intel Chipset:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1276...inst_autol.zip

nVidia GeForce Driver:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/...howtopic=18823
1: Download driver from the driver link
2: Extract driver into a folder
3: download Modded INF
4: Copy and paste INF file into the extracted driver folder before run setup.exe
5: Run Setup.exe


Wireless for A1 and B1:
Atheros AR928X Wireless lan (use update driver from Device Manger to install):
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/...howtopic=14858

Wireless for B2 and B4:
Intel WiFi Link 5100:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1715..._X_Drivers.zip
unzip and click dpinst32.exe to install.


Realtek Audio Driver:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

nVidia HDMI Audio Driver:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/144542


Realtek Lan Driver (Unzip and click setup.exe to install):
Link1
Link2
Link3

Power4Gear:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1089...16_Generic.zip


IR Driver still not work in XP.

There is a question mark on "Audio Device on High Definition Audio BUs" but the sound card works.




3DMark06

1024x768: 4967
1280x720: 4674
1440x900: 3983










Reason to buy
The M50 is probably the best thing Asus has come out with in awhile, very reasonably priced for what you get and all packed into a solid chasis, with a great screen, keyboard, great speakers. It’s a laptop that your happy with for a long time and just feels right. Its fast enough to play games on casually and has a nice neutral look to it so its not too plain like a cardboard box and not sending out neon lasers to reflect off the walls like some of the out of this world gaming notebooks might.
So if you were previously interested in the success that was the M50SV and just didn’t know if it was the right time to buy, or one of the people that knew the Montevina platform was coming soon and hoping for a refresh, well here it is!


Conclusion
In conclusion, its safe to say that the M50VM did exactly what it was supposed to, take an already great notebook and make it better. Montevina is a worthy upgrade, giving you things that laptops never had before and making it closer to what you would expect in a full size desktop. You could not go wrong with this as your new notebook. I think I see great things coming from it.

[David]

Great stuff Ken! This is notebook is definately much better for gaming
Just so others can compare easier, the M50SV-A1 (w/ 9500M GS + Vista) scores 3089 in 3dmark06 with native resolution (1440x900) while the M50VM-B1 (w/ 9600M GS + Vista) scores 3794 all on stock settings.

I can't wait to see what XP can do I'm also eager to see what the battery life is like too

Lol... guess nvidia's trying to save some money by not replacing the stickers!

[CrispyMango]

so will this be a big improvement? anyone know about the rumored new g series that has a 9700m gt?

[David]

so will this be a big improvement? anyone know about the rumored new g series that has a 9700m gt?

It's definately a significant improvement (700 points difference) since the 9500M GS and 9600M GS are pretty much the same card with the exception of the smaller die and larger memory. The smaller 65nm architecture makes the 9600M GS more efficient and less power hungry. But the difference is not as huge when compared to the 9700M GT. The 9700M GT, As far as I know has similar performance to the 8800M GTS.

[CrispyMango]

oh so if there are going to be g series with the 97 its going to be a 17 inch?

[David]

oh so if there are going to be g series with the 97 its going to be a 17 inch?

Well, Asus did say that the G50 (15") will have the 9700 GPU, but there's no official release day for that notebook.

Anyways, back with the M50, Ken, could you check if the IR works on XP when you have time?

[CrispyMango]

hm maybe ken will have some insight on this subject. when this futre laptop gets released will there be a huge difference between that one and this m50vm? and what price range will it be in?

[GenTechPC]

Great stuff Ken! This is notebook is definately much better for gaming
Just so others can compare easier, the M50SV-A1 (w/ 9500M GS) scores 3089 in 3dmark06 with native resolution (1440x900) while the M50VM-B1 (w/ 9600M GS) scores 3794 all on stock settings.

I can't wait to see what XP can do I'm also eager to see what the battery life is like too

Lol... guess nvidia's trying to save some money by not replacing the stickers!

Yes it's about 20% more powerful than the 9500M GS.

oh so if there are going to be g series with the 97 its going to be a 17 inch?

Not sure about that, if it pass the thermal test I am sures Asus will use 9700 in their future models.

[CrispyMango]

future models. sounds nice and im looking to buy a laptop soon so should i wait for these beastly future models or will those be a little while away? and could that 9700 video card make crysis run on all engines?

[David]

future models. sounds nice and im looking to buy a laptop soon so should i wait for these beastly future models or will those be a little while away? and could that 9700 video card make crysis run on all engines?

It's probably too soon to tell, but I don't think the future G series will come cheap.