F8SV: Review & Benchmarks

[EXcaliberPC]

ASUS F8SV-A1 Review
November 18, 2007 by EXcaliberPC.com



Overview and Introduction:
The Asus F8SV-A1 was released during the third week of November 2007. It is a 14” notebook featuring a sleek black cover made with Infusion Technology along with built in features such as fingerprint authentication, 1.3 megapixel webcam and more all the while keeping the price at the low end of the spectrum in its class. Utilizing high end Intel Centrino Duo processor combined with the latest NVIDIA mobile graphics the F8SV-A1 give the user confidence while tackling a business presentation or some hardcore gaming. In short the F8SV features mobility, durability, security, price, and performance!

Specification:

Screens: 14" WXGA (1280 x 800) Color Shine LCD

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz)

Graphics Card: NVIDIA 8600GT 256MB dedicated VRAM

Memory: 1GB DDR2 667 memory, 2 sockets for up to 4GB

Hard Drive: 160GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive (Hitachi)

8x Super-multi DVDRW Dual Layer optical drive

Camera: 1.3 megapixel webcam w/240 degree swivel

Card Reader: 8-in-1 card reader

Wireless: 802.11 A/G/N WLAN

LAN: 10/100/1000 Base T LAN

Bluebooth: Bluetooth V. 2.0 + EDR

Security: Fingerprint Authentication Reader

Speakers & Mic: Built in Speaker and microphone

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Dimensions: 13.6" x 9.8" x 1.5" inches (WxDxH)

Weight: 5.7 pounds

Reasons for buying:
Most users will choose the F8SV-A1 because of its extremely favorable price to performance ratio, the fact that being 14” it is very mobile while being able to tackle the latest games, and that it is simply gorgeous. Business users will like its webcam, fingerprint security, and ease of use.

Where and how purchased: n/a

Build & Design:
As with most Asus notebooks, the styling on this notebook is very good. The outside of the notebook is black with faint straight lines running across the top and is very shiny. It is of plastic construction but with a clear coating that makes it very smooth. The laptop opens easily and smoothly. Inside the LCD borders are black as are the keyboards while the borders are all silver. The faint style lines that’s the theme on the outer cover is also present on the lower half of the silver border giving the notebook a consistent styling inside and out. Pushing in on the lid does not cause ripples on the LCD screen. I am able to twist the top cover so the LCD casing is not very rigid. While screen is open pushing on the LCD the hinge gives a little but resists the force fairly well. The buttons on the touchpad has a crisp response and is sensitive. It is possible to hold the laptop using one hand during operation but it is not very comfortable so using two hands are recommended. Overall the feel for the notebook is very sturdy.

Screen:
The F8SV-A1 features a 14” glossy WXGA screen with resolution of 1280x800. It features the latest in anti-reflective LCD screen technology trademarked by Asus under ‘Color Shine’ and the results really do shine! The contrast is very high and the colors are vibrant. Texts are very clear. The resolution is perfect for most tasks except for things such as comparing two web pages side by side. In that regard one may opt for a higher resolution screen but the draw back for that is that texts and objects on the screen may be too small on a 14” LCD. The viewing angles are not very good for the F8SV-A1. You really need to look at the screen straight on and little variation in viewing angle really drops the picture’s quality. It is not ideal for several friends to be watching movies together but as stated earlier the color is very good if you look at it at the appropriate angle.

Speakers:
The speakers for the F8SV-A1 are located at the bottom. They are not very loud even at the highest setting. The sound quality is ordinary. They are adequate but one should considering using headphones if they are trying to watch movies in a loud room.

Processor and performance:
The F8SV-A1 takes 55 seconds to go from when the user pushes the power button to when Windows is ready. The system comes with 1GB of memory by default and it is probably best to add another 1GB at least. The hard drive is only 5400RPM but all the task seem to be performed very quickly. The overall performance is very high as indicated by the benchmarks below.

Benchmarks:
System Hardware: (Stock)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
Graphics Card: GeForce 8600M GT 256MB
Memory:Hynix 1GB DDR2 667(2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12)
Hard Drive: Hitachi 5K250 160GB 5400RPM

System Software & Drivers:
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Nvidia: ForceWare ver. 169.09

3DMark06 Score: 3576



System Hardware: (Stock w/ 3GB RAM)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
Graphics Card: GeForce 8600M GT 256MB
Memory:Hynix 1GB 5300S-555-12 + Samsung 2GB 5300S-555-12-E3
Hard Drive: Hitachi 5K250 160GB 5400RPM

System Software & Drivers:
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Nvidia: ForceWare ver. 169.09

3DMark06 Score: 3577


System Hardware: (Overclocked via RivaTuner v.2.06)*
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
Memory:Hynix 1GB 5300S-555-12 + Samsung 2GB 5300S-555-12-E3
Graphics Card: GeForce 8600M GT 256MB*
Core: 569MHz - Shader: 1138MHz - Memory: 569MHz

System Software & Drivers:
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Nvidia: ForceWare ver. 169.09

3DMark06 Score: 4570



Vista Windows Experience Index: 4.7





Slideshow(15+ photos, permanent link)

Heat and Noise:
The F8SV-A1 is cool as far as notebooks go. The keyboard and palm-rest will be slightly warm after hours of use. It should be noted that even during overclocking the notebook does not get very warm. Noise is very low as well though some may complain that the CPU fan is constantly on but it makes almost no noise at all. The DVD-Rom drive makes very little noise during spinning.

Keyboard and touchpad:
The keyboard seems well supported on all the parts and no keyboard flex are observed. The keys feel just right in size and one can type easily on them. I like how the touch pad surface feels very slightly coarse to give the user a greater feel when using it. What I do not like is that the scroll feature is not very sensitive on the touch pad. It seems you have to ‘scroll’ fast with your finger to make the touchpad register the scroll. However, the touch pad is sensitive and easy to use when moving the pointer around on the screen.

Input and output:
The F8SV comes with one USB 2.0 port on the left and two on the back and right of the notebook for a total of 5 USB 2.0 ports. It has a 1394 IEEE port on the left as well as cardreader slot, an express slot, headphone jack and microphone jack. On the back it has TV out connector, DVI-out connector, VGA connector, network connector, modem connector, AC input connector, and the aforementioned USB ports.

Wireless:
The F8SV-A1 comes with 802.11 A/G/N capable wireless LAN card along with Bluetooth V2.0 and Infrared Receiver. The wireless LAN works flawlessly with our office wireless router.

Battery:
The battery that is included is a 6 cell Li-Ion battery. Playing DVD movie at full screen and loudest setting under power saving the F8SV-A1 gave a warning of 10% power after an hour and 34 minutes and shut down completely after an hour and 39 minutes. During regular web surfing and use the battery lasted around 2 hours.

Battery time # 1: Approximately 1 hour and 39 min. (1 hour and 34 min. til warning)
- Full screen DVD Playback w/ all preloaded applications.
- Power4Gear : Battery Saving Mode.

Battery time # 2: Approximately 2 hour and 10 min. (2 hour and 2 min. til warning)
- Internet Video Streaming, IM chatting and browsing.
- Power4Gear : Battery Saving Mode.

Operating System and software:
The F8SV-A1 comes with Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit. As is with all Asus notebooks. It comes with a recovery DVD and a driver CD and from experience they are very easy to use. As far as the pre-loaded software it comes with standard bloatware. The one I dislike the most is Norton and its associated programs. The one that is useful is the Adobe Reader. Other than that there are the MS office trial versions and a few other little programs.

Customer Support:
This is a new system and we’ve not had any issues on it yet. However, speaking from experience Asus customer support is excellent. They pay for shipping both ways. Knowledgeable and in house tech support is always very quick to reach 24/7. Furthermore, the support staff is usually very dedicated to good customer service. The unit includes 1 year accident damage warranty and 2 years US warranty. It is hard to beat Asus support.

Conclusion:
The F8SV-A1 is a very well rounded notebook overall. Its drawback is that it may not be great to watch a movie with a bunch of friends but if you are using it by yourself or playing games you should be more than happy!

Pro:
Great performance
Great price
Great looks
Solid construction
Bright colors and clear text
Runs fairly cool

Con:
Battery life is short
Poor viewing angle
Underpowered speakers
Limited optional accessories.



A list of accessories included with the F8SV-A1

1. 6-cell battery 4800mAh, 53Whrs x 1
2. 90 Watt AC Adapter w/ power cord (ADP-90SB) x 1
3. Asus branded optical mouse (Logitech M-UAG120) x 1
4. Asus branded carry case x 1
5. S-Video to RCA Cable x 1
6. RJ11 Phone Cable x 1
7. Cable Tie x 1
8. Microfiber LCD Cleaning Cloth (Blue) x 1
9. In-Mold Decoration Cleaning Cloth (Dark Brown) x 1
10. Notebook Warranty Card w/ serial # x 1

Software:
1. Asus Recovery DVD v. 1.2
2. F8 Driver & Utility CD v. 1.0
3. Nero OEM Suite CD v. 7.9.6.2



Thank you for reading!
EXcaliberPC.com

[odin243]

Nice review! Thanks for the detail, it's greatly appreciated.

One question, what was the screen brightness during the battery tests?

[Zam]

Is that the GDDR3 or DDR2 version of the 8600?

Excellent professional review

[EXcaliberPC]

Originally Posted by odin243

Nice review! Thanks for the detail, it's greatly appreciated.

One question, what was the screen brightness during the battery tests?

It is the battery saving mode under Power4Gear, will check the actual brightness tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Zam

Is that the GDDR3 or DDR2 version of the 8600?

Excellent professional review

It is 8600M GT DDR2 at 400MHz.

[odin243]

It is the battery saving mode under Power4Gear, will check the actual brightness tomorrow.

That would be much appreciated, as I'm not that familiar with the specifics of Power4Gear's settings. The reason I ask is that most of the time I'd be using a laptop at near min brightness, so I'd like to be able to estimate how much more battery life that would net me.

[pogitz]

this baby's SMALL but TERRIBLE !!!!

thanks for the review !

[EXcaliberPC]

Originally Posted by odin243

That would be much appreciated, as I'm not that familiar with the specifics of Power4Gear's settings. The reason I ask is that most of the time I'd be using a laptop at near min brightness, so I'd like to be able to estimate how much more battery life that would net me.

That's easy, no problem at all. We'll even run another test at the minimum viewable brightness. Thanks!

[LakerFan]

Does it have a TPM chip?

[Q8PHANTOM]

Excellent review.
But ASUS has release this too late.
Doesn't it has the Intel turbo memory?

[Calvengeance]

I want my B1, damnit!