ASUS N81Vp-C1

The ASUS N81Vp-C1 is an excellent, attractive thin-and-light that packs best-in-class performance courtesy of a 2.66-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 7,200-rpm hard drive, and the inclusion of ATI’s new Radeon HD 4650 graphics processor. It’s rare that you’ll find a full gig of dedicated video memory in a system that weighs only 5.6 pounds. Simply stated, ASUS’ 14-inch $1,299 system is one of the best lightweight notebooks available for power users, but some may be turned off by its lackluster endurance.

Design and Ports

Sporting a glossy black, scratch-resistant lid (and hinges) with a subtle raindrop pattern that resembles Matrix code, the N81Vp has a premium look. Surrounding the display is a glossy black bezel, but both it and the lid pick up their fair share of fingerprints and smudges. Keep a polishing cloth handy.

At 13.5 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches and 5.6 pounds, the system isn’t as svelte as the 14-inch Samsung X460-44P, but with the extra girth comes a ton of ports. Its right side has two USB 2.0 connections; the front houses an IR port; the left side contains one USB 2.0 port, ExpressCard/54, FireWire 400, an 8-in-1 memory card reader, S/PDIF, and an 8X DVD±RW drive; the back has two more USB 2.0 ports (bringing the grand total to five), eSATA, HDMI, VGA, and Ethernet and modem ports. You won’t be wanting for connections to hook up your mice, speakers, monitors, and other gear.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The full-size keyboard on the N81Vp isn’t the best we’ve encountered, but it gets the job done. The individual keys offer decent feedback, and the palm rest has plenty of room; however, the keyboard itself suffers from some flex. We also would’ve liked the keys to have a glossy coating to match the other areas of the machine, as seen on the Acer Aspire 6930G.

Below the keyboard resides a spacious touchpad (with built-in scroll strip) that allowed us to maneuver the cursor with ease. Nestled between the two large, loud mouse buttons is a biometric fingerprint reader for keeping unwanted visitors out. Above the keyboard is a black, glossy strip with shortcut keys for switching power settings, toggling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on and off, selecting a video setting (Normal, Gamma, Vivid, Theater, or Soft), launching the Express Gate “instant-on” solution, and a power button that glows blue when activated; all were very responsive.