ASUS F6Ve

ASUS included a wired USB optical mouse and carrying case with the purchase of F6Ve-B1. As far as freebies go they are pretty nice if you don’t already have comparable items. The carrying case provides adequate protection for the notebook, which is vital if you are carrying it around a college campus where you run the risk of dropping it. This is the first free ASUS case that we’ve seen in our office that carries the “Targus” brand name … potentially a good sign of the quality of this free bag. The USB mouse is fine as a backup travel mouse, but there are much better non-free options on the market.

System performance is what the ASUS F6Ve was designed for, with its Intel 2.66GHz T9550 processor and 512MB ATI Radeon Mobility 4570. This 13.3″ notebook is fast enough completely replace a desktop if you aren’t looking for something that has to run the latest games at the highest settings. It is very fast for things like decoding HD video, running many applications at the same time, or ripping and compressing music or video for a media player. Newer games work fine with some visual settings tweaked, pushing the limits of the ATI 4570 graphics card. The previous top performing 13.3″ notebook of choice was the LG P300, but it had to make compromises such as removing the optical bay to handle the additional hardware; ASUS managed to pull it off without removing any hardware.

Conclusion
The ASUS F6Ve could have been a much nicer notebook if the same hardware were inside a more attractive chassis. The design looks dated, build quality isn’t up to par, and overall doesn’t feel like what you would expect to get for spending $1,299 on a 13.3” notebook these days. Hardware performance is excellent without any doubt, but it feels really out of place compared to the current ASUS offerings like the N81, W90, or even the 1000HE. If you really need a compact gaming notebook, move up barely one inch to the N81Vp. It outperforms the F6Ve in nearly every category, gets double the 3D performance, and looks a heck of a lot nicer.

ASUS F6Ve-B1 Specifications:
* Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit)
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9550 (2.66GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
* 13.3″ WXGA Glossy LCD (1280×800, 16:10)
* ATI Mobility Radeon 4570 with 512MB GDDR2 VRAM
* Atheros AR928X 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.0
* 4GB DDR2 800 SDRAM (2GB x 2)
* 320GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (5400RPM)
* DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
* 1.3 megapixel webcam
* Dimensions (WxDxH): 12.2″ x 9″ x 1.2-1.4″
* Weight: 4lbs 14oz with battery, 5lbs 12oz travel weight
* 11.1v 4800 mAh 53Wh 6-cell battery
* 90W(19V x 4.74A) 100-240V AC Adapter
* 2-Year Standard Limited Warranty, 1-Year Accidental Damage Warranty