Asus S96j Review (pics, specs)

by Philip Cody

Overview and Introduction:

The Asus S96j is a notebook that combines the powerful Core Duo technology with the ATI Mobility X1600 graphics card. The S96j is made by Asus and is part of Intel's VBI (Verified By Intel) program. This program is part of Intel's Interchangeability Initiative. There are certain parts of the notebooks in this program that have interchangeable parts. These parts include: Hard drives, optical drives, LCD panels, battery packs, power adapters, keyboards, and customizable notebook panels. The S96j is very similar to the Asus Z96J which has a higher resolution screen and bluetooth built in. The S96j that I'm reviewing has the following configuration:

Asus S96j Specs as Configured:

• Screen: WXGA (1280x800) glossy screen
• Processor: Core Duo T2400 (1.83 GHz)
• Graphics Card: ATI Mobility X1600
• Memory: 1 GB Corsair DDR2 667 ram
• Hard Drive: 80GB Hitachi 7,200 rpm SATA HD (7K100)
• Optical Drive: NEC ND-6650A DVD burner

Asus S96j (view large image)

Reasons for Buying:

In early January 2006 my notebook died and I needed a new one. I decided that I wanted to save some money and use some of my parts and OS from my old notebook in the new notebook. I then started looking at barebones*. I wanted a 15.4" notebook with a WXGA screen (which I prefer for 15.4" screen). About this time the new MSI and Asus barebones were announced. I was going to get the MSI MS-1039 but the US release kept getting pushed back. When it became obvious that the Asus Z96J (S96j) was going to be released about the same time I started to re-think my choices. I ended up going with the S96j because I really appreciate having 2 cores on my desktop computer and I wanted that same benefit on my notebook. I also really wanted 64 bit support later on and probably being able to upgrade to Merom (Core 2 Duo) later is a big bonus.

* A barebone system means you get nothing but the computer system with the essentials such as a motherboard, battery, case, keyboard etc.  The processor, RAM and hard drive are all bought separately and configurable.  The advantage of this is it can be a bit cheaper and you can build the notebook to your preferences.

Where and How Purchased:

I bought the barebones S96j from ExcaliberPC and the additional parts I needed (including the CPU) from ZipZoomFly. I would recommend that people buy at least the notebook, CPU, and optical drive from a reseller. When you buy this notebook you can configure what CPU, ram, hard drive, and optical drive are used. Something to keep in mind is that the barebones by itself does not come with the brackets and screws needed to secure the optical drive in the notebook. There are companies out there selling barebones without the optical drive, this is problematic.

Build & Design:

Top view of Asus S96j (view large image)

The build is very good. There's very little flex in screen lid or keyboard. This notebook feels very solid. The hinge is very stiff and this is how I like it. Even though I know the materials are all plastic it does not feel like it is made out of plastic. This is my first Asus and I'm very impressed. The design of the notebook is exceptional while the looks are kind of average. It does grow on you. I like the way the notebook tapers with the thinnest part facing you. I like the simplistic look with very nice lines.

Asus S96j under side view (view large image)

A look inside internals of the S96j (view large image)

Screen:

Asus S96j screen compared to a 19" widescreen Viewsonic LCD (view large image)

The S96j has a very nice 15.4" WXGA glossy screen with a resolution of 1280x800. The screen is made by AUO (AU Optronics) and has a pixel pitch of 0.259, response time of 16ms, contrast of 300:1, and brightness of 180. The screen is very bright, sharp, and with decent contrast. The colors are not as saturated as some LCDs I have used and tones tend to be on the cool side (I imagine that this can be tweaked though). It came with zero dead pixels. I had never had a glossy screen before and I was worried. I really like the glossy screen once I got used to it. Viewing angles are very good. I can comfortably work at on this notebook at 30% brightness setting.

Speakers:

The speakers on the S96j are weak. The sound is OK but the volume is simply too low. I compared it to a Dell e1505 and the e1505 was louder at half volume. The sound from the S96j is not nearly as full sounding either. This is not a big deal for me because I use headphones mainly anyway when gaming or watching DVDs. The output on the headphone jack is loud and sounds very good with both music and DVDs.

Processor and Performance:

I'm very happy with the performance of the notebook. The performance rivals my desktop computer (which uses an Athlon 64 X2 processor). Everything is very snappy. The 7,200 RPM SATA drive is very fast. Multitasking performance like this on a notebook is a dream, it really changes the way you use your notebook. Gaming performance is spectacular for a 15.4" notebook. I have been playing F.E.A.R., Quake 4, and HL2 at native resolution (1280x800) at mostly maximum settings and they play very smooth. Quake 4 with its multi-core support (with latest patch) runs amazingly well.  Also, Half-Life 2 Episode One at native resolution, high settings, and full HDR plays very well.

The author's dog Tucker endorses the S96j, here he is seen playing some Quake 4 at the lake on the gaming capable S96j (view large image)

Benchmarks:

Super Pi

PCMark05 Benchmarks
 

3DMark05  (Using Omega - Cat. 6.3)