ASUS U36S Specs, Performance and Benchmarks

Our ASUS U36S review unit has the followng specifications:

• 13.3-inch glossy 720p display (1366x768 resolution)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core i5-2410M dual-core processor (2.3GHz, up to 2.9GHz Turbo Boost, 3MB cache, 35W TDP)
• Intel HM65 chipset
• Nvidia GeForce GT 520M graphics card w/ 1GB DDR3 dedicated video memory
• Automatically switchable to integrated Intel HD graphics via Nvidia Optimus technology
• 4GB DDR3-1333 RAM (1x 4GB; supports up to 8GB - 2x 4GB)
• 640GB 5400RPM Seagate hard drive (ST9640423AS)
• 802.11n wireless network adapter (Atheros AR8151)
• Internal Bluetooth v2.1+EDR
• Integrated 0.3 MP webcam
• No internal optical drive
• 2-year limited warranty w/ 1-year accidental damage protection
• 8-cell Li-ion battery (83Wh)
• Weight: 3.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.4 x 0.75 inches
• Price: $899.99

The full-power (not low voltage) Intel Core i5 processor and dedicated Nvidia graphics card are impressive specs given the thinness of the U36S' chassis. These specifications are above average for a 13.3-inch notebook. The only weak point is the slow 5400RPM hard drive; a 7200RPM model is preferable. Note this notebook comes standard with a two-year warranty and includes accidental damage protection for the first year; most manufacturers offer only one year of warranty coverage on consumer laptops.

Performance and Benchmarks
Our benchmark results show the U36S is more than powerful enough for everyday usage including more demanding tasks like Adobe Photoshop CS5; it is also capable of playing 3D games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops thanks to its dedicated Nvidia graphics card.

wPrime processor comparision results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark Vantage measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

PCMark 7 is a newer benchmark which measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark11 is a newer benchmark which measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test: