Asus K70: Basic big bargain

Asus has been busy cranking out so many netbooks, we'd almost forgotten the company also makes normal-sized laptops like this here K70 -- a 17-inch model that makes its Eee range look like, well, smaller versions of itself.

That description's pretty apt, because the K70 is basic, despite its size. It looks good enough -- thanks to a glossy brown chassis with minuscule leopard-style black spots, and a dimpled mouse trackpad with contrasting chrome selector buttons -- but it's too 'no-frills' for our liking.

It's just as well it has a relatively well-rounded spec inside. Various versions of the machine are available for purchase, but Asus has given the nod to an Intel T4200 dual-core CPU clocked at 2GHz, 4GB of DDR2 memory, an Nvidia GeForce GT120M graphics card, a dual-layer DVD drive, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and a copy of either Windows Vista, Windows 7 or XP.

All versions pack the same 17.3-inch screen running at 1,600x900 pixels, an HDMI output for splunking the video output to a big-screen telly or projector, four USB ports and a memory card reader supporting MMC, Memory Stick and SD formats.

The K70 is available to buy now from around £515 from online retailers.