Why You Can Trust CNET Asus G51J-3D review: Asus G51J-3D
Asus G51J-3D
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
We've been very impressed with Nvidia's 3D Vision technology, which renders most games in pretty impressive 3D, but it requires an investment in compatible hardware, including a 120Hz LCD monitor, approved desktop GPU with dual-link DVI connection, and a pair of battery powered 3D glasses with a USB IR emitter.
Asus G51J-3D
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Asus is the first PC maker to incorporate these hardware requirements into a laptop, and the result is an impressive package that makes 3D PC gaming more practical by incorporating the 120Hz display and compatible GPU into a portable all-in-one package. The $1,699 system also includes a pair of Nvidia's 3D glasses and the IR emitter that normally sells separately for about $200.
Unlike Acer's attempt at a 3D laptop (which used entirely different technology), this system is up to the task with an Intel Core i7 processor and decent Nvidia graphics card. In fact, it's such a powerful system that we're a little disappointed it tops out with a 15.6-inch screen (and with only a 1,366x768-pixel resolution). That's not ideal for high-end gaming, and keeps this from being a go-to gaming laptop, 3D element aside.
| Price as reviewed | $1,699 |
| Processor | 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM |
| Memory | 4GB, 1,066MHz DDR3 |
| Hard drive | 320GB 7,200rpm (x2) |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel PM55 Express Chipset |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Premium (64-bit) |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.8x10.4 inches |
| Height | 1.4-1.6 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.6 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 7.5/9.1 pounds |
| Category | Mainstream |
Typical for an Asus gaming laptop, the G51J-3D features a black, matte/glossy design with a few gamer-friendly graphical touches on the lid. It's big and bulky for a mainstream-size laptop, so you're not going to be carting this to the coffee shop
The matte keyboard has large, flat-topped keys, and manages to squeeze in a separate number pad, although the number pad keys are narrow. Its large touch pad, while decent, isn't of much use in gaming (3D or otherwise), for which you'll typically hook up a separate USB mouse.
The 15.6-inch display is both the system's best and worst feature. As a 120Hz LED backlit LCD, it can display the twin images required for 3D, and we'll no doubt see more of these in the near future. Unfortunately, the screen has a low 1,366x768-pixel resolution, which is increasingly common for 11-inch Netbooks, but not high-end gaming rigs.
While playing 3D games, the display works well, although you might want to turn the brightness level up (video look darker viewed though the sunglass-like 3D specs). However, when not using the Nvidia 3D technology the screen's low resolution is noticeable, and it detracts from general Web surfing and media playback.
| Asus G51J-3D | Average for category [mainstream] | |
| Video | VGA-out, HDMI | VGA-out, HDMI |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone, microphone, S/PDIF jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader, Mini FireWire, eSATA | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | ExpressCard/54 | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
With the G51J you get a selection of ports and connections more typical of an oversized desktop replacement, including a separate eSATA port and full ExpressCard/54 slot.
With a 1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM CPU, this is a powerful system, although you can check other PC makers, such as Dell, and step up into Core i7 territory, minus the Nvidia graphics and 3D technology, for around $600 less. Still, it performed comparably with other Core i7 laptops we've seen, making it one of the fastest laptops you can buy.
As a gaming rig, the included Nvidia GeForce 260M is a powerful GPU, giving us 93.9 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III at 1,280x800-pixel resolution (higher resolutions are pointless, thanks to the low-resolution display). To get better frame rates, you'd have to skip the 3D and move to an even more powerful dual-card SLI setup housed in a larger 17-inch chassis, which would add some serious expense.
Of course, most of you gaming will (or at least should) be make use of the Nivida 3D Vision technology. In that market there's no laptop competition right now, making the Asus G51J the most powerful (and only) Nvidia 3D Vision laptop currently available. We tried a wide variety of games, from Left 4 Dead 2 to Batman: Arkham Asylum, and found the results to be impressive--although the 3D Vision works better with some games than others (Nvidia pops an on-screen message up when you launch a game, reporting any known issues with that specific title).
 Juice box | |
| Asus G51J-3D | Average watts per hour |
| Off | 0.56 |
| Sleep | 1.66 |
| Idle | 35.35 |
| Load | 110.36 |
| Raw kWh Number | 195.86 |
| Annual power consumption cost | $22.23 |
The G51J ran for just 59 minutes on our video playback battery drain test. That would be considered poor for even a 17-inch desktop replacement, and for a 15-inch laptop, it's extremely laughable. Obviously powering the high-end CPU and GPU, dual hard drives, and 3D components all take a serious toll on battery life.
Asus includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system, but its online support veers wildly from usable to just plain broken (we've found the main U.S. Asus home page to be occasionally unreachable). After digging around on three different related support subsites, we did manage to finally dig up the U.S. 24-7 toll-free support number, which is 888-678-3688.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | 1,280x800, 0X AA, 0X AF* | | 1,440x900, 4X AA, 8X AF* |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
Asus G51J-3D
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M; (2) 320GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q850
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM; 6GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M; HDD No. 1: 64GB, Toshiba SSD / HDD No. 2: 320GB Hitachi 7,200rpm
Dell Studio 1747
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650; 320GB Western Digital 7,200rpm
HP Pavilion dv7-3085dx
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM; 6,144MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M; 500GB Seagate 7,200rpm