Asus N10J-A1 review: Asus N10J-A1

Almost every Netbook we've seen to date has featured the same basic setup: the Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. We're even seeing less difference in screen size, as most vendors have settled on a 9- or a 10-inch screen. Really, the only differentiation between Netbook configurations is that some use a solid-state drive while others come outfitted with a larger capacity spinning drive--usually a 160GB hard drive. Adding a new wrinkle to the Netbook formula is the Asus N10J, a 10-inch system from the company that pretty much single-handedly kicked off the Netbook craze with its Eee PC.

8.3

Asus N10J-A1

The Good

In a Netbook first, it includes a dedicated graphics chip, which can be switched off to extend battery life; decent keyboard; excellent battery life, especially with GeForce graphics turned off; HDMI port and ExpressCard slot are useful bonuses.

The Bad

Low screen resolution won't appeal to all gamers; underpowered Intel Atom CPU is far from ideal for graphics-heavy applications; high price.

The Bottom Line

It may look like your standard Netbook, but the Asus N10J is unique because underneath it features discrete, switchable graphics. You'll pay a bit more for the privilege, but the end result works for gaming on the go, as long as you don't mind dialing down your game settings.

This new model doesn't share the Eee PC brand common to other Asus Netbooks, but it still features the usual suspects with respect to the CPU, RAM, and OS. What makes the $699 N10J different is the addition of an Nvidia GeForce 9300 graphics card, which marks the first time we've seen discrete graphics offered on a Netbook. Better yet, you can switch between the GeForce graphics and the integrate Intel graphics--similar to the new MacBook Pro--should you want to extend battery life.

Why would you possibly need a Netbook with a graphics card? Honestly, most people probably don't need it. Given their tight dimensions and relatively meager specs, Netbooks are usually reserved for nothing more than basic tasks such as Web surfing and e-mailing. But the ability to do some casual gaming makes the Asus N10J an almost irresistible travel companion if you're a PC game addict and can live with the limitations of a very low screen resolution and the low-power CPU. We managed to get marginally playable frame rates from a few current games by dialing down the in-game resolution and detail levels.

Unlike Asus' other high-end Netbook, the Eee PC S101, whose price premium is put toward design and a slim case that's less than 1 inch thick, the N10J has a more traditional, slightly chunky Netbook chassis. The main body is plastic, with a few metal accents, but feels sturdy enough to stand up to regular travel.

For a Netbook, the N10J has one of the better keyboards we've seen, with large flat keys that maximize the typing surface area. It's no match for the HP Mini 1000's excellent keyboard, but it's an improvement on the tiny keys found on most Netbooks. It also helps that the slightly bigger 10-inch design gives you more room to work with than 9-inch Netbooks. This keyboard also corrects a major problem we had with the Asus S101's keyboard: the right shift key, which had been awkwardly moved to the right of the up-arrow key, is now back in its proper place, saving us from endless typos.

The system also includes a Linux quick-launch environment from Splashtop, which gives you access to a Web browser and media player without booting into Windows. It took us about 60 seconds to go from a cold start to surfing the Web, but you'll have to dig around a bit to configure the Wi-Fi settings the first time you use it.

The 10.2-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,024x600 native resolution, which is standard for Netbooks. It's readable, but most documents and Web pages will require some scrolling, and it's an awkward resolution for both games and video content.

The inclusion of HDMI and an ExpressCard slot are appreciated additions. You're lucky to get VGA-out on a Netbook; the N10J is the first we've seen to offer HDMI. And the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is the only Netbook we've seen with an ExpressCard slot. The biggest extra in the N10J, however, is its Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS GPU. In normal operation, the GPU is turned on and an included software app lets you switch between different power-saving modes, which largely involve when the display and hard drives will power down. A physical switch on the left side of the system, however, actually turns the GeForce 9300 off; this is useful when you're away from an AC outlet and want to extend battery life. You'll need to reboot in order for the change to take effect, so this is something you can't do on the fly.

Even with the graphics turned on, the N10J performed similarly to other Atom-powered Netbooks in our benchmark tests and in casual use. Attempting to watch hefty HD video content files still taxed the Atom CPU and resulted in choppy playback, but standard-definition video files played fine. The screen resolution was too low to properly run our Photoshop test, but in anecdotal use, we were able to work with images in Photoshop without completely slowing down the system.

Gaming performance is best viewed through the prism of realistic expectations. No one should expect much from an Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM, but we were still able to milk some acceptable frame rates out of Unreal Tournament III. To get 29 frames per second, we had to dial the resolution down to 800x600, which is close to the display's native resolution of 1,024x600, and we kept the detail level at medium. The result was a reasonable experience that jumped a few frames occasionally, but was certainly playable.

Asus' Netbooks are known for their excellent battery life (and big six-cell batteries). Adding a dedicated GPU to the mix would certainly have an impact on that, and we got 3 hours and 17 minutes from the system in our video playback battery test. That's still much better than other Netbooks such as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and the HP Mini 1000, which have smaller three-cell batteries. With the GPU turned off, the system impressed, lasting about 90 minutes longer in casual use.

Asus covers its laptops with a two-year parts-and-labor warranty, and it offers online Web-based help and a toll-free phone number. The company's support Web site includes the expected driver downloads and a brief FAQ, but lacks useful features such as user forums or the chance to chat in real time with a technician.

System configurations:

Asus N10J
Windows XP Home Edition SP2; 1.6GHz Intel Atom; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS; 160GB Seagate 5400rpm

HP Mini 1000
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945GM; 60GB Toshiba 4200rpm

Asus Eee PC S101
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945 GSE; 32GB Solid State Drive

Averatec Buddy N1000
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945 Express; 160GB Fujitsu 5400rpm

Lenovo IdeaPad S10
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 64MB Mobile Intel 945 Express; 160GB Western Digital 5400rpm

Dell Inspiron Mini 9
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 64MB Mobile Intel 945 Express; STEC 16GB SSD

Samsung NC10
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945 Express; 160GB Hitachi 5400rpm