Asus M51

The Asus M51 series notebooks are 15-inch laptops offered with a range of Intel Core 2 Duo processors, dedicated graphics, and enough extras to keep most students or families happy.

The Asus M51 is a nice consumer notebook with good performance, decent port selection, and a solid graphics card option for gaming. Asus has clearly risen to the challenge of creating an attractive general use laptop in an attempt to attract a wide range of consumer laptop shoppers.

Specification

Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)

Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5550 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
15.4" WXGA Glossy Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
3GB DDR2 System Memory (supports up to 4GB)
Nvidia GeForce 9500M GS dedicated graphics (512MB)
250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Optical drive: Dual Layer CD/DVD Recordable
1.3 megapixel integrated camera
Sound: Two Altec Lansing speakers
Modem, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
6-cell battery
Weight: 6.89 lb. including battery
Dimensions: 14.2" x 10.5" x 1.1-1.6"

Build and Design
The Asus M51 is a traditional form factor 15-inch laptop with a glossy display lid and palmrest area. The overall chassis design is a combination of smooth, rounded lines on the top and sharp angles on the bottom. In short, the M51 looks nice, but the design isn't exactly going to turn any heads.

 Performance
The M51 has plenty of performance for a full range of multimedia entertainment needs thanks to the range of Core 2 Duo processors that are available. Even the entry-level 1.83GHz T5550 packs more than enough punch for most average consumers who need a general use laptop. The real story here is the new dedicated Nvidia GeForce 9500m GS. People looking for a nice budget gaming laptop will probably be very interested in the M51. As the 3DMark 06 benchmark suggests, the Nvidia 9500M GS offers a considerable performance boost over previous generation Nvidia cards.


Keyboard
 The mostly full-sized keyboard on the M51 is reasonably nice with a dedicated number pad for those who like that sort of thing. Key presses are deep with good travel and cushion and the keys aren't loud when pressed. Still, there is considerable flex across the entire keyboard surface. .

The touchpad is nice and large and features a durable surface that is also covered in the same glossy finish as the rest of the notebook chassis. Unfortuantely, the surface isn't particularly responsive and my fingertip didn't exactly glide over the touchpad. The touchpad buttons have shallow feedback and produce loud clicks. All things considered, the touchpad works, but you're better off using the cheap optical mouse that Aus includes free with purchase of the M51.

Input and Output Ports
There is a reasonable selection of ports on the M51 with just about every port the average consumer is likely to need (or want) on a 15-inch notebook. The complete list of ports includes:

• ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• Four USB 2.0
• IEEE 1394 Firewire
• TV out (S-video)
• 8-in-1 digital media card reader
• Microphone in
• Headphone out
• RJ-11 (modem)
• RJ-45 (LAN/Ethernet)
• DVI out
• VGA out
• Antenna connector

Audio
The built-in Altec Lansing stereo speakers located above the keyboard are quite good. The built-in speakers produce a full range of high and middle frequencies, and even do an acceptable job with low bass for a laptop without a subwoofer. Clarity and loudness are also very good.

Battery
The M51 is available with the standard 6-cell battery which delivers reasonable battery life. With the screen brightness set to about half, wireless on, and the "Power4Gear" power management application set to the "battery saving" setting, the M51 powered down after 2 hours and 24 minutes. Clearly the 6-cell battery will provide enough power short term use, but most consumers will find this battery life to be unacceptable while traveling. 


Pros

• Nice built-in speakers
• Convenient power management
• Solid dedicated graphics performance
• Excellent webcam design
• DVI port for external display
• Good value for light gaming

Cons

• Poor battery performance
• Bad touchpad and touchpad buttons
• Too much keyboard flex
• A little heavy compared to competition
• Display not very "HD" despite "HD Vision" sticker
• No dedicated media buttons