Asus NX90JQ
- Category: Notebook Computers
November 10, 2010
Editor's Rating
- 18.4-inch 1080p HD display
- Intel quad-core CPU w/ 8GB RAM
- Excellent performance
- HDMI & Blu-ray
- Powerful speakers
- Expensive
- Keyboard isn't the best
- Potentially awkward dual-trackpads
The NX90Q-A1 from Asus is a desktop replacement notebook with tons of multimedia features, including an 18.4-inch widescreen 1080p HD display and some powerful speakers. You also get a quad-core processor and some really powerful nVidia graphics.
In total, the Asus NX90Q measures 20.1 x 11 x 1.4-inches (wdh) and weighs a whopping 10 pounds, which puts it solidly at a desktop replacement computer that you don't want to be hauling around with you wherever you go. This also makes it a great device for a college student to keep in their dorm or for someone with a small apartment to use as their multimedia device as well as their home PC.
The body is made from a polished aluminum which is very solid, but yet just like a mirror, meaning it's one big fingerprint magnet. Along side the monster 18.4-inch display are two speakers that actually extend outward from the body, which looks rather awkward. Below the screen is a rather small keyboard that didn't feel like we wished it did. Along side the keyboard are two identical touchpads, with accompanying left/right mouse buttons beneath them. Asus says they designed the dual trackpads to be used simultaneously, meaning one side can be used for navigating the mouse pointer around and the other can be tapped for clicking. This is rather cumbersome and takes a lot of time to get used to, but it gets easier with use. The area under the keyboard has no purpose because the trackpads are along side the keyboard.
Asus includes a 18.4-inch widescreen high-definition display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080-pixels, which means that it is "full" 1080p HD quality. The screen looks absolutely fabulous and because of its high resolution, it works perfectly for watching HD movies and content.
Some of the Asus NX90Q's specifications include an Intel Core i7 Quad-Core CPU clocked at 1.6GHz, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 1280GB hard drive, built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and an nVidia GeForce GT 335M graphics system. It also has a Blu-ray optical drive with 3 USB ports (2 are USB 3.0), HDMI, eSATA for extra expansion, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth and a built-in TV tuner. There's also an integrated video camera and an 8-in-1 media card reader (SD slot, MemoryStick, MMC, Memory Stick Pro, MiniSD and xD).
The speakers included on this desktop replacement are Dolby 7.1 surround sound rated and are fantastic in terms of depth and quality. For a desktop replacement laptop, it sure can produce some great-quality sound.
Thanks to the Intel quad-core CPU and 8GB of memory, you get some excellent performance for both simple computing tasks and more intensive tasks, like video encoding and Adobe Photoshop use. Because of the discrete nVidia GeForce GT 335M graphics card, you can also play today's 3D games with ease. Blu-ray HD movies also looked and played with great quality.
Battery life, as expected for such a powerful desktop replacement, is rather low compared with regular laptops. Expect to get between 2-3 hours of life, which is enough for some light portability around the house.
