The appearance is quite alright. The dark gray, brushed aluminum looks chic and here we also find blue LEDs for the bling factor. The chassis is equipped with no less than four speakers and a subwoofer. That's not an exaggeration, as this laptop is equipped with Dolby Surround.
But there's more multimedia. On the side, we find a connection for HDMI, for digitally transmitting image and sound without quality loss. There is also an input for a digital TV antenna, for watching television on the laptop.
In addition to multimedia, user-friendliness has received a lot of attention. There are easy shortcuts for switching between performance modes and display modes for tasks like image editing or movies. Furthermore, Asus provides a set of cables and a remote control to operate Windows Media Center on your television. This can also be done with the shortcuts above the keyboard.
In the box, we find some nice extras. A wireless mouse is included, as well as a remote control for Windows Media Center.
Even a piece of security has been considered. For securely encrypting files, you can use a TPM chip. The system is incredibly fast for a laptop, thanks to the lightning-fast processor, quick graphics card, and substantial amount of RAM. The Windows Performance Index says enough in that regard.
However, there are still some points of criticism. The brightness of the display could have been better. The touchpad also works a bit stiffly. Nevertheless, Asus has delivered a very impressive multimedia powerhouse here. The high price tag is therefore to be expected.