Performance - Part One
Before we get on to benchmark results, here's a detailed specification of the reviewed ASUS N55SF laptop and a range of comparison systems.
Comparison Laptops |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | ASUS N55SF | ASUS Zenbook UX31 | Dell XPS 15z | Dell Inspiron 14z | HP Pavilion dv6 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i7-2677M (1.80GHz, 4MB smart cache, dual-core, 17W) | Intel Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) | AMD A6-3430MX (1.70GHz, 4MB L2 cache, quad-core, 45W) | Intel Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) |
| Memory | 6GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 6GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB |
Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB |
Intel HD 3000 | AMD Radeon HD 6520G AMD Radeon HD 7470M |
Intel HD 3000 |
| Display | 15.6in - 1,600x900 | 13.3in - 1,600x900 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 14.0in - 1,366x768 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 13.3in - 1,366x768 |
| Battery | 6 cell, 56Whr | Polymer, 50Whr | 8 cell, 64Whr | 6 cell, 65Whr | 6 cell, 62Whr | 6 cell, 38.4Whr |
| Weight | 2,815g | 1,405g | 2,517g | 2,057g | 2,533g | 1,741g |
| Wireless | Atheros AR9002WB-1NG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Atheros AR9485WB-EG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Broadcom 4313GN (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth |
| Disk drive(s) | Hitachi Travelstar 640GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | ADATA XM11 120GB SSD | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 16MB cache | Toshiba MK7575GSX 750GB, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | Hitachi Travelstar 320GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache |
| Optical drive | Blu-ray reader + DVD-RW | None | DVD-RW | DVD-RW | DVD-RW | None |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit |
Benchmarks |
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| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| Geekbench | A cross-platform benchmark used to measure memory and processor performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| 3DMark Vantage | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 10 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| PCMark 7 | PCMark 7 combines various single- and multi-threaded CPU, Graphics and HDD tests to score overall system performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| Power Consumption | Using a high-performance power mode, we record mains power draw whilst playing back a 720p movie trailer. | |||||
| Battery Test | To calculate battery life, we run the laptop on a balanced power plan and loop a 720p movie trailer, measuring the time taken to hibernate. | |||||
CPU and Memory Performance
Our first benchmark, Cinebench, focuses solely on the multi-core performance of each laptop's respective CPUs.
In this test, the 2.3GHz dual-core, quad-thread Intel Core i5-2430M processor is one of the quickest on show, and it'll stand the ASUS N55SF in good stead for most everyday computing tasks.
Geekbench provides a look at combined CPU and memory performance, and the numbers speak for themselves; combine the quick Intel processor with 6GB of DDR3 memory, and you end up with strong system performance. There's clearly enough CPU horsepower beneath the N55SF's hood, but the Intel chip tells only half the story.
