october 25 2010 review by anandtech

The X72D seems aimed at basic users who want decent all-around performance and an attractive multimedia machine. It has a Blu-ray reader, a fast hard disk, and a reasonably good display, with the HDMI port it can serve double duty as a media center for home users.

When performance metrics are taken into account: The Phenom II N830 isn't terrible, but at some points it even struggles to catch up with Intel's ultra low-voltage chips. At the same time, it draws substantially more power, a continual problem for AMD for years now. Intel is competing on power, price, and CPU performance, and with Sandy Bridge on the horizon, AMD will have a hard time to compete.

Power4Gear: ASUS Power4Gear automatically adjusts fan speeds for quiet computing and prolonged battery life.

Test Setup:

• CPU : AMD Phenom II N830
• Display : 17.3" CCFL Glossy 16:9 900p (1600x900)
• Memory : 2x2GB DDR3-1333MHz
• Video Card : ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 1GB DDR3

Connectors:

• Front Side : Speakers, 5-in-1 Flash reader
• Left Side : Exhaust vent, 2x USB 2.0, Optical drive
• Right Side : Headphone and microphone jacks, 2x USB 2.0 VGA, Ethernet jack, AC adaptor, Kensington lock, HDMI

Some Benchmarks:

Battery Life, Noise and Heat