Asus Pro31S

Specifications

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (Intel Core 2 Duo)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G - 128 MB, Core: 400 MHz, Memory: 400 MHz
Memory
2048 MB 
, DDR2 PC5300 667MHz, 2x1024MB, max. 4096MB
Display
15.4 inch 16:10, 1280 x 800 pixel, WXGA TFT Display, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel PM965
Storage
160 GB - 5400 rpm, 160 GB 
, 5400 rpm, FUJITSU MHW2160BH PL
Soundcard
Realtek ALC660
Connections
1 Express Card 54mm, 4 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, 1 VGA, 1 DVI, 1 S-Video, 1 Modem,
1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Microphone, Headphones, Card Reader: 6in1
Networking
10/100/1000 LAN Card (10/100/1000/2500/5000MBit/s), Intel PRO/Wireless
3945ABG (a/b/g)
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L632H ATA
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 40 x 270 x 365 ( = 1.57 x 10.63 x 14.37 in)
Battery
53 Wh Lithium-Ion, 11.1V 4800mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 Bit
Additional features
24 Months Warranty, 1.3mp Webcam
Weight
2.9 kg ( = 102.29 oz / 6.39 pounds), Power Supply: 0 g ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
900 Euro
Links
Asus homepage
Asus notebook section
Review Asus Pro31S (F3SC) Notebook
Old Friend. At a closer look the Asus Pro31S, offered by MediaMarkt, turned
actually out to be a F3SC, a well sold model of the well-known Asus F3 series.
Obviously, the equipment was hardly changed: Core 2 Duo CPU, nVIDIA Geforce
8400M G, 2 GB main memory, and 160 GB harddisk capacity. However, the price
has changed in the meanwhile - it was reduced.

Case
As already mentioned the Asus Pro31S is in general an Asus F3SC notebook, which
we already reviewed a while ago. However, one cannot completely exclude
differences regarding the built-in  hardware components. Here you'll find the
comprehensive review of the Asus F3SC.

The notebook has a typical geometric Asus design. Silver top parts were combined
with black base unit and black keyboard. Besides of a silver molding with imprinted
"Asus Revolutionary Notebook Series", there are no further striking details. In total
the notebook is rather decently designed.

Regarding stability of the case the Asus Pro31S is alright. Concerning flexural
rigidity and pressure resistance of the base unit there are no complaints. The same
is also true for the display, which is equally stable and the lid does even not yield too
much.

Both of the spacious hinges allow an easy adjustment of the opening angle and at
the same time the display does not see-saw too much after adjustment. Furthermore, it
is possible to open the lid completely (180°). Both transport hooks, fit at the display,
keep the display relatively stable closed. The latch can be opened by a rather hidden
button located at the front edge.

Considering the low price, we were very pleased by the provided interfaces. Four
USB ports, Firewire, S-Video, VGA, and a DVI out leave hardly anything to be
desired. Most of the ports are located at the right side, whereas interfaces, which are
likely to be used permanently are near the back. An exception are the audio ports
which are on the front side.
Front Side: Audio Ports, USB, Cardreader

Left Side: Kensington Lock, DVD Drive

Back Side: Power Connector, Fan, 2x USB, Battery

Right Side: ExpressCard, USB, Firewire, S-Video, DVI, VGA-Out, Modem, Lan

Input Devices
The key size is standard and the keyboard's layout is strictly geometric. During
use, we did not detect any anomalies. We hit all keys without any problems. Typing
is also user-friendly. Even when typing more forcefully, the keyboard does hardly
yield. Being tightly attached to the case also contributes to the way typing feels, i.e.,
the stop at the end of the travel is somewhat abrupt.

The provided touchpad has a user-friendly surface, which makes navigating easy.
On the contrary to the F3SC the Asus Pro31S is not equipped with a fingerprint
reader. Instead the part in front of the pad is completely used by a rocker switch.
Besides of the somewhat annoying dead zone in its upper part, it is passable in use.
Hot-keys above the keyboard provide shortcuts for changing the preferred energy
profile or launching the configured standard mail client or Internet browser.

Touchpad

Keyboard

Display

Color Diagram

The built-in 15.4 inch WXGA display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels provides
an average desktop size. It is a panel with reflecting surface. At maximum
brightness, the display seems a little bit too white.

The measured maximum brightness of 173.2 cd/m² is rather passable.However, the

brightness diminished at the upper display part to down to 138.8 cd/m². With these
measured value, the illumination is still acceptable at 80.1%.

The possible maximum contrast ratio of the provided display is due to a minimum
brightness of 0.9 cd/m² 192:1. This is below-average.

138.8 155.5 143.7

cd/m² cd/m² cd/m²
 149.6 168.9 157
cd/m² cd/m² cd/m²
163.1 173.2 161.4
cd/m² cd/m² cd/m²

Distribution of brightness
Maximum: 173.2 cd/m² Average: 156.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Contrast: 188:1 (Black: 0.9 cd/m²)

The Asus Pro31S is hardly proper for outdoor usage. First of all you'll face heavy
reflections in bright environments due to the reflecting surface of the display. On the
other hand, also the brightness of the display does not improve the legibility of it
outdoors.

Horizontally, the viewing angles of the Asus Pro31S are adequate. But, vertically,
the viewing angles are rather narrow, which is typical for the provided panel.
Outside the acceptable big area of operation, the display quickly darkens or whitens.

Video of Display's Viewing Angles

Performance

Windows Performance Index

Equipped with a Core 2 Duo CPU with 2.0 GHz and a nVIDIA Geforce 8400M G
video card the performance of the Asus Pro31S is passable, considering its price.

Despite of the dedicated video card with 128MB video memory we decided to
categorize the Asus Pro31S as office notebook. Although the performance of the
built-in Geforce graphics adapter is good compared to integrated video solutions, the
version labeled with "G" indicates the least powerful of the available 8400 video
cards (G, GS, GT).

The Asus Pro31S is a good notebook for typical office applications like mail,
Internet, and also DVD and video playback. However, weaknesses get obvious, if the
applications demand better multimedia performance, or if you'd like to play
computer games. Here, you'll quickly reach the Asus Pro31S's performance
limits.

Besides of CPU and video card this notebook is equipped with a 160GB hard disk,
whose transfer rates are average and whose access-time is slightly above-average. 2
Gigabyte main memory are nowadays standard and guarantee trouble-free work with
Windows Vista.

Benchmark Comparison 3DMark

 Benchmark Comparison PCMark
3DMark 05 Standard 1721 points
Help
PCMark 05 Standard 4201 points
Help
HD Tune

160 GB - 5400 rpm

Transfer Rate Minimum: 1 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 46.4 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 31.5 MB/s
Access Time: 21.2 ms
Burst Rate: 60.4 MB/s
CPU Usage: 4.3 %
Doom 3
  Resolution Settings Value
  1024x768 Ultra, 0xAA, 0xAF 25 fps
  800x600 High, 0xAA, 0xAF 40.5 fps
  640x480 Medium, 0xAA, 0xAF 60.4 fps
  640x480 Low, 0xAA, 0xAF 60.7 fps
F.E.A.R.
  Resolution Settings Value
  1024x768 GPU: max, CPU: max, 0xAA, 0xAF 11 fps
  800x600 GPU medium, CPU medium, 0xAA, 0xAF 32 fps
  640x480 GPU min, CPU min, 0xAA, 0xAF 188 fps

Emissions
Loudness

The Pro31S is similar to the Asus F3SC regarding noise emissions. Despite the fan
also runs in idle and office mode, its noise level is limited and does not annoy at all.
Time and again the fan speeds up a little.

Although the noise level is higher under load, the noise emissions of the Asus Pro31S
are overall alright.

Temperature
The surface temperature of the Asus Pro31S stay at the top and at the bottom side
alright. Regardless whether under load or idle, the surface temperatures did not
impact usability.

Max. Load

32 °C
90 F  
 
2
7
°
C

8
1
28 °C 34 °C 35 °C
F  
82 F 93 F 95 F
3
0
°
C

8
6
F
30 °C 33 °C 33 °C
   
86 F 91 F 91 F

Maximum: 35 °C = 95 F
Average: 31.3 °C = 88 F

28 °C
82 F
3 32 °C 32 °C 30 °C
7 90 F 90 F 86 F
°
C

9
9
F
 2
8
°
C

8
2
F

32 °C 30 °C 34 °C
90 F 86 F 93 F

Maximum: 37 °C = 99 F
Average: 31.4 °C = 89 F
Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.3 °C / 88 F,
compared to the average of 29.4 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the
average of 34 °C / 93 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of
36.5 °C / 98 F
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33 °C
/ 91.4 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.1 °C /
82.6 F (-4.9 °C / -8.8 F).

Speakers

There is also nothing to complain about the two speakers located above the keyboard.
The speakers sound full and clear and also there maximum volume is alright.
However, the basses are moderate, but, this is nothing worth mentioning considering
the notebook's price class. The sound output via the 3.5mm stereo out is alright.

Battery Runtime
Depending on the demanded performance, the runtime of the 4800mAh battery
ranges from about 1.5 hours under load to up to about 3 hours at minimum energy
demand. In practice you can expect a runtime of about 2.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness) 2h 55min
Load (maximum brightness) 1h 40min
Power Consumption
Off /
0 / 0 Watt
Standby
 Idle 24.6 / 26.5 / 38.8 Watt
Load 55 / 58 Watt
 

Key: min: , med: , max:         

Verdict
The most important criterion pro Asus Pro31S is presumably its price. It is a decent
notebook with rather passable equipment available for clearly below 1000,- Euros.
However, despite of being equipped with a dedicated video card, it is still rather an
office notebook.

The workmanship of the case is overall good. Especially, the good stability of base
unit and also display left a positive impression. The look of the notebook is more or
less simple and decent, so, it should not really influence the buying decision.

The keyboard seemed to be passable, and so the touchpad. Although a fingerprint

reader was missed out, the notebook still provides an integrated 1.3 Mega pixels web
cam. However, the absolute highlight of the Pro31S is the provided DVI port which
allows to attach the notebook to an external display without quality loss.

Apropos display: The built-in 15.4 inch WXGA panel scored passable regarding
brightness and illumination, but, has slight weaknesses regarding contrast ratio
and viewing angles. Unfortunately, it is not fit for outdoor usage.

Regarding performance the Asus Pro31S is well-equipped for office applications,

however its multimedia capabilities are rather limited. We did not really
understand, why the notebook was just equipped  with a Geforce 8400M G video
card, which hardly provides any reserve capacity for current games or multimedia
applications whilst it is over-sized for standard office applications.

The noise emission of the Asus Pro31S is alright. The same is also true for the
surface temperatures. The sound of the built-in speakers is passable.
The battery runtime is sufficient for a mobile use of about 2.5 hours, but, this
heavily depends on the demanded performance.
Asus Pro31S (F3SC)