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Asus M70S Review

Notebooks have always lagged behind desktops in speed, screen size, and until recently storage space. Asus released two new laptops, being the M70S and M50S, both of which hold the claim as being the world's first laptops with 1TB of storage space. To get this large capacity, the notebooks are equipped with two 500GB drives that can run in RAID 0 or 1, or as separate drives. Obviously this is a nice trend for notebooks, as people start storing more movies and games and want more scratch space for whatever comes their way.

For this review we are covering the M70Sa configuration notebook, which has the following specifications:

* Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz, 6MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
* 17" diagonal widescreen TFT LCD display at 1920x1200 (WUXGA, Glossy)
* ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 with 1GB DDR2 video memory
* Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
* 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
* 1TB Storage, 2 x 500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (Hitachi 5400RPM)
* DVD-Burner with 2x Blu-Ray reading capabilities
* TV Tuner
* 1.3 megapixel webcam
* Fingerprint reader
* Dimensions (WxDxH Front/H Rear): 16.2" x 11.8" x 1.7"
* Weight: 8 lbs 13.1oz with nine-cell battery
* 90W (19V x 4.74A) 100-240V AC Adapter
* 9-cell (14.8V, 5200mAh) Lithium Ion battery
* 2-Year Limited Global Warranty
* MSRP: $2,399.99

Build and Design

The design of the notebook is very basic, with a high gloss plastic surface, meshed with chrome and gloss black accents. This gives the notebook a very clean look without standing out too much. The notebook surface is similar to the Toshiba Fusion finish or the HP Imprint finish in that it holds up well to minor scratches to keep the glossy finish looking clean long past the first day out of the box.

Build quality on the Asus M70S is average; with most of the plastic feeling very solid overall. One area that does stand as needing some improvement is the screen lift point, which is weakened by the webcam pivoting area.

When you open the lid, this area tends to flex upward quite a bit working against the stiff screen hinges. Beyond that the notebook feels pretty sturdy, with little flex when you lift the notebook up by the corner and carrying it around. The extra LED lighting on the interior surface of the notebook is more subtle than what we see on most consumer notebooks. The power button and indicator lights are the only other light sources that might distract you when watching movies in a dark room.

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