While gaming monsters like the Tytan CG8890 might satisfy a player's lust for power in the home, we live in a mobile world and today's gamer needs a good dose of high performance portable power. ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) set its sights on creating a smaller, lighter and easier-to-carry gaming notebook while still offering gamers the powerful performance of bigger family members. That quest is now over, and the result is the launch of the first 14-inch ROG gaming notebook, the G46VW.
ASUS claims that its newest ROG release is the fastest 14-inch gaming notebook in its class. It's available with a choice of third generation Intel Core i5-3210M dual core or Core i7-3610QM quad core processor options (both with HyperThreading) on an Intel HM77 chipset. There's up to 16GB of DDR3 1,600 MHz RAM over two slots and storage options including a 750 GB, 7200 RPM HDD with 128 GB SSD and a 1 TB, 5400 RPM HDD with 128 GB SSD.
With all that raw gaming power on your lap, keeping cool is imperative so ASUS has given the G46VW dual rear venting exhausts and twin cooling fans that help it run cool, quiet and stable, while keeping heat away from the gamer.
The 14-inch LED backlit display panel benefits from extra-wide viewing angles and anti-glare technology, and has a resolution of 1366 x 768 (with additional resolutions following later). Onscreen action comes courtesy of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M GPU with 2 GB of GDDR5 dedicated video memory and Optimus Technology for dynamic switching between discrete and integrated graphics for improved energy efficiency and battery life. HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 support the transfer of 3D graphics to an external display, there's a VGA port and the option of a Thunderbolt port, too.
Integrated 802.11b/g/n or 802.11ac wireless options are offered, and Bluetooth v4 is also available. In addition to Gigabit Ethernet LAN, physical connectivity is represented by three USB 3.0 ports and a 3-in-1 card reader. The 34.8 x 26.1 x 2.3 - 3.8-cm (13.7 x 10.2 x 0.9 - 1.5-inch), 2.5-kg (5.5-lb) gaming notebook doesn't come with a built-in optical drive, but gamers can use one of the USB ports to connect an external unit if needed.
ASUS says that its Super Hybrid Engine II will resume in two seconds for up to two weeks and there's no loss of data even if the six cell 6260 mAh/69 Wh Li-pol battery empties.
Finishing off the specs is a built-in HD camera and array microphone, stereo speakers with ASUS SonicMaster Lite technology for the promise of "crystal clear and impactful" onboard sound, an LED backlit keyboard with control over lighting intensity, and a precision touchpad surrounded by a single piece of brushed aluminum that tapers slightly toward the user. The notebook will run on either Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro.
The G46VW is currently limited to the U.S. only and has been slotted in for December availability via ROG's exclusive retail partner, Best Buy. We're still waiting for details of pricing.
Product page: ROG G46VW