Asus W7S

Asus' new W7S is a beautiful notebook. Its Apple-esque white finish and diminutive size are attractive, but it isn't as lightweight as it looks: it tips the scales at 2.2kg, making it the heaviest ultraportable here. However, none of the ultraportables can match the Asus for 3D power: the W7S has a DirectX 10-capable graphics chip.

It's the new Nvidia GeForce 8400M G, which should be capable of running the latest games. However, we were disappointed to find it could manage only 11fps in Call of Duty 2 at our low-quality settings. To test DirectX 10 performance, we ran the Call of Juarez performance test: again, with all settings at their lowest the Asus managed only 3fps. The jury's still out on whether DirectX 10 support is relevant for anything but top-end cards, but judging by the 8400M's performance it's barely passable for current DirectX 9 games.

Performance in 2D applications tops the class, though, with a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 just edging ahead of the Acer with a score of 1.02. And that's despite 1.5GB of RAM, when the Acer packs 2GB. But all this raw power comes at the cost of battery life: the W7S clocked in with just under five hours in light use. It's a decent result, given the components involved, but it lags behind the lighter Samsung and several of the larger notebooks.

If five hours is long enough for your needs, there's still a lot to like here, such as the 13.3in screen, which is noticeably more comfortable to use than the 12.1in TFTs of other models. The resolution is still 1,280 x 800, but the larger pixels make text easier to read. You also get a webcam built into the bezel, plus a TPM chip for use with Vista Business' BitLocker utility. Just note there's no fingerprint reader to go with it.

The two-year international collect-and-return warranty is a nice inclusion, but it doesn't justify the £1,190 price. Although the Asus' power is unmatched here, the cheaper Samsung remains the better ultraportable.

Author: David Bayon