Legit Processor Reviews
ASUS K42F Notebook w/ Intel Core i5 540M Arrandale CPU Review
| Manufacturer: | Intel |
| Product: | ASUS K42F-B1 14 |
| Date: | Sun, Jan 03, 2010 - 11:00 PM |
| Written By: | Nathan Kirsch - |
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Test Setup
For testing it makes sense to compare a new Arrandale notebook to a last generation Montevina notebook. For this we were able to get our hands on an ASUS K42F notebook with an Intel Core i5 540M processor (above right) and an HP Pavilion DV4-1555dx with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor (above left). Both notebooks feature the same CPU clock speed rated at 2.53GHz.
Since our ASUS K42F notebook is a pre-production sample, we went through several BIOS versions before finally settling on v304, which just came out on 12/29/2009. Since the system we are testing is a pre-production unit that was prepared for us by both Intel and ASUS to highlight the new architecture, it may not ever represent a notebook that can be purchased. We wanted to point this out as our hard drive, operating system, processor and network card are going to differ from the retail models of the ASUS K42F that will be coming out in 2-3 weeks time. This might turn a few of our readers off, but all the hardware being used can be purchased retail and therefore is a realistic test bed.
Key Differences:
- Processor: Our system has the Core i5 540M CPU, but the 520M will be in the bulk of ASUS notebooks
- Storage Drive: We tested with a 7200RPM, but ASUS production models will use 5400RPM
- WiFi Card: We used a Intel 6200 (Shirely Peak) card, but ASUS production models will use an Atheros card.
- OS: We test with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, but ASUS will ship with Windows 7 Home Professional
- Blu-ray Player: ASUS is using a different BD-ROM in the production models
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ASUS Notebook Model |
K42Jr |
K42F |
|
CPU & Cache Memory |
· Intel® Core™ i5-430M processor 2.26 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.53 GHz
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· Intel® Core™ i5-520M processor 2.4 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz · Intel® Core™ i5-430M processor 2.26 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.53 GHz · Intel® Core™ i3-350M processor 2.26 GHz
|
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Operating System |
· Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
|
· Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
|
|
Chipset |
Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset |
Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset |
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Memory |
Up to 8GB DDR3 1066MHz, 2xSODIMM |
Up to 8GB DDR3 1066MHz, 2xSODIMM |
|
Display |
14.0-inch 16:9 HD LED backlight (1366 x 768) |
14.0-inch 16:9 HD LED backlight (1366 x 768) |
|
Graphics |
ATI Mobility Radeon® HD 5470 with DDR3 1GB VRAM |
Intel® GMA HD |
|
Hard Disk Drive |
· 500GB (7200RPM) |
· 320GB (5400RPM) · 500GB (5400RPM)
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Optical Drive |
DVD Super Multi |
DVD Super Multi Blu-ray/DVD Super Multi |
|
Video Camera |
Built-in VGA Camera |
Built-in VGA Camera |
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Interface: |
1 x VGA port, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1x Headphone-out (Stereo) jack, 1x HDMI, 1x Lan RJ45 (Gigabit) |
1 x VGA port, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1x Headphone-out (Stereo) jack, 1x HDMI, 1x Lan RJ45 (Gigabit) |
|
Card Reader: |
1 x 2 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC |
1 x 2 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC |
|
Wireless: |
802.11N (b/g) |
802.11N (b/g) |
|
Dimensions |
349mm x 238mm x 36.5mm |
349mm x 238mm x 36.5mm |
|
Weight |
2.2kg (with 6-cell battery) |
2.2kg (with 6-cell battery) 2.25kg (with 8-cell battery) |
The ASUS K42F was compared to an off the shelf HP Pavilion DV4-1555dx notebook that was loaded up with a Blu-ray player and Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.
Let's get on to the benchmarking!!!
Next Page - Core i5 540M CPU-Z
| Review Index |
|
Page 1 - Core i5 540M and ASUS K42F
Page 2 - 2010 Intel HD Graphics Page 3 - The ASUS K42F 14-inch Notebook Page 4 - Test Setup Page 5 - Core i5 540M CPU-Z Page 6 - SiSoftware Sandra 2010c Page 7 - x264 HD Encoding Page 8 - Sony Vegas 9.0C Pro Page 9 - POV-Ray 3.7 Beta 34 Page 10 - Cinebench R10 Page 11 - PCMark Vantage Page 12 - 3DMark Vantage Page 13 - Spore - Game Testing Page 14 - Blu-ray Video Playback Page 15 - Power Consumption Page 16 - Battery Life Benchmark Page 17 - Final Thoughts and Conclusions |
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