ASUS Already Shipping Centrino2 Notebooks

ASUS looks to be keeping things really focused with its portable computer systems lineup. And that's somewhat explainable, taking in consideration that the company's CEO has set a rather impressive target, at least for the Eee PC lineup. But the fully-fletched notebook lineup might also deal with such a high target, which should explain the fact that two version of the M70 Series are already available.

For those who don't know, most system manufacturers, including ASUS, have already jumped in the Centrino 2 bandwagon. So, it comes as no surprise that the latest M70-series of notebooks from the Taiwanese manufacturer is already out. Unfortunately, at this point in time, the M70Vm-X1 and M70Vm-B1 will only be available for United States' users.

Both of the above mentioned models are based on the Montevina platform and sport a 17-inch display. The M70Vm-X1 is powered by a Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, while the M70Vm-B1 version will come with a P8400 Core 2 Duo CPU. The processor of the first notebook is rated at 2.53GHz, while the second CPU is clocked at 2.26GHz. Both of these M70-series notebooks are built with the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS, offering 512MB of dedicated video memory. The notebooks will also provide 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive.

ASUS M70Vm-X1 incorporates a DVD burner and the 17-inch display offers a 1920 by 1200 resolution. The second notebook, the M70Vm-B1, sports a combo Blu-Ray optical drive and a slightly lower resolution, only 1440x900 pixels.

Apart from these specifications, it is worth mentioning that the notebooks come with an 8-cell battery, which makes them weigh as much as 8.6lbs. Interestingly enough, both notebooks are have the same price tag and will be shipped with a Windows Vista operating system.