14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS has definitely been active on the mobile market lately, just like most of its rivals, and the company doesn't seem ready to ease up on the new arrivals just yet. Granted, the N73 laptop isn't exactly a newcomer, since it was first previewed at this year's CeBIT expo in Hanover, Germany, back in March. This machine has now started to show up on online retailers and is more than ready to address the multimedia needs of any US customer with pockets deep enough to handle it.
The ASUS N73 is a mobile PC with a screen of 17.3 inches. This large display size in itself means that movies will be especially immersive, something that smaller notebooks have trouble enabling. Granted, the native resolution of the panel is not exactly Full HD-worthy, but even 1600 x 900 pixels is sufficient for a laptop, considering that HD quality is the equivalent of 'just' 1366 x 768.
The system configuration is centered around and Intel Core i5-450M central processing unit, which has a clock of 2.4 GHz. This processor is backed up by 4GB of RAM and is paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M discrete GPU. The 335M comes with its own 1GB of memory and even benefits from the Optimus technology, which automatically switches between the discrete and the integrated graphics, depending on application load. Furthermore, a hard disk drive provides 500GB of storage space, whereas a DVD writer tackles media playing and optical storage. Other specifications include Bluetooth, a 2 megapixel webcam, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 6-cell battery and the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. Finally, ASUS threw in SonicMaster's high-end audio developed in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. Orders may be placed through Newegg, as long as one is willing to part with $1,000.