ASUS U41JF-A1

A brushed aluminum lid. The 14-inch ASUS U41Jf-A1 ($849) is a thin-and-light notebook that combines sleek looks with solid performance.

Design

Clad in sliver with a brushed aluminum lid, the ASUS U41Jf-A1 certainly looks classy. The edges and underside use matte black plastic, sporting a diamond crosshatch pattern. Measuring 13.3 x 9.8 x 1.1 inches and weighing in at 4.8 pounds, the ASUS U41Jf's dimensions are on a par with other 14-inch thin-and-light notebooks such as the Samsung QX410 (5 pounds). When streaming Hulu videos, we measured 96 degrees on the U41Jf's touchpad. ASUS U41JF-A1 review unit has the following specifications:

Full Specs 

ASUS U41JF-A1 has the following specifications:

• 14-inch 720p (1366x768) glossy panel with LED backlighting
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core i3-380M dual-core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L3, 4.8GT/s QPI, 35W TDP)
• Intel HM55 chipset
• Switchable graphics via Nvidia Optimus technology:
• Nvidia GeForce GT 425M w/ 1GB DDR3 memory
• Integrated Intel HD graphics
• 4GB DDR3-1066 dual-channel RAM (2x 2GB)
• 500GB 5400RPM hard drive (WD5000BEVT)
• Atheros AR9285 802.11n wireless LAN
• DVD burner (MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ892AS)
• 2-year global limited warranty with 1 year accidental damage coverage
• 8-cell battery (14.4V, 5800mAh, 85Wh)
• Weight: 4.8 lbs.
• Dimensions: 13.5 x 10 x 1.1 inches
• MSRP: $849

Build and Design

The ASUS U41JF's silver and black chassis is unlikely to turn heads though it still looks good in its own right. As mentioned earlier, the chassis is just 1.1” thin; the lid is one of the thinnest I have seen on a notebook in any size range. On a related note, the U41JF lacks physical buttons; volume up and down buttons would have been appreciated.

Aside from the aluminum-backed lid, the rest of the U41JC is constructed of plastic. ASUS made the unfortunate decision to use black glossy plastic for the screen surround and keyboard area. Tapping on the surface of the notebook with my fingernail produced cheap sounds and some rattling noises depending on where I tapped. The lid also has some quality issues. The lid is also fairly easy to flex back and forth. The U41JF has disappointing build quality on the whole; the chassis feels cheap and echoes some of the same build quality issues I see in other ASUS notebooks.

This 14-inch widescreen Asus laptop offers fantastic performance thanks to the fast components, including an Intel Core i3 CPU and a powerful Nvidia GeForce 425M graphics processor. The extra long battery life with this laptop is also a huge plus. On the inside of the Asus U41JF-A1, you'll find an Intel Core i3 dual-core CPU (2.53GHz), 4GB of DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 8GB), a 500GB hard drive and a dual-graphics system with an Intel HD graphics card and an Nvidia GeForce GT 425M graphics processor with 1GB of dedicated memory. Asus includes Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) edition with this computer.

In order to conserve battery power, when the stronger graphics processing isn't needed, the laptop reverts to using the less-power Intel integrated graphics via Nvidia Optimus technology. One last selling point for the Asus U41JF-A1 is the battery life, which is fantastic and beats out pretty much all other 14-inch laptops on the market today.