Asus Details G71 Quad-Core Gaming Notebook

Proving that it doesn't just make Eee PCs (in which category I'll bundle the N10 and S101) Asus has dished the dirt on its forthcoming G71 gaming notebook and a further cry from its little while cousin we couldn't imagine. Asus claims the system as the world's first quad-core gaming notebook, which is almost true. Asus' is the first with an Intel quad-core notebook CPU, as Dell's quad-core system isn't for gaming. Not to mention that Rock really beat Asus to the punch with its X6800-fitted Xtreme XL8.

Back to the G71, then, and Asus hasn't skimped on the components, which it is fitting around that quad-core CPU. The possible configurations sit as follows:

• Intel quad-core QX9300 (2.53GHz) dual core X9100 (3.06GHz), T9600 (2.8GHz), T9400 (2.53GHz), P8600 (2.4GHz), P8400 (2.26GHz) or P7350 (2GHz).
  
• 17in 1,440 x 900 or 1,920 x 1,200 Display
  
• Up to 4GB DDR3 RAM
  
• nVidia 9700M GT (512MB GDDR3)
  
• Optional 2GB Intel Turbo Memory module
  
• Dual hard drives in RAID, up to 1TB (2 x 500MB) total
  

As well as all this internal hardware, the system also features a VFD display, as seen on other Asus G-series laptops and a few rivals' systems, which outputs information such as received emails and framerates while in games. Asus also touts its notebooks as being compatible out-of-the-box with its Eee Stick when they finally surface in the UK.

With such components the G71 is inevitably going to be pricey when it does launch. There's no timeframe, or prospective pricing, yet, but "before Christmas" seems a reasonable guess and if you have to ask the price, you almost certainly can't afford it.