Asus 14" U43F Bamboo Core i5 Notebook Review
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The Futuremark 3DMark06 CPU benchmark consists of tests that use the CPU to render 3D scenes, rather than the GPU. It runs several threads simultaneously and is designed to utilize multiple processor cores.
You'll notice that the CPU portion of the 3DMark 06 test shows the Core i5-450M hanging tough with its competition, though the full score below details the suffering when the GPU is taxed. Of course, we wouldn't expect much different given the integrated Intel GMA HD graphics; there's no discrete GPU here, whereas the competition had a GPU to take some of the strain off. As we said earlier, this is a very unique configuration with a potent CPU and a worse-than-average GPU, but for many people who don't take advantage of their high-powered GPU, it's a perfect setup.
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Asus U43F 3DMark 06 CPU Score; Click To Enlarge
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We ran the Asus U43F through Futuremark’s latest system performance metric PCMark Vantage. This benchmark suite creates a host of different usage scenarios to simulate different types of workloads including High Definition video and movie playback and manipulation, gaming, image editing and manipulation, music compression, communications, and productivity. We like the fact that most of the tests are multi-threaded as well, in order to exploit the additional resources offered by multi-core processors.
No surprises here; the Core i5-450M fell right in between where it should, with a Core i7 chip dominating it in the benchmarks, while the Core i3 lagged behind. The U43F held its own in every single test save for gaming, which was obviously the weak spot. But that low score in that category was expected; there's only so much even a powerful CPU can do with an integrated graphics set. But for just $899, you probably shouldn't expect a heavy gaming notebook, anyway.
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Click To Enlarge
