ASUS K-Series Multimedia-Oriented Notebook PCs

[Ahmad]

ASUS K-Series Multimedia-Oriented Notebook PCs: The K-series, made up of the K40IJ, K40IN, K50AB, K51AB, K50IJ and K70IO models. The two K40s sport a 14-inch screen, the K50s a 15.6-inch display, while the K70IO has a 17.3-inch LCD. All have a textured surface that extends to their touchpads, while strategically-placed cooling vents that keep the contact surfaces cool to the touch even after prolonged use. ASUS claims the new notebooks provide up to five hours of operation from six-cell batteries.



The K40IJ and K40IN use Core 2 CPUs on Intel GL40 Express or NVIDIA MCP75L mainboards, respectively. RAM can be optioned up to 4GB, while storage is upgradable up to a 320GB hard drive. The 14-inch, LED backlit display has its graphics handled by the integrated Intel GMA 4500M in the K40IJ or NVIDIA's GeForce G102M with 256MB of RAM in the K40IN. DVD burners and two 0.3- and 1.3-megapixel webcams are built-in.

The three K50 models have an LED-backlit screen capable of a 1366x768 resolution, with the entry-level K50IJ using a Core 2 CPU and Intel's integrated GMA 4500M video. The up-level K51AB and K50AB will rely on AMD Puma platforms, tying them into ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 graphics chipsets with 1GB of onboard memory.

The K70IO brings with it 1600x900 resolution and an Intel Core 2-friendly MCP79d chipset but uses an NVIDIA GeForce 120M with 1GB of video memory for its graphics. Other specs of the flagship K-series model include 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner and both VGA and 1.3-megapixel webcams. All models have built-in Altec Lansing speakers with SRS surround sound support. ASUS has not released shipping dates nor pricing information for the K-series notebooks.