4 June 2007 11:00 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

The Asus Lamborghini notebook has been in existence for over 12 months now but has recently been given a fine-tuning to make it one of the fastest machines on the market. For this reason alone we felt it was time to give it another test drive.

As you would expect from a notebook that is branded in association with a luxury car manufacturer, the look of the VX2 is flamboyant and over the top. You can choose a subtle black lacquered casing or for full-effect there is a carbon-fibre chassis that is finished in the yellow of the cars. It’s not to everyone’s taste but if you’re drawn to the cars then you’ll appreciate the finish.

Open up the lid and you’ll find that the palm-rests have been given a black leather coating, with yellow piping. The feel is great and as it’s a natural material it absorbs any heat generated from the notebook beneath.

The look is open to debate but the build quality isn’t, as this is an impressively sturdy machine. Sure, it weighs in at 3.3kg, so isn’t the most portable of notebooks. That said, we got close to 4 hours of battery life when using it out and about (and as we had the yellow finish, we also got some curious glances).

However, it is the specification that really makes this notebook standout. Intel's Core 2 Duo T7400 (2.16GHz) processor is fitted, which is a high-end chip and being dual-core means you won’t see any lag no matter how many applications you’re running. With 2048MB of memory to help keep things moving, this is a rapid and smooth running system. The 160GB hard drive is also generous, providing plenty of space for all your files.

The screen is a 15.4-inch Super-TFT panel that is stunning to view, as images are crystal sharp. Graphics are powered by the Nvidia GeForce Go 6600, which may not be the latest or greatest chip but unless you’re a serious gamer, you won’t be too disappointed with what it has to deliver and will play most games with ease. Being a widescreen display there is plenty of space for a good-sized keyboard. The keys are well-spaced and have a good action, making it a comfortable machine to type on.

Latest flourishes continue with an 802.11n wireless adapter, offering the quickest possible connection speeds to wireless networks. A 1.3-megapixel webcam is built-in above the screen and for those looking to keep their data safe, a fingerprint scanner is built into the machine body. The Asus comes with a truly extreme number of Lamborghini-branded accessories, from a travel mouse to a matching leather briefcase and mouse mat.

Verdict

At just under £2000 it’s not the cheapest notebook on the market and you’ll need to be a serious Lamborghini fan to find the finish to your liking but if you strip away the branding and the trappings that go with it, this is a great notebook.

It’s powerful, with a cutting-edge specification. It’s not the most portable but as a desktop replacement, we found this a great machine.

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Review Recap

Made by

Asus

Price as reviewed

£1999

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The good

Powerful, great finish, well built

The bad

Expensive, slightly heavy

Quick verdict

It looks great, it runs like a dream but you’ll need a big wallet to afford one – and we’re only talking about the notebook not the car

Score

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