Asus A7J 17-inch Core Duo Notebook Review

Inside, Upgradability, Weight

On the bottom of the Asus A7J are all the hatches concealing upgradable parts on the laptop. Though the Asus website states that the A7J has “2x SO-DIMM sockets for expansion up to 2G”, the A7J we received for review only has a single SODIMM slot for upgrading which is a bit disappointing.

To the bottom is the single SODIMM slot on the A7J.
Above that is the T2300 CPU and the X1600 GPU with a passive heatsink.

The CPU is upgradable but there is a tamper-proof sticker over the heatpipe retention bracket, so removing it will void your warranty. You will notice that there is a smaller heatpipe attached to the GPU near the top-right of the above image. I am not sure where this is heatpipe goes and if it is attached to the main blower mechanism.

Intel Wireless on the right, an upgrade slot on the left.

Under another hatch is the Intel wireless adapter which uses mini PCI and can be upgraded. There is also an expansion slot used for the optional TV tuner you can buy for the A7J.

The default 100GB Fujitsu 5400 RPM drive should be good enough to start you off, but is upgradable if you need more space or a faster drive.

Typically batteries are at the rear of the laptop so that larger cell units can portrude from the back without getting in the way. The way the battery designed on the A7J would imply that the battery is not upgradable because it at the front of the laptop and is molded to sit flush with the body. Indeed, the Asus website and documentation do not mention a battery larger than the default 8 cell.

Size and Weight

The Asus A7J is not exactly a portable computer. Weighing in at over 4 kilos / 9 pounds it can be a bit too cumbersome to travel with over long distances unless you have a rolling bag. Comparing dimensions and weight to our other laptops, we can see exactly how it all breaks down.

The A7J has quite a large footprint and will take up a lot of real estate on a surface, so finding a place to use it may be a challenge at times. Don’t expect to be using this on the train or airplane unless you manage to get a seat with extra room. Finding a nice bag that fits your personal taste may be a problem too since most bags are designed for 15.4″ laptops or smaller.

In comparison to the Asus W5F, the A7J just dwarfs it as seen above.