ASUS N56VM Pro Reviews

You are paying a bit of a premium for the 2.1 speakers, HD screen and Blu-ray drive, so if you simply need a fast 15.6in laptop then there are obviously cheaper options available. However, the N56VM is a very capable multimedia laptop that will earn its keep as part of your home entertainment system, or delivering slick multimedia presentations in the boardroom.

Great build quality, good performance and refined design push Acer's gorgeous N56VM to the top of the Ivy Bridge heap

Stylish and powerful, the N56VM is a great value multimedia laptop

Let's talk about Ivy Bridge first and the N56VM second. Ivy Bridge delivers greater performance per watt than the previous generation, and it shows in our performance results. On top of that, the new HD Graphics 4000 IGP is a substantial improvement over Intel's prior attempts at game-worthy integrated graphics. It's fast enough to handle modern games like Skyrim and Bulletstorm at lower detail settings, which is excellent. An entry-level discrete GPU is always going to be faster, but at least gaming without one is a very reasonable option. Our battery life results were a little more surprising. The new silicon may pack a stronger punch than Sandy Bridge within those thermal constraints, but it doesn't appear to offer tangible benefits for battery run times within the same power envelope. Then again, we were looking at a laptop with a 45W Ivy Bridge variant. If it's longer battery life you seek, you'll want to look for a processor with a 35W or lower TDP rating.

If you want a powerful multimedia laptop the N56 should be on your short list. It’s admittedly expensive, but no more so that similar competition. Also, if ASUS acts as it has in the past, there will be a base-trim model available within a few months offering an entry-level Ivy Bridge quad or an Ivy Bridge dual-core. This hypothetical PC would be a great value.

The Asus N56VM is the first laptop we've seen with Intel's "Ivy Bridge" inside, and the new processor doesn't disappoint.