ASUS's K52F-SX032V has now become the first notebook with an Intel Core i5 processor to go under a $900, courtesy of retailer Clive Peteers. Earlier, the same model became the first Core i5-powered laptop to break the sub-$1,000 mark at Officeworks. So what's the catch? None, really, if you accept that this is a basic notebook without a discrete graphics card. If you can live without playing resource-intensive 3D games or having to do serious video editing, then the Intel Core i5 430 dual core processor inside it will easily smash through all office computing tasks as well as deliver all media center -style HD video playback. The Core i5 is Intel's new mainstream processor, taking over from the Core 2 Duos that power most of today's mainstream computers. But, unlike its predecessors, the Core i5 has the graphics processor (the chip responsible for manipulating graphics on the screen) integrated into the CPU itself, which means the notebook runs cooler and can be made more affordable because it needs less parts and cooling.
The K52F's hard disk is only 320GBs, smaller than some 500GBs drives found in notebooks at this level, but, given the amount of processing power this notebook gives you, that's not such a big deal. The K52F-SX032V teams up the Core i5 430M (the entry chip in the Core i5 series) with 4GBs of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium, a combo that will rip through all general computing tasks with power to spare. If you're not a gamer but want big performance for under $900, they don't come much better.
This machine is on special at Clive Peteers.