Gamers rejoice. There is another desktop replacement other than the Dell XPS M1730 to come equipped with dual graphics cards. Those on a budget will still probably go for the latter as it has a much lower starting price at S$3,299 compared with the S$4,998 G70. However, Asus' latest gaming rig combines powerful performance with gamer-friendly features to give it a serious edge over its competitors.

Upside: One of the first features a serious virtual warrior looks for in a portable gaming rig is the graphics platform (GPU). True, the Core 2 duo 2.9GHz processor may be responsible for calculating the actual in-game physics, but the main bottleneck tends to be the visual rendering of complex environments demanded by modern games. The Asus G70's dual 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8700M GT GPU platform is powerful enough to handle almost any game currently in existence (though you may have to live with medium settings for titles with insane resource requirements). The 17-inch display also has a quick 8ms response time, meaning that fast-moving videos won't leave ghost images on the screen.

Other components under the hood are equally impressive. Two 500GB harddisks populating its dual HDD bays, the Asus G70 has a generous 1TB storage and a Blu-ray combo drive to play HD movies. With four speakers pumping out soundwaves, the audio output sounds promising, though the lack of a built-in subwoofer means we may have to temper our expectations.

But enough about specs. Another purchasing factor lies in the design of the machine, and in this area the G70 delivers. With a metallic theme, it portrays a hardcore image much loved by gamers. The keyboard has a separate numeric pad as well as five programmable hotkeys and a four-way directional pad. By mapping several moves to a single hotkey, complex maneuvers can be executed with ease, giving gamers a real advantage. A smaller secondary GamePanel display above the keyboard can be set to show vital stats for compatible games, like Crysis and World of Warcraft, and lets you know which weapons and remaining ammo at a glance.

Downside: Since there are no dual Nvidia GeForce 9000 series laptops in the market, we do not blame Asus for using the older 8000 series GPU. However, it would have been nice if there was an option to use the higher-end Nvidia GeForce 8800M GT GPU like the XPS M1730. Moreover, the XPS M1730 has an option to use Core 2 Extreme processors, which the G70 lacks.

Another gripe we have is that at this price, this Asus desktop replacement is not decked out with a full-HD panel. Its screen resolution is capped at 1,680 x 1,050 pixels which is good enough for most games but not fantastic if you want to watch HD movies from the Blu-ray drive. In addition, most 17-inch machines at this price point come equipped with a built-in subwoofer.

Outlook: Though not as powerful as a fully tricked-out XPS M1730, the Asus' gamer-focused features, massive storage and fetching design make it one of the top contenders in the portable gaming market.