By Andrew Liszewski
While notebook computers have the benefit of being highly portable (though not always) the downside, particularly for power users is that they’re not really upgradeable. Sure you might be able to throw another RAM chip in there or swap out the hard drive but gaining access to other components is usually next to impossible. Asus however has created a notebook designed specifically to be completely upgradeable with their C90S model. And by completely I mean everything from the CPU to the graphics card to even the LCD display.
In fact the Asus C90S will actually be sold as a “whitebook machine” allowing customers and resellers to configure the notebook however they want. Gaining access to the guts of the system is as easy as removing a large bottom panel. The basic specs include support for the Intel Conroe desktop processor platform, a 15.4″ screen, a 2.0 megapixel webcam, HDMI, bluetooth, integrated TV tuner, E-SATA, an 8-in-1 media card reader, 802.11n wifi, a fingerprint reader, 3 USB ports and support for either HD-DVD or Blu-ray drives. Most importantly though removing the bottom panel and swapping out components does not void the warranty.
The Asus C90S is available now for around $1,300. But that will probably vary depending on what options you add.
[ Asus C90S ] VIA [ Popular Science ]
So, I get the point of being able to upgrade the internal components, however, what’s the point of upgrading the LCD?? It’s not like you could go up a size. I mean, sure, you could replace it if it went bad, but how often does that happen? Unless of course you drop it, in which case you more then likely would have to replace the whole laptop.
It’s a seriously killer laptop, though. Even comes with a TV tuner. Wow. I want one!