Say what you want about Intel’s iffy Pentium desktop processors, but with its latest mobile CPU, the awesome Core Duo, there’s simply no denying it: Intel has a killer on its hands. In a full-sized notebook Core Duo packs an impressive dual-core punch. When squeezed into the puny frame of a 12in ultra-portable, however, the combination of portability and massive grunt is faintly ridiculous. AMD’s competing Turion 64 mobile chip doesn’t stand a chance, even with the advantage of 64-bit data addressing extensions.

Core Duo is a very fine thing and so, on the whole, is this diminutive Asus laptop. It’s extremely compact for a system packing a full-fat mobile processor. The W5F supports the complete range of Core Duo processors, right up to the T2600 2.16GHz chips. Our review sample was fitted with the T2500 2GHz model, yet at just 1.6Kg it will almost vanish into your hand luggage. However, for now Asus is launching the W5F in the UK with the T2400 1.83GHz chip (the £1,250 list price is for this), with the 2GHz unit to follow in May.

The ease with which this featherweight notebook copes with high definition video encoded using that most CPU-intensive of codecs, H.264, is remarkable. It’s a trick no single-core mobile or desktop processor can manage. It’s also a fabulous demonstration of the advantages of dual-core CPUs for laptop PCs. Rest assured that there’s enough processing poke on offer to hammer almost any office application you care to mention into whimpering submission. What more could you ask for?

How about a high-spec integrated optical drive, 80GB of disk storage and enough screen real estate to make the most of that processor, thanks to a 12.1in widescreen LCD boasting 1,280x768 pixels? That’s enough to not only make document editing and web browsing comfortable but also do full justice to 720p HD video content. Likewise, if you’re after sufficient battery life to watch a DVD and then get some office work done – not just one or the other – the W5F doesn’t disappoint. With the larger 4800mAh battery fitted (a smaller 2400mAh pack is also provided) it’s capable of four hours.

Short of perfection
However, it’s worth noting that the WF5 will only achieve such stamina with the aid of a custom registry entry. The USB 2.0 driver in Windows XP prevents mobile CPUs from entering low-power sleep states when devices are attached to the hub – even when those devices are inactive. Since the W5F’s integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam is a USB device, in standard configuration battery life takes a 25 per cent hit. While it’s an easy enough fix, it’s clear that Asus needs to include the update with all shipping systems. As for other technical highlights, the W5F also boasts Intel’s latest mobile motherboard chipset, the 945GM, complete with a/b/g wireless networking technology and an SD, MMC and MS-compatible memory card reader.

So, portable perfection then? Not quite. For starters, 3D acceleration is basic due to the integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics chip. We would also like to see more than 512MB on any system costing over £1,000. Not only has Asus left the user-accessible SoDIMM slot vacant, preventing the W5F from running in dual-channel mode, but system performance in applications that are sensitive to system memory availability clearly suffers.

Of course, that’s easily remedied with a second 512MB stick of 533MHz DDR2. You’ll have a harder time fixing the 12.1in LCD display, however. Poor viewing angles are the main problem, with washed-out colours being a further, symptomatic niggle. It falls a long way short of the best of such screens. Despite these disappointments, it’s not enough to ruin the overall result: virtually compromise-free computing power in a genuinely portable and stylish package.