With the fastest processor of the trio, it's no surprise that the Asus blew the others away in High Performance mode, with a score of 1,095 on the PerformanceTest 7.0 benchmark. That's nearly double the score of the IdeaPad or Vostro. In Battery Saving mode, its score dropped to 588.1, the slowest of the bunch.

The U36JC was also able to process and display more graphical elements when running Trainz Railroad Simulator. For instance, it revealed background details such as snow, plants and rock surfaces, which the other machines showed as plain gray.

Its eight-cell battery (the others had six-cell power packs) powered the Asus for 4 hours and 17 minutes in Battery Saving mode, by far the longest-lasting of the bunch. In High Performance mode, it ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes, roughly equal to the IdeaPad and nearly an hour longer than the Vostro. In my Wi-Fi range test, it stayed in contact with my office's router for 125 feet -- 30 feet farther than the Vostro.