Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Pros:
~The exterior is rigid and strong, with a silky nanometer coating that my cat can't scratch and I can't seem to get dirty. It is simply put, the best laptop coating that I have ever met.
~The overall chassis design is simple and elegant, with all the plugs in the right place, and nothing extra, it does its job well and looks damned good doing it. (I've gotten multiple compliments while working in public spaces)
~The i5 cpu runs smoothly, running my ever expanding list of tabs and programs without ever complaining.
~Automatically switchable graphics (optimus technology) that actually seems to work flawlessly.
~The internal cooling fan and hard drive make very little noise, even while being taxed by intensive games for hours on end.
~500gb 7200rpm hard drive is very roomy and quiet, especially for a laptop this small.
~The keyboard feels natural and provides great feedback, without being overtly noisy or feeling 'chunky', I've already whipped out several reports back to back without any noticeable fatigue.
~The USB 3.0 is amazingly fast, and allows file transfers at an astonishing rate.
~Finally, the battery life is also something worth commenting on, I've only managed to squeeze 7.6 hours out of this laptop while surfing the web wirelessly and running open office, with the screen at a comfortable brightness and streaming music from Pandora (I use very nice headphones, see the speaker comment above), and while that is an impressive time, it is not as amazing as the 4.6 hours I was able to get while streaming HD video at full brightness, while playing the sound at full volume, wirelessly, when my projector blew it's bulb.
Cons:
~The first thing that everyone will notice, that I don't really feel is a con, is the lack of the optical drive. No, there isn't one, and to be frank, I don't feel the lack. I did purchase an Asus external optical drive for around 40$ in case I need one, but I've only used it twice, and both times I was at home, so I leave it there so as not to damage its more fragile housing.
~Second is the speakers, which sound hollow and a bit flat. They are also placed on the front edge of the laptop, which means that if you type in your lap, the sound is even more muffled. To their defense, sound does not distort when maxed.
~As others have noted, the bezel for the RJ-45 (ethernet cable) does NOT make any attempt to allow for 'locking' or 'clipping' in; the cable will pop right back out if you tug on it. It looks like the design tolerances were too tight to allow for adequate spacing to clip in, so if you use a hardline, and move your laptop a lot, that might be a serious annoyance.
Comments:
As a note, I borrowed some of my format and select verbiage choices from a review for the similar Asus U36JC-A1, done by B. Kreps, kudos to him for all his hard work, it helped me make my decision to purchase the upgraded model.
To summarize, this laptop seems to be grossly overpowered for its size, and does an impressive job at not only mundane tasks, but even graphics intensive programs like gaming (I've only tested Crysis so far) and CAD programs like AutoCAD 2011 and Creo pro/E 5.0 which run flawlessly. Overall, this machine is an unstoppable monster of portability that any other manufacturer will cry to have to compete with.
And finally, the Asus support:
I've been an Asus customer for many years (my last laptop was an Asus F3Sv that I subjected to untold terrors for almost 4 years before finally meeting its tragic end), and they've made a great amount of improvement in terms of technical support, repairs, and part supply. This laptop comes with 2 year repair warranty with 1-way return shipping, plus if you register within 60 days they provide 1 full year of accidental damage coverage; which now that I have, I hopefully won't have to use.
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