This machine was just what I was looking for ... and for those of you who are like me, yes, it's the computer that you want to buy. I have been on the market for a new laptop for almost a year and a half years and have diligently examined all possibilities within this time frame ... from MacBook Pro for Sony Acer Dell, etc. you name it, I looked at the specs vs. cost vs. reliability.
I looked hard at the previous version of this laptop and almost bought it, but was really sold when they updated it with the new Sandy Bridge processor. I have not added any RAM yet, but I'm glad I can add more.
My last laptop was a 17 "Dell Inpsiron 9300 purchased in December 2005. I take very good care of my machines ... probably did about 3 clean installations of Windows on it since purchase (including going from XP to Vista.) If I no do not worry your hard disk goes out of it, I would continue using it ... serves me well, albeit slowly.
Pros
- The specs on this machine is big, big i7 processor, video card ... This should be enough machine for many people.
- The price is very reasonable for the technology you must ... You can find similar machines, but they will downgrade you at any time ... whether it is RPM hard drive, RAM or graphics cards.
- Robust construction
- Maybe more to come ... have not had the time yet
Cons
- It is a great laptop, its very similar to the size of my Dell but I can not travel with it much, so it's nice
- All ports on the sides with the exception of power ... Once again, this is only a con if you use it mainly at a desk and do not have plans to move with it much.
- Screen resolution - this is not a big con for me, but something to think about ... I went from a 17 "screen at 1920 x 1200 for this machine monitor. It's good for myself, I have already become used to it.
- ASUS drivers and software is still confusing me ... I try to delete some things I will not use (TrendMicro Virus Protection), and some of the game demos etc and I encounter the same problems as others (lost functionality, volume buttons). I went to the support page here: [...] and installed the ATK package and things seem to work now. I have read the manual to fully understand the other options, such as power management, had never such a thing before. That said, I have no problem with companies to install software on their machines. From what I understand it keeps costs down, and I believe it is part of the process of creating a new computer to remove it you do not want.
- The keyboard seems a little thin, but to me its like the spongy-ness of my old Dell and I can not really see that there is a problem. I disabled the touchpad, so I can not see that ... I use an external mouse.
I can update as time goes on ...
- Update 04/10/11 - For anyone who has problems with speakers and sound quality of this machine, go to Start Menu> Virage Logic> ASUS sonic master ... I thought my speakers was blown up or crushed, until I realized that the factory settings for all audio enhancements to be enabled ... This caused my music sound distorted and blurred. I guess this machine is designed to play back high quality audio files, and then you will probably need to fiddle with the settings if you have MP3 files.
- Update 4/12/11 - [...] - it's support site for this specific laptop. If you have lost functionality of the Fn key because the uninstall pre-installed software and then download ATK-file and run it. It worked for me.
- Update 01/06/11 - After a solid two months of use I am satisfied with this purchase. Other reviewers have commented on how the display looks "washed out" when they are not in the best position. This would definitely be an irritation if I use the laptop on my lap or outside, but this is mainly a desktop replacement laptop for me ... and given the size of the laptop (about the size of my Dell 9300 17 ") I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone planning to use it on the go all the time. It is not difficult to go from office to the living room, but anything more would be a pain. If you are looking for an ultra-portable, it is not. I am still very impressed with the overall performance of the machine. I host a server Minecraft beta on it and then play on the server with literally no slowdown on the server or my game. If you have problems with games, etc. Then, right click the game and watch video card options. I had problems at first, while running on the server and play the game at the same time because I was not aware that both ran out of integrated graphics memory instead of the GPU. I do not know if this machine knows when to switch between integrated graphics and GPU automatically, but it gives you a practical opportunity to choose before you run the program by right-clicking on it.
I have two problems with this machine, but they are more uncomfortable than anything else. The first is the speaker. Although it sounds nice when it's cranked up it sounds distorted, like all other laptops I've heard. I expected the sound to keep up better on max volume into account, it seems to be the major selling point. The second is the placement of the USB ports. They are located on the left and right sides of the machine near the front. After I've attached an external hard drive, a wireless mouse receiver, and an iPod cable ... Not only have I used up all USB 2.0 ports, but I also watch to make sure that my mouse does not hit the wires coming out from the side of the machine. These two issues are more uncomfortable than anything else, but worth noting.
- Update 07/01/11 - After fooling around more with the speaker, I think it finally is completely firm. I went through all the sound settings and disabled all software-based "improvements". I do not know exactly what it was that made it finally happen, but after uncheck each box and starts, sounds fantastic speaker. I can turn it all the way up, no distortion!
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