ASUS X550LN-DB71 15.6-Inch Laptop Review

Review

The ASUS X550LN-DB71 15.6-Inch Laptop is another solid mid-range laptop brought to you by the guys at ASUS. Tagged as the “ultimate all-purpose computer”, this powerful machine has got a bit of everything to be your go to notebook for everyday computing and serious gaming. 

Aesthetically, this laptop makes a statement with its super sleek plastic outer body comprising of concentric circles which gives it a modern sheen. The matt coated grey palm rests as well as the rest of the body feature a finger-print resistant finish to keep things looking tiptop throughout the day.

When it comes to specs, this laptop packs in an Intel Core i7-4500U running at 1.8GHz with up to 3GHz with Turbo technology, along with 8 GB DDR3 RAM. This gives you the raw power to handle processor intensive tasks like photo editing and video rendering as well as multitasking seamlessly. A large 1 TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive is fitted. At only 5400 RPM, the HDD does lag a bit in comparison to 7200 RPM drives, but is still fine for most uses.

If you like living life in the fast lane, you’ll love the quick load up times. You can wake up the machine in just two seconds from standby mode, giving you ultra quick access to your computer when you need it most.

A 15.6-Inch glossy coated screen with a 1366x768 max resolution provides good visuals with minimal glare. The screens inbuilt 1280 x 720 HD camera delivers great video clarity and features a high-sensitivity sensor to adapt to whatever the lighting level of the room is. The Nvidia GT 840M discrete graphics card comes with 2GB DDR3 memory, which delivers sufficient power to play most modern games at high detail. Keep in mind; this is a mid-range graphics card so the most demanding game titles won’t run at high detail. 

This notebook has a typical port layout. On the left side, there is a D-SUB output, HDMI port, Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports plus a mic/headphone port. On the right side, alongside the optical drive is one USB port. Wireless features include 802.11BGN and Bluetooth 4.0, giving you plenty of wireless options for network connectivity and Bluetooth devices.

Consumer Feedback: Read Amazon Consumer Reviews on the ASUS X550LN-DB71 15.6-Inch Laptop

Pros

- Sleek, elegant design with finger-print resistant finish.

- Great spec with an i7 Processor and 8GB RAM.

- Good webcam.

- High speed boot up.

- Discrete graphics card. Allow you to run games that integrated graphics can’t handle.

Cons

- Slower HDD (5400 RPM).

- Non backlit keyboard.

- Keyboard response isn’t sensitive.

Weight / Dimensions

Weight: 5.1 lbs

Length: 15"

Width: 9.90"

Height: 1.20"

Specifications

Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7-4500U

Memory: 8 GB DDR3L

Hard Drive: 1 TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive

Display: 15.6-Inch screen

Graphics: Nvidia GT 840M 2GB DDR3

Optical Drive: DVD-RW

Wireless: 802.11bgn

USB Ports: 2x USB 3.0 ports. 1x USB 2.0 port.

Audio: SonicMaster technology

Audio Ports: Headphone/Mic port

Numeric keypad: 10-key

Webcam: 1280 x 720 HD camera

Battery: Lithium ion battery

Battery life: 5 hours (average)

Operation System: Windows 8.1

Warranty / Support

1-year limited warranty.