ASUS N53SV-XE1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Silver Aluminum)
ASUS N53SV-XE1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Silver Aluminum)
- Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core Processor 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
- 4GB of DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM, 4 slots, 16GB Max;
- 500GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM), Super Multi DVD drive
- 15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display, Nvidia GT540M Graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
Turn up the volume on the 15.6-inch N53SV notebook and prepare to be impressed. Featuring ASUS SonicMaster technology-co-developed by world-renowned audio experts at Bang and Olufsen ICEpower-and a unique top-mounted speaker design, this multimedia powerhouse combines hardware and audio for an unsurpassed, ear-pleasing experience. Boasting new NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics, the N53SV excels when performing graphic-intensive tasks like video editing, DirectX 11-enabled gaming, and graphic rende
List Price: $ 949.00
Price: $ 849.99
Pros outweigh the cons… will update if that changes…,
This machine was just what I was looking for… and for those of you who are like me, yes, this is the computer you want to buy. I have been in the market for a new laptop for almost a year and a half and have diligently considered all options within that timeframe… from MacBook Pro to Sony to Acer to Dell etc. You name it, I’ve looked at the specs vs. cost vs. reliability.
I was looking hard at the previous version of this laptop and almost bought it, but was truly sold when they updated it with the new Sandy Bridge processor. I have not added any RAM yet but I’m glad that I can add more.
My previous laptop was a 17″ Dell Inpsiron 9300 bought in December 2005. I take very good care of my machines… probably did about 3 clean installs of Windows on it since purchase (including going from XP to Vista). If I wasn’t worried about the hard drive going out on it, I would keep using it… serves me well, albeit slowly.
Pros
- The specs on this machine are great, great i7 processor, graphics card… this should be enough machine for many people.
- The price is very reasonable for the technology you’re getting… you can find similar machines but they will downgrade you on something… be it hard drive RPM, RAM, or graphics card.
- Sturdy design
- Maybe more to come… haven’t had it too long yet
Cons
- This is a big laptop, its very similar in size to my Dell but I don’t travel with it much so that’s fine
- All the ports are on the sides except power… again, this is only a con if you are using this primarily at a desk and don’t plan on moving with it much.
- Screen resolution – this is not a huge con for me but its something to think about… I went from a 17″ screen at 1920 by 1200 to this machine’s screen. It’s fine for me though, I’ve already gotten used to it.
- The ASUS drivers and software are still confusing me… I’m trying to remove some things I won’t use (TrendMicro Virus Protection) and some of the game demos etc and I did run into the same problem as others (lost functionality of volume keys). I went on the support site here: [...] and installed the ATK package and things seem to be working now. I will have to read the manual to fully understand the other options like the power management, never had anything like that before. That being said, I have no problem with companies installing software on their machines. From what I understand it keeps the cost down and I just consider it part of the process in setting up a new computer to remove what you won’t use.
- The keyboard does seem a little flimsy, but to me its similar to the spongy-ness of my old Dell and I don’t really see it being a problem. I disabled the trackpad so I can’t review that… I use an external mouse.
I may update this as time goes on…
- Update 4/10/11 – For anyone who is having problems with the speakers and sound quality of this machine, goto your start menu > Virage Logic > ASUS SonicMaster… I thought my speakers were blown or broken until I realized that the the factory default settings are for all the audio enhancements to be enabled… this caused my music to sound distorted and fuzzy. I’m guessing this machine is made to play high quality audio files and so you’ll probably have to tinker with the settings if you have MP3s.
- Update 4/12/11 – [...] – that is the support site for this specific laptop. If you’ve lost functionality of your Fn-key because of uninstalling the pre-installed software, then download the ATK file and run it. That worked for me.
- Update 6/1/11 – After a solid two months of use, I am pleased with this purchase. Other reviewers have commented on the way the screen looks “washed out” when not at the proper angle. This would definitely be an annoyance if I were using the laptop on my lap or outside, but this is primarily a desktop replacement laptop for me… and given the size of the laptop (about as big as my Dell 9300 17″) I would hesitate to recommend it for anyone who plans to use it on the go all the time. It’s not a hassle to move from office to living room but anything more would be cumbersome. If you’re looking for an ultra-portable, it’s not this. I am still very impressed with the overall performance of the machine. I host a server of Minecraft beta on it, and then play on that server with literally no slowdown on the server or my game play. If you’re having issues with gaming, etc. then right-click the game and look at the graphics card options. I was having problems initially while running the server and playing the game at the same time because I didn’t realize that both were running off of the integrated graphics memory rather than the GPU. I don’t know if this machine knows when to switch between the integrated graphics and the GPU automatically, but it does give you the convenient option of choosing…
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|More than enough!,
Got this laptop a week ago. I kept it running and it is not even warm!! (I just do some daily use, I do not play much game but I am always running more than 4 applications) The CPU usage never goes above 30%! The metal-made lip is also good-looking. I don’t care the size of the hard drive but I do value the 7200rpm speed, in sense that many competitors are offering 5400rpm. (SSDs’ speed is much higher but so is the price.)
I have considered other models in the N53SV series, and I finally decided on this one. The price is affordable, the inside power is more than enough! With the 15 inch screen I don’t need 1080p resolution, which would make letters too hard to see ( and if I adjust the font, then it is meaningless to buy a full HD screen, and it would cause extra burden to the graphic card).
Pros:
1. Nice look, good quality design (you can’t find any screws at the bottom)
2. Powerful processor and graphic gard
3. 4 USB ports including one 3.0, card reader is ok
4. Excellent temperature control, super silence
5. Number keys included in the keyboard
6. Support 16GB memory
Cons:
1. Kind of heavy
2. Only 4GB memory installed
3. Does not support Express Card
4. I would prefer the power cord port to be on the side rather than at the back
5. Buy it and tell me more
Overall I believe I made a right decision.
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|Excellent Hardware, Software…ehh.,
So, I bought this machine basically to replace an aging desktop and to have a laptop for work purposes, since the laptop that my company provided me with was a total P.O.S. Before I start this review let me say that I spent nearly a month researching what I wanted; comparing processors (AMD vs. Intel), graphics capabilities, configurations, company reputation, price, etc…
INTERNALS – The internal hardware in this machine is absolutely top-notch. The Sandy Bridge CPU is amazing, the nVidia GT540 graphics are excellent, the DDR3 RAM and 7200 hard drive are top of the line. Everything “under the hood” is the best I’ve seen at this price. The fact that it only comes with 4GB of RAM is okay. Most people won’t use more than this for 90% of their activities, though this motherboard is capable of accepting 16GB, which is more than enough. I have already run Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Dreamweaver with no problem. Additionally, have played games including Starcraft, Company of Heroes, and Dragon Age on full graphics settings with no problem.
EXTERNALS – The externals on this machine are, for the most part, excellent quality as well. The case is solid, hinge is nice and tight, brushed-metal outer shell looks great. The ports and jacks seem very solid (though I haven’t put a ton of stress on them), and the screen is very sharp. The fact that this machine has a USB 3.0 port is very nice. One (very minor) observation I had is that all of the ports and jacks are on the left and right side of the machine. While this is by no means a huge issue, if you are attaching a lot of cords to it you could run into a lot of “cable clutter”.
The only external part on this machine that is lacking is the keyboard. It is below-average… flimsy, to say the least. The Sony Vaio’s have much more solid keyboards. However, the keyboard is workable. As long as you aren’t expecting to do a lot of hardcore gaming, the kind that involves a bunch of “W.A.S.D” controls, the keyboard should be fine. I am expecting that the keyboard will wear out in about a year, at which point I will replace it with an after-market, back-lit version. Additionally, it will probably be at that point that I take advantage of the fact that this model can be upgraded with 16GB of RAM. Might as well do both upgrades at once, right?
SOFTWARE – Now for the real problem that I have with this machine; the pre-loaded software. Most of the ASUS software that is on this machine DOES serve a purpose and, in fact, some of it is even quite interesting. There is a media file conversion tool that will allow you to convert almost any media file to any other media file, there is a power management, graphics, and CPU tool that is quite nice for customizing your processing configuration for different applications, and there are a bunch of other useful pieces of software that ASUS provides as well. However, when I attempted to uninstall the few of the pieces of pre-loaded software that I felt were completely unnecessary (particularly a game-serving platform that teases you with about 15 trial versions of crappy games that you are eventually asked to pay for) I ran into BIG problems. All of the multimedia keys (volume up/down, mute, brightness up/down, play, pause, etc) all stopped working when I removed even ONE of these unnecessary programs. Additionally, my “FN” key stopped working as well. The pre-loaded software must be programed in such a way as to disable the functionality of these keys and other processes when the software is removed. There is most likely a shared .DLL or some other essential file that is removed upon uninstall.
OVERALL – As long as you leave all the “shovel-ware” that is pre-loaded on this machine, it is beautiful. I have personally had to use the system recovery option twice since I bought the computer, but this is basically due to my own stubbornness in regard to not wanting pre-loaded garbage cluttering up my hard drive or stealing space in my RAM. The only real issue that I can foresee with this machine is the keyboard. It will wear out at some point and I speculate that it will be sooner rather than later.
This ASUS is well-matched and assembled much better than anything you’d find in a Dell, HP, or (dare I say, for fear of being attacked by the frothy-mouthed, blindly-rabid Apple fans) a Macintosh. Sony Vaio’s are the only other laptop that I’ve personally used that compare to the quality of the configuration in this computer… and I very seriously considered a Vaio before I decided on this Asus.
On a side note, I called ASUS Tech Support about the loss of functionality of the multimedia keys before I figured out the issue with the pre-loaded software. Their customer support was very quick, I was on hold for about 3 minutes and the call center is in the Caribbean, not India or the Far East.
PROS:…
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