Build:First of all, the build quality on this machine is EXCELLENT. Having never owned any asus product, I'm seriously impressed at the build quality on this thing. Even though I only paid $899, this feels like a $1500+ machine. The aluminum finish is fantastic and feels really good. I will say it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but that's nothing a quick wipe with a cloth won't fix. Also, since Amazon doesn't disclose this, the ASUS logo on the front lid is BACKLIT. Some reviewers have knocked on the weight a bit, but for everything you're getting, it's a non issue. Unless you weigh about 30lbs, I don't see how you could knock on the weight.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is great. I very much enjoy the feel of the keys and the response is excellent. Even for someone with big hands like me, I have no trouble typing at full speed. Also, this keyboard is BACKLIT for those of you not sure, and it looks great in the dark. You can also adjust the level of brightness as you see fit.
Touchpad:
Wasn't too happy with this at first but I've grown to like it. I'm a big fan of the pinch to zoom and all the other features it comes with. Yes, sometimes you might not get the exact response you want or you'll accidentally zoom in on something, but the touchpad is great. No regrets and no serious complaints.
Performance:
Initial boot up takes a bit, but even with all of the bloatware ASUS puts on this thing, it's pretty fast. The i7 along with the 6GB of RAM really makes navigating through all programs a breeze and I've no freeze ups or noticeable lag. I plan on installing an SSD sometime in the near future and doing a clean install but for the average user, there shouldn't be any performance issues.
Graphics:
As some reviewers have previously mentioned, you are using dual cards for graphics. The laptop uses the Intel 4000 for non extensive actions and the NVIDIA for heavy graphic tasks such as gaming. I don't really plan on gaming at all so this is perfect for me. But from what I've read, gaming shouldn't be an issue.
Display & Sound:
The display is AMAZING. Videos, websites, programs......everything looks excellent. Hands down the best display I've used on a Windows machine. I would highly recommend pushing for 1080p if possible. The sound quality for a laptop is amazing. It's loud and clear. I've just started doing insanity workouts and using this and the sound and look of everything is amazing. No complaints at all. I haven't used the included speaker, but I'll get around to it. Webcam is also nice and clear and video chatting is no issue. Other party can hear me loud and clear with no echo.
Overall, I am completely satisfied with my purchase.
I really wish Amazon would get proper specs up for this. I ordered in hope that it would have a backlit keyboard, and I got lucky.
I will update this review with more info if I find anything worth remarking on the specs speak for themselves, and of course there is a ton of nonsense bloatware, but that's easily dealt with.
I highly recommend this machine to anyone who wants something that looks good and you can be proud to own.
Buy ASUS N56VM-AB71 Full-HD 1080P 15.6-Inch Laptop Now
I received this laptop about four days ago and still in the process of removing and loading software. Started with the standard operating procedure, Windows updates and removing McAfee (this requires a special removal tool from the McAfee website to do a clean uninstall). Had trouble with the wireless connection crashing and had to call Asus customer support who directed my to their website to download a new driver for the Atheros AR9485-EG wireless adaptor. Seems to have taken care of the problem from what I can tell. 1920 x 1080 resolution is nice most models with that resolution are $1,200 or more.... 750 GB and 6 GB ram great specs. Having some problem with the spacebar. I type about 70 w/minute and it doesn't respond as well as I am used to unless I hit it dead center and pretty firm. Other people reported a similar problem after researching this issue in forums. I will wait for a few days and if needed have Asus install a new keyboard under warranty. Sound/speakers are OK not great and for movies I would recommend external speakers. This model has the separate numeric keyboard off to the side (good for working on spreadsheets) which makes the model a bit larger and likely heavier.Ran down the battery yesterday and got over 4 hours out of it no games but lots of installing and downloading. Good buy for the price and is has everything once could ask for for a desktop laptop.
Update I had to return the first laptop because I did not want to go through the hassle of getting the keyboard repaired Amazon exchanged it with no problem (same model) and the keyboard on the replacement laptop works great. The first one didn't have the backlighting (or maybe it was a driver problem) this one works without any hitches.
Read Best Reviews of ASUS N56VM-AB71 Full-HD 1080P 15.6-Inch Laptop Here
Received it yesterday, great turn around time by Amazon. That said, I have the following gripes with this laptop already.1). I bought this laptop hopefully to build a Hardware Specification equivalent of a Macbook Pro without paying the Apple Hardware Tax and without having to use MACOS.
2). Window 8 Sucks. Hated it immediately. I would have bought the Windows 7 version of this Laptop, except it is slightly different and has less base memory. So I bought the Windows 8 version and just installed my own copy of Windows 7.
3). The UEFI is locked to Windows 8. I removed the hard drive and replaced it with a SSD. The Boot process would not hand-off to Windows 7 during the setup process when using UEFI and mounting Windows 7 install as a CD. If I toggled the "Launch CSM" setting in the BIOS to "Enabled" this worked fine, but without UEFI. Less exciting but still very usable. (CSM means Compatibility Support Module and it's a UEFI setting for backwards compatibility with older BIOS devices.)
4). The only 16gb memory I was able to get to work to upgrade this machine to 16gb was Kingston ValueRAM 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 (PC3-12800) Non-ECC CL11 SODIMM Notebook Memory (KVR16S11/8). I tried three other sets of 16gb DIMMs without any of them working before I found the Kingston. Thanks to the person in the comments who suggested it.
5). The upgrade plate is on the bottom toward the front and merely requires removing the one center front screw. This involves prying up the plastic foot thing in the center and unscrewing. Easy access to the HDD, the Memory and the NIC from there.
6). The laptop was both heavier and thicker than I expected. This is not a fault of what is reported, but a fault of my expectations. Temper your own expectations to match.
7). As others have noted here and elsewhere, the trackpad gets in the way of typing sometimes. It's very easy to click things with you wrist while typing. I personally think this is true of many laptops due to my own typing style, so YMMV.
8). Once I got Win7 installed on the SSD, this laptop screams. Really loved how fast it boots. Haven't installed much yet though, so we will see.
9). If I could not have gotten Win7 working I would have RMA'd this faster than you can say... well, just about anything.
10). If you are looking for Windows 7 x64 Drivers, you will not find them on the Asus website under the N56VJ model. You need to look under the N56VZ model and use those drivers. The N56VJ and the N56VZ are basically the same computer with slightly different specs. All the drivers are common and seem to work just fine. Drivers can be found there.
Want ASUS N56VM-AB71 Full-HD 1080P 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?
I spent a lot of time searching for this machine. Well, okay, I spent 5 hours one night waiting for my paycheck to clear. I investigated a lot of different machines, including the higher-end Asus gamer rigs, and I settled on this one. Including tax I spent about $450 less than I would have on one of those boxes, and I'm happy with my purchase so far. So let's get into the review.The good:
The screen is really good, but it's not as good as my Vaio from several years ago. Basically the viewing angle is great left-to-right, but the vertical viewing angle leaves a bit to be desired. It's still better than my last laptop, a Toshiba Satellite. This one has about 20 degrees of vertical tolerance, and the matte finish helps a lot with sunlight, so it's at least a step-up from my last machine. Cautious thumb-up on the screen, it's within my tolerance zone, and when you view it at the correct angle it looks fantastic.
Performance is very respectable. Diablo 3 runs full detail with everything on high in 1280x768. LA Noire runs about 50 frames in the same resolution on performance detail (though you have to hack it to overcome the hardcoded 30fps limit), about 30 frames with detail on max.
The build quality is impressive. The unit feels very solid, and I'm impressed that it comes with 1 year of accidental damage protection. Amazon tried to upsell me a year, and I almost bought it because I didn't realize that it already came with the unit. My friend tells me the Amazon policy kicks in after the manufacturer policy, so it still might be worth it if you want to play it safe, but I'm confident I won't drop my laptop, so I'm going to gamble for a year. I don't mind the island keyboard at all, and I haven't had any problems with the spacebar like other reviewers reported.
The audio is great. I don't expect much from onboard speakers, so to say I'm impressed is an understatement. Clean, crisp separation of the left and right channels, you'd almost think it was magic, provided you are right on top of the machine. In my experience laptop speakers fade out over time, though, so I wouldn't make my purchase based on that. It's just an added bonus.
The bad:
The home, pgup, pgdn, and end keys are in a crappy spot. That will take a lot of getting used to.
The unit isn't raised on the bottom, so you have to keep it on a flat surface at all times. I'm using my old broken laptop for the time being as a surface.
6GB ram? Really? I think Asus did that just to make you buy a more expensive machine. The 8GB models cost a lot more. I'll be popping my own ram in before too long.
Occasionally the swap-monster eats my mouse movements. So far this hasn't happened in games, but it's concerning. I'm planning to upgrade to an SSD (or maybe 2 SSDs) before too long. I'll update the review when I do that.
The air runs pretty damn hot when I play games. For now it's not a problem. The bottom of the unit feels only slightly warm. Over time this will mean I will need to dust out the unit to prevent it from overheating, and the problem with that plan is that the intake for the fan is far, far away from the vent. So I'm thinking I'm probably going to have to take it apart from time to time to get the dust out, instead of using my standard strategy of just blowing out the fan. In fact if past experience is any indication, I might just replace the fan. Laptop manufacturers tend to cheap out on them.
The trackpad is not quite as bad as people say it is, but give up on pressing the corners. But hell, I knew it sucked going in, and I usually plug in a mouse anyway. I'd recommend getting yourself a bluetooth mouse and disabling the thing. Still, given all the terrible reviews on it, it's surprisingly usable. I haven't had a problem with multi-touch.
I will update this review as the machine ages.
Update, ~1.5 weeks:
1. The trackpad really is as bad as everyone says. I take back anything good I had to say about it. Get a bluetooth mouse for sure.
2. There is definitely a problem with video playback and audio glitches with the software that ships with the unit. I would recommend this computer, so far, to an intermediate to advanced user. The problem seems to be related to McCafee. I couldn't swear on it, but after I got rid of it the glitches seemed to go away. Bottom line is that I recommend reinstalling the entire operating system, and wiping the disk.
3. My computer crashed over Thanksgiving. I think it was my fault but I'll never have proof. The machine comes with a C: and a D: partition. I married the partitions, and the next time I booted the machine, I couldn't boot windows. Long story short I had to reinstall. So far the machine is a lot better than the factory installation, so I would recommend wiping the machine for advanced users and the adventurous.
This is a nice little machine if you (are, or) have a really good friend who is a nerd. After having to reinstall I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I will update again as new information is available :).
Update 2 weeks:
I'm downing my rating to 4 for a few reasons.
1. It's a damn good screen, and has a nice finish, but the leds are too bright at the top and bottom edges.
2. As someone pointed out in the comments, the battery life is pretty standard for Windows machines -bad. About 3 hours with a brand new battery. I have access to power most of the time so it's not a big deal for me. For some others it probably will be.
3. Having run for a few days after my own clean install, it shows how crappy the factory software install was. Definitely reformat if you can lay hands on a Windows 7 home premium 64bit disk (your license key that ships with the unit works with any Win7 HP64 disk).
4. The trackpad is even worse than a lot of people say... it's above the bezel a little in spots on my unit.
But after a reinstall it runs super-smooth with very decent graphics performance as well, which was my main objective. I'm not sorry I didn't get the ROG laptup instead, so overall I'm still pretty positive about the purchase.
Hard drive hasn't gone bad on me or anything, but seeing as that's a common problem I may get an SSD sooner rather than later. I kinda knew that going in as well. To some others in the comments: I considered Samsung but IIRC the units I saw had ATI cards. After my linux experiences I insist on NVidia for now. The card in this one is pretty decent, but I'm sure it will be out of date in about 2 years or so. It's not top of the line or anything, but it will play XCom and Skyrim in high detail, especially after the reinstall.
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