First of all I don't agree with the previous review of the X501A--see my comments. Also, the X501A version with a lesser Celeron CPU and 2GB of RAM has many favorable reviews but I think this model with the i3 and 4GB is the sweet spot for this laptop (depending on the price). Windows 8 (or 7) struggles with only 2GB of RAM and the i3 is a big jump up over the Celeron.THE GOOD:
The price. The X501A is a relative bargain considering it's priced near the bargain no-name laptops with slow AMD CPUs that you probably can't get even basic things for like a replacement battery a year later. Asus is a big name, should be around for many years, and they use high quality parts. The AC adapter, for example, is common across many of their (and Acer's) models and very inexpensive. Replacement batteries are also inexpensive. And you get more for your money than from Dell, HP or Lenovo (unless you get a refurb or closeout deal).
This laptop is significanly lighter and thinner than most 15 inch laptops in this price range. To me that really makes a difference. It's easier to carry around, slip into a backpack or messenger bag, or even have on your lap. It's sort of a poor man's Ultrabook for about half or even one third the price. And, with the i3 CPU, it blows away any netbook in terms of performance for not a lot more money and you get a much bigger screen. And, unlike a Chromebook, you can run any software you want and store hundreds of GB worth of videos, etc.
The glossy screen is fairly bright and sharp. Pictures and videos look good when viewed straight on.
The fan is impressively quiet as is the 500 GB hard drive. I often use a laptop in very quiet areas and many can be noticeably noisy. This one is dead quiet except for some very faint noises from the drive and, if you manage to get the CPU working hard for a while, the fan speed will gradually ramp up but it's still far quieter than most laptops--even the Apple models. I have Dell and Acer laptops that cycle their cooling fan on and off with more of an annoying all or nothing cooling approach. The X501A is far superior and very quiet.
The performance is impressive with the i3. Even with lots of windows open, a streaming video playing, etc. it doesn't miss a beat or break a sweat. It boots fast, wakes up from sleep very fast, and has good battery life while sleeping (many older laptops don't).
It also runs cool. Even on a bed or sofa blocking all the vents on the bottom it still doesn't get very warm. Intel's latest CPUs are fairly amazing for power efficiency and Asus clearly did a good job with the cooling design.
The touchpad is better than average once you get the right driver and settings. With the right setup, it supports all the popular multi-touch actions yet doesn't freak out if your palms hit it while typing (a common problem with similar large multi-touch gesture touchpads on other laptops). Even some big names (like Dell and Samsung) don't have touchpads that work this well.
It has a USB 3 port which is also a bit rare in the bargain laptop category. It makes a big difference if you have a USB 3 portable drive or fast thumb drive. It also has HDMI which is great for connecting to a flat screen TV, projector, or large monitor.
Compared to a Dell or Sony the Asus doesn't have much bloatware pre-installed. There was an anti-virus trial but it's otherwise relatively free of crapware.
THE OK:
The battery life is better than average for this price range and level of performance. I get around 5 hours of constant use with web browsing, streaming videos, etc. It won't run 8+ hours like some of the high-end laptops, but a lot of laptops in this price range die after about 3.5 hours of constant use.
The keyboard is decent. It feels a little bit cheap and is a bit noisier than some. The layout is a bit cramped in some areas because of including a number pad but I've used much worse. I can type fairly fast with few errors. If you don't like island keyboards, however, you probably won't like this one either.
The build quality is decent and at least as good as anything else I've seen in this price range. Especially considering the thin and light chassis it's plenty respectable. But don't compare it to a Lenovo Thinkpad, Samsung Series 9, HP Envy, or MacBook Pro--most of which are at least triple the price.
There are only 2 USB ports (one is USB 3) which is probably OK for most but could be an issue for a few folks. You can always use a small portable hub.
If you use the buttons on the touchpad (rather than tap gestures) they're a little bit noisy.
The finish is a sort of satin black with an attractive pattern that's visible but the surface is completely smooth. It shows fingerprints badly (especially finger oils). A real (vs simulated) textured finish would have been much nicer.
THE BAD:
The WiFi range is a bit disappointing. I can watch YouTube videos in 1080 HD on my other laptops over WiFi at the other end of the house from the router. In the same spot the X501A can't manage it as the connection is too slow. It does fine if you're closer to the router. I've also had it randomly wake up and not automatically reconnect to WiFi. It's just a few clicks to connect it but it's annoying. It's apparently a Windows 8 driver issue.
Windows 8 is mixed. While I get the appeal for touch devices and tablets, it can be annoying to an experienced Windows user on a regular laptop. I much prefer Windows 7 but most current model laptops intended for home (not business) use only come with Windows 8. So I can't blame Asus and hopefully Microsoft will fix many of the more common complaints with the first service pack or major update.
While the glossy screen enhances the look of photos and videos in soft lighting it also creates glare and refelctions with bright light sources around. Most laptops intended or home use have glossy screens so you can't blame Asus but it's something to be aware of.
There's no CD/DVD drive but they're kind of old-school these days. Most of us are using thumb drives, direct downloads, the cloud, streaming, etc.
There's no access panel on the bottom. This is common to nearly all Ultrabooks and many thin/light laptops. See the YouTube videos for details on how to open it up. If you just want access to the hard drive it's not that difficult. And, unlike most ultrabooks and many netbooks, at least the battery is easily replaceable without any disassembly.
OVERALL: I looked at a lot of laptops in this price range and if you can find the i3 version for under four hundred bucks the X501A-TH31 is a bargain. I'm not aware of a better 15 inch laptop at this price with a current generation i3 and USB3. Most are heaver, thicker, more expensive, and have less features. But if you want a non-glare screen, DVD drive, easy access to the internals, and/or a better keyboard, you might want to look elsewhere--especially if you don't care about the thickness and weight.
EDIT: I've since installed Win7 which went fairly smoothly once you tick the right boxes in BIOS. I used an external USB DVD drive but others have done it with a bootable thumb drive. It's also worth noting a lot of the slightly more expensive models from Asus and others have a "hybrid" drive configuration with a 32GB SSD and a conventional drive. That really complicates installing Win7 if you want to still get the performance boost of the SSD. The X501, however, doesn't have that concern.
* It's light & thin, easy to carry around.
* It's got a better than average CPU Chip.
Now the Not So Good:
* No doors on the bottom to access the RAM or the Hard Drive. You have to unscrew & unclip the entire bottom of the machine to get to the HDD. You then have to pull the motherboard to get to the RAM.
* No DVD RW Drive.
* The plastic bezel surrounding the screen does not provide the support that it should. It bends precariously when opened from the edge.
* The backlit keyboard does not light.
* The Speakers are on the bottom of the machine instead of the top.
* I HATE Windows 8! Unless you have a touch screen forget it.
* It just feels cheap. Not sure if ASUS designed it or Fisher Price.
* For the same money you can get an Acer with a better chip & graphics that provides access to the RAM & the HDD.
Buy ASUS X501A-TH31 Slim Notebook PC / Intel Core i3-2350M 2.3GHz / 4GB DDR3/ 320GB HDD Now
the equipment purchased through amazon.com was:X501A-TH311 ASUS Core i3 4GB/320GB 15.6 "Slimbook Processor: Intel Core i3-2350M 2.3GHz / 4GB DDR3 / 320GB HDD
AND I RECEIVED:
ASUS X501U with AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHz / 4GB DDR3 / 320GB HDD. This processor is basic and is slow and completely different that I ordered through the purchase
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