This Asus laptop has to be one of the better valued computers on Amazon. I spent a lot of time looking at the different laptops at various price points and I think that this is one of the more cost-efficient laptops considering the internals that this computer comes with. That being said however, there are a couple flaws with this laptop that other reviewers have pointed out, such as a not-so-perfect keyboard and issues like the computer randomly shutting down.
But first, let's talk about why I think this is a good value. This is one of the few laptops at this price point to contain a 3rd generation i5 processor, which can be considered one of the faster laptop processors as of right now. It's speedy enough to run pretty much anything you throw at it. Graphics-wise, this laptop comes with the standard Intel HD 4000, which isn't a great graphics card, but it's not as bad as most people make it out to be either. Intel has had a history of terrible integrated graphics cards, but the Intel HD 4000 is decent enough to run all low end games, and even more graphically-intensive games at a low setting. All in all, this laptop has enough power to satisfy the average user. If you're a power user, you probably know what you need and wouldn't be reading this review.
It also comes with 4GB of ram. If that's not enough for you, it's easy to buy extra memory for an upgrade. For the tinkerers here, the computer comes with 2 slots, and only one is used, so if you want to upgrade it, all you need to buy is another 4GB stick. This upgrade is relatively simple-two screws under the laptop and you simply slide off the cover and insert your new stick of RAM.
Another great thing about this laptop is the battery life. This laptop actually has a 4+ hour battery life, which is excellent in my opinion considering the size. 15 inch laptops tend to be huge power drainers, and ~4 hours is a lot for a laptop this size. The 750GB hard drive is also more than big enough for most people's needs.
Now, I'll address some of the complaints of the other reviewers as well as some flaws I've noticed. First, there's been a bunch of reviews complaining about the keyboard, specifically the spacebar, and I'm going to have to agree with those reviewers. The spacebar is bad. If you come from any laptop with a normal spacebar, you'll hate this spacebar. It's because the spacebar is very... insensitive. You have to press it pretty hard for it to register, and for touch typists, this is a pretty big pain. I hated it for the first 2-3 weeks, but now I'm more or less used to it (I press a lot harder now). My typing speed definitely drops a bit with this keyboard though. Also I bought this Universal Silicone Keyboard Protector Skin for Laptops Notebooks 15" 15.6" 16" 16.4" 17" 17.1" 17.3" inch which helped out my typing a bit. There were also some reviews complaining about the computer randomly shutting down, and I'll say that this has happened to me once in the 2 months that I've been using this computer (during my first week of use). I'm not exactly what causes this, but it hasn't happened since that first week. Finally there are some complaints regarding the touchpad. In my opinion, though, I think that it's all just a personal preference. The gestures all work fine for me. If they don't work, maybe you can reinstall the drivers.
Some final notes:
The screen is fine. It works, and it's bright enough. It's not super high-resolution, but I personally don't see enough of a difference between a typical 1366x768 screen versus a high-resolution screen to justify spending ~500 dollars more. Anyways, this is a matter of personal preference so I won't comment on it too much in this review. The webcam also works. It's not going to make you look like a super star, but it's good enough for your typical skype chats. It seems like a .9MP webcam, but I can't be sure on that as it doesn't say.
It does come with Windows 8, and it is a lot different from the previous versions. Personally, I'm indifferent towards it. What I did not like though, was that ASUS does install a set of their own bloatware onto the PC, which took a little while to uninstall. Overall however, this is a solid computer for it's price. While the spacebar and some of the glitches might make you question the overall quality, I personally think it's worth it. Of course, not everyone has the same tastes, and if you absolutely cannot handle a bad spacebar or uncertainty in terms of the laptop quality, then look elsewhere.
==UPDATE: 4/30/13==
So I've spent 3 months now with this computer and I'm more or less used to this keyboard now (pretty sure my thumb muscles have gotten stronger from pressing harder on this space bar). Everything's still running great.
My review consists of reviewing the Asus Laptop + Windows 8.
Background:
This laptop plays a dual role in my household, it's used daily for normal tasks such as web use & office documents and will be used as a Windows OS + Windows Phone OS development laptop.
Laptop:
Plastic construction, nothing spectacular.
Lid isn't easily opened with 1 hand however this may change in the future when the hinge loosens up a bit.
Another reviewer complained about the mouse/trackpad, a few days of use is needed to break it in so your finger glides on the surface vs. jumps due to the lack of oils when new.
As a MacBook gesture power user, I wanted to see similar functionality in Windows 8 laptops that don't have touch-screens. This device supports basic Windows 8 trackpad gestures. E.g. swipe in from right to left brings up charms, left to right switches between apps. It would be nice to have many more gesture to be really fast; not sure if this is an Asus trackpad limitation of if Windows 8 currently doesn't support more advanced multi-finger gestures.
The screen is decent on this laptop but some text with the Windows 8 interface is not crisp (ClearType is on).
Quick boot time especially if you have the Asus boot in performance mode.
Windows 8:
I personally am a fan of Windows 8's UI/UX but I was able to see first hand how challenging this new interface will be for non-techie users. Others in my household have quite a difficult time understanding the new user experience and utilizing it, and often choose one of our iPads vs. this Windows 8 laptop. Perhaps Microsoft will release some improvements soon, but for now I only recommend Windows 8 to techies.
Buy ASUS A55A-AH51-RD 15.6-Inch LED Laptop ( Red ) Now
This is a good laptop for the price, and is all-rounded, good enough for everything. The graphics and sound is not excellent, but it is very reasonable for most users. It is light enough for the price/processor combination, and your can just upgrade the RAM yourself.
I had a faulty laptop at first. The first laptop that came crashes often. It hanged the first day it arrived when I was setting up the computer for the first time. I thought it may be Windows 8's problem and tried to resolve it by factory resetting it / partitioning the drives dual boot it. Nothing worked and the crashes made me suspect there was something wrong with the hardware. I contacted Amazon and they offered to exchange the laptop. The new one is perfectly fine.
Pros
1. The touch and feel of the laptop is really nice
2. The weight is quite light for an i5 processor laptop
3. Price was quite low when I bought it (490 after tax and a 10% discount coupon, I think the price went up recently)
4. Windows 8 that came with it is pretty clean. Easy to use after some time spent exploring
5. There is a 1 year accidental damage protecting which covers things like spills and drops, which is useful for many people.
Cons
1. Don't like the touchpad at all the touchpad is really sensitive and moves when you are typing
2. The touchpad driver seems to have something wrong with it. It turns off by itself sometimes without warning. Your multitouch and scrolling will fail when that happens.
3. It is quite hard to change to a different OS because of the motherboard's secureboot configuration. If you are thinking of dualbooting or downgrading to windows 7, you will have to do some googling own your own
4. Didn't really like ASUS' bloatware
5. ASUS' website for drivers on this laptop were quite vague (I took a lot of time to figure out which ones were the right ones)
Overall, this laptop is value for money and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a laptop for general use.
Read Best Reviews of ASUS A55A-AH51-RD 15.6-Inch LED Laptop ( Red ) Here
Awesome computer for the money.
I had some wireless connectivity problems, because of the power saving features, and found a fix on the HP tech support page (they use the same wireless card). Thanks snerdlylizard.
Both processes requires administrator rights.
The first process was mentioned earlier but i will list it again.
Process One:
Step 1: Select Control Panel
Step 2: Select Hardware and Sound
Step 3: Select Device Manager
Step 4: Open Network Adapters List by clicking on name
Step 5: Select Atheros AR9485
Step 6: Right Click and Select Properties
Step 7: Select tab titled "Power Management"
Step 8: UNCHECK or DESELECT the option button which says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"
Step 9: Hit OK
Process Two:
Step 1: Select Control Panel
Step 2: Select Hardware and Sound
Step 3: Under Power Options, Select Change Battery Settings, Left Click
Step 4: Under HP Recommended Power Plan, Select Blue Link Titled "Change plan settings"
Step 5: Under Blue Link Titled "Change advanced power settings"
Step 6: Look for TAB Titled "Wireless Adapter Settings", Open this selection by clicking on left mouse
Step 7: Open Menu Power Saving, for on battery and plugged in, Select "Maximum Performance" VICE "Low Power Savings" *Make sure to do both settings for battery and plugged in.*
Step 8: Hit Apply, Then Hit OK
Want ASUS A55A-AH51-RD 15.6-Inch LED Laptop ( Red ) Discount?
My macbook pro finally expired of old age and sadly i've been kicked off the parental gravy train so I couldn't afford a new one. I considered the sony e series but i'm happy I went with the ASUS. The size, speed, and capacity is perfect for me. I have no complaints about windows 8 and had no problem learning how to use it. I got my laptop before the estimated delivery date and the price was almost $100 dollars less than at Best Buy. Good buy. Hopefully it lasts me awhile.
Save 16% Off
Bought the Acer Aspire 5336 after having a Compaq Desktop and a 19" HP Laptop. The Acer exceds my expectations! I love everything about this laptop! In my opinion, it performs better than the previous 2 brand name computers that I had. The 19' laptop was heavy, slow, big & clunky! The 15.6" screen size is perfect & it's light enough to bring to all the wi-fi hot spots. It is very fast and doesn't drop the connection. I will purchase an Acer in the future.
