Bought this last weekend after my old Acer decided to have a screen failure. I've been using it pretty heavily and can say without a doubt in my mind that this is a very solid product. ASUS has built one beast of a machine for a very good price (picked mine up for $800) and I have zero regrets.PROS:
1. The boot time is exceptionally short. I've gone from a completely dead machine to booted to my lock screen in probably 3 seconds. It advertises 2 second boot time, but give it some slack. It's still fast.
2. As a gamer, the way this laptop handles games is PHENOMENAL. I've played ARMA 2 on pretty moderate settings and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on maxed out settings and had no issues. It's worth it to play with the sliders a little to find a good frame rate, but it's pretty capable. I have yet to try it on really power-intensive games, but from looking at the specs it should be able to handle most current games without issue.
3. The overall design is great. The surface is clean and minimalist, and the speaker surrounds look fantastic. The button on the left side serves as an all-purpose button and allows you to set it to whatever you'd like; from simply muting the computer to launching a web page of your choice. It's an eye-catching computer to say the least.
4. Windows 8 is honestly a great OS. I've always used Windows and occasionally find myself using a Mac OS, and I find 8 to be a great bridge between the two. 8 runs cleanly and minimally, and the laptop's trackpad makes great use of the features Windows 8 offers.
5. The screen. Oh god the screen. Matte HD with the ability to crank out the brightness of the sun. I've sat and watched 1080p movies and enjoyed every second of it. Because of the matte design, there's not much glare at all, and allows for it to be viewed from almost any angle. If you're someone who usually ends up sharing their screen with others, I'd recommend it.
CONS:
1. The battery life is a little shorter than I would like, clocking in at somewhere around 3 and a half hours depending on what brightness it's set at. It's enough to make it through a movie, especially if it's on airplane mode. But moderate to heavy use makes it go quick, so I'm usually not too far from an outlet.
2. Windows 8 likes to update. A lot. That's not a knock against the computer in any way, but it's kind of annoying having a brand new laptop and having to reboot and install updates once a day.
Honestly there's not a whole lot of bad things I could say against this computer. As a student and a gamer, I'm exceptionally happy with it. It can handle most tasks with ease, and runs very quietly. If you're looking for a solid entertainment PC, this might just be the one you've been looking for.
UPDATE: 6/25/2013
About three months in to owning this laptop and I can say I'm still very pleased with it. I've had to do a lot of tinkering and updating with the video card in order to have it run games at peak performance, but it holds its own. Battlefield 3 runs at around 30fps on 768p resolution, and other games run pretty much without issue.
Issues that have popped up: My number one most obnoxious issue is the fact that the spacebar and backspace keys have started squeaking. At first it didn't bother me hardly at all, but now after about two weeks of it persistently happening it's gotten to a point where I prefer wearing headphones so I don't have to hear it. Every time I hit space on this review is like a little nail being put into my coffin. Additionally, one of the USB ports doesn't seem to want to work 100% of the time. There are 3 other working ones, but one of them is a bit picky.
Another more minor complaint is the misuse of the media keys (FN+arrow key to play/pause, skip, stop etc). Most laptops utilize this function, but the N56DP seems to think these keys should only be used for the ASUS DVD program (which I have never used). It gets to be a little bothersome to have to alt+tab over to a music program to skip songs instead of just being able to swap over.
That being said, I'm still very pleased with the product. I use it more or less every day for any number of things, be it gaming, surfing the web, watching a movie, or doing some coding, this laptop serves my every purpose.
I would recommend this as a computer to a business user to a student as it has all you need and even an easy way to purchase Office 2010. Office 2010 is already pre-loaded and to unlock it fully all you have to do is purchase a key...no downloading.
This ASUS style computer is easy to navigate and would even be a good choice for a first time buyer.
Asus has the best customer support in my opinion....only used them when I broke something though. lol. You will not need anything for a few years as this Asus was built to last.
Buy Asus N56DP-DH11 15.6-Inch Laptop Now
First off, let me say this is a review of the Asus N56DP-DH11 Laptop Computer. It is NOT a review of the Windows 8 operating system.The Laptop comes well packaged and protected. The documentation and instructions from Asus are more than adequate.
Amazon's description listed this computer's weight as 10.2 lbs(!) with a shipping weight of 11 lbs. That is not accurate. Weight is about 6.1 lbs. I pointed this out to Amazon when I placed my order, but they have not yet corrected this glaring error.
Amazon also listed this as an LCD display in one place and an LED display in another. I pointed out this issue to Amazon as well. I called Asus tech support to get correct information prior to placing my order. The display is a full HD LED.
And a quick mention of Asus tech support is in order. My "wait time" was less than 3 minutes, and the tech (Robert) was able to answer my questions quickly and accurately. Total time on the phone was about 5 minutes. Well done, people. The speed of your response was a major factor in my choosing this laptop over a competing brand.
A few features not covered in the product description:
1. The keyboard is backlit (with an on/off control). GREAT for typing in a dark room, especially if you are not a touch typist.
2. There is a small "subwoofer" packaged with the Laptop. This can be plugged in or not, as you choose. With it, the sound is the best I have ever heard from a Laptop computer. No, it doesn't sound like Klipsch Pro-Media computer speakers, but we are talking about a LAPTOP. I am an audiophile. I have over 25K invested in my home sound system. Believe me when I tell you that the sound this little computer puts out will surprise you.
3. The touch pad is nice, but beware: if you are typing and you brush the heel of your hand(s) across the touch pad, you can lose what you have typed in the blink of an eye. Use a wrist rest, or disable the touch pad and use a mouse to avoid this. (There is a button to the left of the keyboard that can be designated to control various features. My suggestion is that you configure it as an "on/off" switch for the touch pad.) There are various 3rd party programs available that will allow you to add that feature.
That said, the touch pad functions like a hybrid between the traditional touch pad and a touch screen phone or tablet. Pinch to make things smaller, swipe to change pages...it's well thought out and works beautifully once you get used to it.
4. Keyboard layout: I defer to my wife for this part of the evaluation. She is the typist. (I am accurate at 30 wpm and not qualified to make a useful judgment.) She sat down and typed at her usual 120-130wpm with no errors, right from the start. She loves the arrangement of the keyboard and its "feel." She gives it 5 stars, except for the aforementioned caution about having your hands brush the touch pad while typing.
5. Battery life: adequate, but not stellar. 3.5 hours is about maximum. Nothing more really needs to be said about this. If you need more unplugged time, get a second battery.
6. Graphics: The Radeon really shines here. Gamers on a budget won't be disappointed. The 8 gig of memory is good for most applications, and it can be increased to 16 gig if needed. And the quad core AMD processor is plenty fast with a good size on board cache.
7. Hard drive: it's big, and at 5400 rpm, not real fast. When the prices come down, it will be swapped out for a good SSD. At that point, the laptop will be so fast it will leave skid marks. For now, it is still a fast enough to be perfectly usable.
7. Display quality: I am a professional photographer, and I use a LARGE Asus HD monitor with my desktop computer as my primary photo editing platform. The laptop's display, while smaller, is STUNNING. I have installed Adobe Photoshop CS6, and will now have an excellent photo editing platform when I travel or am on assignment. No more waiting to return to my office to produce finished photographs. I can now do them on the laptop, order prints, and have them delivered before I even return home.
The matte display is easy on the eyes, the colors are accurate and vibrant, and eye strain is not an issue. I use a lot of Photoshop plug-in programs like Nik Color Efex Pro 5 and Nik HDR Pro 2, and I have complete confidence that what I am seeing on the display is what I am going to get on my prints. Those plug-ins require a lot of processor power, and this laptop supplies all it needs. No more long waits as changes are applied to photographs.
8. Aesthetics: The combination of the black and brushed aluminum is gorgeous. I will put this up against a Macbook Air for "pretty" any day.
Now...a few words about Windows 8: I immediately removed it. (Actually, I had my computer service shop remove it.) Unless you are a skilled geek, I do NOT recommend doing this yourself.
Windows 8 was designed to be a bridge between a computer and a smartphone or tablet. As a standalone O/S, I think Microsoft managed to beat Windows ME and Vista for "Worst operating system ever."
The reason I recommend having a qualified shop do the removal of Windows 8 and the install of Windows 7 (I had 7 Professional installed) is that there are issues with how the machine boots, the USB3 ports, proper drivers, and a host of other issues with which you will need to contend in order to make the switch. It took my tech 2 days to get everything running correctly. But there is no need to use 8 clicks to in Windows 8 to accomplish what 3 will do in Windows 7. Having the hard drive wiped and Windows 7 Professional installed was money well spent. All of the Asus bloatware is gone, along with McAffee. I installed Eset Nod 32, which has kept my machines clean and safe for years.
Microsoft actually has a good thing going here. There are so many computer users who hate Windows 8, MS gets to sell TWO operating systems per computer. It's almost impossible to find a machine set up with Windows 7. So, like it or not, when you buy a computer you buy Windows 8. Then you remove it and buy Windows 7. In fact, there are signs outside my computer service shop and in their windows proclaiming, "WE HAVE WINDOWS 7!" And of the 24 computers on which they were currently working when my machine was in the shop, 14 of them were there to remove Windows 8 and replace it with Windows 7.
If you happen to LIKE Windows 8, then you are going to love this computer with no modifications really needed. If you want to supercharge it, add a SSD. If you HATE Windows 8, replace it with Windows 7 and you will have a terrific laptop.
I believe Asus has scored a home run with this machine. Don't hold them responsible for an operating system over which they have no control. The laptop is a fine blend of form, fit and function. Great job, Asus. You exceeded my expectations.
Read Best Reviews of Asus N56DP-DH11 15.6-Inch Laptop Here
I have owned this laptop for only two days, but I am absolutely confident in its performance and ability.1) General Specs
The processor (AMD A10 4600M) does a satisfactory job. However, I have found that if I try to run several Windows 8 apps at once, I can experience severe slow-down at times. This might not be due to the processor, but it's something to be aware of. That being said, it performs admirably in desktop applications with no slow-down. Also, the built in 7660G graphics are superb...but we'll come back to that.
The hard drive is partitioned into two drives: OS and Data. It's only a 5400rpm hard drive, but I haven't experienced problems with it.
2) Display and Graphics
Let me just say the display on this laptop is simply PHENOMENAL! The colors brightly stand out on the 1920x1080 display. No complaints.
The graphics with respect to gaming are especially capable. I haven't tested many games with it (downloading them now), but after running multiple system tests I found out it is able to play games such as Crysis 3, Company of Heroes 2, and Bioshock Infinite. That's great, especially for a $700 laptop (on frys.com).
To clarify about the two graphics (7660G and 7730M), the 7730M is a backup card. Essentially, if things are getting tough for the processor, the 7730M comes in and assists. This greatly enhances the performance on high-intensity games.
3) Sound
Fantastic! It's specially designed and comes with a portable subwoofer which brings the quality to incredible levels. Just bear in mind that at "100" for your volume, the laptop is literally blasting your music. I typically wear headphones or turn it down to "20" or "30" out of courtesy to others.
4) Extras
This laptop has 4 USB 3.0 ports; more than a lot of laptops in its price range. It also comes with an optical drive. I noticed that it runs slower than my family's desktop but I suppose that's to be expected.
The touchpad is quite good but it has issues (but these might be Windows 8): while using Internet Explorer through the Metro UI, I often times find myself unable to "two-finger" right-click. Thankfully, there is a regular right-click function on the laptop; and this problem does not recur on the desktop version. Another problem is that sometimes all the gesture support will simply stop out of nowhere. It's an easy fix, nonetheless.
5) Windows 8
Since it's such a hot button issue, I'll simply say that Windows 8 is perfectly fine. Good, in fact. I love the look and the functionality of the OS. Beware though; I experienced a lot of trouble trying to update apps (as you will, likely). Be sure to follow the forum posts about the issue and you will solve your problem.
6) Conclusion
I suppose at the heart of it this all depends on your usage. If, for instance, you don't plan on running graphically intensive games, you might look elsewhere. Some people talk about laptops with Windows 8 requiring a touchscreen but I really don't see the need with either the touchpad or a mouse (mouse is preferable, in my opinion). Besides, touchscreen computers cost more for worse specs because of the touchscreen, so it's not cost-effective at all.
Any student out there looking for a laptop to play hardcore games on, but that is equally functional at the Internet and Email; I give this laptop my highest recommendation.
Want Asus N56DP-DH11 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?
I picked this laptop up a couple weeks ago primarily as a media machine, with some gaming ability.Pros
Beautiful 1080p IPS screen has great viewing angles, is bright and has a pretty high color gamut for an inexpensive laptop.
Backlit keyboard has good tactile feedback and no bouncy double keystrokes etc.
Good cooling. Even when gaming the CPU stays well under 90C and the GPU stays under 85C. Under normal web browsing usage etc the CPU stays under 45C.
Speakers are great. Included sub woofer is nice for gaming and movies.
Track now works great after installing the oldest driver from Asus's support page for this laptop (10.5 or something like that)
Gaming at 1080p with low to medium settings for most games.
4 USB 3.0 ports.
Gigabit ethernet port
8Gig memory stock
1TB hard drive is plenty big
Not a whole bunch of bloat ware to remove
Cons
Battery life is average at best. Usually less than 3 hours for my usage.
Gaming performance is just ok, not great. Sadly AMD doesn't really make a GPU that's in the same range as the GT650M. They go from lower mid range 7730 to high end 8970. I'd have spent a little more for something in between, like a 7850 or something.
AMD A-10 is apparently not overclockable like previous gen A seris APUs.
Software updates make this machine take FOREVER to reboot. Seriously it spends about 10 minutes saying "15% complete" before it jumps to 100% and reboots.
A few comments on this machine. It's a great machine for multimedia usage. And it's gaming is good enough for most folks to play games even if you have to use lower settings for some modern games like Metro 2033. The AMD software for graphics switching is quite nice and easy to use. If you download the latest video drivers you get dual graphics but honestly I have yet to see a game that's faster / better on dual graphics than on the 7730 alone.
My son has an HP dv6 and I hate the keyboard on that thing. The keyboard on this Asus is top notch, easily a match for most business class laptops.
Also comes with a 1 year accidental damage warranty. Note that you have to go activate it within 30 days to get it.
Overall a GREAT machine at a GREAT price.
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