I picked up the ASUS A53SV-EH71 over the 2011 holiday season. Although it was the season of the tablet, I still needed the power, functionality and versatility of a laptop. I'm not quite tablet ready yet, maybe next year. So I did my usual research and the ASUS A53SV-EH71 won by unanimous decision.
What was your search criteria?
I searched the $700-$1000 price range for the best i7 laptop with a minimum 1 Gig video card. I wanted something that would be powerful enough to run everything I throw at it. I'm a console gamer so I didn't need the power of a pure gaming machine, but it's nice to know I can run anything that's currently out now.
What are the product specs?
- Intel 2.2 GHz i7-2670QM
- 6GB DDR3 Memory, Max Ram: 8GB
- 640GB Hard Drive, 5400 rpm
- Nvidia GT 540 Graphics with 1GB DDR3
- 15.6-Inch Screen, Native Resolution: 1366 x 768
- Altec Lansing HD speakers
- Wireless Type: 802.11bgn
- Weight: 5.72 pounds
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Wow, seems like a great deal!
Given the tech specs and reviews, this laptop is a steal, especially for an i7 with a 1GB Nvidia card. The only thing I was concerned about was the Hard Drive, 5400 rpm is sufficient, but I would have liked a 7200rpm or SSD. However it is an easy piece to upgrade later on.
How does it look?
The aluminum frame on the inside key wrest is sexy, and it keeps my palms cool. The top of the laptop is black (or mocha) and has a nice texture to it. There is no denying that it's a beautiful laptop and looks great when you have the lid open. I don't care as much about style because I'm not a hipster college student that needs to show off how technologically stylish I am. But if I was, I would certainly be showing it off.
What I disliked?
One of the things I was excited about was the Altec Lansing HD speakers. The design is sleek, the silver speakers are lined up from end to end near the top of the keyboard. My excitement quickly turned into disappointment when I heard music, it sounds too flat. My old Toshiba sounds a lot better and if I was Altec Lansing, I would want my name ripped off the product list.
Also, the power plug is located on the middle of the left side. Not a huge deal, but I would have liked to have it on the back, or on the back corner.
How about bloatware?
As you would imagine, any laptop you get these days has a fair amount of bloatware. Not nearly as much as my old Toshiba, but enough to make you wonder why this continues to happen. It would be nice to have the option of a clean OS.
How about gaming?
I don't game on the PC as much as I used to, but the few games I ran on it were awesome.
I was able to play The Witcher, Mount and Blade Warband, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Looking ahead, I'm sure I'll be fine for Diablo III and Guild Wars 2.
The bottom line.
In all, the ASUS A53SV-EH71 is a great buy. For the price you get a lot power. There's something godlike about checking your Task Manager and seeing the power of 8 cores. The NVidia 1GB video card compliments the power of the i7. There were a couple of trade offs, such as crappy sound and an average hard drive.
Review is a segment about my opinion on things. I like things, and you like things too. Before you run off and buy something, you should check out my review. Chances are if I like it, it’s probably awesome.
