ASUS A53E-AS31-WT 15.6-Inch Laptop (White)

by Asus

• Intel Core_i3_2350M Processor 2.3GHz
• 4 GB DIMM RAM
• 750GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
• 15.6-Inch Screen, Intel GMA HD
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches ; 5.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B007MW140O
• Item model number: A53E-AS31-WT
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,217 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 29, 2012

Product Description

Color: White | Style: Core-i3

From the Manufacturer

Smart, Reliable & Efficient

Uncompromised Quality and Unique Features with Affordability in Mind

Ideal for those who seek a highly reliable notebook for work or play without breaking the bank, the ASUS A Series is the perfect choice. With unique features and technologies, it is the ultimate solution for your productivity and entertainment needs while on-the-go.

Tried and Tested for Quality

ASUS is a global technology leader who focuses on the mastery of innovation and design perfection. Today, it is the world's #1 manufacturer of motherboards and is one of the world's top PC brands. ASUS embodies the passion to create products that truly enhance the computing experience. ASUS products are also strictly quality tested to surpass industry standards, surviving multiple drop tests, hinge tests cycles and LCD pressure tests, ensuring that every ASUS product you buy will be one of your best investments.

Reliability Matters

ASUS PCs finish near or at the top of the industry's reliability rankings survey after survey.¹

Known for their unmatched reliability, ASUS products clearly offer you peace of mind and quality you can trust. Incorporating premium materials like the brushed Aluminum used in the notebook's chassis, ASUS aims to break the industry mold and deliver a product that is truly incredible. ASUS also offers the industry's best-in-class complimentary warranty and free 1-year accidental damage protection so you can sleep worry-free knowing ASUS has your back.

Innovation like No other

Designed with you in mind, ASUS equipped the A Series with innovative technologies that fit your needs. For instance, IceCool Technology helps keep the palm rest cool even after prolonged use. ASUS Palm Proof Technology prevents inadvertent cursor movement on the track pad when typing, thereby providing better accuracy while editing or creating a document.

The ASUS A Series delivers an immersive multimedia experience through its high-definition LED panel and SRS Premium Sound via Altec Lansing speakers. Log in to your laptop password-free with SmartLogon facial recognition technology. Plus, it offers peace of mind preventing unwanted access by other people, saving you time and keeping your laptop secure.

Comparison Chart

	A53E-AS31	A53E-AS52
Display Size	15.6" LED (1366 x 768)	15.6" LED (1366 x 768)
Processor	Intel Core i3-2350M (2.3GHz)	Intel Core i5-2450M (2.5GHz) with Turbo Boost Technology
Memory	4GB DDR3	4GB DDR3
Graphics Card	Intel GMA HD	Intel GMA HD
Storage	750GB	750GB
Battery	With 6-cell battery	With 6-cell battery

Relax, ASUS Has You Covered

1-Year Accidental Damage Protection- Covers accidental drops, spills, power surges and fire damage for the first year. One incident per laptop.

Key Features

• Intel Core i3-2350M processor with built in Intel HD Graphics for faster, more energy-efficient computing
• IceCool Technology keeps palm rest and typing surfaces cool even after prolonged use
• ASUS Palm-Proof Technology prevents accidental input by distinguishing between palm and finger contact on track pad
• Massive 750GB hard drive capacity means more storage for music, games, videos and files

Specifications

• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Display: 15.6-inch HD display (1366 x 768)
• Processor: Intel Core i3-2350M (2.3 GHz)
• Graphics: Intel GMA HD
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• Memory: 4GB DDR3 (1333 MHz SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM socket for expansion up to 8GB SDRAM)
• Storage: 750GB 5400RPM
• Optical Drive: DL DVD±RW/CD-RW
• Camera: 0.3 megapixel
• Speakers: Altec Lansing speakers
• Card Reader: 1 x 5-in-1 card reader : SD+MMC+MS+MS PRO SDHC (SD 2.0)
• Input/ Output:
  • 1 x Mic-in
  • 1 x Headphone-out
  • 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor
  • 1 x RJ-45 LAN
  • 2 x USB 2.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x HDMI port
• Battery: 6-cell
• Dimensions: 15.12" x 10.12" x 1.4"(W x D x H)
• Weight: 5.72 lbs (with 6-cell battery)
• Color: Black

What's in the Box

• A53E-AS31 Notebook
• AC Adapter
• 6-cell Battery Pack
• Warranty Information Card

© 2012 ASUS Computer International. All Rights Reserved. ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer. All specifications and terms are subject to change without notice. Please check with your supplier for exact offers on selected models. Products may not be available in all markets. Product may not be exactly as shown in photos. All trademarks are registered to their respective companies. ASUS shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

¹ http://commercial.asus.com/promos/ASUSReliability/
² ASUS reserves the right to exclude certain SKUs; check with your retailer to confirm coverage of specific models. Valid for notebooks purchased in the US and Canada only. Certain retailers do not participate in ADP coverage. For complete details, please visit: http://completewarranty.asus.com/.

Product Description

15.6" HD (1366*768) / Intel Core i3-2350M (2.3GHz) / 4GB DDR3 / Intel GMA HD / 750GB 5400RPM / DL DVD±RW/CD-RW / Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit) / 802.11BGN / 0.3M Pixel Camera / 6 Cell Battery / HDMI / 1YR Global/1YR Accidental Damage/30-Day Zero Bright Dot/2-way FREE shipping/24-7 tech support

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 129 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Works fine so far! April 15, 2012

By kellyzdude

Format:Personal Computers|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this laptop after a few months of longing, a few weeks of research, and a few days of price hunting. My requirements were fairly simple. I wanted Windows 7 with an i3 or better, at least 4GB of RAM (upgrade-able to 8) and a 320GB drive or bigger. I also wanted to spend no more than $500.

The system arrived within a few days and I excitedly opened it and read through the instructions (this is out of character, but I understand the importance of first start up). The first step was running the backup (4 DVDs later..) and then I worked on removing the bloat. ASUS, like so many others, ships with a bunch of crap you don't need, though in this case it was less than I expected.

The system itself is nice and quick. I have had it playing Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (the new one) and it performs nicely. I've also had it running a Folding@Home client (see [...]) which nets around 2000 points per day. This compares to about 200-300 on my old Athlon64 Desktop machine.

Other notes:
- The power socket is on the left hand side about halfway between the front and the back, and the connector itself is a right-angle. This is a weird place, but is convenient. My wife's most recent Dell had a side connector and it was still damaged through leaning it on things it shouldn't be. I feel the design and location on this laptop would prevent a lot of those issues.

- The laptop feels very cool, even while pumping out very hot air through the vent. It's warm on the legs, but by no means hot like I've experienced with older laptops.

- The numeric keypad is nice, but is a little weird if you're used to the separated keypad on larger laptops or desktop keyboards. More than once I've hit the right-arrow while trying to tap zero. It can feel very crowded in that area also, with the keys from the left arrow all the way over to the ./delete key being the same size (along with those around them) so it can be difficult to place fingers without looking.

- HDMI works and carries sound with it. I had it hooked in to a 55" LCD TV a few days ago playing Need for Speed quite nicely. I didn't think to check what resolution it was at (I suspect the native resolution of the laptop's panel as it was mirroring), but it looked really nice. Others may be more picky about this than I..

All things considered this seems to be a fine machine, especially for the price, and I expect it to last for quite some time into the future.

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent general purpose laptop... April 27, 2012

By 35-year Technology Consumer TOP 100 REVIEWER

Style Name:Core-i3| Color Name:Red|Amazon Verified Purchase

The ASUS A53-AS31-RD is a very good general purpose laptop. It works well with productivity applications, web browsing and basic photo editing. It multitasks well (playing music and working on Office applications). The area around the keyboard and touchpad and the top are each textured; that and the dark red color keep this machine from being a fingerprint magnet: good design!

Ports include an SD media slot, a LAN connection, three USB ports and HDMI out. Battery life is average; around 3 hours out of the box, although you can probably coax more out of it with adjustments in the Windows 7 control panel or the included ASUS desktop power management gadget. Out of the box it was relatively free of unwanted bloatware or trial versions of programs (kudos to ASUS for that).

This computer does not ship with recovery media; you'll need four DVDs when you run its built-in utility to create your own recovery kit (do this first!).

Overall, this is a solid laptop that should serve well for all but the most demanding computing needs. The color breaks it from the packs of black, silver and white machines out there! Watch for deep discounts to make this unit even more attractive.

Note: this machine's default hard drive configuration includes two logical partitions, with about 75% devoted to a "D" drive for data. I used Windows disk management tools to shrink that volume and restore all the free space to the "C" drive. This is just my preference, but it can help avoid issues with applications that struggle to remember "non-C-drive" locations for storing data files.

110 of 117 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars i5 Review May 31, 2012

By E. Brown VINE™ VOICE

Style Name:Core-i5| Color Name:White|Amazon Verified Purchase

This item comes in i3 & i5 versions. The i5 isn't always available, though.

This A53e might be reasonably priced for what you get, but it's not quite what I think of as a 'budget' device.

A budget laptop has an i3 processor. I'm reviewing the i5.
A budget laptop has around 250-500gb memory. This has 750gb
A budget laptop doesn't have HD screen. This does
A budget laptop doesn't usually come w/HDMI or USB 3.0. This does
A budget laptop doesn't usually come w/face detection. This does

That said, the 4gb of onboard RAM is definitely budget, but also upgradeable to 8gb for only $23. The 0.3 megapixel webcam is also pretty low-rent. So, it's obviously not the top-shelf model either.

The i5 processor is the 2nd gen variant which is a significant step-up from the 1st i5, plus it has 'turbo boost' which variably kicks in. So, it's not a mid-range i5. It's closer to an i7 than an i3.

This is the coolest-running PC I've owned. The white version has a subtle design to it. I was happy to find little bloatware.

CONS
The description is inaccurate. This is an LCD laptop, not an LED. There is no onboard bluetooth. There is no dial volume control. Instead, you must click on-screen volume control & slide or use the function & f12 keys repeatedly which is less than convenient. You can't just lower the sound immediately. That *really* bothers me. Something to consider if you sneak peaks at porn in heavy rotation. The same applies to the brightness adjustments - 2 clicks & it doesn't always respond. The mouse clicker is too loud which seems kind of cheap. The speaker could be a bit louder. The webcam is below par. The screen started out bright, but seems to have gotten dimmer, even with brightness adjustment all the way up.

CONCLUSION
As with most things, I have a few gripes. Why 5 stars? A 15.6 inch, HD, 750gb, 2nd gen i5 w/turbo, stylized, dependable notebook, that comes with this type of warranty is hard to find, particularly at $560. You could pay twice as much for a Macbook that would be smaller, slower and less dependable (according to Gizmodo's 'Laptop Reliability Study'). The A53e is a steal. It has the looks and many of the specs of a more expensive model.

EXTRAS
For $23, I purchased an additional 4gb of RAM (for a total of 8gb). The 4gigs works okay, but if you're apt to have 4 or 5 programs running at once or you're into video editing, you might want to bump it up. Even if you don't work your laptop so much, adding the extra 4gb is an easy, affordable way to future-proof your computer. Get it outta the way now. Kingston ValueRam 4GB PC3-10600 L9 204-Pin SODIMM Notebook Memory KVR1333D3S9/4G is compatible & fits perfectly. (See my review there) If you're not a techie, you needn't worry about ruining your laptop. Asus makes it very easy to understand by providing a second empty slot to add 4gb. All you need is a small Philips screwdriver & 5 minutes tops. There are brief, simple tutorials on YouTube as well. Adding RAM is the most affordable way to give some extra speed and extend your computer's relevant life. If you're strapped for cash, the 4gigs will serve you fine for a while.

A word about Windows 7. You can no longer click-drag to re-order files in a folder. You can only rename them alphabetically or numerically. I downloaded IrfanView to work around this. If you want MS Office, but wish to keep your costs under $600, download Open Office at openoffice.org. It's free and offers all the functionality.

This computer doesn't come with recovery disks, so you will need 5 dvd-r disks and an hour & fifteen minutes of your time to create them. The laptop will remind you to create them every time you turn the device on.

I made out like a bandit. I can't believe I nabbed a reputable Asus with 750gb, 2nd gen i5, 8gigs of RAM and 15.6 screen for under $600. Go ahead, shop around. You'll end up right back here for this steal. For the record, Asus & Toshiba make the most dependable laptops. HP, some of the worst.

Got any questions? Lay 'em on me.