Customer Reviews

ASUS K50IJ-X8 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

(Re-wrote this review 12/6/09)

This is an excellent budget notebook with a 15.6" screen that's only 5.8 lbs. We just bought two for my wife's parents (don't buy it for 3D games, as it has integrated graphics, but office apps and browsing are fine).

Pros:
- T6600 Core 2 Duo (not the Pentium Dual Core, lower-end C2D, ULVs, or Atoms)
- Relatively quiet and light (5.8 lbs)
- Big hard drive (mine had a Seagate Momentus 5400.6)
- Screen has relatively good viewing angles, horizontal and vertical
- Pretty good fit and finish for a plastic casing (although there's a somewhat flimsy lid that is separate from the battery)
- 4 USB ports
- VGA output is crisp (to 1280x1024, didn't try bigger)
- I haven't noticed the palm rest getting warm at all ... but you're not playing 3D games are you?
- You can select one language during boot up that's set forever, that is, until you restore from the recovery partition. The first time I chose Traditional Chinese. Works great. I restored (press F9 at boot) and selected English. Works great, didn't need to put in DVDs, and all the software reappeared. I even choose the option to use one C:\ drive, instead of the default 60% C:, 40% D:.
- Opening the notebook casing is easy -- find the "electronic - hardware" version (not the "hardware" version) of the manual on Asus's web site (search for K50, then click Download, then Manuals). The hard drive is easily replaceable. Relatively clean layout so I can imagine blowing out dust bunnies will be easy.
- Includes Office Home & Student 2007 (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneNote) pre-installed WITHOUT a product key. It asks for that so I assume you just punch one in and everything's great.
- Includes a trial of Trend Micro Internet Security for antivirus protection pre-installed.
- Aside from the Asus utilities, relatively little bloatware
- Turned off all of Win7's eye candy. Don't need that.
- 1-year international warranty. Includes accident protection (register for this within 60 days on the Asus U.S. web site, and it's non-transferrable from the original owner). No paperwork on extending the warranty. We're trying our luck in case the computer breaks down in < 1 year and they give us a hassle about it being a gift and the warranty being valid.

Cons:
- A bit fat
- The screen has a blue tinge, just like with Asus's TN LCD displays. You get used to it though.
- Glossy screen (reflections), not matte
- Two-finger touchpad scrolling is too sensitive out of the box with Firefox (although it might be okay with IE). Turning it all the way down, it's fine.
- The numeric keypad uses smaller keys! Difficult to use for folks with big hands.
- The arrow keys don't have space around them (and actually the right arrow key is bumped into the numeric keypad section), so you need to learn where they are.
- The keyboard and touchpad are on the left side of the computer because of the numeric keypad. You quickly get used to that, though, so no biggie.
- The touchpad buttons require some pressure to click, but you get used to it.
- 4 GB maximum memory. Just 1 user-accessible memory slot which contains 2GB. No biggie.
- No DVI. No port replicator option with that option.
- No Bluetooth, FireWire, eSATA, ExpressCard/PCI Express slot
- Integrated Intel graphics (not for 3D gaming, but great for 2D apps)
- The T6600 doesn't support Windows 7's XP compatibility mode. Most of the Win7 Home Premium notebooks I've seen have a CPU which doesn't support XP mode. Only Win7 Professional and higher supports VT mode anyway. Does XP mode matter at all? I have no idea. Search the Internet for that.
- It doesn't wake up when you open the lid. It does sleep when you close the lid. Yes, I checked the settings. Tip: Change the close-lid behavior to Sleep instead of Hibernate for a faster sleep, but battery will drain faster.

Edit 12/10/09:

A few cons I've noticed:
- The two speakers are on the bottom of the notebook, at the front lip. You really need a hard surface to reflect the sound up to you. Definitely below average compared with other notebooks IMO.
- The Page Up / Down keys are above the numeric keypad -- way out of reach. It's an incredible hassle with Internet browsing.
- Remember how I wrote the graphics are good enough for 2D? If you watch a Yahoo! music video in full screen mode, that sucker will tear during fast motion. It's fine at the normal zoom level and with computers with discrete graphics.
- I'm always accidentally hitting the DVD eject button. Other notebooks I've used recess this button.

Most people before have said it all so I'll keep this basic and easy to read.

1) ASUS is a top notch maker of motherboards etc. So it's no wonder that recent statistics on laptop reliability yielded ASUS as being the most reliable laptop maker based on number of returns or repairs. ASUS also offers a fantastic warranty on this product.

2) You get a great laptop for the money. I had initially purchased a Dell Inspiron model laptop at Walmart but for the same money I got a better processor, an LED screen, a number pad, better warranty and the ASUS Ice Cool feature. The better processor is what I was really after and the LED screen.

I highly recommend this laptop to anyone who doesn't want to spend a fortune. This laptop is a solid performer and a good bang for the buck. It's fast, runs smooth and looks good if cosmetics are important.

I have researched the hell out of laptops netbooks etc. I actually had purchased a ASUS netbook eee PC. They are all well and good, but honestly just too small for my taste. The keyboards are small and really are only good for surfing the net. So I figured for 200 more bucks I can get the best of whats out there. This ASUS laptop is fast can run WOW easy for all you MMORPG guys and gals out there and can handle multiple apps no problem. Worth every penny! So much better than a netbook, more ram, better CPU, more hard drive space and the abilty to play DVD movies in a much higher resolution!

Edit- battery life is lasting me about 4hrs and 25 mins. With basic apps running such as iTunes and internet surfing. This notebook is still the best thing I've seen around. I was lucky enough to purchase it for 599 during the black friday sale. But amazon still has a great price and more than worth the value!

Edit 12/4/09- I have to disagree about the review about the keyboard. I was able to type 3 papers very efficiently and had no typos. It feels very comfortable. I don't use the number pad. I'm not an accountant and don't have a need to use the number pad like its a calculator. Some people might need it. I do not.

As for Windows 7 being a unstable system. I totally disagree. I've built all my desktops since I've gotten into PC gaming and windows 7 by far surpasses any OS i've used. XP is way to basic for my taste and Vista was a compatibility nightmare. I've ran windows updates already and it was flawless, boot up is literally half of what I'm used to on a desktop. As for upgrade options. No not really. This is a notebook not a desktop. 4gb is more than enough to do most things and as for the hard drive 500g is pretty massive. My desktop has 3TB, but thats mostly for storage.


Con: The speakers sound great. However, when the laptop is on your lap the sound isn't as clear, but this is to be expected. If the laptop is on a desk or whatever it sounds great. Altec Landsing speakers are pretty amazing.

The touch pad took a few moments to get used too, but besides that great product.


TO the supposed "THE REAL REVIEW Only 100% Truthful Reviews"

"My ASUS was DOA and it was a rather bad experience.....AMZN saved the day. Feel free to read my review on my ASUS that is now dead and buried and sent back after 15 hours of ownership and that 15 hours was a NIGHTMARE!" November 16th 2009.

"The unit seemed very cheaply made...dvd drive was dead....power cord was sparking when plugged in...lousy viewing angles....no backlit keyboard makes this BLACK keyboard impossible to see.....got a zillion error messages..one after another after another..Customer support was a joke...14 hours on the phone with these guys and all I can say if if they are the best, I dont want to experience the worst..... I am very sorry I rolled the dice with ASUS but very thankful I bought from AMZN as they do a great job of resolving things for customers which is why I will continue to give AMZN my business...." December 4th 2009.

Are you kidding me man? Stop writing reviews to hear yourself speak. At least show a shimmer of intelligence in what you say. Yes, I'm sure the laptop that you just purchased actually through off sparks lol. Bottom line is this laptop is excellent for the price you pay and people don't need to see your crap reviews that obviously are bias and EXTREMELY EXAGGERATED!


Edit: 12/5/09- I had mentioned previously that the touchpad was a little difficult to get used to initially. But asus has a excellent option for configuring it as you desire. I just turned down the sensitivity and it really has helped with scrolling and web surfing. ALSO for those who are picky about fingerprints this machine does attract very well. There are many options for skins out there that fit this laptop perfectly. Just an option! I've continued to fool around with the new options within Windows 7 and it is really amazing the amount of custom-ability that is possible. There thousands of options for display and such and the laptop handles the shading/pixels/ and resolutions like a champ!

I received this laptop yesterday. Amazon is quite good with its two-day shipping. It shipped via Fedex and arrived here on time. The packaging wasn't done well though, and the outer box was partly opened, which at first made me worry that the box of the laptop itself might have been damaged. Thankfully that wasn't the case. I'll be updating this review as I continue to use the unit. I bought it as a replacement for my 17" HP (Core2Duo) that I thought was too bulky. So far this one's working alright.

Some of the things I like about the ASUS K501J: (1) inexpensive ($ 649 with a $ 100 rebate = $ 549, not a bad deal at all, (2) Core2Duo processor, (3) 500 GB hard drive, (4) 4 GB memory, (5) crystal clear screen, (6) laptop doesn't get hot like my old toshiba, (7) no bloatware, (8) quite light (less than 6 lbs I believe), (9) 4 usb ports.

Now for the things I don't like (initially at least): (1) the laptop feels "fat" as one reviewer here says; it isn't sleek or stylish at all, feels a tad bulky, but that's ok I guess, (2) fingerprint magnet (though not as bad as my HP,(3) no HDMI port(but given the price, I'm not complaining),(4) plastic feels a bit cheap (but again, for $500+ that's nothing to complain about, (5) the product description says 30 seconds boot up, I think it's a tad longer than that (but again, negligible).

I like the laptop so far. I wanted something smaller than my 17" and given the specs, it's a decent little thing considering the price.

UPDATE: NEED HELP HERE!!! I hooked up this laptop to my 22" monitor using only the VGA port that's available on it. I used to be able to get to the recommended resolution for my monitor (with my HP laptop). With this ASUS unit I can't seem to get the resolution beyond 1024 x 769, leaving me with a screen that's not as sharp but is in fact a tad blurry. I tried using a VGA/DVI converter, but that didn't work. Can anybody please help me out here with suggestions as to how I can get a better resolution for my monitor. It's a 22" Sceptre LCD. I'd very much appreciate the help. THANKS!

UPDATE: Received the $ 100 rebate early March. I must say it was rather quick as I had expected to receive it in 8 weeks. Turned out much less than that. Still disappointed though that I couldn't get my 22" monitor resolution higher than 1024 x 769 when I attach it to the laptop's VGA port. Tech support was pretty useless. The support personnel on the other line didn't know exactly what to do, and was not very knowledgeable about the ASUS models and the components. I guess for a $500+ laptop with its specs, the low resolution on my external monitor is really a minor thing, especially since the monitor of the laptop itself is pretty sharp and clear.

I've owned this laptop for 2 days and it is working with no problems. Since it carries the Asus brand name I am expecting it to work for some more years, and hopefully that will be the case. I would recommend this laptop as a good basic entertainment/business/internet/general use laptop, since with a lack of a separate video card, people who play serious games, or users who require uber-fast processing and computing power will be disappointed. I personally was hoping it would be a bit more agile than it is, but I think it is fast enough for users who aren't picky and count how many seconds windows takes to load, and after the mail in rebate, for the price one cannot really complain-a good deal. Bloatware that comes with it is not too overwhelming-Microsoft Office trial, Micro Trend anti-virus trial, and Asus utilities-took me about 20-30 minutes to clean the computer up-but some may find the utilities useful and/or entertaining.

The external build of the laptop is fairly sturdy and I was happy about that since I'll do a lot of travelling with it. It's a little bigger than I expected, but actually feels as heavy or lighter than my old 14" HP laptop. The screen is nice a big for those who like that. A couple of parts seemed cheaply built to me in contrast with the rest of the laptop-the first is the battery casing, which contained some bent, pealing sticker like silver lining(maybe happened during shipping??), and the cover for the battery is thin plastic which didn't secure completely flat and straight to the laptop after installation-perhaps because of the pealing sticker material on the inside of the case. I'm also a little worried about the keyboard; it feels and looks cheap and flimsy, and I am wondering if a key or two will pop off at some point--hopefully this won't happen. The number pad keys are a little smaller than the rest of the keyboard which doesn't feel small to me (I have fairly big hands). I do find myself typing more typos than usual since the keyboard is not elevated, maybe I am just not used to it yet. The outer casing is very glossy/shiny and reflects a lot of light and fingerprints (personally I don't care about that, but some people seem concerned about it)--same with the LCD screen which would be very hard to see and use outdoors depending on light and position. The touch pad is slowly but surely becoming easier to use - at first it seemed hard to glide my finger over it smoothly because of the material, and you may need to adjust the settings for this device and download the latest drivers from the Asus website to optimize it for your hand and feel.

Starting up the computer was simple, everything worked including the wireless network adapter with no additional installation software. As I said personally I was hoping it would be a little more "snappy" with a T6600 Dual core processor, but keep in mind that the Hard drive is 5400 RPM (not 7200), so that may be what I am used to and missing. Again, for under $600 after rebate-the performance is more than acceptable. The hard drive is partitioned into 2 drives both about 250GB each (not counting a hidden backup partition of about 14GB)-one containing the OS, and the other left blank for other data. You can use 3rd party software tools found online to re-size it if you want. I did not reformat or use the recovery disks provided, so I can't comment on how effective that option is.

The sound and speakers on this laptop are better than I expected reading reviews about them. They are loud enough for me, though I had to snoop around in Windows to raise all the volume settings to my liking, but I don't find them too quiet as some other reviewers have; Of course they're not going to compete with a decent pair of external speakers. I don't use the laptop for Home Theater purposes, so can't comment on those features if it has any. This is a solid laptop for the most part, noting the small exceptions above, and I would recommend it unless, obviously, you can find a better deal--with the rebate (which does come with some instructions and "hoops" to jump through-if read slowly, and followed carefully I don't think they're too overwhelming).

The selling point for me was the T6600 processor combined with the $[...] rebate. All of the other laptops I looked at in this price range with similar specs, usually came with a T4300 or slightly lower model processor. For my purposes, I personally would not have bought this laptop if not for that, mostly because it's a little bigger than I'd like, and I'm skeptical about the cheap feeling keyboard (I will travel a lot with it and don't need parts falling off-we'll see). But as it stands this is a very good deal IMO.

Update: Battery live for me has been about 3 1/2 hours average. After owning the laptop for over a week I do have a couple of gripes worth noting. The touchpad leaves much to be desired in my opinion-the material is not conducive to smooth gliding of the fingers and the buttons aren't particularly comfortable to use since they require a little pressure (not much, but combined with the disagreeable finger pad, using the whole thing becomes more cumbersome than it should be-the touchpad on my old HP is more comfortable to negotiate). The keyboard still feels cheap, though no keys have fallen off...yet. I wound up having to reformat and install windows from scratch (the recovery disk worked like a charm), because windows froze during loading after I logged in one morning. It could have been my fault since I used some registry cleaners, but I didn't have any problems on my old computer using the same ones-granted they had Windows XP installed on them. I still say this is a good deal with the rebate, but if you need to use the touchpad a lot, you might want to think twice. If that's not so important to you and you don't mind plugging in a mouse, than it's not so bad.

This is my first laptop. I did a lot of research before purchasing it. I spent hours at Best Buy and Costco talking with the sales people and trying out the display laptops; and researched many on-line retailers and pc review websites checking prices and reviews for different laptops. I chose this one because the t6600 dual core processor was rated well amongst the lower priced laptop processors. I also liked that it has 4gb memory and a 500gb hard drive which is more than most of the lower priced laptops. I wanted windows 7 since I am coming from XP on my old tower pc and have heard Vista is not well liked. It comes with a really good warranty 2 years plus 1 yr accidental for free, and they pay the shipping if you need to send it in. While doing my research most of the sales people and reviews said that ASUS is top quality and have the best customer service. Amazon.com had a great price on this item. I got it for $599. I was a taking a bit of a chance buying it from Amazon because I couldn't see it and try it out before I bought it, and no one had reviewed it yet since it was a new model. I am glad I took a chance on it.
I am very happy with this laptop. It is really comfortable to type on. A nice size - small enough to carry and big enough to easily read the screen and type. I like the number pad on the keyboard. I really like the cool smooth plastic hand rest. It is quiet, comfortable, and cool. It was easy to set up right out of the box, and I am not a techie. It walked me through everything I needed to get up and running. I called ASUS tech support twice - once to ask if I should charge the battery for a specific length of time before using it (they said yes, the first battery charge should be 8 hours), and also a question about getting rid of some of the software that was preloaded that I didn't want. They were very friendly and helpful. They have 24/7 tech support which is really nice. I had to wait a little while on hold when I called in the evening but my daytime call was answered fairly fast. I appreciate that even though I was asking very basic questions and I know they are busy, they were friendly and happy to help me.
I haven't tried it out on the internet or watched any videos as I am still adding and removing programs and setting it up, but so far I really like this laptop. I'll report more once I've had a chance to really see how it handles. At this point I am very happy with it!

ASUS K50IJ-X8 15.6-Inch Black Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

Now one Month after purchasing this quality computer, I am happy to say I am extremely impressed. The quality extras and performance is superb. The video is beyond my expectations. The 15.6 Inch screen is the best video I have seen recently in a laptop. I am impressed with the ELAN Smart Pad.
Prior to this purchase, I was a Gateway customer, twice; a Dell customer, twice; but after this ASUS purchase I may become an ASUS aficionado from now on.
PROS: Too numerous to mention.
CONS: None so far.
My conclusion: This product gives you the most bang for your buck.
PS: A friend on mine was so impressed with my K50IJ she ordered one also.

I purchased it because I read about the high reliabiity ratings and low price. There are a lot of positive reviews, so let me be the devil's advocate.

First thing I don't like is that the computer shuts down when you close the screen. I use giant flat panels at home with my laptop and having to leave the laptop open is awkward. My old Dell or IBM laptops don't do that.
(update: this problem was solved thanks to Mr. Rabbit's comment)

The DVD position is not ergonomically positioned. I guess they outsourced the design of the laptop to some 3rd world country. There are two USB ports right in front of the DVD, so it is inconvenient to access the DVD with USB connections there.

Also, I am having difficulties getting other language fonts. I can read any language, but to type another language I need to somehow download. This computer only comes with English and Chinese pre-installed. My old Dell was easy. I just had to go to Control Panel and click on other language fonts. For this Asus (and with Windows 7), that does not work. I would appreciate if anyone tells me how to get other fonts, say Japanese or Korean. Why does everything have to be so complicated ?
(I was able to download Korean font from internet and now it is fine)

One thing I do NOT like is, the speaker sucks. It is a joke, actually. I can not comprehend a lot of audios on the internet using this laptop. I am not even talking about 'quality', I just cannot understand what they are saying. Listening to music is fine, because you don't care about lyrics anyway. Bad speaker !!!

Overall, I have to agree that it is a bargain. I will update when I actually cash in the $ 100 rebate. They don't send you a check, but a visa rebate debit card and it will take 10 weeks to arrive. You can recieve in 3 weeks, but then you have to pay [...] for 'delivery cost'. It seems legit, but 10 weeks seems very long.
Are they cashing in the interest during that period ? I guess 10 weeks later [...] is better than nothing ?

I've owned this computer for a little over 4 months and have very little to complain about. i will say this is my first laptop.i wanted a mac but just didn't have the extra 1000 and didn't feel like financing a luxury item.Most everything is great. it starts up extremely fast, the display is great, battery life is above average considering the specs and coming from Vista... Windows 7 is amazing. one thing that people should realize about this computer is it has a one-year accidental warranty which i think is worth at least an extra $50-$100. the only complaint(s) i have are; i continue to pop open the cd/dvd drive accidentally, the speaker isn't great-it's clear but not loud- and i continue to hit the cap locks key while typing. none of these things prevented me from loving the computer but all are worth noting. i paid under 600 and considered it a steal based on my comparisons.

I bought this laptop about a month ago now. I thought is was a very reasonable price compared to other laptops with the same specs. It arrived in perfect condition. Works great so far, there was a lot of ASUS software that I would never use, so I removed it; freed up quite a bit of space. I have noticed that while on the charger, when you have the laptop to stay on for more than an hour and it goes idle, sometimes the cursor will be very jumpy for about a min when you start to use it again. After changing the power settings for the comp to go idle in less time this issue has disappeared. Other than that, worth the money.