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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
Thin & Light with the Power to Perform
The new U30SD-XA1 presents an impressive style of compact finesse, with its light aluminum alloy construction, chiclet keyboard and oversized palm rests. Start smart with its all new Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor that is smarter and faster with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology for enhanced multitasking.
At less than 4.5-pounds and only 1.5-inches thin, its unique and lightweight design makes it easy to carry anywhere you go. With full HD playback capability and HDMI connectivity, you can easily enjoy the big screen experience on any HDMI-ready HDTV or home theater setup.
The new U30SD-XA1 presents an impressive style of compact finesse, with its light aluminum alloy construction, chiclet keyboard and oversized palm rests. Start smart with its all new Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor that is smarter and faster with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology for enhanced multitasking.
At less than 4.5-pounds and only 1.5-inches thin, its unique and lightweight design makes it easy to carry anywhere you go. With full HD playback capability and HDMI connectivity, you can easily enjoy the big screen experience on any HDMI-ready HDTV or home theater setup.
Key Features
- Up to 9.5 hours of battery life for all-day unplugged freedom1 (Learn more)
- The new Intel Core i5-2410M dual core processor gives you smarter multitasking performance (Learn more)
- Thin and light design only 1.5-inches thin and dressed in brushed aluminum for on-the-go portability (Learn more)
- 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit widescreen for crisp visuals that don't compromise battery life (Learn more)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GT 520M with 1GB VRAM supports NVIDIA® CUDA parallel computing for optimized performance and great energy savings (Learn more)
- SuperMulti DVD drive to enjoy your favorite movies where you want (Learn more)
- HDMI output for easily streaming HD video and audio to a compatible HDTV or external display
- 1 year global warranty
- 30 day Flawless Display Guarantee
- 2-way free standard shipping
- 24/7 tech support
Learn More
Small in Stature, Huge in Power | |
 | The sleek 13.3-inch U30SD has incredible features that go far beyond the capabilities of standard entertainment notebooks. Start smart with the second generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor and 4GB of RAM for unrelenting speed for every task. The dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce™ GT 520M with 1GB VRAM makes it possible to do everything on one compact notebook – productivity, web, video, music and of course gaming. The capable GPU offers a major upgrade over those underpowered competing notebooks, plus it supports NVIDIA® CUDA parallel computing for optimized performance and great energy savings. |
Achieve More, for Longer | |
 | The U30SD offers up to 9.5 hours of battery life that takes you further than most other notebooks and netbooks can by intelligently blending together innovative, battery-saving features for efficient multitasking performance.1 With the ASUS Power4Gear utility, you can optimize power management with the push of a button to select the energy profile of your choice. Plus, 4GB of new DDR3 system RAM provides not only faster performance, but also promotes energy efficiency. Its energy efficient LED-backlit screen also saves more energy than notebooks without it. The U30JSD is powered by an ultra-high-density 8 cell battery that is one of the most robust among similar size models. |
Brilliantly Crafted Portability | |
 | ASUS engineers have broken through the limitations of size to give you a 13.3-inch notebook that's not only lightweight and portable –under 4.5-pounds light and under 1.5-inches thin, but also features a wide variety of ports and a DVD Super-multi drive to watch, play, and burn CDs and DVDs. Packed with the performance and features you need, the svelte U30SD is wrapped in a sleek brushed aluminum- finish that looks great and guards against smudges and fingerprint buildup. |
Relax, ASUS Has You Covered
Ranked as the #1 most reliable PC brand by 3 independent sources,2 readers and editors alike choose ASUS as their trusted notebook and netbook. ASUS tirelessly strives to exceed expectations of quality to ensure you an unmatched peace of mind every time you start your PC.This notebook also comes with the industry's most comprehensive warranty.
1 Year ASUS Global Warranty2
Offers a level of coverage that would add hundreds of dollars to the price of competing laptops:- Covers accidental drops, spills, power surges, and fire damage
- Target 3 business day turnaround time for repair / replacement; not including receiving and shipping time
- 1-way shipping (from ASUS to the user) at no additional cost
- 24/7 toll-free phone support
- U30SD-XA1
- AC Adapter
- 8-cell Battery Pack
- Warranty Information Card
1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty (ADW)3
Whether your notebook is damaged by accidental spills, drops, electrical surges, or fire, ASUS will fix it or replace it for you during the first year after purchase.What's in the Box
- Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 13.3-inch HD display (1366 x 768)
- Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i5-2410QM processor (2.3 GHz)
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM
- WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz), Bluetooth 2.0
- LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
- Memory: 4GB DDR3, 2 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 4GB)
- Storage: 500GB 5400RPM hard drive
- Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi Double Layer
- Camera: 0.3 megapixel
- Speakers: Altec Lansing speakers with SRS premium sound
- Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
- Card Reader: 5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS-Pro, MS-Duo)
- 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, 3 x USB 2.0 ports
- Battery: 8 cell
- Dimensions: 13.12 x 9.52 x 0.8 ~ 1.2 –inches (W x D x H)
- Weight: 4.8 lbs with 8 cell battery
- Color: Silver
Specifications
© 2011 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.
1 All figures theoretical values compared to USB 2.0 benchmarks for reference purposes. Actual speed depends on device and system status.
2 Intel Wireless Display requires a compatible laptop, TV adapter, and a TV with HDMI or composite A/V input.
3 Rated number 1 Windows-based PC maker in PCMag.com's Service & Reliability Report 2009. Rated number 1 PC brand according to SquareTrade, the leading direct-to-consumer warranty company (for more information visit http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/ ). Rated number 1 Windows-based PC brand in PCWorld.com survey http://www.pcworld.com/article/211074/the_tech_brands_you_can_trust.html.
4ASUS 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 ADW coverage. For complete details, please visit: usa.asus.com/event/ASUS360 and adw.asus.com/.
| Check Out Other Great ASUS Products |
 ASUS U31JG-XA1 Laptop Thinner and lighter than the U30SD, the U31Jg-XA1 is designed for people that are always on the move. Its slim profile, multitasking-capable Intel® Core™ i3 processor and a sleek black chassis is all business. Its dedicated graphics processor also lets you kick-back after work and have some fun. |  ASUS U36JC-B1 Thin and Light Laptop Even slimmer and lighter notebook, check out the U36Jc-B1 equipped with the Intel® Core™ i5 processor (standard voltage). Less than ¾ of an inch thin, it is ultra-portable at its slimmest form. With an Aluminum-Magnesium alloy chassis, it is also lightweight and scratch-resistant. |  ASUS ML248H 24-Inch LED Monitor Enjoy brilliant pictures on a 24-inch LED-backlit LCD monitor. Its 10 million to 1 contrast ratio gives you deeper blacks and brighter whites and ever so rich color profile. Connect to your U30SD-XA1 with the easy-to-use HDMI connectivity for razor-sharp visuals. |  ASUS RT-N56U Wireless N Router (dual-band) Add a powerful and fast Wireless N router to your cart today and enjoy the benefits of the freedom of wireless networking. The RT-N56U is like having two routers in one. Dual band transmissions enable both 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums simultaneously to give you faster, more secure connections. |
Product Description
13.3" / HD (1366 x768) (LED) / i5-2410M (2.66GHz) / 4G DDR3 / NV 520M 1GB DDR3 VRAM (Optimus Technology) / 500G 5400RPM / Super Multi DVD / Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit) / 802.11 bgn / VGA / HDMI / Intel WiDi / Bluetooth / 3x USB 2.0 ports / 4-in-1 Card Reader / 0.3 MP / 8 cell 5600mAh
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 65 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've broken this review into sections with a number rating out of 10 for each. There's a pro/con summary at the end.
===============
Keyboard: 9/10
Excellent size, layout and tactile response. The black on black chiclet keys look sharp, modern and are comfortable to type on. Typing is also relatively quiet and unlike a lot of other Asus laptops, there is very little flex. I love the minimalist look and that there are no superfluous media keys. The keys themselves are spacious and the lettering is slightly over-sized. The only thing missing that would make it perfect to me is back lighting.
===============
Touchpad: 7/10
Performance is smooth and accurate for standard navigation & left/right clicking. The pad is spacious and the left/right click rocker bar works as it should. Two finger scrolling works really well, but the other multi-touch functions (zoom in/out, rotate) are buggy and only work half the time when I try. The chrome left/right click bar looks great, but finger print oils show up after awhile so you'll want to wipe it down regularly.
===============
Display: 7/10
The LED display is bright and colors are vibrant/accurate. However - I was disappointed by the viewing angles when watching video and find that it's necessary to sit directly in front of the screen to avoid degradation in picture quality. Also, the screen is very reflective, which makes it difficult to use this laptop outdoors or in a position where lights are behind you.
I would have preferred a resolution higher than 1366 x 768, but I was aware of this limitation when making the purchase, so no points lost for that. The Asus 'Splendid Utility' that allows you to switch between different color viewing modes (Normal, Theater, Vibrant, Soft, etc) seems useless. Everything but 'Normal' mode looks muddy or discolored to me.
All in all I think the display will be fine for most people but it isn't amazing or something that stands out impressively from the competition.
===============
Audio: 6/10
As with most laptops, the speakers are not very impressive. Audio is tinny and there is very little bass when I listen to music or watch movies. The placement of the speakers in the front of the chassis slanting down doesn't help matters. If you plan on using this laptop for watching a lot of movies or listening to music, you'll definitely want some headphones or high quality portables to use.
===============
Speed and Performance: 8/10
This little champ has handled just about everything I've thrown at it so far. It streams media from my home server flawlessly, with no lag or stuttering in the video. Online streaming via Netflix, Hulu etc also works great. Windows/Menus/Programs/Media Center are quick to open and everything feels very snappy. Photoshop opens quickly and performs well for 4GB of RAM. I encoded a couple of videos using Handbrake and it performed comparably with my core2quad desktop.
Drive access sometimes slows down in explorer if I'm heavily multitasking, but nothing abnormal or excessive. The product description overview says this has a 7200 rpm drive, but it is actually a 5400 rpm drive as stated in the expanded technical description. I will most likely upgrade to an SSD & 8GB of RAM at some point.
There was a ton of bloatware preinstalled. I was actually concerned at first because the system ran really slow after initially booting up and even froze up a couple of times as I tried to remove some of the crap. However, after rebooting & finally getting everything off, I updated Windows to SP1 and everything ran fine after that.
I wish they included a real recovery disk with options to leave off extra programs instead of storing it in a hidden partition as a bundled package. I'm thinking of just doing a clean install with one of my Windows 7 Professional disks and buying a license key before the 30 day activation is up. Although this laptop runs perfectly 95% of the time, there are odd moments where it hangs on something, and part of me thinks it relates to the buggy behavior I experienced while trying to remove some of the bloat. Perhaps some registry changes were made that is interfering. I don't know.
===============
Build Quality & Form Factor: 10/10
Despite the compact size and plastic chassis, this laptop feels solid and well made. I love the black colors and brushed faux metal look of the palm rest and cover. The shiny bezel around the LCD panel attracts fingerprints and dust, but it looks very sleek/modern when wiped down. You can't really see it in the photos, but the plastic around the keyboard has a faint glitter effect that looks cool.
I also love the easy access to the hard drive & memory bays - which is typical with Asus chassis design. This will make future upgrades much less of a hassle.
The laptop is slightly heavier and thicker than I was originally wanting, but it still feels compact and light enough to tote around comfortably. The overall look feels sleek & contemporary, which is exactly what I had in mind for cosmetics.
===============
Webcam: 3/10
The webcam works ok but is very low quality. If you use skype or are big into online video chats, you'll probably want to go with a higher quality, dedicated webcam.
===============
Cooling & Noise: 9/10
I'm amazed at how cool and quiet this laptop runs, especially so because I only see the one side vent on the chassis and the holes in the front where the speakers are (which I assume also provide intake air). The bottom is completely solid w/no fans or vents (which is what I wanted), so I was expecting it to run a little warm while having it on my lap or doing anything more than casual tasks. However, although you can feel warm air coming out of the vent under moderate-to-heavy loads - the rest of the chassis stays cool. I haven't experienced the loud fan issue that another reviewer described in battery saving mode of the previous model.
===============
Battery: 9/10
Battery life is excellent. I haven't experienced the advertised '9.5 hours', but I've only tested under conditions that I would normally be using (browsing, photoshop, streaming online media, etc). I get about 5-6 hours with casual use and around 4 when streaming media or doing something more intense. It's great that they went with an 8-cell battery instead of the usual 6-cell. I'm sure I'd get more if I turned off Wi-Fi and decreased screen brightness.
===============
Summary:
I am really pleased with this laptop and would recommend it to anyone looking for something compact, yet powerful enough to do real work or enjoy streaming media without lag issues. With the compact size and limited ventilation, I wouldn't recommend this for heavy gaming, as I don't see how there could be enough air flow to the GPU - but I think it's fine for casual use or older games with lower gpu requirements.
All in all I think it is a very well-rounded system. Amazon associates 5 stars with an "I love it" description ... which I do ... but there are a few flaws that prevent me from giving it that rating. So a star has been removed for the negative points outlined above, but it's still a great system.
PROS:
2nd Generation (Sandy Bridge) i5 CPU
Long Battery Life w/8-cell battery
1333Mhz RAM (vs more common 1066Mhz)
Discrete Graphics with generous 1GB Dedicated VRAM
Silent & Cool under normal/moderate load
Attractive & Compact Form Factor
Overall Build Quality feels high
Asus Warrenty w/1 Year Accidental Damage is an amazing bonus
CONS:
No USB 3.0
Max Resolution 1366 x 768
No back lighting on keyboard
Reflective Screen
A tiny bit heavier/thicker than comparable 13.3" laptops
Mediocre Viewing Angles
Description says 7200rpm drive, but it is actually 5400rpm
Way too many non-essential programs & bloat preinstalled
Also, NotebookCheck[dot]com has a great write-up of this laptop and it's predecessor, the Asus U30JC-A1, that I recommend checking out.
::: UPDATE 05/28/2011 :::
So I ended up doing a clean install of Windows 7 Pro because I couldn't get boxee or xbmc to install and was sick of the occasional performance lags. After doing a clean install, I would now rate Speed and Performance a 9 or 10. I no longer experience the random hangings or lags in speed ... and all of my software installed without issue. Inexplicably, it also seems as if I'm getting an hour more on battery life, which I don't understand at all.
It could be that my initial efforts to remove the bloatware messed something up with the original configuration, which Asus can't be blamed for - but I still feel the amount of extra crap they had installed was unacceptable.
===============
Keyboard: 9/10
Excellent size, layout and tactile response. The black on black chiclet keys look sharp, modern and are comfortable to type on. Typing is also relatively quiet and unlike a lot of other Asus laptops, there is very little flex. I love the minimalist look and that there are no superfluous media keys. The keys themselves are spacious and the lettering is slightly over-sized. The only thing missing that would make it perfect to me is back lighting.
===============
Touchpad: 7/10
Performance is smooth and accurate for standard navigation & left/right clicking. The pad is spacious and the left/right click rocker bar works as it should. Two finger scrolling works really well, but the other multi-touch functions (zoom in/out, rotate) are buggy and only work half the time when I try. The chrome left/right click bar looks great, but finger print oils show up after awhile so you'll want to wipe it down regularly.
===============
Display: 7/10
The LED display is bright and colors are vibrant/accurate. However - I was disappointed by the viewing angles when watching video and find that it's necessary to sit directly in front of the screen to avoid degradation in picture quality. Also, the screen is very reflective, which makes it difficult to use this laptop outdoors or in a position where lights are behind you.
I would have preferred a resolution higher than 1366 x 768, but I was aware of this limitation when making the purchase, so no points lost for that. The Asus 'Splendid Utility' that allows you to switch between different color viewing modes (Normal, Theater, Vibrant, Soft, etc) seems useless. Everything but 'Normal' mode looks muddy or discolored to me.
All in all I think the display will be fine for most people but it isn't amazing or something that stands out impressively from the competition.
===============
Audio: 6/10
As with most laptops, the speakers are not very impressive. Audio is tinny and there is very little bass when I listen to music or watch movies. The placement of the speakers in the front of the chassis slanting down doesn't help matters. If you plan on using this laptop for watching a lot of movies or listening to music, you'll definitely want some headphones or high quality portables to use.
===============
Speed and Performance: 8/10
This little champ has handled just about everything I've thrown at it so far. It streams media from my home server flawlessly, with no lag or stuttering in the video. Online streaming via Netflix, Hulu etc also works great. Windows/Menus/Programs/Media Center are quick to open and everything feels very snappy. Photoshop opens quickly and performs well for 4GB of RAM. I encoded a couple of videos using Handbrake and it performed comparably with my core2quad desktop.
Drive access sometimes slows down in explorer if I'm heavily multitasking, but nothing abnormal or excessive. The product description overview says this has a 7200 rpm drive, but it is actually a 5400 rpm drive as stated in the expanded technical description. I will most likely upgrade to an SSD & 8GB of RAM at some point.
There was a ton of bloatware preinstalled. I was actually concerned at first because the system ran really slow after initially booting up and even froze up a couple of times as I tried to remove some of the crap. However, after rebooting & finally getting everything off, I updated Windows to SP1 and everything ran fine after that.
I wish they included a real recovery disk with options to leave off extra programs instead of storing it in a hidden partition as a bundled package. I'm thinking of just doing a clean install with one of my Windows 7 Professional disks and buying a license key before the 30 day activation is up. Although this laptop runs perfectly 95% of the time, there are odd moments where it hangs on something, and part of me thinks it relates to the buggy behavior I experienced while trying to remove some of the bloat. Perhaps some registry changes were made that is interfering. I don't know.
===============
Build Quality & Form Factor: 10/10
Despite the compact size and plastic chassis, this laptop feels solid and well made. I love the black colors and brushed faux metal look of the palm rest and cover. The shiny bezel around the LCD panel attracts fingerprints and dust, but it looks very sleek/modern when wiped down. You can't really see it in the photos, but the plastic around the keyboard has a faint glitter effect that looks cool.
I also love the easy access to the hard drive & memory bays - which is typical with Asus chassis design. This will make future upgrades much less of a hassle.
The laptop is slightly heavier and thicker than I was originally wanting, but it still feels compact and light enough to tote around comfortably. The overall look feels sleek & contemporary, which is exactly what I had in mind for cosmetics.
===============
Webcam: 3/10
The webcam works ok but is very low quality. If you use skype or are big into online video chats, you'll probably want to go with a higher quality, dedicated webcam.
===============
Cooling & Noise: 9/10
I'm amazed at how cool and quiet this laptop runs, especially so because I only see the one side vent on the chassis and the holes in the front where the speakers are (which I assume also provide intake air). The bottom is completely solid w/no fans or vents (which is what I wanted), so I was expecting it to run a little warm while having it on my lap or doing anything more than casual tasks. However, although you can feel warm air coming out of the vent under moderate-to-heavy loads - the rest of the chassis stays cool. I haven't experienced the loud fan issue that another reviewer described in battery saving mode of the previous model.
===============
Battery: 9/10
Battery life is excellent. I haven't experienced the advertised '9.5 hours', but I've only tested under conditions that I would normally be using (browsing, photoshop, streaming online media, etc). I get about 5-6 hours with casual use and around 4 when streaming media or doing something more intense. It's great that they went with an 8-cell battery instead of the usual 6-cell. I'm sure I'd get more if I turned off Wi-Fi and decreased screen brightness.
===============
Summary:
I am really pleased with this laptop and would recommend it to anyone looking for something compact, yet powerful enough to do real work or enjoy streaming media without lag issues. With the compact size and limited ventilation, I wouldn't recommend this for heavy gaming, as I don't see how there could be enough air flow to the GPU - but I think it's fine for casual use or older games with lower gpu requirements.
All in all I think it is a very well-rounded system. Amazon associates 5 stars with an "I love it" description ... which I do ... but there are a few flaws that prevent me from giving it that rating. So a star has been removed for the negative points outlined above, but it's still a great system.
PROS:
2nd Generation (Sandy Bridge) i5 CPU
Long Battery Life w/8-cell battery
1333Mhz RAM (vs more common 1066Mhz)
Discrete Graphics with generous 1GB Dedicated VRAM
Silent & Cool under normal/moderate load
Attractive & Compact Form Factor
Overall Build Quality feels high
Asus Warrenty w/1 Year Accidental Damage is an amazing bonus
CONS:
No USB 3.0
Max Resolution 1366 x 768
No back lighting on keyboard
Reflective Screen
A tiny bit heavier/thicker than comparable 13.3" laptops
Mediocre Viewing Angles
Description says 7200rpm drive, but it is actually 5400rpm
Way too many non-essential programs & bloat preinstalled
Also, NotebookCheck[dot]com has a great write-up of this laptop and it's predecessor, the Asus U30JC-A1, that I recommend checking out.
::: UPDATE 05/28/2011 :::
So I ended up doing a clean install of Windows 7 Pro because I couldn't get boxee or xbmc to install and was sick of the occasional performance lags. After doing a clean install, I would now rate Speed and Performance a 9 or 10. I no longer experience the random hangings or lags in speed ... and all of my software installed without issue. Inexplicably, it also seems as if I'm getting an hour more on battery life, which I don't understand at all.
It could be that my initial efforts to remove the bloatware messed something up with the original configuration, which Asus can't be blamed for - but I still feel the amount of extra crap they had installed was unacceptable.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Just got this laptop 2 days ago thanks to amazon prime shipping.
I needed a small and light laptop with some juice and purchased this laptop.
Pros:
-Sandybridge CPU, very fast and snappy.
-G520M with optimus. I love this technology, as it saves a lot of battery. You can choose what program to use with the discrete or integrated video card. I've only tested counter-strike source and I got up to 150fps, ranging around 50-70 average on High settings!
-Keyboard looks very nice and clean and feels good to type on
-Not too heavy, something you can carry around with you.
-Build of the laptop is very good, wish they would put the same material thats on the palm rest to the case. (Oil resistance)
-Battery life is VERY good! So far I get around 8 hours (Surfing, Gaming, Install programs, Movies, Brightness at 30-40%)
-Touchpad is good, but clicker attracts oil!!
-Nice and quiet, no vents on bottom, doesn't get burning hot.
Cons:
-Speakers are very dull. No clarity at all, nor its loud. I can live with it but would prefer to have headphones on.
-Resolution is at 1366x768, but it looks fine on at 13" laptop. Viewing angles arent great and can't really see outdoor.
-Finger print magnet on the cover.
-Webcam could be better.
-No USB 3.0
-Not 7200RPM HDD like advertised
-ASUS BLOATWARE
So far I'm satisfied with my purchase, battery life is good, moderate gaming when needed, sandy bridge, build is nice and its not too heavy. I plan to use this laptop for some business work/ personal entertainment. If you can deal with the cons, this laptop is for you!
I needed a small and light laptop with some juice and purchased this laptop.
Pros:
-Sandybridge CPU, very fast and snappy.
-G520M with optimus. I love this technology, as it saves a lot of battery. You can choose what program to use with the discrete or integrated video card. I've only tested counter-strike source and I got up to 150fps, ranging around 50-70 average on High settings!
-Keyboard looks very nice and clean and feels good to type on
-Not too heavy, something you can carry around with you.
-Build of the laptop is very good, wish they would put the same material thats on the palm rest to the case. (Oil resistance)
-Battery life is VERY good! So far I get around 8 hours (Surfing, Gaming, Install programs, Movies, Brightness at 30-40%)
-Touchpad is good, but clicker attracts oil!!
-Nice and quiet, no vents on bottom, doesn't get burning hot.
Cons:
-Speakers are very dull. No clarity at all, nor its loud. I can live with it but would prefer to have headphones on.
-Resolution is at 1366x768, but it looks fine on at 13" laptop. Viewing angles arent great and can't really see outdoor.
-Finger print magnet on the cover.
-Webcam could be better.
-No USB 3.0
-Not 7200RPM HDD like advertised
-ASUS BLOATWARE
So far I'm satisfied with my purchase, battery life is good, moderate gaming when needed, sandy bridge, build is nice and its not too heavy. I plan to use this laptop for some business work/ personal entertainment. If you can deal with the cons, this laptop is for you!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Where to start? I bought this laptop for college next year. My budget was limited (hooray minimum wage jobs!) and this seemed like a good deal for the price, so I thought why not?
I had greatly underestimated this laptop.
This review will talk about what other reviews don't talk about, and that is software. The default install has plenty of bloatware, so I installed a blank install using the product key on the bottom of the laptop. Then it came to install the drivers from the CD Asus supplies you... there were a lot of files. I think in the end I ended up installing nearly all of them.
The Asus-branded software offered is hardly bloatware. Asus Fast Boot is a great feature which lets you install as much crap as you want, and still have the computer start up fairly quickly. The Bluetooth drivers are the best I've seen in any device, period. You can use your computer as a headset for your phone, you can use bluetooth headsets/phones with the computer, you can browse your phone via bluetooth in Windows Explorer (and not in some crappy manufacturer software). It made bluetooth functionality about 50x more useful to me. Scene Switch is great for people who want to use this for both work/school and home. Asus Splendid lets you correct the colors for the display.
So is the display really as bad as people say? Personally I think it's blown out of proportion. The reviewer which gave the screen a 7/10 is fair: the viewing angles aren't the best, though the color reproduction is pretty good. In "Soft Mode" with Asus Splendid, the display's colors look just as good as my desktop's Samsung monitor. I like glossy screens so no complaint about that.
The build quality of the entire package in general is phenomenal, and the keyboard is pure bliss. No backlight though. Oh well.
Performance? Amazing. Even in "battery saving" mode, you have more than enough power to do anything you want, watch 1080p content, etc. Funny story: I ran the laptop on integrated graphics only (I messed up the driver install) and I couldn't tell until I tried opening nvidia control panel, and no such thing existed. As far as gaming, the most intensive game I play is Team Fortress 2. The integrated graphics run it at medium/low, and the dedicated card runs it at absolute max at 20-30fps, and if you turn filtering down to 2x or 4x, you get 30-60 fps. I have AA and AF both at 2x and I don't experience slowdowns.
Speakers are a disappointment. My eee pc (900HA) has better speakers.
So, to upgrade this laptop, I'll also be buying an SD card (for ReadyBoost) and an extra 4GB of RAM. The plan is to be able to run AutoCAD, and also the Adobe Creative Suite. And seeing how it's performed so far, I don't think I'll have an issue with it.
I'm probably going to made a video of this computer for youtube over the weekend, so look forward to that?
I had greatly underestimated this laptop.
This review will talk about what other reviews don't talk about, and that is software. The default install has plenty of bloatware, so I installed a blank install using the product key on the bottom of the laptop. Then it came to install the drivers from the CD Asus supplies you... there were a lot of files. I think in the end I ended up installing nearly all of them.
The Asus-branded software offered is hardly bloatware. Asus Fast Boot is a great feature which lets you install as much crap as you want, and still have the computer start up fairly quickly. The Bluetooth drivers are the best I've seen in any device, period. You can use your computer as a headset for your phone, you can use bluetooth headsets/phones with the computer, you can browse your phone via bluetooth in Windows Explorer (and not in some crappy manufacturer software). It made bluetooth functionality about 50x more useful to me. Scene Switch is great for people who want to use this for both work/school and home. Asus Splendid lets you correct the colors for the display.
So is the display really as bad as people say? Personally I think it's blown out of proportion. The reviewer which gave the screen a 7/10 is fair: the viewing angles aren't the best, though the color reproduction is pretty good. In "Soft Mode" with Asus Splendid, the display's colors look just as good as my desktop's Samsung monitor. I like glossy screens so no complaint about that.
The build quality of the entire package in general is phenomenal, and the keyboard is pure bliss. No backlight though. Oh well.
Performance? Amazing. Even in "battery saving" mode, you have more than enough power to do anything you want, watch 1080p content, etc. Funny story: I ran the laptop on integrated graphics only (I messed up the driver install) and I couldn't tell until I tried opening nvidia control panel, and no such thing existed. As far as gaming, the most intensive game I play is Team Fortress 2. The integrated graphics run it at medium/low, and the dedicated card runs it at absolute max at 20-30fps, and if you turn filtering down to 2x or 4x, you get 30-60 fps. I have AA and AF both at 2x and I don't experience slowdowns.
Speakers are a disappointment. My eee pc (900HA) has better speakers.
So, to upgrade this laptop, I'll also be buying an SD card (for ReadyBoost) and an extra 4GB of RAM. The plan is to be able to run AutoCAD, and also the Adobe Creative Suite. And seeing how it's performed so far, I don't think I'll have an issue with it.
I'm probably going to made a video of this computer for youtube over the weekend, so look forward to that?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great laptop, minus a few small issues...
I bought this laptop last summer, with the intent of using it mostly for school. I wasn't expecting amazing performance from it, but it's exceeded my expectations. Read more
Published 2 months ago by thencomesdudley
Operator error tanked my review...
Well, it does have a lot going for it.
A lot of it is as was spec'd in the description. It is running an Intel core-i5 2410m processor, it does have 4gb memory. Read more
A lot of it is as was spec'd in the description. It is running an Intel core-i5 2410m processor, it does have 4gb memory. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paul D. Masten
The computer is working fine
I have been using this computer for a month and it has been performing great for my needs. Maybe the sound could be better, but it is OK for me.
Published 3 months ago by Active Media
A decent buy
Pros:
Graphics: Most affordable laptops don't have dedicated graphics RAM and such. This one did, and it's a big plus. Read more
Graphics: Most affordable laptops don't have dedicated graphics RAM and such. This one did, and it's a big plus. Read more
Published 4 months ago by kshiggs
Great laptop for My Needs -- Maybe Yours, Too
This laptop is a beautiful little thing. With an excellent, touch-feel keyboard and elegant design, you can't go wrong with this unless you aren't satisfied with it's specs - but... Read more
Published 4 months ago by John L.
An excellent laptop - fast, portable, and also a budget-friendly...
This Asus U30SD-XA1 is loaded with good hardware and is an excellent all around laptop. Fast, dependable, and good for all computing tasks. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Danny Yu
Optimus: Huge deal breaker
I ordered this laptop because I needed a laptop for school. I was planning on doing: CAD, 3D Modeling, Website and Software Development as well as a few games. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Michael Signorelli
very nice
I used to own an older ASUS laptop and frankly I vowed never to buy another one. I saw the commercials for the free xbox for students with a valid purchase. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Joshua Weathers
Very good laptop in its bracket
A lot of other people have voiced their reviews on this so mine will be a reiteration of theirs and a little personal note. Well mostly personal note. Read more
Published 9 months ago by H. Jeong
Performance vs Mobility
---Overview--
Here's what's great: portability (size, battery life), connection ports, build quality, and sleek design. Read more
Here's what's great: portability (size, battery life), connection ports, build quality, and sleek design. Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Wang
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