I couldn't be any happier with this laptop. Having used both Asus desktops and laptops for many years now, I knew what I would get is quality. My expectations were very high, and yet it still managed to surprise me.
Build quality is top notch. Sleek and thin for a gaming laptop. Aside from the trackpad, nothing about the exterior feels cheap. The keyboard is great, keystrokes are buttery smooth. The speakers are surprisingly loud for and clear for stock laptop speakers. The display, oh my... the display. I've only ever used TN monitors so the leap to IPS was quite a big one. Factory color settings are abysmal out of the box so it will need calibrated. Once properly calibrated using the Windows Display Color Calibration tool, colors and images pop to life. Another aspect of the display i'm extremely happy with is the choice of matte over a glossy type. I can sit in front of a window, or a bright lamp can be just over my shoulder and there are almost no reflections. The glossy display types reflect surrounding light like a mirror and lead to quick eye tension headaches for me. So far, i've had not even the slightest bit of eye discomfort while viewing this display. Next we have the trackpad... the reviews weren't lying. It's bad. It feels unresponsive, laggy and cheap. Coming from an Asus G60JX which had a phenomenal trackpad, this was definitely a noticeable downgrade-- time to break out the mouse. The laptop uses the integrated graphics for a majority of activities and will only switch over to the GTX 960M for intense rendering. This means for basic use, the temps stay very cool. I own a heating pad from my last gaming laptop, but i've not had to use it so far with the GL551. While gaming, it did get warm but not HOT like my G60JX, which one could substitute as a fireplace while gaming. Cold boot time is 14.56 seconds from off to desktop. Photoshop opens in just 4 seconds which is really nice. The HDD is also split into 2 partitions, each 465 GB.
I bought this for astrophotography (planetary imaging) and some mild gaming; it's handled everything i've thrown at it so far. I really couldn't ask for anything more. The only thing I intend to change is the HDD which will be swapped out for either a 512 GB or 1 TB SSD. I plan to convert the 1 TB HDD to a storage drive and i'll be set. Now if it can just stand the test of time like my previous Asus laptop (6 years old), then I will be extremely pleased.
Update (6/22/15): Not even a month after writing this review and my screen is defective. Green/pink flashing colors, bleeding colors, extreme ghosting, strobing horizontal bars, etc. I disabled the graphics chip and ran GPU only, problem persisted. I disabled the GPU and ran chip only, problem persisted. Uninstalled drivers and installed the newest versions. It wasn't until I rebooted the laptop and saw the green/pink bars on the boot screen that I realized it was a screen issue and not software. It's boxed up and en route to Amazon for a refund. Really bummed, it was everything I wanted in a laptop. However, if I pay $1,200 then it needs to last longer than 3.5 weeks.
Update #2 (7/03/15): I liked this laptop so much, I decided to try one more time. Amazon was stellar about the refund process, which is why I continue to buy from them even in the event their prices are slightly higher. So, two things to note that I noticed right away: 1) The first laptop arrived with the manufacturers tape broken. Someone cut it, and placed packing tape over the Asus tape to reseal it. This should have been my first red flag, but I assumed it was an employee checking to make sure the correct machine was inside. Unlike the first laptop, my replacement arrived with never-opened, black Asus tape. 2) The first laptop had abysmal color settings out of the box. It took about an hour and multiple calibration attempts to get it where it needed to be. Unlike the first, the replacement has flawless color calibration and perfect gamma with no needed adjustment. At this point, i'm convinced the first laptop was an RMA'd/return that, for whatever reason, was put back on the shelf and sold as factory new. I have adjusted my rating, and will give a third update in one month.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920*1080 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.6 GHz core_i7 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 1600 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB HDD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA GTX960M 2G GDDR5 |
| Chipset Brand | NVIDIA |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 16 GB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 3 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 5 Hours |
