Asus N53SV Series - Review by Owner N53SV-A2

[JustinVisser1]

Really good review, I really mean that: I subscribed!

[lucasstarbuck]

@JustinVisser1 Thanks so much Justin! I appreciate your feedback. Luke

[MrDono14]

what is the difference between this model (A1), and the DH72??

[lucasstarbuck]

@MrDono14 Sorry I'm not 100% sure. There's a lot of model variants. Check the specs against each other - video card, hard drive, blu-ray, screen, etc.

[MrDono14]

@lucasstarbuck No problem thanks for the resonse!

[limedesign2]

if you live im australia go here:

w w w(dot)mln(dot)com(dot)au/produ­ct/?itemID=3499

replace (dot) with .

[togetherandforever]

hi, i love your video. But i have a question. why is my screen got that light blue feel. Yours is so much more neutral. thanks!

[togetherandforever]

@togetherandforever natural, i meant, sorryy

[lucasstarbuck]

@togetherandforever Use the Key Combination - Function (Fn) + 'C' - that adjusts screen modes. I never run in 'Normal', I always use 'Gamma Correction' to achieve a colour tone much closer to my old Mac.

[togetherandforever]

@lucasstarbuck thanks. it's better now, but not completely white.

[cookbryce12]

so is this a good buy or not a good buy because im lookin for a good gaming laptop for cheap about at max of 800 to 900

[lucasstarbuck]

@cookbryce12 Definitely recommend this laptop for anyone - great set of features and a reliable manufacturer with a good warranty!

[Quasimo15]

Thanks for posting such a helpful review. Can you let us know:

Does it have a fingerprint reader?

Does it have a buit-in modem?

Is the screen glossy? I’ve heard that some of the Asus models are like mirrors when used outdoors.

[lucasstarbuck]

@Quasimo15 Hi you're welcome! No fingerprint reader or modem. LAN port.

Screen is glossy, like all glossy screens (Macs, Toshibas, Dells, Samsungs, etc) I wouldn't expect a glossy screen to be usable outside.

All the best!

[dindogallardo]

does the screen look a bit washed out?

[lucasstarbuck]

@dindogallardo Nope! Vibrant. Not like an iPad screen, for example, but plenty of color for a laptop screen.

[EasyFold007]

I agree so many reviews out there with a lot of BS... Thanks for the user review :)

[machomamajr]

how the fuck do you override the switch plz tell me i can't play shit

[BurnTheCows]

excellent review thx man

[lucasstarbuck]

@BurnTheCows Thanks!

[Soundofstereos]

@Frizeeh Dude, this can run most new games at high settings at 30-60fps no problem.

[andrecoxa]

Hey mate, thanks for this review in "Australian" ;).

I'm glad someone mentioned how quiet this machine is, that's one of the things I'd be very happy if you could help me with.

1) How noisy or not noisy is this thing?;

2) How hot does it get? I know this is very subjective, but would you be able for instance to use it on your lap while gaming/editing photos?

3) Did it buy in Australia? If so, how much did you pay for it in AUD?

Thanks a lot.

[TheColinputer]

Hey mate, this is one of the best laptop reviews i have ever seen. Nice to see a review from a genuine owner not a tech company who hardly uses the thing before reviewing it.

I do have a question for you though im looking at buying a similar model at the moment. (same CPU and GPU but different HDD and ram) and i was wondering what battery life yours has doing everyday sort of tasks? (ie web browsing on wifi, playing music, word etc)

Thanks

[cbharis]

Nice review! Thanks!

[tambulee]

of all the reviews ive watched i give u a 5/5, very nicely done.

[lucasstarbuck]

@tambulee Thanks!

[tambulee]

Great Vid man.

[lucasstarbuck]

@tambulee Thankyou!

[Frizeeh]

would this computer run cod4 and minecraft and such low graphic games, smooth and nice?

[lucasstarbuck]

@Frizeeh Not sure specifically, but check the system requirements - this computer handles some pretty intense gaming.

[Frizeeh]

@lucasstarbuck i bought the pc with :

i7 2670 2.2- 2.9

16gb ram

nVidia Geforce 540m 2gb

1080p

and its running smooth on minecraft 150-300 fps 

[jjandrooney]

@Frizeeh i play minecraft and cod4 on it. Its smooth as crap on it. i can even on a few games at the same time. and mine is the i5 version. so DONT WORRY. btw Best Speakers..Loudest sharpest and clearest ived heard

[alantrik]

1 question, just 1. HOW?! How do you override it? How do you make the Nvidia Graphics card be the primary display controler, how damn it?!

[lucasstarbuck]

@alantrik Right click your desktop - go to the Nvidia control panel. Under Manage 3D settings you can set overrides.

[KickYourAssTomorrow]

I forgot to mention, that its amazing how quiet this laptop is when gaming, like seriously...The thing is super quiet.. I play GTA4 Dirt3 Crysis2 Battlefeld3 MW3 SIms3 Just Cause2 and this computer continues to impress me with the power it has under its chassis. :D

[KickYourAssTomorrow]

now have the computer and i gotta tell ya, i swear this was a 15.6 inch pc... but DAM..this thing is as big as my previous 17 inch laptop..My model is N53SV-EH71..And to all those people worrying about keyboard flex...the EH71 has none whatsoever..

Specs:

Core i7 2670QM 2.2 Ghz Turboboost to 3.1Ghz

Nvidia GeForceGT 540M

6GB DDR3 ram

500GB 7200 rpm HDD

Bluetooth 3,0

USB 3.0

So far so good... :) Thanks man

[lucasstarbuck]

@KickYourAssTomorrow Awesome man! It is a bit bigger, but I love the keyboard with the numpad, and its a true desktop replacement for me.

Enjoy!

[FrYLocK41]

@KickYourAssTomorrow Question, I'm about to get the NS53SV-DH72 model.. I am hoping that they keyboard doesn't flex, maybe u know the differences between the models on which models has flex or not.

[KickYourAssTomorrow]

@FrYLocK41 Hey man, i see you've decided to go with the HD version to my model, sweet choice man... I'm almost certain that the -'EH71 and EH72' have no keyboard flex like the other previous models....It's the first thing i tested on mine, and i was shocked cause i expected my finger to sink into the keyboard, but its as stiff underneath as it can be...Coming from my older laptop with a different layout, it does take a few days to get used to and probably week to fully break in the keyboard. :)

[FrYLocK41]

@KickYourAssTomorrow I see. I'm not worried about getting used to the keyboard at all, just the flex. So the EH71/72 model doesn't have flex, I'm just being optimistic and hope mine doesn't have any.

[iivvaannoovvv]

thank you. i am going to buy this bad boy

[Djmadness2011]

Is Sony Vaio F series 2D better ?

Spec : i5 2430M 4 Go ram 640 Go Nvidia geforce Gt540 M

It has a backlit keyboard , the screen is bigger (16,4) FULL HD 1080p....

[lucasstarbuck]

@Djmadness2011 i5 processor is much slower than the i7 in the Asus. For serious gaming, graphics or video editing I'd recommend the i7.

[Djmadness2011]

@lucasstarbuck Ok , the fan it makes lot of noise? When game a lot?

[lucasstarbuck]

@Djmadness2011 There is some noise when the fan is running, yes, but it's not as loud as a DVD drive spinning when watching a movie. I just use that as a comparison. I have heard other laptops that are a lot louder than this one.

[Djmadness2011]

@lucasstarbuck Ok thank you ! I going buy this monster robot :p

[benblatch12]

does this thing have a internal mic or webcam?

[mrpurrfecto1]

@benblatch12 yes to both

[icklegengen]

@lucasstarbuck Hi, I've just bought the Asus N53- thanks for the review! How do I override that whole Intel v Nvidia thing? My system settings keep saying I have the Intel as default. I've changed it in the Nvidia settings but it doesn't seem to work. That little blue/white button on the top right changs colours momentarily and then switches back. It seems to automatically change as its supposed to for some games, but not for others. Any advice?

[Kay94C]

Do you prefer LED screens or HD Screens? Some say LED screens are better on laptops. What is your opinion?

[lucasstarbuck]

@Kay94C I really love the screen on this Asus - it's glossy, but is clear and bright enough in all situations. Not sure the differences between differently lit screens, like LED.

[20Faille]

great review!!!

I have some questions,

how long does it take to boot up??

have you played a game on this laptop?? if you have which was it and how did it work?

when you have simultaneous pages open does it get very slow, or does it heat up very much?

[lucasstarbuck]

@20Faille Thanks for watching!

It takes around 30 secs to boot up, but I normally 'sleep' it - takes around 10 seconds to be usable after 'waking'. I've played a few games - but there are other reviews of people using this laptop as a gaming machine. It runs what I have played just fine.

If you're talking about web browsing, I often have 30 tabs open with no slow down. Also often web browse while rendering an HD video in the background - its a powerful machine.

The fan does a great job with heat

[007borntorule]

@lucasstarbuck

does it have backlit keyboard??

[lucasstarbuck]

@007borntorule Nope! I've seen one on ebay for hundreds of dollars, or there are mods available if you're desperately needing it.

[9999koni]

hi there, i have the same model laptop, i am having problem with the mouse pad, it doesnt work when the charger is plugged in it just frezzes and the pointer doesnt move, it works ok when its not plugged in. what should i do? thanx

[lucasstarbuck]

@9999koni Call Asus Tech Support?

[capnhawkins]

Hi I've got a laptop that's in the same series as this, but it's the B1, basically the same keyboard. For some reason my volume control buttons and Windows Live button are not working anymore. I think I may have accidentally uninstalled something that I shouldn't have, but I don't know. What do you think?

[lucasstarbuck]

@capnhawkins Try download and installing the Asus ATK Package from the Asus support website. All the best!

[capnhawkins]

@lucasstarbuck I have downloaded that but I got a message saying the computer already has it installed. So I don't know if you know what else to do.

[lucasstarbuck]

@capnhawkins Try uninstalling that from the Control Panel > Programs, and then reinstall. Alternatively, check out Macomfort which will re-map F keys to their equivalent Mac shortcuts, meaning that you can just hit 'F11' (without the Fn key) to get volume down, and F12 for volume up - pretty handy, unless you need to use F keys for software.

[capnhawkins]

@lucasstarbuck Alright, I have done that and the controls are working again. Thanks so much!

[lucasstarbuck]

@capnhawkins You're welcome!!

[morishas]

are you a photographer. do adobe programs work well on it?

[lucasstarbuck]

@morishas I am a photographer/videographer/desi­gner/developer. All the Adobe programs work really well on it. I had to switch from a desktop, that was a quad core, and was concerned about performance. But in fact this is faster than my 1yr old desktop machine! Especially good with Lightroom, Photoshop. Also using Premiere Pro on it, with 8 source video tracks and it handles it all (without a ram upgrade, though one would be useful).

[Kay94C]

Hey Lucasstarbuck i have a question, i know the Asus A53 had a bloatware problem where deleting unnecessary games and software would make the laptop malfunction especailly in the Fn keys and volulme keys. Is it the same for the n53 series?

[lucasstarbuck]

@Kay94C Good question. It did come with a few items that aren't necessary, but didn't really affect me at all. I uninstalled some stuff, installed some other programs, and the volume keys did stop functioning, but as mentioned elsewhere in the comments simply reinstalling the ATK package fixed that problem. I prefer using MaComfort so I don't hit the Fn key to adjust volume (more like a Mac) anyway. Cheers!

[Kay94C]

@lucasstarbuck

Oh okayy This might be my new laptop, this or the ASUS N53-EH72! One more question. How is the wifi card on this laptop. Ive heard some people saying that the wifi card is not good. And also very informative video, i had almost every question answered.

[lucasstarbuck]

@Kay94C I haven't had a prob with wifi, often using this computer next to a Macbook and the signal strength seems to be the same. Have also used the wifi with Connectify to create a virtual wifi hotspot for my tablet to connect through - works well.

[Kay94C]

@lucasstarbuck

Alright sweet i am sent on this laptop. thanks again!



[lucasstarbuck]

@Kay94C You're welcome!

[Kay94C]

@lucasstarbuck

Haha Okay i am sorry i have one more question. I also saw an N53SV-EH72, would you recommend this over the EH72?

[TheAmolF]

@lucasstarbuck You said there is a manual switch to override to the desired option but where's that switch ?

[lucasstarbuck]

@TheAmolF Its in the Nvidia software - Nvidia Control Panel - you can set by software application, or generally manually control it. There might even be 3rd party utilities available (I've seen a third party app on a Macbook Pro that does allow you to switch).

[KickYourAssTomorrow]

I have a question.. Cause like from the images and videos, the screen bezel looks huge.....Does that mean that the actual screen display is smaller than average because of the big bezel? Cause from looking at it it looks like the bezel takes up screen space :(

[lucasstarbuck]

@KickYourAssTomorrow Hey the screen bezel is bigger than some computers.. but the screen - 15.4" is measured by the actual screen size.. not the size of the top section of the laptop. So the screen is the exact same size as any other 15.4" laptop, but the computer itself is a little larger than some others. This means there's room for a number keypad to the right of the regular keyboard, which is really handy.

[KickYourAssTomorrow]

@KickYourAssTomorrow Thanks alot man, i ordered the N53SV-EH71 Thursday.... with the GT 540m, i7 2670QM( 2.2Ghz TurboBoost to 3.1 Ghz), 6GB Ram, Bluetooth 3.0, Usb 3.0 included, HD LED screen (not FULL HD), and 500GB (7200rpm) Hard Drive.... Im just hoping that the build of the series is capable of keeping itself cool under loads like gaming.

[chirstopherbell]

can the bluray drive burn normal cds and dvds?

[lucasstarbuck]

@chirstopherbell Yes it can.

[TheAmolF]

in this video it says its resolution 1920x1080 but on amazon link its resolution 1366x768

[lucasstarbuck]

@TheAmolF Almost - if you scroll down further on Amazon, it also says 1920x1080. I believe the 1366x768 is a misprint, and the full manufacturer's info is correct. I think others have found this to be the case when they ordered.

[FatLibertarianInOkc]

I'm buying this laptop - well the newer version which has a better processor and hopefully a sturdier keyboard. Good video. :)

[lucasstarbuck]

@FatLibertarianInOkc Thanks! Which model are you buying?

[davegt666]

What kind of theme are you using for the taskbar and such at 1:30? 

[lucasstarbuck]

@davegt666 I'm using the Lion skin pack, and some other add ons to get a more mac-like experience. (Check out MaComfort, KatMouse, RocketDock)

[davegt666]

@lucasstarbuck

That's what I figured. Thanks!

[capnhawkins]

Do you think the keyboard would be a problem for gaming? Because when you're gaming, there are times when you will need to put significant pressure on the keys due to the need for quick reactions.

[lucasstarbuck]

@capnhawkins I don't think so.. I don't feel any flex at all when typing, and I type heavily. I suspect they have revised the keyboard since the ones you see the videos of on Youtube. Worst case scenario, you can get chiclet style keyboards on ebay for around $30.

[capnhawkins]

@lucasstarbuck Thanks much, it was the main concern I had

[ddjumpingup]

Do u have any flicker with colour spectrum on the top of the screen, it usually happen after led temporary shut off for power saving. thx

[lucasstarbuck]

@ddjumpingup I haven't seen this issue, sorry. Might be worth a warranty claim?

[SubliminalTwin]

You said that when the other graphics card kicks in, the light turns blue. I've read that blue is for the integrated Intel GPU while white is for the discrete nVidia GeForce GPU. Is that correct? So in the video you were using the discrete GPU?

[lucasstarbuck]

@SubliminalTwin I had read my info from an online review, and they got it back to front. So I have it back to front in the video. I've added a note now.

[david4134]

Just a quick question, what made you choose this over the asus n73sv! Is the n73sv any better, and that amazon link you posted up is that the exact link u bought your lapptop from?

[lucasstarbuck]

@david4134 I talked to my brother who has a 17" laptop and he said it was like carrying a table around with him, so I went with the smaller screen.

The amazon page was out of stock when I needed to buy, so I bought locally then.

[ashtonkonon]

Hey there'

i am having trouble with the hotkeys like the mute, volume up + down, not working..and the USB port, would not properly remove my external hard drive...

(the external hard drive still rotating when i clicked remove hardware) ...

any suggestion towards the issues' ? thx a lot'

[lucasstarbuck]

@ashtonkonon Hey! I haven't had problems, but I ended up using a customization program so the function keys behave like a Mac (You don't push function for volume buttons). It is called MaComfort. It can map any keys to volume control.

I have 1 hard drive out of 3 that don't disconnect properly, so I assume it's something to do with the hard drive. For that one, I just shut down briefly, and remove the drive when it's off.



[ashtonkonon]

@lucasstarbuck Thx very much for the suggestions'

will try with the MaComfort' as recommended,

about the hard drive' the same situation related to all of my thumbdrives as well ''

guess i have to refer to the support center;

thx anyway for helping' much appreciated

[lucasstarbuck]

@ashtonkonon You could also try redownloading the Asus ATK version Version V1.0.0008 from Asus support. You will need to 'Uninstall Program' - ATK through Control Panel first, then run this new version installer. It helped my hardware volume keys work again.

[ashtonkonon]

@lucasstarbuck

Re-installed the ATK version with an updated one and it works!'

Just have to fix my USB driver now'

I sort of search it out , it is something related with BIOS for some reason'

I re-installed the USB file, only to realize that it is for 3.0 but not for 2.0'

can't find any support file for USB 2.0

Anyway thx for helping out'

[ET3RNA4]

Also how is watching blu ray in 1080p?

[ET3RNA4]

I'm about to buy this laptop, just a couple of questions... How's the speakers? How's video quality and screen quality? I thanks a bunch and awesome review

[lucasstarbuck]

@ET3RNA4 Hey! Thanks for the complement on the review. Glad you liked it!

I find the speakers really clear and good to listen to music on. But, of course it's still a laptop, not a hifi. Better than a small Macbook 13" I use I think.

Video quality is excellent.. screen quality is great with the high number of pixels on the 15" screen. Love the clarity and detail.

HD movies are great -I'm watching mkv's but the experience from disc will be the same. HD screen = great detail.

[redgreenpaper]

Hey lucas I bought this laptop 2 days ago and at 13:45 you said that you can manually control whether the laptop uses the on board graphics or the more powerful nvidia graphics. Can you please tell me where I can manually set on the nvidia graphics? Because when I am playing a game that is very graphically demanding i see that the light remains white. Thanks.

[lucasstarbuck]

@redgreenpaper Hey there! Enjoy your new machine! Having read up more on this model, the earlier reviews I had read had the light colors back to front! I believe now blue is power saving and white is the Nvidia chip. Regardless, you want to open your Nvidia Control Panel - you can use the Windows Start Menu search feature to get to it (Just type nvidia after you hit the 'Windows key'). In there, under 'Manage 3D Settings' You have a global setting, and program-specific settings to choose.

[sagerstf]

is the keyboard backlight?

[lucasstarbuck]

@sagerstf No, the factory keyboard is not backlit. There have been some mods done, however nothing I've seen that works great.

[tzfrantic9999]

to lucasstarbuck how is it at viewing dvd's and youtube video files would you recommend this full hd laptop over a 1366x768

also is it nice and crisp for all video files that are not hd

[lucasstarbuck]

@tzfrantic9999 Hey, I think for DVDs and Youtube videos, you're not going to see a huge difference. For Blu-Rays, however, you will definitely see the extra resolution from the HD screen. So it depends if that's something you want to use the computer for. To be honest, I watch more Netflix than BluRays, so for that I think either screen would be fine.

The HD screen shows non-hd videos well. There's just more pixels to fill out when it expands a video.

Enjoy your new laptop when you buy!

[tzfrantic9999]

@lucasstarbuck hey but having a this full hd screen you it still play normal youtube videos and dvd's a bit better then a 1366x768 resolution

[dw23saint]

Great review! Also, I like your Windows Taskbar! What is that skin called? Thanks in advance!

[lucasstarbuck]

@dw23saint Hey! Thanks. It's a combination of themes and things.. you can download if you search for Lion Skin Pack. Also check out MaComfort for nice keyboard shortcuts, hotkeys, active corners, and spaces - just like a Mac (I just switched back to PC). The extra little thing to get is called KatMouse - it lets you scroll in a non-active window, if you move your mouse cursor over that window, like you can on a Mac.

Lion Skin Pack includes RocketDock, which awesome for an app dock. Enjoy!!

[FeelGreedy]

Hey thank you so much for the great review!

I was just wondering.. Are there are dedicated media keys (play/pause, stop, forward/backward etc) somewhere on the laptop?

Thank you for your response :)

[bgdwiepp]

This guy just rambles bullshit, i mean seriously "you can fine tune them image size with control plus and minus lol" or "its hd screen may make text a bit small"

this review would be good if it was muted, only lasted for about 20 seconds, and had shots of the laptop all around within that time frame. 0/10, terrible review.

[parseh1]

hi,thanks for your best review and this help to me very good to chose this model,i want to by an asus N53sv as soon as posible.thanks alot for your review

[chrisbeattie123]

I don't know whether you can answer this question, but do you know whether the company you linked for the cheapest price ship to the UK? or know of any UK companies selling the product? I am having trouble finding the laptop for sale in the UK, only seem to find the i5 version, thanks

[lucasstarbuck]

@chrisbeattie123 Hey, Amazon might, might not ship to the UK, but you'd be responsible for import duties.. so it might no be worthwhile, though the warranty is global. Alternatively, try looking around of rmodel variants in the N53SV series - sometimes regional differences means similar spec machines get different model codes.

[chrisbeattie123]

@lucasstarbuck alright thanks alot! I'll have a look into it

[AndrLt]

Thanks for a nice review. I'm going to buy either an Asus N53SV or Dell XPS 15 (both with 720p screens). Overall I like Dell's design a bit more, but it has i5 CPU, while the Asus has i7 and I've heard that there are some heating issues with Dell laptops (at least XPS 15). Could you give some advice to help me choose from these two? Maybe you even tried both of them yourself, so you know more good/bad points of these laptops?

[lucasstarbuck]

@AndrLt Hey you're welcome.

I did look at the Dell XPS 15 as well, and considered it.

The deciding factor for me was the CPU benchmarks - the i5 just couldn't compare to the i7's incredible numbers (higher than my older quad core desktop CPU) - I used cpubenchmark -dot- net. I needed a computer that would last a few years, in terms of power, and the Asus will do that, with an upgrade to 16GB of ram shortly.

All the best!

[AndrLt]

@lucasstarbuck Thanks for your reply. I'm actually about to buy that Asus, but do you think it's 720p screen is okay? I've heard that Dell XPS 15 720p screens are horrible (washed out colours, grainy, etc...). I can't really afford a full HD screen at the moment. I've also considered a Dell Inspiron 17 that has 17.3" screen, i7 and GT525M (that's obviously worse than Asus's GT540M), but also read that screen isn't too great too. If you have tried Asus with 720p 15.6 screen, can you recommend it?

[lucasstarbuck]

@AndrLt I found the 17" laptops just too big and bulky.. and I demo'd the 768px screen Asus in-store for quite a long time and found it very usable. The screen was clear, colors were good etc. I just needed the HD for video editing. Happy buying!

[AndrLt]

@lucasstarbuck Thanks for helping me decide. I'll definitely go with Asus N53SV then! :)

[roflmaocopterlol]

"I've started using the numpad, for numbers and that kind of things..." Hahahaha

[wickedlasers]

excellent job thanks

[wickedlasers]

based on your sites and links you seem American, but you sound Australian =]

[lucasstarbuck]

@wickedlasers Australian by birth, North American in living!

[Ecko486]

@lucasstarbuck How is the case on the model? is it plastic like other laptops or solid and metal??? Great review btw! considering one now haha

[lucasstarbuck]

@Ecko486 Hey thanks! I'm really happy with this computer (typing on it now - keyboard is actually excellent despite some other people's ideas) - been using it now for about a month. Lots of use. Everything is great.

It's a plastic case, which I prefer, as the metal cased MacBook I use is VERY cold to use in the morning - uncomfortable at times. Happy shopping!

[thinkamc]

If I grab a "N53SV-A2", are they all in 1080p? Is it the A1 that's the 768p? I'm a bit confused because the site I want to get it at says both resolutions, which is for sure a typo - but I'm trying to determine what it actually is.

[lucasstarbuck]

@thinkamc My understanding is the same as yours. The N53SV has variants (lots of them actually) and some have the 1080p screen. I think once you're talking about a model number, like 'A2', then the specs are tied to that model number.

[spells24]

@thinkamc I've been looking at these asus for a while, and I think the n53SV-A2 model TYPICALLY is 1366x768. I've looked everywhere, and everywhere except that amazon link pretty much says 768. I think this may be an exception. Even on sites where you can customize, like xoticpc, the a2 only is available in 768 (B1 is 1080p). I think this amazon is an exception somehow. I'm ordering this exact model now after extensive searching. the screen, bluray, and overall build were important to me.

[mlagerloef]

are the fans loud on the system? and does the brick get as hot as people say it will?

[lucasstarbuck]

@mlagerloef I haven't heard the fan running, at all, though it does as I can tell from the exhaust out the side. The power brick has been hot, but every other power brick I've ever used (15 yrs) has got hot too. Perhaps it's people who've never had laptops before who are concerned? It doesn't worry me.

[mlagerloef]

have you run into any heating issues, either through gaming or just through general use?

[lucasstarbuck]

@mlagerloef I haven't had any overheating issues - like crashes, etc. I do notice that it's a good idea to have a bit of clear space around the left side of the computer, as that's where the exhaust fan outlet is, and it does push out quite a bit of heat at times.

[rim218]

What can it get for battery life?

[lucasstarbuck]

@rim218 I mention battery life in the VERDICT second part of this video, I'm seeing around 3-4 hours with average usage. Haven't tried the battery saver, but I'd expect 4 hours.

[tnet666]

awesome review

[lucasstarbuck]

With regards to where to buy - there are a range of retailers online who have stock, however I think this model has been very popular. Most likely bigger retailers like Amazon will get stock again quicker than smaller ones. This particular machine was bought in Vancouver, Canada in July, but was the last of their stock.