ASUS K42Ja

[jeffreybaks 81]

Been really digging this laptop for awhile now. I'm all about the 13.3 and 14 inch laptops. This one isnt really known by any means and has really got zero attention. Here is a review, its short and pritty crappy but it gives and idea of what this laptop is. You can find it on the asus website also here. Specs below. In the video there showing the JC one with the 310 geforce graphics but the JA has a ati 5730 which has a lot more power.

[video=youtube_share;3KHqjebkocc]http://youtu.be/3KHqjebkocc?hd=1[/video]

Specifications

Processor	Intel® Core™ i5 430M/450M/520M/540M Processor Intel® Core™ i3 330M/350M/370M Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core P6000 Processor
Operating System	Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate Genuine Windows® 7 Professional Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium Genuine Windows® 7 Home Basic
Chipset	Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
Memory	DDR3 1066 MHz SDRAM, 2 x SO-DIMM socket for expansion up to 8 G SDRAM
Display	14.0" 16:9 HD (1366x768) LED Backlight
Graphic	ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD5730 with 2GB DDR3 VRAM
Storage	2.5" SATA 640GB 5400rpm 500GB 5400rpm/7200rpm 320GB 5400rpm/7200rpm
Optical Drive	Super-Multi DVD Blue-ray reader
Card Reader	2 -in-1 card reader ( SD/ MMC)
Camera	0.3 Mega Pixel web camera
Networking	Integrated 802.11 b/g/n or 802.11 b/g/n Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.1+EDR (Optional) 10/100/1000 Base T
Interface	1 x Headphone-out jack 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor 3 x USB 2.0 port(s) 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 1 x HDMI
Audio	Built-in Speakers And Microphone Altec Lansing® Speakers SRS Premium Sound
Battery	6Cells : 4400 mAh 47 Whrs
Power Adapter	Output : 19 V DC, 4.74 A, 90 W Input : 100 -240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Dimensions	34.9 x 23.8 x 3.65 cm (WxDxH)
Weight	2.20 kg (with 6 cell battery)
Manufacturer Warranty	2-year limited global hardware warranty. *different by country 1-year battery pack warranty On-line problem resolution through web interface (BIOS, Driver update) OS (Windows 7 ) install/uninstall consultation Bundled software install/uninstall consultation ASUS software supporting

Edited July 12, 2011 by jeffreybaks

[Stevenxowens792 806]

The 5730 is ok but they should really put the upgraded 6xx series in it. The killer on this is the lack of true quad core. I can't stress this enough that newer games really need the 4 truecores (8 threads). I have had people message me on my youtube account to say "how do you get 35-45fps with extreme settings +plus a splash of ultra" with your computer. I asked and sure enough, it's the m14x with the I5 and not the I7. I inquired and they get only 15-25 fps even with oc'd gpu.

Jeff, I too like cool little notebooks. I loved my m11x. I just really and truly feel that even ultra small machines need true quads. Even if the manufacturer had to disable the turbo in the bios it's still faster than the dual core (4 thread) counterparts at higher clock speeds. Take the 2630qm at 2.0ghz with turbo disabled is still outstanding. Pair that with the ati 5730 or 6730 and your cooking with gas.

The asus is a cool little machine. Maybe in a few months they will release something exactly like what we are talking about.

Good Luck and best wishes,

StevenX

[jeffreybaks 81]

lol I know GTA4,BFBC2,Supreme Commander/FA/2 is just a few. Im not sure about the quad core being in smaller machines though. The reason I like these types of notebooks is cause of all the bells and whisles you get with them. I love ambient light sensors, back lit keyboards, HD webcams, buttons for switchable graphics and bluetooth and wireless, and especially having the changeable graphics from intel to discrete is a life saver. I do like it when I see quads being able to be in smaller machines though, nothing wrong with that at all.

You know as well as I do though that when it comes to frame rates doesnt make much difference what your Nvidia Geforce gt 555m is paired with, its going to get the job done either way. If people are having troubles with that gpu then they need to look at things like reinstalling there win 7, using software to boost and free memory and O/C there card.

My I5 in my laptop works great for all games. There is no ability to put a quad core in my ideapad, you can put i7 in them but its the ones without quad core. Personally I feel like the CPUs in these medium laptops is working well, there pushing there limits temp wise to begin with the likes of acer x830tg series and they had to even make them throttle down cause of it. As time goes on there will be more options for this segment of laptop I think as they are more popular then all the other sizes. I love them so much I would say that I don't think I could force my self to stray away from a 13.3-14 inch laptop for a good long while.

There has to be a breaking point some where, weather its quad core or thermal limits or graphics power something has to give way currently, especially battery life. Finding laptop that has all those things in it and perform the way you want it to is becoming easier with all the options that are becoming available though. I really want a Sony Vaio SA signature series brown colored, its only 2499.00$ For this price I could almost fit my current Y460 in the last 3 digits.

Edited July 12, 2011 by jeffreybaks