List Price: $599.99
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I bought this model from a competing store for the same price. First impressions were that it was light (my last laptop was a VERY heavy Toshiba Turion-class laptop), fast (10 second boot, fast program execution, fast program load times after first launch due to caching, good gaming performance, etc.) but I was a bit dismayed that there is NO BLUETOOTH, and the Atheros WiFi chip is not my favorite. It comes with 4GB of RAM. Opening the bottom panel to access RAM/Network card/Hard disk is a bit tricky. After removing the screws, the panel SLIDES off, does not pull directly off. Once you get inside, however, components are easy to access/upgrade/replace.
I bought the Intel Centrino Wifi/Bluetooth network adapter, and after installing, I now have a more stable network stack AND Bluetooth! No tweaking of the OS was needed as both the wifi and the Bluetooth were discovered/loaded/configured before the first boot let me log in and both work wonderfully. Using a Motorola Bluetooth mouse now instead of taking up a USB port with a wireless mouse dongle.
I also upgraded to 8GB of Corsair RAM (also not purchased on Amazon I like supporting local stores when I can), and this has made the system much peppier. I highly advise upgrading the RAM. Crucial 8GB SODIMM Kit
Windows 8 is a bit of a pain, mostly due to no touchscreen, and no real interest on my part in the Metro "tablet" style interface, but all it takes is a single click to get back to the more functional desktop view. You may have to tweak the settings a bit to ensure that some of the full screen apps are not the defaults, but that's not a huge issue for me.
Sound is excellent on the laptop, though not as loud as some gaming machines, but certainly decent for a laptop. Trackpad works fine, and there is a Fn key sequence which can toggle it on/off if you find that it interferes with typing. External monitor connectivity includes both a VGA d-shell and also a HDMI connector, which is nice. Camera/microphone are integrated and do a decent job for Skype, etc.
Battery life is impressive. Using the Power Saver profile when not connected to a power source, I get easily 4+ hours on battery, while using medium to high screen brightness and Wifi active. Will need to see how the new Bluetooth affects this.
The laptop is a great piece of hardware for the price. Add the RAM and Network upgrades and it's even better.
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Its s nice laptop but a bit confusing. It must be the windows 8. There is a tutorial for Asus but you need to learn how to use windows 8.Best Deals for Asus K55A Ultrabook PC
I have long used ASUS motherboards in the desktops that I build. This is the first laptop I have purchased in a long time (the last one was a Thinkpad). The vendor shipped it earlier than estimated, which I appreciated. The i5 processor is blazing fast and in this machine only cost a little more than other machines sporting the i3 processor. The 500Gb hard drive was better than most other machines also. This laptop has a sleek look with champagne and mocha coloring, so much better than the standard business you can have any color so long as it is black. It came with Windows 8 and I am hoping I get a free upgrade to 8.1 in October. Win8 is challenging.Honest reviews on Asus K55A Ultrabook PC
The Hard disk was so noisy that I had to return.Whether it's about ASUS or HDD maker, the laptop seems to have temperature problem, and possibly unstable.
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I actually sold an iPad on EBAY to get this laptop, because I needed more functionality and flat hard drive space. After a lot of searching, this seemed like the best bang for the buck (I got a brand new one for about $450.00.) It does have a nice construction as well as some nice features on the touchpad. If their support worked, I would like this more than any laptop I've had to date (and I have had about 40+ laptops.) It ran pretty good after putting the max RAM in (8 gbs.)The jury is still out as I am fairly disappointed that ASUS' support site doesn't recognize the full model number when and the 'auto find' function doesn't work with it. Also, when I insert the serial number it comes back with an error pop up telling me that I would have to find it another way.
I want to do a clean install of Windows 8.1 as I despise the bloatware, but can't as the clean install won't accept the OS Key from this Windows 8. I don't know why they don't provide a new Windows 8 DVD with a brand new, sealed laptop. It seemed reasonable they would at least have a downloadable copy on their support site, but no.
Also I can't get my network set up no matter what, so I would like to update the BIOS which is turning out to be a scare since I like to be very specific about model numbers when doing so, but they can't find this specific model on their site. There is a newer BIOS flash for going from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (it came with Windows 8), but I am wary to install it now.
They haven't responded to any contacts, so for right now, I have to give it a low grade based on support alone.
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