List Price: $1,043.08
Sale Price: $962.99
Today's Bonus: 8% Off
Bought this last weekend after my old Acer decided to have a screen failure. I've been using it pretty heavily and can say without a doubt in my mind that this is a very solid product. ASUS has built one beast of a machine for a very good price (picked mine up for $800) and I have zero regrets.
PROS:
1. The boot time is exceptionally short. I've gone from a completely dead machine to booted to my lock screen in probably 3 seconds. It advertises 2 second boot time, but give it some slack. It's still fast.
2. As a gamer, the way this laptop handles games is PHENOMENAL. I've played ARMA 2 on pretty moderate settings and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on maxed out settings and had no issues. It's worth it to play with the sliders a little to find a good frame rate, but it's pretty capable. I have yet to try it on really power-intensive games, but from looking at the specs it should be able to handle most current games without issue.
3. The overall design is great. The surface is clean and minimalist, and the speaker surrounds look fantastic. The button on the left side serves as an all-purpose button and allows you to set it to whatever you'd like; from simply muting the computer to launching a web page of your choice. It's an eye-catching computer to say the least.
4. Windows 8 is honestly a great OS. I've always used Windows and occasionally find myself using a Mac OS, and I find 8 to be a great bridge between the two. 8 runs cleanly and minimally, and the laptop's trackpad makes great use of the features Windows 8 offers.
5. The screen. Oh god the screen. Matte HD with the ability to crank out the brightness of the sun. I've sat and watched 1080p movies and enjoyed every second of it. Because of the matte design, there's not much glare at all, and allows for it to be viewed from almost any angle. If you're someone who usually ends up sharing their screen with others, I'd recommend it.
CONS:
1. The battery life is a little shorter than I would like, clocking in at somewhere around 3 and a half hours depending on what brightness it's set at. It's enough to make it through a movie, especially if it's on airplane mode. But moderate to heavy use makes it go quick, so I'm usually not too far from an outlet.
2. Windows 8 likes to update. A lot. That's not a knock against the computer in any way, but it's kind of annoying having a brand new laptop and having to reboot and install updates once a day.
Honestly there's not a whole lot of bad things I could say against this computer. As a student and a gamer, I'm exceptionally happy with it. It can handle most tasks with ease, and runs very quietly. If you're looking for a solid entertainment PC, this might just be the one you've been looking for.
UPDATE: 6/25/2013
About three months in to owning this laptop and I can say I'm still very pleased with it. I've had to do a lot of tinkering and updating with the video card in order to have it run games at peak performance, but it holds its own. Battlefield 3 runs at around 30fps on 768p resolution, and other games run pretty much without issue.
Issues that have popped up: My number one most obnoxious issue is the fact that the spacebar and backspace keys have started squeaking. At first it didn't bother me hardly at all, but now after about two weeks of it persistently happening it's gotten to a point where I prefer wearing headphones so I don't have to hear it. Every time I hit space on this review is like a little nail being put into my coffin. Additionally, one of the USB ports doesn't seem to want to work 100% of the time. There are 3 other working ones, but one of them is a bit picky.
Another more minor complaint is the misuse of the media keys (FN+arrow key to play/pause, skip, stop etc). Most laptops utilize this function, but the N56DP seems to think these keys should only be used for the ASUS DVD program (which I have never used). It gets to be a little bothersome to have to alt+tab over to a music program to skip songs instead of just being able to swap over.
That being said, I'm still very pleased with the product. I use it more or less every day for any number of things, be it gaming, surfing the web, watching a movie, or doing some coding, this laptop serves my every purpose.
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First off, let me say this is a review of the Asus N56DP-DH11 Laptop Computer. It is NOT a review of the Windows 8 operating system.The Laptop comes well packaged and protected. The documentation and instructions from Asus are more than adequate.
Amazon's description listed this computer's weight as 10.2 lbs(!) with a shipping weight of 11 lbs. That is not accurate. Weight is about 6.1 lbs. I pointed this out to Amazon when I placed my order, but they have not yet corrected this glaring error.
Amazon also listed this as an LCD display in one place and an LED display in another. I pointed out this issue to Amazon as well. I called Asus tech support to get correct information prior to placing my order. The display is a full HD LED.
And a quick mention of Asus tech support is in order. My "wait time" was less than 3 minutes, and the tech (Robert) was able to answer my questions quickly and accurately. Total time on the phone was about 5 minutes. Well done, people. The speed of your response was a major factor in my choosing this laptop over a competing brand.
A few features not covered in the product description:
1. The keyboard is backlit (with an on/off control). GREAT for typing in a dark room, especially if you are not a touch typist.
2. There is a small "subwoofer" packaged with the Laptop. This can be plugged in or not, as you choose. With it, the sound is the best I have ever heard from a Laptop computer. No, it doesn't sound like Klipsch Pro-Media computer speakers, but we are talking about a LAPTOP. I am an audiophile. I have over 25K invested in my home sound system. Believe me when I tell you that the sound this little computer puts out will surprise you.
3. The touch pad is nice, but beware: if you are typing and you brush the heel of your hand(s) across the touch pad, you can lose what you have typed in the blink of an eye. Use a wrist rest, or disable the touch pad and use a mouse to avoid this. (There is a button to the left of the keyboard that can be designated to control various features. My suggestion is that you configure it as an "on/off" switch for the touch pad.) There are various 3rd party programs available that will allow you to add that feature.
That said, the touch pad functions like a hybrid between the traditional touch pad and a touch screen phone or tablet. Pinch to make things smaller, swipe to change pages...it's well thought out and works beautifully once you get used to it.
4. Keyboard layout: I defer to my wife for this part of the evaluation. She is the typist. (I am accurate at 30 wpm and not qualified to make a useful judgment.) She sat down and typed at her usual 120-130wpm with no errors, right from the start. She loves the arrangement of the keyboard and its "feel." She gives it 5 stars, except for the aforementioned caution about having your hands brush the touch pad while typing.
5. Battery life: adequate, but not stellar. 3.5 hours is about maximum. Nothing more really needs to be said about this. If you need more unplugged time, get a second battery.
6. Graphics: The Radeon really shines here. Gamers on a budget won't be disappointed. The 8 gig of memory is good for most applications, and it can be increased to 16 gig if needed. And the quad core AMD processor is plenty fast with a good size on board cache.
7. Hard drive: it's big, and at 5400 rpm, not real fast. When the prices come down, it will be swapped out for a good SSD. At that point, the laptop will be so fast it will leave skid marks. For now, it is still a fast enough to be perfectly usable.
7. Display quality: I am a professional photographer, and I use a LARGE Asus HD monitor with my desktop computer as my primary photo editing platform. The laptop's display, while smaller, is STUNNING. I have installed Adobe Photoshop CS6, and will now have an excellent photo editing platform when I travel or am on assignment. No more waiting to return to my office to produce finished photographs. I can now do them on the laptop, order prints, and have them delivered before I even return home.
The matte display is easy on the eyes, the colors are accurate and vibrant, and eye strain is not an issue. I use a lot of Photoshop plug-in programs like Nik Color Efex Pro 5 and Nik HDR Pro 2, and I have complete confidence that what I am seeing on the display is what I am going to get on my prints. Those plug-ins require a lot of processor power, and this laptop supplies all it needs. No more long waits as changes are applied to photographs.
8. Aesthetics: The combination of the black and brushed aluminum is gorgeous. I will put this up against a Macbook Air for "pretty" any day.
Now...a few words about Windows 8: I immediately removed it. (Actually, I had my computer service shop remove it.) Unless you are a skilled geek, I do NOT recommend doing this yourself.
Windows 8 was designed to be a bridge between a computer and a smartphone or tablet. As a standalone O/S, I think Microsoft managed to beat Windows ME and Vista for "Worst operating system ever."
The reason I recommend having a qualified shop do the removal of Windows 8 and the install of Windows 7 (I had 7 Professional installed) is that there are issues with how the machine boots, the USB3 ports, proper drivers, and a host of other issues with which you will need to contend in order to make the switch. It took my tech 2 days to get everything running correctly. But there is no need to use 8 clicks to in Windows 8 to accomplish what 3 will do in Windows 7. Having the hard drive wiped and Windows 7 Professional installed was money well spent. All of the Asus bloatware is gone, along with McAffee. I installed Eset Nod 32, which has kept my machines clean and safe for years.
Microsoft actually has a good thing going here. There are so many computer users who hate Windows 8, MS gets to sell TWO operating systems per computer. It's almost impossible to find a machine set up with Windows 7. So, like it or not, when you buy a computer you buy Windows 8. Then you remove it and buy Windows 7. In fact, there are signs outside my computer service shop and in their windows proclaiming, "WE HAVE WINDOWS 7!" And of the 24 computers on which they were currently working when my machine was in the shop, 14 of them were there to remove Windows 8 and replace it with Windows 7.
If you happen to LIKE Windows 8, then you are going to love this computer with no modifications really needed. If you want to supercharge it, add a SSD. If you HATE Windows 8, replace it with Windows 7 and you will have a terrific laptop.
I believe Asus has scored a home run with this machine. Don't hold them responsible for an operating system over which they have no control. The laptop is a fine blend of form, fit and function. Great job, Asus. You exceeded my expectations.
Best Deals for Asus N56DP-DH11 15.6-Inch Laptop
Asus brings this new A 10 quad core processer with a graphics processor that is an AMD HD Radeon 7730! I Love mine and it is built solid. The latches snap tightly and the screen is solid with a briliant display of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD). The touchpad that Asus uses on this is my favorite as it is sensitive to use but not too sensitive. 8 gigs of ddr3 ram is more than enough memory for business applications, videos and gaming.I would recommend this as a computer to a business user to a student as it has all you need and even an easy way to purchase Office 2010. Office 2010 is already pre-loaded and to unlock it fully all you have to do is purchase a key...no downloading.
This ASUS style computer is easy to navigate and would even be a good choice for a first time buyer.
Asus has the best customer support in my opinion....only used them when I broke something though. lol. You will not need anything for a few years as this Asus was built to last.
Honest reviews on Asus N56DP-DH11 15.6-Inch Laptop
I'm a college student and a gamer. While researching for a new laptop there were several features I really wanted, and this has every single one of them. ASUS created a beast of a laptop, it truly is an all-star cpu.Pros (Quite a few to list here)
-Great sleek and styled design. I'd consider it thin for a 15.6 inch laptop.
-The keyboard is backlight. Don't know how I ever lived without this feature in the past. I also really like the overall design, much better then my previous hp laptops.
-High resolution 1080p screen. It's beautiful and is great from every viewing angle.
-Responsive touchpad, nice design
-Excellent sound, love the design of the built in speakers. Also included a mini sub which adds great balance and kicks up the low end. I listen to A LOT of music and this is one of the best sound systems I've heard on a laptop.
-Handles most games with ease.
__ So far I have played minecraft, portal 2, half life 1 and 2, and bioshock. The graphics are killer.
AMD Radeon HD 7730 (2 gig memory) is typically fast enough for all but the most demanding games at high settings
8 gig memory and AMD quad core processor
__ runs smoothly, great for multi-tasking
4 usb 3.0
1TB harddrive
Seriously, what more could you want? This thing is a beast.
Cons
-Battery life is a bit short. Usually stays juiced for approx. 3 hours. For me, this isn't a huge deal. I already knew this before purchasing and it's understandable with the 1080p HD screen and monster specs.
-The harddrive is only 5400 RPM, opposed to a 7200 RPM. But so far I think it has been running just fine.
I highly recommend this laptop. I love it so much that this is my first time ever writing a review. I felt compelled to since it only has 10 ratings thus far (and one rating was a unfair and unjustified 1 star). This is my first ASUS and I doubt it'll be my last. I've owned it for three weeks so far and couldn't be happier. Fantastic laptop for people who want a brilliant looking screen, keyboard, touchpad and sound. With the ability to play modern games and multitask with ease.
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I've had this laptop for a few months and have basically fallen in love with it. When I first ordered, there weren't many reviews or any information available, so I ordered on a whim. This is a great laptop with some rather impressive hardware and features. It comes with Windows 8 and does not have a touchscreen.Windows 8: I really don't like this operating system, I'm not a fan. I'm not here to review the operating system, just the laptop. If you want, you can always downgrade, or install linux. Windows 1 is also in Beta. The user interface is confusing at first and I'm used to having a start menu.
Build:
The laptop feels really sturdy in general. The bottom is hard plastic, which is nice and Helps me worry less if I were to drop it. The only cheap feeling part is probably the plastic surrounding the display. The plastic doesn't lie completely flush with the display and feels like cheap plastic. It's hard to notice, but might be an issue for some users. Otherwise, I'm really impressed with the materials they chose. It's sturdy and doesn't feel cheap!
Display:
This screen is 1080P HD with low gloss. It's crisp and clear, perfect for gaming and media.
Webcam:
I still haven't had a chance to really use it much, but from what I've seen on skype, I'm really impressed. It performs well in low-light conditions and provides fluid video feed.
Mouse:
The built-in touch pad is a little too touchy for me and can be a little difficult to adjust to. The nice thing is that you can change the gestures if you'd like. It's really solid and does not feel cheap.
Keyboard:
It's really nice. Flat-out awesome. I'm really impressed. It's a full-sized keyboard and also back-lite, which is adjustable. It was also the first thing I noticed when I unboxed my laptop.
Speakers:
I was blown away by these speakers. Sound quality isn't great, because it's a laptop. However, these speakers are incredible considering they're on a laptop. I'm impressed.
Wireless:
The wireless card is a little faulty, I think. It might just be my router that's the issue here (it's a few years old), but I've had some issues. I'm not a huge tech-person and my ability to trouble-shoot these issues is probably laughable to some of you guys. One day, I just couldn't connect to any networks. I tried updating/rolling back the wireless adapter, restarting, changing settings. I was about ready to reformat, and my friend told me to hard-reset the router, which worked. I've had to do it a few times now.
Battery life:
Yeah, it could be better. I get about an hour and a half two hours when my laptop isn't on the charger. My old Toshiba had a battery life of half an hour or less, so I'm not complaining. I'm used to lugging a cord around.
ASUS Support:
I was infuriated when I had to call them regarding my wireless issue. They told me that I'd have to purchase a $100 warranty (which I probably should, anyways) in order for them to even troubleshoot my issue. Some people out there might have some positive experiences with their support, but I was not impressed the first (and only) time I've had to call.
The hardware in this laptop speaks for itself. I feel like you're getting more for your bargain. In general, I feel like I should pay upwards of $1,000 for this kind of performance and hardware. I feel like it would have really helped if they increased the hard-drive speed, but, not a big deal for me. I really don't know what else to say. Performance is awesome, I've had no issues. Software can lag a bit sometimes (especially Itunes), but that's on that third party's end. The silver finish that outlines the keyboard means you'll have to be careful about staining and keep it clean. I'm seriously impressed with this laptop though. I honestly think that I'll be happy with this purchase for the next five six years. No matter what you're using this laptop for, I'd say it's a great buy!
Well, I hope this review helped. I'm not a huge tech-person like I said.
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