However, when I bought it, I noticed that the sound was scratchy. Initially I decided to ignore this (mistake), later I brought it in for repairs only to find out that the board was bad. It was repaired, but my harddisk was replaced and I had to reconfigure the machine all over again. I have been using notebooks for 20 years and never had a board failure (mainly using IBM/lenovo). ASUS has a great reputation as a board manufacturer so I must have just been unlucky..
Other negatives are the preinstalled software. ASUS clearly has no idea of how to make software and I recommend removing their preinstalled stuff as soon as possible, because it interferes with operating the notebook. It is a mistery to me why one would duplicate microsoft functionality with ASUS branded functionality that is clearly inferior to what is in windows. For instance: the notebook works just fine with high resolution monitors e.g. 1920x1080 assuming you use the windows 7 screen resolution software. The ASUS preinstalled app doesn't allow you to do that, and ASUS support claimed that the notebook was not designed to do that either.
Update: 1 month after my board broke, my hard disk crashed.At this point is is not a matter of "unlucky" anymore. This is truely the worst computer I have owned in 30 years starting with the Sinclair 16k RAM back in 1982
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I had this laptop for over 6 months now at least. I really like this machine. It has great performance. i7 processor, 8GB ram, 750GB hard Drive, DVD CD burner, HDMI output. Pretty much all the bells and whistles. Build quality is overall OK. The monitor feels a little flimsy though. I need to take it easy on it. There are a few things I wish it had, 1 HD screen, 2 back-lit keyboard. If it had these functions it would have been awesome. I did get it from Best Buy and I would recommend it overall. It is about 5 lbs so it is not crazy heavy. The battery on it is pretty good also, if I have it on high performance it runs for 3-4 hrs. If on batter saver mode 6hrs. Anything I throw on this machines way it handles it really well. It does not have a dedicated graphics card so it is not for gamers.Best Deals for Asus U46E-BAL7 -14" LED-8GB RAM-750GB HHD 5400RPM-2.8GHz-2nd GEN
Asus U46E-BAL7 -14" LED-8GB RAM-750GB HHD 5400RPM-2.8GHz-2nd GEN i7-2640MThe Asus U46E has a lot going for it. It is a compact 14" laptop with a powerful Intel i7 precessor, 8GB of RAM and a very respectable 750GB Hard drive.
This extremely fast and power-packed computer comes in a gorgeous brushed metal (mine is a light champagne) case and appears to be well put together and constructed of quality components.
The positives are many, starting with the extremely sharp and clear display, very comfortable keyboard (which is unfortunately not backlit), compact design, fast & powerful processor and the incredibly long battery life (I regularly get approximately 8 hours per charge).
The negatives are few the stock speakers are just okay, plenty of volume but lacking the rich sound quality of the speakers on my old Toshiba laptop (but far better than the speakers on my previous Sony Vaio), however I keep mine hooked up to a Logitech Lapdesk N700 which comes with excellent speakers & a cooling fan. Other than that the only nit to pick is some of the Asus added redundant bloatware such as the Asus battery power settings (which I had removed so I could use the far superior in my opinion Microsoft power settings).
I am concerned about the reported problem of the hinges failing on the monitor, and had I heard & read about this issue before purchasing mine, probably would have went with a Toshiba with similar specs (and superior speakers). However I treat my laptops very gently and my Asus is not my primary computer (as I use my Lenovo desktop in my home office at least 95% of the time) thankfully thus far I have not seen any indication of a problem with the hinges after 12 months of ownership.
I have a bit of a concern about Asus customer support, but thus far have depended on tech support offered by a well-known big box store. However my biggest concern is the above mentioned reported problems with the monitor's hinges, as in my opinion an $800 computer should be built to last many, many years, and it would be a real shame if something as simple as hinge design could ruin the ownership experience of an otherwise top-rate laptop. I just cannot stress how quick & powerful this laptop is.
I should mention that I am not a gamer, rather I use my computers to do a great deal of photographic work, editing, as well as designing and maintaining a number of web sites for these tasks the Asus absolutely perfect & again it performs with lightening speed.
Thus far I absolutely love my Asus U46E, however since I also own a very nice (and surprisingly quick for its tiny size & 1GB of RAM) Gateway LT4010u netbook that I take with me on the go, and I keep the Asus on my table in my living room, I am considering keeping my Asus set up on it's table in the open position (with a dust cover over it when not in use) to cut down on the possibilty of the dreaded hinge failure.
To summarize If you are looking for a powerhouse in a small package that also has great battery life, the Asus U46E is definitely worthy of consideration.
Honest reviews on Asus U46E-BAL7 -14" LED-8GB RAM-750GB HHD 5400RPM-2.8GHz-2nd GEN
I bought this item from Best Buy as an open box and I could not pass up the price on it (even cheaper than Amazonwhich RARELY ever happens). I was looking for a replacement to my Sony Vaio which has been my road warrior weapon of choice for almost 3 years. I was looking at Ultrabooks but they were quite pricey for the specs I was looking for (i7, sleek silver case, 8g ram, thin, light)and they felt very flimsy because of the thinness. I needed something that would take a beating with travelling and being constantly on the go with it and still be thin and light. When I saw this with the open box price, I snagged it right away and didn't even think about what it had or didn't because it was cheap! So I ended up taking it home and here are the points worth noting.GOOD:
1. Even at full price ($799 @ BB), it is still a good price point. If you can find deals on it, even better.
2. It looks sleek, brushed aluminum finish with a recessed hinge for the screen (I like the smooth transition, like the Vaio)
3. USB ports (most Note/Ultrabooks in the price range only had 2 total) incl 1 high speed USB port with the usual HDMI, VGA, Ethernet port, mic, headphone and a card reader
4. Intel i7 with 8 gigs of ram for the price is good. A lot of my work is excel and heavy data processing which this handles with ease, noticeably more capable than my i5, 8gig ram Vaio.
5. Decent battery life
WISHED IT WAS BETTER:
1. Not as light as my Vaio which was a 13.3". This is a 14" and although a bit heavier I can deal with that.
2. I wish it had a SSD drive but it is upgradeable
3. I wish it had a back lit keyboard, it has been quite an adjustment for me not having it.
4. I wish it had built in bluetooth since my mouse and mobile printer connect through bt. I bought a small dongle on amazon and it works fine now however I've lost one USB port.
Overall, for what I need from it to perform my work, it is excellent. It is not perfect although for what I paid for it, I should really give it a 5 star. However, there are some things I wish it washence the 4 star.
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