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|  | |  | | | ASUS U31SD-XA1 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver) | | | | | | | |
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| | Features | Intel Core i3 Processor 2.1GHz4GB DDR3 RAM500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive13.3-Inch Screen, NV GT 520Windows 7 Home Premium
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| | Description | 13.3" HD (1366 x768) / Intel Core i3-2310M / 4G DDR3 / 500G 5400 HDD / NVidia GT 520 1GB Dedicated Graphics / Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit) / 802.11BGN / 3-in-1 Card Reader / 3x USB 2.0 / 0.3M Pixel / 8-cell battery (Up to 9* Hrs) / HDMI and VGA out / 1yr Global Warranty / 1yr Accidental Damage Protection | |
| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 12.9 inches | | Product Width: | 9.2 inches | | Product Height: | 1.0 inches | | Product Weight: | 4.0 pounds | | Package Length: | 18.7 inches | | Package Width: | 11.9 inches | | Package Height: | 2.8 inches | | Package Weight: | 7.2 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 17 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 17 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 found the following review helpful:
Solid little laptop, perfect for traveling and graphics work Aug 12, 2011
By carveweb
I did a lot of research prior to buying the U31SD. We have an i7 desktop, so this is just for on the road. That being said, we were interested in something that had power and battery life and the ability to run Adobe and CAD programs for work on the go. DVD drive was not necessary, but thin and light was. Our options were the Asus U36 (1st or 2nd gen Intel), the U41 (with optical drive) or the U31. Sony at over $1k was out and I prefer Nvidia, so the Toshiba's were out. I still hadn't seen any reviews here, but I took the chance.
I didn't want to spend a lot seeing as we just bought a desktop, but going too cheap is always bad. The U36SD was our first choice because of the all metal casing and 2nd gen i5, but to spend a grand on a laptop we won't be using a whole lot seemed foolish - aside from the fact that it still didn't have a back-lit keyboard and possibly had heat problems. The U41 had the DVD drive and great battery life, but just to get a lighter and thinner laptop, I opted for the U31.
Pretty good build quality. The aluminum on the lid is nice, very little flex, feels sturdy. The palm rest is not aluminum, but plastic, and a bad attempt made to look like brushed aluminum, but even though I'm a little disappointed in the look, no flex. I feel its thin enough that there is little gap between parts and the case. Definitely will last a long time. Another reason to get the U31 is the ease of upgrade (hard drive, RAM, etc). The U36 underside panel seemed to be pain to take apart and it kind of turned me off. Under body feels solid too.
I notice no flex in the keyboard and it's easy to type on. I came from a 16" Dell and the island style keyboard is definitely appreciated. Again, if Asus can put out an all metal laptop with back-lit keyboard, I'd totally buy.
Ports are good, feel solid when inserting a USB or headphones, not flimsy like my last laptop.
Trackpad has the fake brushed aluminum texture, but it works great. Single, chrome mouse buttons work fine too, but collect finger prints. As an added bonus, Asus includes a screen wipe cloth, takes off anything. I've only run the laptop for easy tasks, browsing, removing crapware, etc but the palm rest doesn't heat up. This thing efficiently and quietly pumps heat out the left side, very appreciated.
Second-gen Intel i3. Nvidia Optimus on top of 1GB of dedicated graphics. Very pleased with the specs. Started up slow, but after removing crapware and resetting the ATK Package (hot-key utility), laptop runs quick and all Fn (function key) work.
Expressgate - highly disappointed. It's supposed to be based off Splashtop OS (which is linux) and an easy and quick way to get to email, browsing, etc. SLOW. Man they butchered this one - stick to your Android or iPhone for quick updates. I hope someone soon figures out how to set that power button to boot to Ubuntu or a better instant-on OS. In the meantime, I don't touch it, but wouldn't mind using it to boot to an SD card to run Android or Linux.
Asus did something I didn't think most companies do - they put the OS on one partition and created a second partition on the rest named DATA. Great, but they didn't point the MyDocs, Vid, etc folders to the DATA partition. Just an annoyance. Actual hard drive only shows 465GB available (take into account recovery partitions as well and that number drops) - you still have over 400GB of usable space.
Rates 4.7 on Windows experience index, could use a faster HDD, but that would affect battery. Speaking of battery - holy crap! Best thing I've ever seen. I used it for a good 5.5/6 hrs uninstalling crapware, browsing online and when I went to shut it off it still had an 1 1/2 hrs left. If I'm just doing code work offline - this will last all day. Have yet to try out online streaming like Pandora, offline music libraries or movies, but will update on that. Btw - I did remove pretty much everything Asus installed - even Power4Gear. You can manage all the same stuff via windows.
If I can install a non-branded copy of Windows and load all the drivers separately without destroying the EG boot record, or at least be able to redo it for the ExpressGate button in the future, I would be happier. Looking into the whole EG thing. Customizing that would make this perfect.
Will be adding Adobe programs like Photoshop, Premiere, so will report back on performance there. I just got this and figured it would be nice to put one up for other people. All in all, a great thin and light laptop for someone on a budget.
Note: If you're looking for a case, this thing is almost the exact size of a 13" Macbook Pro (this is a bit thicker). I bought the Radtech Neocase. A work-in case, small zippered pockets and stow-away handles. It's my second one owned, a must buy!
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 A Decent Laptop w/ Very Minor Issues Sep 22, 2011
By 1st Time ASUS Laptop Buyer
I recently purchased the ASUS U31SD-XA1 directly from Amazon using 2 day shipping. The pc arrived n 4 days. The outer appearance of the amazon package was adequate. However, the internal box containing the ASUS laptop had minor scuff marks and somewhat worn-out corners (3/5 stars). Overall, the ASUS box did not resemble other boxes for laptops I have purchased from stores in person.
Inside the ASUS box, all packaging appeared correct, and pc contained a keyboard cover, plastic protection of the bezel,etc....
When I first turned on the ASUS I was surprised at the fan noise. It is not too bad just not as quiet as I wanted (in a quiet library you would hear this fan easily) For comparison, my friend has a lenovo from 2008 that cost around $1,400 back then. Yet, despite being nearly 4 years old it produces very little fan noise (yes, I understand that the Lenovo was more money back in it's day...but it has been nearly 4 years, why is this ASUS louder?)I suppose the fan noise is acceptable. So far, heat has not been an issue.
I3-2310 "Sandy Bridge" CPU are simply OK. AMD Turionx2 p520 at 2.3GHz from just a year ago performed nearly as well, only they came with 7200rpm drives.The I3 does it's job, but I have caught it slipping a few times under a moderate load.
Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to test the NVIDIA GT 520M w/1GB VRAM. But,I have played a few 1080p videos and they were fine.
Battery Life. Many power options available, not sure which is best but probably balanced, or power saver. From a full charge: I set the screen brightness on max,played videos from HULU on continuous play through HDMI to my TV, at full volume, with the power option set to entertainment......Battery lasted approx. 6 hours 30 minutes. Expect about 5-8 hours from the 8 cell battery.
0.3 megapixel camera = crap :- but works....
Screen is glossy but somehow it appears maybe 20% less reflective than most other glossy displays. Also, not very much flex in the keyboard.Good feeling of quality build. A little heavy, a little thick. But the look is classic and not flashy.
As I'm writing this the fan just increased it's RPM's...all I am doing is typing in a well ventilated, cold room with no obstruction of the vents I wish I had a decibel counter so I would know if I'm just too picky :-P
Anyways, hope this helps with your decision making process.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Good products deserve recognition Oct 14, 2011
By Pionbrain
Top 5 *hidden* reasons to buy:
1. Excellent battery life: should get 7-10 hrs. This was my main criterion.
2. Trackpad is very good. Lightly textured brushed aluminum, my moist fingers slide better than painted surface. Rocker bar buttons are easier to press than previous Asus models.
3. Sound is better than expected. Considering the compactness, quality is excellent and volume is enough to watch movies in a quiet room.
4. Excellent keyboard. Rigid and very quiet.
5. Thin, light, sturdy, attractive, aluminum (+faux-aluminum and carbon fibre) design, and Nvidia graphics.
The bad?
Mine didn't have a USB 3.0 port which I thought it included. Power adapter is pretty standard but I feel they could make it smaller. We sent a man to the mooon dammit now let's have a small adapter! Also, it's 3-prong, so I have to get my hacksaw out (not recommended).
Background:
I bought an Asus 1005PE netbook 16 months ago. Excellent netbook. I took it literally around the world with me in my backpack, working while traveling. 10+hr battery, sturdy, light. I spent the last two months searching for a new bigger laptop. Looked at everything. Bough an Asus U46. Trackpad was too textured and very jumpy. Returned it.
I've had this one for a month now and no problems. Runs extremely quiet and cool.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Perfect laptop for students! Sep 02, 2011
By Bilol
I'm a college student so was looking for something thin, portable with long battery life. ASUS was just perfect for it and it feels like that it was designed especially for this. It's only 1,8 kg so I can carry it anywhere. if only to type or do common student stuffs, like coursework, presentation things, it's 9-10 hours! Just great!!! And it has 1gb of video memory which means, u don't only do daily computing, but also also hang out with friend some friends when needed.
I liked the design even better than performance. It's very stylish, compact and formal. I do a lot of presentations and this laptop is going to be greatest accessory. Also it has multi-touch touchpad designed in a great metallic thing. U may even wanna have some more finger movements there!;). another good thing to mention is that u won't get much fingerprints on it.
So, overall I got:
Pros: design, battery life, material
Cros: none yet.
I certainly recommend it to students. I thing this is the best laptop they can get (but not sure about Apple MacBooks). Anyway, at this price its very good and I love it. I have my Toshiba Satellite from last year and it's pretty good also. But in comparison with this laptop I would give it 3 whereas ASUS gets 5!!!!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Love it! Aug 23, 2011
By Miguel Bojorquez
Pro's
+ The weight!
It's extremely light, which makes it super easy to re-adjust on my lap or to carry around a college campus. This is one of the main points I looked for when I began researching a product and this ASUS laptop does not disappoint.
+ The look:
It's visually stunning. Industrial and streamlined.
+ The keyboard:
The chiclet style is extremely fun to type on and efficient. Plus, I love to hear it click. :)
+The battery-life:
I couldn't believe how long it lasted! It's perfect for a college student.
Overall, this laptop is perfect for a college lifestyle and I don't regret buying it one bit.... but...
Con's
- The webcam: It's pretty weak at 0.3mp and I'd prefer something a little more powerful.
- The hard-drive is sectioned off randomly. One part is reserved for Data, which is a little weird. It may come in handy later, but I'm not so sure.
See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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