Asus X53U: specifications and description

The company Asus, known to the whole world with its netbooks of the Eee PC series, loudly announced itself again. But this time the interest of users around the world was caused by the laptop Asus X53U, the characteristics of which distinguish it from a line of similar devices. The manufacturer decided not to use the Intel processor, replacing it with a development from AMD.

Asus X53U is a full-sized notebook with all the standard features and, as already mentioned, the AMD Brazos Dual Core C50 processor.

What is the difference between this processor?

In Asus X53U, the characteristics are determined by the most modern capacities. AMD Brazos is the newest platform from AMD, which uses a new design for the processor and graphics chip. The processor includes an integrated graphics chip, which, in addition to graphics power, can also be used by several applications, and helps in speeding up data processing. Asus X53U-SX1340, whose characteristics are built around this platform, is equipped with an Ontario C50 processor with a clock speed of 1.0 GHz. This, at first glance, is not very much, but given the compactness of the device, this indicator is very good. However, the hardware properties of the device need to be evaluated in aggregate.

What are the capabilities of the laptop?

In the Asus X53U, the specifications are as follows:

• Processor: C50 Brazos Dual Core.
• Clock frequency: 1.0 GHz.
• Cache: 1 MB (L2 Cache).
• Memory operational: 1066 MHz 2 GB DDR3.
• Screen size: 15.6 inches.
• The pixel density is 1366 x 768.
• Hard disk: SATA 320 GB, 5400 rpm speed.
• Optical drive: Super Multi two-layer drive.
• The graphics processor: ATI Radeon HD 6250.
• Webcam resolution of 0.3 megapixels.
• Keyboard: standard full-size.
• Wireless LAN: 802.11 B / G / N.
• Ethernet: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
• Bluetooth: v3.0.
• Battery: 6 Cell.
• USB-port: USB 3.0.
• Video ports: VGA, HDMI.
• Other features: built-in microphone, speakers, RJ45 LAN.
• Design and appearance.

Speaking of laptop design, it's worth noting its visual appeal. The appearance of the device really makes this model unique and unique in its kind. The coffee color looks very original. However, it can be noticed only when viewed near, because from a distance the laptop looks like black. Cover Asus X53U has a rough and simultaneously glossy surface, which looks very good. But here we can note some drawback - this material is prone to the formation of visible fingerprints. However, wiping with a dry cloth will easily solve this problem.

When you open the cover, you will notice that the trackpad area is made in the same elegant coffee tint, and the area around the display is black. On the back panel there is a battery and a special compartment for easy access to RAM.

Ports and Connections

Notebook Asus X53U specifications say that it has all the standard features. This model is equipped with a USB 3.0 slot and other standard connectors.

Keyboard and trackpad

The keyboard is supplied in a full size model. All keys of letters and numbers are present according to the standard layout. The keyboard is easy to use for everyone, including users with large or fat fingers. There are also some special keys, when you click on which with the Fn key you can perform some special tasks. For example, the combination of Fn and F10 mutes the volume of the system.

Speaking of the trackpad, it is worth noting that the cursor does not appear spontaneously during typing. Management is carried out accurately and fairly smoothly during everyday use. And, of course, the trackpad comes with multitouch and gesture support, and scrolling in any case remains easy.

If you are viewing an image in the Windows Photo Viewer, the orientation of the image can also be changed with a multitouch. Touching the track twice simulates pressing the mouse scroll wheel, and thus allows you to easily scroll down the page. In addition, the touch panel can be disabled while typing with the Fn (function) key.

Display

The screen has a diagonal of 15.6 "with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which means that the Asus X53U features a high-definition screen, but not Full HD, but it does not have to play HD movies on this device. The laptop can easily display video of this format without additional settings, thanks to the Radeon HD 6250 video card, which is integrated into it.The brightness and colors are seen quite well on this screen, but the viewing angles could certainly be improved.As the Asus X53U indicates, the matrix Very Quality, and the problem of viewpoints is relevant for all budget laptops, not just this model.If you use a gadget, lying in bed or on the couch, the viewing angle will need to be adjusted.

Software

In Asus X53U, the features of the pre-installed software are somewhat limited. The device comes only with DOS. You will need to install Windows on this laptop. However, according to user feedback, it takes only about 35 minutes to install Windows 7 Ultimate. The accompanying software on the DVD is configured in such a way that you can automatically install the drivers and necessary applications. To do this, you just need to click on "Device Manager" and just right-click on the driver icons. Updates will occur in automatic mode. In addition, you can also use autorun to install all the recommended applications. Simply insert the disc into the DVD drive - and the download will go without your participation. From the user is required to tick all the drivers and software that you need to install.

Heating, noise and sound

With regular use, for example when visiting different sites or viewing some files in Windows Explorer, you will not even hear fan noise. But if you perform some more capacious tasks, for example, play a game with rich graphics, the fan reproduces some sound, but it's quiet and not distracting. The upper and lower parts of the device may get slightly warm during games or watching high-definition content, but not much. Power4Gear automatically adjusts the fan speed for quiet operation and long battery life. This application will need to be installed from DVD.

Speaking about the work of the speakers, it should be noted that they reproduce the sounds not very loudly. These are the weakest characteristics of the Asus X53U. Sound amplified would not hurt - constantly want to turn it on louder, but the threshold of sound is low. The sound quality is not bad at all. The speakers are located next to the display panel.

Notebook Asus X53U: technical specifications in terms of performance

Dual-core APU-processor with a clock speed of 1.0 GHz is equipped with powerful integrated graphics from AMD. The Radeon HD 6250 GPU runs at 280MHz. The processor consumes 9W. This model comes with a RAM of 2 GB DDR3 1066 MHz. If you add 2 GB of additional RAM yourself, the device will work even faster.

The hard disk drive is standard - 5400 rpm (HDD), with a capacity of 320 GB. However, if you want, you can replace it with a faster one (up to 7200rpm) or an SSD, if you want to make the device more powerful.

According to user feedback, this device can run Windows 7 and standard applications almost instantly. As already noted, HD also works fine, without any problems. Of course, you can always bring this content to the big screen via the HDMI port.

Coming to the game part, it should be noted that the Radeon HD 6250 does not provide many opportunities to launch the latest games. Even if the game does not "hang", you can see the poor quality of graphics. In addition, the picture will be displayed in the center of the entire screen, and on both sides - on the left and on the right - there will be black bars.

Battery life

Thanks to the energy-efficient processor, this notebook has good ratings for the duration of the battery. According to the test results, the device can work for about 4.5 hours on a single charge. This time is available when performing routine everyday tasks - browsing websites, working with e-mail, listening to music and watching movies. If the brightness decreases, the battery can work much longer.

As soon as the laptop turns on in battery mode, the brightness automatically decreases to save more energy.

Cost

The cost of the Asus X53U is about 420 dollars. However, it can be found on sale quite rarely. The configuration of the laptop at such a price is really good for budget consumers.

Final words and verdict

If you are really looking for something powerful at an affordable price, then this is exactly the device you were looking for. If you compare the Asus X53U with other models, you can find that at a similar price you can buy only a netbook with similar characteristics.