A few weeks back I got to play with the Macbook competitor, the Asus Zenbook 3, which was great if you had a budget for a Macbook to begin with. But now I had the chance to play with the Asus N552V… which is completely different to the Zenbook size wise, cause this baby is big. Actually, really big considering what I’m used to. I’m also surprised to type that I don’t think that is actually a bad thing at all.
But first, an apology
It feels like every week I’m putting a laptop review on the blog but the truth is: I travel around a lot so I’m always using a laptop and love to test out all the crazy things brands can come up with. My experiences are based off real world use so I hope you have been finding them relevant and helpful if you’ve been considering a new laptop.
Back to the review
The Asus N552V is big – but it has a reason to be. Contained within this sleek monstrosity is an Intel i7, Nvidia 960M. Take out the tech talk: you can play your favourite online games like Counter Strike and Dota 2 while out and about. It also has 8GB of RAM, a 250GB SSD Drive and a 1TB Storage drive (so lots of series storage space). I haven’t even mentioned everything yet. This is not a gaming laptop (in my opinion). It is a work laptop with a sneaky powerhouse Nvidia graphics card snuck in so you can really make the most of your lunch break. It is worth mentioning that while doing work (read: playing games for testing purposes), the Asus ran incredibly cool and quiet – which is something I’m not used to with other gaming laptops. I wasn’t able to tell if the Asus N552V was struggling at all, plus if it was on my lap it wouldn’t leave third degree burns on my thighs – impressive!
The laptop also has a touch screen. Fun gimmick but a little out of place for me, I’ve never felt the need to use one when I have a full size keyboard and track pad attached… except maybe when I was trying to show something to my mom while she was seated in front of my laptop.
The hidden gem of the Asus N552V is its track pad. I hate track pads other than Apple’s and yet I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It is responsive and down right pleasant to use. I wish I could run around with that track pad and put it on people’s faces – it is that good!
All in all the Asus N552V is a great big machine. Perfect for someone not looking to spend a small fortune on a Macbook or Asus Zenbook 3. It is the ideal laptop to take to work and then jam a few games on over the weekend without breaking the bank (it will set you back roughly R20 000). I only wish it was lighter as the size and weight become noticeable if you’re lugging it around in a handbag or shoulder slung laptop bag.