Asus U46E-BAL6

In an period of gaunt laptops and Ultrabooks, to be gaunt is starting to feel similar to reduction of a newness and more of a requirement. Thin, however, is relative: are you conversing about the razor-thin world of Ultrabooks, or the not-quite-as-slim world of gaunt full-size laptops? In the box of the Asus U46E, gaunt means "normal-size, but pleasingly compact"--like the Dell XPS 14z , this is a bone-fide 14-inch laptop with an visual drive, but it's usually about 0.1 in. thicker than a MacBook Pro .

The U46E is segment of a family of thinnish Asus laptops that I've been bullish about for years, going back to the UL30A . The U46E-BAL6 continues the direction whilst throwing in tons of power beneath the metal cover of a flattering condensed computer: a dual-core Core i7 processor, a 750GB hard drive, and a whopping 8GB of RAM.

What cost would you pay for such a laptop? The U46E-BAL6 goes for $829 at retail, and that's a flattering great worth for what you're getting--especially compared with the similar 13-inch MacBook Pro, that starts at $1,199, or the $999 Dell XPS 14z, that has a slower Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. In the word of Windows laptops, $600 is apropos a more everyday midrange price. Still, this Asus has extras that make it well worth the additional investment. Really, all it lacks is dedicated several graphics.

A robust keyboard, Bluetooth, and a WiMax receiver turn out the package. Even in a swarming market, the Asus U46E-BAL6 manages to mount out from the fill up as an glorious powerhouse 14-incher.

Asus laptops are similar to a box of chocolates: you never know what the next a will look like. The U46E-BAL6 is rock-solid and reasonably attractive. With its gaunt aluminum-covered lid etched with a concentric-ring design, and an island-style set of keys with towering palm rest inside, it resembles a in vogue business laptop. With the lid open, divulgence the set of keys and screen, it could be a Sony Vaio. A humorous back mouth sits at the back the shade hinge, thick sufficient to rest a few breath mints or slot change on. There's moreover a battery gush on the bottom, that doubles as a set of keys riser. Despite the relations density of the back, no ports reside there, nonetheless the AC adapter block is in the back. we appreciated that this pattern kept the power connective tissue out of the way of side USB ports and the DVD drive.

My preferred laptop keyboards are those by Apple and Lenovo. This Asus comes troublesomely shut to the Apple experience, with likewise sized rounded-edge, lifted keys, that reply of course and with just the correct amount of travel. I'm not lustful of the mainstay of right-side Page Up/Page Down keys that grappling iron access to the Enter/Shift keys, or of the direction arrows that are wedged in, shortening the Shift key on the correct to a fragment of its normal self, but this is instead a really great laptop for typing. Typing this entire examination on the Asus was a zephyr and a joy.

Above the keyboard, a gaunt lozenge of a power symbol sits on the tip right, and a key of similar size is on the exquisite left. That key controls battery modes whilst in use (high performance, entertainment mode), but I'd rsther than have a symbol for WiDi. Intel Wireless Display 2.0, that mirrors your HD audio and video on a within reach TV, is enclosed on this laptop, but its participation is invisible unless you learn the underline yourself--and you need a matching receiver box for your TV.

A recessed multitouch hold desk pad has rarely discriminating mirrored buttons underneath. The pad, written by Elan, not Synaptics, can still do what many hold pads do, such as splash to zoom, but we found it a tad reduction responsive.

The 14-inch shiny manifestation on this Asus is recessed in a black bezel that's a small rubbery to the touch. Its 1,366x768-pixel fortitude is typical is to size. Though a few might pick edge-to-edge glass, there's a specific practicality to having a shade recessed with rubber bumpers on the bezel, as is the box here. It's a great screen; it's reasonably bright, and cinema and videos look nice. we didn't regard the colors were leap-out wonderful, and photo high quality run-down rapidly from off-axis straight observation angles. Horizontally, however, the photo held up well even when noticed from the side.

Built-in front-firing speakers are dark beneath the laptop's palm rest on the bottom of the chassis. Oddly, the orator volume usually came from the correct side--even after we tweaked the settings--suggesting that the speakers are grouped there. It didn't worry me when watching Hulu videos or film trailers, but for song or more immersive entertainment it would become irksome quickly. The limit volume is deafening sufficient to share in a room; audio high quality is what you'd expect in a laptop, no more, no less. The 1.3-megapixel Webcam is great sufficient for Skyping.

I appreciated the no-compromise draw close to features on the Asus U46E-BAL6. Again, Bluetooth, WiDi 2.0, USB 3.0, and even a WiMax receiver are all included. Toss in the enclosed visual drive, and you aren't expected to bewail omitted any features.

The enclosed 8GB of RAM and 750GB 7,200prm hard disk are inexhaustible is to price. The equivalent, more costly Dell XPS 14z usually has 6GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD for $999, and a Core i5 contra a Core i7 CPU; the $649 Samsung QX411-W01UB is reduction expensive, but moreover has a reduction absolute Core i5 CPU, a not as big hard disk (640GB), and reduction RAM (6GB).

The enclosed dual-core 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M CPU is a step up from many mainstream laptops in this cost range. No, many people aren't expected to observe the disparity in common use, but for additional oomph when video modifying or enchanting in complicated media creation, it could advance in handy, as would the additional RAM. The U46E edged out laptops similar to the Toshiba Portege R835-P56X in benchmark tests, but was a small slower than the $1,299 chronicle of the Dell XPS 14z given with a somewhat faster 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-2640M CPU. For everyday use and even more-intensive tasks, this should laptop should supply an glorious computing experience.

The usually thing the Asus U46E-BAL6 lacks is dedicated graphics for gaming or modernized GPU performance. Included integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics are sufficient for simple gaming and many everyday needs, but Street Fighter IV ran at a mediocre 18.1 frames per second using the native-resolution benchmark at 2x AA. If you're a gamer, you'll observe the difference.