Update: $299 + Free Shipping! 15" Ultrabook wannabe (great mom laptop)

[Kaido]

Update Wednesday, 20-Mar: New i3 model is out for $369:

Model: X501A-SI30302Q
SKU: 7906079

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6"+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/7906079.p

Update Saturday, 23-Feb: New model is out (X501A-BSPDN22), although nothing appears to have changed - same Pentium 2020M, HD graphics, 500gb HDD, 4GB RAM. Price dropped to $299 though ($30 less) and you can buy it online with free shipping. Excellent deal! Check out StartMenu8 (free) if you want to dump Metro and make Win8 like Windows 7. Link to the laptop on Best Buy's website:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+1...lack/7685047.p

btw, you can make a bootable recovery USB drive by formatting a bootable 16gb stick to NTFS and doing a Start Menu search for "RecoveryDrive.exe".

Hard to justify even buying a desktop at this price, if the needs are basic - just hook it up to a monitor via the onboard HDMI or VGA cables (or HDMI to DVI cable)...

------------------------------------------

Update Saturday, 16-Feb: No longer shipping online, in-store only. Quantities appear limited as only 3 or 4 of my local stores have them in-stock. Price is now an extremely hot $289. Just do a search for "X501A" on Best Buy's website and it'll come up:

http://www.bestbuy.com/

Model: X501A-BSPDN22

SKU: 7685047

------------------------------------------

Note: Before you judge it by the rating, read the actual reviews

Update: Thanks to VirtualLarry for pointing out some coupon codes for the Sandy Bridge model: (current model is Ivy Bridge, but no real performance difference)

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=34580440&postcount=28

------------------------------------------

$329.99 in-store or with free shipping online:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus---1...&skuId=7004399

Asus X501A series (model X501A-HPD121H)
15.6" LED screen (1366 x 768 resolution)
2.4ghz dual-core 22nm Ivy Bridge Pentium (Intel HD graphics)
4GB RAM
500gb 5400rpm HDD

SD Reader
VGA & HDMI
2 USB ports (1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0)
Headphone jack (looks like a combo headphone/mic jack)

64-bit Windows 8
Gigabit Ethernet
802.11n Wi-fi
4.1 pounds (feels very light)
1.3" thick (very thin for a 15" laptop)

Quick review:

I've been looking for a new laptop for my mom. I stumbled across this at Best Buy and really liked it, and for the price you can't really go wrong. It was about $341 with tax at the B&M in my area. Very lightweight and the thinness is really nice.

The screen looks like a low-end TN, gets a bit washed out on a white background with black text, but video looks good and the screen is plenty bright. The font is that quasi-720p 1366 stuff, but it makes text easy to read, which is nice for older eyes and for those who wear glasses. The Intel HD graphics can play 1080p Youtube without a hitch. The speakers are surprisingly good, some of the better ones I've heard on a laptop and actually have a pretty decent volume.

The touchpad is a button-less touchpad, but the whole thing is a giant click-button. You can also tap. 2-finger scroll is nice. It's a cheap touchpad, one that doesn't respond to a light touch - needs a bit of pressure, or else use the pad of your finger instead of the tip if you don't want to have to press down. My mom uses a Logitech M515 couch mouse on her laptop anyway (it's sealed on the bottom for use on an armrest or jeans or whatever), really nice little mouse (you can disable the touch sensor on the M515 btw).

The keyboard feels cheap but not horrible. I am a fan of the chiclet/island design, it just doesn't feel as nice as say a Macbook, but not as bad as a lot of other laptop keyboards I've used. The addition of the number pad is nice, although it's a thinner width so it's not really a standard size, but at least it's nice to have on a 15" laptop. The keyboard is VERY easy to type on, it's a very good size. No weird-shaped keys on the keyboard side (shift, enter, etc. are all in their normal places; the Function key is to the right of the Control key thankfully). Arrow keys are a bit small with no space between the keyboard and numpad (I had to look down to find them), but not bad.

Speed is fine. You can tell there is a bit of a delay with the 5400rpm from time to time (like launching apps), but it's still decently fast for a low-end laptop (a normal user probably wouldn't really notice any delay, just us nerds). Debating throwing in an SSD for speed. The 2.4ghz Pentium seems plenty fast. RAM is fine, using just under 2 gigs running Chrome. Although the Pentium 2020M can officially support 32gb RAM, it appears this laptop only has one memory slot, so 8gb max (unconfirmed). Also appears to support a standard 9.5mm 2.5" drive (unconfirmed). So maybe toss in a 240gb SSD & 8gb RAM for $200 or so if you want to beef it up a bit. Looks like we have a disassembly video of a British version here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Aot3Lwir8

I installed StartMenu8 and disabled the Metro Sidebar in the settings, then turned off automatic updates (= disables automatic restart) and reset it to the standard Windows theme. Pretty much looks/feels like Windows 7 overall with these tweaks. Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender, which is the newer/better combination of Windows Defender from Windows 7 plus Microsoft Security Essentials, so I'm just using that plus Chrome.

Overall an epic deal for a 15" Ultrabook. Two thumbs up for the price. Runs cool & low fan noise. Feels very close to something like a 15" Macbook Air would feel like.

 

[Kaido]

I don't know how accurate the Windows battery life rating is, but I unplugged it after charging all night and it said 3 hours 18 minutes at 100% battery life. The charging brick is really small - it's about the size of a hockey puck and is a non-standard rounded cube shape (sort of like an AppleTV or Roku box). Also, it got a 4.7 Windows Experience rating.

The outside plastic is kind of that cheap stuff that picks up skin-oil smudges, if you know what I mean. Not as bad as some laptops I've seen, but you can definitely see oily smudges, and I don't even have oily skin.

I'm really liking the size & weight. The specs say it's 1.3" thick, but it's a tapered design and the weight is distributed nicely, so it feels really nice to carry. If you've played with a Macbook Air or any Ultrabook you'll know what I mean, and you'll really appreciate if you're coming from a thicker/heavier 14" or 15" laptop. I also really like the bottom design - it has 4 larger rubber feet, so it has a stable foundation, and the battery bulges out in the rear bottom, so it angles the keyboard down towards you just a bit, which I REALLY like (instead of just having a flat laptop).

Did some more looking online and it looks like a standard laptop drive fits and you only get one memory slot, for up to 8 gigs. I'd like to get in there at some point and see if there's really only one slot and make sure it fits a 9.5mm drive, not much solid upgrade information online yet, but that'd probably be overkill for it's intended use

 

[flexcore]

The reviews on the Best Buy website sound rather concerning. I am looking for something like this for a friend of my Mom's, but with all the problem I'm not sure if I can recommend this laptop.

 

[Nintendesert]

The lack of an optical drive sucks, means you have to put more work into making it decent. That adds more to the overall cost.

 

[el aye]

The reviews on the Best Buy website sound rather concerning. I am looking for something like this for a friend of my Mom's, but with all the problem I'm not sure if I can recommend this laptop.

Agreed. I will continue to look for a different laptop for my mom. This is definitely the form factor I'm looking for though.

 

[gorcorps]

Nowhere on that product page does it say ultrabook, and by the specs you know right away it can't be an ultrabook (it's supposed to meet certain specs to be called one), so why does the OP say ultrabook so much? It's still a good deal on a 15" notebook if you need it, but the title and description is misleading.

 

[holden j caufield]

the reviews look really bad. I thought asus was top notch

 

[gorcorps]

the reviews look really bad. I thought asus was top notch

They're quite good, but they can't work miracles. For $330 dollars you aren't going to have a perfect system with the highest build quality.

 

[flexcore]

the reviews look really bad. I thought asus was top notch

I have heard good things from people I know that have ASUS laptops, but every manufacturer can have a bad product. That doesn't mean that every thing ASUS makes it bad. It looks like they tried to make a low cost laptop, but cut just a bit too many corners to reach that price point. Which is too bad, because this would be a great system for the average web surfing Mom if the quality was a bit better. I am looking for something like this that I can recommend, so if anyone finds one, please post.

 

[Cardio]

Thanks

 

[Kaido]

The reviews on the Best Buy website sound rather concerning. I am looking for something like this for a friend of my Mom's, but with all the problem I'm not sure if I can recommend this laptop.

It has a terrible rating, but read the actual reviews: (remember these are Best Buy customers, not your typical ATOT'er)

"No optical drive, which is acceptable given it's a cheap laptop."

"Unfortunately , oracle is not certified by Window 8 nor DB2 or other database app."

"When I got the Asus home and set it up I realized there was no disk drive! I thought that was pretty typical feature so I never I thought I would have to check to make sure a modern laptop has one."

etc.

The only performance issue I've seen is due to the 5400rpm hard drive - the combination of the 2.4ghz Ivy Bridge Pentium and integrated Intel HD graphics burn wonderfully through any basic user application (Chrome, HD video, Word, Excel, etc.). Tossing in an SSD would be the biggest performance boost you could give it. And even then, the 5400rpm isn't horribly slow like older 5400rpm drives - Chrome takes a few extra seconds to open instead of popping open instantly like on a 7200rpm or SSD drive. $329. Meh.

 

[Cardio]

Agree, most of those reviewers sound like they couldn't park a bicycle. If you can't figure out what features a product has before you buy it, your low rating is of yourself!

 

[Kaido]

The lack of an optical drive sucks, means you have to put more work into making it decent. That adds more to the overall cost.

How do you mean, making it decent? Been a long time since I've used an optical drive. If you really need one, you can buy a bus-powered DVD burner for $25 off Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827190022

But so much software is available for in downloadable versions now, plus you can install Windows 7/8 off a USB stick, and rip your real optical media to ISO files (Windows 8 has right-click to mount ISO files built-in now) and keep them on a USB stick. Since this is for my mom specifically, she hasn't used a CD or DVD disc in forever...converted all her music to MP3's and got her setup with Netflix.

Also what's weird is the weight of Ultrabooks. A lot of those 11 to 13" Ultrabooks were as heavy as bricks for some reason...the Macbook Airs were both super light in comparison, and this one felt really light compared to the rest, especially the ones with DVD drives built-in. Guess that's mostly the larger battery in the other ones.

 

[ponyo]

Agree, most of those reviewers sound like they couldn't park a bicycle. If you can't figure out what features a product has before you buy it, your low rating is of yourself!

How can this be great mom laptop if the Bestbuy reviews are so bad? If people like mom hate it, is it really great mom laptop? Compare this laptop review with Samsung Chromebook review at Bestbuy. OP is talking about Macbook Air like. Samsung Chromebook is Macbook Air like and great mom laptop.

 

[Kaido]

Nowhere on that product page does it say ultrabook, and by the specs you know right away it can't be an ultrabook (it's supposed to meet certain specs to be called one), so why does the OP say ultrabook so much? It's still a good deal on a 15" notebook if you need it, but the title and description is misleading.

Looks like it might have been mislabeled, good catch. Updated OP to "Ultrabook wannabe" :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

How can this be great mom laptop if the Bestbuy reviews are so bad? If people like mom hate it, is it really great mom laptop? Compare this laptop review with Samsung Chromebook review at Bestbuy. OP is talking about Macbook Air like. Samsung Chromebook is Macbook Air like and great mom laptop.

I should edit the description: "This is a great laptop for your mom if you're looking for a budget laptop and if you're an ATOT nerd who is willing to set it up for her so it works nicely" :awe:

btw, here is my Windows 8 setup procedure:

1. Initial laptop setup (username etc.)
2. Run all Windows updates
3. Disable automatic updates (this disables the automatic restarts in Windows 8)
4. Disable UAC & regedit the enableLUA key to 0 (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\)
5. Install IObit's StartMenu8 & disable hot corners & the Metro Sidebar
6. Set the theme to Windows default (not the Asus default)
7. Make sure Windows Defender (aka Microsoft Security Essentials) is up & running and updated
8. Change the power settings to my liking
9. Install Chrome & all the other good stuff

Acts really similar to Windows 7 like this. Nice cheap laptop (er, Ultrabook Wannabe ).

 

[Kaido]

I have heard good things from people I know that have ASUS laptops, but every manufacturer can have a bad product. That doesn't mean that every thing ASUS makes it bad. It looks like they tried to make a low cost laptop, but cut just a bit too many corners to reach that price point. Which is too bad, because this would be a great system for the average web surfing Mom if the quality was a bit better. I am looking for something like this that I can recommend, so if anyone finds one, please post.

Asus is generally nice, but this is definitely a cheap laptop. Not like Compaq cheap in the crappy sense, but you can tell the plastic is the lower-end stuff that smudges, the keys are the cheaper plastic (but not the horrible cheap flexkeys), etc. So it's low-end but not crap cheap, if that makes any sort of sense

imo all it really needs is an SSD to fly, and a few tweaks to Windows 8 to get the interface back to something a regular user can deal with.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Asus is generally nice, but this is definitely a cheap laptop. Not like Compaq cheap in the crappy sense, but you can tell the plastic is the lower-end stuff that smudges, the keys are the cheaper plastic (but not the horrible cheap flexkeys), etc. So it's low-end but not crap cheap, if that makes any sort of sense

imo all it really needs is an SSD to fly, and a few tweaks to Windows 8 to get the interface back to something a regular user can deal with.

Most of Asus' product line is well made up and down. My $200 1000HA Eee PC is very sturdy.

People crapping on this deal (besides the mislabeling of this as an ultrabook) need to understand, this is a ~$300 laptop! Remember when prices like that were door busters?

 

[Kaido]

Most of Asus' product line is well made up and down. My $200 1000HA Eee PC is very sturdy.

People crapping on this deal (besides the mislabeling of this as an ultrabook) need to understand, this is a ~$300 laptop! Remember when prices like that were door busters?

Yeah, it's funny how things have changed, and how quickly too. I got a 17" Compaq for $399 at Staples a couple years back on doorbusters and it was cheap like a plastic bottle, lots of flex etc. (I was still VERY happy with it for the price at the time!)...the build quality on this is lightyears better (still low-end, but not junk).

And it's funny how we approach it. Most of the other laptops you had to request an associate to get from the cage; these, they just had a stack of these in boxes under the display to take. You walk in, pick up a box, pay for it, and walk out. I wasn't even intending on picking up a laptop, but it was such a great deal for what you get that I snagged it on the spot (and I'm not even an impulse buyer! haha).

And the whole time I was thinking I could buy an iPad Mini for this price :whiste:

 

[ch33zw1z]

Very tempting....

 

[beekeeper]

Most of Asus' product line is well made up and down. My $200 1000HA Eee PC is very sturdy.

People crapping on this deal (besides the mislabeling of this as an ultrabook) need to understand, this is a ~$300 laptop! Remember when prices like that were door busters?

Agreed on Asus quality. I don't have a smartphone, so I keep an old Asus eee 701 in the trunk of my car for emergency Internet access (there's a McDonalds everywhere). I live in Kansas and thought for sure the summer heat or winter cold would kill it. The battery may be dead when I get it out after months, but so far, it still works when I plug it in. My younger daughter has a Asus laptop that I thought she would kill, but it's put up with all sorts of mishandling.

As to the lack of a DVD, I've got a little Acer 11.6 with no DVD, and I really don't miss having a DVD. As others have pointed out, you can get an external from Newegg cheap if you really need one. Besides, all the good porn is online these days.

 

[ChrisRey3156]

Its a very decent laptop. However the best bang for buck ultimately is

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+K...k55a&cp=1&lp=1

Its 420 bucks in most stores right now.

 

[notty22]

Intel® Pentium® processor B980
Features a 1333MHz bus speed, a 2MB L3 cache and a 2.4GHz processor speed.
Also , I think the cpu is a 32nm Sandy. Got my mom a b960 Toshiba on sale at BB last year for 349.00, she loves it. It is much lighter than her older celeron 15" laptop.

http://ark.intel.com/products/69669/Intel-Pentium-Processor-B980-2M-Cache-2_40-GHz

 

[Rakewell]

Interesting, OP- Thanks for the review. It's enough for me to go to BB to take a look in person later today. :thumbsup:

Don't suppose it would play any games though huh. "UMA graphics" ...

 

[EarthwormJim]

Its a very decent laptop. However the best bang for buck ultimately is

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+K...k55a&cp=1&lp=1

Its 420 bucks in most stores right now.

It's a bit thicker though and $100 more (nearly 33% more!).