Review: Asus K52JT-XT1R Desktop Replacement Laptop
A desktop alternative laptop computer with quad-core processing and devoted graphics for under $1,000 will be the highlights that make the Asus K52JT-XT1R ($899.99 record at Tiger Immediate) such a uncommon find. It may possibly not have extras like Blu-ray or USB 3.0, but we have put this unit through its paces, and it is obvious that this system will get up and go. I just wish its touchpad wasn’t so jumpy.
The K52JT-XT1R includes a textured plastic surface, with a wealthy mocha hue. This style addresses the palm rest and also the surface of the touchpad. The glossy lid seems extremely nice so long as you maintain it clear and free of fingerprints. The plastic construction is less expensive to manufacture than the metal panels you’ll see on much more pricey models, such as the Apple MacBook Pro (Thunderbolt) ($2,199 immediate, 4 stars), but is light and still sturdy. Measuring 1. four by fifteen. 2 by 10. 2 inches (HWD), the K52J-XT1R weighs five. 6 pounds, lighter than other fifteen.6-inch laptops such as the HP Pavilion dv6-3243cl ($799.99 checklist, three. 5 stars) as well as the Editors’ Choice Dell XPS 15 ($1,115 immediate, 4. 5 stars) ( 6. three).
The touchpad felt nice beneath the fingertips, but had its flaws: It had been very good when skimming from 1 aspect of the screen towards the other, but when I slowed down or made a good comprehensive movement, even for some thing as fundamental as choosing text, the cursor began stuttering and jumping around. This exact same jumpiness made the multitouch ability hard to make use of, and left me wishing I had a separate mouse. Just below the touchpad is a row of lights, indicating the status of the laptop’s battery, wireless connectivity, as well as whether or not Caps Lock is on or off.
The chiclet-style keyboard is truly really similar to the keyboard about the HP Pavilion line, but having a couple of minor differences in layout. Unlike HP, Asus gives you all four of the arrow keys within their typical inverted-T formation. The numeric essential pad is also slimmed down, using half-width keys to conserve room.
The fifteen.6-inch display has one,366 by 768 resolution and a widescreen layout, generating it perfect for watching a film by yourself or with somebody you’ll be able to get bodily close to. Capable to playback 720p video clip, it’s best for viewing DVDs, streaming Netflix titles, or shows on Hulu. You could wish to spring for some exterior speakers, although. The speakers sound fine at typical volumes, but when turned up the sound results in being distorted, making songs and movie audio sound skinny.
The ports and connections found on the Asus K52JT-XT1R are regular fare for the price assortment: A card reader that handles numerous formats (SD, MMC, MS/Pro), 3 USB two.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and both VGA and HDMI video outputs. A DVD optical drive lets you study and write information to DVD or CD, and the 640GB five,400rpm difficult drive provides a roomy quantity of storage space for every thing from software program to a wholesome media collection.
Furthermore to the widespread software trials that arrive pre-installed, such as 60-day trials for Windows Workplace 2010, along with a similar trial for Trend-Micro Protection, the K52JT-XT1R also consists of a hefty amount of other bloatware. The desktop is crowded with sample games, Asus branded utilities, and superfluous packages like a brand new York Times reader. While you’re most likely to determine this quantity of bloatware on a less expensive laptop computer, it is irritating to find it on a unit with this price array.
Asus K52JT-XT1R Though its plastic construction and typical combine of ports seem more in line with the spending budget group, the hardware inside says in any other case. The 1.73GHz Intel Core i7-740QM quad-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM, made short perform of our CPU-intensive checks, earning five,417 factors in PCMark Vantage, 2.98 factors in Cinebench R11. 5, and finished our Photoshop CS5 test in four:43. By comparison, the Editors’ Option Dell XPS fifteen scored 6,426 in PCMark Vantage, but put up lower scores in Cinebench and Photoshop ( two. thirty and five:03).
It also performed nicely within our HandBrake test, completing the transcoding test in two minutes 58 seconds, just a hair quicker than the Toshiba Satellite A665-S6094 ($899.99 list, three stars), HP Pavilion dv6-3243cl, and Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B ($1,299.99 listing, four stars), all of which took three minutes or lengthier.
The 52JT-XT1R can be well equipped for graphics and gaming, thanks to the discrete AMD Radeon Hd 6370 devoted GPU. In 3DMark06 the K52JT-X1R scored 4,671 at medium settings and 3,099 at native resolution. It held its very own against most of its friends in the desktop alternative group, but did get trounced through the Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B, which scored eight,087 (medium) and six,026 (native) having a more effective Nvidia GeForce GT 425M. In genuine gaming assessments the K52JT-XT1R did nicely, putting out 17. 9 frames per second (fps) in Misplaced Planet two, and 8. eight fps at native resolution. In Crysis, it managed 24. 3 fps at medium settings, but would not play whatsoever on large. Whilst Crysis by itself may be too demanding to play on this program, most other 3D video games really should play just good, though you could need to adjust the graphics settings on some.
Desktop replacements are typically too unwieldy to pack around, and have a tendency to remain tethered to an outlet. That mentioned, the K52JT-X1R managed to last two hours 48 minutes within our MobileMark 2007 battery lifestyle test having a 6-cell (48Wh) battery. That is enough for viewing a movie-maybe even two-but over and above that you’ll want to keep your AC adapter helpful. Other quad-core laptops, like the Toshiba Satellite A665-S6094 as well as the Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B created almost identical occasions using the exact same 6-cell (48Wh) batteries.
The Asus K52JT-XT1R brings a good deal of strong functions towards the table, like quad-core processing and a dedicated graphics card. Finest of all, it manages to pack all of these components right into a deal that can be purchased for beneath $1000. Whilst you’ll be able to get a few much better functions from a a lot more pricey system, such as the Dell XPS fifteen, the Asus K52JT manages to maintain in its group.
Specifications
- Type General Purpose
- Processor Name Intel Core i7-740QM
- Operating System
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
- Processor Speed 1.73 GHz
- RAM 4 GB
- Weight 5.6 lb
- Screen Size 15.6 inches
- Screen Size Type widescreen
- Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 6370
- Storage Capacity (as Tested) 640 GB
- Networking Options 802.11n
- Primary Optical Drive DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)
Price Range $849.99
A desktop alternative laptop computer with quad-core processing and devoted graphics for under $1,000 will be the highlights that make the Asus K52JT-XT1R ($899.99 record at Tiger Immediate) such a uncommon find. It may possibly not have extras like Blu-ray or USB 3.0, but we have put this unit through its paces, and it is obvious that this system will get up and go. I just wish its touchpad wasn’t so jumpy.
The K52JT-XT1R includes a textured plastic surface, with a wealthy mocha hue. This style addresses the palm rest and also the surface of the touchpad. The glossy lid seems extremely nice so long as you maintain it clear and free of fingerprints. The plastic construction is less expensive to manufacture than the metal panels you’ll see on much more pricey models, such as the Apple MacBook Pro (Thunderbolt) ($2,199 immediate, 4 stars), but is light and still sturdy. Measuring 1. four by fifteen. 2 by 10. 2 inches (HWD), the K52J-XT1R weighs five. 6 pounds, lighter than other fifteen.6-inch laptops such as the HP Pavilion dv6-3243cl ($799.99 checklist, three. 5 stars) as well as the Editors’ Choice Dell XPS 15 ($1,115 immediate, 4. 5 stars) ( 6. three).
The touchpad felt nice beneath the fingertips, but had its flaws: It had been very good when skimming from 1 aspect of the screen towards the other, but when I slowed down or made a good comprehensive movement, even for some thing as fundamental as choosing text, the cursor began stuttering and jumping around. This exact same jumpiness made the multitouch ability hard to make use of, and left me wishing I had a separate mouse. Just below the touchpad is a row of lights, indicating the status of the laptop’s battery, wireless connectivity, as well as whether or not Caps Lock is on or off.
The chiclet-style keyboard is truly really similar to the keyboard about the HP Pavilion line, but having a couple of minor differences in layout. Unlike HP, Asus gives you all four of the arrow keys within their typical inverted-T formation. The numeric essential pad is also slimmed down, using half-width keys to conserve room.
The fifteen.6-inch display has one,366 by 768 resolution and a widescreen layout, generating it perfect for watching a film by yourself or with somebody you’ll be able to get bodily close to. Capable to playback 720p video clip, it’s best for viewing DVDs, streaming Netflix titles, or shows on Hulu. You could wish to spring for some exterior speakers, although. The speakers sound fine at typical volumes, but when turned up the sound results in being distorted, making songs and movie audio sound skinny.
The ports and connections found on the Asus K52JT-XT1R are regular fare for the price assortment: A card reader that handles numerous formats (SD, MMC, MS/Pro), 3 USB two.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and both VGA and HDMI video outputs. A DVD optical drive lets you study and write information to DVD or CD, and the 640GB five,400rpm difficult drive provides a roomy quantity of storage space for every thing from software program to a wholesome media collection.
Furthermore to the widespread software trials that arrive pre-installed, such as 60-day trials for Windows Workplace 2010, along with a similar trial for Trend-Micro Protection, the K52JT-XT1R also consists of a hefty amount of other bloatware. The desktop is crowded with sample games, Asus branded utilities, and superfluous packages like a brand new York Times reader. While you’re most likely to determine this quantity of bloatware on a less expensive laptop computer, it is irritating to find it on a unit with this price array.
Asus K52JT-XT1R Though its plastic construction and typical combine of ports seem more in line with the spending budget group, the hardware inside says in any other case. The 1.73GHz Intel Core i7-740QM quad-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM, made short perform of our CPU-intensive checks, earning five,417 factors in PCMark Vantage, 2.98 factors in Cinebench R11. 5, and finished our Photoshop CS5 test in four:43. By comparison, the Editors’ Option Dell XPS fifteen scored 6,426 in PCMark Vantage, but put up lower scores in Cinebench and Photoshop ( two. thirty and five:03).
It also performed nicely within our HandBrake test, completing the transcoding test in two minutes 58 seconds, just a hair quicker than the Toshiba Satellite A665-S6094 ($899.99 list, three stars), HP Pavilion dv6-3243cl, and Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B ($1,299.99 listing, four stars), all of which took three minutes or lengthier.
The 52JT-XT1R can be well equipped for graphics and gaming, thanks to the discrete AMD Radeon Hd 6370 devoted GPU. In 3DMark06 the K52JT-X1R scored 4,671 at medium settings and 3,099 at native resolution. It held its very own against most of its friends in the desktop alternative group, but did get trounced through the Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B, which scored eight,087 (medium) and six,026 (native) having a more effective Nvidia GeForce GT 425M. In genuine gaming assessments the K52JT-XT1R did nicely, putting out 17. 9 frames per second (fps) in Misplaced Planet two, and 8. eight fps at native resolution. In Crysis, it managed 24. 3 fps at medium settings, but would not play whatsoever on large. Whilst Crysis by itself may be too demanding to play on this program, most other 3D video games really should play just good, though you could need to adjust the graphics settings on some.
Desktop replacements are typically too unwieldy to pack around, and have a tendency to remain tethered to an outlet. That mentioned, the K52JT-X1R managed to last two hours 48 minutes within our MobileMark 2007 battery lifestyle test having a 6-cell (48Wh) battery. That is enough for viewing a movie-maybe even two-but over and above that you’ll want to keep your AC adapter helpful. Other quad-core laptops, like the Toshiba Satellite A665-S6094 as well as the Sony VAIO VPC-F136FM/B created almost identical occasions using the exact same 6-cell (48Wh) batteries.
The Asus K52JT-XT1R brings a good deal of strong functions towards the table, like quad-core processing and a dedicated graphics card. Finest of all, it manages to pack all of these components right into a deal that can be purchased for beneath $1000. Whilst you’ll be able to get a few much better functions from a a lot more pricey system, such as the Dell XPS fifteen, the Asus K52JT manages to maintain in its group.
Specifications
- Type General Purpose
- Processor Name Intel Core i7-740QM
- Operating System
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
- Processor Speed 1.73 GHz
- RAM 4 GB
- Weight 5.6 lb
- Screen Size 15.6 inches
- Screen Size Type widescreen
- Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 6370
- Storage Capacity (as Tested) 640 GB
- Networking Options 802.11n
- Primary Optical Drive DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)
Price Range $849.99
