This is a versatile performance laptop from asus and is a good buy for casual gamer and multimedia enthusiasts. The laptop models in this segment are Lenovo Y560 , acer timelineX 4820tg and this model(all around 45k).
PROS:
-Great Build quality
-Keyboard and touch pad
-i5 460m + 5730 combination is the best In this segment
-runs really cool and silent, even under heavy load
CONS:
-The drivers are only available for Windows 7.Box driver disc only for 64-bit.
-speakers not great
-Laptop cover is a fingerprint magnet
SPECIFICATIONS:
DOS , Intel Pentium core i5-460m , 2 GB 1066Mhz DDR3 RAM , 2 GB DDR3 ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 5730, 640 GB 5400 rpm HDD
Product Page: https://asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=PIpKJ8dOCF1j8agU
PRICE: Rs.43, 500(incl. taxes)
SUMMARY:
The ASUS k42ja-VX032 is a great mainstream all-purpose 14 inch laptop and outclasses other laptops in this price range. This laptops leaves behind the Lenovo Y560 and the acer timelineX 4820tg far behind in the performance, design and cooling solutions. I would recommend this laptop to anyone with a budget of Rs.45, 000(you can upgrade this to 4 GB RAM with this budget).But , This laptop comes with DOS operating system and does not have drivers for older/other operating systems. Only windows 7 drivers are available. The driver disc in the box is only for Windows 7 64-bit operating systems.
DESIGN:
The k series laptops has a good design with a coffee black finfish. You’ll think this is black laptop from a distance. The top is very glossy which makes it look great but it is a fingerprint magnet. The keyboard is a chiclet design with ample space between the keys which makes hitting wrong keys impossible. The laptop weighs 2.2 kgs but feels heavier than acer 4820tg and is bulkier than it. The display is good but fades with vertical movement of screen. The display lid and the hinges are very strong. The screen could not be bent easily and did not cause screen distortion when was bent to extreme unlike the acer 4820tg. The touch pad has multitouch functions which is great, but the button is not that great. The optical drive is on the right side and the button on it is hard to find and press because the drive cover and button are angled. Overall , The design is great and the build quality is awesome and on par with dell laptops but the audio(speakers) is not that great and the maximum output is low.
GAMING/ EDITING PERFORMANCE:
The laptop has got the i5 + 5730 combination which is the best in the mainstream laptop segment(only Y560 has the same combination). In my opinion, the 2 GB DDR3 VRAM is an overkill but no there is no harm in having extra VRAM for the price :D . This is a great pair for playing games in high/very high settings(don’t know about latest releases like black ops). I did photoshop/HD playback/conversion and loads and conversions were very quick. I have not done any benchmarking till now You can check the benchmarks(CPU and GPU) from notebookcheck.net .
I have tried farcry 2(very high) , Assasins creed 2(HIGH), Bad company 2(HIGH) all the AA on and the performance has been great. The latter games were playable at very high also but framerates dropped when the graphics got intensive. I am not sure how the latest games will fare on the laptop but am sure will be playable at high details.
COOLING:
This is the best part and the highlight of the laptop . The laptop does not get hot at all. Neither did the keyboard/touchpad get hot, nor did the bottom. The only part of the laptop that was a bit warm was the the bottom of the massive fan at the left side(the keypad right above it was cool). The fan noise is minimal even in the performance mode(max speed). I checked the heat after 30 mins, 1 hour and 2 hours of gaming and the laptop as as cool as idle. I advise you to not stick your hand near the vents because the fan pushes out a lot of warm air that can be felt from a feet away. And this is what keeps the laptop cool.
AVAILABILITY/SERVICE AND WARRANTY:
ASUS notebooks are hard to find and are not found as easily as the other laptop brands. There are no exclusive showrooms also from ASUS. I bought this from rashi peripherals, Bangalore. The ASUS service for monitors/motherboards are supposed to be good. They have started onsite support in all major cities. My friend had Wi-Fi problem in his asus laptop and got it serviced in a week. Hopefully, ASUS lives up to the reliability expectations it is known for. The service and the support in India is still unknown.
BOTTOM LINE:
I would suggest this laptop to anyone with a budget of 45k.The 50k laptops also have lesser configurations(but with OS). This is the deal for people looking for casual gaming/editing/performance laptop and want to run windows 7. The lack of drivers for older operating system is the only big negative that I can think of.