2014 Asus N550JK -DS71T quick mini review and opinion so far

I am using this on my lap as you do, but the optical drive keeps opening whenever I grab the side, the button release sticks out and is not flush, really easy to bump often. This is likely the same design on all the units. Is there anyway to disable the optical button for working then I could just windows explorer to release the optical drive?

 

Did you take a look at the picture in the guide linked several pages back for the exact Rufus settings? Probably a bad ISO. Is it in a folder you have to unzip first. I used a standard windows 8.1 pro I so and key so I can't help you with 8.1 core.

 

This isn't an issue for me but I do have a possible solution. Here's a small program called LockCD that a guy wrote to prevent his kids from playing with the button. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

 

No, I'm still wading through the pages in the thread for useful info. Was it you who posted the guide with the Rufus settings?

Also, will I be able to use the product key I extracted from my BIOS for this: Upgrading Windows with only a product key - Windows Help to download an ISO I can use to do the clean install with?

 

Nevermind, I'll try downloading this ISO: Windows 8.1 with Update (multiple editions) (x64) - DVD (English)

Hopefully it works.

 

http://mmp669-gadget.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/asus-n550jv-entertainment-laptop-clean.html?m=1 this is the guide I used. It has the links for 8.1 core. I used an 8.1 pro iso provided by my school and the installer recognized the key in my I stalker and used that and called the installation 8.1 core. It was only later when I changed my key to the pro one that it converted to pro.

I also recommend you make a copy of the esupport folder on the old drive. There is a utility in there called ASUS Install (its an abbreviated .exe) which let's you selectively choose which drivers and bloat programs you want to install. It was quite handy to get every driver installed at once.

 

The problem is that you need a Windows 8.1 upgrade version full key. On the LAptop there is an OEM version installed but the downloadable version of Windows 8.1 does not support the key. Therefore you can not download an official version of windows and I personally do no like a OS version from underground sources. But sorry I can not help you any more, I intsalled Windows 7 on this.

 

Please i need help with this Fu*cking Atheros AR9485wb-eg.. Limited connection all the time !

 

Intel 7260HMW IEEE 802.11AC, dual-band, 2x2 Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 4.0 Mini PCI Express combo Adapter - 867 Mbps+300Mbps - Internal - Wireless Adapters - Newegg.com

 

Awesome, this is just what I need. I rarely use the optical drive, but almost always use the laptop on my lap, which means I grab it by each side to shift and move it, thus hitting the button. I will give this a go.

Works but permanently locks the drive, cannot open it at all

 

Oh nice, I saw that guide a few weeks ago but wasn't sure if it translated into N550JK. I'll try the core ISO in the guide you linked instead. Thanks!
If I just want a clean 8.1 Core OS, following all the steps in the guide will result in the same thing right? Also, are all the steps outlined fine for the N550JK too(particularly the order of the drivers to be installed at the bottom of the guide)?

 

All you need to do is this.

1. Find an n550(xx) SSD install video to familiarize yourself with the process of opening up the computer (I had a hard time finding the t5 screwdriver at the hardware store had to go to a specialty place and by a kit with 30 bits)

2. Set up your installation usb with Rufus. Boot into it to test that everything is working.

3. Copy the esupport folder onto external storage (this contains the manuals and all drivers)

4. Connect up your SSD and boot into the installation (hold down Del.) The installation itself is very fast and it will import all of your existing settings from your Microsoft account.

When everything booted up, most of the ports and pieces were functioning even without proper drivers. Gestures and SD card slot did not work.

5. Now run the AsInsWiz.exe (in the folder labeled edriver) which let's you select which drivers you want to install. I installed all of the drivers and none of the applications.

After that everything was great. Bootups are about 8 seconds and applications open instantly. I put the old drive in an external exclosure and now use it as a backup.

Good luck
GT.

 

Sweet, thanks again Gtanner, I appreciate it!

 

I am surprised how well this laptop games without blasting tons of heat while using on lap, there isn't much machines out there that are strong in this area. My little Alienware 14 wants to burn a hole in my left leg.

I wanted I little bit more power for no gain in heat. The result, was able to increase all 4 cores to 3.4GHz, thus still was able to reduce the core voltage down -0.0625v

Also overclocked the GPU to +135MHz which results in a constant boost clock of 1219MHz with 1200MHz memory speed.

No throttling under heavy gaming load. The only way it will throttle the CPU is using apps like prime95 which is not a productive app or gaming app, in theory you should not see that load when gaming.

 

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try interchanging the antenna cables (black to white + black to white)

 

Will any notebook hard drive caddy work in model as long as the SATA connectors are in the right place, or does the caddy have to be a certain shape too?

There are places I can get this for about $15-20 locally, but there is no compatibility list.

SATA HDD in 9.5mm SATA DVD Caddy tray:

Before I buy this, will it work?

 

Hello
I'm buying this laptop this Friday i came here to ask for info and tips
I play League of legend and Final fantasy 14 online mainly so m question are for those 2 games
1st question should i upgrade for 1TB HDD 7200 RPM
2nd question should i increase the memory to 16G
3rd question should i go for windows 8.1 pro

If there is any issue with the laptop please tell me i couldn't read all this thread
Thank you

 

1. Not recommended. I bought the Canadian variant of this model whicj comes with a 7200rpm drive. While file transfers were increased over my 5 year old laptop with a 5400rpm programs took just as long or longer to open on the brand new drive. Platter drives are a huge bottle neck for modern quad core machines save your money and buy two things a crucial or Samsung SSD and a USB 3 enclosure or hard drive caddy to put the existing drive into. I did this with a Samsung EVO 840 and speeds are much better.

2. The ram you need will depend upon your usage. I haven't had the chance to do anything more demanding than light games and photo editing. I have 12gb and use less than 2 when web browsing. The ram is fairly easily added later. (Especially if you are adding your own SSD.)

3. Definitely not. I had a university license of 8.1 pro which I used to fresh install windows. I now realize that there is NO difference for the non enterprise user. Look up an article about the differences if you want to know more

Right now, sites like newegg have deals on the 256gb crucial mx100 for $115 and Samsung evo 849 for $140 excellent deals for a component you will never regret

 

I second this for the MX100, even though I am not running in the N500JK yet (just in the M17xR3), it is really good even if it is the 256GB version.

I am going to buy the 512GB version of the MX100 when I have enough funds. This drive is rated well and will perform better than the 256GB version.

 

Hiall I'm thinking of picking one of these up to hold me over until the g551 is out. On tiger direct they list this laptop as having a 1366x768 screen with the n550jk-ds71t... I imagine this is just a mistake or has anyone heard of Asus mixing screens with the same model number?

Thanks.

 

Hey all, I got my N550JK a couple weeks ago from Amazon. It's been great but I am worried about the temps. I live in Phoenix, Arizona so it's pretty dang hot. My house's ambient temperature is usually 30C. When playing BF4 my CPU hovers between 90 and 93 C with peaks at 96. The GPU also gets pretty toasty and it hovers between 85 and 90 C. Should I be worried? I'm heading off to college soon so I need to make sure that if this is a problem I deal with it now. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that when idling and doing simpler tasks it hovers between 45C and 50C. Also, for some reason, programs have a tough time picking up information on my GPU. HWMonitor doesn't even see it so I used MSI Afterburner. The GPU temps seem frighteningly high, almost like a sensor is broken.

 

Download Intel XTU, then restrict the multipliers during the summer to around x30.

You can reduce the voltage ~0.05v that will help.

Both should take off ~10c, otherwise drop down the multiplier more.

 

Thanks for replying, I'll do that. Are my temps normal enough or should I think about exchanging my laptop for a new one?

 

Do you recommend buying an external cooling system for this laptop would it help??? and any recommendation

 

Mid of winter here, sounds about right, as you air/room temps are about 10c higher than mine.

 

This is the best without the bulk. I not into fan and fat stands.

Logitech Portable Lapdesk N315

 

This thing does not has any use at all about cooling. And that price just for an plate...are you kidding?^^

 

Installed! There was a ICC profile bearing the name of the computer but it was awful: way too blue. Yours seems much better, thanks!
Thanks also for the installation instructions. Could not have guessed all that!

 

Finally got my replacement N550JK from Newegg today. My old one's screen had a shadow on the bottom middle, among other issues.

Anyway I fired up the replacement today to be greeted by three bright dots. Where's the luck.

Sigh. Debating just getting a refund. Tired of the playing the waiting game... Really liked this model too...

 

Seriously this thing runs so cool I can use it directly on my lap when just doing normal stuff on battery (even when plugged in too), without a giant massive thick cooling pad that has a stupid noisy fan in it, which powers from one of the USB ports.

When gaming on the N550JK, the N315 is all I need to keep the heat away from legs. Not only that, the vents are not covered even the laptop in the N315, therefore air can get into the unit and out, without overheating.
If you are gaming on a table top, you don't need a separate cooling pad, that is just ridiculous if you do need such a thing.

If someone has issue the N550JK due to overheating, then you got a dud. The N550JK that I have has no overheating and no throttling under load both CPU and GPU
And in any case if you buy a notebook that cannot keep itself cool with it own built in cooling system, you really should consider dumping it and buying something else that can.

 

Asus Power4Gear appears to always take over at the main power setting even if I change it, boots up with Asus Power4Gear set.

Good idea to uninstall this or not?

 

I am interested in the ASUS N550JK laptop and currently use a Dell U2412M as an external monitor with my current laptop. I have read where the Optimus technology in some NVIDIA cards previously has limited use of the HDMI port to the integrated Intel graphics only, precluding use of the Nvidia graphics card with the external monitor. Does anyone know if the GTX 850M graphics card can be used with an external monitor, or does the HDMI port only work with the integrated Intel graphics? Thanks.

 

The integrated intel GPU is always in command of the external ports as this is the way optimus is working, but you can play games on an external display with the nvidia GPU.

Absolutely, it is very cool. Especially under battery with max speed setting of 99% and therefor turbo dissabled even the build-in fans are hard to hear. And plugged in I hardly touch 80°C on the CPU. But why paying that much money for a simple plate?^^

 

It's been a while I think since anyone has asked for a comparison to the Y50. I'm curious now that the Y50 has a 4k screeen (the biggest negative comment on the y50 was its poor screen) what people think about the difference between the N550JK and the Y50 4k. Also, just a curiosity question ... I haven't used Windows 8 before or a touchscreen laptop. Do you all find youselves using the touchscreen capabilities a lot? Maybe it's just what I'm used to but I think with a laptop in my lap I'd be more likely to just use the touchpad than actually reach out to the sccreen.

 

Thanks for the response. How do I override the integrated intel GPU and ensure the nvidia GPU is being used for the external display when using photoshop, lightroom or playing games?

 

Nvidia control panel can set the preferred graphics option on a per app basis and tell you which apps it recognizes as needing the nvidia card over the Intel one.

 

I'm such a bonehead. I just bought a Panasonic UJ260 laptop bluray writer to put in my N550JK, paid extra for 2-day shipping, and it finally arrived here today. Removed the back panel in record time only to find...

...it won't fit in this laptop.

I didn't realize that there is an even thinner optical drive in this notebook.

Anyone know of any alternative bluray drives?

 

It turns out I bought a 12.7mm drive when this Asus uses a 9.5mm drive. Just a heads up for anyone else out there thinking of replacing the drive.

I just came across the Panasonic UJ272. Looks like it just came out in May. Going back to Japan on Wednesday, so I'll probably order it when I get there.

 

Weird question: Could I change this laptop's screen for, let's say, a 1440p panel? I do not know much about changing laptop parts, much less screens. Are they like a universal component between manufactures? Or is it just impossible? Not complaining about 1080p, but it would be nice to know I can upgrade it if I want in a couple of years.

 

Yes you can, if only if it's available.
Other unforeseen issues can be caused by 1. Lack of BIOS support, 2. interface connectivity compatibility.

 

Which NVIDIA drivers are you guys using?

I'm on 337.88(the latest on the ASUS N550JK Driver support page) and my Dota 2 doesn't have a resolution setting for 1920 x 1080.
EDIT: Control Panel already offered me an option to optimize its resolution settings. Everything's cool with Dota 2 now

Has anyone successfully upgraded to a newer driver?

 

Nvidia geforce options let's you update to newer and beta drivers.

 

Hello All!

I am looking at the Asus N550JK-DS71T from Newegg.com. I am not sure if it's the 2014 model. Can anyone tell me if it is? Also, for future reference how can I tell if it's 2014? Model number? Features? etc.

Also, I thought I read somewhere that Asus is about to release a newer/updated version of this laptop, I think the model number is N551JK?? Is this true and if so when is it coming out? Is it going to be much better than the N550JK, so much so that waiting would be worth it?

Thank you.

Jan

 

Is the DS74T just the DS71T with 16 gig of ram and the SSD drive instead of the 1 TB drive? This model sounds like the kind of "souped upo" N550 that people have been wanting.

 

Yes seems to be. Or you could simply do the upgrades yourself and potentially save some $. I used the existing platter drive as an external backup which saved me from having to buy another accessory.

 

Hey everyone,
I just got my n550jk ds71t a few days ago, and I'm a complete noob at upgrading any sort of specs. Is this ssd compatible with this laptop? SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 1x nm Samsung Toggle DDR 2.0 3-Bit MLC NAND Flash Memory (400Mbps) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

Thanks a lot!

 

Yes. And highly recommended.

 

Thanks a lot!!

 

Yeah, I'm aware of that. I guess I worded my question poorly.

Has anyone upgraded their drivers to, say, 340.52 and everything was stable?