A million problems with my Asus K53TK Laptop. Would definitely appreciate some help!

So I became an Asus fan while working at a computer shop and seeing stuff like the Zenbook, the Transformer Prime, the N56VM, and the G75. My first Asus product was a motherboard that I put in my desktop, which works quite wonderfully, so I decided I'd buy one of their laptops as well.

I picked up the K53TK for about $450 due to a combination of a sale and a discount, and was pretty pleased. Dinky processor aside, it looks nice, it's not massive, and with the decent GPU and 6gb of ram, it runs games on medium settings quite well.

HOWEVER: This particular laptop was built like .

My first problem is with the audio jacks. The microphone jack produces a garbled sound that reminds me of someone talking underwater when I try to record through it. This is a pretty big deal, as one of my main uses for this laptop is to record music, which I now have to do through my USB port, and I don't always have or want to use USB devices. This is a sample of what it sounds like.

On top of this, the headphone jack has this issue where it doesn't register me removing headphones, so it keeps the speakers muted after I remove he headphones. I usually resolve this by disabling and re-enabling the speakers or logging out/in, but it's a bit of an SOB.

Additionally, the keyboard continually pops out. Usually the right-hand side of the keyboard pops out of the body. I can click it back in no problem, but it's pretty obnoxious, and it happens pretty frequently. Less often, the keyboard pops out in the middle, around the F10 key.

Finally, (and this is more a software issue than an issue with the laptop, but I suspect the laptop has something to do with it), it has a plethora of problems when running Linux Mint 13. I use Linux for a number of CS classes, and the amount of problems I'm having is pretty nuts. first off, the trackpad just decided to quit on me. I know it's not a hardware issue, because it still works when I boot to Windows, but it doesn't work in Mint. Second off, the computer refuses to suspend properly. After suspending, it will not wake back up, and I have to reboot it. This means I can't really take the computer around with me without shutting it off or booting to Windows.

If anyone has any solutions for any of my problems, it'd be much appreciated. Alternatively, if you think I should just send it out for warranty work, tell me so. However, I've heard Asus' warranty dept is less than fun to deal with.

Thank you!

 

you could try to update the drives, but there isn't a lot you can do about that unfortunately.

Again, try newer drivers first and then report back.

That does sound like a build quality issue, i'd try to see if you can get a replacement.

It's pretty variable actually, unfortunately you can't know whether you'll get bad or good service until you RMA it.

EDIT: Welcome to NBR by the way.

 

sounds like all your problems are software problems, minor build quality problems, and others are normal behavior, for a $450 laptop.

1. you won't get studio quality mike from almost any laptop. analog audio sucks.
you should be using a usb mike anyway. digital quality > analog.
That said, the realtek audio software may have added some warble effects to your recording as a result of trying to reduce background noise. Check the realtek software control panel and see what gimmicks there are. You can also use windows control panel and check the microphone properties, Enhancements tab, and try turning off noise suppression. But i bet instead of getting underwater sound, you'll hear more static.

2. headphone jack- make sure realtek audio software is running. if it is, try reinstalling realtek audio drivers/software.
If you don't need the stereo mixer function, then you can uninstall the realtek audio driver completely and run off of generic microsoft audio driver, which will always detect insert/remove headphones.

3. kb pop out sounds like you're missing a screw. There is a screw behind the F10 key, accessible by opening the ram cover. Open it and see. Use a credit card to pry open the cover. If a screw is missing, get one from your shop.
The other screw is behind the F4 key, accessible from the outside.

If it still pops out and no screws are missing, then you can remove 2 screws, detach the ribbons, and remove the keyboard completely.
Then bend/arch the keyboard back a little. It's bendable, trust me.


all your issues don't warrant RMA.