ASUS Experts NEEDED: Potential n00b Buyer Looking for Recommendations & Advice

Okay I'm totally knew to an Asus. I've used compaq's, Toshiba's, Acer's, and Vaio's. I love Vaio---but they're just personal use laptops and can't withstand hectiv video editing and the graphics aren't that wonderful.

I'm new to ASUS and due to the fact they have so many brands and different computers I'm a bit overwhelmed. I called ASUS for help and sadly I was bit disappointed the guy seemed a bit unsure of what I should aim for.

1. Great graphics are necessary for two reasons: a) I'm an English teacher and show a lot of films and English skits in my class. I need a computer than can deal with lots of films on it's hard drive if need be. b) I am also a video editor and film student----that means lots and lots of video editing. I'm looking for a comp for that.

2. I'm looking for a comp about 15.6", but as long as the comp is not lower than 14.1" and taller than 16" I'm fine.


3. Quality sound is a must as well.

4. Price does matter, I'm not looking for anything more than 1100 (not including warranty) Preferably in the 800/900-1000 range is my max.

5. Decent battery life would be welcome.

When suggesting a model---can you guys also link it to a site you find reputable.

I really need all your help, so thanks in advance.

 

Ok. Let me break it down for you.

1. Showing a lot of film doesn't necessarily mean you have to have great graphics, since movie playback consumes very little resources. Unless you're talking about Blu-Ray playback, having lots of movie on a hard drive simply means a) the laptop needs to have two different hard drive slots, or b) you're willing to go for external hard drive.

Secondly, being a video editor and film student means you need good media decoding / encoding performance. If that's the case, then I'd suggest a quad core laptop.

2. A computer about 15.6" should be fine, although most 15.6" laptop from ASUS don't have two hard drive slots. Therefore if you're willing to go external drive, then it shouldn't be a problem. If not, 17.3" would be a better bet.

3. ASUS laptops are known for their great quality of sound. But I think you need one that actually plays decently.

4. Your price range should be fine for your requirement.

5. Please define decent battery life. Is 2 hours~3 hours consider decent, or is 8 hours + consider decent?


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Based on what you said here, I have some recommendations.

1. If you're willing to go for external hard drive and stick with a 15.6", you can go for a N53SV-XV1.

Link: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS N53SV
Review: ASUS N53SV Notebook Review | Hardware Secrets
Price: $999.99 on Amazon.

Advantage: Great sound. Great screen. Great performance / $.
Disadvantage: relatively poor battery life (< 4 hours surfing), only 1 hard drive slot.

2. If you're willing to go for 17.3" instead of external drive, I'd recommend the N73SV-A3.

Link: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS N73SV
Review: Review Asus N73SV Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
Price: $1199.99 on Amazon.

Advantage: Large screen. Great performance / $. Two HDD slots for expandability. Great sound.
Disadvantage: More costly than N53SV, potentially over your budget. Relatively poor battery life (<4 hours surfing).

3. If you don't want to stick with a larger screen, and don't want to deal with an external drive, you can consider a G53SW-XA1.

Link: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS G53SW
Review: Asus G53SW-A1 - Notebookcheck.net External Reviews
Price: $1199.99 at Amazon.

Advantage: Have 2 hard drive slots with a 15.6" form factor. Great performance / $.
Disadvantage: More costly than N53SV. Horrendous battery life (<2 hours). Average speakers.

4. If you think battery life should come before all else, then I'd recommend a U46SV.

Link: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS U46SV
Review: no review available yet.
Price: $879.99 at GentechPC.

Advantage: Great battery life (>7 hours surfing), great performance for a small machine.
Disadvantage: Poor sound quality. Small screen. Only 1 HDD slot.

Hope these help

 

Sorry about the poor explanation.

1. I would prefer to have Blu-ray playback but it's not mandatory. I do happen to invest in external hard drives. I have about 4, so purchasing another won't be a problem.

Encoding and decoding performance is a must. Quad-core laptop--got it.

2. I was thinking of going for a 17.3", but the problem is mobility is mandatory. I have to lug this to school and back home (since it doubles as my school computer). Hence I downgraded to a 15.6"

3. Definitely.

4. Thank God.

5. Decent battery life is 3+ (although I would kill for 8).

Thank you for all the recommendations. Based on my statements I think it's narrowed down a bit. If the computer is light and 17.3", I'm all for it. But the ones I've seen have been heavy, admittedly I've never seen an ASUS version, to know the weight. An additional drive added sounds nicer to me than purchasing another external so I like that extra feature without a need for extra cost (or too much).

Thanks for the suggestions--if you have narrowed down some more---please let me know.

Thanks a lot viperabyss!


Another question viperabyss

What do you think about this computer:
ASUS N53Jq-A1 15.6" Notebook Computer (Silver Aluminum)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734130-REG/ASUS_N53JQ_A1_N53Jq_A1_15_6_Notebook_Computer.html

It's an N53 as well---I found this one on my own search a few weeks ago and forgot to post it up for ideas.

 

I believe the one viberabyss posted has the newest generation of intel processors, which give better battery life and performance.

 

Thanks to everyone who's helped--- viperabyss and chipmoney! I appreciate it.