Asus K55a

Hello all!

Yesterday I purchased a new Asus K55A. I was strongly considering purchasing a Lenovo Edge or T series notebook. I found a fantastic deal on this computer at, of all places, Wal Mart! It is a very nicely made computer for less than $600.00. It features an intel i5 2450m processor, 6GB RAM and a750 GB HDD.

I cannot believe how well put together and how fast this machine is. It is not comparable to the Lenovo T series (military spec) but it is solid! The track pad works extremely well, the two finger scrolling works very well, the keyboard is above average but not quite as nice as the Thinkpads. As a bonus there was almost no preinstalled bloatware!

I am not a gamer, I am a geology teaching assistant at a major research university, I am not a gamer. This seems like a great computer for research and keeping student information safe and organized. So far is runs nice, cool , quick and quiet. The keyboard could be better but I can adjust to it over time.

I would like the input of other Asus users/owners on the quality of this machine. I have 14 days to consider whether I keep it or buy something else. Personally I like it a lot! I have had very poor experiences with Acer and Toshiba, both of those experienced HDD and MB failures in just over a year. The Toshiba was horrible, it was sent in 4 times for repair before Square Trade finally cashed me out. I want/need a reasonably reliable laptop!

BTW, the track pad is the best I have seen outside of a Mac Book Pro! It is huge and it functions as it is supposed to which is an absolute first for me!

 

Yes, you are not a gamer!

 

math_geek I can't say anything about this specific laptop but I have two Asus laptops that are more than 18 months old and I love them. They really make quality products at great prices.

 

I know this is an old thread but since I just ordered a K55A from Staples I figured I'd search here on this laptop.

I have had HPs and an Acer and they both seemed like crap. Ive had an ASUS netbook for a few years that has served me well. I was thinking of going with Lenovo but use them at work and issues. The Asus at Staples was well spec'd and a decent price.

The one thing my specific model looks like it lacks is bluetooth. I wonder if I can add it internally. I know with my EEE netbok people modded it but I never bothered because you had to take the whole thing apart.

--- Ironically another math geek - taught HS Math for the past 10 years

 

Not sure which K55A this is in regards to, but yes you can replace the mini PCIe wireless NIC that comes stock. Or get a USB dongle, which is easier; you'll just have a USB port being eaten up.

 

It came with an AR9485 adapter. Would this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-6235AN-HMWWB-Centrino-Advanced-N-Bluetooth/dp/B007QXLIWI/ref=pd_cp_pc_0


On another note Staples listed this as being a 6gb RAM laptop. It arrived with 8

 

Yeah that will work. Your only concern from here is if Asus blacklists any particular cards on the K55a board, but we do upgrades on our Asus laptops all the time, so I doubt there's any blacklist or whitelist on that board.

Alright! A blunder is bueno as long as it's in your favor.

 

Thanks for your reply:

I posted an image of my card. Are the white and black cables that attach (where labeled aux and main) soddered in ? Or will those remove easily? Does it look like there is also a screw holding card in place?

Thanks.

Update: I watched a youtube video I guess the cables just disconnect easily. I ordered the wifi card and will install and test it. Fortunately Amazon has a good return policy,

 

Those cables are the antennae. They pop off easily.

I see threads for screws, (each corner near each antenna), but the image is blurred, so it's difficult to see whether it's being secured or not. Usually they are though. Once you remove the two screw(s), the card should lift up slightly and then you can pull it out.