Asus N551

Thanks, that's where I bought it from. I had read that review and was expecting to get the same Samsung panel. Actually now that I've used the laptop for a bit, the screen seems good. I'm pretty sure that this LG panel is IPS.

 

I've run into a problem! I replaced the HDD with an SSD (Samsung 850 EVO) but when I turn the laptop on it just boots to the BIOS screen. What am I doing wrong?

 

Did you clone your hard drive to the SSD? If so, what software did you use?

 

You have to 1st clone your original hard drive when it is in the laptop, with all partitions (Boot, System restore, & OS) to the SSD then when finished yank the hard drive, then put in the SSD and it should work. You will have to use some mitigation software to do this. Here is a link to how it is done & he tells you of the free legal software to do this.

Also I don't know why, but after using the SSD for a while windows was asking me at start up for a serial number for the OS. I never copied it down & wasn't sure how to get it. Luckily I still had the original HD which I haven't formatted yet, so I used this key finder program (the link is below) from Magic Jellybean, recovered the serial number from the original HD, & used the number the next time Windows asked & it was accepted. Since then everything has been good. Once you are up & running with the SSD make sure you make a back up copy of the whole drive, plus do it at least once a week or when you do any major software or upgrade installs. You will be thankful when things go sideways with OS, and you won't have to install everything from scratch. Here is the link to the key finder in case you can't find you widows serial number & you still have the factory HD intact:
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/gr/mjbkeyfinder.htm

 

If you have then did you double check the boot order? Windows asked for key because it detected a hardware change and believed it to be a new system, windows 8.1 should reactivate automatically or if not you can use the phone system to re-validate it.

 

I was surprised that I was asked for the serial number, because I have been using windows on the SSD for about 4 months. I realize what you were saying, but would of thought that it would ask me for the serial when I first powered on the new drive.

 

Hardware changes are added up, if you changed something else even minor it may have triggered the key request.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies . It turns out I had to create a Windows installation disk for it to boot up properly. I didn't bother cloning the hard drive to the SSD before installing the SSD as all my files had already been back up to an external hard drive. I reinstalled all the drivers and it seems like everything is working fine now. I'll take my time transferring my files from the external drive to the SSD. Thanks again everyone!

 

Hello,

I am considering buying this laptop, but I just have a few questions.

1) Is the N551JW model (the one with the GTX960M) coming to the US/Canada?

2) How easy is it to repaste the CPU/GPU and clean the fans? Anyone have a step-by-step guide?

 

1) Not certain on our end. Asus sales support should be able to confirm this for you over email or phone fairly easily, though.

2) You'll need to completely disassemble the system to gain access to said chips and the heat sinks. It's not so much hard as it is a little time consuming, especially if you've no experience with a complete tear down. Sorry, though: no step-by-step guide here.

 

Best to use factory recovery discs to restore it since UEFI BIOS may need to register the drive via Windows Boot Manager entry.

 

Any chance someone who has disassembled the computer right to the CPU/GPU or fans post a step-by-step guide to how they did it.

Would greatly appreciate it!

 

They mentioned the steps.

 

Thanks for the link.

I saw this earlier, but was wondering if the person who wrote it or anyone else who has opened it can list stupid-proof steps for opening this laptop.

For instance, do I need to remove the hard drive and RAM slot before opening? How do I put it back together? Any cables I need to be wary of while opening?

My only experience for repasting computers has been using a step-by-step instruction manual (from Dell) and this computer does not have that. The prying around the DVD seems a little intimidating to me.

Thanks! Again, would greatly appreciate it!

 

https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?65642-Replacing-thermal-compound-in-G551JW Some pictures over @ asus ROG forum. G551 uses same casing as N551, shows which screws to remove and so on. As for cables, you need to disconnect monitor cable and wifi cables at least.

 

Thanks for the link. Exactly what was looking for!

 

Hey guys, very useful thread!

I'm considering Asus N551JK-CN194H or N551JX-CN060H to cope with demanding engineering applications, but i'm concerned about the WiFi issues that are reported.
I have two questions that need answer before I proceed with the purchase.
1) Which Wi-Fi module do these specific models have, the Atheros or the Intel one?
2) Do they come with a matte anti-glare panel?

If you happen to know anything relevant, please let me know. Thank you

 

Looks like these are Greek models.
Have you checked with a local reseller directly on the spec?
1. It's possible that it comes with Qualcomm Atheros.
2. It is, non-glare panel.

 

They are greek models indeed. I've asked some local resellers but haven't got a response, yet (nor do I expect one, to be honest! )
1. That's not very acceptable...
2. Ok, that's what I was hoping for.

Thank you for your help!

*EDIT:
I tested the laptop (the N551JK-CN198H model) at a local reseller. It has a great screen indeed, but the touchpad responsiveness seemed a little weird to me...As for the wireless card, it came with the Atheros one. However, I tested the Wi-Fi signal strength next to a Dell with an Intel Wireless module and they were on par without doubt. So, is the Atheros wireless card a general issue or does it have to do with particular models?

 

Hey there,

I think I missed this. What issue are you referring to? Generally the problems that arise with some Atheros WLAN cards are driver related, not so much hardware fault.

 

Oh I hadn't realised that, I thought it was clearly a hardware issue. Then, I suppose these WiFi problems can be/have been fixed with driver updates or what? So, I can go safely with this model...

 

Yup, it is generally a driver issue but Qualcomm Atheros are good at what they do and driver release is frequent so you can always find new version that becomes available on station-drivers.com.

 

I think you're covered.

Keep in mind that some issues are purely a case-by-case basis also. Everyone's network is set up differently, after all.

 

I have a Asus N551JQ-CN020H, which HDD Caddy is the best for the best price? I will also transfer the DVD Drive bezel to the HDD Caddy, so the look is the same, as with a DVD Drive.

 

There are loads on ebay, just get one with the changable front, the circuitry is very simple.

 

I've got two questions about Asus N551JM (or a different model of N551):

1. What value of the screen brightness have you set (set by fn key)?
2. What values of the screen brightness, the screen contrast and the screen gamma have you set in HD Intel Control Panel?

I've got a PLS panel in my model and I cannot adjust settings of my monitor to my eyes. My eyes hurt..

 

Hi everyone,
I am considering purchasing the n551jk and I have some questions I hope you could answer:
I've read that wifi reception was an issue in some models and configurations, would you know which ones?
Is the audio jack still an issue?

There are 2 available models from where I come from. I've listed the differences I was able to come across:

CN023H: gpu: 850m 4gb ddr3, 1tb hdd, blu ray.
DM025H: gpu: 850m 2gb ddr3, 750 hdd, dvd

The CN023H costs 100$ more than the DM025H.

I don't really care about the hdd size and the blue ray as I'll be using a hdd caddy for it and replace it with a ssd.

but is the 2gb of vram worth an extra 100 $? and do you know of other major differences?


Another question: I'll be using the laptop for CAD and light gaming. Have you tried running cad software like autocad, revit, maya etc?

Thank you for your help!

 

No the vram is unlikely to make a difference, 2GB is a good match for the power of the GPU.

 

For $100, the extra features are attractive.

 

If you want the features of course.

 

Yup, or save $100 without the features.

 

Thank you, I got it. Everything looks great other than pretty slow loading time (50sec) and the lan connector which for some reason is pretty difficult to use.
Ill replace the hdd with an ssd soon

 

Anyone have a step by step to open this laptop to repaste?

 

Try keeping posts to a single thread to avoid spam and confusion

 

Is there any info on whether the G551JW has thermal throttling issues with the GPU? I am concerned because it is almost the same as the G551JW, where it is a well-known problem.

 

Not heard of it with this model, I thought the G551 was fixed with a bios update that raised the throttle temperature?

 

Thermal throttling exists when GPU is overheating in most of cases.
However, there are also cases where AC adapter is caught with having not enough juice which causes GPU not getting enough juice therefore throttles down its performance.

 

Can anyone confirm that DVD bay works with Sata 3 speeds? I'm considering to buy this laptop but I can't find any info weather it is Sata 1 2 or 3

 

It's SATA II (3.0Gbps).

 

Great thanks! But that is bad news for me How about mSata slot, are there any limitations? Can I use it as main boot drive with something like Samsung 850 Evo 512GB ?

 

mSATA doesn't have any limitation, and yes, you can boot from it.