New ASUS N550 Multimedia series, IPS panel ?

The price difference between the Ge60 and the N550 are large enough to warrant another look.
Now that it is on Xotic I must say I prefer the N550.
The Asus also has media buttons, something i really wanted.

 

I am looking for the laptop with FHD IPS screen. Unfortunately xoticpc is only offering one with TN panel.

 

Strange (or is it) that there's no info on Asus's own website. For that matter, no info on haswell products on asus site.

 

Anyone know if this comes with an mSata slot? The bestbuy versions list it with a 24GB Cache SSD, so I am hoping it comes with one. But then again, judging by the pictures on the review, and XoticPC, there doesn't seem to be a slot.

Would love to have 1TB mechanical + 128GB SSD for boot and programs.

 

Asus usually do use a slot, but it's buried inside the chassis.

 

Are those usb ports 3.0 or 2.0? Anyone nows for sure?

 

Well I planning to replace the DVD drive with the HDD and have an SSD in the 2.5" slot.
I don''t use DVDs all that often anyways.

 

From Xotic's tech specs they are USB 3.0

 

Looking forward to the owners' lounge thread!

Currently trying to settle a dilemma of ordering exactly what I want on Xotic or ordering basics and adding hdd myself.

Do these shops do a good job of craftsmanship? Seems a better value if you order default 1TB hdd and sell it to install your own SSD, vs ordering with SSD that costs about the same as buying the SSD separately, w/o much savings from leaving them the 1TB mechanical drive.

Also, can the discrete gfx be easily shut off to extend battery life?

 

I think that is the old age question of using resellers.
One thing that is a benefit with a reseller is the warranty is with one entity rather than several...and resellers are generally more accommodating and easier to work with than manufacturers themselves. Turn around time for issues is usually a lot faster with resellers I believe.

 

Got this one: ASUS N550JV-DB72T 15.6" Laptop Computer - Grey Aluminum N550JV-DB72T - Micro Center
The specs on the page were wrong however. It did not have an ssd, and the display is FHD. I would have loved the ssd but at least I got the 1920x1080 display. Fan seems to blow air onto the bottom of the screen however, and I'm a little worried about screen decay. Also, the gpu is ddr3.

 

Are you sure micro center got the model-number right? I'm seeing the same model-number on a laptop on BestBuy:
Asus - 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Gray Aluminum - N550JV-DB72T
Are you sue the display is 1920x1080? I'm thinking of getting this laptop, but not if it is 1366x768 like microcenter and bestbuy state on their websites.
Could you also list some other differences that the laptop has compared to the specs on the microcenter website, other than the lack of ssd cache?

 

You guys who already bought, are you keeping the hdd or upgrading to SSD yourselves?

 

does anyone know about pricing for the non touchscreen version? thanks

 

Don't forget to hold onto the HDD for warranty if you do swap it out.

 

Will powernotebooks carry it too?

 

I have a question for any other users: Does anyone know if you are able to switch out the Optical Drive for another HDD?
I was thinking they got the model number wrong as well. This screen that I am looking at right now is most definitely 1920x1080, and the SSD is most certainly missing. Piriform's Speccy and Windows' screen resolution swapper both say the screen is 1920x1080, and it is very noticeable, as I used to have a different Asus which was the same size display but 1366x768. By the way, with a cooling pad (elevated) and a small fan on the back of the computer, it seems to run at around 60C under load, and I haven't seen it break 70C yet.
In terms of some more info:
The graphics card is most certainly a GT750 M. Speccy seems to be telling me there are 4 open memory slots, with only 2 being used. The computer came with an external sub woofer that connects to the computer via a yellow port just to the right of the charging port, and the charger is right angle (makes for odd placement when the sub woofer is plugged in). The open button for the Optical Drive is situated on the bottom right of it. All USB ports are 3.0, and one will continue to provide power when the computer is not running. There does not seem to be a separate port for headphones and mic, just one port.

 

Probably gonna buy the marketplace version of the asus n550 on BestBuy and hope that I get the same model as yours...

 

The 1080p matte screens don't say IPS, are they not IPS?

Adorama has it with the 4702HQ cpu, looks like a bit slower than the 4700HQ despite the higher model number.

 

No, they are TN. I thought that in the video asus promised an IPS screen. :/

 

Yikes! Will probably go with the lower res and glare to get IPS. Thanks.

Adorama has it with the 4702HQ CPU, looks a bit slower than the 4700HQ despite the higher model number. Tricky Intel!

 

Went to Microcenter today to check out the laptop - I checked in the graphics settings, the screen is definitely 1920x1080 despite what the ads say (at least the model I looked at). Not bad over all, there was some flex in the area above the keyboard, and it was a bit thicker than I would have liked. Still on the fence, really wish ASUS would update the u500vz with Haswell and a 750m.

 

Just talked to a rep at Xotic PC, they don't actually have it in stock yet, but they're expecting it next week. Thus the Xotic PC specs aren't confirmed yet because they haven't had a chance to look at the machines.

 

It's a low power model so the turbo will be less aggressive.

 

From Mike's review:

Screen 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 px resolution, IPS touchscreen

I'll hold out a bit then. Maybe it's a placebo effect but I think I notice some pixelation on my current 1280x800 15.6 screen...

 

Could you link me to this review?
Gonna order the n550jv-db72t from BestBuy's marketplace vendor, Beach Audio. I'll check if the screen is actually FHD or not

 

Review is a couple pages up in this thread.

 

Quick question:
It seems that the only difference between the n550jv-db72t and the n550jv-db71 is the lack of a touchscreen on the db71, and possibly a difference in resolution..?

 

I believe it's just the touch screen layer.

 

Thinking about ordering this from XoticPC without a hard drive. Anybody know if I will need to buy an installation kit with my SSD (ie. Samsung 840 256 GB KW) or if I can just buy the SSD (ie. Samsung 840 256 GB BW).

Edit: Also, any idea what the non touch panel is? Still IPS or is it a TN, if TN - is it a good one (the XoticPC description seems really vague)? Any reviews/impressions from buyers on build/heat/etc, or links to sites other than XoticPC that have this customizable would also be awesome!

 

Official press release:
http://www.asus.com/News/gP06UvIUcAmTW1jU

 

Here ya go:
Asus N550 / N550JV review - a sleek multimedia notebook

 

You should ask. In Europe I have the FHD 1080p IPS non-touch matte panel. Read about that model here http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...16-asus-n550jv-user-review-owners-lounge.html

It's n550jv-cn163d by code.

Also keep in mind that you need to remove the entire bottom to swap the HDD. See if this voids or not the warranty, I got no aswer so far. It should not, but you never know.

 

If it requires any significant disassembly it wont be counted as user serviceable.

 

Only a back panel, should not be that hard. I'll send an email to an Asus service and see what they advise.

 

I've asked Asus warranty service if I can open the laptop and change the HDD myself. I can. But if I would ever need the warranty, I have to put the old HDD back and send it like that.

So 10 screws is all it takes to change the drive (well, more like 14 if you count the ones holding the drive). I think this is for the best. Access to HDD, RAM, WIFI, battery, fans.

 

Still on replacing HDD with SSD. Is the Samsung 840 series the preferred SSD right now. I see it mentioned over and over. With this machine is all you need is the SSD or do you also need any additional cables/mounts to install it. Just ordered one of these laptops for sons college computer and think I should swap the HDD for a SSD immediately rather than later.

 

Also with the 2GB Video is this laptop capable of driving 2 external monitors (1 HDMI and 1 mini-DisplayPort) at the same time as the onboard monitor is used?

 

You wouldn't happen to have a screen calibrator, would you, to determine the color gamut capability?

I did read the review, and while it mentions that it doesn't cover sRGB, it doesn't quantify the gamut or even state how the determination was made. I have one of these on order with XoticPC and have asked for the build to go on hold. Based on the (lack of) info on the order page, I assumed I was replacing a stock TN panel with the 95% NTSC panel. I don't want to spend $165 to replace an IPS panel with a TN panel, unless the IPS panel is horrible for photo editing. This is my main use for the laptop, using Lightroom 5. I also have a Spyder4Pro.

 

You have your answer there. This panel had been used before, I know it. Right now all my photos look a bit strange. It's a good thing that I do most of my WB based on markers at the shooting and not on how the photo looks on the screen, but still it bugs me. If photo editing is a job for you and you can use an external monitor, do so. Put the 165 along to get a good IPS wide gamut external monitor (should be around 500$ I guess a decent one, the better ones being a lot more expensive). For me is not really a job, so I don't have to deliver very accurate results.

From what I know only the Elite can get the color gamut. Am I wrong? I'll try to find a Spyder and see what it does.

Wide gamut panels or even good panels, TN or IPS (lately) are rare in laptops. To date I saw only one good IPS in a top of the line Lenovo and nothing more. But the price tag was 3x N550.

 

???

I've got a lower end IPS that does 72% NTSC / 100% sRGB that works fine for what I do. Personal use only, nothing professional. But for reasons nobody will care about I need to be able to do some editing on the laptop screen itself.

My Spyder4Pro gives me gamut in % of NTSC, sRGB, and aRGB. I used it lately on a laptop with 95% NTSC TN screen and it came out to 91% NTSC.

Indeed. Trying to get a combination of good screen, Haswell processor, and price that isn't ridiculous is a challenge. I just bought and returned a Sager NP7352. I was able to do the editing I needed to do on the screen, but would have preferred an IPS. The new Sager models with IPS are only 60% NTSC, though, which I why I went with the NP7352 with 95% NTSC screen. However, it had two problems: (1) USB 2.0 port wouldn't work with RAZR Maxx HD. I have two phones and three cables and no combination would work. Any combination works in any other computer in the universe, or at least those I've tried. It worked in the USB 3.0 port though, and everything else worked in the 2.0 port, so I just parked my wireless mouse dongle in the 2.0 port and decided to live with the quirk. (2) Typing the sequence "inde" would cause it to miss the "d." I wasn't mistyping. I could open up MS Word and type "inde" over and over endlessly and never get the "d" unless I slowed my typing to a crawl. That was a deal breaker for me. Don't know if it was a fluke with that unit or will be common to that model, but by this time the N550JV was available to order and I decided to go for it. However, they just told me that they won't have stock until mid-August and they don't know what the screen is until the get it. ??? I've replied to ask if they could just ask Asus instead of waiting?

 

Where did you order from? I thought I read a few posts back that Xoticpc was supposed to have them in stock sometime this week???

 

It was Xoticpc. After placing the order I got an email saying it was in stock. They processed my payment, then I upgraded to the rush service, and all through the process they seemed to think they had it. When I spoke to someone this morning about the screen he said he was busy right then but he'd pull one out and look at it. Then got back to me later to tell me they don't have any.

In the end, I kept the order, because as I said above, I don't know what else I would order at this point.

 

Yeah that was me, I checked back today and now they're saying they won't have it until early to mid August, which is a bummer.

 

Really, I mean is there any place that actually has the laptop in stock? I only ordered from xoticpc on the premise that they actually had it; I didnt see any "pre-order now" or "eta" on the website 2 days ago, but now they are telling me that they don't even have any...
I really wish that xotic and a few other websites were more specific on their product availability information... really would have saved a lot of time :/

 

Gentech lists it as in stock, but I haven't called to confirm. Gaming Laptops - GenTech PC - Gaming Notebooks - Custom Laptops - Custom Notebooks - Customize System

 

Amazon is delivering one today and a SSD to replace the HDD. Is their a guide here on replacing a HDD with an SSD? Been awhile. Should I do a clean Windows 8 install or Clone the HDD and then clean off the bloatware? Does ASUS install a lot of bloatware?

 

Is it even out yet ?

How much did you pay for it .

 

Here is the link. Amazon.com: ASUS N550JV-DB72T 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop: Computers & Accessories

$1095 with free shipping and no tax. Specs as I understand it on Amazon are incorrect. the 1TB configuration doesnt have a small SSD and the display is 1080P.

 

I see .

Know if it has a removable external battery / how many cells it has ?

I was considering getting one of these .