New ASUS N550 Multimedia series, IPS panel ?

There is no mSATA I could see so I don't think there is a SSD. Specs are way off on this product. Mine "had" the same 24 SSD (has none), not IPS (has IPS), 6 cell (has 4 and I think there is only 4 cell option).

 

I'm a little concerned about the battery life, since this machine comes with only 4 cells.
What has been your experiences with the battery life?

 

I'll share my experience so far.....I have the brightness down to the lowest setting and I have the Maximum CPU state set to 50% in the advanced power options area while on battery. I have been web browsing for 2 hours and 20 mins. This includes about 15 minutes of Youtube as well. I have 62% left according to the battery icon. I am also running with the Nvidia Optimus set to auto-select the proper graphics and it has not engaged the 750M at all. It's running with the HD4600 graphics only. If I get 4 hours total run time I will be more than satisfied. YMMV...

 

Guys, waiting patiently to purchase this laptop once it's released in my area and have one question for those of you who do own it. What color is the exterior of the lid? In this video, the lid is a brushed black color Asus N550JV Touchscreen Laptop Product Showcase - YouTube skip to 4:50. However, in the gallery at xoticpc, XOTIC PC | ASUS N550JV-DB72T Touch which is where I will be buying the computer, the lid is a brushed aluminum . I would really prefer the brushed aluminum and would be grateful if any current owners can pitch in. Thanks.

 

When I was researching the N550JV-DB72T, I looked at the Xotic listing and noticed it offers an MSATA RAID option for this laptop, but as far as I know, this laptop doesn't support MSATA.

 

If you read that option clearly on their site they specify that it replaces the regular HDD slot.
It is simply an msata caddy they put in there that holds two MSatas in raid.

 

My lid is a very dark gray and in direct light has sort of a blue/gray hue to it, not quite black, but it is all brushed aluminum. In my pic you can see how the color of the lid changes depending on the light. The mouse is jet black and as you can see the lid is more of a gray.

 

Much obliged, Bubba. Am very happy to hear that it's not the straight black in the youtube video I linked. Also, you're from Michigan? I'm moving there next month!

 

I am indeed..40 Miles NW of Detroit near Ann Arbor. Welcome to the Great Lakes state. Also just added a pic for you regarding the lid color.

Rob

 

In some light conditions it will look black black. In other more of a grey. Some pics and comments in this topic http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...16-asus-n550jv-user-review-owners-lounge.html

3 to 5 hours, there are a number of things to consider, wi-fi signal, hdd usage, keyboard light, sound and so on.

 

Thanks a bunch, Bubba! I'm looking very forward to getting my hands on this baby! I'm moving to Ann Arbor myself. Thanks for the welcome. Let's just hope I don't freeze to death during the winter (coming from california).

 

No worries..Lots of great places to stay warm in Ann Arbor while enjoying the city during the winter months. Enjoy your new PC as well.

 

Used the Ineo enclosure and the Samsung Data Migration software to clone the drive and installed the SSD in the machine today. Works great and it's one speedy machine now. Next I will shrink the OS partition and expand the DATA partition on the 1TB HDD so I can keep the original OS install intact and use the rest of the HDD as a data and backup drive. Any recommendations for backup software?

 

Thanks for the update, I'm going to throw the 256GB 840 Pro in mine. I'd like the 512GB but I'm on a budget. I can imagine it's one speedy machine now, it boots quite fast on the regular HDD as it is.

 

Just wondering, in the video review I watched of this laptop, it claims this laptop comes with the subwoofer. I can't find this fact anywhere else: to those of you who bought this, did the computer come with the Asus External Subwoofer?

 

I can confirm mine did come with a sub. Purchased from Microcenter in Michigan. N550JV-DB72T.

 

How exactly does adding a second hard drive or ssd on xotic work? Does the second one go in the optical drive bay?

 

So would the sub be included with every seller (like Gentech, best buy, etc.)? Just wanna check before I commit to this laptop. Also, if I bought an SSD to replace the current HDD, would I need any special cradle type things, or is it a simple switch?

 

Anyone consider the acer v7-482pg alongside this?

 

Following up: I talked to XoticPC sales, he said they interface with an mSATA adapter and both fit into the primary drive slot. I'm not sure how that's possible from looking at pictures, but if someone can confirm that would be great. The mSATA adapter doesn't appear to be commercially available at the moment to be able to set up dual drives yourself, but he said it will likely be available in a few months to a year.

 

RE: Replacing the N550 primary HDD with dual MSATAs.... I'm curious about that, too, since Xotic offers that option on their website, but GenTech doesn't. With all the early misinformation that was published about the specs of the N550, I'm not sure what's possible and what isn't.

 

How's the battery life looking ?

Can someone post a picture of the power brick in comparison to the laptop or smartphone with side and up angles ?

I know it comes with a subwoofer but can that input be replaced with anything else ? I don't want to carry around a subwoofer but maybe can use the plug for other stuff .

 

Batt. is 3-5h, too many variables to comment on.

The charger by my standards is not big or heavy, but it has a glossy rim and that is just stupid. I'll measure it on the morrow.

You want to plug what exactly?

 

The port for the external subwoofer, I was wondering if it could be used for anything else .

 

From my knowledge, no.

 

Unfortunately I've never seen an mSATA hard drive. That's a problem. Does anybody know whether the hard drive caddy includes a SATA to IDE adapter to plug in where the DVD drive does? And, does it require a specific caddy or would a generic one work?

 

Power brick photos

 

The speakers can't be replaced with anything else.

 

I've put my Galaxy S3 to compare. It's about +1cm longer and about 3 times thicker.

 

You could look to get a 3rd party one like the coolermaster ones but the difference will not be that big.

 

A quick question, has anyone bought this non touch screen version from Amazon?

I need it in a hurry and I am not sure if Microcenter has the non touch version. If anyone has any information please do let me know!

 

I just ordered that exact model from B&H Photo today. They have them in stock as of 1pm. The specs are all wrong on their site but the rep did confirm it has the 750M in it. The screen resolution is wrong on their specs but I'm gonna take a chance and see what the box says when I get it.

Check them out if you need it fast. They said I could return it as long as the seal isn't broken. The label on the box should tel me everything I need to know before I open it. It's a new arrival on their site. Normal shipping is free but I upgraded to 3 day for $18.00. A bit high but I need it by Friday so you have options for quick shipping since you need it fast.

 

I have never seen a laptop with specs so wrong everywhere in my life.

 

Is the matte screen on this ASUS N550JV-DB71 clear and crispy and not grainy/sparkly?

Is it true that the GT 750m is only ddr3 and not gddr5?

 

I have yet to hear of this model having DDR5 RAM. I have the DB72T (the touch screen brother to this one) and it had only DDR3 on it's 750M. The Lenovo Y510P I had with a 750M did have DDR5 and it did provide better FPS than this Asus does at the same resolution. I'll have my DB71 on Wednesday and can then speak about the screen quality for you.

 

Yes and Yes.

 

it did came with a subwoofer shown in our unboxing video at 1:24:

 

Yes on grainy or yes on being clear and no grainy effect?

 

Image is very clean.

 

i was wondering if the full hd screen is really worth it; i mean, if graphics arent that up to par, cant you just play in 1378x786 resolution on a 1080p screen? i tested it out on a desktop monitor and i really can barely tell any difference (i dunno, maybe my eyes suck or something).

also, does anyone know where i could get this laptop with a 24gb ssd listed in the specs? i've checked everywhere and they've been giving me conflicting info.

thanks

 

There is no 24 mSATA.

You can play at lower resolution just fine. IPS seems good at it.

Bigger resolution means more room for you to work (if you do any work on it that it). FHD on 15" for me is too much, but I need the space. The 17" version would be too big.

 

Here are the DB72T touch screen glossy and DB71 on the right with the matte screen. I'm very pleased with the DB71 matte screen by far. I'll post some shots of the displays actually powered up once in get it setup.

 

You can see the difference there with the edge to edge glass too.

 

I'm noticing a weight difference too between the two laptops. The DB71 is lighter. Maybe due to the absence of the glass screen cover that the DB72T has? It's enough that I noticed it right away. Not sure yet what the cause is. I also noticed the DB71 has more flex in the bottom housing when holding it.

 

Which has a better screen quality? The matte non touch screen model or the glossy touch screen model? I think both are FHD and IPS right? It's just a matter of glare vs anti glare. Wondering which one is better though.

 

There is no matte touch screen model.
The DB71 is matte with no touch screen while the DB72T has the same matte screen but with a glass layer over it for the touch interface.
This results in it behaving a lot like a glossy screen however so pick your preference.
So if you want a true matte screen go with the DB71, I know I will.

 

After using both I have to say that the matte is the winner for me. I tried to take some pics of both screens but they didn't turn out well, as is normal when trying to photography LCD displays. The matte screen does not get as bright as the glossy and it's very easy to see that when side by side. It does show a tiny bit of graininess that is a result of being a matte screen. It's hardly visible unless you're trying hard to find it. It is nothing like you might find on a cheap Dell matte screen or when using a non-glare screen protector on an iPhone etc..With a white background it's hard to see any difference between the two screens at all. Viewing angles are the same as would be expected.

The matte screen does weigh less and allows me to open the laptop with one hand without causing the laptop to lift up from the bottom. If I try to do the same with the glossy screen it will make the laptop lift up. The backlighting on mine is a bit uneven with the lower right corner being a little bit more dim than the left, although most people may never notice it. Working in an office environment with large overhead lights, the matte screen will be a welcome change to the glare I have had on the DB72T model.

FYI...I purchased my matte version (DB71) from B&H Photo and it just as I suspected, no 24GB SSD is present nor is the 1366x768 panel. This has the full HD IPS panel made by LG. So as many have said, the specs are inaccurate on most sites that are selling the N550JV series. Now it's time to return the touch model back to Microcenter and drop an SSD in this thing.

***Added one pic to show screen brightness is different. Both on battery power, same power settings and brightness set at full, screen dim disabled as well. The glossy display is on the right and the colors look off because the camera over exposed due to the higher brightness. In person the colors pop and look just as good as the matte screen.

 

Anyone recommend trusted resellers?

 

Adding to that, the easiest way to pop the panel off with the laptop face down is to have the optical drive 'ejected' and lift from near the corner at the optical drive edge since it's much harder to lift from the ethernet side without possibly bending the panel.
There are actually 3 more snap joints near the fan area of the panel attached to the actual chassis. For mine, one of the joints doesn't actually snap into place probably due to tolerance issues, but when you're done, snap whatever joints down near that area too. Make sure the panel goes down perfectly straight (both corners snap before snapping down the center area). When screwing it back together, hold the panel down against the chassis so that it fits properly on the areas without snap joints.

 

Just want to give heads up about screen upgrades.

I noticed that Xoticpc stopped offering screen upgrades for N550-DB71. I asked them and they said that they got a new shipment form Asus and it has slightly different screen size - so the high gamut panel they were using for upgrades no longer fits. You may need to be careful about the replacement panels.