15.6″ ASUS F555LA-AS51 Laptop via Amazon
ASUS F555LA-AS51 is a mid-range 15.6-Inch Laptop with a powerful 5th generation Intel i5 processor and the new integrated Intel HD 5500 graphics with improved and updated features and less power usage. This is not a computer for heavy gamers but the CPU is able to handle pretty much anything including the heavier tasks such as multimedia editing as well as some of the latest games at lower settings. Asus F555LA has the dual core Broadwell Intel i5-5200U processor with a better overall performance than an average i5 processor at 2.2GHz speed that moves up to 2.7GHz with turbo boost and hyper threading for 2 cores and 4 threads in parallel, 8GB DDR3L SDRAM for running heavier apps and programs and browsers simultaneously (single RAM slot is taken so not really upgradeable but more than enough for almost everyone), 1TB Serial ATA hard drive at 5400rpm and 64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system that will soon be replaced with Windows 10 for free of charge for the first year of its release.
15.6 inch matte HD non-touch display with 1366×768 pixel resolution is the same as what you’d find on budget to mid-range laptops- it supports lower resolution of 720p than Full HD and doesn’t have an IPS panel for better viewing angles. More advanced users may like to have Full HD and touch display and they both will cost more unfortunately. Intel HD 5500 graphics is the new 2015 release integrated GPU that comes with the Broadwell i5-5200U with a performance level better than the 4th generation Haswell Intel HD 4400 and 5000, meaning you can play most of the latest titles at low to very low settings at playable to hardly playable frame rates per second. It has a regular quality VGA webcam with integrated microphone to use with casual Skype chats with family and friends.
Black and silver ASUS X555LA weighs 5.1 pounds and measures 20.10 x 2.60 x 11.80 inches- average weight and size and portability for a 15 inch laptop. Non-backlit keyboard is ergonomic and comfortable to type on and stays at a reasonable temperature due to the IceCool technology and has a 10-key numeric pad for easy number crunching. Lithium ion battery offers around 5 to 6 hours on average and with like any battery, capacity will decrease over time with usage. There is no Bluetooth by factory default but you can simply connect a cheap USB dongle that you can get with the purchase of your PC. Connectivity options are the DL DVD±RW/CD-RW which lets you to play and burn DVD’s, single band 802.11bgn WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet with RJ-45 connector, 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port, 3 -in-1 card reader (SD/ SDHC/ SDXC) so you can use memory cards comfortably, an HDMI port to hook up to big screen HDTVs and a VGA port.
Conclusion: Like with other Asus computers ASUS F555LA-AS51 comes with a 12 month warranty that is valid globally including an Accidental Damage Protection. As one of the top brands in the world for durability, great looks, ease of use and functionality Asus makes great computers that usually cost more than competitors. 5400rpm speed of HDD is getting a little outdated and slow as compared to 7200rpm hard drives and especially the much faster SSD’s but we like the 1024GB generous size of it and you can always upgrade to a Solid State Drive later on at an extra cost. Intel i5-5200U has a Passmark benchmark score of 3554 on the day of this product review, which places it in the high end CPU category and can handle day-to-day multimedia, Word, Excel, internet browsing, some gaming as well as more demanding multitasking and heavier applications. 802.11bgn is only single band wireless and not the 802.ac that we see on some of the newer models but still adequate. The brand name Asus adds to the price but you’re getting something decent quality and nice looking for sure despite not having the best or highest specs or features. All in all it is a good Asus computer for the price and should be a good one for most customers’ needs.
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