ASUS F55U-NH21 Notebook AMD Dual-Core Processor E2-1800(1.7GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW AMD Radeon HD 7340

Pros: Decent low-end laptop. Nice and bright screen, large keyboard buttons, battery life isn't too short. Good for web-surfing, (not so) older games (hence a nice Radeon video-chipset) and just doing all regularities. Might be a good idea to invest into bigger and/or faster hard-drive though, depending on one's needs.

Cons: - Touch-pad is overly sensitive and takes some time getting used to.

- Windows 8 :( I know some people like it, but I hated its awkward interface, its dependency on apps and multiple screen, and its use of tons of different partions on a single hard-drive. Removing it and installing a different OS is a whole another story, look in Other thoughts.

Other Thoughts: Regarding removing Win8: I had to read a whole bunch of different solutions, and it wasn't easy. Aside from disabling Secure Boot in bios, enabling CSM, and setting SATA config to IDE, I had to pull out the laptop's hard-drive, plugging it in to my desktop, and manually wipe it clean, just to be sure. Then, while installing Win7 in a "where-to" browsing screen I had to format and delete ALL partions (including OEM, Recovery-ones), and only after that it prompted me to choose where to install Win7.
Also, if you're going to install a different OS, don't forget to go to Asus website and download the network-adapter driver (it's Railink one, I believe), and then go to AMD-website and download proper drivers for VGA-chipset (search by a model or run "autodetection"-utility), in order for it to be properly recognized by Windows.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Sorry to hear that the touchpad is overly sensitive. Glad to hear that you were able to downgrade to windows 7, but looks like there were other steps that the previous person forgot to add in order to downgrade to windows 7.

If you have any questions or comments you can email me again at cl-jeffrey@asus.com which I reside in the U.S

ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

Regards,

Jeffrey
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Dedicated graphics, USB 3.0, Great price for the included hardware

Cons: Clunky keyboard, overly sensitive touchpad

Other Thoughts: I have been very satisfied with the purchase of this laptop. It is an away from the desktop computer, so I never had any delusions of buying a supreme gaming machine. It is more than adequate for medium duty computing. It handles photoshop surprisingly well. It does have Windows 8, but that is made quite clear before you even purchase it.

The keyboard, yikes. The layout is awkward, they keystrokes are clunky, and downright frustrating at times when writing anything over a sentence.

Although I like the new "smart gestures" incorporated into the touchpad, it is very sensitive, and can take you to a different screens in the blink of an eye.

Overall a good purchase, and pretty rock solid at the affordable asking price.

Pros: Good Foot rest.

Cons: Windows 8, The keyboard mechanics are poor. mouse design is poor. slow. Power adapter is poor.

Other Thoughts: Same as Above.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Sorry to hear that the unit did not suite your needs. I hope you have returned the unit and purchase another notebook that you are satisfied with.

If you have any questions or comments you can email me again at cl-jeffrey@asus.com which I reside in the U.S

ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

Regards,

Jeffrey
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Good basic system with dedicated graphics.

Cons: 5400RPM drive... a bit slow for a HDD in a current system but that helps keep the price low and it doesn't matter if your not trying to turn it into a gaming system.

Other Thoughts: I felt compelled to write this review after reading a very uninformed one star review where the user obviously was not aware that Windows 8 is very different than Windows 7. While it's not a top of the line system, it's a very good system... especially considering the price point.

Pros: It's a good laptop with decent hardware. The battery lasts three to five hours on average, and it's not particularly cheap-feeling. It'll run most games quite well, and it'll store a good amount of data. The Wireless card and hard drive are also adequate. The screen's clear and bright, the keys aren't too small, and the USB3 is nice. You can also access the wireless card, the hard drive, and the RAM by taking out just two screws and sliding the panel forward on the bottom of the laptop. I haven't had a chance to test the webcam, but the one view I saw of its picture was clear and pretty clean for a webcam.

Cons: The keyboard is cheap, and the arrow keys are strangely placed.

The touchpad is the type with "fake" buttons under the bottom bit of the touchpad, so you can actually left click by tapping on the right-click side. The software that disables all the special touch-features including the tap-click does NOT remember your settings until you re-apply them (at least on Windows 7).

The Wireless card's toggle switch is backwards with the software, it's on when the light's off and vice versa, and the OSD software does the same as the light, and not the wireless status. It's sort of funny.

I can't for the life of me get the media controls (play/pause, stop, back, and forward) to function, either.

The UEFI (BIOS) won't boot to a MBR device if you exit without saving, and you'll just end back up in it. You also can't install Windows 7 using EFI mode (it crashes or loops at the Startup screen before the installer), but you can use the instructions in Other Thoughts below.

Other Thoughts: Instructions for getting a real OS on this poor Windows 8-infected system:

0) Download drivers to a flash drive or other external device from the Asus site: http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=f55u, then choose Windows 7 64bit.
1) Get into the UEFI (what most people would still call a BIOS) by pressing escape before the system starts up (may take a few tries).
2) Go to Security and Disable Secure Boot Control at the bottom.
3) Go to Boot and Enable Launch CSM (CSM is a compatibility module, so UEFI acts like a regular BIOS).
4) Go to Advanced, SATA Configuration, and set the mode to IDE.
5) Save and Exit.

You can now boot to a Windows 7 or earlier OS installer DVD/USB drive and wipe the HDD and install a sane OS.

Pros: yet to be seen

Cons: too many to list.

Other Thoughts: user interface modelled after android phone. I thought I was buying a laptop computer. This is a brick version of a smart phone. I will eat the $300+ to smash this piece of junk and spare someone else the frustration.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your purchase. if you are still under the return policy with newegg you can return it for a refund.

ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

Regards,

Jeffrey
ASUS Customer Loyalty USA