Question 1

Does the bilingual keyboard operate as a normal US English kb until the special function key is pressed?  To the linux user, does it operate as normal with Linux installed and the US English keymap used?

Accepted Answer

The keyboard does operate normally unless the function key is pressed. I haven't tried it on Linux but I suspect it would operate correctly. This machine was everything I hoped it would be except the physical button layout.  The shift and enter keys are smaller than normal.  They took that space to put in two forward slashes.  So whenever I hit left shift I accidentally get forward slash. Then when i hit enter i get another forward slash.

Question 2

how many usb ports are there , and are they 3.0 or 2.0. and it tell it has a " bilingual key board" so is the key borard layed out in engish ?

Accepted Answer

There are two USB2 and one USB3 for a total of three USB ports.  For the keys, some of them are a little busy but I don't ever notice it.  Mostly accent marks ect around the keys but the letter keys are normal.  If you are very particular it is not for you, but if you don't care it works just like any other keyboard.

Question 3

Does it have USB and ethernet port?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has an ethernet port and 2 USB 3 ports.

Question 4

is it windows 8- 64 bit?

Accepted Answer

yes it is... and you will find the free 8.1 upgrade in the Msft App Store after updating.   but yes 64 bit..  very nice machine.

I took out the optical dvd and added a 500G hdd in a special caddy (available online)

also upped it from 6G to 8G ram by replacing the 2G stick with a 4G stick.

This machine also has an internal 24G ssd which you will not see in the file manager.  It is a ghost drive in Windows and functions as a caching drive to boost speed.  It also has a 6G partition used for the 'instant on' function.

Personally, I'll probably be rearranging the factory partitions eventually... that 24G ssd is screaming for a Linux install!

Asus also offers free cloud storage with their computers, which is nice.

cant beat an i7 for under $500

Question 5

Can I get this with windows 7 OS pre-installed?

Accepted Answer

is this first hand

Question 6

Did you guys get a defective keyboard when you first received your laptop? For some reason my 's' key works but not my 'w' key. There are also a lot of other keys that aren't responding.

Accepted Answer

No - we had no problems with anything.

Question 7

Hi, what is the max RAM you can put in?  8GB  or 16GB?

Accepted Answer

There is an open slot from an additional ram chip.

Question 8

Are these USB 3.0 ports?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has a 3.0 port, with an option to be always on if you use it to charge accessories.

Question 9

Does this computer have a lighted keyboard?

Accepted Answer

No.

Brand	ASUS
Model	S56CA-BH71-CB

CPU Type	Intel Core i7 3rd Gen
Processor Name	Intel Core i7-3517U

Screen Size	15.6"
Wide Screen Support	Yes
Resolution	1366 x 768

GPU/VPU	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Video Memory	Shared system memory
Graphic Type	Integrated Card

SSD	24 GB
HDD	750GB

ASUS Ultrabook, Bilingual Intel Core i7-3517U 6GB Memory 750GB HDD 24 GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 4000 15.6" Windows 8 S56CA-BH71-CB

Refurbished

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Memory
Memory	6GB
Memory Speed	DDR3 1600

Input Device
Keyboard	Bilingual Keyboard
Webcam	Yes

General
Style	Thin and Light
Type	Mainstream
Usage	Consumer

Item#: N82E16834231355