Question 1

Does it comewith an optical drive?

Accepted Answer

It does not come with any type of cd drive. You will need an external USB plug and play drive. Still, very nice unit. Thin and light form factor, really nice led lit keyboard keys, and decent speed. Touch screen responds very well, too.

Question 2

Is it difficult to upgrade to Win 8.1 and does it cost anything?
Thanks!

Accepted Answer

It does not cost anything. Basically all you need to do to upgrade to 8.1 is allow windows to do all the updates on the current version of window (8.0). Then once all of the updates have installed, go to the microsoft app store from the home screen. There will be an app advertisement in the store to upgrade to 8.1. All the updates and the 8.1 update add up to a few gigabytes of data (3-4gb). You will need a good internet connection or this process will take a long time.

Question 3

Does it come with recovery software?

Accepted Answer

Nope......most laptops don't for years now though.  I haven't checked but you can probably create your own recovery disc using a thumb drive (no cd drive to burn on your own)

Question 4

Is there a camera and a microphone?

Accepted Answer

Yup, max res on webcam is 720p. Looks about ad good as any other built in webcam. Mic sounds fine too

Question 5

what is the condition of the product?

Accepted Answer

Mine was flawless. No scratches or anything noticeable (and I was definitely checking). The only thing that MAY be a flaw (though its REALLY stretching it) is that on mine, the power key almost seems to have a slight gap between it and the chassis. I mean ever so slight, like it may be slightly pried up. But it is definitely secure, and not loose, so it could be my imagination.

The only flaw/problem I have been able to find with mine is the wireless NIC. It doesnt pick up and hold signals as well as my previous notebook (which is like 8 years old). Signals where my old notebook would get 5 bars, I get 1-3 bars, which bounces and varies, and disconnects for split seconds at times.

Question 6

Is the Bluetooth 4.0?

Accepted Answer

The wifi/bluetooth combo card is an azurewave aw-nb126h. With Atheros Model AR5b225 on it. It is Bluetooth 4.0. I took my wireless card out and replaced it with a dual band. So I got that information right off the card.

Question 7

Is refurbished one good to purchase?

Accepted Answer

Mine is good as new, there is no scratch or dent on the surface. System turned on without any issue. I think it should be good if you want to keep Windows 8 as it is. I did  upgrade it to 8.1, I got some boot-up issue after the upgrade. It could be solved, but you have to know what you are doing. Wife likes the system. Display is clear, and keyboard is a plus.

Question 8

Is the battery reasonably easy to replace, i.e. snap out, snap in?  Or is it necessary to open up the case to replace it?

Accepted Answer

I have not had mine apart, but the battery is not accessible from the outside of the case and may even be glued in.  The battery life on mine has been great so far though (about 6 hours), so hopefully I won't ever have to replace the battery.

Question 9

Why are there so many of these being sold as refurbished? Was this a recalled model and if so what for?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All of these units are returned to the factory at some point for various reason. Some of them being open-box (customers don't want them any more), some has software problem while others has physical failure. These problems are fixed before putting them back to the list, but certain issues might not be that easy to detect and thus would be revealed after certain duration of usage, though that's just a very slim chance. So it really depends on the specific unit.

That being said, I'm pretty satisfied with the one I bought. It's definitely the best deal at this range of the specs: slim size, touch screen, decent battery life and computational performance. Only downside would be Windows 8, but it might gets better after getting used to it, and touch screen couples with it pretty well.

Just double check the return policy and decide if you want to move on.

Question 10

Are the RAM, HDD, and WiFi card user upgradable? Is the keyboard backlit? Also, is the CPU user upgradable or is it soldered to the board?

Accepted Answer

I believe, only because I haven't yet but plan to, that the ram is upgradeable to a total of 12 gb. I think there is a 2gb chip in there now, and 4gb soldered on.  Buying a 8gb module would make it 12 gb total.

Yes, the HDD like most laptops can be upgraded. I heard there was also an mSATA slot.  When I open mine up and this turns out to be true, I will likely leave the 750 GB and add an mSATA so I have an SSD+HD.

WiFi card should also be upgradeble.  I heard different stories about different offerings depending on luck, looks like I got a good one.  WiFi reception is excellent.

Keyboard is backlit.

No, you can't upgrade the CPU. Its soldered on.  Most laptops are ths way.  If you're looking for a more powerful CPU, you're best looking elsewhere.  I bought this for web development, and this is way more then needed.

Overall, I highly recommend this computer, especially for the price.  Looked brand new on arrival.

Brand	ASUS
Model	Q501LA-BBI5T03

CPU Type	Intel Core i5 4th Gen
Processor Name	Intel Core i5-4200U
Core Name	Haswell

Screen Size	15.6"
Touchscreen	Touch Screen
Wide Screen Support	Yes
Resolution	1920 x 1080
Display Features	ISP LED Slim Touch

GPU/VPU	Intel HD Graphics 4400
Video Memory	Shared system memory
Graphic Type	Integrated Card

Memory	6GB
Max Memory Supported	8 GB

ASUS Laptop Intel Core i5-4200U 6GB Memory 750GB HDD Intel HD Graphics 4400 15.6" Touch Screen Windows 8 64-Bit Q501LA-BBI5T03

Refurbished

Learn more about the ASUS Q501LA-BBI5T03

Customer Reviews of the ASUS Q501LA-BBI5T03

Warranty & Returns

Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information

Warranty

Return Policies

Manufacturer Contact Info

USB	3 x USB 3.0
Video Port	1 x VGA
HDMI	1 x HDMI
Audio Ports	1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Headphone Jack

Keyboard	ASUS 348mm backlit keyboard with 19mm full size key pitch, integrated Numeric keypad - Chiclet
Backlit Keyboard	Backlit
Webcam	1.0MP
Card Reader	SD / XD

Battery	Lithium Polymer
Battery Life	Up to 4 hours and 38 minutes

Dimensions (W x D x H)	15.1" x 10" x 0.9" (L x W x D)
Weight	5.1lbs.

Communications
LAN	10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN	802.11n Wireless LAN
Bluetooth	Yes

General
Style	Thin and Light
Type	Mainstream
Usage	Consumer

Item#: N82E16834231549