ASUS, 15.6" Laptop Computer - Black Aluminum

I just want to make the point, that despite the lousy operating system it came installed with, I still love this machine and will not go back to return it at Fry's.I was able to run World of Warcraft, Diablo 2, and Guild Wars 2 at either max settings ("Ultra Graphics" selected), or near to that point. The machine renders graphics beautifully without a hiccup. However, for first time users returning back to a Windows machine, I have to warn you that you MUST keep the left side of the machine clear and open.I accidentally left a bottle of cold water direct next to the laptop. 30 minutes later, the bottle ballooned and became filled with steam from the excess heat being vented off to the sides towards the left.Now the bad parts.Whoever thought that installing a craptastic operating system made for tablets onto a ordinary laptop PC should be shot. This particular machine comes with Windows 8.1, which is one of the most annoying operating systems I have ever seen.When gaming, you have to be careful not to hit the stupid "Tiles" or whatever they call their s***ty new Windows Start Button nowadays that is located on the bottom left of the keyboard.If you do hit it while gaming, the Windows 8.1 OS will rudely bump you back to their moronic eyesore of a start menu, where it consists of a bunch of hideous colored boxes and nasty clutter. I actually went ahead and installed a registry hack (or a script as you call it), after much to my frustration, there is no way to formally turn the stupid key off.Also, Windows 8.1 is as much of a failure as Windows Me. Do you guys still remember Windows Me? It was a frankenstein-monster of a operating system derived from Windows 98 and Windows 2000. Just like Windows Me, Windows 8.1 is chock-full of bugs and annoyances. One bug in particular, is probably enough aggravation to force you to return it to your vendor with due haste.This particular bug I am talking about (for Windows 8.1) refers to your RealTek Wifi Adapter that came preinstalled when you bought it. 50% of the time, I could not connect to the wifi network at my university, not because of some sort of problem or outage at the school's end, but a inherent and currently unresolved (for more than a year) issue with the s*** operating system not getting along with the drivers.What happens, is that instead of connecting to the wifi network like a good laptop should, Windows 8.1 mocks and insults you by saying that your connectivity is "Limited", which is the same as not being connected at all. After reinstalling, updating, and also rolling back the RealTek drivers, the issue is still present to this very date. It is akin to having your home's entire power supply hooked up to a little lightswitch, and then having some bratty kid flip it on and off to irritate you and your co-residents.The only temporary fix I can find is... going down to your running-tasks section on the bottom right, right-click the wifi icon, select your router, and then click "Forget This Network", and then re-enter your login information and pray that this time, your connection won't get spotty or dropped.Now I am uncertain on what version of Windows should I replace mine with. Windows 7 is going to lose Microsoft support soon, and SlashDot restated what Microsoft officially announced, that they are ditching Windows 8.1 in the near future. And since nobody uses Windows XP, or 2000 nowadays, I am stuck with a overpowered gaming laptop that got struck in the leg due to network drivers and operating systems not playing nice.Update 9/24/2014: I am seriously getting infuriated at the laptop's default network card's inability to play nice with the stock Windows 8.1 that it has came with. Since ASUS, Microsoft, and RaLink (some sort of Taiwanese company) have pretty much refused to fully disclose exactly what version, model, and name the network card is called, I had to go to great lengths to identify and attempt to fix this POS manually. A gaming laptop with NO RELIABLE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY is a USELESS LAPTOP for any purpose!How am I supposed to complete my online quizzes and exams with such a shoddy device and operating system?I manually identified the driver by pressing the Tiles key and entering "msinfo32.exe", and then copy/pasting the device vendor number "1814" and device number "3290" on PCIDatabase.com, to realize it is a Ralink 3290 Chipset. Then, I had to navigate Ralink (merged with MediaTek)hideous and disorganized website to find the correct and most up to date driver with Ctrl+F. Yeah, they can't even list the devices and patch dates IN ORDER. And they actually put a captcha puzzle as I am trying to download the newest drivers!Also as you may notice, I have struggled to type this review because of the horrid keyboard that the laptop has.Update: 10/4/2014, decided to order a delivery of a new external wifi-adapter that can be connected via the USB 3.0 ports that came with my laptop. It may fix these connectivity issues such as "Limited", etc. Going to see if it fixes anything.

I actually bought this laptop from Microcenter for quite a bit less so just keep that in mind...Over all this has been a great machine with a few bugs here and there that are worth mentioning.BODY: So over all, the aluminum keyboard area as well as screen back has been very nice at keeping a premium feel. Unfortunately, the plastic bezels around the screen will click if pushed and pinched in a certain way. Not a huge deal, but a potential problem down the line. Also, since the whole body is not metal, there is a kind of awkward line where the plastic meets metal. Not bad, just weird. This is not a thin laptop by any means. Or light. If that is what you are looking for, check out ultra books instead. That being said, it will work just fine as a portable computer, and I still take it to my classes without much trouble.Screen: I love matte finishes, as well as 1080p, but for some reason this display (and I could be way off with these terms) just doesn't have the contrast(?) of many other laptops I have seen. It is high quality, but the colors look a bit dull and it just doesn't pop out at you. Brightness has a pretty good range, no complaints there, and antiglare is a plus.Software: I won't really go into this, you either like 8.1 or you are waiting for the next big update.Keyboard: This keyboard is nice. I don't really know what makes a difference between a good and bad keyboard, but I have relatively big hands and it feels jut fine. The back light is such a great feature too, it's hard to believe I went for so long using a laptop that didn't have one.Touchpad: This is probably the best non- mac touchpad I have used (I'm not a mac person but those touchpads are smooth). This has a slight texture in a circular pattern which actually looks really cool when the light shines on it. I have had trouble with the mouse clicking in and not clicking back out but I think this is a device specific problem and ASUS said that it would be covered under warranty if I ever have the time to send it off, but it hasn't done it in about 2 months now so it may have solved itself.Performance: Coming from an intel atom netbook, this is a fantastic performer. I don't game much but it has handled everything that I have played pretty well. NOTE: The sticker on my unit says that the GeForce GTX 760M was installed when it is really the GeForce 840M which is quite a bit worse. Not a big deal for me but something to consider if you are looking to game. As for the processor, the i7 is the i7. It's a beast, no complaints there.Battery Life: Actual battery life is 4 hours on battery saver, and less as you use more power, but I really doubt that any more than 4 hours could be gotten from this laptop.Ports: All ports are nice and snug, some of the best I have seen quality wise.Speakers: THESE SPEAKERS ARE GREAT. By far the best I have heard in any laptop. Blew my mind, and I am an audio guy. The quality and volume are both spectacular. Blows any HP beats out of the water.Overall for the $850 I paid, its a pretty freaking good deal. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the quality issues that I mentioned earlier. I would recommend it to a friend and have multiple times!

The seller is probably great but this ASUS laptop is not worth the hassle. Great laptop until... the laptop gets too hot and motherboard craps out within a year. Do your research before buying this model and read the reviews. ASUS customer service and warranty is lacking. New motherboards start in the $500's and refurbished ones are in the mid $200. Good luck.