xKAIZERUx 's Asus K50AB-SX021L Review

After 2 month of heavy usage, Now its time for me to write up my own review of this laptop.

Detailed Specification


Pictures


Design and Aesthetics
The outer design of the casing is quite pleasing. With different angle, the color can be black or dark-brown. Closer look will reveal dots n short horizontal line, with also, in different angle, will change its color either black or gray. It makes the K50AB looks more expensive. But the cons here is the casing is really prone to fingerprint and other smudges.

Keyboard
The Keyboard with numpad is a big plus for people that worked with a lot of number. With the key adequately spaced, my medium sized hand(compared with a dozen of my friends hand) feels really comfortable. In this model, Asus have opted for fn + key for any other functions. More than half of the fn + key need driver installed to be functional, and this really irritate me, because I like my windows to be ran in minimal process as possible. Abandoning these software makes 10 key nonfunctional. The plus point is, the key is really responsive, I have no problem in typing my long assignments.

Touchpad
The touchpad is quite weird. It integrates with the casing, and it is not as responsive as other touchpad I've touch so far. Most of the time, I rather be using a provided USB mouse. The touchpad uses multitouch technology, with that, 2 finger operation will make it scroll, 3 finger tap will open up context menu(the right-click in our mouse). Sometimes, it doesnt work.

Screen
The 15.6" screen is a welcomed and the main reason why I choose K50AB over the lighter and longer lasting brother K40AB. The viewing angle is average. With minimum brightness settings, you have to be viewing the right angle to get to see full screen without the color to be washed away. The brightness however, is great. I have no problem watching DVD in bright sunlight.

TBC...

Software Tutorial

K10STAT


1. Go to P-State TAB.
2. Go to the P0 and P1, choose P1, at CPU voltage, set 0.9000
3. Press apply.

Play around with the settings. This is few of my reccommendation on the settings of K10 stat and its potential.

setting 1: always 2.1GHz mode.


setting 2: always 1GHz mode.


This post has been edited by xKAIZERUx: Nov 7 2009, 10:00 PM

front page should be posted with info or faqs. not like other threads the in b4s, the first! the haha! the stupid "yay! v2 v2 v2!!!" or like shit good morning, etc...

i agree with najmod to limit this thread to strict discussion or guide only. so i'm reserving my post for any screenis. anyone who have screenshots of games, benchmark screenshot, pm me with the image link, and I will put there.

I think somewhere i have found another software to monitor GPU temp, but I seem to forget where i put the software, even the software name.

wow, i've missed 25 pages worth of discussion. Gonna stay up late tonite reading all of this.

i've updated my post on the first page, a short review. gonna continue on doing it until i satisfied.

for the K10stat, there are few choices you can make, I'll make a short pictorial tutorial on how I config mine.

kai's easy to use K10STAT tutorial. includes pics!


1. Go to P-State TAB.
2. Go to the P0 and P1, choose P1, at CPU voltage, set 0.9000
3. Press apply.

Play around with the settings. This is few of my reccommendation on the settings of K10 stat and its potential.

setting 1: always 2.1GHz mode.


setting 2: always 1GHz mode.

at the p0, before putting the 0.9v, please make sure that the DID is set at 1, so the speed will automatically be at 1050MHz, then you can go for 0.9v.

i dunno, just a suggstion if you really want to the processor to work at 2.1GHz all the time, like in desktop ppl are turning off their C'n'C. this is like when we use the fan bug, and doing game or video encoding, i dunno.

but the all time 1GHz can really save battery? i dunno, never test it. in theory can, but issit significant i never test it.

like i said, it is a suggestion only.

the one I use is the 1st one, that is normal p0 at 1.125v and p1 is at 0.90. like my signature. I only show that with the profile, you can custom your own settings and by only selecting the profile name + apply, you can get your personalize without ever do much clicking again.

this is my other suggestion as well,

profile 1:
p1: 2.1GHz 1.125v
p0: 1GHz 0.9

profile 2:
p1: 2.1GHz 1.15v
p0: 2.1GHz 1.1125v

profile 3:
p1: 1GHz 0.9v
p0: 1GHz 0.95v

dunno what you can do with each of them, but for me, the fun of finding the right voltage and stability. maybe it is perfectly save if we undervolt or maybe not in the longer term. who knows?

This post has been edited by xKAIZERUx: Nov 7 2009, 10:51 PM

i've just switched to Win 7 64bit. used latest cat 9.10 and bios ver 216.

the graphic switching doesnt work, it stays at 3200 and it says my 4570 cannot be started.

solution: go to bios, used dGPU mode. simple. now no worry about switching anymore.

i use the spectacle cloth(usually comes free when we buy a spec) and glasses cleaner(the rm10 spray that can clean any shiny glass/plastic surface)

218 out ed? i didn't find it at FTP site, only 216 n 213 there...

the asus one is not updated. try download the desktop 4000series driver, and use mobility modder. instruction in first page.

mine is 8.661.0.0

maybe mine is win7 64bit, the driver number is like that. mine just updated yesterday though....

You can download any driver, Ati driver is actually universal... i take the closest, the HD4500 driver. its actually doesn't make any difference anyway. you can download the HD4800 series for that matter. the modder will do the .inf conversion, .msi modification itself...

hm... what os do you use? if win7, go inside bios, just use dGPU mode.

my old lappy also use hitachi, so i swap the disk with WD hdd. perform quite well, and faster in most cases.... cooler too.

now have no money, so on hold to get new hdd, what is the price of 320gb WD Scorpio black nowdays?

This post has been edited by xKAIZERUx: Nov 13 2009, 02:18 PM

my record is only around 91... how come you get 101c? that is when i dont even use any cooler, fanbug off, and casing closed....

so that means the game he run tax both his proc and GPU heavily? lucky i dont play much FPS games....

RTS, RPG, Racing is more of my style...

there are 4 screws at the back, not at the bottom, take it off. and also, at the bottom, open the battery cover, there are 1 screw there as well. total screw, 5.

after that, at the ram module itself, two retention clip, mostly metal, pull it sideway, away from the ram. and the ram will automatically be released upward, toward you. just take them off.



This post has been edited by xKAIZERUx: Nov 15 2009, 11:39 AM

ASSEMBLED in china, but most of the parts are made elsewhere.... like the processor chip mostly comes from malaysia, the HDD is thailand made. the GPU chip i dunno where, maybe US, maybe india....

like i said, even if they are made in china, the manufacturer itself msut have their own QC right? so like how HP handle this issue, how Asus handle this, how even BenQ handle that, all manufacturers hust have different QC and all of them we can be sure that they made sure that only the best leaves the factory...

and like I said, not all are made in china. like how Processor is made in Either malaysia or Germany, or like HDD made in either singapore, thailand, or malaysia, or korea.... GPU chipset, the sound chipset, all are not nessessarily amde in china.

what is worng in item made in china anyway? its not like ther are imitation....

there is an option...