Greetings all... =) I will be glad to start an official N45/N55 Club V3... i posted my review and steps to reformat on the 1st page... abt gpu driver, will update again later... i wan to rest now,sorry guys, (4:48am)



All rite.. Let's start with appearance.. There are two colours... white one and black one (Unsure that white will be available in Malaysia )
We have to admit the design is elegant, almost noble is not that bad. The Asus N55SF is made out of a blend of materials such as hard plastic, aluminium and rubber. The black glossy plastic is proved to be too dust and fingerprint friendly. Opening the lid reveals the full-sized keyboard. At first glance it may look like aluminium but the keys are made of plastic and painted with a special coat that should last long enough. You’ll find aluminium just about the keyboard where the speakers are placed. The perforated aluminium grill looks good. The power button is now a part of the keyboard and that took a while to get used to. We also had to get used with the multimedia keys placed on the first left column. If you get past these details the keyboard is really good. We didn’t experience any typing errors and the writing was smooth.
The rubber materials have a pleasant feeling but you’re going to clean the dust and fingerprints from time to time. As you can see it looks fantastic when it’s clean.


White colour N45SF


Black colour N45SF


White colour N55SF


Black colour N55SF


Side view for n45/n55


This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 12 2011, 10:04 PM

The most interesting port is (of course) the yellow one which connects the external subwoofer to the laptop. It was made out of hard plastic and it was light, not at all what we expected. However the sound quality is amazing when we fired up a video. Don’t get us wrong: it will not replace your Hi-Fi audio system but for a 2.1 audio laptop the sound was amazing. In terms of laptop audio quality it comes second after the much appreciated Asus NX90.

There are some photos for the subwoofer as well as the yellow port...







And then to speakers...

SonicMaster is a standard that defines audio specifications based on usage scenarios. There are three different levels, with the lowest guaranteeing users clear voice and speech — this is critical in business applications. The highest level resembles the quality of a high-end audio system, with extremely faithful music reproduction. Users can choose quality levels based on need.
In addition to these objective quality levels, we also have subjective specifications, which relate to how people feel about good audio. For example, many people feel live performances sound better than recordings, and that loud volume is important in noisy environments. Some people prefer vocals in pop music and movies, and most are uncomfortable with noise. SonicMaster standards cover the entire audio system of a laptop, including the line-out and headphone sockets. Users who choose to listen with headphones or an external speaker system will still benefit from the difference in sound quality. ASUS has developed a platform that allows all audio applications to achieve optimum performance. This means SonicMaster doesn’t focus on boosting only certain aspects of audio, instead it reproduces all sound faithfully..... =) and also it comes with asus subwoofer....
" Bundled SonicMaster subwoofer "
In addition to the already spectacular precision of SonicMaster audio, ASUS is offering an external subwoofer to increase low-note performance and result in even more impactful output. It enables a wider sound range, providing listeners with an even richer bass experience.

Some features for N45/N55SF...

Video Magic


Music Now
Users press one button and can enjoy music in 8 seconds
(sounds cool lol... especially for me who love music so much)

USB Charger+ fast device recharging in any situation



This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 1 2011, 04:23 AM

Now to the GPU...
Basically, GT555M have few versions... N45/N55 are using The GT555M version B2 with DDR3 128 bit...
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is a fast middle class graphics card for laptops. It is based on the same GF106 core as the GeForce GT 445M but offers slightly higher clock rates and support for DDR3 running at 900 MHz. The other features like PureVideo HD (VP4), 3DVision, HD Audio support, ... are identical to the GT445M. The chip can be used with DDR3 or GDDR5 graphics memory. Depending on the configuration, the performance can differ significantly.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M "A" (details)


NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M "B1"


GPU-Z for VB1


NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M "B2"


GPU-Z for VB2


Summary from above is, GT555M A version is the GDDR5 one 96SP/128bit. while B1 is DDR3 144SP/192bit and B2 DDR3 144SP/128bit....

okay so.. let's see this
Compared to the GeForce GT 540M, the GT 555M is much more powerful. These are the benchmarks I found, all in average framerates:

Overall, it's around 40% faster. Pretty much all games are playable on medium/high settings combo at 1600x900. On the 540M, you have to go down into all medium settings at 1366x768. That, and the TDP is almost the same: 32W and 35W.

This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 1 2011, 04:24 AM

The specifications of N45/N55SF


Windex for N45/N55 and also Cpu-Z

















Asus has registered significant progress with its cooling technology and the N55SF temperatures were satisfying
Battery time was impressive although the N55SF is a multimedia laptop. Running in Classic mode it achieved 1.5 hours and under the Reader setting it passed the 3 hours barrier. The 6-cell battery copes well with a 15.6-inch display, a subwoofer and the powerful Nvidia graphics.



This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 1 2011, 04:25 AM

My own review.....



All rite... after facing one week of internet prob and some difficulties, finally i can write my own review rite now... well.... let's start with the look.... hmm... black colour not bad.... juz tat i really did put all my hope in the white one... ^^ oh well... i bought my 55sf (i5) with RM2699... at first, i tried to bargain the price, but only deduct RM50 for the exclusion of free gifts.... so i took the freebies, it's some useless thingy for me... haha.. a "classic" cooler pad, laptop lock, headset, lcd cleaner, keyboard protector... i bought my baby with 10 DVDs... well... let's start from beginning.. hmmm. i walked into the shop, and then i tell the promoter i wan to test 55sf... because the display unit is not turned on... so.. i wan to confirm tat 55sf i5 is equipped with matte screen and HD+... so then the handsome promoter took 55sf out in a unsealed box (one thing i wan to say is the open box tradition here in my city, i hate it!) they claimed tat they will open the unit once it arrived at their shop, to make sure that the laptop is fine... some of them claimed tat they need to preinstall softwares for the customers so that they no need to wait after they paid..

Actually, i intend to buy a sealed unit, but no choice, i hav to buy by tat time to make sure the laptop is workiong fine before i leave my city next week... (i personally experienced EOL for N53s and n53sv) lol... tat's a quite bad experience,so i buy this baby after contemplate in a shorter preiod of time compare to n53sn and n53sv... hahaha.... all rite, erm, the promoter took sf out and turn it on... then i ask him can i feel the laptop? then i DXDIAG it, and also insert my external HDD to run cpu-z and gpu-z and test he 2 usb 2.0 ports and 2 usb 3.0 ports.... but one thing i hav to say is the desktop is full on programs and bloatwares... later i will provide relevant screenshots to support my statement here... haha then i check if there is any dead pixels.. i check for scratches.. hmmm... type on it... then i bought it home lol..... First nite, i apply the charging theory (8 hours charge) although i know tat's not necessary but i did it cause i arrived home at ten something and i slept after leave it charging overnite... haha...

the next day, i woke up, i start to explore it... 91 programs installed, 4.53gb hahahaha then i was like O.O?!!! The boot time is slow... then i play music, then i was like hmmm? not bad, the subwoofer can barely replace ur 2.1 if u open quite loud... haha... but still i love the subwoofer as it's not tat bulky compare to my 2.1 which is impossible for mobility... i did bring y 2.1 to college before this, it's a nightmare when u wan to bring it to and back from collage... i can hear "thum thum" sound from the coke... i am satisfied with it, and i start to play around with asus sonic master... hmmm. can adjust bass, all those... i try to turn it off, it really makes some diff if u turn the sonic master off... all rite.. hmmmm. then i did gaming... first game is er,nba 2k11... with HD+ resolution and all max... i am impressed because i am not able to do tat with my dekstop... hahaha... my internet is down tat time so i cant really reach lowyat or sifu here and cant download any test program for testing or stressing my laptop.. so by the time, i only play games tat i downloaded before this and kill some time...

until er... 27 of august i think, i brought my lappy out and try to apply screen protector... at first, the seller said it's bad to hav screen protector attached, will spoil your screen bla bla bla... but after contemplate for some time, i planned to get one, juz in case my fren touch my dear screen with his finger. xD. then i installed a lid protector tat's NOT FIT at all. =.= juz a temp one to prevent the finger prints to get SO obvious... again and again... finger prints will kill you if u really don like ur lid to be full of prints like me... i like the matte screen, i try to shine my screen using LED emergency light.. haha... and i love the resolution... hmmm. i will say,i am used to my HD+ and when i use my desktop, i was like wat?! the resolution is so small... the desktop icon is so big! uncomfortable... hahahaha .... until er today... theoritically, i say today i juz can online after changing a new modem... although my old modem is still working but not compatible with the changed phone line... currently typing on my lovely 55sf... erm.. i will say i5 is sufficient for me so far... and the... gpu i am satisfied with it... =) although it's crippled vb2 version.... but one thing i wan to highlight is if u r using the old GPU driver, your optimus will not working properly... for example, u can see clearly at ur notification icon, the colour is green plus grey... although u r not using ur GC, or idle... which means yr opti is working halfy... but u still can use ur GPU when gaming... so basically, i assume it drain more battery life when u r not using GC or doing task without GPU.... imho, you should install the new driver to get the opti working... as now, i can get a complete grey colour which indicate the gpu is at rest while not using it... and i didnt find any flex on my keyboard, although i m not tat familiar with laptop keys yet... and erm... the multimedia key is quite useful... the volume up and volume down key is cool too... as well as p4g switching button... but one thing is my music now is not working... haha... will try it when i do another clean format lol... oh well... the batttery life i will do a test on myself and post it here..... This is my review, correct me if i am wrong and thank you for reading them...

Following is some screen shots from my laptop

The picture above shows the programs and features installed in my laptop by the retailer and some bloatwares lol....

this is the boot time i got before i reformat my laptop....



The following pictures are the screen shot from my driver disc..





For my laptop, they preinstalled all the drivers and all recommended applications accept Trend...

all rite, then this is the gpu graph i got from msi afterburn and openhardware after doing furmark...



So right after i got my internet, i did a clean format and then i got these


28.xx seconds is the best record i can go i think... But still i can say it's cool.. at least better than the boot time before reformat...

the program and features tat i hav after a clean format of window


This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 1 2011, 04:29 AM

I think as far as all owner concerned, i would like to share some tips and guide for decreasing boot time... first of all, i will highly recommend you go and do a CLEAN FORMAT for your window.. it's a best way to clean ur bloatwares or wat so ever programs and return your laptop to a clean state and u r the one who determine wat to install in your laptop... I, did you this way to decrease my boot time, and hypothesis accepted... boot time significantly dropped...

well... first of all... You will need to do back-up... 5 DVDs' ai recovery burner... if u dont know how, you can refer to user manual, or e manual... It's kinda easy,but it took 1 hour and twenty minutes for me... okay... wat's the purpose of doing tat back up? First, it's for your recovery in case ur recovery paritition not working, u can use those 5 dvd's to do recovery.... okay so... IF YOU DID BACKUP, then proceed to second step... It will be reformat your window 7 ... but before tat, there's a optional step before u reformat which is insert your driver disc, try to see list of program/drivers... i think u need to click advance in order to view the applications/drivers tat were preinstalled... okay.. so after u get to know and ideas on which programs or drivers u need to install, then u r good to go....

All rite, reformat is kinda easy...

First of all, you insert the win7 disc into your dvd room.
Download them from here if u don hav. burn them into dvd by using Imgburn
Then you will reboot your laptop. when the black screen appear, press F2 to enter bios setting,
and then you will go to boot tab, and find boot option #1, hit enter and change it to ur dvd room or Blue ray room, for my model, for instance, it shuld be Slimtype DVD A..
Then you will hav to hit F10 to save and exit...
so well now it will reboot and then a black screen with following words should pop out "press any keys to boot from CD and DVD" then u will hav to press any keys,
then will enter the setup... windows will gonna load the files... and starting windows...
then it will gonna ask you for language u wanna install, time and currency format, and the keyboard and input method... set that, and click next...
(do note that the window resolution might get low, instead of HD+ during reformat for i5 sf) and then click on the install now.
then the screen will show setup is starting... read the license terms and accept it and click next....
and select custom (advance),
so well, at here... you shall see three partitions... first it should be system recovery partition, 25gb of primary partition... DO NOT DELETE THE SYSTEM RECOVERY PARTITION, you will need tat for system recovery... Accept if u really need tat 25gb... i would say no. don touch the recovery partition...
and you should see second partition, usually named as OS (C:) and third partition Date (D:) for me...
so if u wan a clean format, you should delete tat two partitions, OS and Data D or wat so ever local disk or wat is named for your partition...
click drive option advance to delete the partition...
click okay if a warning pop out asking you whether u confirm wan to delete the partition...
all rite, then u should see Unallocated space... select it and click next...
once u clicked next, it gonna show window is installing... copying windows files, expanding window files, installing features, installing updates, and completing installation... (note that the expanding might take some time, so relax during window expanding the files) for me, it took around twenty minutes to done this process.
okay... now after the installation, the window is gonna restart, PLEASE MAKE SURE TAT YOU DONT CLICK ANYTHING WHEN IT SAY PRESS ANY KEY TO BOOT FROM DISC OR DVD.
then starting windows,updating your registry settings, setup is starting services, completing installation,
setup will continue after restarting the computer,
AND REMEMBER DON CLICK ANYTHING AT THE "PRESS ANY KEYS TO BOOT FROM CD OR DVD"
setup is preparing your computer for first use. then type in ur name and computer name, click next..
then for password, if u don wan any, leave it blank and click next.
your product key, key in the product key and click next, use recommended setting, set time and date click next and select your network...
after u enter the window, congratz.. reformat is done... a clean installation of windows....


okay... so after reformat your window, you might wan to repart your partition...
go start
then right click my computer
click manage
click disk management,
you will see the big partition.. it should be 25gb of primary recovery partition, then 100mb of system reserved after u reformat, then a big parition.. it should be 571gb
so you right click on the 571gb, then click shrink volume
enter the amount of volume you wan to shrink
then u will see free space,
right click and click new simple volume, click next, next again, then assign the letter u wan for the new drive, then click next then next then finish...
then u r done...

(Dont forget to go in your BIOS and adjust back the boot option 1 back to ur HDD instead of slimtype DVD.blue ray) so tat u get rid of the "press any keys to boot from cd or DVD"

All rite, lets proceed to the installation of driver/softwares from your disc.
tat's kinda easy...
first insert your disc into your dvd room/blue ray room
then run,
then u will see all the ticks on the recommended applications and drivers, from here u can tick or untick the programs u wan or don wan to installl
Personally, i installed all the drivers accept IRST, and then for recommended applications, i install INF update driver, touchpad, bluetooth, wireless console 3 and P4Gear...
that's all... You may tick any program u need...
after tat, click start, then it will ask install now? you click yes, then wait for the drivers to be installed... it will be automatically installed, frequent reboots, and then you might need to get a cup of tea or coffee at the mean time, for some of the programs or driver, it needs you to click okay if it ask you whether you want to reboot or not... after done, you can go start > then right click at my computer > then manage, then click device manager, see if any unknown device.. if no, then congratz.. reformat and install driver is done...

Credits go to sifu lee_what2004.... Thank you for reading.. hope my guide can be useful for all of you...


For new N45/N55 users, Below is a list of Asus utilities/bloatware that may come with your new Asus notebook. If you're unsure about which utilities are useful or safe to uninstall, this list should give you some insight.

Click here


and below is the guide to decrease boot-up time for ur n45/n55 series laptop....

The following is the screenshot by our owner and the highlighted programs u can delete them if and only if u don need them



credit goes to sifu lee_what =)

This post has been edited by simon3041: Nov 10 2011, 02:18 PM

Some programs / drivers / applications for N45/N55 users...

direct download link for atk package
ATK

direct download link for audio driver
Realtek audio driver

direct download link for P4G
P4G

find the drivers or programs u need from here

GPU Driver...

latest gpu driver

all rite download it there, and extract and run the setup. if it say not compatible bla bla bla..
then proceed to the following steps,

1. click here  nvwi.7z ( 14.63k ) Number of downloads: 460
to download the INF modified
2. extract the driver u downloaded previously. (if u did extract,then ignore this step)
3. go to local disc C: and Nvidia, then keep clicking in until u saw something like this

4. enter display.driver file and then paste the inf file u downloaded into here.. copy and replace the original one...
5. run the setup.
note that you might hav following notification when u update ur driver

then click no... okay.. so rite now u shuld see ur opti working as the notification is in grey colour when u r not using ur GPU...
Credits goes to sifu lee_what and other sifus

Refer to following screenshots (how to Permanently run SPECIFIC GAMES on Nvidia)







If anyone wants to test out how good their audio system is, here's a link to download Canon in D Major, FLAC quality.

http://www.mediafire.com/?van32jj5jxdef0t




This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 13 2011, 11:22 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

reserved

Price according to seller's list
N55SF-SX047V 15.6" i7 RM3699
N55SF-S2043V(black) 15.6" i5 RM2799
N45SF-VX013V(black) 14" i5 RM2799
N55SF-S243V 15.6" RM3399 wo subwoofer, VGA diff, without usb charge






This post has been edited by simon3041: Sep 1 2011, 04:34 AM

reserved

The driver link is broken, both from gallery.live.com
and I guess better put direct link to each driver, especially the ATK
and some FAQ..

This post has been edited by lee_what2004: Sep 1 2011, 04:59 AM

thanks for the idea, sifu lee.... working on it...

Try include a short guide on how to update our Nvidia drivers too ! Via modded inf Thanks

Gratz on V3 Simon. I didn't know you got your N55 until I read your review LOL.

Edit: Yeah, I agree with flubberpants. I'm looking forward to upgrading my nVidia drivers.... please post a tutorial / guide about it. Thanks a bunch!

This post has been edited by Sridev Pro Designer: Sep 1 2011, 06:26 AM

wuhoo... Version 3!!

Should this be in Notebook Specific Discussion?
Finally Simon's personal review :3
Darn I still not getting any news of its availability at my area

simon. For easy booting method, you can just press "ESC" while in start up screen. This way, you don't have to change the boot device in the bios settings =)

I don't know why but it seems that the images on the first 3 posts seemed to be unviewable on my side.

Oh, this thread rightly belongs in the Model Specific subtopic like it or not.

is anyone going to replace SSD ?
for me WD Scor black 7200 is enough

This post has been edited by cinebao: Sep 1 2011, 09:55 AM

So fast V3 already lol