Asus N-series laptops are positioned as an alternative to desktop computers, sharpened for games and multimedia. The company promises the owner excellent performance, good sound quality and a remarkable picture. Consider the most striking representative of the series - the N73SV model, well balanced in terms of price / performance.
So, the hero of today's review is the Asus N73SV laptop : specifications, advantages, disadvantages, as well as expert opinions along with reviews from laptop owners.
Brief specification
SonicMaster technology, which was developed by the efforts of the Asus brand itself and the equally popular Bang & Olufsen, dealing with hardware and software solutions in the acoustic field, is responsible for the sound in the device.
The picture quality in the Asus N73SV rests on the shoulders of an intelligently designed 17-inch display with a matrix expanded to Full HD at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. The main variable factor of choice in the model is the processor and the hard drive with the appropriate frames: Core i3 - Core i7 and 250 GB - 1 TB. The rest of the filling is more or less averaged for its segment.
Design
For its dimensions and weight of 3.6 kg the laptop is quite weighty, so lovers of light travel should pay attention to more interesting proposals in terms of the severity of the gadget. The Asus N73SV case itself is made of aluminum, only the bottom of the device is left untouched, which is closed by familiar, but high-quality plastic.
The design of the laptop is relatively strong and looks solid, reliable and pretty: there were no backlashes, no squeaks were heard, and there were no critical punching. The hinges of the display have a tight enough stroke so that the screen does not move with a shake when shaking, but not so tight as to prevent the Asus N73SV from opening quietly. Owner reviews sometimes note a different degree of loop clamping at one degree or another, when the lid starts to “walk by itself,” but for a sitting or lying position of the user, everything works as it should.
Upgradeability
On the bottom you can see the cover for access to the inside of the device and the levers securing the battery. Many owners in their reviews thank the engineers for providing a simple and “painless” opportunity to upgrade the Asus N73SV: just remove the cover and you have access to RAM and hard drive. Moreover, it is worth noting that if you decide to install a second hard drive, then do not forget to buy special skids for installation, as they are not included with the laptop.
Interfaces
In the back of the device there are two USB ports of type 2.0 and an input for a network card, the latter supporting speeds up to one gigabit.
On the left side you can see the radiator exhaust of the cooling system and the optical drive. Some users in their reviews complain about the absence on the left side of at least one USB-interface, but apparently the designers thought otherwise.
The right side of the laptop is equipped with a powerful audio output such as SPDIF, an external microphone, an “omnivorous” card reader, a rocker for turning on wireless protocols, an HDMI output for connecting third-party gadgets, USB ports 3.0 (highlighted in blue) and 2.0, a D-Sub port, a Kensington lock and an output for the charger.
Ergonomics and management
Having started working with the device, the first thing you have to face is the Asus N73SV keyboard. This moment is certainly subjective - someone likes it, someone doesn't, so users in their reviews were divided into two camps. Those who did not like the controls complain about the location of the keys too close: they will easily miss or just press two keys at once. The digital block is located right next to the main part of the keyboard, which also makes it difficult to find the same arrows intuitively. But the page turning keys are generally located away from the navigation buttons, so using them is extremely inconvenient, since you constantly have to reach for them.
The central part of the keyboard is noticeably squeezed when pressed, but this is the trouble of most devices and the Asus N73SV laptop is no exception. What I liked was the quietness of the buttons: the key travel is soft, without specific clicks and other noise.
To the left of the keyboard you can see the multimedia functionality, which is responsible for the volume of sounds and playback control. At the first acquaintance, it seemed that the buttons are touch-sensitive, but in fact - these are ordinary keys flush with the work area.
Display
Watching videos on the Asus N73SV V2G turns into a real pleasure, especially if the film is in Full HD format. At this resolution, all the advantages of the screen are revealed: an excellent and juicy picture with good viewing angles.
Complementing the fullness of presence is no less high-quality sound using SonicMaster technology: surround, loud and clear. And although the subwoofer is not provided for in the model, the bass can be heard quite clearly as well as the other frequencies, so most music lovers will certainly not remain indifferent to the Asus N73SV.
What upsets many device owners, judging by their reviews, is the problem with the games. In this case, a high screen resolution will be a serious obstacle to gamers. Even at low graphics settings with high resolution, all sorts of friezes and subsidence by FPS are observed. Therefore, you have to remove Full HD to standard settings in 1366 by 768 pixels. With this resolution, the games work more or less smoothly, but the picture quality will naturally not be right anymore. In any case, if the blurriness of the picture in games with a non-native resolution does not bother you, then you can close your eyes to this drawback. Other demanding gamers will have to find a better / more expensive option.
Regarding the viewing angles of the screen, then everything is standard for its segment: about 65-70 degrees in the horizontal plane and about 20 in the vertical. Of course, such indicators cannot be compared with good stationary monitors, but almost all laptops sin with similar viewing angles.
Offline work
Battery life is similar to typical representatives of 17-inch laptops. The Asus N73SV battery has a pretty decent 5200 mAh capacity, but it works too little. In reading mode and economical energy consumption, the device worked for no more than three and a half hours.
It’s difficult to name a disadvantage of such autonomy, as the company positioned its laptop as a replacement for a personal computer, rather than a mobile travel assistant. The same weight of the laptop as if hints that it is not intended for active movements.
Summarizing
In principle, the model has proved its right to all those laudatory epithets that the company addressed to the N73 line. We see a very high-quality sound, which many similar and competing laptops lack, an excellent display with a high-resolution sweep, good thermal design indicators and a relatively powerful stuffing that copes well with multimedia and most work tasks.
The disadvantages of the series include too much weight of the device and a stumbling block for many - the keyboard. And as mentioned above, lovers of “heavy” and modern games have no way with the new model: the built-in video accelerator simply can’t cope with the stabilization of the FPS, so freezes, subsidence and unpleasant discomfort in gaming applications are inevitable, especially at high screen resolutions.
If you do not belong to the number of avid gamers and graphomaniacs, then the model will be a great help for you both at home and in the workplace, and for quite reasonable money. The company once again presented a perfectly balanced line in terms of price and quality, so you are unlikely to regret the purchase.