Asus G53SX: Monster Performance in a Monster Machine

At a Glance

Expert's Military rating

Pros

Large specs for the price
Excellent performance

Cons

Huge. Bulky. Heavy.
Misfortunate video playback

Our Verdict

The Asus G53SX is built for a very specific person: a gamer who doesn't attention about basic multimedia system functionality…or portability.

Asus's G53SX proves that you assume't need to spend a ton of money to get a decent gaming machine–if you wear't mind toting round an 8-pound monster. The G53SX is the exact desktop-replacement-size up all-intention machine for gamers: IT packs excellent execution in an tremendous case, and is just portable decent for you to deport with you to your local LAN party.

Our review modelling, priced at $1250 (as of November 9, 2011), came packed with a second-gen Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, 12GB of Wa (upgradable to 16GB), a 750GB horny drive, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M art card with 2GB of video recording memory. This hulking machine likewise features built-in Wi-Fi, built-in Bluetooth, a full-HD (1920-by-1080-pixel) display, and the 64-snatch version of Windows 7 Home Premium.

Our test model performed very well for its grade, with a WorldBench 6 score of 140. The MainGear EX-L 15, with a mark of 142, is the only general-purpose laptop to have scored higher. And the EX-L 15 costs almost twice as very much like the G53SX.

The Asus laptop's graphics performance is good. In our Remote Cry 2 tests, it sustained a frame rate of 38 frames per second (at high lineament settings, and 1920 past 1080 picture element resolution). In our "ultra" quality tests, it delivered 35 fps in Far Cry 2, and 30.1 fps in Stalker 2.

The Asus G53SX is a huge machine–such larger than the 15.6-inch silver screen IT contains. The wedge-wrought physical body is thicker at the back, where a 2-inch protrusion that includes the battery and cooling system system sticks out behind the screen. The laptop measures 15.4 inches wide aside 11.9 inches deep by 2.2 inches thick (at its maximum heaviness), and weighs 8.2 pounds. Away way of comparison, the most recent 17-column inch desktop replacement I reviewed, the Whole number Force x17, is thinner (2.1 inches), less deep (10.9 inches), and only slightly heavier (8.5 pounds).

The G53SXs aren't terribly impressive. It has a soft, matte-black cover with a small, silver Asus logotype in the center and a Commonwealth of Gamers logotype etched below that. The machine is quite angular, with slimly tapering edges, giving it the appear of a bulky ballistic capsule. Indoors are a rubbery keyboard grace, a touchpad with 2 discrete mouse buttons, and a keyboard, all in varying dark glasses of matte black.

The array of ports is exemplary of what you'd find on a metier-size desktop replacement laptop computer: matchless USB3.0, two USB2.0, HDMI and VGA outputs, gigabit ethernet, mic/earpiece knucklebones, and a multicard reader. You also nonplus two Kensington lock slots (just in case, I hypothesi), likewise as a DVD-RW tray drive. All of the ports are situated on the sides and front of the machine, even though there's a ton of elbow room on the back.

The G53SX's keyboard is fairly modular–flat sarcastic, backlit, with Chiclet-style keys and a 10-dactyl numberpad. The keys were well-situated to case on, though the keyboard seems a bit flimsy in the mid (it flexed as I typewritten). The numberpad is a decent addition, but it's shoved in there–the keys are slimmer than usual. Triad buttons are conveniently settled above the keyboard: a lights on/off toggle, a battery-mode cycle, and a screen settings cycle. The lights toggle is especially useful; with indefinite press of the button, you can turn off altogether of the lights, including some annoying condition lights (though the status lights on the front of the computer remain on). The multitouch trackpad is on the small side, with discrete sneak buttons that are of all time-so-slightly difficult to entreat.

The G53SX's 15.6-inch display, despite being a lot smaller than the laptop itself, is one of the best laptop screens I've seen in a long time. The LED-backlit, matted-Liquid crystal display screen has a full HD native resolution of 1920 by 1080. Color delegacy on this screen door was excellent, and images looked very liquid and scrunch up, with none of the "softness" that often characterizes matt screens. Off-Axis viewing remained good, and there was virtually no public eye.

Unfortunately, the riddle's awesomeness didn't carry ended to video playback. Multiple tests showed inconsistency in streaming video recording playback–possibly due to complications involving the unit's wireless radio (my Internet connection was not at fault, every bit I tested the same video on several machines). In respective episodes of 30 Rock, for instance, the back wall of Liz's office was discolored and bleeding. Videodisc upscaling was below average, too, with lots of noise, blocky artifacts, and considerable deprivation of detail.

Though the G53SX is billed as a gaming laptop with 3D capabilities, our test fashion mode lacked a Blu-beam drive (though one is available Eastern Samoa a configuration option), and Asus does not bundle shutter glasses with the car.

Audio was pretty bad on the G53SX, too. The speakers, situated above the keyboard, fail to produce any semblance of bass. Even TV shows sounded tinny and far away, and euphony sounded worse.

The Asus G53SX will please a identical specific aggroup of multitude, and disappoint others. Gamers looking top executive in an inexpensive package may dominate the massiveness and the poor audio lineament (which headphones can quickly remedy). Only the G53SX's lumbering weight and its inability to do rudimentary multimedia tasks, such as streaming a Netflix telecasting, cook it a poor fit for some former potential buyers.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/478154/asus_g53sx_monster_performance_in_a_monster_machine.html

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