The ASUS K501UX-AH71 is the reincarnation of the popular 501LX multimedia laptop series. It doesn’t feature many improvements, but it remains one of the most complete mobile solutions for under $800.
Review
The ASUS K501UX-AH71 is a multimedia device capable of both heavy multitasking and low to mid range gaming. It’s a great laptop to use around the house and at the office. Versatile and powerful, the ASUS will provide all the necessary computational power an average user might expect from a laptop.
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It features a new 6th generation processor, the Intel i7-6500U, which will allow for pretty serious multitasking. However, since I’ve seen it score around 4400 points on cpubenchmark.net, the performance will drop sharply if many programs or applications are running simultaneously.
The ASUS has 8 gigabytes of system memory installed, of which one RAM module is soldered to the motherboard. This means that in order to upgrade, you’ll have to remove the 4 gigabyte module and install an 8 gigabyte one. This way, the system will accept a maximum of 12 gigs of RAM (out of the global maximum of 16 imposed by the motherboard).
Storage space may seem short at first, but don’t forget the laptop has a solid state drive installed. They’re still considerably more expensive per gigabyte than traditional mechanical drives. However, the SSD comes with a huge benefit instead: speed. The ASUS K501UX-AH71 will boot up Windows 10 in mere seconds and will make using it a real pleasure. No more freezing up and certainly no more idle times before launching programs or opening heavy web pages. And if space is important, you can always install an extra hard drive in the spare SATA bay located under the palm rest area.
The dedicated graphics card will allow for slightly older titles to be played at decent frame rates. Unfortunately, newer releases won’t be able to run smoothly or at all using the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M. For instance, you’ll likely be able to play Battlefield 4 at medium settings. The discrete GPU will prove to be especially useful when using programs to edit photos, create illustrations or render graphics.
The screen is identical to the previous version, meaning it comes equipped with a matte 15.6 inch screen with full HD display. Other noteworthy features include a 802.11ac wireless card, having 2 USB 3.0 ports and a backlit keyboard. Performance-wise, the ASUS K501UX-AH71 also has a dual cooling mechanism, where the CPU and the GPU have dedicated fans to disperse the heat generated when under heavy use.
Battery life has been slightly improved, but it’s still modest. You’ll be able to get around 5 hours of maximum usage before total drainage under normal use conditions. Playing games on battery is out of the question.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Product[/th_column]
[th_column]ASUS K501UX-AH71[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]PROCESSOR[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Core i7-6500U[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual Core[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Speed[/row_column]
[row_column]2.5 GHz up to 3.1 GHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Cache[/row_column]
[row_column]4 MB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]SYSTEM MEMORY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Installed Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]12 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Memory Type[/row_column]
[row_column]DDR3l SDRAM[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Total Memory Slots[/row_column]
[row_column]2 slots (1 is removable)[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]STORAGE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]256 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Solid State Drive[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]SATA III[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]DISPLAY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Size[/row_column]
[row_column]15.6″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Type[/row_column]
[row_column]LCD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Display Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]Matte LED-Backlit[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1920 x 1080[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Aspect Ratio[/row_column]
[row_column]16:9[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touchscreen[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]GRAPHICS[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Processing Unit[/row_column]
[row_column]NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Card Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dedicated[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]2 GB GDDR3[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]AUDIO & VIDEO[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Audio Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]ASUS SonicMaster[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Speakers[/row_column]
[row_column]Stereo Speakers[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Webcam[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, 720p[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Wireless LAN[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual-Band 802.11ac WLAN[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Bluetooth[/row_column]
[row_column]Bluetooth 4.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Ethernet[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INTERFACE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]USB Ports[/row_column]
[row_column]2 x USB 3.0
2 x USB 2.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]HDMI[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]VGA[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Headphone/Mic[/row_column]
[row_column]Audio Combo Jack[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Multi Card Slot[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, SD card reader[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]LAN (RJ45)[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INPUT DEVICES[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Pointing Device[/row_column]
[row_column]Precision Touch Pad[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Full Size[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Backlit Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]BATTERY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Type[/row_column]
[row_column]3-Cell Lithium Ion[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]48 Whr[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Up to 5 hours[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]VALUE[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 10[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]15″ x 10″ x 0.9″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]4.4 lbs[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores, Pros and Cons
[row]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”85″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Performance: 8.5/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 8/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”90″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Price: 9/10″]
[/column]
[/row]
[list]
[li]Pros[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Decent processor[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Adequate amount of system memory[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Good SSD installed[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Dedicated video card[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Quality display[/li]
[li]Cons[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Modest battery life[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Insufficient storage space[/li]
[/list]
Final Thoughts
The ASUS K501UX-AH71 is a good laptop to play and work on. The premium materials and the design choices suggest it’s oriented towards business professionals and home office users, rather than gamers. It’s thin, fairly light, powerful and easy to use. Just don’t expect to run every single game at high settings.
