James Hylton
(CLARIFICATION: This review is specifically for the K570UD-ES76, which includes the i7 processor & 16gigs of RAM. Dont let the 2 & 3 star reviews fool you: most of those that Ive seen are for the i5 processor version, and thats an entirely different computer for all intents and purposes. Also, the pictures Ive included are after 3 months of use; my keyboard has a dust-cover over it.) My first (and only) ever laptop was the ASUS K55A-DB51, so that is technically my only point of reference for comparison. Considering that the K55A lasted the better part of 5 years, I decided to stick with ASUS upon deciding to get a new laptop. (I should note that my K55A is still perfectly functional: the reason for the upgrade is that 1] 5 years of wear & tear as a college student have taken their toll, and 2] the software can no longer keep up with my work.) Heres the basic comparison: K55A - i5-3210M Processor, 8Gb RAM, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, Windows 7. K570UD - i7-8550U Processor, 16Gb RAM, Geforce 1050 GTX Graphics, Windows 10 Definitely an upgrade. As of 6/30/2018, it has been two whole days since I received the K570UD, and it is a world of difference in comparison! I will be judging the laptop overall by Software, Interface & Connection, and Casing & Durability. Software: 4.8 / 5 Immediately upon finishing the basic setup I put the software on this laptop to the test, using several games to push the software as hard as I could. The first thing I fired up was Wargamings World of Warships (Set to Medium graphic settings w/ 4x anti-aliasing; my K55A could handle it on Low graphics), while simultaneously downloading & Installing about 6 different other games via Steam, while also playing a YouTube playlist in the background. I had 2 web browsers open (including the one with YouTube) during this time (Google Chrome & Firefox: Sorry Edge, but your predecessor makes it hard for me to trust you). I ran the machine for a good three hours this way. During that time I hit 60% memory usage on average with occasional bursts to 100%, but it never slowed my laptop down or interrupted my gameplay. The GPU usage never went above 78%, so I am confident that I could set the graphics on World of Warships even higher if I wanted to. The CPU was all over the place, hitting 100% several times every other minute or so, which caused very brief (no more than 1 second) hiccups in gameplay, but I hardly even noticed them. If I did this on my K55A, it would punch me in the face right before it blew up in my face... The fact that I was actually on Power Saving mode (didnt realize that until after this little test) makes this even more impressive to me! I also ran SolidWorks (one of my engineering programs) on a separate (and more realistic of my intended use) test, and it ran flawlessly. Interface & Connection: 3.8 / 5 There are two USB ports and an audio-jack on the left side. The right side has one USB, a USB-C (never used one of those before), an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a Micro-SD slot (as well as the charging port). Very similar to the layout on the K55A, except its in reverse (On the K55A most of the ports are on the left side vs the right). This layout actually makes it slightly inconvenient since Im right-handed, and if I have an Ethernet cable plugged in it gets in the way of my mouse when I use it. Of course if youre left handed, this shouldnt be a problem, and even then its not so inconvenient as to be unworkable. The thumb scanner is easy enough to use if set up properly. Another rather curious issue is the absence of indicator lights for the CAPS Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num-Lock keys. I dont know why they would exclude them, but it makes it difficult to know if they are on or not. During my little "test" there were some minor heating issues near the back of the laptop, but the rest of the keyboard and pad stayed cool throughout the test. Casing & Durability: 4.6 / 5 (Updated) My K55A went through a lot in 5 years, and still runs quite nicely. That said, I cant vouch for the K570UDs long term durability quite yet. Since I am a Mechanical Engineer, I can at least give some pointers. The casing over the keyboard appears to be aluminum; the rest is plastic. The case covering the screen is slightly flexible, but not enough for me to worry. 11 screws secure the bottom cover, and all eleven need to be removed to reach the inside components. (I kind of miss the K55A setup here: that one has a panel that when removed gives access to all up-gradable components, and only required two screws be removed.) The heating vents are all in the back of the laptop, which I dont mind. (Its actually nice not having a heating vent toasting my left hand anymore). Overall, Id say its more durable than my old K55A, so I expect to get a good 3-4 years of use out of it as long as I take care of it. UPDATE - 9/17/18: After three months, I am quite impressed by how well my K570UD has held up. The only problem I have encountered is that the bezel near the back has developed minor wear, likely from rubbing against the inside of the backpack I carry it in (My backpack has a slot specifically for a laptop). Its minor enough that Im not too concerned, but I have now included pictures. Conclusion: I bought this knowing that it was not the "best of the best" out there. I spent a good 3 months researching various laptops before I decided on this one, and even then only after researching the K570UD for a good 2 weeks. As such, I was aware of what to expect long before I had even bought it, and so far I have yet to encounter anything that I didnt expect. ASUS likes to strive for excellence, and I think they did so here. My criteria were very simple: I wanted a laptop that was more than capable of handling my school work, and better than my K55A in all specs. The K570UD is not the best, but it is more than enough to handle anything outside of VR. If youre like me and looking for an upgrade from an older laptop, then this is a fantastic machine to upgrade to! If youre a PC gamer and want to play games but you dont really care about 4K graphics, this machine will get the job done! And if youre a college student that wants a good laptop that can handle hefty programs, then I can also recommend this to you! I cannot recommend this to you if you: Want only the absolute best. Want to take over the world (unless its a game world, then maybe). Want a laptop that is also a Swiss army knife. Literally. Are on a budget of under $1,000. Are actually shopping for shoes and you have no idea how you got here. Thus, my rating is 5/5 stars for personal satisfaction, 4.55/5 stars for meeting/exceeding expectations. I will update this review as I see fit. P.S. A lot of reviews Ive seen mentioned dings & pits on the screen. I had no such issues, so if you encounter that I would suggest you contact customer support or the folks at Amazon, and Id bet they can sort you out. -UPDATE - 7/19/18: I have encountered an issue that warrants a heads up I believe. The computer still works great, but I have repeatedly had issues with WiFi connection; whenever my computer wakes up from sleep or hibernation, it seems to have increased difficulty locating or finding connections. Right-clicking on the WiFi icon and activating the troubleshooter usually fixes this problem (Usually the troubleshooter just resets the WiFi connection/receiver). Once it does connect, its smooth sailing and connection all the way, so this is mostly a minor inconvenience. I havent determined if this is hardware or software related, so I wont change the score on my review until I determine that.- UPDATE - 9/17/18: Thank you to those who responded in regards to the WiFi issues. Ive confirmed that its a Windows problem, so my score remains unchanged. I want to add that most of the issues I had (few as they may be) have been traced to Windows, and not the computer itself. I also added pictures showing my laptop 3 months later.
