What processors does Asus k42j support? ASUS X42j - a mysterious laptop with balanced characteristics

25.04.2011 00:10

Asus K42J - very good multimedia budget laptop entry level with great features and excellent performance. This is a new product in the second half of 2010, it is equipped with many the latest developments companies. The laptop belongs to the class of truly mobile devices that are still convenient enough to take with you to lectures or on trips, and at the same time have ample capabilities for working with graphics, texts and multimedia entertainment. The laptop costs about $900, equipped the latest processor Intel Core i5 (some models are equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor, but this review we will consider the best option configurations), discrete and integrated video cards and a widescreen 14-inch display with LED backlight.

To begin with, let's give the main specifications the Asus K42J in question.

Display	size - 14", resolution 1366x768 pixels, LED backlight, aspect ratio 16:9
CPU	Intel Core i5 430M (2.27 GHz)
Chipset
RAM	4 GB DDR3 1066 MHz
HDD	500 GB, rotation speed 7200 rpm
Graphics card	discrete Nvidia GeForce 310M, 1 GB GDDR3 memory, support Nvidia technologies Optimus
Network and communication with other devices	LAN, Wi-Fi 802.11n
Optical drive
Ports	3xUSB 2.0, VGA (D-Sub), HDMI, audio/headphone output, LAN (RJ-45)
Battery	6-section. Li-ion, 4400 mAh
	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Other	card reader, webcam, security lock
Dimensions	349x238x36.5 mm
Price

The laptop looks pretty nice. The top cover is glossy, but the design is clearly visible through the varnish layer, so the surface of the cover looks like a textured one, while the inner working surface is matte. The color of the lid and inner surface is a pleasant dark chocolate shade. The edges of the laptop are rounded, the lid is slightly convex, there are no decorations or flashy elements, but the plastic seems reliable, high-quality and solid - in general, nothing special, but it looks stylish and strict, just like a working tool should look like.

The laptop body is thin, quite light, and perfectly assembled, which, however, distinguishes all Asus models. Nothing creaks or wobbles anywhere, and the body does not bend almost anywhere even under strong pressure. The lid can be bent a little, but this does not affect the screen in any way. The hinges connecting the display to the keyboard are durable, they are hidden in the case and are not conspicuous, without disturbing general impression. At the same time, the hinges hold the display well in any chosen position, with any angle of opening the lid, and the lid opens easily.

The bottom lid of the laptop has two removable panels that provide access to the hard drive and random access memory. For most users this is enough, because... It is these two components of the device that people try to improve most often.

The screen of the Asus K42J is widescreen, 14-inch, with LED backlight and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. Widescreen screen is convenient for computer games, watching videos and feature films, the resolution is typical for laptops in this class. The display has excellent color reproduction, brightness and contrast, although the viewing angles are a little small; looking at the display from the side is not very convenient, because Color rendering and contrast are immediately lost, this is especially noticeable when the vertical viewing angle changes. The backlight is also not entirely uniform; there is a lighter area of ​​the screen at the bottom.

Above the display there is a built-in web camera for comfortable video communication on the Internet.

The laptop's audio system features built-in Altec Lansing speakers, the speakers are located under the wrist rests, the sound is coming from the bottom front of the device. The speakers leave much to be desired, the sound is not very loud, and the quality is noticeably poor (there is no trace of bass or mid-tones), but the laptop uses the SRS Premium Sound sound enhancement system, which slightly improves the situation. For musical accompaniment and video communication, the built-in speakers are quite sufficient, but if you want to listen to music in good sound, then it’s better to connect high-quality headphones.

The keyboard is very successful - it does not have a separate digital block, like all models with a 14-inch screen (there is simply no room for it), but the keys are large, with a normal distance, and are convenient for typing. According to the people who tested this laptop, even with long typing, the hands do not get tired, the distance between the keys is optimal so as not to press adjacent keys. In addition, there is protection against dust getting inside the keyboard. The buttons themselves have matte finish, the keys have a small but clear stroke, the sound they make when pressed is almost inaudible, it is soft and not annoying. True, the keyboard does not have separate multimedia keys, but their functions are performed by the arrow buttons when simultaneously using the Fn key.

The Asus K42J keyboard is complemented by an improved touchpad touchpad from ELAN. The tablet has a pleasant-to-touch surface that prevents your fingers from slipping. The Touch Pad supports Multi-touch technology, which recognizes three-finger movements to zoom and rotate an image, as well as Palm Proof, which distinguishes accidental palm touches from finger movements. True, there are complaints about the operation of the touchpad - it slows down when working, especially when working with three fingers; There is no separate scrolling area; the tablet keys, unlike the keyboard keys, make a sharp and loud click.

To be continued.

ASUS has always been characterized by an extremely wide range of mainstream laptops. At the same time, ASUS always emphasizes the ratio of functionality, quality, reliability, performance and price as one of the main advantages of its products. At one time, the company pointedly refused to play in the market for the cheapest systems, declaring that price should not be the only advantage of a laptop, and then created an entire line of EEE PCs.

In this article we will talk about the ASUS X42j laptop model (in utilities it was shown as K42), which is not on official websites. Nevertheless, this model at a reasonable price offers quite a good level of all characteristics: performance, functionality, and ergonomics. Let's take a closer look at it.

Appearance and ergonomics of the case

When you take the laptop out of the box for the first time, it's all covered with tape. protective films. Having peeled them off, you get a rather nice and very shiny device.

The top cover is lacquered, black, with a fabric-like texture. Note that the lacquered black lid is the worst in terms of accuracy: all fingerprints are immediately visible, and they are visible very well. In general, if you often pick up a laptop, nothing will help; it’s better to immediately put up with a stained top cover. However, if it is mostly used at home and you wear it open, then you will very rarely touch the lid, and then you can wipe it again. The bottom cover is made of ordinary black rough plastic, however, this is a normal situation for desktop models.

Let's open the lid. Its edge (and the edge of the body) is made in such a way that it is convenient to pick up the lid with your finger and lift it. The movement of the lid, as usual with a new laptop, is tight. There are no latches; the closed lid is held in place only by the force of the hinges. In this model they are L-shaped, i.e. the lid does not rise up, but folds back. Because of this, the opening angle of the lid does not exceed 130-135 degrees. When I was working with the laptop on my lap, the opening angle of the lid was not enough for me.

The open laptop looks calm and simple, but does not give the impression of being cheap. The keyboard stand and the edging around it are made matte, also with a texture, but at the same time it is also rough to the touch. By the way, this panel has a warm brownish tint, which is unusual for electronic equipment, in the production of which they prefer high-tech style and cold shades. The part of the panel in front of the screen and the screen frame are made of glossy: it looks nice and in these places the gloss hardly gets dirty.

The lid is generally strong, but bends very willingly (although the matrix does not move in waves), so you definitely shouldn’t drag the laptop by the lid: at a minimum, it will become crooked. The case is sturdy, and when you carry an open laptop around a corner, it doesn't squeak or move. Moreover, on the right, where you usually take it when carrying it (where the optical drive cover is), the case is made rounded - it’s much more convenient to carry it this way.

In terms of design, the laptop belongs to the previous generation, this appearance is different models ASUS can be found for maybe a year now. And, for example, the ASUS N53j, which I got into my hands at about the same time, looks different. However, this design is quite good, especially for its price category and its positioning: the laptop looks discreet, but at the same time neat, and does not give the impression of a cheap product. Plus, it has a homey feel to it. For a home product in the lower-mid price category, the design, in my opinion, is successful.

Let's look at which ports and where they are located on the case.

The front cover is sloping down. There are only speakers on it (grids on the left and right) and a card reader slot in the middle. In general, the location is convenient, but the top edge of the lid covers the card reader, so you have to lift the laptop to insert a card.

There is nothing on the back edge: the entire panel is occupied by the battery, plus, when you open the cover, it covers this edge with itself.

On the left side there are: a Kensington lock, a large ventilation grille, analog output VGA, digital HDMI output, two USB 2.0 ports and one universal audio plug. Also pay attention to the position of the cover relative to the body, as well as how it is raised rear end laptop - this gives additional clearance for ventilation of the bottom, but at the same time it will stand unsteadily on a soft or uneven surface.

On the right side there is an optical drive, another USB 2.0 port, a wired network port and a power plug. Please note that the optical drive has a fairly thick cover.

In general, all ports are conveniently located. On the left are those connectors to which cables are connected for a long time (including where it is convenient to connect a mouse and lay the cable behind the monitor). And those connectors into which you insert something more often are located on the right side. The USB connector is especially useful here, and it is not located too close to the front edge, so that the flash drive inserted into it does not interfere with operation.

Finally, one more comment about the weight of the laptop. It weighs 2315 grams, which is normal for its class. In principle, this is already such a weight that you can easily carry the laptop with you, for example, take it to the country or to work. By the way, this will traditionally add 400 grams for the power supply and cables.

Keyboard

ASUS X42j modern keyboard with separate keys. In addition to its modern appearance, it is more convenient to use; dust and crumbs will not fall under it (although if something does get under the key, it will be much more difficult to get out).

The keyboard layout is reminiscent of the good old days when the over-cursor keys were located in a vertical line on the right. Nowadays, this keyboard layout is rarely used, but it is quite convenient in operation, however, when switching from other layouts, you will have to remember that Enter is not located in the far right row. In addition, here the cursor keys are pushed into the general keyboard block and are in no way separated from other keys, so it is difficult to find them by touch, and when working with the cursor, you sometimes touch neighboring keys. The layout no longer has any peculiarities or shortcomings; after a little getting used to it, all the keys are perceived in their places.

Typing on the keyboard is comfortable; Thanks to the design of the keys and the light but relatively clear pressing, there are no typing problems. However, at the end of the stroke, the keys do not stop, but hit the backing and at the same time make a loud knock and rattle. As a result, the keyboard is loud, so at night or in a quiet room it distracts others. Due to the hard impact at the end of the press, it is not possible to type for a long time at a fast pace, however, the keyboard is very suitable for a home laptop and medium volumes of printing (eg ICQ or forums).

The indicators in this model continue the overall design tradition of being simple yet functional. The power key is elongated, on the left side there is a corrugated power indicator. When working, it shines with a white-bluish light, and brightly at night the indicator light noticeably hurts the eyes. The remaining indicators are located in front of the touchpad, so they are almost always visible. From left to right: laptop operation indicator, battery status indicator, hard disk access indicator, wireless interfaces indicator, Num Lock indicator. The indicators glow green or red. A special feature is that the holes in the plastic housing through which the diodes shine are very narrow and deep. Therefore, the light is not very bright; at night the indicators do not interfere at all, but at the same time they are perfectly readable during the day, even in bright light.

This model does not have additional keys, but some additional functions can be controlled from the main keyboard using combinations with Fn.

So, F1 allows you to put the laptop into standby mode (it’s very convenient to use the combination with one hand), F2 turns it on and off wireless interfaces(both at the same time). F5 and F6 adjust the brightness, F7 turns off the monitor backlight (this is convenient if you leave for a while, but do not want to turn off the computer. By the way, only the backlight turns off, the image itself remains), F8 switches the image output between available devices (monitor, VGA- output, etc.), F9 allows you to turn off the touchpad (which, by the way, is very convenient: if the laptop is on the table and a mouse is connected to it, then you can quickly turn off the built-in touchpad, but if you took the laptop somewhere with you, you can It’s easy to turn it back on). Finally, F10, F11 and F12 control the sound (not very convenient to use, they are too far from Fn). It is also worth noting the combinations with the keys “C” (switching gamma correction modes), “V” (turning on the webcam and, accordingly, the proprietary utility for working with it) and spacebar (switching energy saving modes). Finally, the cursor keys are used to control the multimedia player.

Touchpad

The X42j's touchpad is relatively large. The surface is no different from the surface of the palm rests. It is slightly grooved, so you can feel the feedback with your finger. The touchpad is located below the surface of the panel, but is recessed just a little, so you still touch it with your left palm when typing, which leads to cursor jumps.

The keys are made in the form of a single rocker; it is better to press them closer to the edge of the key. The keys switch harshly and with an audible click, so they are not particularly pleasant to use.

Screen

There is a completely ordinary screen installed here: a diagonal of 14 inches, an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1366 × 768 pixels. The screen is bright enough that you can work with it even in a well-lit room. Moreover, when working with text, the brightness can be reduced slightly, even when working during the day. And here minimum brightness too high, when the light is off the screen glows very brightly. This makes your eyes get tired faster.

The screen is traditionally mirrored; it reflects the illuminated objects in the room and the user, so you need to carefully choose the place you work. It is especially difficult to watch a movie: in any dark scenes you will see your reflection, and this happens both during the day, when everything in the room is reflected, and at night, in the dark.

Subjectively, the screen is not bad. Vertical angles are normal for a laptop: at least you can watch a movie without constantly adjusting the screen and choosing the right head position.

Sound

The panel bears the Altec Lansing logo, which should inspire confidence in the high quality of the sound. However, it is high compared to unnamed speakers, but in comparison with the best examples of laptop acoustics, the X42j loses significantly. The upper-mid frequencies are very prominent in the sound, they simply dominate. The remaining frequencies are reproduced much quieter and are simply clogged. In addition, excessive emphasis on the high frequencies led to the fact that I personally started to get headaches and ears if I set the volume to loud in a dubbed film.

You should listen to music on this laptop only as a last resort. When watching dubbed films, the dubbing dominates, overwhelming the special effects. And when watching non-dubbed ones, audibility is not always at its best - it is often impossible to hear what exactly is being said on the screen.

Overall, I would rate the sound as average.

Configuration and Testing

The search for the model turned out to be quite an interesting and, to some extent, even a detective story. The X42j model is not on either the Russian (www.asus.ru) or the global (www.asus.com) company website. At the same time, Russian search engines find this model with a bang, and a couple of times this particular model flashed in the posts of well-known personalities in LiveJournal in the context of the type “I got it here” or “gifted it to me here”... However, this model is also present in Russian stores and is for sale. So I had an interesting question: where can I get drivers for it?

At the same time, the test utility recognizes the laptop as K42Jv, and this is a completely different model, even from a different series. However, the model with the “v” index is still not on both official sites, so it was still not possible to clarify the configuration in an official way. Therefore, we present the system configuration according to online stores. Well, according to the information specialized utility Everest.

ASUS X42j
CPU	Intel Core i3-350M (2.26 GHz)	DualCore Intel Core i3 350M, 2266 MHz (17×133)
Chipset	Intel HM55	Intel Ibex Peak-M HM55, Intel Ironlake-M
RAM	3072 MB	2924 MB (DDR3 SDRAM)
Screen	14.1″ (35.8 cm), 1366×768, LED backlit	LG Philips LP140WH1-TLA2
Video adapter	NVIDIA GeForce GT335M	Intel GMA HD
Sound subsystem	Intel High Definition Audio	Intel HDMI Realtek ALC269
HDD	320 GB	ST9320325AS ATA Device (320 GB, 5400 rpm, SATA-II)
Optical drive	DVD±RW DL drive: Reads and writes regular and dual-layer DVDs, and reads and writes CDs	HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GT32N ATA Device
Communication means	Wired network 10/100/1000 Mbps Wireless Wi-Fi network 802.11b/g/n (Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter)
Card reader	miniSD, SD, MS Pro Duo, xD, MS Pro, MMC
Interfaces and ports	1×VGA 1×HDMI 1×S/PDIF 3×USB 1×network port (RJ-45) 1×audio connector
Battery, power supply	6 cells, 4400 mAh
Additionally	ASUS software, SmartLogon facial recognition technology
operating system	MS Windows 7 Home Basic
Dimensions	349×238×36.5 mm
Weight	2.2 kg
Guarantee period	2 years

A very strange situation with the video adapter. The utility persistently showed the presence of only an integrated Intel video adapter, although even a disabled NVIDIA GeForce GT335M adapter should be present in the system, at least at the driver level (although installing them on systems with NVIDIA Optimus turns into a certain problem, the driver is not installed that easily).

It is worth noting the amazing combination of an average processor in the line and one of the most powerful video cards to date. Otherwise, the laptop is quite good for its class, all characteristics are at a good level.

Testing

Performance, test results

To roughly evaluate performance, we ran a number of synthetic tests on the laptop.

First, let's take a look at the characteristics of the central processor.

The tire speed varies widely, so I had to catch the moment with the nominal performance.

I’ll immediately show you a slide with the results of tests of the memory subsystem.

In the meantime, we will move on to system tests. And first, let's look at the most basic test - performance rating operating system Windows 7.

As you can see, the results are quite good... if not for the graphics. But this is understandable: the rating measures the speed of different adapters - in the first case it is Intel (by the way, 4 points is quite good), and in the second case it is NVIDIA graphics. So one should be wary of the rating data - it does not always show adequate numbers.

For Cinebench, the opponents were ASUS NX90. It has a much more powerful processor (Core i7-720QM, 4 cores, 2.6 GHz) and the same GT 335M graphics card.

	ASUS X42j	ASUS NX90
Cinebench 10	3019/6975/3986	3513/9990/4325
Cinebench 11.5	18.27 fps / 1.86 pts	n/a

And yet the difference in the performance of one core is small. For me personally, the fact was surprising. However, even in multi-core mode, the quad-core processor shows modest results. But in OpenGL the ratio is more or less equalized, the difference is 340 points.

Let's look at the results in PCMark Vantage.

PCMark Vantage	ASUS X42j	ASUS NX90
PCMark Score	4574	5665
Memories Score	2711	3776
TV and Movies Score	−	4010
Gaming Score	2973	5771
Music Score	4631	5223
Communications Score	3782	3746
Productivity Score	4014	4641
HDD Score	2802	3402

Traditionally, for PCMark Vantage, the results are in their own plane. I won’t comment on them, we’ll leave them for those who like to compare various systems in synthetics.

And finally, let's look at the performance of the hard drive.

In general, quite normal disk speed results. Let's look at the graphical diagram.

The utilities are quite consistent with each other. I would like to note that the temperature of the hard drive is very high, which may cause problems with it in the future. Who is to blame for this - he who warms himself HDD or a bad cooling system - I find it difficult to say.

Performance in Real Applications

This laptop was the first to be tested using a new laptop performance research methodology that includes research real applications. Detailed information about this part of the study, the software used and its settings can be read in a separate material on our website.

For comparison, until a reference configuration is selected, we will use one of the previously tested laptops. IN in this case The opponent is the eMachines E732G. This laptop has a slightly more powerful processor, the Core i3-520M. The Radeon HD5470 video card should not show impressive performance results, but for most home applications it should be quite enough. The chipset is the same, Intel HM55, the amount of RAM is also 3 GB.

Archiving

This test measures the speed of archiving a set of files using 7-Zip and WinRAR archivers. In addition, the speed of unpacking a password-encrypted archive with using WinRAR. The test is primarily critical to the speed of the processor and memory.

Archiving	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
7-Zip	00:03:16	0:03:05
WinRAR	00:02:33	0:02:21
Unboxing	00:01:10	0:01:04

In archiving, a more powerful processor is predictably faster.

Browser performance

We use two tests to evaluate browser performance: Google V8 and SunSpider. Both tests measure essentially the same thing: Javascript speed. However, this is the most performance-demanding component of the browser engine, so research into it is quite justified. Let me remind you that in our method it is impossible to obtain Chrome data in the SunSpider test due to an internal error.

The Google V8 test displays the result in points.

Google V8	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
Chrome	5167	5545
Firefox	481	527
Internet Explorer	98	109
Opera	2952	3228
Safari	2165	2313

The Sunspider test displays the result in milliseconds, so unlike the previous test, here less the result, the better.

SunSpider	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
Chrome	Test is not working	Test is not working
Firefox	912	839
Internet Explorer	5624	5094
Opera	376	349
Safari	504	468

In general, there is nothing unexpected in the results either: a slightly more powerful processor turned out to be slightly faster.

Watching High Definition Videos

The test shows how well the laptop copes with video playback high resolution. For assessment, a video is used in Full format HD 1080p, H.264 encoded, and media player Player Classic Home Cinema. The video is played in software mode, when only the central processor is involved in decoding the image, and with hardware acceleration. The test measures processor load in both cases.

HD video	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
Hardware	13,9	5,4
Software	Crash	36,5

When playing a video in soft mode, the X42j encountered an error, so it is difficult to draw a general conclusion. However, the difference with acceleration enabled is very impressive, apparently due to the use of ATI graphics.

Working with photos

To test the laptop's performance when working with digital photographs, two test packages were used: ACDSee and Adobe Photoshop. For ACDsee, the test consists of converting a large number of photos from RAW to JPEG. Photoshop measures the time it takes to process photos, including blurring, sharpening, resizing and rotating the image, etc. The test measures the time spent performing these operations.

Working with photos	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
ACDSee	00:06:43	0:06:08
Photoshop	00:01:38	0:01:29

This test also doesn’t really need any comments.

Audio encoding

This test measures the time it takes to encode an audio recording into one of the popular formats. The dBPowerAmp wrapper is used for encoding. The test result is the score given by the shell. The score depends on the encoding time. The higher the score, the better.

Video creation

Unlike the previous test, in this case the test emulates full-fledged work in a video editor to create a video, including editing, applying special effects and final rendering. The test uses two software packages: Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas. The test result is the time it took to complete the entire project.

Professional 3D graphics

This test shows the performance of a laptop in professional packages related to 3D modeling. Three packages were selected for the test: 3ds max and LightWave (3D rendering) and SolidWorks (CAD). For each product, two tests are carried out: work emulation and final rendering. Unfortunately, 3ds max consistently froze immediately after launch when emulating the work. Therefore, for this test only the test with the final rendering of the scene was left.

Prof. 3D packages	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
3ds max render	0:15:43	Crash
Lightwave workload	Crash	Crash
Lightwave render	Crash	Crash
Solidworks CPU	53,99	Crash
Solidworks workload	71,17	Crash

In these tests, errors occurred regularly on both laptops, and eMachines was unable to complete either of them. Although this is obviously a software problem, not the laptop itself. It's a pity.

Games

This group of tests evaluates the laptop's performance in several games. I draw the attention of readers that the testing settings for this group were changed compared to the settings of the platform testing methodology, so compare these results with the results desktop systems it is forbidden. In particular, the graphics settings were set to average values, and the resolution for all gaming tests is 800×600 points.

Games	ASUS X42j	eMachines E732G
DiRT2	40	Crash
Far Cry 2	34	Crash
Resident Evil 5	66	Crash
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.	141,4	Crash
Unreal Tournament 3	85,4	Crash

In games, the comparison failed because for some reason eMachines was unable to complete any of the gaming tests.

But ASUS shows quite good results for a laptop. All games show more or less decent results, but it is worth considering reduced settings.

Heat and noise

A 14-inch laptop can work on a desk, on a trip, on your lap, or at home on the sofa - in general, models in this class have a very wide range of applications, so for them the level of heating of the case can be an important parameter.

Data obtained from the Everest test utility.

To my surprise, the temperatures of all components are quite high - both the processor and the hard drive (the state of the latter is generally alarming). However, the heating of the case is quite moderate, if you do not take into account the place where the processor heatsink is installed. The exhaust is very hot.

Battery life

Testing was carried out in two modes: minimal load mode (reading text from the screen) and while watching a movie. Tests were carried out in Windows 7, energy saving parameters were set to adaptive values. The screen brightness was always set to maximum.

The rated capacity with a large battery is 47366 mWh.

Battery life is not very good, but on the other hand, for this configuration it is not a failure. In the most economical mode, the laptop lasts 3 hours - this is not much, especially when it comes to traveling and working on it. But when watching a film, everything is quite good - almost two hours, which is enough to watch the vast majority of modern films. As part of informal testing, I measured the work on the Internet via a wireless network - the laptop lasted for about 1 hour 52 minutes.

Positioning and conclusions

In general, the X42j is a representative of the line of universal laptops. In principle, this is a laptop that is suitable, for example, for a student or a young professional who moves a lot. Not very big, but not small body, not a record, but very decent performance (including a powerful video adapter for a laptop, allowing you to play even modern games), good functionality (all modern ports are in place) and good ergonomics.

I liked that the laptop is well balanced for its market niche; there is nothing to complain about: there are no obvious failures that will annoy you during use. For me it is a little too homely and simple, but if you look at it exactly like home computer, then I would not write down the design as a minus. Most likely, it will fit well into a calm home interior.

In terms of performance and functionality, this model is average in in a good way of this word, both are at a normal level. Nothing extreme, but normal home user(no matter how boring this combination may sound, the majority of them) will not experience any inconvenience.

The price of the X42j at the time of testing is about 25,000 rubles (about 800 US dollars), which, in my opinion, is adequate to the capabilities of the laptop.

(dozens of current models)

Determine the purpose and target audience laptop ASUS K42Jr It's not easy the first time. This massive, if we take into account the price on the border of the budget and middle classes, laptop is distinguished by a modern, powerful computing system (based on Intel® Core™ i5 processor), a discrete video card with 1GB of video memory and other solid characteristics, which are enclosed in an elegant, glossy case.

It probably has everything for both everyday tasks and for playing 3D games, watching and editing HD videos. With such data, perhaps one and a half inches of screen diagonal was not enough for it to reach the category of multimedia laptops. So you can give him this brief description: universal laptop with wide multimedia capabilities.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Specifications and equipment

The laptop is packaged in a gray cardboard box with a blue stripe and white lettering, traditional for many ASUS devices. Right choice"on top of it, on different languages. A convenient carrying handle is inserted into one of the sides of the box.

Inside we are greeted by an oblong box with an AC adapter and a cord connecting it to the power supply. Inside in the middle, in cardboard straps, the laptop itself is located, which is adjacent to a plastic bag containing printed publications, software disc and battery.

The specifications of the laptop in question are shown in the table below:

CPU:	Intel® Core™ i5-430M 2260 MHz (Arrandale)
Tire:	2.5 GT/s 3 MB cache 3 levels
RAM:	4096 MB DDR3-1066 MHz
Screen:	14", with LED backlight, mirror (Glare)
Permission:	1366x768 (HD)
Video card:	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470, 1024+1718 MB
Sound card:	Intel® High Definition Audio
HDD:	320 GB (5400 rpm), SATA II
CD drive:	DVD±RW (DL)
Connection:	LAN 10/100
Wireless connection:	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
Ports:	3xUSB(2.0), Kensington security, Line-out, HDMI, VGA
Expansion slots:	Card reader (SD/MMC)
Camera:	1.3MP
Input Devices:	Windows Keyboard, Touch Touch tablet Pad
Battery:	Lithium-ion, 4300 mAh (up to 3.5 hours)
Weight:	2.20 kg
Color:	Dark brown
Keyboard color:	Black
Housing (L x W x H):	349x238x36 mm
Software:	MS Windows 7 Home Basic (64-bit)
Guarantee:	1 year international guarantee manufacturer

The computing power of the system is provided by Intel® Core™ i5 processor-430M. This CPU occupies a middle position in the family Intel® Core™ i5 the company's 2010 generation processor line. Each of its cores operates at a frequency of 2260 MHz, and in Turbo Boost mode operating frequency increases to 2533 MHz. The third level cache is 3 MB. The maximum thermal package is 35 Watt. The processor supports technologies such as Enhanced Intel SpeedStep, Idle State, Execute Disable Bit, Intel 64 Architecture, as well as Intel Virtualization and Trusted Execution. In progress Intel® Core™ i5 processor-430M is guided by a full set of SIMD instructions: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2. All the power and speed of the processor allows you to unleash a solid reserve of 4GB RAM. Theoretically, the memory controller supports twice the volume. But to upgrade you will have to get rid of the installed memory, since both slots in the laptop are occupied, containing the same DDR3 RAM sticks (model Elpida EBJ21UE8BDS0-DJ-F) of 2 GB each. DDR3 memory is faster, consumes 40% less power and has an 8-bit prefetch buffer. The storage function in the laptop is performed by a 320 GB hard drive manufactured by Hitachi (model HTS545032B9A300, 5400 rpm, SATA-II). Its volume is minimal for multimedia laptops or mobile workstations, but overall it is quite average and will be sufficient in most situations.

The laptop's graphics capabilities are provided by the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 discrete graphics card. This is a fairly advanced graphics accelerator from the new 5000 series. The card supports DirectX 11, Shader 5.0, Eyefinity (up to 4 displays), Avivo HD (UVD2), Full Bitstream Audio (8-ch HD Audio over HDMI) technologies. Graphics core operates at 750 MHz. A card with such characteristics will cope with playback and processing of Full HD video, most modern 3D games with rare exceptions when the detail will have to be reduced to avoid artifacts.

In the laptop we find a standard set of ports and expansion slots for modern laptops (for some reason there is no support for MS and xD memory cards), a built-in camera with a good matrix resolution.

According to its characteristics, the ASUS K42Jr laptop can solve a very wide range of tasks, including very resource-demanding systems.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Exterior, design, safety

The design of the laptop deserves nothing but praise, both in terms of aesthetics and design. The shape of the laptop is an almost regular symmetrical parallelepiped with rounded edges and smooth contours. The design is dominated by brown colors.

The glossy lacquer finish of the lid with a mesh pattern on a brown background evokes associations with a kind of sea stone, honed over hundreds of years to perfect smoothness, which has just been pulled out of the abyss. Of course, the coating easily “collects” fingerprints, but, firstly, they are not very visible due to the patterned dark design, and secondly, how can fingerprints distract from such beauty, and it is also not difficult to erase them. In addition, the varnish coating is actually resistant to mechanical damage.

The front edge of the laptop, if you look at the lower half, has a small ledge, a couple of millimeters, on which the laptop status indicators are located. A card reader is built into the sloping surface in the middle of the topcase. The SD card is not fully inserted and is held in place by a spring latch. Inserting and removing a card requires some effort, but perhaps these are the characteristics of a particular device, and even in this case the mechanism must be developed. This surface itself has an interesting three-dimensional pattern, reminiscent of either brickwork or weaving with a thick thread. This decor creates a certain feeling of homeliness and warmth.

On the left side, if we move from left to right, from the cover fastening to the edge, we first find the Kensington security port, after which the heated air outlet grille begins. Then there are a VGA D-SUB port, an HDMI port, two USB ports in a row, and finally a headphone jack. The location of the ports is too close; not all types of devices can be inserted at the same time. When you try to insert a standard flash drive and standard cable, the devices worked, but stood at an angle.

On the right, when looking from the edge of the device, we see the cover of the optical disc tray, to the right of which the engineers placed a pedestal with three connectors (USB, RJ-45 network port and a socket for the cable from the adapter).

There are no connectors on the back, only the lid hinges and the back of the battery. It is curious that the bolt heads are visible on the outside of the lid hinges.

On the underside of the laptop you can only find three small slots for ventilation. Separate hatches are provided for quick access to the memory modules and hard drive.

The battery attaches easily to the slot between the mounting loops and is held tightly by two clamps.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Screen, camera and sound

The cover with the monitor is secured with two wide (about 1.8 cm) hinges recessed into the body. The opening mechanism involves lowering the lid relative to the topcase, but the screen is located high enough and is comfortable for work. Both the screen itself and the frame are glossy.

The mirror-type screen matrix (Glare) manufactured by Chi Mei Corporation (model N140B6-L08) has a physical size of 14" (visible area 31x17 cm or diagonal 13.9"), an aspect ratio of 17:9 (not quite standard) and a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels (HD). It has very good viewing angles in all directions. The picture on the display is very contrasty, distinguished by rich colors and a soft, eye-pleasing tone (again, one cannot fail to note the positive effect of ASUS Splendid Utility).

The camera viewfinder eye is built exactly in the middle of the top plastic edge of the screen. By moving to the right you can find nearby led indicator her work and even further to the right, on a short distance- built-in microphone window. A camera with not the smallest resolution (1.3 megapixels) perfectly performs two basic functions: video communication and user identification.

The laptop's acoustics are represented by an Altec Lansing stereo system with SRS Premium Sound surround sound technology. The sound volume did not seem subjectively as strong as expected from a mid-size laptop. Still, it is quite enough for listening to music, audio tracks movies, and game sounds. The sound quality, spatial localization, and detail were excellent. The speakers produced not strong, but dense and confident bass.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Input Devices

In the laptop, the keyboard is made of an island type, it is slightly recessed into the surface of the topcase, the entire block with the keys is recessed and surrounded by smooth contours around the perimeter.

The keys are black, flat and made of matte plastic that sparkles in the light. Designations, traditionally for ASUS, are very clear, letters white, Russians - green, functional symbols - blue. The letter keys are square, side 1.9 cm. The top row is flattened (1.9x0.7 cm). There is a 1-2 mm distance between the buttons. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable, but its deflection was noticeable (more pronounced on the right side) with moderate pressure.

The touchpad with multitouch support has medium dimensions (8x4.7 cm) and its surface follows the adjacent surface of the topcase. However, it is slightly, 1 mm, recessed into the body, having a clear boundary. The buttons are hidden under a single strip painted silver. The depth and recoil force of pressing is quite familiar. The laptop is equipped with technology to protect against random clicks Palm Proof, which is able to distinguish between finger presses and full palm presses, which avoids uncontrolled cursor movement.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Wireless connection

The laptop supports two wireless communication standards, Bluetooth (version 2.1 + EDR) and Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n). Connections are managed as standard Windows utilities, and the proprietary ASUS Wireless Control program. Sensitivity and signal level are adequate to modern expectations.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Software and General Notes

The laptop system runs on Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bit OS. Includes additional installed software there is a multimedia focus.

For working with documents there is Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 and MS Office 2010 but only 60-day trial version. Virus protection enhanced with Trend Micro Internet Security 2009.

But in multimedia block We find the multifunctional content management utility ASUSDVD 8 with a beautiful, intuitive interface, as well as the CyberLink Blue-Ray Disc Cuite program. Also in this group we note Virtual Camera and Catalyst Control Center- utility for managing discrete parameters graphics card, as well as SRS Labs - a program for managing sound parameters and effects.

Review and test of the ASUS K42Jr laptop. Benchmarks

To objectively and comprehensively evaluate the performance of the ASUS K42Jr laptop, we used the following tests:

Everest - withdrawal complete information about the system and comprehensive testing, including hard drive;

PCMark04 And PCMark05- a test designed to measure computer performance when working with office and other similar applications;

Battery Eater- duration test battery life laptop in reading mode.

The measurement results can be viewed by clicking on the corresponding mini-pictures.

I have been using the same laptop for many years and am glad that the keys have already been worn out, parts have been replaced, but the work is always stable. My dad is just a maniac in this matter. He changes computers every 2 years for sure.

He uses it at full capacity, then sells it for spare parts or to another user who does not need an expensive laptop and a used one will do, and then buys a new one. No one knows why he does this. But that is not what we are talking about.

I was chosen as an assistant to purchase a new victim. For what reason is also unclear, because I am not a brilliant programmer, but simply understand computers at the user level.

So, we came to the store. We prefer to buy equipment from Eldorado or M-video. We were immediately surrounded by smart consultants who asked what we wanted from a new laptop. After a short conversation and advertising different companies, I was attracted by the ASUS K42J laptop.

Why ASUS K42J

Firstly, because I have never used equipment from this manufacturer before. And since daddy is constantly changing laptops, why not try something new and unfamiliar?

Secondly, it had a fairly attractive price. Only 18 thousand plus or minus a couple of hundred. I don’t remember exactly, because a lot of computers were reviewed.

Thirdly, he perfectly matched the characteristics that his father needed. It is ideal for both work and play. Whatever purpose you buy a laptop for, this one will suit you well. I was convinced of this myself while using the computer.

Video review

All(5)

K42J LAPTOP REVIEW

2 years ago 0

Compact, stylish and quite fast.

2 years ago 0

1) light weight. 2) a disk with firewood (you won’t have to download firewood and software for win7) 3) it’s very productive for beech. 4) good video card

2 years ago 0

Small size, high-quality plastic body, comfortable keyboard (miss desired key almost impossible when typing), modern processor, discrete video. Acceptable price.

2 years ago 0

Excellent performance. Quiet railway (relatively old) Video works quickly.

2 years ago 0

I bought it for 26,000 rubles. And I was pleased. The laptop is small, almost like a netbook, but at the same time very productive. Played many games on it. Half of them are at maximum settings. For example MAFIA 2 and Test Drive Unlimited. And also GTA 4 is running on medium (the screen twitches a little due to lack of video memory). I wouldn't say it's getting hot. I calmly played MAFIA 2 for 8 hours, and after that I watched movies for 4-5 hours.

2 years ago 0

Quite compact, fast modern processor, supports HDMI

2 years ago 0

Copes with everyday tasks with ease. Convenient to use. The 14" screen allows you to quite comfortably edit video on your knees, and the i3 processor does not make you wait long when processing video material from a camcorder. Battery life corresponds to the performance of a laptop in " mode Maximum performance"It is possible to work autonomously for no more than 1.5-2 hours. Approximately watching one movie and ~30 minutes of Internet access.

2 years ago 0

What upset me most was the only audio input, because... I took it under field conditions for working with sound. There is no built-in microphone, I use it to communicate on Skype external web camera as a microphone.

2 years ago 0

1) the case is disturbing... very thin plastic.
2) the cover and screen are very easily soiled
3) current SD card reader(((
4) there are not enough ports

2 years ago 0

The battery is weak; in “quiet office” mode it lasts a little more than two hours; if you set the Power4Gear to maximum, it lasts less than 2 hours.

2 years ago 0

[Addition] 802.11n support is deliberately blocked. those. Wi-Fi speed will not exceed 54 Mbit. Moreover, the chip supports up to 150 Mbit. And the description states support. In general, be careful!
A huge pile of unnecessary software from ASUS
Easily soiled.
Doesn't last too long on battery power (although with its power this is quite normal)
Very faint sound. Especially the low frequencies.
No microphone input. (but there is a built-in microphone and you can connect a BlueTooth headset)

2 years ago 0

The battery charge only lasts for 2 hours (at maximum brightness), but if you play or watch a movie it will last for 1-1.5 hours. I didn't really like the microphone and camera. I changed the drivers but the quality is still not very good. I didn't notice anything else.

2 years ago 0

All glossy! (including the screen) - I have already turned it into a manual for a novice fingerprint operator, there is no connector for connecting a microphone, some kind of flimsy keyboard - it is noticeably pressed under the pressure of your fingers.

2 years ago 0

Lack of external microphone jack. The quality of the built-in microphone leaves much to be desired. But for me this is not a problem, because... I use a stereo BlueTooth headset as a means of communication and multimedia.
Gloss on the lid and screen, if you have laptop care products, will not be a problem.