Review ASUS X750JB-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop

I'd like to address the elephant in the room right off the bat.

Knowing that Windows 8 is designed with touchscreens in mind, why would you choose to purchase a new laptop that does not have a touchscreen if that laptop comes with Windows 8?

I am not going to rate this laptop poorly because it does not have a touchscreen but it is something that you really need to consider if you are thinking about buying this laptop. I've struggled for nearly a year with a Lenovo laptop that also came with Windows 8 and also does not have a touchscreen. You may regret getting a Windows 8 laptop that does not have a touchscreen.

The ASUS X750JB-DB71 has a really attractive "concentric circle finish design" that gives it an understated elegance and resists fingerprints. I suppose you could also make the argunent that the concentic circles also provide a more grippy surface for when you're carrying the laptop making it less prone to slip out of your hand. And slip it might because it is a heavy laptop weighing just a bit under 6 pounds.

The left side of the laptop has a headphone/microphone jack, 2-USB3 ports, an Ethernet port, HDMI output, VGA output and a Kensington lock. The front left side of the laptop has an SD card slot. On the right side is the DC input jack, 2-USB 2 ports and the DVD drive.

When you flip open the lid you see a full size chiclet style keyboard with numeric pad. On the top left is the on/off button. Below the keyboard is the large touchpad. To the left of the touchpad on the lower front edge is a row of small LED lights indicating: Power status, Charging status, Drive activity, Bluetooth/wierless indicator, Number lock indicator and Capital lock indicator.

A great feature of the laptop is the fast wake up from hibernation mode... about 2 seconds.
A bad feature of the laptop is all the bloatware that is included which is largely useless or mostly unwanted.

Notable features of this laptop:
- 8GB of RAM
- 2TB hard disk (but only 5400rpm)
- Bright and sharp display
- 2 second wake from hibernation

I think that overall this is a decent laptop. I do wonder whether the value is there though. My Lenovo laptop, which is a 15" screen cost about half what this costs. Granted the Lenovo only has 1TB drive, 4GB RAM and an overall 4.6 Windows Experience Index compared to a 5.9 Windows Experience Index for the ASUS but for twice the cost it seems like the ASUS should at least have a touchscreen and Blu-Ray. For just under $1000, it's not like this is an inexpensive laptop.
Review from Mr Erb.Thanks for watching!