ASUS D550CA-BH31 15.6" Notebook PC - Black

First, let me explain that the five star rating is heavily based on the price, because if not $400 then the rating would vary. I'm definitely a bit on the geeky side, so searching for a new laptop for my nine and a half year old son was quite a drawn out process because of the budget I had set(or more accurately, my Wife had set). There were few choices that fit my criteria, and after much consideration I settled on the Asus.My criteria was as follows-Intel i3 3rd generation-4gb Ram or better-Windows 8(So he's on the same OS version I am)-at least 720p display-13 inch display or largerTo be honest I'd had it narrowed down to this Asus model or Lenovo G series, but imported for the higher ram and lighter weight Asus. The i3 performs just as expected for an Ivy Bridge model. They are pretty snappy at everyday tasks such as web browsing, YouTube, Office programs, and the simple flash games and Minecraft that my Son enjoys. I opened it to check for any defects or damage and put it through all of these tasks that he regularly performs to be sure that it would suffice.The display is as good as any other that checked all of my criteria boxes. It's not gonna impress you in any way, but it's adequate. The display is definitely one of the biggest compromises when purchasing a laptop on a budget, so I don't expect to be wowed by anything in this price range. The addition of an optical drive is nice is suppose, but we'll most likely never use it. The 5400rpm hard drive is probably the biggest bottleneck in a PC at this price, and obviously this one is no exception. The sound they make as they hum along at snail speed is like nails on a chalkboard to me, lol. It's not whisper quiet but it's not loud either, I just personally despise not having an SSD in anything I use with few exceptions. I know it's probably crazy to most people to further invest in a laptop this cheap, but I may spring for a 256gb SSD after we recover from the holidays if I find a well priced open box or something. If he's going to be using this for a couple of years, the speed enhancement is justifiable in my opinion.The build quality and design... This is most definitely where Asus made the cost adjustments in order to bring the specs slightly above others in its price range. It's simple, plain, and really has nothing to stand out. It's an all plastic construction with a black power button that' wasn't immediately visible to me, but I have poor vision. It's not a slim profile, and I doubt a great deal of time was spent on design, which is perfectly acceptable given the specs vs the price. I'd say it's a trade off I'd agree with! The speakers are okay, they're loud enough but don't expect any bass or high quality music to pour out of the. I haven't found a laptop yet that couldn't use an external speaker addition. The keyboard is a chiclet style with good enough keys travel, it's not backlit of course, but it's tough to get that at this price. The trackpad seems to do its job too, it gives a loud and certain "click" when pressed, but it's sensitivity is good and it responds very well to all of the Windows 8 gestures.Overall, I'd say it's a definite "Go" for someone looking for a $400 laptop! I could easily use this myself for most basic tasks, and I think my Son will love it as his first PC! I really felt I needed to write a review of it for those that may have been hesitant to purchase such a low priced machine without any user reviews, as I know I was. But with realistic expectations, I don't see anyone being disappointed. I really hope this has helped some of you make your decisions. I'm not much of a reviewer, but I'd be happy to try and answer any questions.

The hinge mechanism is faulty workmanship. I bought the laptop in August 2013. The hinge broke and because it is molded to the LCD, ASUS is expecting me to pay $165 as well as shipping ($30.00) for the repair. ASUS will not stand by its warranty even though the hinge initially broke after my owning it only 2 weeks. I have never written a negative review before. However, my frustration with ASUS is extremely high. Repeated emails from a local computer repair man, who is officially sanctioned by ASUS for repairs, have not resulted in anything. He, also, has decided to break all ties with ASUS after this incident.

Bought as Christmas gift. Very basic and cheap construction. Think there may be better options out there. Mouse pad and keys don't seem like that will last very long.

I am sure it was a good computer, however I'd purchased it to use with an older version of Sign Lab (a sign design program) and thought I'd asked every question of my software tech and computer techs to ensure it would work for me only to find out that it the program I intended for it's use was not supported by Windows 8. I asked for a downgrade but was told that I would hate the computer if I downgraded it to Windows 7 so I didn't. I asked my software tech what I could do and was told that I could upgrade my dongle for $500 or purchase the Sign Lab 9 version for $1400 but that older versions not supported by Windows 8 would not be readable--ummmm I have about a gazillion customer files that wouldn't be readable? That would suck. I use a desktop at work and wanted a laptop to work from home with so in the end, I sold my new Asus to my computer tech for an older Lenovo downgraded to XP which still wouldn't run my Sign Lab 7 but loaded the Sign Lab 8 well. Just stinks that now I have an old laptop for a new laptop price and need to transport my dongle between work and home anyhow.Like I said, it isn't the computer's fault. My tech was very happy to make the trade and put a 'brand new' used computer on his showroom floor. At least he tossed me a bone by putting in some additional software I'd asked for.

Overall a very good value. A basic notebook grea for kids doing homework and streaming movies. The extra ram helps boost speed so the i3 processor is fully engaged. This is NOT a gaming machine. None of the components are matched to perform this function. Use it for what it is intended.Not a huge fan of Windows 8.1, but it is what MS is pushing on us now. I think the machine would be much more functional if Windows 7 was an option, but it is not horrible.

Windows 8 is different. Way different. The start menu brings up an entirely new screen. It's starts to feel normal once you click on the desktop icon. I might suggest if you edit your settings a lot that you pin the control panel to the task bar. If you want to find something in the start menu and it's not there start typing the name. A search box will come up. The desktop is a lot like Windows 7 except there is not start menu. Press the windows key to get to the start menu. Windows 8 is far more secure, but in turn it is harder to edit settings. Playing world of warcraft is a breeze. The computer is much faster but prone to freezing upon the very first startup. The computer is great. I love it! It is perfect for me.