[Review/Pics] ASUS K42JR-A1 Notebook

Notable Specifications (Taken from XoticPC/Amazon):

Display: 14" WXGA HD LED (1366x768) Glossy
Video Card: 1024MB DDR3 ATI Radeon HD 5470
Processor: Intel® Mobile Core i5 430M 2.26 Ghz
Memory: 4GB DDR3 1066MHz (Up to 8GB)
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Battery Life: 2-3 Hour
Weight: 5.3lbs
Dimensions: 13.9 x 9.5 x 1.5 inches

Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone to show you guys what it looks like aside from the pictures provided from the ASUS, XoticPC, and Amazon websites. Hopefully my review will help the community because I know finding a thorough user review on this specific model has been nearly impossible.

EDIT1: I will probably be posting a small video review on YouTube since I haven't seen any kind of video reviews there either. I did manage to find one customer review on some market price comparing site, but the review wasn't really thorough or in depth in any way.

Just click on the image to get the 800x600 version

 

[RESERVED FOR MY ACTUAL USER REVIEW]

I was only able to unbox the notebook, but not actually set it up the way I wanted to. When I have the time I will be downgrading the XP, and doing some benchmark and gaming testing.

 

how much? looking good so far, nice pics.

 

Thanks. I haven't seen any customer pictures anywhere on this model, so I went ahead and took the time to help out those who had so many questions on this notebook.

You can get them from Amazon.com for USD $872.03 flat with free US Shipping and online tax free.

XoticPC has them for cheaper, but I'm not sure if they charge tax and charge for shipping on this specific model. I wouldn't order it from XoticPC personally because I read somewhere on a different forum that they ordered and received an international keyboard version of the K42JR-A1.

I personally won mine on eBay for USD $790.00 flat on a 5 day auction. It was well worth the wait.

 

awesome price! Im going to try to luck on a asus then in need of a laptop, thanks!

 

Do you know what the battery life is like on these laptops, if not what is your estimate based on Asus, the processor and the video card. I am about to pull the trigger on one.

 

That's really great!!

I have a question, does it say anything on the box about the color of the laptop? From your picture, it looks like it's black, but I thought the only color available is dark brown.

Please keep us informed about the laptop.

Thanks

 

battery life is about 2.8hrs, i think this is on hi-performnce...cant check right now as my laptop is with ASUSfor an RMA.
processor is hi on win7 WEI, vc is also hi on gaming performance on WEI, but only 5.1 on aero.

it's dark brown, you cant really tell if the laptop is closed, you can only tell its brown when eyou open it from 24inches awat, further than that- it looks black- i kinda like it.

 

Has anyone who owns this notebook tried downgrading to XP? If so were you able to successfully downgrade it to 32bit or 64bit?

Reason why I ask is because I have both retail versions but every time it loads the installer during bootup I get the blue screen telling me that Windows shut itself down to prevent damage to my computer.

 

i got that meesage too
.

 

I just ordered my k42jr last night from amazon.

If im not satisfied i plan to get the MSI gx640 when it drops.

 

Check the BIOS setting and see how the Sata adapter is set. i think it has to be a ACHI mode or something like that. It's been a while since I used XP.

 

Thanks I'll be sure to give that a try and I'll let you know how it goes.

BTW Have you received your K42JR? If so, are you happy with the build quality? Does it seem that the keyboard is a little flimsy, meaning when you press down on one specific key at times, you might press down on the keyboard itself. Also, the mouse doesn't seem to be that accurate often skipping spots as if the notebook itself is lagging in performance but actually isn't. Let me know some of your thoughts.

 

I went into the BIOS this morning and the SATA Configuration is already set to ACHI mode. The other option is IDE, but I didn't switch it to try because I was reading that it's sometimes fatal to data to switch back and forth. Anyways, ACHI mode did not correct the error when trying to downgrade to XP.

Thanks though AltecX.

EDIT1 (04/01/2010): There are a few Amazon reviews up for this laptop. Apparently some of the ratings aren't the best.

 

How soon do you think you'll be able to get out a thorough user review of this model?

 

Oh man I apologize. It's actually been awhile since I have been on the forums. I've been using the notebook for about 2 weeks now and have had no problems with it. I gave up trying to downgrade it to XP and I'm actually pretty content with Windows 7.

The only game I have had time to play is Mount&Blade on the highest settings and resolution without any lag at all. I have tons of games to test, but haven't gotten around to testing.

The only problems in which I first had with the notebook has been the keyboard quality. Other than that, I've gotten use to it and I'm very happy with the specifications for the price.

 

Hi can anyone tell me the pros and cons between this laptop and the
U30JC- A1? They are in the same price range but the u30jc seems to have a better battery life and the switchable graphics. Does the K42JR- A1 have a better graphics card?
Thanks!

 

The 5470 GPU on the K42JR is marginally better than the 310M GPU in the U30JC. CPU wise, the K42JR also provides better performance. The difference mainly lies on performance VS portability/battery life. The U30JC would most likely also have a better build quality too.

 

Thanks. So I'm guessing the better laptop to go with is the U30JC-A1? Are there any other laptops you guys know of that might be around the 800 price range and deliver a better system then the U30JC-A1 or K42JR-A1?

 

What you need is download Intel PCHM driver and integrate to XP installation, switch to IDE mode will most likely won't work:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6241759-post4324.html