Asus N53SV & N53SN SandyBridge Owner Thread

I'm getting mixed messages from inafking and roflonmywaffle lol. I don't care too much for playing in fullhd, 1366x768 is good enough for gaming for me. How would it do at that resolution?

And as far as swapping out the nvidia goes, I'd say probably not. You might be able to swap out the internals with that of a N53SN though.

 

Well, black ops worked great with 1366x768. Better than trine Seriously wondering what's wrong with that game..

For me there have been so many problems with this lappy that if I were you I'd take something else.. Maybe some MSI? If I could go back in time I'd take something with 1366x768 resolution because I don't even watch fhd movies.

 

I was waiting for Amazon to have it back in stock, while waiting I was researching for other models, and some said Asus might bring out new model out soon (like G74). So I was wondering if they'd do the same to N53SV. Any thoughts?

I was looking at MSI too, but it costs more than this Asus at Amazon for similar spec....otherwise I might consider it.

 

Really? What has gone wrong with it?

 

I haven't had any problems with N53SV since I've had it with the exception of the HDMI. From the looks of it there looks like a design flaw in the HDMI port which makes it hard to use any cable. It seems like the port is too deep for some cords to reach. Took two months before me and some other owners figured it out. If your HDMI cord doesn't work right, try pushing it in hard.

 

yeah, I think my problems haven't been really bad, just some little things. you've tried games? I haven't tried HDMI yet.

 

So would you guys recommend this or the HP dv6t? The HP's specs are really impressive, but I highly doubt its build quality will be as good as the Asus's...

 

I've run steam games like portal and portal 2, and crysis. Runs really smooth. It helps to get RAM too as it's inexpensive.

HP was rated worse in hardware defects among the other laptop competitors.

Who makes the most reliable laptops? | Crave - CNET

Here is an article that may help you decide. Also I've had my share of hardware failure from HP.

 

What settings did you use, or default? You got the FHD version, right? Not sure what you meant with that RAM thing, I get more ram and the games will run better? Shouldn't affect the graphics

 

Anyone have problem booting up from SSD? I swopped the original 640gb harddisk with a Crucial M4 128gb harddisk, now whenever I bootup the system I have to go into the bios to load Optimized setting using F9 and then F10 to save and exit, if I do not do this step the SSD cannot be boot up properly, I will get a a blank screen after POST.

If I have an external USB3 harddisk connected on the USB3 port the laptop cannot boot up and will shows a blank screen after POST . Connecting an external USB3 harrdisk on USB2 port do not have any problem and I can boot into Windows 7.

Lastly, the external USB3 cannot be recognise under Windowes 7 if I use the USB3 port, using the USB2 port works.

I have ACHI enabled in the Bios and btw I am using Bios ver. 1.09. When I try to auto download and install the USB3 driver it always load the TV Tuner driver, does anyone have the USB Mass Storage driver for USB3 to wok on this unit?

 

Solved my problem with a new external WD Passport 1gb portable USB3 drive. It boot into WIn7 without problem now with the USB3 drive.

However booting up the unit from cold start without going thru the bios F9 and F10 process still not solve.

 

Hello - can you please let me know where you ordered your laptop - I have been looking for this for several weeks but it seems it has not been released. Many thanks

 

If anyone's interested, playing black ops with 1366x768 resolution and ultra graphics the fps was around 40-60, mostly around 40.

 

Nice! It's not too bad then... The only games I'm worried about at this point is Dirt 3 and Battlefield 3.

 

I'll test Dirt 3 for you today and gonna hit you up with the results later.

 

I wonder if you have tried running dual display to monitors via HDMI and VGA at same time? Not playing games, just in general? How is it?

 

Thanks! Hope it won't cause you too much trouble.

 

I got it from PC World in the UK. It was very limited stock and I was lucky to get one. They removed it from their website very quickly.

 

Can someone clarify the following for me?
Does this version of the N53 have optimus technology?

Model is: N53SV-SZ404V

 

Thats a great link and I am happy that Asus are on the lowest end of the 3 Year Malfunction Rates graph. But what I'm surprised about is that Acer are not on the graph at all. So does that mean they are so reliable they don't make it onto the graph or that they just weren't included in the sample?

 

Hi everyone, first post here.

Proud owner of an old 6-year Asus M6Va, forced to get a new laptop because the backlight is failing

Looking at the market, the Asus N53SN seems like a great choice in theory.

Need some help though...

I've seen many negative comments on the keyboard, so I took a look at an olded Asus N53 model and I really noticed it really bends. I didn't really like it...

Also, I've seen some comments on getting a second hard drive (SSD), which I would greatly appreciate. My idea would be to get the SSD inside (I'm hoping for 6 gbps, sata III, the chipset delivers it on 2 of the 6 ports it has, hope no-one at Asus failed here..., why don't they advertise SATA III?)

So my questions are:

1) What are the easy solutions to solve the keyboard problem without voiding the warranty?

2) I've already seen how to get to the hard drive inside, seems pretty easy. So, I'd like to put the SSD in the drive bay and get a caddy to replace the dvd with the hard drive that is provided by Asus. The thing is, I don't know in this model how to remove the dvd. Has anyone done it without voiding the warranty? Is it easy? Is there a guide around (preferably with some photos)?

3) Does anyone have a 3rd generation SSD running on it? Can you confirm a 6 gbps link?

Many thanks.

On a side note, I've seen some comments one the fact that this notebook stays cool and quiet. Can some owners confirm this? Perhaps someone could provide a few temperature values at full throttle (gaming) and at idle (browsing).

Thanks again.

PS: Here is the summary of the specs of the ASUS N53SN-SZ188V, available in Portugal for ~1050€:
15.6" FHD LED, Intel i7 2630QM (2.0 Ghz), 8GB (2*4GB) DDR3 1333, 750GB 5400rpm SATA, NVIDIA GeForce GT550M 2G VRAM DDR3, DVDRW Supermulti, Gigabit LAN / Wifi N / USB 3.0 / Bluetooth 3.0, Windows7 Premium 64 bits

 

Couldn't find info about that, but I'm pretty sure it does have it.

Btw, what's with the new 540m's having 2GB vram? I've read that it can't even use 1GB properly.. Seems like a marketing thing

 

Are you sure its 5400rpm? The 750GB HDD is 7200rpm I think.

 

You may be right but it's what is says on the site. Either way, it's something I don't really care about, as I'd really like to have the SSD for the operating system. In case I get it I'll let you know later.

What I really care about are those things I asked

 

how much disk space you people got? my package says 640gb but computer management says 596,17 GB, why?

 

I did an advanced search which came up with zero results and clicked through some pages in this post but just to be sure:

The Asus N53SV does not suffer from throttling like some other Sandy Bridge models (Acer 4830 for example)?

 

There's actually a reason for this. Hardware companies advertise memory in terms of 1000s. So 1 GB = 1,000MB = 1,000,000 KB etc. Software however, deals with memory in terms of 1024. So 1 GB = 1024 MB = 1,048,576 KB etc.

So your hard drive has 640,000,000,000 bytes of storage on it. The software will read that as 640GB/1024 = 625,000,000 KB. Divide that by 1024 again and you get 610,351.5625 MB. Divide it once more and you get 596.046GB, about the size that your computer is showing. So really, it's just a matter of how you define a Gigabyte.

Now, since that takes a while to work out every time you want to convert between the two memory sizes, you can simplify things a little bit by knowing that the amount of storage your computer shows is about 93.13% the size advertised. So all you have to do is 640 * .9313 = 596.032 which is pretty close to what I got above. This will work with any hard drive size (only when working with gigabytes) so a 500GB hard will only show up as about 500 * .9313 = 465.65GB on your computer.

 

Probably recovery sector & linux boot.
There is not option to replace the GPU, it's soldered to the board.

 

okay, thanks guys. and dk, i'll promise to post the dirt 3 results after weekend!

 

i7-2630QM + 16GB Ram = Fast as *ell...

BUT : I can only burn DVD's at 4x (Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden both +R) - thats half the speed as my SONY BC-5500A Blu-ray Combo manages... maybe -R media is a better choice for this burner ?
I also miss e-Sata connection and a ExpressCard slot...

Unfortunately my Asus G1S GFX died - but it was a piece of cake to go from G1S to N53SN. Moved over the Corsair SSD Force Series system disk from G1S - booted and installed the drivers needed for N53SN. All programs runs flawless and all files are intact

Throtthling is a "safety" feature, so if the cpu get's hot enough it will throtthle. So better cooling means better overhead before the cpu throttles.
You can try and load 8 instances of eg. rthdribl, what happens first when the cpu gets hot enough is that the turbo boost will back down to keep the temperature under ~90 degrees C.
IF you manage to load the cpu so much that the cooling isn't adequate anymore the cpu will throtthle to avoid damage to it. I have not been able to do that. Haven't started to look into overclocking yet tho

Yes, it the optimus technology is enabled in Asus N53SV-SZ404V

 

Finally, I got my laptop yesterday - N53SN. It's nicer than I expected
- keyboard flex is not so bad
- full HD on 15.6 is very nice, but things are too small, I will go for external screen
- unfortunatelly, after clean Windows 7 installation and drivers from attached ASUS DVD, it did freeze 3 times and I had to do hard restart (TBH, I didn't believe you at all with freezing and it did the same to me)
- then I updated NVIDIA driver from their website, using that activeX driver finder and again activeX updater from Intel website, which updated Integrated graphics and something else and now it seems everything works fine

(freezing started very strange, that computer didn't react, I could move only with mouse, and after 30sec or so it worked again fine, but this repeated about 3 times - turboboost went to 2,6Ghz - and then it did freeze all and I had to use hard restart)

And I installed all available updates for Windows 7 as well.

So, definitelly, drivers included on ASUS DVD are not latest.
How about you? Did you fix your freezing?

One more thing I was little dissapointed - speakers, ASUS SonicMaster makes it even worst It's louder, but terrible sound. Actually, sound from this laptop is probably better than from others, but it's still laptop sound - hehe and always be I think

UPDATE: No more freezing, everything is working perfectly, quite happy with this machine, just enjoyed some NVIDIA demo
(One more thing, isn't there a keyboard shortcut to swicth between integrated and discrete GPU?)

UPDATE2: after stand-by wifi network stopped working, I couldn't connect again whatever I tried, finally decided to restart and it freezed on "shutting down" screen
BTW, Wifi led indicator does not work properly, anyone noticed this too? (it lights up when I trun wifi to ON position, but then it lights turn off again, byut wifi is working, strange...

UPDATE3: WiFi led working fine afer installed Wireless console from included drivers DVD. No freezing so far, all good so far, I love this machine more and more

 

rkrama, have you tried using HDMI and VGA out at the same time output to dual monitors? Does it work well?

 

I'm sorry, I don't have an HDMI external screen yet, but if you could help me here... I'd like to order something with 1920x1200, which is not standard HDMI output, will it work?

(About HDMI and VGA output at the same time, just guessing, but I'd say it can make only one output on external device at the same time. I don't have experience with this, does this work on some other laptops?)

 

@rkrama I agree the sound is not as good as I thought it would be.

 

I am not sure...anyone else knows the answers?

 

There are 16:10 monitors available with HDMI and I think it should work fine. I don't think HDMI is restricted to only 16:9 ratio.

 

help wanted! just got a new n53sv-xv1 yesterday. i can't get the gt 540m to work at all. i get a "Display Driver NVIDIA Windows Kernal Mode Driver Version .... stopped responding and has successfuly recovered" message immediately whenever i open a game, run the windows experience index, or open the tab with the 3D spinning nvidia logo in the nvidia control panel.

first a tried it with stock drivers. then i tried it with updated intel and nvidia drivers. then i installed a fresh windows 7 ultimate copy i had around, and tried MORE drivers. i used nvidia beta drivers and various laptop2go modded inf drivers... 27x drivers and 26x drivers.... same problems every time. note that if i disable the gpu altogether, windows experience index runs fine, so it isn't intel's problem.

1) does anyone have a combination of intel and nvidia drivers that they are sure works?
2) any other suggestions?

thanks in advance.

 

hmm tough break. Did u install all other drivers from Asus site? not cd.
I've got the latest from both nvidia and intel.

It seems that many have come with that prob' (google) and other than the regualr options, updates and clean installs you can try this:
change the power management mode in the Nvidia Control panel under manage 3D settings from adaptive to prefer maximum performance.
This could be a hardware problem as well...
keep us updated.
good luck!

have any of you heard about http://www.love-battery.com?
they have a 9-cell battery...
is it legit?

 

My qualified ? guess is that there is support for 2 monitors - so - you can only run HDMI - or VGA - not both at the same time.
I think you are up to serious register and driver hacks before you will be able to disable onboard screen and run HDMI and VGA simultaneously. I believe it can be done - but why ? A laptop is a mobile device (draggable?) it is no substitute for a desktop. A mobile device - laptop - is a device that will die upon you long before a desktop is gone. And a laptop has less - much less- performance per money spent vs. desktop. Don't buy a laptop unless you NEED it - buy - or rather build a desktop instead

 

Hi there, thx for reply. I know desktop is cheaper, but I just wonder if a laptop can output to dual monitor, not necessary to replace my still working desktop. I know Dell XPS 17 can do it via HDMI and Displayport out at the same time. But other laptops require either USB addon or dock.

Actually Asus just launch a new business class laptop with Eyeinfinity that can output to 3 monitors. So there is some demand for it out there.

 

Hi Startrooper,

I am also considering this would a non-genuine battery a 9-cell for the N35SV cause issues to the laptop such as to much power ? or is the current from the Battery Regulated quiet efficiently from the laptop and also from these non-genuine batterys? I personally could benefit alot from a 9-cell battery looking on the site they are about 7200 I wonder how many hours I could get out of that on the N53SV.

 

'
yup I know it has interest - beats me why tho..

Anyhow I cant enable hdmi on mine - it is recognized but nothing happens on the screen connected to hdmi
Ny hdmi cable is 10 meters so that can be a hinder,,, VGA connects . no problem

 

That is a long HDMI cable (30 feet). I read that at max, 10 feet (3 meters) or so is max. at what a HDMI signal can pass through without degradation. If you try a 3 meters HDMI cable, it should work no problem.

 

Just wanted to say I went with the XPS 15. The electrical discharge on the N53SV had me worried, as well as the lack of user info on how to switch the screen to matte.

Pros:

The XPS has the best 1080p screen for a 15" laptop, I ordered a version of the stock screen that is matte from another seller.

The CPU is UPGRADEABLE (socket G2). This means that most likely you will be able to put a Ivy Bridge in it if Dell updates the BIOS and Intel keeps true to its word of Ivy Bridge being pin compatible with SNB

Backlit keyboard

There is actually a sub woofer in it, and the sound is supposed to be excellent.

cons:

Its a Dell.

dual-core instead of quad

slightly slower GPU at stock speed


Only issue was to keep the same price point I had to go with a dual core instead of quad, and my graphics card is the 525M instead of the 540M. The video card is exactly the same, but lower clocks. It can be OC'd to make up for it. The CPU I can deal with until Ivy comes around.


price breakdown:

$774.68 XPS 15 (very basic model w/ bluetooth and backlit keyboard added)
$20.64 FHD ribbon cable
$146.71 FHD matte screen

total: $942 including shipping and CA taxes/fees



Both seem like good laptops, the XPS just let me get everything I wanted with little compromise. I don't mean to seem like a Dell fanboy (I actually hate the brand image) or say Asus doesn't make a good computer. I just want to draw attention to the XPS if anyone has the same criteria I had.

 

I considered getting an XPS 15, but for the price, the N53sv is a better value imho.

 

The screen I got ends up being another brand. I thought I had it worked out, now I'm about to cancel everything. Yes, the N53SV rocks, I just can't do with glossy screens.

 

For the XPS? If you want a matte screen, the only laptop that I know of that comes with one is the Sager 5160/5165.

 

HP ProBooks have a matte screen. Nice laptops as well.

 

The sagers have great specs, but a lil pricier and butt ugly. Trying to keep it under $1000 with FHD matte.

I found another dealer for the matte screen, so I guess I won't cancel my XPS order.

I had also looked at the thinkpad t540, they have some with 1080p and dedicated graphics with matte screens. I was intrigued with their pointer/mouse thing in the middle of the keyboard. It was a little out of my budget though.

Since I was on the fence about waiting for ivy bridge, the upgradeable cpu on the XPS appealed to me.

 

One thing that draws me about N53S is it can install up to 16G of Ram. Probably not everyone needs it, but I do. You can't find any under $1000 laptop that lets you do that, best bang for the buck.