ASUS K42JV-X1 14-inch Thin And Light Laptop PC

Nov 3 2010 - The ASUS K42JV-X1 offers a good mix of strong performance and graphics in a compact 14-inch package. Not only does it feature a Core i5 processor but also a 7200rpm 500GB hard drive. The keyboard design is also very comfortable to use but the glossy coating will easily pick up fingerprints. Graphics are good and switchable between dedicated and integrated but it is older technology that doesn't support Direct X 11 and must be switched manually.

Nov 3 2010 - The ASUS K42JV-X1 may be a relatively small laptop thanks to its smaller screen but it doesn't sacrifice on performance. The Intel Core i5-540M dual core processor combined with 4GB of DDR3 memory let it cruise through most applications without much trouble. Only the most processor heavy tasks will really give the system a heavy workout.

Storage features for the ASUS K42JV-X1 are fairly typical for a 14-inch laptop in this $950 price range. It comes with a sizable 500GB hard drive that provides plenty of space for applications, data an media files. Be warned that the drive is split into an OS and DATA partition rather than one large partition. The drive does spin at the 7200rpm desktop class rate which gives it some additional performance. A dual layer DVD burner handles all playback and recording of CDs or DVDs. Also included is a multicard reader that handles the most popular flash media types.

Graphics on the ASUS K42JV-X1 are a bit dated. It comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M dedicated graphics unit. This gives is the ability to play most games up to the 14-inch panel's native 1366x768 resolution but it lacks support for the Direct X 11 graphics technology. In addition to the dedicated graphics, ASUS built the unit to be switchable between this and the Intel integrated graphics. It must be done manually rather than through the Optimus technology but it can be useful. The 14-inch panel has a glossy coating as most consumer laptops do but the viewing angles are fairly narrow.

In order to keep the size of the laptop down, ASUS uses a relatively small six-cell battery pack with a 4400mA capacity rating. In DVD playback testing with the graphics switched to the integrated processor, the laptop was able to run just over two and a hour hours before going into standby mode. This is roughly average for this level of configuration. More typical usage should yield another hour while enabling the dedicated graphics will probably yield about 15 minutes fewer for DVD playback and only three hours of standard use.

The keyboard on the K42JV continues to use the isolated key design that ASUS has been using for some time. The nice part about this is that the 14-inch frame tends to leave little room but ASUS manages to space the keys well to allow for some very smooth typing with very little flex in the keyboard. The trackpad is a decent size but it has the same texture as the palmrest which can make it difficult to locate at times.

One thing that buyers should be aware of the with ASUS K42JV laptop is the case. It uses a very shiny plastic coating. Now this isn't uncommon with laptops with plastic exterior shells but this coating plus the dark color of the case result in it showing fingerprints and smudges very easily necessitating frequent cleaning or having it look dirty all the time.