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Asus X54C Laptop Computer
I don’t know how many computers I had bought or used before this Asus X54C. However, I have been using a computer every day since 1982 and I have owned laptops since 2004. My last laptop was an Acer, and I have had this Asus X54C for eighteen months.
The first thing I noticed was that it is always cool to the touch. My previous Acer used to get too hot to touch sometimes. This is also the only laptop I’ve ever had the battery of which is just as good after a year as it was when I bought it. This means that it will hold enough charge for 150 mins.
Batteries
The batteries of all the others were completely dead within 6-12 months. When you check to see whether it is charging, you will often see the message: 98% charged – not charging, which seems to prolong its life.
The screen and the colours it produces are as good to my undiscerning eyesight as any other I have ever looked at, but there are plenty of controls and wizards to adjust it to one’s own particular requirements. In fact, the Asus comes with lots of handy tools like automatic cloud backup in the background, which is handy for a writer like me because it greatly reduces the chance of losing the last few chapters of the latest novel when a crash is compounded by forgetfulness.
There is even iris or face-recognition software for the Asus 
RAM
I had Asus X5C’s RAM increased from four to eight megabytes when I bought it, so I have been slightly disappointed with the Asus X54C’s performance at times, but then I often have many windows open and programs running simultaneously, but still, it is not as good as I expect sometimes. Perhaps I expect too much, but the machine only scores 5.1 on the Windows 7 performance meter, so it is not only me that thinks its pretty poor. Fortunately, writing novels does not require a lot of processing power.
The hard drive is a bit small too at 500 gigabytes, but I have a USB drive that adds a further 500 Gig, but should I have to carry that about with me too? I don’t think so. That brings me onto the number of USB ports – a measly two! Which is even more ridiculous than the size of the hard drive, so you need to get a hub as well.
USB Ports
This is a necessity anyway if you are like me because the two USB ports, one either side are right at the front where your over-hanging little fingers can knock them causing them to become loose over time. My external hard drive has to reset itself a dozen times a day. It is very annoying and brought about by giving absolutely no thought at all to the location of the plugs.
I tried using the Asus X54C’
Poor Keyboard
I have never had keys fall off the keyboard before, ever in 32 years. However, three come off regularly. Not only that, but none of the top row are on straight. They all look as if they are about to jump off the next time I touch them. The ‘E’ won’t go back on at all! Furthermore, the ‘T’ and the ‘O’ need to be hit quite hard to make an impression. So I am not too keen on the keyboard either.
Would I have another Asus X54C? Perhaps, but not if the alternatives were just as good. I wouldn’t go back to an Acer without a lot of persuading though.
by +Owen Jones
