Some time ago, we got acquainted with AMD’s new Brazos platform, or more specifically, its strongest incarnation, ASUS’ motherboard with the E-350 APU. The “E” in the APU’s name revealed that we were dealing with the Zacate APU, containing two Bobcat cores, and the stunning performance we witnessed at the time resulted in an Editor’s Choice award as well. In the meantime, ASUS has been working fervently at launching new notebooks based on the same platform. Although the Brazos platform is theoretically aimed at the netbook market, its nature and performance enabled it to be implemented in desktop and notebook computers as well. ASUS’ K53BY is the latest example thereof.
Models that used big chassis for netbook (Atom) configurations have been available up to now as well, “stretching” the predefined dimensions in order to increase productivity and comfort of use on a larger display. However, Intel’s Atom didn’t make for a very fruitful combo of the two, mostly because the performance of the platform as a whole is rather limited, even in the case of dual-core configurations. On the other hand, AMD’s Neo CPUs just weren’t competitive, both in terms of consumption (battery life) and heating, which has been a problem for AMD for a while now. The Brazos platform has raised the bar to a new level. GPU, as an integral part of the APU, has separate parts for video (editing and playback), while performance is several times better than the level previously offered by netbooks. Besides Full HD playback and playing less demanding games, this platform can easily cope with taxing multitasking, and all that on HD Ready displays (1366x768). ASUS’s latest K-series representative has this very goal in mind.
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A 15.6” display has allowed for a full-size keyboard, containing the numerical section as well. The plastic lid has a piano finish, which gives this model a touch of elegance, but also collects fingerprints at the speed of light. The combination of a discreet pattern visible only under certain angles and the piano finish reveals that we’re clearly dealing with a pricier model. Unlike K53SV, this notebook has no aluminium elements, instead using a very high-quality plastic imitation, which has had its impact on the final price. The minimalistic design is recognisable the instant you’ve opened the lid. The keyboard section has a slight drop from the touchpad level, and besides the keyboard itself, the only extra element you’ll find here is the power button and the metal net stretching across the entire width of the notebook above the keyboard, concealing a marvellous Altec Lansing sound subsystem.
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The keyboard is strengthened on the back in order to eliminate bending during typing, and the numerical section compromises the usual position of the cursor keys. From the usability point of view, this is definitely a compromise, one that had to be made in order to fit the entire numerical section and keep the design of the notebook intact. Although the keyboard is not of Chiclet type as usual, the design is taken from the N-series, which automatically means very comfortable work. Touchpad is barely recognisable from its frame, with only a small difference in colour tone, and is slightly moved to the left, which means that accidental palm actions on it and subsequent cursor “jumps” are inevitable. The keys themselves are large, shiny (chrome polish), but also very noisy. Since this is a test sample, and not the final retail version, we believe that this aspect of K53BY is going to be amended by the time it hits the retail shelves. Below the touchpad, closer to the edge, there are discreet LEDs, signalising basic computer actions (on/off, battery level, HDD, Wi-Fi, Caps and Num Lock).
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Had we not already mentioned the sheer size of this notebook, you probably wouldn’t have guessed it was as large just from the aforementioned features. Don’t be fooled, though, ASUS’ engineers knew well how to use the room at hand; suffice to look at the number and layout of the available connectors: three USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, LAN, audio in/out, card reader, and of course, the optical device. The display is rather standard-fare. It doesn’t deviate from the norm in any way, either positively or negatively. Viewing angles are solid, and the glare coating is in place, which means that you’ll have vivid colours at the cost of difficulty using the PC in strong sunlight. If the system configuration had been different, we might have minded the relatively low resolution for this display size, but this way, 1366x768 is just fine for this hardware base; to go above would require a stronger discreet graphics card.
