Notebook Asus PRO57T, also known in the global market as Asus M51TR, is a rather unusual device. The device has a sophisticated design, a high-quality webcam and a rich bundle that cannot be compared with competitors. The latter can play a decisive role when choosing a computer, because many things are purchased with a laptop anyway, so why shouldn't they be bundled with it?
Package
Actually, in the package from under the computer you can find a whole treasure:
- The Asus PRO57T laptop itself.
- Wire for connecting to the mains.
- 4800 milliamphour battery.
- Device transport bag.
- A mouse that connects to a laptop via USB.
- Many discs with drivers, utilities and system recovery tools.
- Countless waste paper (manuals and brochures).
- S-VIDEO to S/PDIF adapter.
- Cable for connection to RJ-11 telephone modem.
- Wiring tape.
Specifications
| Processor | AMD Athlon 64, 2 cores, 1900 MHz (950 idle) |
| RAM | 2 gigabytes |
| Hard drive | 160 GB, 5400 rpm |
| Video card |
Radeon HD3470, 256 + 638 MB VRAM |
| Display | 15.4 inches, 1280 x 800 dots, glossy finish |
| Camera | 1.3 mega pixel rotating mechanism |
| Battery | Li-Ion, 4800 mAh |
| Dimensions and weight | 365 x 270 x 28 - 41 mm, 3 kilograms |
Design and communications
The laptop has a very controversial design. It looks clumsy and bulky, while it is also quite weighty. The body is made of black plastic. This material is used throughout the laptop, giving it an overly austere and slightly outdated look. The build quality is good, the laptop feels pretty solid, doesn't creak or crunch under pressure, the hinges hold the lid firmly and allow it to literally lie down on a work surface, be it a table or your lap.
On the right side of the laptop placed: ExpressCard slot, 2nd generation USB port, IEEE 1394 port, E-SATA socket, HDMI port, D-SUB port for connecting an additional screen and two RJ-11 network ports and RJ-45. On the left, there was only enough space for a CD drive and a Kensington lock. On the frontbevel huddle: "card reader", another USB port of the 2nd generation and two audio ports (for headphones and a microphone). There are 2 more USB ports on the back. This unusual arrangement of communication ports is probably justified by the fact that the CD drive takes up too much space. Together with the changed thickness in the middle of the gadget, this led to the placement of some of the ports in front and behind.
Keyboard, touchpad and mouse
The Asus PRO57T uses an island-style keyboard. The keys are in the form of a pyramid with a recess at the point of pressing. The key travel is high and sharp, similar to old-style desktop keyboards. The English keys are engraved in white, while the Russian keys are engraved in green. There is no practical use in this, but it looks interesting and unusual. There is a full digital panel. Among the shortcomings of the keyboard is to highlight its volume. Due to the high height of the keys unpleasantly "click".
Under the keyboard block there is a small touchpad with a rough surface, recessed into the case. There is nothing special about it, and the fact that the kit includes a mouse suggests that the manufacturer himself does not recommend using it. The mouse is standard, without any frills in the form of additional keys.
Display and camera
The laptop is equipped with a large display panel with a diagonal of 15.4 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Despite the fact that the classic TN-matrix is used, the display pleases with a high level of brightness and pleasant color reproduction. Here, a high-quality glossy coating played a role, literallysaved the display. The reason for dissatisfaction remains low resolution. Individual pixels are striking and spoil the impression, especially after using more modern screens.
A massive high-resolution 1.3 megapixel (720 dots) camera with a rotating mechanism is installed at the base of the display. The camera is able to observe a person sitting in front of a laptop and follow him, adjusting the image.
Performance and autonomy
The slow, dual-core AMD Athlon is responsible for the laptop's performance. In standby mode and when performing simple tasks, the chip saves energy and operates at low frequencies (950 megahertz). Under load, the chip accelerates and operates at the maximum clock frequency (1900 megahertz). Graphics are handled by the Radeon HD3470 graphics card. The characteristics of ASUS PRO57T are clearly not suitable for modern realities. The power of the chip and the video subsystem is hardly enough for comfortable work with the operating system, and 2 gigabytes of RAM will only aggravate the situation. When buying this "beast", you should consider installing earlier versions of Windows or a lightweight Linux build. As for permanent memory, here the user is expected by a ridiculous 160 gigabytes on an outdated HDD with a disk rotation speed of 5400 rpm.
With autonomy, things are no better. During independent battery testing, the computer was able to work 2 hours in read mode and 1 hour under load. This is not enough. This result will not allow you to move away from the outlet for a long time, which automatically makes the laptop almostdesktop computer.
Instead of a conclusion
In the bottom line, we have a very controversial gadget. An excellent keyboard, a good display, rich equipment, proprietary software, on the one hand, make the “car” a very interesting purchase. On the other hand, we are met by an outdated “stuffing”, which will constantly remind of itself and require an upgrade. It's foolish to ignore the fact that computers are evolving and modest specs like the one we see in the Asus PRO57T aren't up to par with today's software. Therefore, it is worth considering the purchase of such a gadget only as a spare laptop.
