Asus X550LA-RI7T27 15.6″ Laptop with Intel i7

The Asus X550LA-RI7T27 is a refreshment when it comes to the X550 mainstream notebook PC series. Instead of the budget-class Intel Pentium, Celeron or eventually Core i3 processor, the touch-enabled 15.6-inch X550LA-RI7T27 comes equipped with the speedy and power-efficient Intel Core i7-4500U dual-core CPU. Its not even close speed-wise to the full-blown quad-core i7 usually used in gaming laptops and mobile workstations, but offers nice performance gains over the aforementioned entry-level chips. This is good if you occasionally edit images and videos and convert files from one format to another. RAM size is 8GB. The notebook has no solid state drive, but the included hard disk offers a great capacity of 1 Terabyte. Overall, it has double the amount of storage and RAM memory found in the average inexpensive notebook.

However, the X550LA-RI7T27 is still just a mainstream laptop for home users. It has no dedicated video card and relies on the Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics. This means mediocre graphics potential for gaming. In addition, it is limited when it comes to applications which can utilize a GPU well, such as select image and video editing and 3D modeling programs. Another drawback in comparison to the premium-class laptop is absence of at least 1920×1080 Full HD resolution. Instead, it has the ordinary 1366×768 pixel count. That approximately 720p resolution or half-Full HD.

Although it’s one of the better-equipped Asus X550 configurations, this model retains some limitations of the budget configs. There are only two USB ports. Thankfully, one of them can support fast USB 3.0 devices and peripherals. As usual, the laptop has a DVD burner, a pair of speakers, webcam, media card reader, HDMI and VGA video ports, and Wi-Fi and Ethernet LAN connections.

Outwardly, the X550LA-RI7T27 attracts attention with its textured metal-like finish and sleek appearance. But, its actually made of plastics, just like the other models from the series. The keyboard deck holds a full-size keyboard plus a discrete numeric pad on the right. The trackpad is buttonless, so for click it uses lower left and right corners of the surface.

On the end, let’s mention some of the similarly priced alternatives. The first and probably the best is an HP Envy Touchsmart with similarly fast processor, Full HD screen, and keyboard backlight. The second is the Q501LA-BSI5T19 by Asus with an aluminum chassis, 1080p, backlit keys, and slightly slower CPU. Another nice one is Lenovo’s Z510 – 59400199 with similar specs, about hundred bucks lower price, but with no touchscreen.