- Cheryl Tan
Asus Laptop Buying Guide – Student Edition…!
To keep things simple this year, Asus has narrowed down its vast portfolio of laptops to just three. Each laptop has its own unique strengths and features, and we’re sure that at least one of these will suit your fancy.
First up is a laptop that will probably entice quite a few students out there, the VivoBook 14 X413. It’s a laptop with a relatively simple and modern design but yet packing pretty good hardware. You get a 14-inch 1080p IPS display that’s going to be great for anything from simple web browsing to any form of media consumption, and that is accompanied by a no-nonsense keyboard and trackpad. Speaking of which, you do still also get a number pad which can be activated via a toggle on the trackpad. Performance is great, as it comes equipped with up to an Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX330, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage.
The key ingredient right here is definitely that MX330. The addition of this entry-level GPU will not only be able to accelerate any kind of creative program which makes use of CUDA, but you’ll also be able to do some light gaming as well, and it’s a pretty decent experience. Thermals also get a slight help thanks to the ErgoLift design which creates more space between the bottom of the laptop and the surface it’s on.
Despite all that, the laptop also weighs just about 1.4 kilograms. If you want a laptop that can do just about everything you would need a laptop to do, take a look at the X413.
But what if you want something that’s way more portable?
That’s where the ExpertBook B9400 comes in, and it’s a laptop that weighs just about 1 kilogram, thanks to the use of magnesium alloy. Carry it around, slip it in a bag, you name it, this laptop is light to the point where you might even forget it’s there. Despite that, it is Military Standard 810H certified and also features standard ports like full-size HDMI and USB Type-A.
But lightweight is not the only thing going for it. Out of the three laptops, the B9400 also has the best display of the bunch. It’s a 14-inch 1080P IPS display just like the X413, but this boasts 100% sRGB coverage and can get up to a higher max brightness of about 400 nits.
Specs-wise, it can be equipped with up to an Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of PCIe SSD storage. If you want more storage, it can also support a second PCIe SSD, totaling up to 4TB.
Basically, this is a laptop that will easily handle most light tasks, provide you with the best visual experience and it’s the lightest. To top that off, battery life is fantastic as well. It will easily be able to last 10 hours of regular usage, and perhaps even hit that claimed 20 hours from Asus depending on your workload.
We’ve actually tried and tested the previous ExpertBook and that was great. So we would say that the B9400 is no exception. Take a look at this if you want the utmost in portability.
Lastly, we have the TUF FA506 and this is the laptop that’s actually the most affordable in our lineup, but yet offers the most performance.
Right off the bat, this is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 4800H, 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and a 512GB PCIe SSD.
The Ryzen 4800H is a CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads, and it is a chip that really punches above its own weight. Coupled with the GTX 1650, you can expect great performance in creative programs from the likes of Adobe, AutoCAD and more. It goes without saying that you’ll be able to get a great gaming experience as well, especially considering that you’re getting a 15.6-inch 1080P IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate.
144Hz at this price needs no further explanation.
Now, the key drawback here is definitely the 8GB of RAM, which is really little by today’s standard, so we would highly suggest you upgrade it to 16GB yourself, which can be done really easily.
With that said, if you’re a student who needs that amount of performance in a laptop, or let’s put it simply, you’re a gamer, take a look at the FA506.
This content is brought to you in partnership with Asus.