Asus N53S review

We were impressed with a score of 40fps from the Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics chip. This is nowhere near as fast as a desktop graphics card, but it means you can play most games without having to sacrifice too many graphical effects. Of course, it can also play HD video from the Blu-ray drive, and you have a choice of VGA or HDMI outputs as well so you can watch movies on a larger screen, or output both audio and video to an AV amplifier as part of a home cinema setup.

The N53S’s 15.6in screen only has a 1,366×768 resolution, so you won’t be able to watch Blu-ray films pixel-for-pixel, but image quality was good, with a bright, even backlight and a glossy finish that made colours brighter. Our only complaint would be a slight red cast, but that only served to add warmth to most images, which we liked. Vertical viewing angles were surprisingly good, which is rare these days with laptop screens.

Sound from the Bang & Olufsen speakers was good, although not up to the standard set by the amazing JBL speakers on Dell’s XPS 15. It’s still far better than most laptops, and most people will find it sufficient for watching TV episodes and movies.

With its Blu-ray drive, 640GB hard disk and USB3 port, the N53S is better value than other laptops at a similar price. Plus, its combination of great performance, decent keyboard, and colourful screen means it wins a Best Buy award.