ASUS notebooks in this series have an excellent price-performance ratio. This model is no exception to the rule, moreover, the K42F has all this plus mobility. So let's take a quick look at what this laptop is capable of.
Brief characteristics:
Display: 14 "inches;
Processor: Intel Core i3-350M (2.26 GHz);
RAM: RAM 2 GB;
Chipset: Intel HM55;
Video adapter: Intel GMA HD;
Winchester: 250 GB;
Communications: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth;
Equipment.
ASUS K42F comes with a standard kit, a laptop itself, a charger, a user manual and a CD with drivers and proprietary programs. The laptop is preinstalled with the Free DOS operating system, but nowadays no one will use it, there are drivers on the disk for new operating systems, so you can easily install some Windows 7.
Design and construction.
K-series notebooks have a rather pleasant design that breaks many stereotypes. Although the top panel is glossy, it is not surprising that the lid is painted in dark brown and it looks very stylish, while other elements of the case are still black. The upper is slightly embossed, with a subtle textured pattern, which helped reduce the visibility of fingerprints on the glossy surface.
The laptop case felt pretty solid. The display is held by two hinges, thanks to which it is securely held at any angle, even when shaking, no vibration or backlash is heard. As for the strength of the case, we can say that the material is very good, even with strong pressure on the operating panel, display or keyboard, the case does not bend.
This laptop model can be safely called mobile, since the display size is only 14-inches, and the weight including the battery is only 2.2 kilograms, not all models of this class can boast of such dimensions. It is very convenient to transport it in special cases for laptops, or in ordinary backpacks.
I didn’t like that the display is glossy; glare is noticeable in bright light. LED backlighting is used. The display resolution was 1366x768 pixels. The image is bright, the chromaticity is excellent, I also liked the wide viewing angles, which is convenient when watching movies.
A 0.3-megapixel camera was placed above the display and a microphone next to it. Speakers from Altec Lansing are built into the front edge of the laptop, they emit loud and clear sound just like for a laptop.
The Chiclet keyboard provides the least amount of typing errors thanks to the increased spacing between the buttons. Another technology is also used - Palm Proof, with the help of which the computer will distinguish an unintentional keystroke and will not respond to it, so an error will not occur in this situation. The touchpad is a little rough, but it is convenient to work with it, the control keys are combined into one.
The noise from the cooling system is almost inaudible. even when performing resource-intensive tasks. Warm air is blown out through the left side of the case, which practically does not heat up, except after long hours of operation.
By the way, about the operating hours, the ASUS K42F comes with a 6-cell 4400mAh battery. The laptop lasted a little over 4 hours on this battery, which is a very good result. The manufacturer provides a 2-year warranty for the laptop.
Performance.
Thanks to the good configuration, the laptop can cope with most user tasks. This model is equipped with an Intel Core i3-350M processor with a clock frequency of 2.26GHz, which supports HyperThreading technology. And the most important advantage of this type of processor is the ability to dynamically change the frequency of the cores, which helps to save on energy consumption and increases efficiency when running complex, multi-threaded applications.When testing performance in the Windows 7 operating system, the laptop received the following results:
ASUS K42F has 2 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. Our model has an integrated Intel GMA HD video adapter, it shows pretty good results when performing multimedia tasks, it plays 1080p video without lags.
Inputs / outputs.
All necessary ports are located on the side faces. On the front side there is only a card reader for SD and MMC memory cards, on the left side of the case, the user will see two USB 2.0 interfaces, a VGA video output and a digital HDMI port (transmission of both audio and video signals in digital form is possible), plus a connector headphone jack and a Kensington lock hole.
The right side of the case is occupied by a DVD SuperMulti drive, a USB 2.0 connector, a LAN socket and a charger connector.
The laptop also has wireless connectivity in the form of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g.
Output.
ASUS K42F is undoubtedly a successful product that can fully replace a bulky PC for not much money. The ergonomics of the laptop are well thought out, there is no discomfort during work, and the long battery life allows you to combine business with pleasure. In general, only the glossy display can be noted among the shortcomings; those who like to work in the fresh air are not very lucky. The laptop will suit many categories of users, from students and office workers to home use.
