Asus X550JK: Appeases all but the nocturnal gamer

The Asus X550JK comes with specifications that would appease any gamer but a small technicality might affect its sales.

With an Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia GTX 850M graphic card, the laptop will be able to run almost all games with ease. It comes with a 15.6-inch full HD screen and a 1TB internal hard drive.

The X550JK is essentially a gaming laptop and I don't think someone would go for a Rs 69,990 machine just to make powerpoint presentations.

I tested the laptop's performance with Batman: Arkham Origins and Grand Theft Auto V. Both games ran smoothly and the machine could handle it on high settings. Although I expected no less from a GTX 850M, I was pleasantly surprised when I could see the creases on Batman's cape.

The laptop provides a seamless gaming experience and one wouldn't want to put it down. However, one thing that would irk many is the absence of a backlit keyboard. Most gamers are nocturnal and unfortunately, this laptop's keyboard becomes almost useless in the dark. If you're running a game like Arkham Origins or Splinter Cell, which have dark colour schemes, you'd be struggling to press the right keys without a light source. That said, seasoned gamers wouldn't be facing much of a problem as they would be accustomed to a keyboard's layout.

As with most gaming laptops, the X550JK is expensive and are for those who like their gaming rigs to be portable. However, one can easily chip in another Rs 20,000 or so and assemble a desktop with better specifications.

SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Intel Core i7, 3.5 GHz processor
Operating System: Windows 8.1
Memory: 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM
Display: 15.6" IPS FHD (1920x1080) LED backlight
Graphic card: NVIDIA  GeForce GTX850M
Storage: 1 TB