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Asus N551ZU Notebook Review

As quiet as a mouse. They are rare indeed: Multimedia laptops equipped with AMD APUs and a powerful dedicated Radeon core. The overall performance is impressive - provided the price is reasonable.
Asus N551ZU CN007H - AMD machine with scarcity value: AMD Radeon R9 M280X meets quad-core FX-7600P
Asus N551ZU CN007H - AMD machine with scarcity value: AMD Radeon R9 M280X meets quad-core FX-7600P

For the original German review, see here.

It has been quite some time since AMD's APUs had any significant shares in the manufacturers’ premium multimedia laptops. Today, at best, Radeon chips are combined with Intel's standard or low-voltage processors. Now AMD has launched an attack and equipped its N551 solid all-rounder with an FX-7600P high-end quad-core APU. This is supported by a graphics switching Radeon R9 M280X and integrated Radeon R7. The R9 supplies a decent amount of gaming performance, but what does it look like in combination with the FX-7600P? The answer can be found in the gaming section of this test report. However, Asus' N551ZU-CN007H is not yet available in Germany. AMD has kindly provided us with the review sample.

We last reviewed Asus' N551JK-CN166H, a 15-inch member of the N-series. This multimedia laptop features a standard mobile processor from Intel and a GeForce GTX 850M from the basic mid-range and is priced at 950 Euros (~$1082). It is not yet clear what our review sample will cost as a chipset-alternative. At the time of this review, we could find only the Czech-version (keyboard, software) in a German shop. Its price was approximately 1000 Euros (~$1140), which seems unrealistic in view of the total package. Further deliberation about price-performance can be found in the verdict.

The casing, connectivity and input devices are identical to those of Asus' N551JK (Intel version). Therefore, we will exclude these segments and refer to the former review. We noted differences in the screen, which is a TN model in our review sample. However, AMD speaks of two versions, and points to an alternative configuration with an IPS screen. Their prices are not yet known.

good (79%) Asus N551ZU-CN007H AMD FX-7600PAMD Radeon R9 M280X Multimedia - 05/06/2015 - v4
Test device courtesy of AMD Deutschland
Download your licensed rating image as PNG / SVG
Asus N551ZU-CN007H (N551 Series)
Processor
AMD FX-7600P 4 x 2.7 - 3.6 GHz, Kaveri
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon R9 M280X - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1000 MHz, Memory: 1375 MHz, GDDR5, Catalyst 14.12, Enduro
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3-10600 2x 4 GB
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, AUO B156HTN03.6, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
AMD Bolton, AMD K15.1
Storage
HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm
Soundcard
AMD Hudson-3 FCH High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo jack, Card Reader: Memory Stick (MS), MMC, MS PRO, MS PRO Duo, SD, SDXC
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-N 7260 (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SU-228CB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 31.5 x 383 x 255 ( = 1.24 x 15.08 x 10.04 in)
Battery
56 Wh Lithium-Ion, 5200 mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1280x720 HD
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, ICEPower, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, power supply, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.7 kg ( = 95.24 oz / 5.95 pounds), Power Supply: 446 g ( = 15.73 oz / 0.98 pounds)
Sold in
EMEA
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Webcam

The webcam produces barely usable pictures in HD resolution. Although the colors are vivid, and the focus is acceptable, the quality is just sufficient for Skype chats and the user may shoot sharper photos with a smartphone camera.

Mini DisplayPort-to-DisplayPort adapter is included
Mini DisplayPort-to-DisplayPort adapter is included
Webcam photo 1280 x 720 high-contrast useful focus
Webcam photo 1280 x 720 high-contrast useful focus
Reference Canon EOS 1100D
Reference Canon EOS 1100D

Display

While Asus' N551JK comes with a Full HD IPS screen, we find our present review sample to have the same resolution as a simple TN TFT. As mentioned in the introduction, apparently an IPS version of the device is available. The TN version will then have a lower price than this model.

The screen has a contrast of 585:1, which is slightly below the 850:1 of the N551JK-CN166H (IPS). 1920x1080 pixels with a pixel density of 141 ppi is an appropriate resolution to work with. 2 to 3 windows fit on the desktop. If need be, an external monitor can be connected via HDMI or mini-DisplayPort. The latter port supports FreeSync. This technology replaces the seldom satisfactory V-sync, and reliably prevents screen stuttering (& tearing) in games caused by insufficient synchronization of monitor and graphics card, which has so far been commonplace.

What is FreeSync?

FreeSync synchronizes the frame rates delivered by the GPU with the update rate of the single monitor. Until now, the "V-sync" technology was responsible for this. However, it could not always compensate for stutter effects. Moreover, it was related to reduced mouse responsiveness and lower frame rates. AMD's FreeSync aims to eliminate these problems and provide a smooth gameplay as well as a first rate performance.

[...] the groundbreaking hardware/software platform, built upon industry-standard DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync, enables AMD APUs and GPUs to directly control the update rate of a compatible monitor. [...] The monitor updates the moment a new picture is ready, giving gamers unbelievably smooth, responsive, tearing-free games. (by AMD)

We tried AMD's “Windmill” demo with both Acer's XG270HU (FreeSync enabled) connected via HDMI and mini-DisplayPort and with the FHD screen integrated in the N551Z. For this Catalyst 15.3 beta was installed; we used the more stable 14.12 for the gaming tests. FreeSync requires DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync, and thus the HDMI port stuttered in the demo. It did not get better using the internal screen; evident stutters became visible, particularly when we disabled V-sync. AMD's “Windmill” demo did not detect either screen, internal or external (HDMI), as compatible. FreeSync functioned impeccably with a DisplayPort cable and Acer's XG270HU (Catalyst 15.3).

So far, only the integrated Radeon R7 supports FreeSync, and thus this subject will naturally be uninteresting for gamers. However, AMD has promised to adapt the driver for all R7 and R9 products shortly.

213
cd/m²
212
cd/m²
222
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
228
cd/m²
220
cd/m²
216
cd/m²
198
cd/m²
218
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AUO B156HTN03.6 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 228 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 216 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 228 cd/m²
Contrast: 585:1 (Black: 0.39 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.94 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 12.07 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
38% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.54% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.59
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
TN
Asus N551JK-CN166H
IPS
HP Envy 15-k010ng
TN
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
IPS
Display
65%
22%
44%
Display P3 Coverage
40.2
67.3
67%
49.35
23%
63.2
57%
sRGB Coverage
60.4
96.7
60%
71.8
19%
80.6
33%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.54
69.4
67%
51.1
23%
58.9
42%
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
42 ?(20, 22)
Response Time Black / White *
24 ?(7, 17)
PWM Frequency
200 ?(50)
Screen
36%
3%
38%
Brightness middle
228
323
42%
343
50%
320
40%
Brightness
216
312
44%
330
53%
283
31%
Brightness Distribution
87
83
-5%
84
-3%
83
-5%
Black Level *
0.39
0.38
3%
0.75
-92%
0.32
18%
Contrast
585
850
45%
457
-22%
1000
71%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.94
7.4
32%
9.72
11%
5.31
51%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
12.07
6.24
48%
11.24
7%
4.73
61%
Gamma
2.59 85%
2.98 74%
2.3 96%
2.36 93%
CCT
14179 46%
8098 80%
11010 59%
5980 109%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
38
69
82%
46
21%
52.9
39%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
51% / 44%
13% / 8%
41% / 40%

* ... smaller is better

We analyzed the TN screen in the state of delivery with the photospectrometer and CalMAN. The colors intense shift from the sRGB target range, illustrated by a high DeltaE of 11 to 12, points to a rather low-cost screen. Not only does the N551JK (Intel) have a better color reproduction (69% AdobeRGB); it is also 100 cd/m² brighter. An extremely bluish cast is another let down. Calibration lessened the bluish cast, but it was not completely eliminated.

sRGB coverage 61%
sRGB coverage 61%
Adobe RGB 1998 coverage 38%
Adobe RGB 1998 coverage 38%
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker

The illumination is homogeneous. However, the matte screen's brightness is relatively low. A brightness of beyond 300 cd/m² would be useful for outdoor use.

Matte non-touch
Matte non-touch
with relatively low brightness
with relatively low brightness

The TN screen exhibits the common viewing angle weaknesses, particularly along the vertical axis. However, the image impression remains stable when looking from the left or right. The AUO B156HTN03.6 is an upper-range TN model.

Viewing angles: N551ZU CN007H
Viewing angles: N551ZU CN007H

PWM - Display Flicker

Our measurements showed a flickering backlight at 200 Hz in the lowest 4 brightness settings. Above that, the measured brightness was constant and should not lead to problems. With 200 Hz however, sensible people may notice flickering or eye strain in the lowest settings.

200 Hz flickering in the lowest brightness setting.
200 Hz flickering in the lowest brightness setting.
200 Hz flickering in medium brightness settings (minus 1 level). Above that, the brighness was linear without pulsing (PWM).
200 Hz flickering in medium brightness settings (minus 1 level). Above that, the brighness was linear without pulsing (PWM).
Latency Monitor
Latency Monitor

Performance

The quad-core APU in conjunction with 8 GB of working memory and graphics switching places a decent, though not high-end performance on the desk. The FX-7600P (Kaveri) is a quad-core processor by AMD, or rather an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit). It is AMD's strongest solution for laptops, and is just below the level of a Broadwell Core i5 (5200U, 15 watts). However, its single-core performance is considerably lower. Thus, it has enough reserves for high-demanding software and multitasking, even though not by a generous amount.

System info: CPU-Z CPU
System info: CPU-Z CPU
System info: CPU-Z Cache
System info: CPU-Z Cache
System info: CPU-Z SPD
System info: CPU-Z SPD
System info: CPU-Z Mainboard
System info: CPU-Z Mainboard
System info: CPU-Z Memory
System info: CPU-Z Memory
System info: HWinfo
System info: HWinfo
System info: GPU-Z Radeon R9 M280X
System info: GPU-Z Radeon R9 M280X
System info: GPU-Z Radeon R7
System info: GPU-Z Radeon R7

Processor

The four cores in the FX-7600P (Kaveri) can clock at 2700 to 3600 MHz depending on the requirement (or the user's settings). The APU also did the same during the benchmarks; around 3.0 GHz were reached in the R15 multi-test.

AMD's APUs supports the processor with the parallel power of the graphics card. This applies to programs that utilize the open computing interface OpenCL (e.g. Photoshop) or OpenGL. The dedicated Radeon R9 lags behind the GeForce GTX 850M by 20 to 70% in the R15 OpenGL test.

Cinebench R15 Multi-CPU @3.0 GHz
Cinebench R15 Multi-CPU @3.0 GHz
Cinebench R15 Shading GPU@900 MHz
Cinebench R15 Shading GPU@900 MHz
Cinebench R15 Shading iGPU@500-600 MHz
Cinebench R15 Shading iGPU@500-600 MHz
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
72 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
130 Points +81%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
135 Points +88%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
108 Points +50%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
131 Points +82%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
138 Points +92%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
117 Points +63%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
111 Points +54%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
211 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
323 Points +53%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
655 Points +210%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
261 Points +24%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
642 Points +204%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
642 Points +204%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
307 Points +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
255 Points +21%
OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
50.7 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
59.3 fps +17%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
86.5 fps +71%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
63.7 fps +26%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
86.3 fps +70%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
92 fps +81%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
82.5 fps +63%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
30.98 fps -39%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
0.82 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
1.46 Points +78%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
1.35 Points +65%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
1.5 Points +83%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1.25 Points +52%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1.5 Points +83%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
1.56 Points +90%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
1.34 Points +63%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
1.28 Points +56%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
2.38 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3.5 Points +47%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2.79 Points +17%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
7.06 Points +197%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2.8 Points +18%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
6.94 Points +192%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
7.07 Points +197%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
3.36 Points +41%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
2.77 Points +16%
OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
40.31 fps
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
48.82 fps +21%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
46.69 fps +16%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
59.4 fps +47%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
47.58 fps +18%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
56.1 fps +39%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
56.7 fps +41%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
51.9 fps +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
22.83 fps -43%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5889
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
6602
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
2472
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.38 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
40.31 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
0.82 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
72 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
50.7 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
211 Points
Help

System Performance

Resources under load
Resources under load
Cinebench R15 GPUs @Idle 300 MHz
Cinebench R15 GPUs @Idle 300 MHz

Futuremark's PCMark 7 and 8 ascertain the application performance. The PCMark 7 scores look fairly weak, which is due to the lack of an SSD (Envy 15, Aspire VN7-591G, T450s) or a hybrid HDD (N551JK, GE70). PCM7 responds very sensitively to these storage devices. The other devices in the chart all have a solid-state hybrid drive as a minimum. The PCMark 8 Home and Work scores put the N551ZU in a good light. The APU is only just behind a technically comparable Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H (GTX 850M5200U).

Consequently, AMD's model is suitable as a solid office or multimedia device, which we can confirm by looking at Windows' resource monitor. Simultaneous installations and copying do not cause the N551ZU to stutter; the quad-core does a good job.

PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
2405 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
4131 Points +72%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
5034 Points +109%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
3924 Points +63%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
2995 Points +25%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
5804 Points +141%
SCHENKER M505
5462 Points +127%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
4995 Points +108%
Lightweight (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
1879 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
3941 Points +110%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
5251 Points +179%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
3349 Points +78%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
2366 Points +26%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
5793 Points +208%
SCHENKER M505
5728 Points +205%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
5146 Points +174%
Productivity (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
1486 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
3494 Points +135%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
4290 Points +189%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
2753 Points +85%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
1855 Points +25%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
5144 Points +246%
SCHENKER M505
4685 Points +215%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
4249 Points +186%
Entertainment (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
2913 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
3226 Points +11%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
3633 Points +25%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
3321 Points +14%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
3112 Points +7%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
4139 Points +42%
SCHENKER M505
3920 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
3592 Points +23%
Creativity (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
4176 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
7266 Points +74%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
9507 Points +128%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
7127 Points +71%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
5396 Points +29%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
10418 Points +149%
SCHENKER M505
10255 Points +146%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
9542 Points +128%
Computation (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
6479 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
15092 Points +133%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
16779 Points +159%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
15489 Points +139%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
15098 Points +133%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
19805 Points +206%
SCHENKER M505
18125 Points +180%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
15850 Points +145%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
2921 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
3113 Points +7%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
3099 Points +6%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
3657 Points +25%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
3096 Points +6%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
3217 Points +10%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
3019 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
3128 Points +7%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
3682 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
3881 Points +5%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
3870 Points +5%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
4360 Points +18%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
4028 Points +9%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
3882 Points +5%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
3601 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
4097 Points +11%

Legend

 
Asus N551ZU-CN007H AMD FX-7600P, AMD Radeon R9 M280X, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
 
Asus N551JK-CN166H Intel Core i5-4200H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
 
HP Envy 15-k010ng Intel Core i7-4510U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
 
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-76BT Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M,
 
Asus X555LB-DM223H Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M,
 
Asus GL551JK-CN128H Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
 
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H Intel Core i5-5200U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
 
MSI GE70-2PCi785 Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
 
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P Intel Core i7-4720HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
 
SCHENKER M505 Intel Core i5-4210M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
 
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00 Intel Core i5-5200U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
PCMark 7 Score
2405 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2921 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3682 points
Help

Graphics Card

The integrated Radeon R7 graphics unit (512 GCN Shader, dual-channel DDR3-2133 memory controller) performs calculations when power has to be saved, i.e. in battery mode and when the user wishes. Although graphics switching is automatic, the graphics can be set manually for every application or game. The iGPU was wrongly enabled 2 to 3 times in our benchmark tests, and thus the GPU selection should be checked regularly. We also tried the Windows 10 Consumer Preview. Catalyst 14.12 enabled the iGPU but not the M280X.

The Radeon R9 M280X is a member of the upper mid-range. 620 to 740 MHz is achieved in games when the 896 Shader units are calculated. Asus has connected a 4 GB GDDR 5 memory, which is the highest expansion configuration for the 128-bit interface.

3DMark shows that the M280X is on par with the GTX 850M. The Radeon is 5 to 15% better in Cloud Gate Standard Graphics. It is also stalemate in the Fire Strike Standard score. However, Intel systems prevail in the Physics scores (+40 to 200%, depending on the CPU).

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
7236 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
9818 Points +36%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
8259 Points +14%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
6410 Points -11%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
14393 Points +99%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
8783 Points +21%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
14681 Points +103%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
16151 Points +123%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
9514 Points +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
6134 Points -15%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
2974 Points
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
2675 Points -10%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2391 Points -20%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
1399 Points -53%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
2832 Points -5%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2632 Points -11%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
3404 Points +14%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3914 Points +32%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
2810 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
1426 Points -52%
Radeon R9 M280X
3DMark 06 Standard Score
11618 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
9222 points
3DMark 11 Performance
3823 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
52167 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
7236 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2974 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1041 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Loaded M280X Core@ 620 to 740 MHz
Loaded M280X Core@ 620 to 740 MHz

Both graphics units support DirectX 12 and the Mantle API. We enabled Mantle in “Battlefield Hardline”,” Dragon Age: Inquisition” and “Civilization: Beyond Earth”, which is our standard setting for the benchmark. We tested all games with both the M280X and the R7, which is why two benchmark charts follow below.

The benefit of Mantle can be seen in "Battlefield Hardline", for example. The average of 30.8 fps of our system based on the FX-7600P CPU and Radeon R9 M280X comes close to the level of a GeForce GTX 950M in Schenker's M505 (i5 4210M9. A similarly good level can also be reached in "Dragon Age: Inquisition". Our configuration outperforms the Thinkpad T450s with a GeForce 940M by 66% in "Civilation: Beyond Earth".

Asus' N551ZU remains within a good level between a 940M and GTX 950M in games like "Crysis 3", "Bioshock", "Sims 4" or "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare".

The device achieves the worst results in games that are heavily CPU-driven. Not even playable frame rates are reached in some cases. For example, “Thief” and “Watchdogs” stand out with strange but consistent rates; high settings deliver more fps than medium settings. The Radeon R7 does not do much better, but its frame rates are even lower.

A look at the details show that a GTX 850M is 40 to 80% better in “Thief” and “Watchdogs”, depending on the installed CPU. The 5200U tops that by 40% (V15 Nitro VN7-571G). Even the 940M achieves 37% more fps in “Far Cry 4”, where the test system also scored poorly.

Whether the graphics power is appealing or not depends on the preferred game and ultimately the price of the N551ZU. In our opinion, a market price of around 700 Euros (~$800) would be reasonable for the performance offered.

Crysis 3 - 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
26.7 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
12.3 fps -54%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
47.5 fps +78%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
35.2 fps +32%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
18.1 fps -32%
Tomb Raider - 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
64.6 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
26 fps -60%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
33.3 fps -48%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
70 fps +8%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
67.5 fps +4%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
90.2 fps +40%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
109.6 fps +70%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
71.9 fps +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
36.4 fps -44%
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
62 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
29.5 fps -52%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
43.9 fps -29%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
68.3 fps +10%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
102 fps +65%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
86.1 fps +39%
Dota 2 - 1920x1080 High / On, Render Quality: 100 % (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
39 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
21.4 fps -45%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
72.6 fps +86%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
36.2 fps -7%
Battlefield 4 - 1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
28.6 fps
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
54.3 fps +90%
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
6.2 fps -78%
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
43 fps +50%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
27.8 fps -3%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
65.1 fps +128%
Thief - 1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
22.3 fps
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
32.8 fps +47%
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
11.6 fps -48%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
31.1 fps +39%
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
40 fps +79%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
40.4 fps +81%
Watch Dogs - 1366x768 Medium Overall Quality, Medium Textures (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
20.3 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
15.2 fps -25%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
68.4 fps +237%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
42.2 fps +108%
Sims 4 - 1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
43 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
23.1 fps -46%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
53.2 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
35.7 fps -17%
Fifa 15 - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
53.4 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
21.5 fps -60%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
45.4 fps -15%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
92.8 fps +74%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
47 fps -12%
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - 1344x756 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
32.2 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
20 fps -38%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
24.5 fps -24%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
76.5 fps +138%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
54.1 fps +68%
Alien: Isolation - 1366x768 Medium, On (AA & SSAO Off), Shadow Map 1024 AF:4x (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
25.8 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
22 fps -15%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
43.2 fps +67%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
93.3 fps +262%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
46.1 fps +79%
F1 2014 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
34 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
22 fps -35%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
87 fps +156%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
69 fps +103%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
28 fps -18%
Civilization: Beyond Earth - 1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
31.3 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
15.6 fps -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
18.9 fps -40%
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - 1920x1080 High / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) AA:FX (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
32.8 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
30.5 fps -7%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
41.4 fps +26%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
GeForce 940M, 5200U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
17.9 fps -45%
Far Cry 4 - 1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
21.2 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
16.9 fps -20%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
29.1 fps +37%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
74.1 fps +250%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
57 fps +169%
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
20.3 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
9.3 fps -54%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
11.4 fps -44%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
53.2 fps +162%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
23.6 fps +16%
Evolve - 1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:FX (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
23.9 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
10.6 fps -56%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
25.6 fps +7%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
34.7 fps +45%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
27.2 fps +14%
Battlefield Hardline - 1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
30.8 fps
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R7 (Kaveri), FX-7600P
10.3 fps -67%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
GeForce 940M, 5500U
17.1 fps -44%
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
36.9 fps +20%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
49.6 fps +61%
SCHENKER M505
GeForce GTX 950M, 4210M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA 250GB
34.9 fps +13%

Radeon R9 M280X

low med. high ultra4K
Counter-Strike: GO (2012) 66.7
Crysis 3 (2013) 47.4 35.8 26.7 13.1
Tomb Raider (2013) 135.5 106 64.6 15.5
BioShock Infinite (2013) 64.3 67.9 62 26.5
Metro: Last Light (2013) 39.9 35.5 31.8 19
Dota 2 (2013) 63 54 39
Battlefield 4 (2013) 42.2 33 28.6 21.3
Thief (2014) 24 16.7 22.3 13.8
Watch Dogs (2014) 22.8 20.3 12.6
GRID: Autosport (2014) 107 52 41 26.9
Sims 4 (2014) 57.8 44.9 43 16.5
Fifa 15 (2014) 53 44.7 53.4
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 48.1 32.2 18.5
Alien: Isolation (2014) 37.3 25.8 19.2
F1 2014 (2014) 58 47 43 34
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) 72.3 48.6 31.3 19
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) 36.7 34.1 32.8 29.7
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) 22.7 20.6 14.7
Far Cry 4 (2014) 28.5 21.2 18.8 16.3
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 47.2 35.9 20.3 17.6
Evolve (2015) 59 44.5 23.9 20.8
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 41.3 36.5 30.8 19.8
Dirt Rally (2015) 133 53 38.8 20.7
The Witcher 3 (2015) 40.1 31.6 16 8.5
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 38 32 19
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 56.8 51.7 36 21.4
Mad Max (2015) 50.1 28.6 25
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 51.3 40.3 36.4 31.3
World of Warships (2015) 70.3 41.2 36 16.3
FIFA 16 (2015) 78 69 () 53 19.5
Anno 2205 (2015) 45.1 37.1 17.1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) 36.4 35.4 23.1 20.3
Fallout 4 (2015) 39.2 35.2 21.2 15.7
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 54.4 30 22 19.7
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 13
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 58.8 38.5 32.4
Just Cause 3 (2015) 21.9 18.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 52 37.7 21.4 16.6
XCOM 2 (2016) 34.9 21.3 14.5
Far Cry Primal (2016) 40 29 26 19
The Division (2016) 17.4
Hitman 2016 (2016) 16.3
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 24 (stuttering)
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 17.9
Doom (2016) 51 50.6 27.7 25.2
Overwatch (2016) 81 78 55 27.6 15.8
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 27.2
No Man's Sky (2016) 32.5
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 28.9
FIFA 17 (2016) 0 severe graphical problems (no picture, black screen)
Battlefield 1 (2016) 37.8 30.1 24.7 22.3
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 28.2
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 54.8 35 22.6
For Honor (2017) 67 28.6 25.9 21.5
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017) 25.2
Rocket League (2017) 60.7 19.3
Dirt 4 (2017) 48 31
Team Fortress 2 (2017) 46.8
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) 31.3
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) 15
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) 21.6
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 30.7 18.3
Far Cry 5 (2018) 32 12
The Crew 2 (2018) 35.5 27.1 24.2 21.5
F1 2018 (2018) 34.6 29.9 24.3 15.9
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) 23.5 12.5
FIFA 20 (2019) 65 severe graphical problems (too slow)
Fall Guys (2020) 55.8 49.4 28.5
Doom Eternal (2020) 0 game wont start

Radeon R7 (Kaveri)

low med. high ultra4K
Crysis 3 (2013) 29.2 17.4 12.3
Tomb Raider (2013) 70 39 26 14.2
BioShock Infinite (2013) 23.6 20.8 29.5 10.5
Metro: Last Light (2013) 29.7 25.1 16.2 8.3
Dota 2 (2013) 39 30.2 21.4
Battlefield 4 (2013) 16.5 13.5 6.2 4.9
Thief (2014) 19 16.6 11.6 6.6
Watch Dogs (2014) 19 15.2 4.6
Sims 4 (2014) 94.3 40.1 23.1
Fifa 15 (2014) 42.5 37.9 21.5
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 28.3 20 11.6
Alien: Isolation (2014) 34.23 22 15.7
F1 2014 (2014) 53 38 33 22
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) 51.4 21.8 15.6 13.1
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) 45.9 31.8 30.5 14.1
Far Cry 4 (2014) 23.7 16.9 9.6 6.6
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 25.2 21.2 9.3 6
Evolve (2015) 26.7 20.4 10.6 8.8
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 31.9 20.6 10.3 7
Dirt Rally (2015) 106 34 19.4 12.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 23.3 15.9 8.4
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 12 9 6
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 50.2 34.6 14.5
Mad Max (2015) 27.3
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 39 28.6
World of Warships (2015) 59.1 44.5 23.2 17.7 5.5
FIFA 16 (2015) 62 (slight slowdowns) 45 (slight slowdowns) 23 (slight slowdowns)
Anno 2205 (2015) 32.1 16.6 8
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) 31.3 21.8
Fallout 4 (2015) 23.6 16.4
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 29.5 18
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 14.1
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 55 17.1 13.6
Just Cause 3 (2015) 18.4 11.3
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 25.8 16.6 8.1
XCOM 2 (2016) 19.2
Far Cry Primal (2016) 10 5
Hitman 2016 (2016) 10.4
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 18.8
Doom (2016) 22.3
Overwatch (2016) 45.5 35.9 16.7
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 24.6
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 15.6
FIFA 17 (2016) 0 severe graphical problems (black screen with 16.9.2)
Battlefield 1 (2016) 13.9
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 17.8
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 48.2 20.9
For Honor (2017) 32 11.7
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017) 7.2
Rocket League (2017) 50.4 32
Dirt 4 (2017) 54 21.1
Team Fortress 2 (2017) 32.2
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) 20.4
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 0 game wont start
The Crew 2 (2018) 22.8 10.5
F1 2018 (2018) 24 13.8
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) 0 game wont start

Emissions

System Noise

The noise emissions are not significantly different from the Intel sister model. The fans are rarely disabled in operation. However, noise is still audible when the fans are off. The reason for this is the relatively loud, roaring hard drive.

It gets down to business in extreme load (stress test). We measured 44 dB(A). It was quieter in the gaming scenario where we only recorded just under 40 dB(A). Last year's Intel model was slightly louder in the latter case.

Noise Level

Idle
34.2 / 34.2 / 34.2 dB(A)
HDD
35.3 dB(A)
DVD
35.9 / dB(A)
Load
39.6 / 44.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test Prime95 & FurMark @2.5 GHz
Stress test Prime95 & FurMark @2.5 GHz

The casing remained very cool while idling. The average on the upper side was just 25 degrees Celsius (~77 °F). It climbed to 35 degrees (~95 °F) during load, but with a hot spot of 48 degrees (~118 °F) in the center of the keyboard. This is by far the warmest spot in the N551ZU. The APU reached a temperature of 91 degrees (~196 °F) after an hour in the stress test (see CPU Package screenshot). The APU's four cores then clock stably at 2.4 GHz, i.e. the CPU Turbo is no longer utilized. The GPU heated up to a constant 81 degrees (~178 °F) and reduced its clock to 425 MHz. The Radeon R9 clocked at 600 to 900 MHz when only FurMark was performed. This could be the reason why games with high processor load score worse: GPU throttling due to a fully loaded APU.

Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
Heat
6%
-0%
2%
0%
-38%
Maximum Upper Side *
48.1
39.4
18%
44.2
8%
43.9
9%
48.2
-0%
53
-10%
Maximum Bottom *
40.6
37.6
7%
43
-6%
41.9
-3%
39.5
3%
53.2
-31%
Idle Upper Side *
27.6
28.7
-4%
28.2
-2%
27.8
-1%
28.3
-3%
38.6
-40%
Idle Bottom *
27
26.1
3%
27.3
-1%
26.4
2%
27
-0%
45.9
-70%

* ... smaller is better

Max. Load
 33 °C
91 F
37.8 °C
100 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 37.6 °C
100 F
48.1 °C
119 F
33.6 °C
92 F
 
 22.7 °C
73 F
36.7 °C
98 F
32.5 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 48.1 °C = 119 F
Average: 34.9 °C = 95 F
25.4 °C
78 F
32.7 °C
91 F
29.9 °C
86 F
27.2 °C
81 F
38 °C
100 F
40.6 °C
105 F
29.3 °C
85 F
30.6 °C
87 F
29.6 °C
85 F
Maximum: 40.6 °C = 105 F
Average: 31.5 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.3 °C = 101 F | Room Temperature 22.6 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.9 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.1 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.6 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.7 °C / 98.1 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-7.9 °C / -14.3 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The APU consumes 35 watts without the dedicated graphics. The power requirement quickly climbed to 100 watts in the Radeon M280X stress test, which is very similar to the Intel model (GTX 850M). The rivals are more frugal while idling; rather than 12 to 14 watts, some consume only 5 to 10 watts (Envy 15). In terms of performance per watt, the 28-nm SHP process is apparently significantly inferior to the 14-nm process by Intel.

Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
Power Consumption
14%
36%
21%
30%
-34%
Idle Minimum *
12
8.6
28%
5.3
56%
6.1
49%
5.4
55%
16.2
-35%
Idle Average *
14
12
14%
9.8
30%
9.2
34%
11.5
18%
20.2
-44%
Idle Maximum *
14.3
13
9%
9.9
31%
11.9
17%
12.8
10%
22.8
-59%
Load Average *
90.9
72.2
21%
60.4
34%
75.4
17%
48.6
47%
96.4
-6%
Load Maximum *
99.7
104
-4%
72.1
28%
112.4
-13%
79.8
20%
126.9
-27%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 12 / 14 / 14.3 Watt
Load midlight 90.9 / 99.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 960
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

Compared with its rivals, the battery life is not exactly abundant; the new Wi-Fi test stopped after just three hours. Here, websites are simulated via a script using reduced brightness. Although this test does not correspond 1:1 with our old Wi-Fi test, the advantage of Intel's sister model becomes evident. Despite the same battery capacity (56 Wh) and build (lithium ion, 5200 mAh) it lasts approximately 90 minutes longer in Web browsing.

The measured idle runtime, using minimum brightness, disabled Wi-Fi modules, and only iGPU enabled, is surprisingly short. Even the Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H with a GTX 850M achieves over 200% longer runtime.

Asus N551ZU-CN007H
Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Asus N551JK-CN166H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4200H, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
HP Envy 15-k010ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
Asus GL551JK-CN128H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q256G
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H
GeForce GTX 850M, 5200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
MSI GE70-2PCi785
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
Battery Runtime
79%
94%
70%
216%
29%
5%
Reader / Idle
254
436
72%
507
100%
797
214%
271
7%
216
-15%
WiFi v1.3
186
317
70%
448
141%
166
-11%
Load
41
76
85%
77
88%
161
293%
62
51%
58
41%
WiFi
271
249
160
H.264
427
176
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 14min
WiFi Websurfing
3h 06min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 41min

Pros

+ Rigid casing
+ Moderate noise
+ Solid gaming performance
+ Decent application performance
+ DisplayPort (FreeSync) and HDMI
+ Good input devices
+ Maintenance cover
+ Subwoofer included

Cons

- TFT w/ pale colors, tight viewing angles
- No "Gigabit Wi-Fi"
- Some games "throttle" due to the weak APU

Verdict

Solid all-rounder - When will the 15-inch laptop be available in Germany?
Solid all-rounder - When will the 15-inch laptop be available in Germany?

With its N551ZU-CN007H, Asus puts a good laptop on the desk: The 15-inch device features a solid build, has maintenance options, useful input devices, and does not get too loud or too warm during use. Generally speaking, the performance of AMD's APU comes close to a Haswell Core i5,  but AMD needs twice as much power. This is reflected in the short battery life.

The gaming performance gives  mixed impressions. Depending on the game, the performance of the R9 M280X is enough for high to very high graphic settings. However, we also observed a very unsatisfactory performance in some cases (Thief, Far Cry 4). There is also the TN screen with weak contrast and relatively tight viewing angles in our tested configuration. The review sample gathers small plus points for its FreeSync enabled mini-DisplayPort and its fairly strong iGPU with DirectX 11 support.

Whether the N551ZU-CN007H can be recommended as a multimedia all-rounder will depend on the price that is still to be announced. At the time of testing, the N551ZU was not listed in German shops. 600 to 700 Euros (~$683 to ~$800) would be a fair price if the customer could accept the drawbacks. A price of 800 Euros (~$910) would seem appropriate for the model with an IPS screen.

However, the competition is well positioned. Some of the following devices, based on Intel/Nvidia, offer an IPS screen with better colors and viewing angles:

Asus N551ZU-CN007H - 05/06/2015 v4(old)
Sebastian Jentsch

Chassis
82 / 98 → 84%
Keyboard
83%
Pointing Device
84%
Connectivity
68 / 81 → 84%
Weight
58 / 20-67 → 81%
Battery
69%
Display
77%
Games Performance
81 / 85 → 95%
Application Performance
71 / 92 → 77%
Temperature
82%
Noise
77 / 95 → 81%
Audio
80%
Camera
58 / 85 → 68%
Average
75%
79%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Sebastian Jentsch, 2015-05-16 (Update: 2015-08- 3)