Review Asus F551MA-SX063H Notebook
For the original German review, see here.
The F551MA is another model of the Asus F550/X550 series for the lowest price segment. Asus incorporated a Pentium processor with four cores here. Learn in our review whether the computer is attractive.
We compare the notebook to the Acer Aspire E1-532 (Celeron 2955U, HD Graphics (Haswell)) and the Lenovo G500s (Pentium 2020M, HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)).
Since the F551MA has a lot in common with other members of the F550-/X550-series, we will not cover connectivity, input devices, and speakers here - unless there are differences. Information about these is, for example, available in our test of the Asus F550DP-XX022H.
Case & Connectivity
The whole case of the F551MA is made from matte-black plastic. In addition, the surfaces are textured. The case stability is on par with its siblings' from the F550-/X550-series. Alike the Asus F550DP-XX022H, the F551MA does not have a maintenance hatch and the battery is fixed. The interface layout of the two computers is slightly different.
Display
Asus incorporated a glossy 15.6-inch display with a native resolution of 1366x768. We appreciate the average brightness of 240.7 cd/m² since we are used to worse values in the low-price segment. Contrast (301:1) and black value (0.8 cd/m²) are not particularly good. More is to be expected here nowadays.
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Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 244 cd/m²
Contrast: 301:1 (Black: 0.8 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.56 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
56% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
81.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
54.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.84
We are used to Asus notebooks delivering good color values. This is not due to the fact that Asus incorporates high-end displays, but they preinstall color profiles. This is also the case with the F551MA. The average DeltaE 2000 deviation is 4.7, which is not far from the target range (DeltaE smaller than 3). The display is not bluish.
It is difficult to impossible to use the laptop outdoors because of the reflective surface. At best, the notebook can be used in the shade. The viewing angles are usual for cheap notebooks: they are very narrow.
Performance
The Asus F551MA wants to be a simple 15.6-inch office notebook. It is suitable for simple tasks like surfing, Skype, and typing. Computer games are not a strength of the computer for about 350 Euros (~$481).
Processor
Asus equipped the F551MA with a Pentium N3520 processor. The quad-core CPU is based on Intel's Silvermont architecture, and so it is a relative of the Atom processors. The Pentium clocks in at 2.17 GHz. Thanks to Turbo, the clock rate can increase to 2.42 GHz. The CPU does not need particularly much energy. Intel specifies a TDP of 7.5 Watt.
The processor works with full speed in mains operation and on battery during the CPU tests of the Cinebench benchmarks. Neither the F551MA nor the Aspire can keep up with the G500s, which features the fastest CPU.
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Asus F551MA-SX063H | |
HP Compaq 15-h024sg | |
Medion Akoya E6239T | |
Acer Aspire E1-532 | |
Lenovo G500s-59367693 |
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Asus F551MA-SX063H | |
HP Compaq 15-h024sg | |
Medion Akoya E6239T | |
Acer Aspire E1-532 | |
Lenovo G500s-59367693 |
System Performance
The notebook mostly runs smoothly. However, installations take a lot of time. The result of the PCMark 7 benchmark is fair. The F551MA cannot keep up with the G500s again. The latter profits from its faster processor.
PCMark 7 Score | 1790 points | |
Help |
Storage Devices
The F551MA is equipped with a hard drive from Western Digital's Scorpio Blue series with a capacity of 500 GB and a revolution speed of 5400 rpm. The transfer rates recorded by CrystalDiskmark are overall good. The hard drive can shine with its 4k-read-/write values. Conventional hard drives are usually not able to deliver such values.
Graphics Card
The F551MA features Intel's HD Graphics graphics core of the Bay Trail generation. It supports DirectX 11 and works with clock rates between 400 and 820 MHz. The Asus performed worse than its competitors in all 3DMark benchmarks. The Aspire achieved the best results, since it features the fastest graphics core.
3DMark 11 Performance | 261 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 20652 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 1515 points | |
Help |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
Asus F551MA-SX063H | |
Medion Akoya E6239T | |
HP Compaq 15-h024sg | |
Lenovo G500s-59367693 | |
Acer Aspire E1-532 |
Gaming Performance
The F551MA is a completely wrong choice for those who also want to play computer games with their notebook. At best, it is able to smoothly run several games with low resolution and low quality settings.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
Dirt 3 (2011) | 36.9 | 13.3 | ||
Counter-Strike: GO (2012) | 46.6 | 23.9 | ||
Dishonored (2012) | 14.3 | 11.2 | ||
Dead Space 3 (2013) | 23.6 | 9.7 | ||
Tomb Raider (2013) | 15.5 | 8.1 | ||
Battlefield 4 (2013) | 7.3 | |||
Thief (2014) | 5.1 | 3.3 | ||
The Elder Scrolls Online (2014) | 25.2 | 9.2 |
Asus F551MA-SX063H HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3520, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX | Acer Aspire E1-532 HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | Lenovo G500s-59367693 HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | |
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Tomb Raider | 86% | 43% | |
1024x768 Low Preset | 15.5 | 30.3 95% | 23.1 49% |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x | 8.1 | 14.3 77% | 11.1 37% |
Emissions
System Noise
Since the F551MA features a CPU with a TDP of 7.5 Watt, it is to be expected that the computer does not produce much waste heat. This is proved by our measurements. The fan is often disabled while idle. Under load it gets slightly louder, but the system noise is still moderate.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 30.4 / 30.4 / 30.4 dB(A) |
HDD |
| 30.6 dB(A) |
DVD |
| 36.3 / dB(A) |
Load |
| 31.7 / 36.2 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min: , med: , max: Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) |
Temperature
The case temperatures of the F551MA do not increase much whilst either idle or during the stress test. The values are in the green in all measurement segments. The same is true for the Aspire. Although the G500s gets slightly warmer during full load, the temperature remains within limits.
The F551MA performed the stress test, where both Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour, in a similar manner in battery and AC mode: The CPU runs at full speed (2.42 GHz) and the graphics clock rate is 820 MHz most of the time and sometimes falls to 400 MHz. The CPU temperature hovered around 95 °C during the stress test.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 30.6 °C / 87 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.6 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.9 °C / 87.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-3.2 °C / -5.7 F).
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The F551MA features a frugal processor. As a result, the computer does not need much energy. During the stress test, the power consumption increases to up to 21.6 Watt. While idle, it is below 10 Watt. The Aspire only needs slightly more energy under load. The G500s generally needs more energy since it features a standard volt mobile processor.
Off / Standby | 0 / 0.3 Watt |
Idle | 5 / 8 / 8.6 Watt |
Load |
16.5 / 21.6 Watt |
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, websites are automatically loaded in 40-second intervals. The energy-saving profile is selected and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The F551MA achieves a battery life of 4:16 h here. This is a fair result. The Aspire (4:30 h) keeps running slightly longer, while the G500s (3:14 h) shuts down earlier.
Verdict
With the F551MA-SX063H, Asus offers a simple office notebook, which is only suitable for simple tasks. The notebook only needs little energy and always works quietly. In addition, the battery life is good in our realistic WLAN test. The display surprised us: It is quite bright and its colors are good, but it is low-contrast and has narrow viewing angles.
If price is an important criterion, the Aspire E1-532 is the better alternative: Its CPU performance is better in single-thread applications, and it features a more powerful GPU. In addition, its battery life is longer, and it works just as quietly as the F551MA. Furthermore, the display is matte and the warranty is two years. The Acer is currently available for about 270 Euros (~$371). If you add the cost for a Windows 8.1 license, the price of the Aspire is about 350 Euros (~$481), too. So, the price-performance ratio of the Aspire is significantly better than the Asus'.
The Lenovo G500s is the notebook of choice if you are looking for the highest possible CPU performance. It currently costs about 300 Euros (~$412, without Windows OS).