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Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H Notebook Review

Appearances are deceptive. Asus can impress in terms of performance with its business notebook, but the price is relatively high. Our review will reveal the weaknesses of the ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA.

For the original German review, see here.

The 15-inch ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA is a relatively average entry into the world of business notebooks. The ASUSPRO business notebooks are mainly designed for durability and reliability. At the time of testing the price was about 500 Euros (~$543). At its core is an Intel Core i5-5200U of the Broadwell generation with integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500. The matte 15.6-inch display offers a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. For a business solution, Asus has equipped the system richly with 8 GB of DDR3 RAM. A conventional hard drive from HGST with a capacity of 500 GB delivers sufficient storage space. All components are packed into a relatively unremarkable, black plastic case.

The ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA does not lack competitors in the low to mid-priced segment. In our review we will compare it to the following notebooks:

- HP 350 G2 L8B05ES

- Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15

- Dell Vostro 15 3558

- HP 15-r220ng

On its home page Asus lists further models of the P2520LA, which differ from our test model in terms of processor, hard drive, display and security features.

Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H (ASUSPRO Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-5200U 2 x 2.2 GHz @ 2.7 GHz, Broadwell
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 5500 - shared Memory MB VRAM, Core: 900 MHz, Memory: 800 MHz, DDR3, 10.18.14.4112
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3, 1600MHz
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, TN (N156BGE-E32), TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Broadwell-U PCH-LP (Premium)
Storage
Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630, 500 GB 
, 7200 rpm, 7200 U/min
Soundcard
Conexant CX20751/2
Connections
1 PC-Card, 1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Line-out, Card Reader: SD card
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Realtek RTL8821AE 802.11ac (), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
SlimtypeDVD A DA8A6SH
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 23.3 x 380 x 256 ( = 0.92 x 14.96 x 10.08 in)
Battery
37 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: VGA
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.406 kg ( = 84.87 oz / 5.3 pounds), Power Supply: 340 g ( = 11.99 oz / 0.75 pounds)
Price
544.99 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case & Connectivity

The ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA comes in a simple plastic case. ASUS speaks of a "brushed-hairline" look - a plastic imitation which resembles brushed aluminum. Only a chrome-colored "ASUS" logo decorates the otherwise completely black notebook. What attracts negative attention is that fingerprints are clearly visible on the case. A maintenance hatch is missing. If you want to clean the fan or upgrade the system, you have to remove the entire underside. Our test model has a free RAM slot for upgrading the RAM. Overall, the build quality of the ASUSPRO is good.

Asus delivers the usual interfaces. Out of a total of four USB ports, three are USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port. This is perfectly alright. Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are also on board and provide sufficient connectivity.

left: AC-in, VGA, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, 3x USB 3.0
left: AC-in, VGA, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, 3x USB 3.0
right: USB 2.0, audio jack, DVD burner, Kensington security lock slot
right: USB 2.0, audio jack, DVD burner, Kensington security lock slot
The front side only houses an SD card slot.
The front side only houses an SD card slot.

Input Devices

Asus offers the notebook with an unlit keyboard. The keys are slightly roughened and offer a good pressure point. The palm rest and the keyboard part are made from a single piece. As a result, the keyboard hardly yields when typing. The keys are decently sized and are all on one level. The number pad keys are slightly smaller than the rest. The touchpad with a size of 10.5 x 7.3 cm (~4.1 x 2.9 in) works impeccably and is on a level with the palm rest. Fingers glide easily across the smooth surface. Since there are no dedicated mouse buttons, the whole surface of the input device can be used to position the mouse cursor. Moreover, the touchpad supports multi touch gestures like scrolling or pinch to zoom.

Display

The matte 15.6-inch display of the ASUSPRO P2520LA features a native WXGA resolution of 1366x768 pixels. This gives a pixel density of 100 PPI. In terms of brightness, the display does not perform great. With an average brightness of 219.7 cd/m² in mains operation and 184 cd/m² on battery, you can only work comfortably when connected to the power grid.

Moreover, a uniform brightness distribution is important and 85% is a relatively good value. Most of our test devices achieve 80% or higher.

226
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
236
cd/m²
206
cd/m²
228
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
200
cd/m²
214
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
TN (N156BGE-E32) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 236 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 219.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 184 cd/m²
Contrast: 543:1 (Black: 0.42 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.22 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.08 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
58% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
37% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39.84% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
57.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.55% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.46
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15IBD
Radeon R5 M330, 5200U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Display
13%
7%
4%
-11%
Display P3 Coverage
38.55
43.59
13%
41.15
7%
40.25
4%
34.13
-11%
sRGB Coverage
57.8
64.8
12%
61.9
7%
60.6
5%
51.4
-11%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
39.84
45.06
13%
42.52
7%
41.59
4%
35.26
-11%
Response Times
-1%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
48 ?(25, 23)
49 ?(27, 22, Plateau)
-2%
Response Time Black / White *
26 ?(9, 17)
26 ?(9, 17, Plateau)
-0%
PWM Frequency
198 ?(90)
Screen
5%
-4%
-18%
-14%
Brightness middle
228
251
10%
214
-6%
267
17%
253
11%
Brightness
220
231
5%
228
4%
253
15%
240
9%
Brightness Distribution
85
86
1%
84
-1%
91
7%
87
2%
Black Level *
0.42
0.53
-26%
0.42
-0%
0.78
-86%
0.52
-24%
Contrast
543
474
-13%
510
-6%
342
-37%
487
-10%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.22
7.92
23%
12.18
-19%
14.62
-43%
15.56
-52%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.08
8.9
20%
13.53
-22%
16.03
-45%
15.09
-36%
Gamma
2.46 89%
2.18 101%
2.26 97%
2.36 93%
2.46 89%
CCT
12762 51%
9917 66%
15817 41%
23192 28%
19263 34%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37
41
11%
39
5%
39
5%
33
-11%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
58
65
12%
62
7%
61
5%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
24.75
Total Average (Program / Settings)
9% / 7%
1% / -1%
-7% / -12%
-13% / -13%

* ... smaller is better

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 9 ms rise
↘ 17 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 57 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 25 ms rise
↘ 23 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 198 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 198 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 198 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The integrated TN panel is  not impressive in terms of color fidelity. Our test software CalMan - Color Checker shows a DeltaE 2000 deviation of 10.22 out-of-the-box. This is noticeable in the blue tint, which is almost typical of TN panels. We are used to values between 10 and 12 in this segment. A value less than 3 would be ideal. In addition, the display of the ASUSPRO is very viewing-angle-dependent.

CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - Gray levels
CalMAN - Gray levels
CalMAN - Color saturation
CalMAN - Color saturation

Performance

The ASUSPRO P2520LA is a simple 15-inch office notebook. Powered by an Intel Core i5-5200U, it delivers sufficient performance for office, Internet and multimedia applications. Asus also offers this notebook with an Intel Core i3 or an Intel Core i7 of the 5th generation. The conventional HDD from HGST delivers sufficient performance with a capacity of 500 GB. An SSD would have been the better choice for mobility because of its shock resistance.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z

Processor

Our test model uses an Intel Core i5-5200U from Intel. With two physical cores and Hyperthreading technology, it delivers sufficient performance to enable fast working. Even demanding software and multitasking apps do not pose a problem. The base clock is 2.2 GHz and the clock rate can increase to up to 2.7 GHz in Turbo mode. The benchmark results are all on a level with the devices in our comparison, which also use an Intel Core i5-5200U. The ASUSPRO P2520LA performs significantly better than the Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15 with AMD A6-6310.

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
1.2 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.5 Points -58%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.55 Points -54%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
1.25 Points +4%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1.27 Points +6%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1.2 Points 0%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
2.8 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1.9 Points -32%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1.62 Points -42%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
2.83 Points +1%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2.81 Points 0%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2.81 Points 0%
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
97 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
43 Points -56%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
46 Points -53%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
97 Points 0%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
108 Points +11%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
106 Points +9%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
253 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
158 Points -38%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
146 Points -42%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
260 Points +3%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
259 Points +2%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
259 Points +2%
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4073
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5181 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
9629 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
4261 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
6239
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6020
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.2 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.8 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
16.36 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
97 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
23.56 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
253 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Help

System Performance

The system works smoothly and its performance conforms to the expectations on its Broadwell platform. All test models with Intel Core i5-5200U are on par. Only the HP 350 G2 L8B05ES performs slightly better, since it comes with a dedicated Radeon R5 M240 GPU. The use of an SSD could increase the system performance.

PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
2807 Points
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
2492 Points -11%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2541 Points -9%
Lightweight (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
2270 Points
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
2076 Points -9%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1960 Points -14%
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
2707 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1442 Points -47%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
2780 Points +3%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
4453 Points +64%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
3800 Points +40%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
3805 Points +41%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
3146 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1299 Points -59%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1917 Points -39%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
3255 Points +3%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2896 Points -8%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2997 Points -5%
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
2835 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1462 Points -48%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1880 Points -34%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
3136 Points +11%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2758 Points -3%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2776 Points -2%
PCMark 7 Score
2807 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2835 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3146 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
2707 points
Help

Storage Devices

The system drive is a conventional one from HGST. Its storage capacity is 500 GB and works at a rotation speed of 7200 RPM. HD Tune reports an average transfer rate of 105.2 MB/s. The HDD achieves a read rate of 124.1 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark. These results are normal for an HDD with 7200 RPM.

CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark
HD Tune
HD Tune
Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
Transfer Rate Minimum: 57.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 136.5 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 105.2 MB/s
Access Time: 16.7 ms
Burst Rate: 281.3 MB/s
CPU Usage: 5 %

Graphics Card

The ASUSPRO P2520LA uses the Intel HD Graphics 5500 as its graphics solution. The GPU is integrated in the Broadwell processor and supports OpenCL 2.0 as well as DirectX 12 (FL 11_1). The performance is not surprising and on the expected level. The clock rate of the GPU reaches 900 MHz. By adding a second RAM module (dual channel mode), the performance can be increased by up to 20%. However, users with higher performance requirements had better consider a solution with a dedicated GPU. The HP 350 G2 L8B05ES with dedicated AMD Radeon R5 M240 performs significantly better than the Intel HD Graphics 5500.

GPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
817 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
202 Points -75%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
706 Points -14%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
1575 Points +93%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
834 Points +2%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
860 Points +5%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
45425 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
16705 Points -63%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
35729 Points -21%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
49362 Points +9%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
46148 Points +2%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
42222 Points -7%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
4571 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1328 Points -71%
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
3252 Points -29%
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
5542 Points +21%
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
5179 Points +13%
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
4934 Points +8%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
6839 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
3957 points
3DMark 11 Performance
901 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
40196 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
3639 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
500 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
224 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The ASUSPRO P2520LA is a classic office notebook without a dedicated GPU. Thus, only very undemanding games can run with acceptable frame rates. “Tomb Raider” or “Dirt Rally” can run smoothly at low resolutions and with minimum quality settings. The Asus does not achieve playable frame rates in performance hungry games such as “Thief”.

Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
Lenovo IdeaPad 305-15ABM
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
HP 350 G2 L8B05ES
Radeon R5 M240, 5200U, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
Dell Vostro 3558
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
HP 15-r220ng
HD Graphics 5500, 5200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Tomb Raider
-67%
-19%
48%
-6%
-1%
1024x768 Low Preset
41.5
14
-66%
33.1
-20%
62.8
51%
39.2
-6%
41.5
0%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x
21.8
7.1
-67%
17.8
-18%
31.6
45%
20.8
-5%
21.4
-2%
Dirt Rally
-46%
-16%
83%
-9%
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset
66.1
24.2
-63%
52.3
-21%
122.7
86%
58.1
-12%
1366x768 Medium Preset
17.27
12.5
-28%
15.6
-10%
31.1
80%
16.3
-6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-57% / -56%
-18% / -17%
66% / 66%
-8% / -7%
-1% / -1%
low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 41.5 21.8 14.2
Thief (2014) 13.7 9 7.3
Dirt Rally (2015) 66.1 17.27

Emissions & Energy

System Noise

During everyday use, the active cooler is hardly audible. However, the noise of the read and write heads of the hard drive is permanently present. An SSD would help here. However, with 33.4 dB(A) it should not be too disturbing. The noise reaches a maximum of 38.6 dB(A) when the optical drive is used.

Noise Level

Idle
33 / 33 / 33 dB(A)
HDD
33.4 dB(A)
DVD
38.6 / dB(A)
Load
34 / 34 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test: Prime 95 and Furmark run simultaneously.

During the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously for at least one hour) the processor clocks at 2.2 GHz in mains operation. In battery mode, the CPU clock rate falls to 1.6 to 1.7 GHz. The graphics unit clocks at 750 to 850 MHz in mains operation as well as on battery. Under full load, the notebook does not get excessively warm. Only in a single segment, the fan outlet, the temperature comes close to 42 degrees Celsius (~108 degrees Fahrenheit). All other readings are significantly below 40 degrees Celsius (~104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Max. Load
 32 °C
90 F
30.8 °C
87 F
24 °C
75 F
 
 41.9 °C
107 F
38.2 °C
101 F
23.8 °C
75 F
 
 31.3 °C
88 F
37.5 °C
100 F
32.7 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 41.9 °C = 107 F
Average: 32.5 °C = 91 F
22.8 °C
73 F
24.6 °C
76 F
35.9 °C
97 F
24.4 °C
76 F
26.2 °C
79 F
37.1 °C
99 F
27.8 °C
82 F
28.1 °C
83 F
30.9 °C
88 F
Maximum: 37.1 °C = 99 F
Average: 28.6 °C = 83 F
Power Supply (max.)  47.2 °C = 117 F | Room Temperature 21.1 °C = 70 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.5 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.9 °C / 107 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 37.1 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.6 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 37.5 °C / 99.5 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-9.8 °C / -17.6 F).

Speakers

The two speakers sit under the palm rest relatively far to the right and left. The sound, which is emitted towards the table, is not particularly good. It does not make much difference when the two small grilles are covered. The volume is decent for an office notebook. The sound does not scratch or distort at maximum volume.

Power Consumption

The ASUSPRO requires up to 0.6 watts in standby mode, which is too much. Competitors like the Dell Vostro 15 3558 perform better. While idling, the test model makes do with a maximum of 7.4 watts. During the stress test, a maximum of 28.4 watts is reached, which is also due to CPU and GPU throttling. If CPU and GPU did not throttle, the energy demand would be higher. The power adapter is rated at 65 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.6 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.3 / 6.7 / 7.4 Watt
Load midlight 27.8 / 28.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
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 Life

Our realistic Wi-Fi test automatically opens web site at 40 second intervals. The profile "balanced" is active and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The ASUSPRO P2520LA achieves a decent battery life of 5:21 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Surfing
5h 21min

Pros

+ sufficient performance
+ matte display
+ works quietly most of the time
+ gets hardly warmer
+ good keyboard
+ good battery life

Cons

- no maintenance hatches
- quality of the display
- case is susceptible to fingerprints

Verdict

In review: ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de

The ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA under review is a 15.6 inch office notebook with a few multimedia properties. The integrated Broadwell CPU offers more than sufficient performance for everyday office use. The computer works quietly and coolly during everyday use. The case appears solid, but cannot stand out from the competition due to its simplicity. The incorporated hard drive features a capacity of 500 GB and rotates at 7200 RPM. If you want to do without the noise of a conventional hard drive, you can replace it with a significantly faster solid-state disk. However, you have to remove the underside of the notebook completely in order to do so since a maintenance hatch is unfortunately missing. Both keyboard and touchpad left a good impression. However, we would wish for a subtle keyboard light. Buyers should not expect too much from the ASUSPRO's display. ASUS offers a two-year warranty.

Anyone looking for a new office notebook for occasional work may opt for the ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA. However, prospective buyers have to accept its low display quality. With a price tag of 545 Euros (~$592) the notebook is not really a bargain. However, it has to be mentioned, that it offers a powerful CPU and a large RAM capacity of 8 GB. In addition, our test model includes a Windows 8.1 license with a free upgrade to Windows 10.

Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H - 02/25/2016 v5(old)
Sebastian Bade

Chassis
66 / 98 → 67%
Keyboard
75%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
39 / 80 → 49%
Weight
60 / 20-67 → 85%
Battery
82%
Display
77%
Games Performance
53 / 68 → 78%
Application Performance
56 / 92 → 61%
Temperature
91%
Noise
88%
Audio
50%
Average
69%
77%
Office - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ASUSPRO Essential P2520LA-XO0167H Notebook Review
Sebastian Bade, 2015-12-20 (Update: 2018-05-15)