Asus F555LJ (GeForce 920M) Notebook Review

The F555LJ comes with the same panel type as the Asus X555LD-XX283H. Our measurements show some differences, but this is a pretty normal occurrence: even panels within the same series are never one hundred percent identical.

The models within the F555/X555 series of 15.6-inch notebooks are true all-rounders and as such offer enough performance for everyday tasks as well as games. Our review notebook can be purchased for about 550 Euros (~$610). Asus sells many other, differently equipped configurations as well.

The F555LJ comes equipped with a dual-core Core i3-5010U - the Broadwell successor of the Core i3-4010U CPU. The new CPU boasts a core frequency that is higher by 400 MHz (2.1 GHz vs. 1.7 GHz). Neither processor features Turbo Boost. The higher clock speed in combination with the architecture improvements result in a much higher performance compared to the predecessor. Our tests show a gain of 20 to 30%, regardless of whether the notebook was plugged in or running on battery. AMD cannot really compete with Intel here and both the A4 and A6 series of APUs have significantly lower CPU performance.

The system runs smoothly and lag-free. We did not encounter any problems during our time with the notebook. The results of the PCMark benchmark tests are decent. Just like the CPU results, the PCMark benchmark scores are significantly higher than those of the Haswell predecessors. The system performance can be improved by swapping the existing platter-based hard drive for a solid-state disk.

The F555LJ comes with a Travelstar Z5K500 hard drive with a capacity of 500 GB and a rotational speed of 5400 rpm. The drive is divided into a 186 GB OS partition and a 263 GB data partition. The transfer rates are not out of the ordinary and appropriate for 5400-rpm drives.

With the GeForce 920M, Asus has incorporated Nvidia's latest entry-level GPU. This particular model is the successor to the GeForce 820M graphics card. From a technical standpoint, the two GPUs do not have much in common: the 920M is based on the Kepler while the 830M is based on the Fermi architecture. Both feature nearly identical clock speeds of 954 vs. 955 MHz, although it would be foolish to assume identical performance as well, since the architecture is quite different. The benchmark tests bring clarity and show the superiority of the 920M: the new GPU scores 20 to 30% higher than the predecessor running the 3DMark benchmarks. This is on par with the performance of an AMD Radeon R5 M255 GPU.

In addition to the GeForce GPU, the notebook also features an integrated HD Graphics 5500. The two GPUs allow for graphics switching (Optimus). The Intel GPU is used for less demanding tasks and while the notebook is running on battery. The GeForce GPU handles demanding applications like games. The switch between the graphics units happens automatically, so the user does not have to intervene, although they have the option to do so at any time.

The combination of CPU and GPU offers enough performance for many games at the native screen resolution and lower to medium quality settings. Games that are not resource-intensive allow for even higher settings. The latest games often require a reduction of the resolution as well as the quality to produce high enough frame rates. Demanding games like "The Witcher 3" remain unplayable regardless of the settings.

Although there has been an improvement of 20 to 30% in the performance of F555LJ  in the 3DMark benchmarks compared to that of its Haswell siblings, the difference as far as games are concerned is much lower, at about 10 to 20%. Lower resolution/quality settings lead to a more pronounced advantage. Although the F555LJ's results of the 3DMark benchmarks put it on par with notebooks equipped with the Radeon R7 M255, the system actually handles gaming better than the AMD competition.

The F555LJ is not a very noisy notebook. While idling, the fan is always on, but runs at a low speed. Under load, the fan speed increases. We measured 41.8 dB(A) during the stress test - an acceptable value. This in turn means that the system is less noisy than its Haswell siblings.

Asus deserves some credit for the very low power consumption across the board. The Haswell predecessors were not particularly power-hungry in the first place, but the F555LJ consumes even less power. During the stress test, the F555LJ required about 6 watts less than its less powerful  predecessors. For this reason, the power savings are even more impressive.

During our practical WLAN test, a script opens a different website every 40 seconds. The power saver profile is active and the display is set to a brightness of about 150 cd / m². The F555LJ lasted for about 5 hours and 45 minutes; the predecessors shut down about 90 minutes earlier.