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Review Update Asus N56JR-S4080H Notebook

Premium gaming device. The Asus N56JR is no cheap machine. Shipping with an Haswell Core i7 CPU, a GeForce GTX 760M, a Full HD display, metal surfaces, a backlit keyboard and an external subwoofer this is one premium package at a premium price point of around 1100 Euros ($1504). Our review will reveal whether the laptop keeps its promises in real life, competing with the best of the best.

For the original German review, see here.

The Asus N56JR-S4080H is a premium multimedia laptop shipping with a GeForce GTX 760M GPU which makes it an interesting choice not only for those in need of an all-rounder, but also for gamers. The N56JR is not new to us, as we have already tested a number of almost identical (at least in terms of the chassis) predecessors such as the N56VB-S4050H (Core i7-3630QM, GeForce GT 740M) and the N56VZ-S4044V (Core i7-3610QM, GeForce GT 650M). Other than its brethren (which were rated with 85% and 84% respectively), the N56JR comes with a Haswell CPU. Our review article will show how the most recent incarnation of the N56 series fares.

In addition, we are comparing it to a number of competing devices such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 755M SLI) and the Samsung Ativ Book 8 Touch (Core i7-3635QM, Radeon HD 8870M).

Since the N56JR sports the same chassis as its predecessor, we are not discussing the case, its connectivity, the input device, the display and the speakers again. All of this information can be had by taking a look at the review article of the Asus N56VB-S4050H.

Features

Operating System

The Asus N56JR ships with Windows 8 (64-bit) preinstalled. Unfortunately, no recovery DVD is included. E.g. if Windows 8 were to be replaced by Windows 7, this would go along with the risk of not being able to reverse that step (unfortunately, Asus doesn't support Windows 7 and thus doesn't offer any drivers, although some Windows 8 drivers are, in fact, compatible with Windows 7). In general, all necessary drivers are available on an extra DVD, making it unnecessary to download them from Asus' website.

The obligatory drivers are the ones for the Intel graphics chip, the Intel chipset, the Intel Wi-Fi module and the card reader (the Intel drivers could be downloaded from Intel's website as well, possibly including newer versions). According to the Asus website, some N56JR models make use of Atheros Wi-Fi modules. If Asus' driver should prove not to be useable with Windows 7, a fully functional alternative should be available on Atheros.cz.

The native Windows 7 sound driver can be used, but it doesn't support the subwoofer, making it necessary to install the audio driver via Asus. The function keys as well as the backlighting system work flawlessly as soon as the "ATK Package" is installed. The GeForce GPU driver can be installed via the Windows update function. Alternatively, the most recent version can be downloaded from Nvidia's website. The correct Ethernet driver can be found on Realtek's website. Last but not least, no native Windows 7 USB 3.0 driver exists - instead the Intel USB 3.0 driver has to be installed.

Maintenance

The maintenance hatch on the bottom of the device allows the RAM modules and the hard drive to be accessed. Both memory banks are equipped with one 4 GB module each. The HDD could easily be swapped for another one, or an SSD. Both 7 mm and 9.5 mm 2.5-inch drives would fit. In order to access the fans or the CPU, however, the laptop would have to be dismantled.

Display

The N56JR uses the same matte Full HD panel as the Asus N56VB-S4050H. Still, the N56VB fares somewhat better, possibly either due to some variations during manufacturing (which is not unusual) or a deliberate choice by the manufacturer to reduce the peak brightness.

368
cd/m²
367
cd/m²
349
cd/m²
357
cd/m²
375
cd/m²
327
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
331
cd/m²
286
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG Philips LP156WF1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 375 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 340.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 76 %
Center on Battery: 375 cd/m²
Contrast: 647:1 (Black: 0.58 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.14 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.25 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
56.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.48

In any case, the N56JR still comes with a bright, high-contrast display (which also ships with above-average viewing angles). An average DeltaE 2000 deviation value of 4 is quite good, but not great (<3). We didn't notice the slight bluish tint with our naked eyes. Still, the screen is not the ideal choice for professional graphics artists, with sRGB and AdobeRGB color space coverage rates of 77.9% and 56.6% respectively. 

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Color saturation
CalMAN - Color saturation

Performance

A number of 15.6-inch premium multimedia laptops are offered by Asus with its N56 series. These are not only suited for everyday tasks, but also video editing applications or computer games. Our test device can be had for around 1100 Euros (~$1504) at the time of writing. Another variant with a Core i5-4200H CPU is also available (the N56JR-S4056H) for around 1000 Euros (~$1367). Even cheaper (approximately 900 Euros, ~$1230) is the previous-generation N56VV-S4085H which comes with a Core i5-3230M and a GeForce GT 750M GPU.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
System information Asus N56JR-S4080H

Processor

The Asus N56JR comes with a Core i7-4700HQ CPU. This is a quad-core Haswell-generation processor which comes with a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz and a Turbo boost to up to 3.2 GHz (all four cores), 3.3 GHz (two cores) or 3.4 GHz (one core). Two preceding Ivy Bridge-generation CPUs offer the same clock speed, the Core i7-3630QM and the Core i7-3635QM (which ships with a slightly faster GPU). The latter is used in Samsung's Ativ Book. Thanks to the improvements of Haswell, the Core i7-4700HQ should be faster by 10%, with a TDP of 47 watts, 2 watts more than that of its predecessors.

The CPU works at 3.2 GHz during the single-threading CPU benchmarks. Two cores reach up to 3.3 GHz for certain stretches of time. During the multi-threading tests with all four cores, 3.2 GHz is achieved. While running on battery, however, the multi-threading performance halves since the four cores are often down-clocked from 3.2 GHz to around 800 MHz. The Cinebench results of the N56JR are on par with that of the IdeaPad (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 755M SLI) due to the almost similar CPUs while the Ativ Book (Ivy Bridge-based Core i7-3635QM at the same clock speeds, Radeon HD 8870M) does fall somewhat behind due to its older CPU and thus lower performance per MHz. During the GL tests, all three laptops yield almost the same results.

Looking at the Cinebench diagrams, the Dell Inspiron 15-7537 fares a lot worse than its competitors, due to the dual-core CPU (instead of a quad-core chip), the lower clock speeds of its CPU, and the fact that it doesn't use its Turbo mode to the fullest.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6318 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6818 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
24286 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4826
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
18755
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6793
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.51 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
55.7 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.96 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
83.2 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
641 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
135 Points
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.51 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-7537
GeForce GT 750M, 4500U, Samsung SSD SM841 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV
1.09 Points -28%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.38 Points -9%
Asus N56VB-S4050H
GeForce GT 740M, 3630QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD7500BPVT-80HXZT3
1.41 Points -7%
Gigabyte P25W
GeForce GTX 770M, 4700MQ, 2x Lite-On CMT-128L3M (RAID 0)
1.49 Points -1%
Toshiba Satellite P50-A-11L
GeForce GT 745M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
1.5 Points -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p-59400120
GeForce GT 755M SLI, 4700MQ, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1.5 Points -1%
MSI GE60H-i765M2811B
GeForce GTX 765M, 4700MQ, 2x Toshiba THNSNF064GMCS 64 GB RAID 0 (=128 GB)
1.51 Points 0%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
6.96 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-7537
GeForce GT 750M, 4500U, Samsung SSD SM841 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV
2.12 Points -70%
Toshiba Satellite P50-A-11L
GeForce GT 745M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
5.91 Points -15%
Asus N56VB-S4050H
GeForce GT 740M, 3630QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD7500BPVT-80HXZT3
6.41 Points -8%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
6.46 Points -7%
Gigabyte P25W
GeForce GTX 770M, 4700MQ, 2x Lite-On CMT-128L3M (RAID 0)
6.75 Points -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p-59400120
GeForce GT 755M SLI, 4700MQ, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
6.98 Points 0%
MSI GE60H-i765M2811B
GeForce GTX 765M, 4700MQ, 2x Toshiba THNSNF064GMCS 64 GB RAID 0 (=128 GB)
6.98 Points 0%

System Performance

The system runs smoothly without any noticeable lags. We also appreciate the great PCMark benchmark results, on par with those of the Ativ Book (Core i7-3635QM, Radeon HD 8870M) and the IdeaPad (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 755M SLI).

A better system performance could be achieved by replacing the HDD with a solid state drive, yielding a faster-booting, more responsive system with better PCMark results. We have actually done this, resulting in a 65% increase to 5552 points during PCMark 7 with a Crucial RealSSD C300 with 64 GB of storage.

PCMark Vantage Result
8774 points
PCMark 7 Score
3371 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated
3493 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated
3538 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated
4220 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3371 Points
Asus N56VB-S4050H
GeForce GT 740M, 3630QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD7500BPVT-80HXZT3
3065 Points -9%
Toshiba Satellite P50-A-11L
GeForce GT 745M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3181 Points -6%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3290 Points -2%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p-59400120
GeForce GT 755M SLI, 4700MQ, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3459 Points +3%
Dell Inspiron 15-7537
GeForce GT 750M, 4500U, Samsung SSD SM841 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV
5454 Points +62%
MSI GE60H-i765M2811B
GeForce GTX 765M, 4700MQ, 2x Toshiba THNSNF064GMCS 64 GB RAID 0 (=128 GB)
5587 Points +66%
Gigabyte P25W
GeForce GTX 770M, 4700MQ, 2x Lite-On CMT-128L3M (RAID 0)
5840 Points +73%

Storage Devices

HD Tune
HD Tune
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark

The Asus N56JR ships with an HDD made by Toshiba. It offers a capacity of 1 TB and spins with 5400 rpm. As usual for Asus laptops, the HDD is partitioned, with a system partition (372 GB) and a data partition (537 GB). CrystalDiskMark measures a read speed of 113 MB/s while HD Tune yields an average data transfer rate of 88.6 MB/s. Both are decent values, given this is an HDD with 5400 rpm. Even the above-average 4K read/write results look promising.

Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Transfer Rate Minimum: 41.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 118.1 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 88.6 MB/s
Access Time: 17.7 ms
Burst Rate: 233.1 MB/s
CPU Usage: 2.1 %

Graphics Card

The Asus laptop ships with Optimus technology, meaning its innards include both an integrated HD Graphics 4600 GPU for everyday tasks and while the laptop is running on battery and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 760M for more demanding applications such as 3D games. Both chips support DirectX 11.1. The dedicated chip is an upper middle-class chip, working with a base clock speed of 657 MHz and a Turbo boost to up to 719 MHz.

Tested with the 3DMark benchmarks, the N56JR takes the lead when compared to the Ativ Book (Core i7-3635QM, Radeon HD 8870M). Overall speaking, the GPU of the Asus laptop comes out as the faster one. Still, it doesn't stand a chance against the IdeaPad (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 755M SLI), but then again, this laptop comes with two GPUs working together via SLI so this result shouldn't come as a surprise.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
19221 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
14087 points
3DMark 11 Performance
3620 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
84906 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
12135 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2218 points
Help
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p-59400120
GeForce GT 755M SLI, 4700MQ, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus N56VB-S4050H
GeForce GT 740M, 3630QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD7500BPVT-80HXZT3
One K56-3N2
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, Samsung 840 Series 500 GB (MZ-7TD500)
3DMark
23%
-14%
-32%
53%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score
84906

84906

80272
-5%
53664
-37%
67664
-20%
83609
-2%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score
12135

12125

13635
12%
11328
-7%
8226
-32%
17867
47%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
2218
3584
62%
2235
1%
1269
-43%
4739
114%

Gaming Performance

The combination between a Haswell quad-core CPU and a powerful GeForce GPU makes sure that almost all games can be played smoothly in the native HD resolution (1366x768) and with high details, many even in Full HD and with maximum quality.

Should the gaming performance of the N56JR still not suffice, then the IdeaPad might be a good alternative, costing the same while offering greater 3D prowess. But even more is possible, with the One K56-3N2 (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GTX 780M) being noticeably faster than the IdeaPad. While the model which we reviewed costs almost 2000 Euros (~$2735), it is a very customizable laptop meaning cheaper variants can be had as well.

low med. high ultra
World of Warcraft (2005) 43
Crysis - GPU Benchmark (2007) 81.2 23.5
Crysis - CPU Benchmark (2007) 70.8 21.1
Trackmania Nations Forever (2008) 73.3
Resident Evil 5 (2009) 108.2 80
Mafia 2 (2010) 90.4 55.6
Batman: Arkham City (2011) 80 40
Risen 2: Dark Waters (2012) 48.5 23.7
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012) 62.3 27.2
Torchlight 2 (2012) 57.9 31
Assassin´s Creed III (2012) 64.6 21.4
Tomb Raider (2013) 66.2 29.2
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) 87.8 36.1
GRID 2 (2013) 102.4 31.4
F1 2013 (2013) 108 64
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p-59400120
GeForce GT 755M SLI, 4700MQ, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus N56VB-S4050H
GeForce GT 740M, 3630QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD7500BPVT-80HXZT3
One K56-3N2
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, Samsung 840 Series 500 GB (MZ-7TD500)
Tomb Raider
80%
-11%
-50%
124%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
66.2
122.1
84%
58.4
-12%
35.3
-47%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x
29.2
51
75%
26.7
-9%
14
-52%
65.3
124%
GRID 2
24%
-29%
1366x768 High Preset AA:2xMS
102.4
99.4
-3%
58.4
-43%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS
31.4
47.1
50%
26.7
-15%
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
-21%
-44%
1366x768 High AA:on
87.8
75.1
-14%
51.9
-41%
1920x1080 Ultra / Extreme AA:on
36.1
26.2
-27%
19
-47%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
52% / 52%
-20% / -20%
-47% / -47%
124% / 124%

Emissions

Noise Emissions

Fortunately, the N56JR is pretty quiet while the machine is idle, with 31.7 to 32.7 dB(A), not too far behind both the IdeaPad (30.3 to 31.2 dB(A)) and especially the Ativ Book (29.8 to 30 dB(A)). Sometimes the fans are completely inactive, leaving only the white noise of the HDD audible. Under medium (3DMark06 running) or full load (stress test, Prime 95 and Furmark active), the noise levels increase to 39.2 and 42.2 dB(A) respectively. This is still okay, given the performance this laptop offers. Only the Ativ Book is noticeably better (30.8 and 40.7 dB(A), IdeaPad: 36.1 and 43.8 dB(A)).

Noise Level

Idle
31.7 / 32.6 / 32.6 dB(A)
HDD
31.7 dB(A)
DVD
36 / dB(A)
Load
39.2 / 42.2 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

The Asus N56JR-S4080H during the stress test.
The Asus N56JR-S4080H during the stress test.

While idle, the outer surfaces of all three laptops barely heat up, never becoming uncomfortably hot at any of the measurement points. Under load, the N56JR remains moderately warm, with more than 40 °C being reached only in direct proximity to the fan. The Ativ Book behaves similarly (with one point exceeding 50 °C). The IdeaPad comes with more hotspots, but this shouldn't be a surprise given the fact that two GeForce GPUs and a quad-core CPU are drawing power at the same time.

A clock speed of 2.7 to 2.8 GHz, later 2.4 to 3 GHz, during the stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark running for at least one hour) is quite decent, as is the full Turbo speed (719 MHz) of the GPU which is reached while the laptop is plugged in. While it is running on battery, however, the CPU underclocks to 800 MHz (at least sometimes, one or two cores go up to 3.2 GHz) while the GPU clocks at 405 MHz. Still, the stress test is an extreme burden which is unlikely to occur during actual usage scenarios. As our benchmarks have shown, the laptop always reaches its peak performance while plugged in (with the CPU temperature reaching a plateau at around 85 °C). Only while running on battery does it fall short of its potential, sometimes even during everyday use.

Max. Load
 42.1 °C
108 F
34.5 °C
94 F
30.7 °C
87 F
 
 43.4 °C
110 F
39.4 °C
103 F
29.7 °C
85 F
 
 32.4 °C
90 F
34.5 °C
94 F
30.5 °C
87 F
 
Maximum: 43.4 °C = 110 F
Average: 35.2 °C = 95 F
26.9 °C
80 F
36.3 °C
97 F
41 °C
106 F
26.4 °C
80 F
32.9 °C
91 F
43 °C
109 F
27.2 °C
81 F
27.1 °C
81 F
28.4 °C
83 F
Maximum: 43 °C = 109 F
Average: 32.1 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  47.5 °C = 118 F | Room Temperature 22.1 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.2 °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 43.4 °C / 110 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 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.5 °C / 94.1 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-5.7 °C / -10.3 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

While idle, the N56JR draws 9.2 to 14.5 watts of power. This is quite decent given the category. Both the Ativ Book (9.9 to 16.1 watts) and especially the IdeaPad (15.5 to 31.6 watts) require more juice, with the latter being too power-hungry, even with its two GeForce GPUs. Under medium load (3DMark06 running) and full load (stress test, Prime 95 and Furmark active) the Asus laptop needs 89.2 and 110 watts (actually 95 to 110 watts, since the clock speed varies between 2.4 and 3 GHz). The Ativ Book (75.4 and 89.7 watts) draws less power, the IdeaPad requires more (120.4 and 139.7 watts).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.2 / 13.9 / 14.5 Watt
Load midlight 89.2 / 110 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
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

During idle mode (as measured by the Battery Eater Reader's test, with the display set to minimum brightness, the energy saving mode being activated and the radios being turned off), the N56JR stays alive for 7:19 h, much longer than the IdeaPad (3:51 h), but far less than the Ativ Book (12:49 h). Under full load, 1:10 h is reached, less than both the IdeaPad (1:28 h) and the Ativ Book (2:02 h). These results were reached with the help of the Battery Eater Classic Test (display brightness set to maximum, active high performance profile, radios turned on).

The more life-like Wi-Fi test yields a battery life of 3:56 h, in between the results of the IdeaPad (3:06 h) and the Ativ Book (6:26 h). Here, different websites are opened every 40 seconds (utilizing a script), the energy saving mode is activated and the display brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². During DVD playback - the energy saving mode is activated (or better, if playback isn't smooth enough), the display is set to maximum brightness and the radio modems are deactivated - the N56JR allows a battery runtime of 2:32 h. This test couldn't be performed with the IdeaPad and the Ativ Book since both lack an optical drive.

All in all, these are decent battery runtimes given the prowess of the Asus N56JR. After all, both competitors ship with far larger batteries (Asus: 56 Wh, Lenovo: 72 Wh, Samsung: 91 Wh) which shouldn't let the resulting stamina be a surprise, especially the great battery life of the Ativ Book.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 19min
WiFi Surfing
3h 56min
DVD
2h 32min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 10min

Verdict

The Asus N56JR-S4080H offers great application and gaming performance levels. Despite of this prowess, the laptop doesn't get exceedingly hot. Even the noise emissions remain very decent, at least while idle. All of the innards have been put into a sturdy, premium-looking chassis. Thanks to 1 TB of storage, space shouldn't be an issue. Although Asus doesn't make use of an IPS panel, the TN display is quite bright and offers a great contrast ratio as well as above-average viewing angles. But the user's ears get their fair share of attention, too: The 2.1 sound system may very well be one of the best sound systems we have tested in a laptop. The battery life is decent, but this may not be the most crucial feature in case of such a device. Actually, there are no major downsides, just minor issues such as the missing recovery DVD or the slightly imprecise touchpad.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p is definitely a gaming rig, offering even more gaming performance than the N56JR while costing about the same. The Samsung Ativ Book 8 Touch (1200 Euros, ~$1641, at the time of writing) is a better choice when a powerful jack of all trades is required, including great battery life as well as a touchscreen.

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In Review: Asus N56JR-S4080H, provided by Asus Germany.
In Review: Asus N56JR-S4080H, provided by Asus Germany.

Specifications

Asus N56JR-S4080H (N56 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4700HQ 4 x 2.4 - 3.4 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 719 MHz, ForceWare 331.65, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3, Dual-Channel, two memory banks (both in use)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, LG Philips LP156WF1, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM86 (Lynx Point)
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABD100, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 857 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Line In/Out, subwoofer, Card Reader: SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC
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
Matshita DVD-RAM UJ8E1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 34 x 380 x 255 ( = 1.34 x 14.96 x 10.04 in)
Battery
56 Wh Lithium-Ion, 10.8 V, 5200 mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD-Webcam
Additional features
Speakers: 2 speakers plus external subwoofer, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Mouse, subwoofer, DVD with drivers, AsusDVD, Cyberlink MediaEspresso 6.5, McAfee Live Safe - Internet Security (trial version), Microsoft Office 365 (trial version), Windows Essentials 2012, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.7 kg ( = 95.24 oz / 5.95 pounds), Power Supply: 466 g ( = 16.44 oz / 1.03 pounds)
Price
1099 Euro

 

The Asus N56JR-S4080H...
The Asus N56JR-S4080H...
...knows how to impress.
...knows how to impress.
The maximum opening angle is rather impressive.
The maximum opening angle is rather impressive.
The rear part of the lid is black.
The rear part of the lid is black.
A maintenance hatch...
A maintenance hatch...
...is built into the device.
...is built into the device.
Both memory banks are used.
Both memory banks are used.
The HDD could be swapped for an SSD.
The HDD could be swapped for an SSD.
The laptop comes with a good keyboard which is also backlit.
The laptop comes with a good keyboard which is also backlit.
Even a numpad is included.
Even a numpad is included.
The touchpad could be a bit more precise.
The touchpad could be a bit more precise.
The battery weighs 312 grams...
The battery weighs 312 grams...
...offering a capacity of 56 Wh.
...offering a capacity of 56 Wh.
The power adapter weighs 466 grams, providing up to 120 watts.
The power adapter weighs 466 grams, providing up to 120 watts.
The stereo speakers are located right above the keyboard...
The stereo speakers are located right above the keyboard...
...being supported by an external subwoofer whenever necessary.
...being supported by an external subwoofer whenever necessary.
The Asus laptop ships with...
The Asus laptop ships with...
...four USB 3.0 ports.
...four USB 3.0 ports.

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Links

Price Check

Pros

+Great application performance
+Great gaming performance
+Bright, high-contrast Full HD display with a matte surface
+Much storage space
+Surprisingly good speaker system
+Premium chassis
+Good keyboard
 

Cons

-Touchpad not very precise
-No recovery DVD

Shortcut

What we like

The great application and gaming performance.

What we'd like to see

There are no serious flaws with this machine. The touchpad could be a little more precise and a Windows recovery DVD would be a nice extra.

What surprises us

The great speaker system, which is a weakness concerning most laptops.

The competition

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p, Samsung Ativ Book 8 Touch, Dell Inspiron 15-7537, MSI GE60H-i765M2811B, Gigabyte P25W, HP Envy 15-j011sg, Toshiba Satellite P50-A-11L, Sony Vaio Fit SV-F1521V6EB, Dell XPS 15 (9530, Late 2013), Schenker XMG A503 (Clevo W355STQ), Dell Latitude E6540 (i7-4800MQ/HD 8790M).

Ratings

Asus N56JR-S4080H - 04/16/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
79 / 98 → 81%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
69%
Connectivity
74 / 81 → 91%
Weight
58 / 20-67 → 81%
Battery
77%
Display
84%
Games Performance
90 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
70 / 92 → 76%
Temperature
80%
Noise
84 / 95 → 88%
Audio
90%
Average
78%
82%
Multimedia - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2014-01-24 (Update: 2018-05-15)