Asus’ new line of laptops brings a number of the latest Core i3 and Core i5 processors. The Asus K42J is among them — a typical 14-inch laptop, running a Core i5 430M @ 2.26GHz.
The laptop feels a bit heavy and thick on the side — not something you’d prefer lugging around with. The unit has a black glossy finish (with a slight dark printed accent) from the lid right up to the palm rest (expect this to be messy with finger-prints).
The usual ports are found on both sides — 3 USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, VGA and LAN. The SD/MMC card reader is slightly hidden smack in the bottom front, right below the trackpad.
The full-sized keyboard comes with chiclet-type keys, spaced generously for comfortable touch-typing. Keyboard orientation seems normal with no odd placement of keys or additional special keys although would have been nice to have a bigger Enter key in here.
The trackpad is a little flushed to the left and inherits the same design and polished surface as the palm rest but is a bit recessed. The trackpad area is a bit small considering the size of the laptop and the clickers are not separated between the left and right buttons.
The 14-inch display is bright and clear, with a basic resolution of 133×768 pixels (which is usually the standard resolution of most laptops nowadays).
For a summary of the laptop’s specifications, here’s a screenshot from Speccy:
Asus K42JR A1 specs:
14.1″ display @ 1366×768 pixel
Intel Core i5 430M @ 2.26GHz (2 Cores, 4 Threads)
3GB DDR3 RAM
500GB HDD
EG Park (ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB DDR3)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0
DVD+RW
Weight: 2.2kg
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
The processor is a dual-core 2.26GHz Core i5 with 4 threads and can go up to 2.53GHz on Turbo Boost.
On a related note, this is the second time I’ve encountered that “EG Park” in the specs but if my additional digging is correct, it looks like an ATI Radeon HD5450 with 1GB DDR3 RAM.
The Radeon HD5450 is an entry-level graphics card for laptops that supports DirectX 11. It should be able to perform just barely enough (low to medium detail settings) at its maximum resolution of 1366×768.
Windows Experience Index gives the Core i5 430M a sub-score of 6.7 and a base score of 4.9 due to the graphics performance.
PassMark Ratings:
CPU Mark: 2630.4
2D Graphics Mark: 281.9
3D Graphics Mark: 338.0
Memory Mark: 559.2
Disk Mark: 826.8
Passmark Rating: 1019.7
The laptop comes with only a 4400mAh Li-Ion battery, which is not really that much so it’s not a surprise that the unit can only do around 2 hours of battery life on a full single charge.
The unit also comes with a pre-installed facial recognition software that works using the built-in webcam so you can login to Windows by merely posing at the camera when prompted.
We’re not sure with the actual price of this specific model (there are like over a dozen different configurations) but if my guess is right, it’s between Php39k to Php42k.
I have my ASUS-K42Jc Core i-3 with 2.26Ghz, 500Gb HDD, 4Gb DDR3, 1Gb ATI-Radeon Mobility, Windows 7 64 bit (downgrade to 32 bit and it’s a success) only the ratings become 4.9 to 4.8. It has a Face Recognition Log on features. This laptop is what we call the “Jack of all Trades” which is good for gaming (Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1 & 2, Swat 4, Doom 3, F.E.A.R., Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and etc.) and excellent in multi-tasking and a very wide range when it comes to Wi-Fi. My Negative Comments for ASUS is their “touch pad” which is not that good and smooth and their speakers which is not that good (needs improvement)..alternative solution is to buy a speaker, keyboard and mouse..and don’t forget to buy your cooling pad.. :)
Where can I buy this laptop in manila, the one with core i5 w/ati raedeon graphics card and what store sells the cheapest?
@yuga
I had a K42JC VR031 core i3 – 350M
I bought it last Oct 2 at MOA for 31T w/o OS
My proble are,
1. Touch pad feature was GONE (can’t zoom in/out & scroll with 2 finger)
Is there any short key to activate it?
2. How to activate the Facial recognition logon?
how to active the facial recognition logon ?
tanks for answer
i got an asus k42j, when i plugged my speakers, it cant be unplugged… it’s lock it was stocked but it worked well with the sounds, how come that it could not be unplugged? help!
got 1 Asus k42j series… core i5, 320gb , 2gb, and 2gb ati video card already.. its awesome. like to play nba 2k11 for the whole day…hehe.. got this at P 38,500 at sm marikina. ph.
@blocklisted
– in what store did you bought that in marikina?
Yes bought 600 dollars last 2 months ago..its very nice like piano finish.,very easy to install the driver and applications in just one click.., i like the sound altec lansing,
Asus K42J
Core i3
LED display
HD 320
Radeon 748mb
I Like it overall…
But the Battery problem..only 4-5 hours…
Peejhay’s right.. only one outlet… i did not notice this before so now i’m going to look for USB headset hoping it can accommodate both headset and mic..
barcode
can you give a feedback if the USB headset fit on you asus k42j? If its fit…I’m gonna buy one for my asus.
I like my k42j, I use it everyday 1 hr in the morning and almost 3 hours at night.
got a k42j i5, 4g ram, 500g hd and 2g ati video card @ P36k. works better than expected and a breeze. my only complaint is cramped usb ports on the left side.
Guys, meron ako asus a42jc.
core i5 siya. Napansin ko lang kasi nung nag eedit ako sa sony vegas 10 mabilis siya walang problema. Pero nung sinaksak ko na yung AC adaptor niya, bigla mag drop yung speed ng processor at mawawala ang turbo boost so in result babagal ang editing ko sa HD. Pero pag tinanggal mo ang AC adaptor niya bibilis ulit at meron na siya ulit turbo boost. Any one experience the same problem?
i bought mine last june at complink for 34k. it’s a good buy. though i do have some complaints. the keyboards have good feedback for typing but it gets tiring on gaming. maybe its just me or the wide spacing of the keys. audio is somewhat good. i just turn off the srs option when in laptop mode and turn it on when using ext speakers. graphics are okay. hd movies look crisp. games run better on low-to-medium settings.2007 and older games can do high settings. max cpu temp while gaming heats up to 85º C. lag is acceptable but when hdd runs at 55ºC temp it freezes up to about 10 seconds while playing. games played are mafia 2 (med-high settings), nba2k11 (high), bad company 2 (med), just cause 2 (med), call of duty 4(high), swat 4(high), sniper ghost warrior(med), halo combat evolved(med), sniper elite(high). one more thing, my screen developed a white vertical line on the left side. i dunno if its a hardware or just a driver problem.still googling it. it’s still in warranty but i dont want the lcd to be replaced just yet with a refurbished one. anybody who has the same problem though?
hi!
good thing i saw this thread… i have k42jc… but its video card, ati radeon, says its only 512mb… can i increase it to 1g or 2g like you guys? i dont mind spending if i can make mine faster…
coz overall, its really a great laptop… just cant sleep sometimes thinking if this laptop of mine is slow…. i really invested my money on this thing…
ooh, can the built in camera be changed too? or do i need to buy a new usb cam? i really like asus as my brand but so sad they cant increase their built in cam to 1.3 megapix like acer…
please, if u have time.. pls reply =)
and oh… where is the built in microphone? just simply curious as to where it is…
will be waiting for your answers =)
1st i will buy vaio but looking in intrnet discussion about laptops and computer expert Asus is one a heck good laptop compare to other brand mostly expert just give 4 best brand which is 1st Mac 2nd Asus 3rd Toshiba & 4th is Lenovo…I go to Asus K42f intel corei3-370M processor 2.40GHz, 3GB, 320GB, 14.1 inch HD LED Display and it just cost around almost 26,000 pesos here at saudi. Great laptop…..
I got my K42JC-VX167 for Php40,8995 package.
Here are the specs:
Intel® Core™ i5-460M Processor
(2.53GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.80 GHz, 3MB L3 cache)
Genuine Win 7 Basic (UPGRADE)
Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
Main Memory 2GB DDR3 +2GB DDR3 (UPGRADE)
14″ HD (1366×768) LED backlit
NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M, 1GB DDR3 VRAM
2.5″ 9.5mm SATA 320GB,5400rpm
@dennis– wat exact model ng k42j mo? san mo binili? ilang hours ang tinatagal ng battery? ang taas ng specs for 36k… baka mas mababa na ngayon yan… cash yan for sure at walang os right?
Im selling my k42j laptop.. 3months old. hindi nagagamit.. as in seldom.. very seldom..
Intel core i5 450M
2GB ddr3 ram
320GB HD
no OS
Nvidia GeForce 310M (1GB VRAM)
add me or message me sa ym (frostisnowman@yahoo.com)
@yuga pwede mo ba akobigyan ng cheap gaming laptops w/ 1g video card w/ few problems around 30-40k budget ko. thanks.
@Ashe: selling my Asus k42jC laptop .. 3 months old.. 30k lang.. add me sa ym.. frostisnowman
@paeng nope pre. wla akong cash. credit card gagamitn nmin e.
Twitter: digiknowzone
says:
Hi, great review!
I’m also planning to buy this. Can anyone suggest a laptop(specific model) with these specs:
BRAND NEW dpt
Core i5
2gb ddr3 RAM
1gb vram
300gb will do
6-cell
price range: 30k – 35k
location: pangasinan, tarlac, benguet area,
If you could suggest a shop where I could buy, that would also be great!
Twitter: digiknowzone
says:
and oh, acer, asus, msi are what I would prefer.
I bought a new one and its really cool! I like the design, the specs and its performance.
Di sayang ang pera ko.
Nicely done ASUS.