ASUS K501UW-AB78 is a bestselling 2016 gaming laptop that has been praised for its NVIDIA GTX 960M processor, for its sleek aluminum design and for its sharp Full-HD display. Featuring a 512GB solid state drive, the ASUS K501UW-AB78 offers gamers superfast speeds and enough storage space for modern gaming titles. But the lack of a USB 3.1 Type-C means that an external GPU dock can’t be used to future proof the ASUS K501UW-AB78 for future games.
While many gaming laptops feature aggressive stylings and are usually quite bulky, the ASUS K501UW-AB78 is quite different. Featuring a sleek aluminum design, the ASUS K501UW-AB78 is thin and light for a gaming machine, making it great for gamers after a portable solution. Sporting a 6th generation Intel Core i7-6500U processor and 8GB of RAM, the ASUS K501UW-AB78 will make light work of your daily tasks.
But for more intensive apps and for better gaming performance and we recommend upgrading the RAM to at least 16GB. The dual cooling fans keep the ASUS K501UW-AB78 cool when under load, but users can expect to hear the fans slightly when pushing the laptops hardware. No gaming laptop would be complete without a dedicated graphics card. The ASUS K501UW-AB78 features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, which will run Fallout 4 and Overwatch on ultra settings, but more intensive games will have to be run on medium and high settings to maintain good frame rates. One feature that is missing from the ASUS K501UW-AB78 is the addition of USB 3.1 Type-C.
This would help to future proof the laptop as users could easily connect an External GPU dock to run more powerful desktop graphics cards. While some of its competitors are still offering smaller 256GB SSD’s, the ASUS K501UW-AB78 comes standard with a 512GB SSD for double the storage space. While the Full-HD display offers rich colors and great viewing angles, it is slightly small for gaming. But users will easily be able to connect a monitor or TV via the HDMI port for a much more pleasurable gaming experience.
Pros
- Skylake processor
- Dual fan cooling system
- GeForce GTX 960M
- Crisp Full-HD display
Cons
- No USB 3.1 Type-C
- No IPS display
- No optical drive
Bottom Line
The ASUS K501UW-AB78 is a sleek gaming laptop that offers great hardware for gamers who are constantly on the go. But the lack of a USB 3.1 Type-C port means that it is not as future proof as some of its competitors.
- Weight: 4.4 lbs
- Processor: Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz
- Display Size: 15.6 inch
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M
Critic Reviews
- NotebookCheck February 3, 2016
The popular UX501 series gets Skylake, DDR4, USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 2.0, and a few other minor changes. Is this a vast improvement over last year's Haswell model?
Read full review
Full Specifications
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz [View Benchmarks] |
|---|---|
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M [View Benchmarks] |
| Graphics Type | Discrete |
| Graphics Memory | 2GB GDDR5 |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Windows 10 Home |
| Weight | 4.4 lbs |
| Battery Life | 4.75 hours |
| Hard Drive 1 | 512 SSD |
| Display Size | 15.6 inch |
| Display Type | TN |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Display Technology | LED Backlight | ASUS Splendid Technology | Anti-glare |
| Connectivity | 2x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | HDMI | Gigabit Ethernet | WiFi | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | ASUS SonicMaster Technology |
| Webcam | VGA |
| Additional Features | Backlit keyboard | memory card reader |
| Dimension (LxWxH) | 15.6 x 10 x 0.8 |
| Warranty | 1 year |
