Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD-EH76 Review

Vivobook series is one of the most affordable mid-range laptop series by Asus whereas the Zenbooks are considered as a rather expensive sibling. VivoBooks are designed with keeping in mind the majority of the mid-range consumers. This specific model, VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD-EH76, is a slightly expensive one featuring a 17-inch screen and a dedicated 1050 GPU. Let’s start the review then.

 
Check out the latest price for the Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD-EH76
 

Specs:

 

  • CPU – Intel Core i7 Quad-Core (8th Gen), 1.8 GHz
  • GPU – 4 GB DDR5, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
  • Memory – 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4
  • Screen – 17.3-inch Full HD IPS (1,920 x 1,080)
  • Storage – 1 TB SATA HDD + 256 GB SSD
  • OS – Windows 10 Home edition

 

Benefits:

 

  • Performance – Before going into the performance details let’s take a quick peek at the hardware configuration. It comes with an Intel i7 processor, 16 gigs of dual channel RAM and a cocktail of 256 GB relatively faster M.2 SSD and a TB of HDD. As expected, there is no problem handling tasks like heavy multitasking and media consumption. Also, it features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 which is a good beginner level gaming GPU. While it may not be very suitable for hardcore gaming it is able to run many latest titles like Witcher 3 (~30 fps at 1080p, >65 fps at FHD), Rise of the Tomb Raider (39 fps at 1080p, >65 fps at FHD) and Overwatch (>110 fps at 1080p, 90 fps at FHD) on medium or high settings. The performance suffers greatly though when the laptop runs solely on the battery. More on that later.
  • Price – The VivoBook series is one of the most affordable yet reliable mid-range utility laptop series by Asus. And it’s no surprise that it’s been priced at a fairly affordable range. Considering its configuration I have seen some notebooks that cost around 1400 bucks. So if preserve finances then this laptop can just be a perfect fit for your needs; at least regarding the monetary aspect.

 

Downsides:

 

  • Degradation – As told earlier it has got a bit of an issue when running on the batteries. Now it’s no wonder that laptops start to underperform when they run solely on their battery than when they are connected to the power outlet. I mean every second laptop is affected by it (and sometimes it’s essential to preserve battery). But for VivoBook it gets a bit bothersome. Tests revealed that the performance degraded nearly 50% when it runs solely on its battery. But it affects most the visuals, I think, under load conditions. Also when it runs on the battery it can get throttled way too early.
  • No optical drive – It’s a shame. For a full-size laptop like VivoBook Pro 17 itself to not include an optical disk drive is a pure bummer; no matter how outdated CD or DVDs are. I mean there are still those people like me who need them. And the weight can’t be the issue here as by weighing around 4.6 pounds it already is pretty heavier than its competitors.

 

Verdict:

 

Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD-EH76 can become a good candidate for your everyday laptop. It does have some downsides to it like the below the average screen, throttling problem etc. which causes hindrance in achieving its proper limit. But again considering its price point I think it can be given a second chance. Not recommended (at least until the throttling issue is solved) but surely can be a part of the shortlist.

 
Check out the latest price for the Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD-EH76