My Computer Update – December 2014

Welcome to my continued review of the ASUS TX300A convertible notebook.  As always my reviews on the internet are the ones that real people can actually relate to. This is genuinely the first convertible notebook design that attempts to cover all bases aka as a tablet and a full power notebook.

Like buying any new computer in 2014, I had to install a bunch of updates before I could actually use it. First off was to make sure that the built in virus scanner software was working then connect to the internet for the updates which included the latest Windows 8.1 OS. Internet speeds are slow in Oz and unlikely to get any faster thanks to specifically the current short sighted government. Hopefully that may change when the next one gets in.

Connecting to the internet was easy as plugging a full sized ethernet cable. Once updated which took a an hour or two it was unplugged and ready for setting up wireless internet and battery use. Booting up took just over 5-8 seconds. In desktop mode I installed everything I needed that ran on 7 and XP pretty quickly and without any errors and various new Windows Apps. I can report no problems what so ever.

The TX300A is really fast and no complaints about performance of the notebook and it hasn’t crashed yet either. Even when sold at it’s original RRP it has all the specs and performance you could want. Unfortunately due to the small minded reviewers of Windows 8 and lack of marketing for these convertible notebooks it never really took of until about now.

Best parts:
Fully functional Windows 8.1 in notebook and tablet form means I can simply take it to bed or lounge and continue being productive.
Great 13.3 inch  1080P HD touch screen.
Easy to take apart and use as a tablet
Two hard drives 128Gig SSD in the screen and 500Gig in the keyboard part.
MicroSD and standard SD card slots and full size USB when means I can plug in everything.
Stereo speakers actually sound really good even at high levels.
In tablet form it feels light for a large screen.
Very solid construction considering all it’s panels are metal.
All the connectors you could want.

Not so good:
It is relatively heavy in notebook form but considering the power it packs acceptable.
Not a gamers notebook but then most aren’t.
The exterior metal finish is a little bit too shiny but the interior is classy.
Battery life is a little over 3 hours.

Simply put the ASUS TX300A is a great little notebook and tablet. Sure it wasn’t ultimately a desktop PC that would probably suit my needs better but the price was too good to go pass up.