The multimedia DNA in the N53JF becomes apparent the minute you see the huge VGP-BPS13 speaker bar dominating the deck. A strip of chrome above the keyboard houses buttons for multimedia, power, VGP-BPS13 and more.

At 15.6 x 10.6 x 1.6 inches and 6.4 pounds, the N53JF is heavier than competing notebooks such as the Dell XPS 15 (6.1 pounds) VGP-BPS13A/B and Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d (6.2 pounds), but comes off as sleek because of its design. Just don't plan on traveling VGP-BPS13A/S with this laptop.

Heat
After playing a Hulu clip at full screen for 15 minutes we measured temperatures on the N53JF's VGP-BPS9/S touchpad (83 degrees), keyboard between the G&H keys (86 degrees), and the middle of the underside (88 degrees). All of these temperatures VGP-BPS9A/B are comfortably below the category average.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The N53JF features a new "wave" keyboard with large keys, along with a numberpad on the right. The latter's small size VGP-BPS9/B is fine for crunching numbers but might turn off gamers. While typing, the key feel was bouncy but slightly mushy, and we noticed VGP-BPS9 some flex.

A well-rounded entertainment notebook needs to deliver plenty of eye candy and back it up VGP-BPS8 with stellar sound. And that's exactly what the ASUS N53JF-XE1 does. This 15.6-inch laptop ($1,094 as configured) pairs a full HD display with VGP-BPS8A booming Bang & Olufsen speakers

. What about performance? The N53JF has you covered there, too, with a Core i5 processor and VGP-BPS2 Nvidia GeForce GT 425M graphics. We have a couple of complaints, but overall this machine kicks ass and looks good VGP-BPS2A doing it.

Design
The ASUS N53JF is one of the few notebooks that utilizes a very limited palette (did you know there were this many VGP-BPS2B shades of gray?) yet manages to look stylish. The fine lines of the brushed metal lid lead gracefully to the slick little curve at the hinge, which adds a bit VGP-BPS2C of a wave to the deck. The palm rest is also made of metal, which gives the laptop a sturdy feel.

The 3.25 x 2.1-inch touchpad is a nice size (it VGP-BPS13A/Q could be bigger, given how much space there is on the deck), and has just the right amount of matte texture on the surface for smooth navigation. The single mouse bar beneath is not only a finger smudge magnet, but also marginally VGP-BPS13/B stiff.

Ports and Webcam
Never one to skimp on ports, ASUS packs in a few designed with the media maven in VGP-BPS13B/B mind. The HDMI 1.4 port is ready for the next generation of HD connectivity. And the USB 3.0 port next to it ensures you'll be able to take advantage VGP-BPS13B/Q of super speedy external drives and other enhanced peripherals down the line. You'll also find a USB/eSATA port, plus two more USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA, a 5-in-1 memory card slot, headphone, mic, and a VGP-BPS13/Q Blu-ray drive.

The 2-megapixel webcam above the display is just okay. The images it produced weren't the VGP-BPS22 sharpest, but while chatting on Skype our friend noted that the camera continually adjusted for different lighting as we moved around and didn't see VGP-BPS22A much blur.

Now that 15-inch notebooks are the new family PCs, you'll want a hub that can do it all: web surfing, word processing, VGP-BPS21A/B streaming movies, photo and video editing, and, yes, even gaming. The Samsung RF510 ($729 on VGP-BPS21/S Amazon

) answers the call for versatility by combining a Core i5 processor with discrete Nvidia VGP-BPS21 graphics, stylish looks, and a responsive keyboard. But is this 5.6-pound system really good enough to play demanding games or full HD VGP-BPS21A videos?

The N53JF sports a 15.6-inch, full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) glossy display that provides a gorgeous canvas for VGP-BPS21B Blu-ray movies and other 1080p content. When watching a Blu-ray of Iron Man we noted bright, popping colors and smooth action sequences. We noted good battery no pixelation or artifacts when transferring from light to dark scenes, and we appreciated the wide viewing angles. Glossy screens mean reflections, dell akku though, and ours proved somewhat distracting when watching flicks.

The real star of the multimedia experience are the huge Bang & Olfson speakers. They're backed by ASUS' SonicMaster technology, acer akku which allows users to customize audio output both on the speakers and when listening via headphones. The result is rich audio with a wide range that's apple akku well above the average notebook.

We compared N53JF with the Dell XPS 15, ibm akku which delivered the best notebook audio quality of all the notebooks we tested this year. When playing tracks with driving bass, such as "Pick U Up" by Adam Lambert or "Beautiful Dangerous" by Slash and Fergie, the XPS 15 was the clear winner. However, hp akku with tracks that soar upwards or rely heavily on acoustics, such as "Dryad's Promise" by Tricky Pixie or "Legions (War)" by Zoe Keating, the N53JF fared better. sony akku Overall, the XPS 15 has the best sound system, but the N53JF is a close second.

Design
At 14.9 x 10.1 X 1.5 inches and 5.6 pounds, the RF510 is too bulky to carry around all day asus akku but light enough to move from the living room to the bedroom and then the kids' room in a flash. It's also noticeably lighter than the Dell XPS 15 fujitsu akku (6.1 pounds, 15 x 10.4 x 1.5 inches).

Though sized like a family PC, the Samsung RF510 has a sleek, black aesthetic that looks equally at home in the living room and toshiba akku the conference room. The glossy black lid, which resists most fingerprints, is emblazoned with a chrome Samsung logo and accented by chrome acer laptop akku hinges and chrome lines on the left and right sides. Though we like the ivory design

and curved shape of the less expensive Samsung SF510, apple laptop akku the RF510's sleek aethetic looks more professional.

Heat
The Samsung RF510 stayed pleasantly cool throughout our testing. Even after streaming video at full screen for 15 minutes, imb laptop akku the keyboard measured a temperate 92 degrees. The touchpad clocked in at a chilly 89 degrees, as did the middle bottom area. Those numbers hp laptop akku are excellent, because we consider anything below 95 degrees comfortable and anything below 90 degrees imperceptible. By comparison, the bottom sony laptop akku of the Dell XPS 15 reached a warm 102 degrees.

Once opened, the notebook looks even classier. A comfortable matte black palmrest sits below an island-style keyboard asus laptop akku with tastefully rounded keys and a chrome-colored background. Above the keyboard is a chrome button area with volume controls, fujitsu laptop akku Wi-Fi on/off, and power buttons with sci-fi blue lighting behind them. The subtle speaker holes that run across the entire width of the upper deck add to toshiba laptop akku the high-tech aesthetic. Even the screen bezel has a subtle dotted pattern that matches the speaker holes.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The RF510's island-style keyboard sports a numeric keypad and offers solid tactile feedback and a smooth key surface, dell laptop akku though it lacks a backlight. We scored our typical rate of 80 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, with a modest 2 percent error acer notebook akku rate.

The 3.5 x 2.3-inch touchpad has a pleasant matte surface apple notebook akku that allowed us to navigate around the desktop with great accuracy and execute pinch-to-zoom gestures smoothly. The notebook's discrete touchpad buttons offered just the right amount of feedback; that's a welcome improvement over ibm notebook akku the SF510's jerky clickpad.