Notebook Hunter

The 15.6in ASUS A54C-SX327V costs more than alternative entry-level basic notebooks, but the fact it has both 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard disk drive still make it pretty reasonable overall. Normally you’d either have to accept 2GB of RAM or a smaller 320GB hard disk drive, so if either of those compromises don’t appeal then the A54C is definitely worthwhile.

Processor
The A54C features a 2nd Gen Intel Core i3-2310M (2.1GHz), a fast entry-level processor which can smoothly run productivity applications and some intensive software.

Graphics
It comes with an integrated graphics solution called Intel HD Graphics 3000. It’s on par with a low-end dedicated graphics card, and is sufficient for modern games at the lowest settings.

RAM
4GB of RAM is enough to run several programs at once smoothly. It’s more than enough to ensure fluid overall system performance with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Storage
A 500GB hard disk drive is about average in size. It’s big enough for plenty of documents, but movies and the like will fill it sooner rather than later.

Screen
The A54C sports a 15.6in (1,366 x 768 resolution) gloss screen. The gloss screen should have better colour richness when compared to a matte screen, but the reflectiveness will make it a bit difficult to use in direct sunlight.

Portability
The A54C has average portability, because it weighs 2.6kg and is 37.2mm thick. It'll be straightforward to carry around.