ASUS K55VD Charger
Our test device was faced with the usual PCMark 7 and PCMark Vantage programs. However, the latter did not detect the GPU in Asus' S56CM even after several attempts and thus did not provide a score for the system performance. PCMark 7 did not record top system performance rates for Asus' ultrabook. The bottleneck is found in the i5 ULV CPU, which cannot compete with stronger standard voltage processors as well as the now somewhat obsolete 5400 rpm HDD from Hitachi that would naturally be clearly defeated by a swift SSD. The advantage of a "genuine" SSD is seen here, which would influence PCMark 7 positively in contrast to the much cheaper hybrid alternative. ASUS K55VD Charger
As mentioned, a now somewhat older 5400 rpm HDD spins in the Taiwanese computer giant's mainstream ultrabook. However, a 24 GB SSD cache from Sandisk, implemented as a hybrid solution, is meant to speed things up. Hybrid storage devices are increasingly being used in low-budget laptops and especially in ultrabooks. They are a low-cost alternative to the still quite expensive SSDs and combine their speed with the large storage capacity of conventional hard disks. ASUS K55VJ Battery
Owing to the SSD cache, the system is quite fast in performing tasks, such as system boot or waking from standby as specified in Intel's ultrabook guidelines. The S56C boots within 20 seconds and the so-called "Instant On" from standby is even ready after 5 seconds. The read and write speeds of a conventional hard disk, which we ascertain using HDTune and CrystalDiskMark, are of course not nearly as fast as in a system that completely relies on an SSD storage device. ASUS K55VM Charger
The graphics performance is likely one of the more interesting categories of Asus' S56CM. A dedicated graphics card in an ultrabook is still rare and will surely attract the attention of performance-oriented ultrabook target groups. ASUS K55VS Battery
One of the few contenders is the Zenbook UX32VD from Asus, which sports the same CPU and a GT 620M, which calculates approximately 50% faster than the integrated Intel HD 4000. It belongs to the midrange dedicated GPUs. Asus builds a faster model into its new S56CM with Nvidia's GeForce GT 635M. It spares the battery via Optimus and can compete with other strong ultrabooks, such as Acer's Aspire TimelineUltra M5 (Nvidia GT 640M). Thus, the ultrabook should also be interesting for casual gamers. ASUS K75 Charger
