ASUS X555QA-CBA12A Review: A Mid-range Business Laptop

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ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: At First Glance

Over the years, ASUS has been able to make a name for themselves in the tech world by manufacturing powerful laptops with adequate performance. Thankfully, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A, which this review is all about, is an example of such a laptop.

To give more details, in May 2019, ASUS announced the release of the X555QA-CBA12A, a mid-range business laptop with good performance. Impressively, when this laptop was released, it came off as one of the best business laptops available.

However, like every other laptop, this ASUS laptop comes with certain drawbacks. Curious to know these drawbacks and the laptop’s overall performance?

You have to read through this review to find out!

ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Design, Dimension and Weight

In terms of design, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features a very sleek design. Specifically, the sweet blend of black and gray on the exterior and interior of this laptop portrays excellence.

Moreover, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features a glossy-black aluminum chassis that gives a solid look and feel. Furthermore, the lid of this laptop features an “ASUS” logo inscribed beautifully in the center.

It would interest you to know that ASUS decided to enhance the design of this laptop’s lid a bit from the usual plain surface we see. To be more specific, the lid features a gradient-like pattern that gives off a unique reflection when rays of light shine on it.

On opening this laptop’s lid, you will be greeted with a 15.6-inch display. This display features a screen resolution of HD (1366 x 768).

Impressively, thanks to this HD resolution, the laptop’s display offers decent picture quality and color accuracy. Furthermore, this display is made with an IPS panel, which allows it to deliver wide viewing angles.

However, the display is surrounded by somewhat thick bezels. On a positive note, there is an “ASUS” logo finely placed in the middle of the bottom bezel.

Also, on the top bezel, there is an HD webcam in the center. Unfortunately, this webcam offers blurry and grainy images.

Notwithstanding, the webcam is ideal for casual skyping and video conference calls.

Moving on, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A comes with a full-sized chiclet keyboard. This keyboard has its keys painted in black with white letterings on top.

In addition to that, the keys on the keyboard are evenly spaced to accommodate various finger types. Performance-wise, this laptop’s keyboard offers an incredible typing experience thanks to its decent key travel.

In case you don’t know, key travel is the distance between a keyboard’s key resting position and how much it deeps when pressed. Below the keyboard, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features a smooth sizable touchpad with two integrated click buttons.

This touchpad is quite responsive and also supports multi-touch gestures.

In terms of ports and connectivity, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features a commendable number of ports. These ports are divided between the sides of the laptop.

Specifically, on the left side, you will find a USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet Port. Meanwhile, on the right side, the laptop features only an SD card slot and an audio/mic jack.

Moving on to the dimension and weight, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A measures 382 x 256 x 25.8 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2300 g. With this amount of weight, this ASUS laptop isn’t particularly light.

However, the laptop weighs less than most of the laptops in its category such as the HP Pavillion 17z. To give more details, the HP Pavillion 17z measures 287.00 x 41.90 x 28 mm (W x D x H) and weighs a massive 3100 g.

In conclusion, although the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A is heavy, it still weighs less than most of its competitors. Also, this laptop features a sleek design as well as a decent number of ports.

Therefore, I will rate the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A a nine out of ten in this design review section.

ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Processor (CPU) Performance

The ASUS X555QA-CBA12A comes with an AMD A12-9720P processor. This processor offers a base frequency of 2.70 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz.

Furthermore, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A’s processor is a quad-core processor with 2 MB cache memory. If you’re curious, being a quad-core processor means that there are 4 processor cores in the processor chip.

The implication is that this processor will perform faster than a processor with a smaller number of cores. For example, this 4-core processor will perform better than a 2-core processor

Moreover, due to the processor’s high clock speed of 3.60 GHz, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A should be able to handle a wide variety of tasks effectively. Also, multitasking should be easy for the laptop.

In order to confirm the performance of this laptop with this CPU, I will now be discussing its Cinebench R10 benchmark test result. Briefly, Cinebench R10 is a benchmark tool that determines the performance of a computer’s processor by evaluating its cores.

Hence, this benchmark test offers two test results – the multi-core test result and the single-core test result. The single-core test evaluates a processor’s performance when it is using one of its cores.

On the other hand, the multi-core test determines how well a processor performs computing tasks when it uses all its CPU cores.

Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the higher the score on both tests, the better the processing performance of the computer.

So, according to the Cinebench R10 test results, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A recorded 2800 points in the single-core test. On the multi-core test, however, the laptop recorded 7500 points.

Comparatively, this ASUS laptop outperformed the HP Pavillion 17z which uses an AMD A6-9220 61 processor. Specifically, the HP Pavillion 17z recorded 2640 points in the single-core test and 7200 points in the multi-core test.

In conclusion, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A offers decent processor performance, surpassing one of its competitors on a benchmark test. Therefore, I will rate the laptop a nine out of ten in this section.

ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Memory (RAM) Performance

In terms of memory, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A comes with a standard memory of 8 GB on its single RAM slot. Having a single RAM slot doesn’t mean this laptop’s memory can’t be upgraded.

In fact, you can upgrade the laptop to a maximum memory capacity of 16 GB. Thus, to upgrade the laptop’s memory, you just have to remove the 8GB RAM on its single memory slot and insert a 16 RAM stick.

However, I suspect that won’t be necessary because the laptop’s standard 8 GB RAM is adequate for performing most computing tasks. In fact, with 8 GB RAM, you should be able to easily multitask on this laptop.

To give more details, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A should run smoothly even when it has about 15 chrome tabs opened. Moreover, switching between the chrome tabs should be very easy for the laptop.

To further prove the performance of the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A with 8 GB RAM, we will now discuss its PCMark 10 benchmark test result. For clarity, PCMark 10 is a benchmark tool that measures the memory performance of a computer by simulating daily productivity tasks.

Furthermore, a high score on this PCMark 10 test represents a great memory performance. So, based on the test result, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A scored 5064 points.

Impressively, this laptop outperformed all of the laptops in its category including the HP Pavilion 17z. To be more specific, the HP Pavilion 17z was only able to score 2235 points on the PCMark 10 test.

In summary, even though the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A offers a single RAM slot, it supports a 16 GB maximum memory capacity. Moreover, this laptop outperformed all of the laptops in its class on a memory benchmark test.

Therefore, I will be rating the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A a nine out of ten in this memory performance review section.

ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Storage Option and Performance

For storage, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A comes with an SSD storage type. However, this laptop supports a maximum storage capacity of just 128 GB.

In my opinion, 128 GB of storage space will be too small for most users talkless of storage-hungry users. Nevertheless, the laptop comes with a micro SD card slot for storage expansion.

Just in case you feel that also isn’t enough, then it is best you purchase an external hard drive with the laptop. However, as we all know, that comes at an additional cost.

On a positive note, because SSDs are one of the fastest storage drives, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A’s boot time will be quite fast. Also, the file transfer speed of the laptop should be adequate.

To validate the storage performance of this laptop, I will share the laptop’s CrystalDiskMark test results. In case you don’t know, CrystalDiskMark is a storage benchmark that measures the read and writes speed of a computer.

For clarity, read and write speed mean how long it takes a storage device to open and store files, respectively. It’s worth noting that in this benchmark test, the greater the MBps value, the faster the laptop’s storage speed.

So, based on the CrystalDiskMark test, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A recorded a sequential read speed of 874.2MBps. Also, the laptop recorded a sequential write speed of 649.3 MBps.

Unfortunately, when compared to the Dell Inspiron 13 7373, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A has a slow read and write speed. Specifically, the Dell Inspiron 13 7373 has a sequential read and write speed of 1249.8 MBps and 927.5 MBps respectively.

Therefore, considering the information shared in this storage review section, I will be rating the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A a seven out of ten.

ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Graphics Card Performance

The ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features an AMD Radeon R7 graphics card. In terms of speed, this GPU comes with a standard frequency of 720 MHz.

However, the GPU is an integrated graphics card, meaning it is embedded into the laptop’s processor. Thus, to perform graphics-related tasks, the graphics card shares memory with the processor.

As a result, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A might not be capable of handling graphics-intensive applications and games smoothly. However, the laptop should be able to run a few high-end games under low graphics settings.

For example, under low graphics settings, this ASUS laptop should deliver around 61.8 fps while playing FIFA 17. Also, while playing GTA V under low graphics settings, the laptop should be able to deliver 43.7 fps (frame per second).

To further determine the graphics performance of the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A, I will now highlight its 3DMark test result. For clarity, 3DMark is a benchmark tool that measures a computer’s 3D graphics rendering capabilities.

Moreover, a high score in this test implies good graphics performance. So, according to the 3DMark test results, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A scored 11600 points.

In comparison, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A performed better than the HP Pavillion 17z which scored 10116 points. However, it is crucial to know that the HP Pavillion 17z features an AMD Radeon R4 322 GPU.

All in all, I will rate the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A an eight out of ten in this graphics card review section.

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ASUS X555QA-CBA12A: Battery Life and Performance

The ASUS X555QA-CBA12A features a 2-cell 37WHr battery. ASUS claims that this battery can last up to 6 hours.

To verify this claim, I will now highlight the battery rundown test result of this laptop. This battery rundown test involves continuous web surfing via a WIFI connection until the laptop runs low.

So, at the end of the battery rundown test, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A delivered a battery life of 3 hours. Obviously, this battery life is about 3 hours less than ASUS’ initial claim.

To make things even worse, the HP Pavillion 17z has a longer battery life compared to the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A. Specifically, the HP Pavillion 17z delivered a battery life of 3 hours and 53 minutes, according to the battery rundown test.

All things considered, I will rate the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A a six out of ten in this review section for its mediocre battery life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The ASUS X555QA-CBA12A is a mid-range business laptop that offers a sleek design and an impressive processor performance. Also, this ASUS laptop is powerful enough to handle most computing tasks as well as multitasking.

However, the laptop’s limited storage and poor battery performance make it fall short of its closest competitors. Nevertheless, the number of ports that the laptop features makes up for these flaws.

Therefore, if you are looking for an ASUS laptop with adequate performance, the ASUS X555QA-CBA12A might just be the best pick.

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