Intel Core i5-2520M and The Asus K53E Notebook

For their new generation of notebook processors, Intel decided to take the opposite approach that they took in their desktop architecture, where they launched their mid-range quad-core product first, with a promise of top-end multi-core performance to come just a bit further down their roadmap.  From a mobile standpoint, the Core i7 2820QM with four cores and eight threads is a heck of a lot of computing resources to carry around in your briefcase or backpack.  It could be argued that the average, mainstream mobile end user doesn't need that kind of horsepower and as long as the multimedia muscle is there to get the job done, a dual-core, four thread capable machine is usually plenty.

And now it seems, with their Sandy Bridge wrinkles firmly tucked away, Intel is continuing to flesh out their mobile offering with a new, more moderately priced dual-core CPU that brings all of their latest technologies to bear in a 2.53GHz chip called the Core i5-2520M.  With Turbo Boost technology available for bursts of performance on demand, this four-thread capable CPU should be a popular configuration in the midrange class of multimedia notebooks.  The Asus K53E was the vehicle of choice that Intel went with for our testing and evaluation requirements here today and it's a looker.

  Asus K53E - 15.6" wide-screen display, moderately thin profile and weighing at 5.7 lbs.

Intel Core i5-2520M and The Asus K53E Specifications & Features

PROCESSOR	Intel® Core™ i5-2520M (3MB Cache, 2.5 GHz, 3.2GHz Max Turbo Boost)
SYSTEM	ASUS K53E
BIOS	K53E.207
CHIPSET INF	9.2.0.1015
GRAPHICS CARD	Intel® HD Graphics 3000
GRAPHICS DRIVER	15.21.64.2287
DISPLAY	15" LED Display - 1366 x 768
MEMORY	2 X 2GB GB Hynix DDR3-1333, 1X 4GB Samsung DDR3-1333
HARD DRIVE	Seagate Momentus 640 GB ST9640423AS
OPERATING SYSTEM	Microsoft® Windows® 7 Ultimate 64-bit
BATTERY CAPACITY	56 WHr, 6-cell
WEIGHT	5.7 lbs

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This K53E's MSRP is expected to be in the $899 range, for the configuration you see above, and as we have tested it here.  That's a reasonable price for a machine with the build quality and styling we'll show you shortly.  However, also the K53E came nicely appointed with a combo CD/DVD RW drive, a 640GB 5400RPM hard drive and 6GB of DDR3-1333 memory.  Though, drop in an SSD and this machine really becomes a screamer.