14 DAY TRIAL // The Republic of Gamers line of notebook has a new member addition. ASUS quietly introduced the ASUS G56JR, an elegant new laptop with a more classic look than what we're used to seeing with this line.
The notebook boasts a 15.6-inch screen and comes with a brushed metal surface, but compared to other ROG models looks like it’s targeted at the average consumer. However, the red trim around the notebook’s edges and the red ASUS logo plus the blacklit keyboard help maintain the overall ROG feel.
In the specifications department, we have a decent configuration, although ASUS doesn't go as far as it did with the brand new ASUS G750.
The idea is that the laptop has been designed in such a way as to attract a larger number of customers, gamers or not. ASUS still offers the option of choosing the specific configuration, so users can go for either an Intel Core i5-4200H or the more powerful i7-4700HQ processors under the hood.
In both cases, the lappy can be fitted with up to 16GB of RAM. Unlike the G750, the G56JR will not come with the latest NVIDIA GPU, but will take advantage of the previous generation, in the form of GeForce GTX 760M.
Like those familiar with the ROG line-up might know, ASUS offers a wide range of storage solutions, starting from the traditional hard drives of 500, 750GB or 1TB 5400 RPM (or 500, 700 GB 7200 RPM) and as far as hybrid model with 750GB and 5400 RPM with 8GB cache.
As previously mentioned, the G56JR has a 15.6-inch HD display and users can add even an optical DVD, Blu-ray combo drive.
Furthermore, ASUS has added four USB 3.0 ports, VGA, HDMI video outputs, audio jacks for headphones and microphone, memory card 3-in-1 (SD/MS/MS Pro/MMC), Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HD webcam and sound system SonicMaster with Digital Amplifier Bang & Olufsen ICEpower.
The G56JR is currently available for purchase in select markets across Europe (including Poland, France, Spain) and Singapore, South Africa. The laptop sells in Europe for €999 / $1,373 a pop.
In other news, we should probably remind you that the ASUS ROG GT70JZ line-up is available for pre-orders. For those craving to have a notebook bundled with the latest NVIDIA GPU, these laptops come equipped with either the high-end GTX 880M with 4GB of video memory or the GTX 870M / 860M.
Pricing for the base model with the 860M graphics card starts at $1,399 / €1,007.
