Asus ROG Strix GL753VE-DS74-HID1 FHD IPS 17.3" i7-7700HQ 2.8-3.8GHz (1050 Ti/256G SSD+1T HDD/16G RAM)

Well, my daughter wanted a gaming laptop for GW2, I had GL751JL. So I sold her that for half the price (it has 512MB Samsung SSD and 1 TB 7200 rpm drive) plus a bag :-)I though very hard which one to buy. I settled on Strix GL753VD (1050 version). Why not the 1050 TI? I read a lot of reviews and benchmarks and for my gaming need I don't really need it. but if you have the money go for it.The laptop itself is black, with brushed aluminium like finish. Upon switching it on, it was noisy compared to my previous G751JL. I was disappointed. The fan keep speeding up and down even when I am just watching a youtube video. I could not return as I fell in love with it :-)But I decided to check the BIOS, and checked for an updated version on ASUS website, and sure enough there is a newer version. I updated the BIOS and the fan noise and speed was fixed. it is whisper quiet now. I used for about 3 -4 hours to check for heat. There was none (by touch) everything is cool despite the screen brightness is at max, and keyboard all lit up. it stayed cool to the touch.Gaming wise I played "For Honour", Darsk Souls 3 and 1 and Guild Wars 2. it lasted about 1 and half hour (slightly more),I prefer it to the old one, it is slimmer and much lighter. Cents on the side. All ports working perfect. Tried a transfer from one SATA driver via USB 3 and to another SATA drive also, usb 3.0 I achieved 250 MB/s, pretty good.All display ports working fine.Windows boots in about 3-4 seconds.The track pad really nice and responsive. All supported gestures working fine.All games (listed above) played amazingly on high settings, with no problems even when multiple PvP,Wireless networking is supper fast. I am sitting 2 rooms away from the route (walls and all) and it achieved 105 Mbps at different times. very consistent. My feed is 105 Mbps. Impressive.The BIOS is very nice and much more informative that previous generation. Gaming centre is good too with informative information about your laptop, set different profile for different games. You can adjust the fans to suit your usage needs and save even more battery power.If you are into gaming and ultra setting and all that then get either the 1050TI or 1060 version.very happy customer.

I bought this laptop as a present for my son, we are both delighted with the laptop itself. The performance of this model is excellent.A couple of minor things which have concerned me however...* Utterly my fault, but I didn't think to check whether the keyboard was US / UK - I have bought several laptops before but always in-store. This product has/came with a US keyboard layout. I have contacted ASUS to see if alternative keys can be provided so that I can swap them over and reconfigure Windows to a UK layout, but so far I haven't got anywhere.* The box that the laptop arrived in had a round black sticker over the security seal which had been broken. I was very concerned initially, but once I opened the box I was greeted by a little printed note which reassured me that the product was new and that it had only been opened in order to provide me with a UK plug, rather than the US one which would have come with it. After reading this I was less concerned, until a few days ago (see below).* I have noticed that on the back of the laptop, along one of the edges of the casing, there are some small marks in the plastic, the kind you would expect to see if someone had tried to open the case and needed to insert a small flat screw driver in order to pop it open. I only noticed these two days ago, but it has left me feeling very concerned that the gift I purchased for my son may not, in fact, be brand new and could be reconditioned.The reviews for HID Evolution (https://www.amazon.co.uk/sp?_encoding=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=1&isCBA=&marketplaceID=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&orderID=205-0900712-5241967&seller=A2M0LXPQQPIK05&tab=&vasStoreID=) seemed to be good which is why I didn't hesitate on purchasing from them, I would like to get some kind of reassurances however that the unit is new and not reconditioned, despite its very near perfect condition, as it was not a particularly cheap unit at £1,080.Should anyone be able to help me out with regards to the replacement of the keys (backlit) for a UK layout I would be exceptionally grateful - still kicking myself for not checking this detail before purchasing.