Asus Vivobook S500 CA review: The Windows 8 laptop Asus Vivobook S500CA is deemed a bargain for its price of $699. The laptop has a 15.6-inch HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. The model referred to on this review has an Intel Core i5 processor that clocks in at 1.7GHz.

CNET noted that the Asus Vivobook S500 CA has an attractive design with solid specs and a responsive touchscreen available for a price below $700. The tech site said that if you’re into big screens and don’t want to spend a lot of money, the processor and performance of the Asus Vivobook S500 CA adds up and does give out some good value.

Notebook Check remarked that the S500CA has a “very sleek profile and a reasonable build quality that is hard to come by for the given price range.” The machine also has all the positive qualities of a from the S300CA and the S400CA, which includes an elegant design, good construction, large touchpad and an overall solid impression.

ComputerShopper is not as impressed though with the machine, concluding that, “The Vivobook S500CA is worth a look, but it’s not a slam dunk.” The website cited that the S500CA doesn’t wow them as reviewers in anyway – either for it as a traveling companion, desktop replacement or multimedia system. The site did mention though that in their test, its performance was tought to beat especially for machines priced below $1,000.

PC Pro UK, however, noted that the performance of the Asus Vivobook S500CA is seriously lacking. The website described how it’s deemed below average by their standards:

“Performance is disappointing, too. Inside, there’s a two-generation-old Sandy Bridge processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard disk, a combination which delivered a predictably middling result of 0.44 in our Real World Benchmarks. The older Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU also takes its toll on gaming performance, and the 500CA struggled to an average of 24fps in our least taxing Crysis test.”

Overall, the reviews for the Asus Vivobook S500CA seems to be mixed. One thing that’s going well for this unit, however, is the price. A higher price for the unit may have diminished it appeal big time.