Our opinion on the Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W
Discreet with its thin and light black design in a comfortable format, theAsus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W is a versatile laptop PC driven by an AMD Hawk Point Ryzen 9 7940HS processor with Radeon 780M graphics solution and 16 GB of efficient RAM which accelerate multimedia processing. This is also the case for fast SSD storage with a substantial capacity of 1 TB which reinforces the responsiveness of this Windows 11 laptop equipped with a 16-inch anti-glare IPS 16/10 Full HD screen, a webcam shutter, a backlit keyboard and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
Features of the Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W
| Screen(s) | 16″ WUXGA Full HD IPS 16/10th 45% NTSC 300cd/m² with fine edges (1920×1200, anti-glare) |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS Hawk Point (8 cœurs, 4.0 GHz, 35-45W) |
| Installed RAM (max) | 16 GB (8 GB soldered + 8 GB) DDR4 3200MHz, 1 slot (occupied) |
| Graphics card | Intel Iris Xe integrated into the processor |
| Storage | SSD M.2 de 1 To (NVMe PCIe 4.0) |
| Connections | 2 USB 3.2 (Gen1) + 1 USB 2.0 + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen1), HDMI 1.4 |
| Network | Wi-Fi 5 ac (1×1), Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Backlit keyboard | Oui, course 1.4mm |
| Numeric keypad | Oui |
| Windows Hello | – |
| Audio system | 2 SonicMaster speakers |
| Operating system | Windows 11 64 bits |
| Announced autonomy / Battery | 6 hours / Li-ion 3 cells 50Whr (90W adapter) |
| Poids / Dimensions (mm) | 1.88 Kg / 358.7 x 249.5 x 19.9 mm |
The Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W faces the competition
The Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W is currently sold by ElectroDépôt and offers an attractive configuration/price ratio for its category where it is one of the least expensive to offer such a powerful and recent processor and graphics solution with such a high capacity SSD in a 16 inch 16/10th format that is as thin and light.
At this moment we prefer theAsus Vivobook 16 N1605XA-MB077W sold significantly cheaper.
If this Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W does not meet all your criteria, you will find other configurations for gaming with a similar budget in our gaming laptop guide. For the same budget, choose the model with the most powerful graphics card, it will have the greatest impact on performance.
Need a student laptop? Check out our guide.
Chassis, connections, screen of the Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W
Cooled by a fan (87 IceBlades blades), 2 heat pipes and air grilles, this laptop computer with a thin and light discreet Indie Black design that can be opened 180° completely flat is certified to the military robustness standard MIL-STD- 810H.
In terms of wired connectivity, this multimedia-oriented laptop PC is well equipped with its USB-C, its useful HDMI video output to easily connect it to a TV or a monitor for example, its audio port but also its 3 USBs including 2 USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible) ensuring transfers up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 if USB 3.0 devices are connected.
If we find decent Bluetooth 5.1, on the other hand the Wi-Fi wireless connectivity disappoints since we find Wi-Fi 5 ac (1×1) instead of Wi-Fi 6(E) ax (2 ×2) more recent and efficient for communicating and connecting wirelessly.
We appreciate being able to slide a cover in front of the webcam to hide it when not using it in order to preserve privacy.
The chiclet keyboard can be backlit when you need to better distinguish your keys.
Those who wish to obtain a larger than average display will appreciate that the screen here has a 16/10th format higher than the classic 16/9th.
The Full HD screen benefits from significant vertical and horizontal viewing angles thanks to its IPS technology, however not high-end here since the colorimetry is average.
As it is anti-reflective treated, the screen also ensures better visibility than a shiny panel in a bright environment (eg outdoors).
Performance, battery life of the Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W
The Asus Vivobook 16 N1604XA-MB042W is a relatively thin and light versatile laptop in a comfortable, multimedia-oriented format with its powerful processor.
The overall power it provides will delight demanding users since it is based on 16 GB of RAM. And above all an AMD yzen 9 7940HS Hawk Point processor in which the Radeon 780M graphics module takes place.
This core is well suited to multimedia work, particularly those that use RAM and multi-core, such as video editing or photo editing.
In these areas we obtain much faster processing than if we were dealing with 8 GB DDR4/5 as well as a classic Quad/Hexa Core processor.
Multimedia processing is even faster as we find SSD storage that is more resistant to shocks than a hard drive, more energy efficient, quieter and above all much faster.
In addition to faster multimedia processing with an SSD than with a hard drive, you start/stop and launch software faster with the first than with the second.
Generally speaking, responsiveness and fluidity are much better with an SSD than with a hard drive.
In addition, while many models on the market are satisfied with a 512 GB SSD, here Asus offers a 1000 GB SSD, i.e. twice as much capacity to comfortably accommodate many software and files, including why not a personal production.
If gamers will pass on due to the absence of a dedicated onboard graphics card, watching photos and HD videos or playing light to modest games is possible thanks to the Radeon 780M.
As for autonomy, count on around 6 hours of battery operation in light use for this versatile portable PC with high performance in terms of multimedia-oriented processor which heats up and makes itself heard under heavy loads (e.g. processing).
If necessary to limit its temperatures, it can be combined with a ventilated support (remember to check the dimensions carefully!)
