almost perfect device (see tips and hints in this review!)

First of kudos to Amazon that no ifs and buts have swapped my primary FR, because I had a pixel error in the middle of the screen. Actually, that still belongs to the fault tolerance, but it's quite annoying a device in this price category and also in the middle of the screen.

Many words about the laptop overall, I do not want to lose, the others have already done enough. Personally, I find the design very chic, I especially appreciate the matte display with full HD resolution, the quiet fan that Tastaur writing is nice and quiet, the BluRay drive and of course the performance of the processor and the graphics card.

The following things you should know if you look at considering this laptop zuzulegen necessarily:

THE HARD DISK:
the built-in hard disk has a rotation of 5,400 rpm. This is definitely the bottleneck for this device. If you really want that this sucker runs, then do yourself a favor and take it again about 200 EUR for a SSD into their own hands!
The whole thing has another advantage: the new SSD is empty. All the crap that comes pre-installed on the laptop, slows down so much that you do not know where because the good performance has remained.
With SSD and Neuintallation the operating system of ASUS beats any MacBook Pro during startup and shutdown (and in some ways more, especially if you the price / performance ratio look at, but I will not be here next run).

SSD INSTALLATION:
The hard drive can exchange information easily. At the bottom there is only one cross bolt under a small rubber cover that you have to solve, then you can remove the lid. The hard drive is mounted with 4 Phillips screws that lies turn into a frame with 4 screws. When replacing the built-in disk should this rausziehen possible to the side rather than upward, otherwise contacts might break.
New plate in the same way pure (evt. A black plastic frame at the SSD is still included, it must be placed under the plate before it is screwed again.

THE OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALL:
Just like us you will notice at the latest after the installation of the SSD, that the operating system so dwells on the removed hard disk. A CD with Windows 7 because there are not among them. Of course you can burn a recovery, but as far as I know you can use it to perform any installation.
What have we done? After a fully functional demo of Windows 7 wanted! Namely, quite legally. There you have purchased with the purchase of the product license, you can also activate this demo then normal. And with your serial number on the bottom of the laptop and the Akivierung via telephone with Microsoft.
All necessary drivers for network card, video card, etc. can be found at ASUS.

IMPORTANT!
Let's talk about the things that need to live as long as there is no solution for this:

1. faint clicking noise in the speakers
These are basically ok and still sound great. However, give it from time to time at irregular intervals a slight cracking up, eg during start-up, nothing to do when you click folders, etc. And no, it has the sound scheme from Windows and if their ne SSD have it, logically nothing the hard drive.
The problem is the driver of Realtek! I uninstall this, cracking is gone. All well and good, but this does neither micro nor the subwoofer.
I've already written several times with ASUS, the problem apparently can not understand on their own instrument. However, it looks as though almost everyone has the same problem with the N56VZ (as well as with the N76). ASUS wanted that I send my laptop, but since it is not broke, but simply present a driver issue, I have not given the device out of his hand. I live with it and hope for a driver update.
If you want to know more, google times after "N56VZ crackling sound" and / or "crack N56VZ Speaker".

EDIT
SOLUTION !!!!!

I got Someone posted an English manual. Having completed these, cracking was gone !!!
Have for you translated into German with the steps that I have taken the manual. For me it worked. Let me know if it has worked with you!

1. Right-click the volume control at the bottom right of the taskbar
2. Click on "recording devices"
Enable "Show Disabled Devices" 3. In the "Recording" tab and right-click and "Show Disconnected Devices".
4. "Steromix" appears. On and on "Activate", again right click on it and select "Set as Default Device" Right Click
5. then a second time by right-clicking on "Stereo" and "Properties"
6. Place the tab "wiretapping" at "Use this device as playback source" hooks
7. Select drop-down menu under "Playback of this unit" "Speaker (Realtek High Definition Audio)" (in "Power Management", the point should be "continued In Bateriebetrieb run" set in)
8. the tab "level" the level to 0! This avoids that a Hall effect occurs. The volume level has nothing to do with this controller. (At this point, a thank you to
Alex for the tip!)
Edit 17/01/2013: here an extended advice of S. Reimers:
"Definitely it should be mentioned in the instructions for removing the Knisters however, that the Realtek Sound Manager (!), The level must be set at stereo mix to 0, and that you can not take out the Autostart the Realtek Sound Manager. Otherwise, you get the feedback effect, So a constant tone.
Important here: It is not enough simply to level from the stereo mix with the speaker icon in the Task Manager to be set to 0. That works, but only until you reboot, the somehow the Realtek Sound Manager seems to set the level at restart, no matter what was manually adjusted before in Windows. Therefore nice in Realtek Sound Manager set the level to 0. "

9. Select the tab "Advanced" "2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD-quality). Here you can still experientieren, because that was not very clear emerged from the English manual.
Do not forget all OK and "Apply" button to click. That's it!

Even as an indication: it is initially 1x in the pit crack at start-up. During operation, but hopefully not! The buzzing in Sufwoofer it does not correct, would have been nice to ;-)

2. BRUMMEN the subwoofer when scrolling
It is not about the sound, but to another ominous problem: if, for example scrolling in the browser using the mouse wheel, then it hums quietly in the subwoofer. Google on this topic times under "N56VZ subwoofer scroll buzzing" or "N56VZ farting sound" (ie there really so ...)
Whether this is also the driver, I can not say exactly. But I almost suspect that it is not resolved with a driver update, because the hum is heard when the Realtek driver has been uninstalled. I had a similar problem with old PCs, the sound card had onboard. This I then always disabled and reingesteckt own map.
For the speakers, it may be due to a simple energy management problem that the speaker off repeatedly and turns, so this is the sound. For the speakers, I've found no hum while scrolling.

EDIT
My advice: if you go both cracking of the loudspeakers and the hum in Sufwoofer on his nerves, so I would connect at least in your own 4 walls external speakers (front right at the headphone icon). Thus, the internal speakers are disabled and it will not crack in the external boxes. The Sufwoofer I would pull or just go use to listen to music or watch a movie. Otherwise, leave! The hum that can be heard when scrolling in Sufwoofer (must be because of the connection), also NOT be heard in the external boxes.

3. The TouchPad
Here I can not so much to say, since I do not have this problem. For completeness, I would point out, however, what have written to other users.
Even with light touches, it is possible that the touchpad rattles. Since it is a large area which was attached to the top and press down the left and right can be for the two mouse buttons, it seems to appear that not all touchpads were equally well secured. Some (like me) have already press something to push down the left or right corner (mouse button), in others seems to be a rattle cause already at slight tap on the center of the touchpad. Here is a separation between the touchpad and mouse buttons would certainly have been better.

4. The network connection
The last thing (small) deficit should be mentioned that the connection for the network cable has been really designed absolutely no rhyme or reason. Namely, there is a spring-loaded rocker which latches the locking point of the network connector. But if you want to again pull out the network cable and the locking point compresses the plug, the rocker draws stupidly behind and snapped anything out. You have to fiddle around with your fingernail under the connector of the network cable and press down the rocker in order to remove the cable can in most cases.

Why do I give this laptop won 4 of 5 stars? Because the price / performance ratio is just right! I have after a long search no comparable good model found that meets my needs. The positive qualities outweigh significantly. And I still hope that a driver update for the sound card still be remedied at the speaker and subwoofer thing.
That the touchpad did not occur to me and to the Netzwerkanschlussgefummel I can live.

I hope one or the other to have helped with this review, either in the purchasing decision, or even the next steps after purchasing this broadly great device.