There seems to be a lot of commentary about Asus taking forever to run the software updates and there being "bloated software." I do despise bloats, which is why I liked getting a Dell business laptop-- just the basics and I add only what I need. But, given the heat of this Dell laptop (my left wrist and hand sometimes comes up completely red and looking minorly burned after playing ED or Gothic 3... or even now which is just doing internet stuff!
Asus is actually faster than Dell at releasing updates. But for gamers slow equates to not having drivers the same day a manufacturer like nVIDIA releases their own drivers. However, most gamers are enterprising and will scrounge around the internet for the latest and greatest updates; and they are easy to find.
As for the software bloat... it is a consumer notebook so it is no different than any other manufacturer. You can either spend an extra hour uninstalling the software when you receive the machine or simply install another copy of Windows 7 over it. The good news is Asus software uninstalls easy; there are probably only 5-6 uninstall you can make that do not affect the functionality of the machine. This is in comparison to Sony notebooks in my experience that makes you jump through a couple dozen hurdles to uninstall.
The other good news is that the cooling system is overly engineered in the newer Asus notebooks. There are adventurous modders attempting to throw in even more power graphics cards and even more energy consuming power supplies. The cooling system works so well its virtually quiet while playing games. It will likely become a bit noisier over time due to dust and wear, however I've never found the machine to be hot to the touch; and a quick shot from a canned air duster into the exhaust vents periodically is about all the maintenance you need.
The only big caveat is the warranty. Asus offers a fantastic warranty on paper, but the turn around times on repairs are easily dwarfed by Dell and HP business class machines. If you're used to business machines you should be aware there is a huge discrepancy in service. Business machines are usually repaired and returned within a few days. You can send it in on a Monday and have it back by Wednesday. Consumer lines from these two usually take about a week to a week and a half in my experience. Asus on the other hand takes around 2-3 weeks for a major repair such as graphics card or mainboard replacement. You should keep this in mind.
Other than the service aspect, they are great machines with the same performance you get from top tier manufacturers without the price tag.
