This is our review of the Asus ExpertBook P5 P5404 series, a mid-range thin and light Copilot+ laptop designed for all-purpose use and business environments.
We’ve discussed ExpertBook laptops in the past, but this one is a little different. It’s not a premium model and it’s not as compact or lightweight as the ExpertBook P9 models we’ve reviewed before; instead, this is a mid-range laptop with a good price, no real compromises, and plenty of performance for general use. Our model is built on Intel Lunar Lake hardware, with fast RAM and 2x SSD drives, alongside a matte IPS display and a big battery.
In fact, this ExpertBook P5 is quite a competitor for popular workhorse laptops such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 or the HP EliteBook 14. Sure, Asus will have a tough time getting this accepted in professional business environments, but if you’re looking for a good-value all-purpose laptop for daily use, work or school, this could be an option to consider buying for yourself; especially since the consumer alternatives in the VivoBook and Zenbook lineups are OLED exclusive now, while this ExpertBook P5 still offers a matte IPS display that some of you might favor.
Asus ExpertBook P5 specs
Asus ExpertBook P5 P5405CSA series, mid-2024 model
Screen 14 inch, IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio, non-touch, matte,
Processor Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 258V, 4PC+4LPE/8T, up to 4.8 GHz
Video Intel Arc 140V, 8 Xe Cores, up to 2.05 GHz
Memory 32 GB LPDDR5-8533 (soldered), up to 32 GB
Storage 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD (2x WD PC SN5000S) – 1x M.2 2280 and 1x 2230 slots
Connectivity Wireless 7 (Intel BE201) 2×2, Bluetooth 5.4
Ports left: 2x USB-C connectors with Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS, 1x USB-A 3.2 gen2, mic/headphone
Battery 63 Wh, 65W USB-C charger
Size 312 mm or 12.28” (w) x 223 mm or 8.79” (d) x from 14.9 mm or 0.59” (h)
Weight 2.8 lbs (1.28 kg) + .36 (.8 lbs) for the USB-C charger and cables, EU version
Extras clamshell format with 180-degree hinge, single-fan single-radiator cooling,
Design, build quality – mid-range chassis, solid construction This P5 is a 14-inch thin-and-light chassis, although not as compact or as lightweight as some of the other options out there. It is, at least, entirely built out of aluminum, with plastic only around the display, and doesn’t sacrifice specs or battery size in any way. All these while still weighing under 3 lbs.
It’s also built well, with a sturdy feeling chassis and lid cover. It meets all sorts of MIL-SPEC criteria of durability and reliability, and Asus claims this series has to pass more tests than their regular consumer model. I did noticed some creaks coming from the thinner bottom panel, but all in all, this is a fair mid-range chassis.
Aesthetically, this is a basic gray color with some branding elements on the lid and under the screen. It’s not quite as clean looking as modern Zenbooks, but still looks alright. It does a good job fending off smudges as well.
As far as ergonomics go, Asus implemented grippy rubber feet, lots of ports and a sturdy hinge that allows opening the screen flat to 180 degrees. That’s a plus compared to modern Zenbooks and for me at least, a must on a portable laptop. Asus also claims the hinge mechanism is stronger than what they implement on regular devices, meant to withstand the hassle of business use.
I’m not a big fan of the somewhat sharp front lip with the beveled metal edge, or the fact that there’s an always on light in the power key (top left corner of the keyboard). But these aside, no complaints.
The cooling exhaust is placed on the rear edge of this chassis, under the screen, so the hot air doesn’t blow into the display, but to the back of the laptop and away from the user.
This leaves unrestrained space on the edges for ports. There’s almost everything you’ll want here, except for a card reader, and most of the ports are placed on the left side, leaving the right uncluttered for potential mouse use. There’s even a Lock port, which is rare on other standard devices. And as a side note, the ports on this series are internally reinforced to make them more reliable over time.
Keyboard, touchpad The keyboard on this ExpertBook series is a little different than what Asus offer on their consumer laptops, with different keycaps and deeper travel at 1.5 mm.
The layout is fairly standard, except for the arrows-keys with big Left and Right keys, but half sized Up and Down keys. An extra particularity for this series are the blue markups on the F1 to F4 keys, which I’m not a fan of. Plus that always on light in the power-key, which btw, also acts as a fingerprint sensor.
This keyboard types well, though, with precise feedback and response. The extra travel makes the experience a tad noisy, something to keep in mind if you plan on using this laptop in very quiet environments (like quite office spaces or a library).
The keys are white backlit, with three intensity levels to choose from. The LEDs are overall quite dim, but do their job. In fact, I prefer dimmer LEDs over extra bright ones as on modern Zenbooks, especially when using the laptop at night. Having an IPS screen comes on handy for dim-light use as well, but more on that in a bit.
An extra particularity of this ExpertBook is the fact that the keyboard is supposedly spill-proof. Haven’t tested it.
The touchpad is glass and spacious and a sturdy implementation that doesn’t rattle with firmer taps. The clicks in the corners, however, are rather stiff and clunky.
This touchpad is also properly separated from the keyboard and the laptop’s main lip, which means accidental clicks and swipes are less common than on ultracompact designs that minimize that front lip such as the latest Asus Zenbook S 14 .
As far as biometrics go, there are both a fingerprint sensor and an IR camera with support for Windows Hello on this notebook. Most laptops don’t offer both modes.
14-inch matte IPS display The screen on this series is 14-inch 16:10 format with a matte IPS panel, which is quite rare among modern ultraportables, since most models have switched to OLEDs these days. You still get IPS panels on other business series from competing brands, though.
Asus implemented an alright panel here, plenty sharp at 2560 x 1600 px resolution, bright enough at 400+ nits measured sustained brightness, but not that punchy as it only covers 100% of the sRGB color space (standard gamut). This panel is also 144Hz with middling response times, so not as appropriate for gaming as OLEDs. But for general use, this is fine, and the resolution, brightness and matte finishing make it a good option for general work/school use.
Anyway, here’s what we got in our tests, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor :
Panel HardwareID: BOE BOE0BC7 (NE140QDM-NX4);
Coverage: 98.6% sRGB, 72.7% Adobe RGB, 77.2% DCI-P3;
Type: 8-bit, 144 Hz;
Measured gamma: 2.29;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 425.78 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: <10 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1759:1;
White point: 7500 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.28 cd/m2;
PWM: No.
The panel need some Gamma and Color calibration out of the box, but both are fixable. Uniformity turns out to be excellent once calibrated, and I noticed very limited bleeding around the edges even at max brightness. Of course, there’s still some bleeding compared to OLEDs, and the blacks and contrast are nowhere near as good, but both are above average for an LCD IPS panel.
Oh, and I mentioned dim-room use, where this excels, as it can get very dim and doesn’t show any flickering at those low brightness levels.
Hardware and performance – Intel Core Ultra 7 Lunar Lake, Arc 140V graphics Our test model is a mid-specced configuration of the 2024 Asus ExpertBook P5, code name P5405CSA, with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics, 32 GB of LPDDR5x-8500 memory, and two gen4 SSDs.
Disclaimer: This is a retail unit offered by Asus for review. I tested it with the software available as of mid-October 2024 (BIOS 308, MyAsus 4.0.24.0 app, Intel V32.0.101.5736 driver). This is a fairly early software package, thus some aspects can change with future software updates.
Spec-wise, this series is based on Intel’s Lunar Lake V hardware platform, with Core Ultra 200V processors and Arc integrated graphics.
The CPU on this review unit is the Core Ultra 7 258V, with 4 Performance Cores, 4 Low Power Efficiency Cores, and a total of 8 Threads. This version comes with 32 GB of RAM onboard. A similar Core Ultra 7 256V configuration should also be available, with only 16 GB of RAM, as well as an entry-level Core Ultra 5 226V model with 16 GB of RAM.
For graphics, Lunar Lake processors bundle Arc Xe iGPUs with 2nd generation Xe Cores.
For storage, this series comes with two M.2 SSD slots, a standard M.2 2280 and a compact M.2 2230. Asus opted for WD PC SN5000S drives on this unit, which are mid-range drives, fine for general use.
The SSDs, the WiFi slot and the battery are easily replaceable on this laptop, while the SOC is onboard. To get inside to the components you need to remove the back panel, which is held in place by a couple of Torx screws. They’re all easily accessible and all the same size, which is a first for an Asus portable laptop.
As far as the software goes, this ExpertBook gets the standard MyAsus app that’s offered on VivoBooks and Zenbooks, which allows control over the power profiles, battery and screen settings, updates, etc.
There are three performance/thermal profiles to choose from:
Performance – allows the hardware to run at ~30W sustained, with the fan ramping up to ~40 dB;
Standard– allows the hardware to run at ~20W sustained, with the fan ramping up to ~35 dB;
Whisper – limits the CPU at ~12W to favor fan noise of sub 30 dB.
They’re all balanced profiles with good power settings and noise output. Performance is meant for heavier loads, while Standard makes the most sense for general use.
Here’s what to expect in terms of speeds and temperatures with daily chores such as streaming video, editing text, or browsing the web.
Productivity Performance and Benchmarks On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance in the Cinebench R15 loop test.
On Performance mode, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor peaks at around 40W of power for brief seconds, and then stabilizes at around 30W, with high temperatures in the mid-90s C and fan levels of 40 dBA. The scores average around 1600 points.
On Standard, the system limits the fan to around 35 dBA and the power stabilizes at 20W, with temperatures in the high-70s C. The scores average around 1300 points, 15% lower than on Performance.
There is an even quieter Whisper mode, in which case the fans won’t go over 30 dBA. This limits the processor to around 12W, with scores of around 1000 points, about 65-70% of the Performance mode.
Finally, our sample didn’t perform that well on battery, stabilizing at only around 18W of power on Performance mode. That’s unlike on other Lunar Lake implementations tested so far.
All these are illustrated in the graph below.
To put these in perspective, here’s how this Core Ultra 7 258V implementation fares against other hardware platforms available in current and past-generation thin and light laptops .
It’s faster than the same CPU tested in the Zenbook S 14 a month ago, but still slower in this multi-threaded test than all the other recent platforms, either from AMD, Intel or Snapdragon. Nonetheless, this is not surprise, as Lunar Lake’s performance in multi-threaded CPU loads is its weakest point.
We then went ahead and further verified our findings in the more taxing Cinebench R23 loop test and in Blender. We measured similar behavior, power limits, fan noise and temperatures.
We then ran the 3DMark CPU profile test.
Finally, we ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook on the Performance profile. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time. This unit passed the test with the laptop flat on the desk, which means the performance is not impacted in longer-duration sustained loads as the heat builds up.
Benchmarks results and performance summary With that out of the way, let’s get to some benchmarks. We ran our standard set of tests with the laptop on Performance mode (25-30W sustained TDP) and the screen set at its default 2.5K resolution.
Here’s what we got.
3DMark 13 –CPU profile: max – 6151, 16 – 6027, 8 – 6137, 4 – 3631, 2 – 2, 2123 – 1127;3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 8790 (Graphics – 9533, Physics – 21221, Combined – 3569);3DMark 13 – Night Raid: 35682 (Graphics – 45778, CPU – 15855);3DMark 13 – Solar Bay: 14624.3DMark 13 – Steel Nomad Light: 3266.3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 4387 (Graphics – 4158, CPU – 6387);3DMark 13 – XeSS: XeSS Off – 7.39 fps, XeSS On – 22.17 fps, 199.8% performance difference.
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 2164;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 6234;
PCMark 10: 7230 (Essentials – 9775, Productivity – 10601, Digital Content Creation – 9896);GeekBench 6.2.2 64-bit: Multi-core: 10879, Single-Core: 2536;CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 1657 cb, CPU Single Core 288 cb;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 4335 cb, CPU Single Core 720 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 10996 pts (best run), CPU 10234 pts (10 min loop test), CPU Single Core 1848 pts (best run);CineBench 2024: CPU 647 (10 min run), CPU Single Core 121 pts;x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 31.38 s.
And here are some work-related benchmarks, on the same Performance profile:
Blender 3.6.5 – BMW Car scene- CPU Compute: 3m 46s ;Blender 3.6.5 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 9m 26s;
SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 23.80;SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 18.38;SPECviewperf 2020 – Creo: 31.93;SPECviewperf 2020 – Energy: 6.28;SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 97.97;SPECviewperf 2020 – Medical: 10.55;SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 5.82;SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 44.39;V-Ray Benchmark: CPU – 6948, CUDA – 192.
These results are 5-10% higher than on the Core Ultra 7 258V configuration of the Zenbook S 14 OLED tested recently, partially due to the higher sustained TDP of this implementation, but possibly due to the updated software as well.
Nonetheless, this laptop still isn’t an impressive performer when it comes to CPU multi-threaded capabilities, but is a balanced performer for daily use and especially interesting in graphics potential. In fact, the Arc 140V outscores the other iGPU options available in recent platforms by a large margin, despite running at only 30W sustained in this lineup.
Gaming Performance We also ran a couple of DX11, DX12, and Vulkan games on the Full Speed and Performance profiles of this Core Ultra 7 258V – Arc 140V configuration, at FHD+ resolution, with Low/Lowest graphics settings. I threw in a few other platforms for comparison.
Low settings ExpertBook P5 2024, Zenbook S 14 2024 ,Zenbook S 16 2024 ,Swift Go 14 2024, Zenbook 14 2024, Zenbook 14 2024,
Dota 2 86 fps (50 fps – 1% low)
82 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
80 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
78 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
76 fps (44 fps – 1% low)
81 fps (58 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 64 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
52 fps (38 fps – 1% low)
54 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
43 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
46 fps (34 fps – 1% low)
43 fps (28 fps – 1% low)
Horizon Forbidden West 40 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
43 fps (28 fps – 1% low)
40 fps (30 fps – 1% low)
40 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
35 fps (26 fps – 1% low)
–
Shadow of Tomb Raider 82 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
66 fps (44 fps – 1% low)
72 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
64 fps (50 fps – 1% low)
65 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
54 fps (3o fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 55 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
53 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
60 fps (38 fps – 1% low)
52 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
45 fps (33 fps – 1% low)
44 fps (26 fps – 1% low)
Doom, Dota 2, Witcher 3 – recorded with MSI Afterburner in game mode;
Tomb Raider – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities.
All these games are playable here with these settings, including newer titles, as long as your expectations are realistic from this sort of thin laptop with integrated graphics.
With that out of the way, let’s go through some CPU/GPU logs.
On Performance mode, the platform stabilizes at around 24W of power with fan noise around 40-42 dBA. With the laptop raised from the desk, internals stabilize at temperatures in the high-70s Celsius, and a few degrees higher with the laptop flat on the desk.
This mode allows the GPU to constantly run at 1.95 GHz throughout all the tested games.
The Standard profile limits the processor’s power to around 20W, with quieter fans at ~35 dBA. The GPU still runs at 1.95 GHz in this mode, but the CPU clocks down lower, thus the performance differences between the two profiles is minimal in games. This behavior might change with latter software, though.
Then there’s Whisper mode, which caps the CPU power to 12W and causes the GPU to fluctuate in behavior and frequency. This mode is not made for heavy use.
I haven’t tested gaming performance on battery power, on Performance mode.
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others Asus went with a basic thermal module on this laptop, with a single fan, heatsink and heatpipe. But at least all these components are bigger in capacity than what you normally get on mid-range implementations.
As a result, this cooling module handles the hardware well even on Performance mode. Sure, the sustained power in heavy loads is only average, and the laptop still runs cooler when placed on a stand, but overall the balance of performance, internal temperatures and noise levels is adequate here.
As far as the noise levels go, expect 40-42 dBA on Performance, 35 dBA on Standard, and sub 30 dBA on Whisper mode.
With daily use, the fan keeps mostly idle on all profiles and only kicks in with heavier multitasking on Performance with the laptop plugged in. I haven’t noticed coil winning or electronic noises on this unit.
As for external temperatures, the chassis keeps cool with light use, with the warmest spot at around in the low 30s C.
*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Whisper Mode, fans at 0 dB
With demanding loads, hotspots develop in the middle of the laptop around the RTF keys and around the exhaust, in the mid to high 40s. Most of the areas that you’re getting in contract with, though, won’t go over 40s Celsius. And that’s on Performance, as these thermal readings are lower on Standard mode. That means this laptop never feels uncomfortable to the touch in actual use..
*Gaming – Performance mode – playing Witcher for 30 minutes, fans at ~42 dB
For connectivity, there’s the latest-gen Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 through an Intel BE201 module on this laptop. It performed fine during my time with these laptops. However, you should be aware that some of the early retail models might only ship with Wifi 6E chips this year.
Audio is handled by a set of stereo speakers that fire through grills positioned on the bottom panel. There are two average sized speakers inside, so the audio quality is decent and with average volumes. Nothing to brag about.
Finally, there’s an FHD camera placed at the top of the screen, flanked by microphones and protected by a physical shutter cover. The image quality is so so in good lighting, and washed out in bad light. There’s also IR functionality with Windows Hello support offered here.
I would have hoped for a better camera on this sort of laptop meant for work/school use.
Battery life – excellent runtimes with Intel Lunar Lake There’s a 63 Wh battery inside this 2024 Asus ExpertBook P5, mid-sized for this sort of laptop.
Here’s what we got in our battery life tests, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~50 brightness) and at 60Hz refresh rate. I’ve also set the Windows 11 power modes on Best Power Efficiency.
<4 W (15+ h of use) – idle, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;5.5 W (~10-12 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;4 W (14+ h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;4.5 W (12+ h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;7-10 W (~7-10 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON.
Keep in mind that the system doesn’t automatically switch between 60 and 144 Hz refresh options when unplugging the laptop, so your reading might differ if you keep the screen on 144Hz.
Nonetheless, these are excellent runtimes, much like on other Intel Lunar Lake laptops tested so far. This Intel Core Ultra 200V platform runs more efficiently than all other platforms tested so far in the same way on Windows devices, including the AMD and Snapdragon hardware implementations.
The laptop ships with a 65W USB-C charger, a standard format with two long cables. A full charge takes less than 2 hours.
Price and availability- Asus ExpertBook P5 At the time of this article, the Asus ExpertBook P5 P5405CSA is listed in some stores.
The entry-level configuration comes with the Core Ultra 5 226V processor, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD configuration for $999 to $1099 in the US and around 1000 EUR over here in Europe.
The Core Ultra 7 258V version with 32 GB RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage is available for around 1200 EUR here in Europe, and $1199 to $1299 in the US.
Both are among the most affordable Lunar Lake models available so far.
Follow this link for updated prices and configurations in your area .
Final thoughts- Asus ExpertBook P5 review This ExpertBook P5 is a solid daily laptop for general use, for work and school and regular activities.
Unlike the consumer Vivobook and Zenbook Asus models, this comes with a few extras in terms of durability and reliability standards that it has to meet, a few extra software and BIOS tweaks, and a few design and ergonomics particularities. For instance, it implements a clickier keyboard, a 180-hinge with an IPS display, it’s easier to upgrade and service, and depending on your region comes with a few extra warranty and post-sale perks.
At the same time, this series is one fo the more affordable available in stores with Intel Lunar Lake Core 200V hardware, which is excellent for daily chores and very efficient on battery life, plus the best in terms of graphics capabilities in thin-and-light formats with integrated graphics; at the same time, it’s not as competitive in sustained CPU loads, so if that’s what you need, this isn’t right for you.
All in all, this series is worth more than a look in its class, and is an aggressively priced alternative for popular mid-level pro laptops such as ThinkPads, Latitudes and EliteBooks. You’d have to carefully consider its particularities and decide if this is right for you over alternatives in either the commercial or consumer worlds.
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Review by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com . I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.
