The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Good question. Here is my answer.
UHD vs FHD Screen Resolution Screen size is very important thing to consider when choosing screen resolution. If you have a monitor or TV with a screen size of 21 Inches or more UHD is a good thing because, all those pixels needs a big screen to spread on. But if UHD loads in a small screen like 15 inches, things on the screen will be very tiny and hard to read and see. See this page for recommended display size and resolution.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/...onitor#getting-best-display-monitor=windows-7 There is a "solution" for this tiny things problem. You have to scale your display. Unfortunately, most 3rd Party Windows Softwares don't scale well, the texts in the softwares are blurry. So you can only succeed in fixing few of them like Chrome but for the rest, it is not possible. See this thread.
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-secret-problem-with-4k-display-scaling/
Moreover, it will strain your graphics, consume more battery power and burn your pocket.
So UHD on laptops, in the current generation of softwares, OS, and graphics, UHD is just a marketing tool for manufacturers to get more money from us.
Touch vs Non-Touch Screen Touch on a tablet, or phone, makes sense, you can do anything on the screen without raising your hand or moving it that much just like typing on a keyboard on a laptop. Now imagine, how you can use a touch screen laptop with keyboard without straining your hand and raising your hand up? Unless, you have a tablet and laptop hybrid, it is not possible, and still if the screen is over 11 inches, you have to move your hand from one corner to the other. Imagine, how tiring it is to do that for 3 hours continuously?
In addition, your laptop will be heavier and burn your pocket.
So touch screen for laptops is just another marketing strategy to compete against Apple, and Tablets makers.
Glossy vs Matte Screen Another downside of touch screens is, you can't have a matte screen if your screen is touch enabled. To make this short, Glossy means, it is very hard to use your computer outdoors and when bright things like light and windows are behind you. However, if your laptop is matte, you can work outdoors, in a room full of lights, and windows. As a result, you eyes will not suffer due to all reflections.
Check this video out.
Exactly, took the words right of my mouth. I was very excited about the laptop. Truly beautiful. But to be honest, alot of things about the uhd variant is not practical. Only 512gb capacity (though fast, extremely fast). Speed won't help you when you are out of space, or have to carry an external hd about. Uhd : biggest gimmick for 15". Price way too much for too little (I admit, samething as Apple products). Thunderbolt (nice) , but still not practical.. In other words, the laptop is filled with gimmicky things.
Well for scaling, it is really not as much of a problem as it used to be. Even programs like AutoCAD or RubyMine support HiDPI displays now. The only app that I have that does not support scaling is Origin for some stupid reason. As for battery life it depends on the screen technology. On the Razer Blade the FHD and QHD+ version have the same battery life because the QHD+ screen that they use is very green. I get 5-7 hours and that's a smaller 70wh battery. Glossy vs Matte is a matter of preference. I personally prefer having glass around my screen and whether you can use it outdoors or not depends on the brightness. You will have no trouble using a bright glossy screen outdoors. So what I am trying to say is that in 2015, some things don't apply anymore. Windows scaling is no longer bad and UHD is certainly not a gimmick. It also does not strain your graphics because when you are not gaming it uses the Intel HD4600. Some less demanding games like Sims, Civ, Cities Skyline, Sim City and the like can also be enjoyed at native resolutions on HiDPI displays (Well at least on the 970M). If you don't get a HiDPI display, I think that there's a high chance that you will end up regretting it when you realize that all the problems on these displays are gone. The sharpness/clarity/beauty of the screen just doesn't compare.
Are you calling Thunderbolt/Mini Displayport a gimmick? People were complaining when the Blade didn't have Mini DP as it is required to support high resolution monitors. As for thunderbolt, the transfer speeds are a great deal faster than any USB protocol. Ask anyone that ever has to transfer massive files.
No, only thunder bolt. Give me a practical readily available thing or time to use it. Apart from display, show me other thunderbolt devices that you are going to use this laptop with
Well firstly you can't say apart from display because that's the whole point, you get DP and thunderbolt in the same port. Secondly you can get Thunderbolt storage devices (that's the point, just like USB). Also most high end cameras have thunderbolt ports to be able to copy the large videos quickly because Thunderbolt is faster than everything else so it is very important for video editing. Even you can use it if you wanted to and no, it is not any more impractical than USB.
Stop mixing dp with thunderbolt, yeah it's the same connection, and it's a nice bonus, don't get me wrong. But let me ask you this, do you currently own any thunderbolt device? And please don't mention dp
I will mix them up because they're interchangeable. If there was no thunderbolt, the port would still be there! Would it be fine if it was just DP? And why does me using a thunderbolt device matter? You're just arguing for the sake of it and I am not here to argue with you. If after all I've said, you still believe that Thunderbolt is a gimmick, Good for you.
If that's how you feel. you're the one that singled out thunderbolt from my overall message. Just a couple of days, I was eager to get the ux501 / g501. But after I realized the points I made above, I decided to get the msi gs60. It finally arrived.... And I couldn't be more happy.
Just my 2cents...
Guys i'm interested in this laptop for gaming purposes more cuz i'm stuck between this or Lenovo Y50-70 with the GTX 960 as well , how is the performance in games because there is only one guy in youtube who has BF4 videos and it looks laggy there .
The camera makes it look worse than it actually is and it is quite sunny here in San Diego but the screen is perfectly visible and I work outdoors quite often with the Razer or the rMBP. Also this was taken on the roof of my 6 floor dorm building so it is not the most realistic outdoor scenario.
The 960M is only marginally better performing than the 860M for 3D games. The 960M should run cooler though, so maybe there is a battery life benefit there. The 970M is a pretty significant step up in performance from the 960M, and of course the 980M is the best you can get AFAIK.
If 3D gaming is your top priority, the UX501 will be OK for most games, but you may be happier with a comparably priced gaming setup like the Razer Blade which has the 970M. The UX501 is more aimed at the market who wants a powerful but stylish notebook (like a MacBook Pro).
Can we stop arguing about glossy screens and display ports pls?
Some people want different things -- nobody cares what you think is objectively better.
I am personally psyched about a glossy UHD screen. I can read my glossy iPad well enough outside, and I want a screen like that in my notebook. I understand you may not be into that, but that's OK, I forgive you.
I think the UX501 is perfect for my priorities, which may be different than yours:
1. Crazy thin and light
1a. Amazing screen
2. Fastest PCIe x4 SSD. *NO* mechanical HDD
3. Super fast quad core processor
4. Decent, but not world class discrete graphics
We were not arguing about which one is objectively better. He wanted to know whether a glossy screen was usable outdoors and I provided him with a picture.
Hi guys,
Bought this laptop several days ago, UHD, be careful with it, because the yellow color is not yellow, it's more like mustard or with greenish tint. Calibration using standard tools doesn't help.
I'm currently in contact with Asus support, but they have advised only to update the nvidia driver.
Oh man. Sounds like the issue with the QHD+ Samsung panel in the UX303, which still remains unresolved almost a year later.
We already know the UX501 has a Samsung panel, albeit a larger one than the 13" UX303, obviously.
If confirmed, this issue is a deal breaker, full stop. At this price point such a gross defect is unacceptable.
Please update us with your experience with Asus tech support.
Ok, np. The laptop itself is good, but the screen issue is a huge minus, cause I'm working with photos a lot and the colors should be quite accurate. So I'm thinking about returning my money.
Hmm, ok. It seems this exact model will not be on sale in North America, at least not immediately. I do not know what the differences are (if any) between the DS71T and the FJ162H.
T
his preview of the
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501 (Zenbook N501JV) (pre-production) reported an "amazing" screen, although the colors are slightly inaccurate.
His unit had Panel HardwareID: Samsung SDC434B. Is this the same as yours?
Monitor ID SDC434B
Manufacturer SAMSUNG
Model 156FL02-101
Manufacture Date 2014
Serial Number None
Max. Visible Display Size 344 mm x 194 mm (15.5")
Picture Aspect Ratio 16:9
Gamma 2.20
DPMS Mode Support Standby, Suspend, Active-Off
Supported Video Modes
3840 x 2160 Pixel Clock: 526.91 MHz
Does anybody know any sort of date that this model will go on sale? My current laptop seems to be on its last leg, and I have a feeling it could fail me any day now.
Also, I've seen some sites say the 960M with this model has 2GB VRAM while others like the ASUS site say it has 4GB VRAM. Which is it?
Awesome specs.. there's support for PCIe SSDs!!! and 16GB Ram!!! Damn..I wish Asus would use U series broadwell dual core i7 instead of quad core haswell i7... 5hours battery life even with a 96W battery...Wat?!! This laptop will surely overheat with a quad core haswell too!
Also I hate 4K screens with all those stupid scaling issues. Give us a version with 1080p screen with thunderbolt and broadwell CPU. I'll buy one right now!
Is there a foreign version that has both the 4K screen and the 960M 4GB VRAM? Also, would there be any differences or downsides to buying a foreign model and having it shipped to North America as opposed to just buying the North American model when it is released?
Damn thats a steal Zenbook Pro with 960M 4GB for 1300... I wonder why the 4K model is listed at 1,999? Any idea when the FHD model is coming to the US? I need this right now!
Buying from non-English speaking countries results in having a keyboard with different language. Most Middle Eastern laptops come with English and Arabic Combo. I don't know about this one but it is highly likely.
I know now why this model is so cheap. It has traditional Hard Drive, only 8 GB RAM (most probably 4 GB On board), touch screen (even though this is extra feature), for me, this is not good.
Hi guys,
Exchanged my zenbook ux501 to asus rog g751 with FHD, the mustard yellow was not fixed by Asus support and after one mail where they asked to update the nvidia driver they stopped to respond. I have also checked the dell's laptop with 4k and it has the same mustard yellow, so be careful with those 4k for now. As for g751 - the screen is good with quite accurate colors (yellow is yellow).
I bought the ASUS ZENBOOK Pro UX501JW in Sweden last fridag, expecting it to arrive around monday-tuesday.
I noted that mine is the version with 2GB memory on the GTX 960. Would you say there is a large difference between the 2GB and the 4GB I've read about in this thread?
I must say I'm a bit worried about the mustard yellow someone spoke about earlier. I'll let you know how it works on a european version.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
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