ASUS Zenbook UX303 (Nvidia GT 840M)

As a première // AE user, my RAM usage floats from anything from 4-30GB, especially when using the live-link between programs or mastering out. So it's perfectly understandable for people to want more. Just because whatever you are doing isn't intensive enough to require more than 7 doesn't mean other peoples will be. End of the day it's better to have it when you don't need it than to need it when you don't have it.

 

Clear - As mentioned I did not want to accuse someone. Just was interested what People are running on an Ultrabook which Need such much of ram.

 

I am glad you think so, but for my job I have to sometimes spin up 2-4 servers at a time to test if backups are running ok or not. using 2-4GBs per server is not uncommon.

But thanks for your useless input.

 

Verry funny that you react so picky if someone just wonders what you Do to use so much Memory... then go for it

 

Ok, we've established people have needs for different levels of RAM. Can we get back on topic now and discuss the UX303, or lack of.

 

computeruniverse.net ships to the US and they automatically take off VAT, which makes the price about the same even with the shipping and other fees (about $75. They say 1-2 weeks away for one config

 

I would totally have done that if they had a qwerty version.

 

I'm interested in getting the LN version probably from a US distributor, but I'm basically a newb to techie stuff. I want to swap out the 256 GB for a 2.5" 1 TB SSD (I'm eyeballing one on amazon). It seems like this is possible both from this review ( Asus Zenbook UX303LN / UX303 review - faster than ever) and from some folks who may have already done this - but I'm looking for confirmation from someone who has purchased the US version that they've successfully done it?

If so - how possible do you think it'd be for someone with very little tech knowledge (ie me) to do this, perhaps with the assistance of a more knowledgeable friend or family member (but who has also not done anything like that before)? For reference to my knowledge base, I couldn't distinguish a hard drive from a motherboard from anything else that goes in the computer, but feel I could probably manage with good instruction. Another question is - does swapping out the harddrives completely void my warranty? Thanks, new friends!

 

I'm interested in buying the LN version from US distributors, and I want to swap out the 256GB SSD for a 2.5" 1 TB SSD. Has anyone who bought the LN (or LA) in the US been able to do something similar successfully?

If so, how feasible do you think it would be for someone with a pretty basic understanding of techie/computer stuff (i.e. me) to accomplish the same - perhaps with the assistance of slightly more knowledgeable family and friends (but who have also never done something like that previously)? For reference, I cannot distinguish a motherboard from a SSD harddrive from RAM or any of the other parts of a computer, though I'm not afraid to give it a shot as long as I had some assistance/instruction. I just really like the specs on this computer but would prefer a whole lot more memory, in SSD form.

 

See if there is an Asus repair center near you. They can do it for you at less than $75 and no worry about warranty. There are several things that can go wrong for a complete novice, from tearing the rubber feet to damaging the ribbon cable or connectors.

Good luck, Jim

 

Out of interest, anyone who has the LN or LA, can you comment on how loud the fans are during low/high load?

 

I don't think that's an option for the majority of the US. My nearest service center is a 9 hour drive and they are walk in only...

 

I never notice any fan noise from my i5 LA.

Jim

 

Well, my LN just shipped but there are no LA models available in the US now. Guess I'll be waiting a little bit to switch them.

 

golly i cannot find this in stock anywhere but amazon, which has it hiked up in price a few hundred.

 

Lucky me! I have one 25 miles away.

Jim

 

You have an LN model??? WHERE? I think you mean to say there are no LN models available anywhere. The LA model is found in abundance everywhere..

 

I didn't notice fan noise during 2h of playing Skyrim. In light load like web browsing I didn't hear the fan at all.

I should be getting a new unit on Friday or Monday so I can comment better then.

 

There are several available on Amazon with 1-2 day shipping, but at a price premium.

Jim

 

No I have an ln model on the way. The only place selling the La model is Adorama, who I refuse to buy from because of their return policy.

 

Xentar,

I ordered the ux303la from B&H online today for $899. Tax free. Shipping free. Expedited next day free. I talked to a rep afterwards who confirmed they have stock (wanted to make sure it wasn't an error and really on back order) and that my order would ship today from NY to me(NJ). Yesterday, Amazon had the same deal but today prices are over $1000 and delayed.

I'm very excited as I've been researching for a few weeks and finally pulled the trigger. I didn't want to take a chance with the LN model even though I would love the dGPU, i7, and larger ssd. I couldn't pass up the deal I got and only need something powerful enough for light gaming. I hope I am not disappointed! I will give an update of my initial impressions when it arrives tomorrow.

 

Please do an unboxing video of your LN! (if it's convenient)

 

FYI amazon will have the LN model in stock by 9/6

 

Sure, I think I can do that

 

That's a good thought that I hadn't thought of! It looks like there is a service center about 45 min from me. I'll look into it tomorrow whether they can do something like that for me.

That said, how hard do you think it would be for me to teach myself to do it? Are there DIY sites (with pics) for doing things like this online?

 

I will probably either post pictures or a video of a teardown if and when I swap the screens. But for now, you can use my UX302LG teardown pictures as a guide to get the cover off. From what I understand, the screws are similar and there are a couple screws under the rubber feet as well. The pictures are here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...book-ux302lg-owners-lounge-2.html#post9615736 Ignore the directions about poppiny off the curved portion of the bottom, that doesn't apply to this model(that model was such a pain in the... )

Once you get the cover off, you'll be able to see the hard drive. Using this picture as reference, http://www.ultrabookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/internals.jpg

The hard drive is located on the left side under the black battery. For the LN model it will look exactly like in the picture. The LA model will be a standard 2.5" SSD. From the looks of it, there are 4 screws on each of the corners. The black ones on the left and there probably screws under those pads on the right side. Once those are off, you should be able to just pop out the hard drive caddy. Then unscrew the drive from the caddy and mount the new one. Follow the same steps in reverse to reassemble. The Ram is even simpler. Just gently pull out the levers on both sides and the ram module pops right out. Put the replacement in until the levers click. Hope this helps.

 

The LN I ordered from Amazon on the 26th of August and that was scheduled to arrive Sept 16- Sept 26 just shipped today and should arrive tomorrow. I think amazon just had a bunch of models in stock now

 

That IS helpful - and I'm sure it will make a bit more sense when I have the computer in front of me. Once I replace the hard drive, will the computer need to have windows, etc re-installed? I'm guessing yes... so how do you go about getting a copy of that wihtout having to pay through the nose for it?

Of course, I sat down to order today and then began having second thoughts -- now I'm leaning towards the LA - is the construction of the LA and LN basically the same with regards to hard drive space and RAM?

My reasoning is that I'm not much of a gamer, so I don't know what use the graphics card would be; if I plan to replace the memory anyway, then the extra 128GB on the LN really doesn't matter. And it seems from everyone on this forum that the LA screen is more desired. I'm not totally clear on why. Perhaps because of all the scaling issues with the higher pixel count on the LN? Does the LA come with a matte screen (I think I'd prefer that)? I don't really understand the difference between FHD and quad HD. Ugh. I'm so enamored of this computer and can't make a decision!

 

LN is back on Amazon Prime.

 

all ux303s in germany just got pushed out again by 1 Month! . 9th of october is now the date at all online shops .... damn

 

My UX303LN arrived from Amazon this afternoon. Here are some initial impressions.
I bought it to compare to a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro that I picked up on sale two weeks ago. I love the Yoga but the spotty wifi reception is a big issue for me at work so I figured I'd try an alternative.

Price:
Yoga - $780
UX303LN - $1164

I certainly prefer the price of the Yoga but the Zenbook price is not a deal breaker for me. It is amazing how much cheaper it is than other Zenbooks with inferior specs.

After some experience, here are the pros of each system.

Zenbook UX303LN Pros:

• Better specs: Core i7, 12GB RAM, Nvidia graphics.
• Gaming. Played Tomb Raider at 1080p.
• Much better keyboard. The Lenovo keyboard feels like a toy. A huge disappointment considering their reputation.
• More mature look (compared to orange Yoga).
• Larger, smoother, more accurate touchpad.
• Better wifi technology and reception.
• More USB ports (3x USB 3 vs 1 USB 3, 1 USB 2).
• Full size HDMI

Yoga 2 Pro Pros:

• Thinner and lighter. The UX303 feels bulky in comparison.
• Tablet mode has been surprisingly useful.
• Doesn't run as hot.
• No fingerprints. The Zenbook cover is a fingerprint magnet.
• Orange color is different and interesting. I like it way more than I expected to.
• More comfortable to use touchpad. The Zenbook lip is a bit sharp.
• Yellow looks like yellow. The UX303LN yellows look very dark.
• Screen seems brighter. The UX303LN screen seems dim - even at the brightest setting.
• Function keys perform secondary function as primary function. Hold fn for F1, F2, F3 etc.

That's all for now. I'll update if I think of anything else. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

I expected something like this. Yesterday I checked the release dates of diffrent shops on a price comparison site. Except Cyberport no other shop had detailed release informations. Also Amazon.de still has no option for pre-order available. As result I wouldn't trust Cyberport about the date anymore, it looks they just try to forecast release dates without having any details from Asus. They also removed the UX32LN (that one with Win Pro) from the shop, which should have also been available in the next days.

 

Thanks for your impressions. I'm wondering if your display also had issues with yellows?

 

I think all the QHD ones still have the issue, at least mine had. You can somewhat mitigate the problem by decreasing the saturation of green colour in the display settings but it doesn't completely resolve it.

The display is otherwise quite nice, hopefully ASUS will soon release an update to better calibrate it.

 

Holy ----, this is my nightmare.

Don't know what to do. Why can't Asus give us a release date?

 

I switched now to a ux302lg with gtx730m

 

Well that's just wonderful. If Asus are this bad at shipping their products, i'm extremely concerned how good their customer service is.

Satego, where did you buy the LG from?

 

Alternate in germany but at 1400 EUR . I personally realy like the design of the 302lg much more. I just hope the gt730m will manage world of tanks at low settings with acceptable fps

 

Received my UX303LN today!! It's AMAZING!

New Laptop! by deepen03, on Flickr


New Laptop! by deepen03, on Flickr


New Laptop! by deepen03, on Flickr


New Laptop! by deepen03, on Flickr

 

Same here. I also ordered on the 26th, when Amazon mysteriously and briefly dropped the price to $1164. I went with the free shipping option so mine is scheduled to arrive next week.

 

Deepen, how are you finding the QHD screen with Windows 8.1? If the 1080 UX303LN's have been pushed back again, then I expect there is actually no release date planned, so we likely won't see them till november/december. I can't wait that long so I might have to suck it up and get the QHD. Which is very irritating. How were the fans when playing Tomb Raider?

 

Just a heads up. Asus announced the UX305 at IFA in Berlin today. Looks like a different class than the UX303, more like the UX301. Something else for Asus to torment us with.
Asus Zenbook UX305 - Broadwell M hardware and sleeker than the UX301LA

 

Cyberport pushed it out 1 month

 

Did anyone purchase from Australia in the end? A few of the 1080p 8G models "appear" to be in stock.

 

That's just a refresh of the UX301. No dedicated graphics. Cool but will probably be overpriced just like the UX301.

 

Since the gx500 won't be out for a few months, I'll be picking this up to use in the meantime and see how reviews hold up on the GX. Was considering the ghost, but throttling issues and poor battery life no-no for me, plus the most graphically intensive games I play on notebooks are source engine titles.

 

I wrote a tweet to @ASUSItalia and they say that the ux303 series will be available for the Christmas time but they do not have official confirmation on the date..sad news for who, like me, live in Italy!

 

Adorama has them in stock also (truck showed up today).

I ordered it and said it was still back ordered but I just called the customer support line and they said it would ship out today. If you don't want to pay the $100+ dollars in tax through amazon its a good alternative.

Asus Zenbook UX303 13.3" QHD+ (3200x1800) Touchscreen UltraBook Computer UX303LN-DB71T

 

The yellow issue is there. But didn't bother me too much. Anyone know a trick on how to fix it? Maybe NVIDIA settings? And haven't had a chance to install any games.

 

I have done things I did with the y50 that helped. I'll try then tomorrow and let you know.