ASUS Zenbook UX303 (Nvidia GT 840M)

Its not very different here

 

Hmmm, interesting.

I've never gotten more than 3:30 hours battery life (unacceptable) even when just doing basic web browsing with my brightness turned down low. Other people on this forum are reporting between 5-7 hours (acceptable)?

What are you getting?

Another photo here showing over 13,000mw with just 3 tabs open on chrome.

 

I must admit that I never counted the hours how long my device lasts. But if you have a look at my screenshot, I have opened 6 taps in firefox and I have thunderbird running.

 

Chrome is a battery killer!

 

Try generating a battery report and see if anything jumps out. Google "battery report windows 8" for how to generate a report.

 

That's a handy little trick I never knew before!

Sadly though it just confirms what I already new, i've averaged 3:15 for the last 5 cycles - a very disappointing figure seeing as I was just web browsing and lightly using Powerpoint the whole time.

I just did a 5 minute experiment with Firefox and found that it seems to use pretty much the same amount of power as Chrome.

 

There has to be something wrong with Windows Update probably... 2 of my friends told me that they are having a problem with battery since last week... One has old Asus with Win 8, normally he gets 3hours battery life while just web browsing and now he gets just 1hour, same goes for the other friend who has Toshiba with 4hours battery life and also since last week something has changed and he barely gets 2hours
Gonna check Windows Updates at both of my laptops, if I'll find something I'll let you know.

 

There's something wrong as the battery shouldn't discharge more than about 6000 mwh when basic web browsing.
Using the scrolling too much will increase the power consumption, but still, there's something wrong there.

Try disabling bluetooth ?
I see it is running on your laptop.

 

If I set my screen brightness to the lowest I get about 6500 mWh. But I must admit that I have connected a bluetooth mice and an USB 1000 Mbit LAN Adapter with integrated USB Hub.

Removed the lan adapter and got this:

 

That looks much better

 

when disassembling, do you need to take all 4 rubber feet off? I know you need to take off at least two, what's the easiest way to take them off?

 

You definitely have something wrong. I use Chrome on my UX303LA and the power draw when browsing runs around 5 watts. I get 7 - 7 1/2 hours on a typical day.

I do see 12 - 13 watts when I am updating Windows or other programs, or scanning with Defender or MalwareBytes.

Jim

 

I think only the two feet near the hinge side have screws underneath. An Asus tech at a local Asus repair center told me he uses a heat gun to heat the feet and soften the adhesive, then he prys GENTLY from a corner toward the center of the foot until he can get a plastic pry tool under and then GENTLY prys the foot off.

Good luck, Jim

 

Hi All, new owner of UX303LN here (C4147H variant, bought from Smith - Australia through the help from Parcel It On's mail forwarding service to Indonesia). Beautiful laptop, beautiful screen, FHD screen without yellow issues.

Just one very minor issue though: the front right rubber pad seems not as high as the other three rubber pads, so the front right part of the laptop is like "flying" when the laptop is opened, if you know what I mean.

Any suggestion for this rubber pad issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

Congratulations on your C4147H! It would be my choice for a discrete graphics model.

My only suggestions for your "low foot" issue. First, make sure it is a low foot and not a warped bottom case. If it is a warped bottom case, return for a replacement. If it is really just a low foot, you could remove the foot and put a layer or two of tape on the bottom of the recess. The foot adhesive should stick to the tape. Just be careful when you remove the foot. (See one of my posts just a few posts earlier.)

Good luck, Jim

 

Hi and thanks heaps for your reply Jim. I'll check the bottom case.

 

If you have more programs installed, then check the startup and services to turn unnecessary items off to reduce CPU usages.

 

According to battery bar i have 3,1 hours of battery time. And it also shows that my battery has already lost 10% of it's full capacity. I have only had the laptop for 1 and a half week. So i think my battery might be bad.
What do you guys think?
Running powercfg /batteryreport did not show any mWh information it is all blank.
I have the american version with i7 QHD screen and 12GB ram.

 

You sound like you are in exactly the same situation as me, you even have the same model.

I am using BatteryBar v3.6.4 which is giving me realistic battery drain info and runtimes that matched my batteryreport.

Have you reinstalled windows on your machine or are you running it as you received it from ASUS?

I have emailed ASUS on the issue and they have suggested I return my machine, the problem being that I live in Ireland, but bought the machine in the US to save money. I have also swapped out the hard drive so may have voided my warranty. As a result i'm really hoping it's a software issue.

 

I've seen up to 30,000mw while running Windows update or Defender - I haven't even checked the readings with programs that would use the nvidia card.

 

WOW! The TDP of the i7-4510u is only 15 watts! Does it get warm and how loud does the fan sound?

Jim

 

I haven't noticed the laptop getting particularly hot, nor the fan getting loud at all. I do usually wear headphones however.

I regularly see discharge rates in the 20s when doing anything remotely taxing and just after boot up. I'm fairly sure my high power draw isn't CPU related. There are no programs running and using up CPU and also CPU-Z often shows that the processor in the idle state while i'm drawing 15,000mW.

I'm going to reformat next week when I get a bit of time and keep a close eye on the discharge rates as I install drivers, updates and programs.

I'm starting to get worried it's not a software problem and i'll have to return my laptop from abroad and hope that ASUS don't spot that i've swapped the hard drive out (and put the original back in before returning obviously).

 

Sometimes the 10% wear level is a marginal protection by manufacturer to protect the battery from overloading.
For example, if you play a game while on AC but needing to unplug the AC cord, the 10% may hold the system on and prevent it to shut off without notice.
Can you test that? See if it stays on?

 

Hi to all.
Finally I have got the UX303LN. Its amazing, I like it so much.
Well, I want to do a fresh installation of Win 8.1 but before I have some questions.

1 - About SO serial, its in the bios?? So, I dont need to do nothings during the installation?
2 - I need to make special setting bios before start?? Or, if I need to put drivers of gpu or others, on usb installation drive.
3 - About Asus tools, what I need to install, what we suppose are important and where I can find they.
4 - I dont want loose space on my drive with recovery partition and my question is, can I make a backup of my fresh installation using BackTracker??
Thx so much

 

I have the same model as you, bought the same way as you did. I think warranty is global though so you should be covered. I must admit my battery usage hasn't been great either but it never gets to 3000mw. Mostly on 15000mw when I have few tabs opened in Internet Explorer and idles at about 6000mw. I installed the battery bar too yesterday and for very light usage, the battery gave me an average of 50 minutes for every 10% drop in remaining charge. Which sounds pretty good but I only used it for couple of hours. I picked something from your original post about this issue but never said anything...could it be the ssd you installed? May be faulty or how you installed it therefore drawing more power from the battery?

 

Yes, good point. If my reformat doesn't work i'll put the original SSD in and see if that solves it. It seems to be something that uses power but doesn't create heat - the SSD would be a good candidate for this, wouldn't it?

 

Anything over the TDP of 15 watts should result in heat build up and high fan speed. I can't think of anything else that would draw that many watts. Something very fishy.

Jim

 

Which store did you buy from?

 

Power draw = heat. No other way. That is why it doesn't make sense that you see 20 - 30 watts and no heat and no fan. Even a battery partial short would generate heat. An ssd with a 20 watt power draw would be crispy in no time.

Jim

 

Which country are you in?

 

may anyone know what the detail spec for R4259H ? i saw this model will sell in my country.

 

Intel Core i7 4510U, RAM 8GB, 1TB, VGA GT840 2GB, Camera, 13.3" FHD Touch, USB 3.0, BlueTooth 4.0, WiFi, Windows 8

 

Someone can help me?

 

1. For an OEM install disk no, a retail install needs a default key before accepting the internal one once it's all installed I believe (not done this personally).
2. Make sure you boot off the media in the way you intend to install it, AKA boot as UEFI if you want a UEFI install.
3. From Asus driver downloads, install what you think you use day to day.
4. Any imaging program can take a snapshot of the drive and restore it later.
5. Note once the recovery partition is gone you wont be able to ever restore a factory default installation IIRC.

 

If you create a USB recovery drive and select "keep recovery" option, you will be able to restore to factory conditions from the USB with no recovery partition on the SSD.

Jim

 

Thx for reply.
Isn't an oem installation. I have bought the pc from a dealer.
So, I don't know where I can find the serial.
I think I can use the serial showed on Microsoft site as KMS Client Setup Keys
About backup I know there is a lot of software but the question is about BackTracker.
At the last about the partition, I suppose I don't need of the original and for the fresh installation I'll use BackTracker.
I'm waiting other suggestions before start

@ hawkeye62
Thx for reply.
Can u explain to me o give me a link? It this what I'm searching for

 

If the Win8.x installer matches the key in the BIOS then you will not be prompted to enter a product key, but if you do receive a prompt to enter such, then you can't install the OS due to mismatching edition.
Win8.x has several distributing version such as retail, oem, volume, etc, each has its own matching set of product keys.
Best to create factory recovery discs first before you experiment anything on your system.

 

This link gives you everything you need to know about creating a recovery USB.

Create a USB recovery drive - Windows Help

I have used this procedure for about 4 laptops that I bought and returned or sold. I used the USB recovery drive to reset the laptops to factory conditions.

Good luck, Jim

 

Just use Asus Backtracker und you don't have any problems..

Gesendet von meinem HTC One mit Tapatalk

 

Core i7-4510U (4M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz, 2 Cores), NVIDIA® GeForce® GT840M with 2GB VRAM, 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro HDMI, HD Web Camera, 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) IPS ⁄ Touch, Wireless LAN 802.11b⁄g⁄n(WiDi), Slim Design with Glass Cover, Real 2 Second Instant On with Standby 2 weeks, SonicMaster Audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, Backlit Keyboard, USB 3.0 (10 times faster than USB 2.0), Exquisite Design, Baterai 3-Cell Li-Polymer 4430mAh, Windows 8

Colour : Smoky Brown

Good luck, Jim

Edit: I didn't know any UX303s came with a glass cover?

 

Thx for reply.
There is a way to know the properly version?? I live in Italy and I suppose that I have the N version of Windows 8 basic.

@hawkeye62
Thx for the reply and for the link. It's really good

 

Hey everyone

Got my ux303ln with QHD screen about 2 month ago, its a cool machine, but as you all already know it has some issues with the screen (the colors are greenish). i have been loosing my mind ever since the purchase, but didnt have a chance to return the product. So after long communications with ASUS customer support i got these messages:

ASUS USA
Dear,

Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.

My name is Lily and it's my pleasure to help you with your problem.

I do apologize that you have suffered such experience with our laptop.

For this issue, please send your laptop in for a warranty repair, then our engineer will refresh firmware to reduce colour aberration.

Before sending in, please submit the RMA form online:
ASUS Service | North America

There will be an email to be sent to you about RMA number and RMA instructions, then you can refer to instructions to ship PC to us for repairing.

ASUS HONGKONG

Dear Valued Customer,

The LCD panel problem already can be solve by our engineer.we suggest user to send back the units for checking.
Reminded to bring with purchase invoice to show the purchase date.

Remarked that all information should be backed up before repairing in order to prevent any data lose.

ASUS CHINA ( dont know if anyone can read the characters here)
您好！感谢您一直对华硕产品的支持和关注，我是Dan，很高兴能够为您提供服务。

关于您机器的问题，我们售后服务中心已经可以帮您解决，请您在方便的时候将笔记本、保修手册、发票带至我们的服务中心进行一下检测.

Since i live in China i went to the service center and asked them to fix the display problem. it took them around 20 minutes at most (they said this was the first time they touched UX303 ). They have run some software and the issue partly dissipated. BIOS remained the same - 203. the colors became better. i asked my girlfriend to compare them before and after (she claims i am color blind DUH) and she also said there is an improvement. Still, yellows are not that light some times, but overall its better now.
i have made few pictures before the fix and after using my NEXUS4 camera(don't blame me, that the only thing i had at the moment). pictures were made in equal lightning conditions with the same screen brightness level in normal mode.

i don't have a permission to upload a picture, so i uploaded the pics here:

https://cloud.mail.ru/public/d5f710a10573/BESTBUYBIGUPLOAD.jpg
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/f4b1e8b26cdb/BESTBUYUPLOAD.jpg
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/38453e74cebf/skypeUPLOAD.jpg
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/5d4ed449e553/testUPLOAD.jpg
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/b47e931d462f/KQ18Y1bX_fU.jpg - the yellow background used for the test.
(hope moderators will keep the links)

And whats more importantly, i have the files asus technician used!

here is the software
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/f2ecd9985068/anxIntelEEpromUpdate-eDP-2.3.exe

and here is the .bin file needed for the fix
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/8488d7e129e5/YW_setting .bin

(i have used Russian cloud servicef for sharing because most of the internationals ones (like dropbox) are blocked in China =( ). to download a file just click on its picture)

the software is in English and is not that difficult to run.
Please note that you should keep your adapter plugged in (the technician asked for the adapter before running the software)

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DEAD MACHINES AND MESSED UP SCREENS! YOU DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN RISK

Please let me know you thoughts about the fix.
Has anything improved? or we should push asus for a better patch?
If needed i can make more pictures.
hope this helps.
Cheers!
P.S. sorry if someone has already posted anything like this before, i am new to the forum

 

It's either OEM or Retail for NB manufacturers so you can try one before you determine the answer.
Also, you can retrieve your product key using a Win8-supported product viewer utility, but as mentioned before, if an OS doesn't support it and prompts you to enter a new key (key not accepted), re-entering the same key from the BIOS will not bypass the prompt.

 

This may help you determine the information you want.

Open a Command Prompt as Administrator. Enter slmgr /dlv

You will get a lot of information about the IDs, Key, Etc.

Good luck, Jim

 

The yellow color looks good!

Are the before/after photos made while on battery or AC? Have you checked battery life since the fix?

Jim

 

@Kevin@GenTechPC

Thx for reply.
I have used the command that @hawkeye62 has suggested to me,
now I know that is a OEM version.
In system preference there is not a N after Windwos 8.1 text so,
I suppose (even if I write from Italy) isn't an European version.

 

It works like a charm. Thank you.

 

Well, I have tried to install Windows 8.1 from my usb drive.
The first time I can't see it in the bios.
After, surfing on the web, I have found a setting in order to view the usb drive in bios.
The setting are: Fast Bios disable --> Security Boot disable --> Lauch Enabled.
So, I have restarted my asus and try to start the installation from usb but.. nothin is happen.
Any suggestion?? I have also read something about uefi usb setting format

 

Here are my before and after results. I think yellows look better but colours have become much sharper, bit like when vivid is selected in asus splendid utility. I have selected normal. The vivid looks even more horrible now. Is there a file to revert back to original setting? I just want to experiment a bit.

 

thx for the information guys. that model will be price at 1.333 in U$ dollar. i dont know its expensive or not coz that only model will sell to my country.

yeah what is that glass cover mean?