Asus Model: Q501LA-BBI5T03

the drive in mine is 9 mm toshiba MQ01ABD075 750GB
it is right here front of me, just measured it.

 

That's a standard 2.5" 5400RPM HDD at 9.5mm height.

 

Can I get some feedback on the speakers? Clarity, oomph, max volume, overall sound? Would be much appreciated. I know they're on the bottom which I'm not a fan of but other than that I haven't heard much about them

 

I have a Lenovo T520, Dell XPS Touch 15, and have owed a 2012 Macbook Pro. I'm not an audiophile, but in my opinion, the Q501 has more volume and sounds better than any of the others I have owned.

 

I just received my computer and right out of the box and I can't get my 10 key number pad to work. I'm hoping that someone can help me. I actually use it quite a bit, reason being I got a computer with a 10 key number pad.
Thanks!!

 

I take you have toggled numlock?

 

Okay so this might be a dumb question but then how are people securely fitting SSDs with 7 mm heights in there? Wouldn't it be too loose?

 

If you can't get it to work, just exchange it. Simple as that.

 

It shouldn't, because with bracket secures the drive perfectly attaching all the way to the bay ceiling.
Using a rubber piece should also secure the drive nicely, but it just doesn't feel as solid as what a bracket offers.

 

What Kevin said...

there is a removable L shaped bracket on each side of the hard drive.
It will grabs the SSD on the side and the L shape rest on the harddrive bay.
So technically the SSD can be as slim or fat as it may be the L shape bracket will secure it.

 

Problem: Internet connectivity and chronic dropouts on Q501LA-BBI5T03, picked up at Best Buy last week. Wifi will not hold, diagnostics reveal frequent adapter resets, of the Intel wireless dual-band 7260 chipset.

Solution: Replace home router's wireless portion (Verizon Actiontec MI424WR), with a new ASUS RT-N66U router, set up as an "access point".

I know folks cheered this adapter earlier in the thread. Let me say ASUS could not solve the problem. Before returning it, a t-shoot with Verizon revealed a problem with their router. I am not a "Quantum" user, so I was told I have a "Gen 2" device, with 802.11g. The new 7260 cards in these laptops can dual-band at 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz using 802.11n. ASUS won't suggest you replace your router, and taking the laptop back is within the right of anyone reasonably expecting it should work with older hardware. I'm just going to say "Good luck", if you are on Verizon with this modem/router and this laptop. A more modern router may keep your connection, and let you take advantage of all the throughput a company like Verizon owes you.

So far, so good. Anyone else at the "return" threshold, if you do what worked for me, here is a tip to a site not related to our laptops:
Google the following: N66U myblog4fun. I am no network guy. Just trial by fire, here. This guy's site deals with the fact that Fios comes via cable, and you still need to cable through a Verizon modem before using any other router, as the point that improves the wifi signal for the Q501LA.

His step 3 needs an edit, however. You will not be able to set Default Gateway to 192.168.1.1 until after you have done step 4, which is to go below on the left hand side, click Administration and set the router to 'Access Point' mode.

If you don't go with an ASUS router, I think it is likely these laptops are ending up in the hands of Verizon users who nonetheless confront drop-outs. Any other router will need to be set up this way, even if its user interface (after typing 192.168.1.1 in a browser) looks different. I was coming up on "day 14", where I could no longer take it back. Under crunch time, I shopped cnet's router reviews. This baby costs ~$139. Two speed test show 20-25mbps download/5 upload, on 10/5 service :thumbsup: More importantly, no drops, lost work, lost logins, so far.

Hope this helps.

 

Have you tried other settings in the Verizon WiFi AP?
The most common issue is the encryption mode, and try to stick to WPA2/AES only if possible and don't mix WPA (TKIP) + WPA2 (AES).

 

No, I went from, and to, WEP 64 bit encryption, on an Open SSID network, auto-IP, with a network key. I did notice myblog4fun used WPA2, as you seem to suggest. Does it require a login to the router, for each session/boot of the attached devices?

It would be too bad if Verizon didn't suggest this, and it solved the problem.

 

It does not require a login for each session/device.
Good to know that the issue is resolved. :thumbsup:

 

Greetings fellow ASUS afficianados. I have helped a friend purchase a Q501LA and have been his trainer and tech assistant for the past few months. He recently purchased a Zvetco P2000 biometric finger print reader for use with the computer. I have not been able to install this device even though it should be dirt simple with Windows 8.1. The instructions say that one simply plugs the USB cable into a port and the drivers automatically download. Not so. Nothing appears in the device manager as we should see "Biometric Device" show up in the list. The device installed as advertised in my ASUS S400CA and worked fine even behind the Face Login software on my machine. Has anyone played with this or other biometric USB devices and found other glitches.

 

Heads up: GroupOn has this model (refurbished Q501LA-BBI5T03) on sale for $530:
ASUS 15.6" Full 1080p HD Touchscreen Laptop Deal of the Day | Groupon

And for those poor souls, like me, who get charged sales tax on GroupOn, it's also on sale at J&R for $550 (also refurbished).
I bought from J&R through Amazon, since they didn't charge salex tax for me, and I had a couple Amazon gift cards.

 

I just purchased a refurb'd Q501LA from Groupon for $530 + tax.

I'm curious if any of you owners have explored the SSD space inside, as discussed on this forum: Interesting New Notebook from Asus/Review - AnandTech Forums (look for pic).

 

I am handing down my present somewhat souped up Acer Timeline 4820TG to my daughter. I hate to give it up, it has been a very good and trouble-free laptop.
Now I started getting interested in the Q501. The display is totally awesome. The biggest negative is the keyboard. I'd rather have clearly defined characters on the keys. I do touch type I guess I just find clearly marked keys a confidence builder. I can get used to the island layout.
This laptop looks great in videos and pictures, for some reason up close it just looks like a big slab of black anodized aluminum. Maybe because it is. I am coming from a 14" model that I was accustomed to, so there's a lot more real estate, but every time I look at the display I am pulled right in.
I would likely max out the RAM and install an SSD which would really make it shine. Seems to be some issues with the 8.1 update so would probably hold off on that initially.

 

I have zero problem with 8.1 so far. running Samsung 840 pro SSD with standard RAM, no issues with WIFI.
connected to a big screenTV via HDMI cable is great.
Windows 8/8.1 seem to play more video formats then win7.
Copy paste function is better. I still have a lot to learn on WIN8.
Loving the laptop so far.

 

That's good to know! When did you purchase? I understand making sure you have the latest drivers, and other updates before making changes is usually a good idea.
When I went to look around yesterday, it was my first real effort working with Windows 8. I have so much to learn also, but don't find it that challenging. I think it is really a mind-set.

 

purchased it 2013 black friday.
came with win 8, update to win8.1 was trouble free.
I care less for the WIN8 titles, use it mostly in desktop mode. But like the minor upgrades features win8 has over win7.
I am not a heavy laptop user, mostly web stuff, email youtube, game- RC flight simulator - great plane's realflight.
it is just a good all around take it with laptop. My previous was a HP HXD16, this ASUS is a bit of an downgrade, but like the touch screen.

 

I imagine flight simulation graphics look nice on that screen. There are usually a lot more reviews that I read before I buy most things. This may well be the exception. I guess the Q501 being a BB baby does not make it as popular.

 

Does anyone's laptop wake up by itself from sleep? I have Windows 8.1 installed (although the same thing happened before with Windows 8). This waking up happens in 20 minute intervals but there are no wake timers enabled nor is it any other external devices. The source is said to be "Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100 (Microsoft)" when i looked it up using powercfg -lastwake. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Can someone with an SSD installed comment on the performance on heavy load please?

I used to have w510 with i7 Q740 (1st gen), 8GB Memory and a cheap SSD and I was exremely happy with its performance even after 3+ years of purchase. Though, stolen recently.

I usually have 3-4 browser windows open, each with 3-4 tabs. Youtube plays music in the background and I almost always have one vmware machine running. And now I am somewhat worried about performance of this laptop with a SSD.

I dont know how reliable the PassMark (cpubenchmark) ratings. Accourding to the site, my old CPU is 3248 and this laptop's CPU is 3346. While the numbers are very close, this new CPU seems to be slightly better.

Do you really think that I would gain some performance increase, even if it is very small, with this laptop?

Or, just in general; what are your thoughts about its performance under heavy load.

SSD owners only please.

Thanks...

 

In my experience with SSD, it is more about speed. Memory upgrades will help when running more than one application at a time.

 

I have TeamViewer installed on our Q501 and occasionally through the day on my work computer it pops up saying that the notebook is available to connect to. I know the screen is closed on it and its supposed to be sleeping. I'll look into it some more and see if I can see what is waking it. Don't watch it enough to know a pattern to it though.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

Do let me know if you find anything please! I've tried enabling/disabling USB suspend and enabling/disabling hybrid sleep in power options but so far nothing has worked yet.

 

I just learned that this laptop's battery and one of it's memory module is permanently fixed on the motherboard. I am disappointed now. I am not as excited as I was before. What happens if one of them goes bad and needs to be replaced. Are we gonna replace the entire motherboard, which in this case will be extremely expensive.

This might be a serious problem for people who is planning to use this laptop for 4-5 years.

Well, that being said; the features & price is so good that I still consider purchasing this laptop anyway. But surely disappointed big with this fact.

Can anyone give information about the memory timings that it comes with please. There is no need to purchase an expensive and faster memory for the only 1 upgradable slot since it will only run as fast as the one fixed on the motherboard.

 

I'm planning to get the N550 myself, and have read the same 'rumors' about that model as well as the Best Buy Q550 model.

I've read several different reviews that state none of this is true. The battery IS removable with just some 4 + screws. There is no optional higher rated battery. Really, no reason to remove it for several years down road (I would hope.)

If you go on crucial.com they show the plug in memory that is available for this exact model. (8G recommend) It installs like most any other memory sticks. If I am wrong, this is the first time their info has not been spot on that I am aware of.

 

There is a bit of misinfo about the battery.
on the paper box of the laptop as well as the web descriptions show this laptop with lithium ion battery,
but the battery is li-po, lithium polymer.
It is a bit of an odd shape battery but I am sure aftermarket battery will be available down the road. These batteries are getting better by the day as technology improves. We use high capacity and high discharge li-po high batteries flying RC airplanes and helicopters as well as of road trucks and they are fantastic. Light weight lots of juice and the newer batteries last a long time. Relatively inexpensive too for the RC hobby world.
My only concern with LI-PO batteries is that they are less save when it comes to under discharge or over charge.
my experience with RC LI-POs is under discharge kills it permanently, over charge or crush damage makes is puff up (internal gas build up) and they can and will vent gasses with flames.
I would not be alarmed about this I am sure there are safety guides built in in this battery and its charging.

 

Kind of wish that the one module wasn't soldered to the MB, but you can still pop in an 8gb module in the other slot and be sporting a healthy 12gb, I'll be doing that with mine as soon as Newegg and UPS decide to get me my order. Just glad it wasn't the 2gb module that was soldered to the MB.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

Not really enough board or v space for a second sodimms though.

 

Hey guys, just a quick question. I just got he laptop yesterday and so far I have no complaints against it. I was just wondering since I bought it for use mostly at home, is it ok if I keep it plugged in all the time? Thanks in advance.

 

Right or not, but when mine is home it is plugged in 24/7.



Another note, anyone else get a bluetooth error shortly after startup when the notebook has been off?? Mine started doing this after the 8.1 upgrade.

Updated, backdated tried every bluetooth driver from the Asus and Intel sites. Nothing worked and I just dealt with it. Little over a week ago I saw that there was a new video driver out, problem was that the one from Asus had a corrupt file or something and wouldn't install. The same driver from the Intel site wouldn't install, saying you needed to get the driver from Asus. Ended up extracting both installers, copied the offending file from the Intel package to the Asus package and it worked. Also, I didn't notice it at first, but the bluetooth error went away as well.

 

I was curious about this as well. Read that 8 was the max? Quick question. I was planning on using this for remote access to work, power point, excel, word etc, I configured a HP with the i7 4200mq, 8gb ram (up to 16) 802.11ac built in ans 1080p screen. Only 80 more than this. Do you think it's worth the extra money for what I'll be using it for? Or should I stick to this asus

 

That's definitely a strange problem.
I suppose it might had been caused by the Win8.1 upgrade.

 

Many companies are putting every single thing they can to be built in on the board in order to make things smaller and also for repairs when things go bad the entire mainboard is the issue, this is called planned obsolescence. Now in my case i really dont mind because we repair these types of issues using BGA rework equipment. The battery however is never soldered to anything. The wires might be, but never the batter itself.

 

So originally i had the V500CA-BB31T which i still do. It is a great machine and is a vivobook so its quite thin and elegant and the screen is great i though it was IPS almost. I put an SSD in immediately as i cant use a HDD anymore. It worked great and didnt have any issues. I then came across this model on groupon, and end up getting it from ebay from newegg for $520 to avoid groupy crap tax.

Now this screen is great. I didnt think it would be much of an improvement but it is, unless i am imaging it cause i spent $200 more for this than the other lol.
However the keyboard and mouse def feel more responsive.

I will say though that the vivobook looks better aesthetically with its color combo and the sleeker look. This unit definitely is a LAPTOP. The other felt to be a ultrabook hybrid.

 

I popped my SD in from the vivobook into this machine and it found all the drivers, i updated the graphics card as well but i can say that it doesnt look AS GREAT, i took a look at my display settings and they are all at default so not sure why

 

I just bought this refurbished for $480, does anyone know where I can get the recovery ISO? I'm looking to install an SSD as soon as I get it and I read the refurbished models don't come with recovery media.

 

Same here. Bought one refurb from ebay today @ $480 as seemed like a good deal. Any idea if the WIFI card on this can be changed from the Atheros one?

 

I thought discussion earlier was yes. I know they changed to Intel at some point, that is what mine has. If you open yours up, be sure to toss an 8gb memory card in there as well.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

None of the NBs comes with the recovery media so you have to create them yourself.
Check on your PC and see if you have ASUS Backtracer application, or simply check under the ASUS folder to find it.
Use it to recovery the recovery disc set.

 

If you can find a standard iso the key is valid on that too.

 

Great, I'll just use my own version of Windows with the key it comes with. With my Dell laptop for some reason the product key it came with only worked with their installation media.

 

Great laptop! The keyboard does miss key strokes every once in awhile but doesn't bother me. I did upgrade the hard drive to an SDD and love it.

I now plan on upgrading the ram but don't know where to start. What type of memory does this laptop take and or how can I find that out? Also I know 4gb is soldered in so would an additional 8gb be compatible? Any issues?

Appreciate any input

 

8gb of ram works fine. The system was already mismatched from ASUS, can't say that matching sizes are faster, but I like having the extra capacity. For type, 204pin DDR3 1600,1.35V. Be sure the voltage is NOT 1.5v. Here is what I used. It's on sale for $60 after rebate through the end of the month. Cheapest I found for 8gb of memory from the places I shop.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220747

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you! That helps a lot, I truly appreciate it.

 

It's alright if I use a stick of DDR3 1333 1.35V RAM right? It should just underclock the other stick I'm assuming.

 

I would assume. It could slow the system down a bit though. The memory is also used for the "video card" as well, not that the integrated video is going to do great gaming either way.

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