Asus UX31 Ultrabook

Could someone please benchmark the SSD that is inside of the UX31? AS SSD Benchmark or Crystal Disk Mark

 

Does this thing overheat when gaming?

 

Default Asus W7 setup, newest BIOS, on battery power.

 

newest review out! ASUS Zenbook UX31 Reviewed | Ultraportable Reviews | Laptop Reviews

are you kidding? must be apple fanatics and scared to give it a higher rating because they won't be getting review products.

 

This clinches it... I made the right decision to buy a used MBA with an i7 instead of this UX31. The pixel count of the UX31 is higher, but at the cost of low contrast and narrow viewing angles. Nothing beats the brightness and clarity of the MBA's IPS screen (178 degree viewing angle). One of the big issues is that Win7 does not scale well to larger DPI counts. You can configure it to "Medium" (125% scale-up) and "Larger" (150% scale-up), and that makes the desktop icons and Windows Explorer easier to see & read, but once you launch your application (particularly web browser), those increased DPI settings weak havoc on the layout and size of everything.
I'll load BootCamp and Win7 on my MBA laptop and run some benchmarks and post them when I'm done.

 

Good review, glad they mentioned the touchpad as a significant issue, it's not perfect. Also true regarding the keyboard, you have to hit it right in the middle, or just hit it harder. Something just to get used to I suppose, but not ideal.

Let us know how you go with that dastardly keyboard layout too I tried to love the MBA, but just couldn't.

 

are you sure the MBA has an IPS screen?

 

No, I'm not. It might just be an LED screen. Whatever it is, it sure looks sharp and clear at Best Buy!

 

The MacBook Air does not have an IPS screen. It uses a TN panel. The viewing angles on my wife's MBA 11 are better than the viewing angles on my UX21, but the screens are extremely similar when viewed side by side.

 

Yes, it will definitely take some getting used to. I guess that's better than getting frustrated with the UX31 dropping keystrokes on me as I type.

 

Just wondering what is the transfer rate with the UX31. Basically transferring a file between UX31 and a desktop using teracopy. A user in the Asus Lounge stated that he was only getting 2MB/s rate. This sounds like he was not connect on N speed. 2MB/s looks like G connection instead of N. Also, what is the speed of the wireless network card 150Mbps or 300Mbps?

 

Same setup as before.

 

So I just upgraded to the new BIOS, and now my multitouch gestures on the touchpad don't work!! ARRGGGH!

 

Thanks looks pretty good. Any info about transfer rate with the wireless card that is in the UX31? I will be doing alot of files transfer between UX31 and my Server. That one owner kinda scare me about the 2MB/s transfer rate. When you have time could you test out the transfer rate. I appreciate!

 

Weird, did you check to make sure gestures were still enabled?
Just updated mine and gestures still work, although I'm not too sure that it's made any difference to the performance - there's a definite problem with finer movements on the touchpad, it seems to jump so it's hard to click smaller things.

This machine is pretty close to perfect, but I am wondering how I'll go with the keyboard requiring a little bit more oomph than I'm used to, and this touchpad.

 

ok.. it's back.. uninstalled and reinstalled the driver...

 

could you tell us how the keyboard compares between your ux21 and your wife's mba 11?

thanks

 

I got 4MB/s with n mode only on my wireless router. It connects at 150Mbps. If I used g/n mode it was around 2.6MB/s. Not sure why they would be using Athersos wireless card instead of an Intel one.

Also I didn't have any issues streaming a Windows Media Center recording from the same box unlike the other user.

 

Smaller form factor? I think I read in another article that the wireless card in the UX31 is about half the normal size.

 

Wow 4MB/s is low for 150Mbps. With 150Mbps it should be around 7-8MB/s. On my Dell xps which has intel 5300 (300 Mbps) I was getting about 12MB/s to my Server on my D-Link 655 DIR. Thanks for testing it out for me.

 

I've always had slow wireless in my house so not sure if you can blame it on the UX31 or not. I also have the same router.

 

Here is a setting for our router. Its tweak to get 300Mbps, but it should help you with your setting. btw make sure The channel width needs to be set to 20/40Auto. When I set mine to only 20 my transfer rate drops big time.



300 Mbps connection requirements! Please read!

 

The MBA keyboard is better. No question. The UX21 keyboard is still pretty decent. It feels solid, has good feedback, and shows no flex at all. But it's slightly smaller than a full-size keyboard. On the UX21, the distance from the top of the QWERTY row of keys to the bottom of the spacebar is about 6.5 cm; on the MBA, this distance is about 7 cm. It's not a huge difference, but it definitely takes some getting used to.

I don't want to make this out to be a huge deal, though. I just typed this post on the UX21, and I didn't make more typing errors than I'd make on my desktop, so the UX21 keyboard must be alright. Also, I need to join the chorus of users who really don't feel comfortable typing in Windows on the Mac keyboard layout. Given my options, I'll take the solid but undersized UX21 keyboard with a proper Windows layout over the more comfortable full-size MBA keyboard.

Typing on the UX21 actually feels similar to typing on the Toshiba Portege 13.3" R835, which also has a slightly smaller keyboard on it. If you're okay with the Portege keyboard, you'll be fine with the UX21 keyboard.

Of course, this is a UX31 thread, and I have no idea if the UX31 keyboard is the same size as the UX21 keyboard. I'll leave that issue to owners of the UX31.

 

I had all those correct, but I was using an old firmware so I updated it to 1.35NA. Sitting next to the router I got between 7.4 and 8MB/s with a file transfer.

 

Nice. That transfer rate sounds right on a 150. Thanks for all the help. Time to place an order with Bestbuy......

 

I'm not sure if you're set on windows 7, but it's an imperfect experience. The bootcamp drivers aren't ideal, sounds can skip frequently and boot times aren't any where near as enjoyable. Just something to consider, as a PC ultrabook, even if not the UX, might remain the best option

 

You could be right. I have heard that there are open source sound and video drivers available that do a better job. I may try and snag some of those. Boot times shouldn't be an issue because I'm just going to close the lid and put it to sleep. It wakes up in about 3 seconds, and it lasts like 10 days in standby mode.

 

thanks for your feedback! I hope my local best buy will get some soon so i can test out the keyboard myself!

 

I've been following this thread with much attention!

Soon, I plan to purchase a used Vaio Z (previous year), MBA 13" or UX 31, but the main concern for me is the screen quality because I plan to do a fair amount of photo editing and possibly some video as well.

Have any of you new UX31 owners also owned a Vaio Z? If so, how do the screens compare, especially in terms of contrast?

 

I'd have to somewhat disagree, the Series 9 display easily beats the MBA dsiplay and has higher brightness and better viewing angles too.

 

Out of 10, 10 being highest
1) Screen: Resolution (10 ), Contrast (7 ), Color (8 ) - Viewing angle could be better
2) TouchPad: Responsiveness (6 ), Smoothness (5 ), Precision (5 ) - Apple has this nailed, in my opinion.
3) Audio: Depth (6 ), Loudness (8 ), Surrounding Efficiency (0 ) - Good for an ultrabook!
4) Keyboard: Keys Layout (7 ), Comfort on typing (5 ) - Same complaints and the Laptopmag.com review
5) WiFi (on maximum power): Strength/Range (7 ), Connection Quality (7 ) - just be sure to change the power profile setting to maximum
6) Battery: on Heavy Duty (9 ), on Light Duty (9 ) - It's like you're carrying around a battery that happens to have a processor and display.
7) Performance: on Browsing/Email/Office (9 ), on Gaming (- ) - An i5 and SSD is going to make any mundane task quick.
8) General: Appearance (6 ), Build Quality (8 ), Stiffness (10 ) - I think Asus went a little over the top with the concentric circles. It needs more thought.

 

what about noise level ?? How load it's under load and idle ?

 

For those complaining about the lack of 5 GHz connectivity, you can order from xotic and customize it with an Intel Advance/Ultimate or Bigfoot Networks.

I really wished this laptop had an option for a backlit keyboard. Even with it's trackpad +keyboard imperfections I would snag it in a heartbeat with a backlit keyboard.

 

Interesting, I'd be curious to hear how those drivers go. I searched for DAYS trying to find a solution, and couldn't get one. There are a few articles around about the imperfect nature of windows on a mac, mainly because of driver issues (and others have gone so far as to write very detailed scripts to recode the Fn key so it's in the place PC users are accustomed to!).

I just had my first instance of 'aw crap' with the UX, turning it on this evening, and I couldn't see a thing. Nuts I miss that MBA backlit keyboard...

 

Reading all the threat i have to say that i have lost my hope of getting a good product, i was hoping to buy a UX31 over toshiba and lenovo ultrabooks, so i have a couple of questions for all of you, owners of a ux31 (the one i like on paper).

Its worth buying it or the issues are too many?

Do you think Asus its addressing all the issues and its going to solve them or they are waiting to address them in the ivy bridge ultrabooks?

And finally, do you think that the UX31 its a beta unfinished product?

Thanks

 

From what I've seen, and the reviews seem to indicate this as well, it is a very good machine. Unfortunately the bar it is up against is extremely high since it is directly competing with the Mac Book Air line, which as I'm sure you know very well regarded even my non-apple fans.
If that didn't exist, then I think people would be going crazy over the UX products. As it is, every little thing is under close scrutiny.
That doesn't mean that its not an awesome machine though.

That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

Slightly OT, but exactly how different is the apple keyboard to windows?
I know the ctrl key is in a different place (and called cmd instead?), and there is only a backspace key (no delete?).
Are there other differences too? And how much of an issue are those things in reality?

 

What's the big deal about a backlit keyboard? Do you actually need to look at the keys in order to type?

 

What you are saying is in direct contradiction with at least 3 published reviews and feedback from other owners here.

 

Anybody knows when stores in Canada will have the UX31 in stock?
TigerDirect, Newegg, NCIX, etc...

Or I have to trust Amazon.ca with

?

 

I have never owned a laptop with a non-replaceable battery. What does Asus offer for owners who have their battery no longer capable of retaining a charge, perhaps 3 years into ownership? I know that macbooks can be brought into the store and have the battery swapped for a fee, but how is this done with Asus for this non-replaceable battery?

 

@darthsat

This is the first ASUS ever produced with a non-removable battery. Past the warranty period it is anyone's guess how you will get a replacement. I'm sure a 3rd party vendor will come forward if ASUS doesn't sell them directly.

 

Thanks. This is an issue I'll have to consider since I like to use a laptop at least 4-5 years. I don't know how I feel about dropping 1K on a gorgeous laptop that I have no guarantee will still be portable after 3 years. My current Dell lost its ability to hold a charge after ~3 years, and I just popped in a new battery to keep it going strong.

 

with technology going like this, would you really expect to keep a ultraportable for 5 yrs? I'm just saying... LOL

 

+1
Computers, as we know them, may not even EXIST in 5 years!

 

New to the forums.

Just received my UX31-RSL8 from Best Buy yesterday. Unboxed it, the thing really is beautiful. Everything booted up fine, had no issues with the touchpad or keyboard...for the first 20 minutes or so.

After that, the touchpad was unusable for the web. It would constantly skip/not respond/zoom uncontrollably. I updated the driver, nothing. Then my keys started dying. First the D, then backspace, then C, then Q, then [period]. Everything eventually came back except the D and backspace.

To confirm this wasn't a driver issue, I tried using these keys in the BIOS. Nada. It's a hardware issue. I already called Best Buy and they are shipping out a replacement overnight. I hope I get it before I leave for my trip tomorrow.

Oh, and add me to the list of confirmed 2557's for the Best Buy RSL8. The only difference I see between the 1049.99 and 1349.99 models at Best Buy is the hard drive.

Other than the obvious hardware defect, the machine is pretty good. I did a system restore and updated the BIOS/Touchpad driver and the touchpad works pretty well now.

Anyone else have a bad (actual keys won't work) keyboard or am I the only lucky one?

 

U can get del with the fn + return ( actually it says "delete" on mine MBA ).

Other than that - same with some Lenovo's - fn swapped with control - but at least with newer Lenovo's you can change that in BIOS. Then you can swap the keys on keyboard and forget about it

Besides the alt's for Windows are swapped with the command keys. And command key's for Windows are like start menu button and right click button. It could be a big deal for someone like me coz I'm typing all those ąść letters, but I'm getting used to it

 

My biggest gripe is that the MBA keyboard has no control key on the right-hand side. This drives me nuts.

 

Contradiction with what reviews? and what feedback? Are you talking about the 13" version or the 11" version? Because 13" version is the one with the better screen.

It has a 400 nit matte screen which works awesome, even in sunlight.

The only reason why I am giving it up is due to Touchpad having issues

 

Hmm. I'm using computers for a nice couple of years but I don't recall using right ctrl much.

Could you enlight me ?