Asus UX31 Ultrabook

Hi guys, is there any big difference between the i5 and i7 versions of ux31 in terms of graphic performance and trade marks?

p.s. graphics is on cpu right?!

 

As quoted from the below review "Unfortunately, there is no way to upgrade the memory"

Read more: ASUS ZENBOOK UX31 Review by VR-Zone.com
ASUS ZENBOOK UX31 Review by VR-Zone.com

 

Yes, it says "Unfortunately, there is no way to upgrade the memory" but it does not show the memory soldered in the motherboard.

Have you seen the actual memory in these units? I have not seen one picture of them. I assume they are on the other side of the motherboard either soldered on to it or in one memory bay.

I wanted to find out whether the memory soldered on to the board. If so then this is a bummer because 4GB is a bit short nowadays.

 

I'd be more worried about the lack of HD space...
4GB should be enough unless you are running virtual machines, or doing intensive video editing.

 

I am interested in this laptop, but the lack of buying options is annoying at this stage. It'd be nice for a consolidated running list of places to buy UX21/31. Right now, an online hunt results in only Amazon, Best Buy, and J&R each having the UX31 i7, and UX21 i7. Just can't find the UX21 i5 anywhere yet.

 

Add European shops to that list. So far UX31 can be ordered nowhere in Germany/UK, unless I am mistaken. This is the biggest PITA about Asus, I'd say. No centralized sales, e.g. like Dell rolls.

 

The lack of HD space is not a biggie because these SSDs are getting more dense. I think we soon see 512GB modules at fairly reasonable price (which should be enough).

On the other hand, I am worried about the lack of memory upgrade options (if it is soldered on the circuit). I do some video/photo editing, virtual machines, and some calculation intensive work which would put some pressure on the only 4GB. For me 4GB is not enough but I see this can work for many.

 

Dude, it hasn't even been announced in the country I am living! lol
The Japan division of Asus is REAALLY slow

 

I think you (and some others here) may be letting your expectations of this machine get out of hand. I think this machine's real value is that it is Ultra-Light, very small and easy to carry around, and is certainly no performance slouch.
I too have intensive processing needs that I need to be mobile with (Visual Studio 2010 development, etc.), but for that I have my Dell XPS-15 with the Quad Core i7 CPU and 8GB of RAM, and am really happy how that laptop meets those needs.
When my UX31 arrives, I plan on using it primarily in my lazy chair next to the TV for "quick grab" browsing Reddit or to settle an argument with my wife about who is starring in the movie we're watching, and on trips to keep up with email.

 

It is a great value and the only thing is missing from it is some extra memory. I hate to travel with a brick laptop and this would be perfect. That is why I asked whether the memory can be upgraded. So far we have not seen evidence of whether the memory was nuked into the motherboard. We saw only one side of the motherboard. If they added a memory slot on the other side then the 4gb module can be replaced. (Bit expensive :-( but it would be an option for those who want to save on weight) Other than this I agree this machine looks very promising.

 

For Europe there are 4 models listed (so far). All seems to have "US International" keyboard.

ASUS UX31E-RY008V (90N8NA114N1431VL151)
i5-2557M, 4GB, 256GB SSD

ASUS UX31E-RY009V (90N8NA114N1411VL151)
i5-2557M, 4GB, 128GB SSD

ASUS UX31E-RY010V (90N8NA114N1531VL151)
i7-2677M, 4GB, 256GB SSD

ASUS UX31E-RY012V (90N8NA114N1511VL151)
i7-2677M, 4GB, 128GB SSD

Amazon.com offers ASUS UX31E-DH52, and that's exactly the same hardware as in ASUS UX31E-RY009V. I wonder why model names differ.

 

that's because the sale in UK starts on the 21st of October.

 

lol, I think its pretty nuts that you are getting the UX31 just to sit next to your couch on the off chance you wanna look something up from time to time. Isn't that kind of overkill?

 

That's his problem what he needs the thing for, isn't it?

 

Definitely overkill.
However, one can only lift so much weight when reaching over sideways in the reclined position on a lazy-chair!!

 

Preorder prices in Poland:
ASUS UX31E-RY012V (90N8NA114N1511VL151)
i7-2677M, 4GB, 128GB SSD - ~ 1050 euro ( with the EUR/PLN exchange for today that is 4.27 PLN= 1 euro ) - by www.x-kom.pl


ASUS UX31E-RY009V (90N8NA114N1411VL151)
i5-2557M, 4GB, 128GB SSD - ~ 980 euro - by Notebooki, komputery, laptopy, monitory, karty graficzne - Komputronik internetowy sklep komputerowy or Karen.pl - Sklep internetowy - let me just add, that base 13" MBA here in Poland is for ~ 1360 euro ( by official distributor www.cortland.pl )

 

Graphics is GPU, and no it won't make much difference in terms of graphics performance.

 

Ciamac was asking if the graphics process on the CPU, which they do with Intel HD 3000.

 

fail.

the answer is: yes, the graphics is on the CPU.

 

Can anyone confirm whether these Zenbooks will be available in the UK with the full range of configurations? I keep reading that there will only be one UX21 and one (i7, 128GB) UX31......

 

so it makes difference, the graphics on i7 model should be better.

 

Not from my understanding of their maximum respective capacity:
Sandy Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(i5-2557 vs i7-2677)

EDIT: UX31E-DH52 received!

 

shoot! sounds about right, for it was ux31 with i7 and 256 or i5 and 128 , now I'm definitely going for the latter.

 

no, GPU on both is HD 3000 with exactly the same specs.

Processor Graphics Intel® HD Graphics 3000
Graphics Base Frequency 350 MHz
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency 1.2 GHz

 

Oh really? Good to know. That's this Friday. \o/

 

Weird thing about those zenbooks, is that they score lower in 3dmark06 than MBA's.

 

So I was so impressed with how the Asus UX31 appeared on paper, I ended up buying it. It just arrived today, and the form factor, the clarity of the screen, the amazing battery life and the performance have all colored me impressed.

The only problem is that there are some issues that I don't know if I'll be able to overcome. First off, the touchpad is really off. If I try to do something sensitive, it doesn't necessarily move, and if I try to do something fast, I almost always overshoot. The trend-setting 1600x900 screen I thought would be a benefit, but instead, everything is so small that it makes using the touchpad even more difficult. I installed the most recent touchpad driver, and that didn't make anything particularly better. I've already had some issues with resting my palm on the touchpad that have caused clicks that shouldn't have clicked. (I've tried playing around with that setting too.)

Secondly, I'm not sure how I feel about the button layout. I'm trying to be acutely aware that my previous computer had a different layout and so I need to get used to some features, however one thing that really bothers me is that there is no 'home' or 'end' button. I use those functions often for selecting text.

Thirdly, I was disappointed to learn (Before I bought) that it would not function with my 5 GHz wifi. But it was something I would certainly live with if the speed was still up to par. (After all, I've survived years without it). But then I discovered that the wifi was still a bit flakey- while my old laptop is getting my full speed, this one was only get a fifth of the speed it should have.

Finally, I've noticed that the power connected isn't working perfectly. It doesn't seem solidly made, and when I fiddle with it a bit, the light changes, indicating that its not connecting anymore.

I know I'm only pointing out the flaws, but thats just what im concerned with. Otherwise, its a wonderful computer. But I need someone to convince me that these problems aren't enough to send it back- because I REALLY need a new laptop. My old one has a fan that makes noises, the battery lasts for a whole one hour, and it heats up to almost 100 degrees!

What should I do?!

 

The only reason I would order the I7 over the I5 is if I was using the UX13 to run scientific calculations or simulation software like Matlab. At that point, every little improvement helps. Otherwise, the I5 is the better buy and, due to the I7's 4MB L3 cache, might be far more efficient, much like the full powered I5/I7s.

 

Dang. I'm currently waiting for mine (backordered from abt.com), and your issues with the trackpad and WiFi are quite worrisome indeed. You are the second person to mention the flaky WiFi performance. I feel like cancelling my order until all this is cleared up. Did you try and set the WiFi power profile to MAX yet? That seems to have fixed several other people's WiFi problems, but will surely cost more in battery life.
The ironic thing here is that I had already previously cancelled another order for a Samsung 900X3A (lightweight UltraBook) because many other customers were complaining about the WiFi!
I have to make a choice soon, because once abt.com receives the laptop and sends it to me, there is a 15% restocking fee, which is over $200 penalty to pay)!

 

I just found a UX31E-DH53 in Stock (US online retailer) I schould have by the end of this week.
Edit: Purchased from ABT.

 

@makryger

Thank you so much for that write-up! I'm really sorry to hear about the issues that you're having but, if it's any consolation, you've helped me to make up my mind to NOT purchase this ASUS Ultrabook. I couldn't deal with all those issues.

@smckenna,

I've probably posted the most on Samsung Series 9 WiFi issues (although I really wish I didn't have to). I'm currently without light-weight laptop and am still looking at alternatives.

 

I've just cancelled my order. I think I'm gonna head down to BB and just get a MBA and load W7 onto it. I really hate the keyboard differences, but everything else is so perfect. Call it a Steve Jobs keep-sake.

 

Let's see how the Toshiba fares.

 

You mean the Z380, right?

 

Actually, there is a pre-order in amazon.de: Asus UX31E-RY012V 33,8 cm Ultrabook: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör

International keyboards only? That is good to hear...

 

Let me know how that goes! I've seriously considered this option but people seem to say that it doesn't run Win7 fast enough?

Yes, he would be talking about the Z380/Z385 model. I think the Toshiba and the Lenovo U300s will be the best quality Ultrabooks (unless HP releases one too).
Samsung Series 9 is better (when the make the fixed WiFi version available to U.S.) but it does cost more...

 

it's Z830 and Z835.

i'd rather take i5 with 256GB SSD.

 

Well, don't let my impressions spoil you too much... it really is something I think you'd have to try yourself. Maybe wait till it ends up at Best Buy to try for yourself... All of those things will certainly have a learning curve, but not necessarily deal breakers.

Also not necessarily a deal breaker: If you're going to engrave "Audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower" into your computers, the audio better be good enough so that when you play things, you don't get crackles on high volume. And I'm no stuck-up audiophile- I just don't want my sound crackling.

But hey, you know what IS a dealbreaker?! When the wireless randomly decides it no longer has an internet connection, despite still being connected to my network! Has happened three times already.

I really want to like this computer... I really do. Its on full power and it says "10hours" remaining! But I think I better ask Amazon for a refund.

 

Have you tried that Wi-Fi setting change in the UX31 owner's thread?

I ordered a UX31 from Best Buy.com that was delivered to the store and is ready for pick-up right now. However, it's the model with a i5-2467M instead of an i5-2557M. Does it make that much of a difference? Debating whether I should get that BestBuy laptop today or order the real UX31 from ABT and wait some more

BestBuy still has a restocking fee right?

 

Didn't notice that owner's thread... looks like that fix would make sense. Ill continue to monitor the performance. So maybe I won't return my system for now... but I'm still skeptical.

 

I recommend that people review return policies before buying any of these new laptops (ultrabooks or not). There are very few vendors with liberal return policies.

 

Well, as long as you don't open the package, everything's A-okay with returns

I decided to cancel the Best Buy order and get the better model through ABT

 

For what it's worth, I love the MBA but hate OSX. So I'm currently running Win7 dedicated (not bootcamp) on my Air. It's ok, boot times are significantly slower than with OSX and can't be fixed, this is a known problem. Otherwise it's pretty zippy.
Having said that, my air is for sale and I have the UX31 arriving tomorrow from Amazon. I couldn't live with the Air keyboard layout, even after a few months there are still too many typing errors for my liking (Fn and Ctrl, lack of Delete dedicated key etc). You can't remap the Fn key either (not simply) so you're stuck with it, and I just couldn't get by that way...

However, I am very bummed that the UX31 has no Home / End key, I didn't realise that. CRAP!

 

I know this is getting way off-topic for the UX31 followers, but why did you install Win7 dedicated? Running it with Bootcamp does a raw partition boot of the Win7, so there wouldn't be any speed advantage to wiping out the OS X partition. I've run the Win7 on a MBA under Bootcamp before, and it runs it very, very fast. They keyboard layout is a big pain, agreed.

 

If I let negatives in forums dictate what I bought I would be sitting in an empty house with nothing to drive. I don't believe there is any perfect product. You take the good with the bad. Like a wife or a corvette you learn to live with it's little oddities.

 

You're right. Everyone has to review the faults, and decide for themselves which ones reach the threshold of "dealbreaker" for them. For me, the bad behaving trackpad (even with the beta driver installed) was a dealbreaker. The WiFi problems would have been too, but it appears that the power settings have partially alleviated that issue, with unknown effect on battery time.
I just went ahead and found an eBay auction for a 2 month old MBA with the i7 & 256GB SSD for just over $1500 (normally $1700 + tax + shipping), so we'll see how it goes.
As an added bonus, I get the DisplayPort that will run my large Dell U2711 monitor at full native resolution of 2560x1440.

 

Some of the previews showed the UX with a really nice slipcover which looked like leather. Is that the actual slipcover supplied, or does the pictured cover come from someplace else? I'd like to get the leather/leather-look cover.

Thanks!

 

The top part that closes it is leather but the rest is meshed nylon or something similar... (so nothing like those pictures!)

 

Watch this hands-on to get a look at the case. Doesn't seem to be all leather Hands-on with the ASUS UX31 Zenbook - YouTube

 

That's the only reason I'm looking at the Toshiba Z. It has a dedicated vertical row for the Home/Pg/End keys and the cursor keys are dropped. I just wish they also did 900p rez.