Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A Questions

Hey guys, first off I haven't read all 372 pages of that MASSIVE thread, so please bear with me here if I'm asking questions that have already been answered.

So my local Future Shop (I'm in Canada lol) just recently got the UX31A DB51 (that's the i5 and 128GB SSD with the normal 4GB RAM and IPS display).

Now, I've read enough from that thread the know that the light bleed on this thing is supposedly terrible, and that there were some inconsistencies in the backlighting of the keyboard etc.

Now, having thoroughly gone around that machine from top to bottom, front to back, side to side (on separate days too), I just have a few questions I that I'm hoping you guys can help me answer.

1. The machine on display at my local Future Shop had NO light bleed AT ALL. None whatsoever. I checked the bottom right and left of the screen to see if I could see the lights and I couldn't, it look completely sealed. I put a black background on it and there was no light bleed visible there either (note the store did have it's lights on). So does only the UX32VD experience this backlight bleed or does the model on display somehow have a perfect screen?

2. The top of the keyboard close to hinge when I used it was getting pretty hot. I wasn't even doing anything on the computer either (I had just checked the WEI score and what SSD it had) and that part of the laptop was already pretty hot. Note that it probably has been on the whole day, but there was no heavy usage on the laptop. Heck it didn't even have the Wifi on so there was no internet. Is this normal for the UX31A? Can any owners post their findings on their own machine?

3. On the left hand side of the machine (the desktop is shown), when I rested my hand flat on that side (touching the keys gently), I could actually FEEL the vibrations of the fan spinning below it. I was there for seemingly 15 minutes holding my hand there (and trying not to look weird lol), and the fan just kept on turning. The computer was on the desktop. Is this some sort of a bug/problem or is this normal? I then checked how many processes were running and found 100. Holy that is a LOT of bloatware. Could that be the reason the fan is seemingly always on?

4. The trackpad. Feels nice, but the one they had on display was barely usable. I would try 2 finger scroll and I'd be able to scroll most of the time, except after I remove my 2 fingers from the trackpad the page I'm on would just zoom in to about 250%. I tried to zoom out using the trackpad and couldn't. This trackpad was horrendous. I tried to find where I could adjust the Elan Pad's settings but I couldn't find it anywhere on that machine.

Note: That virtual keyboard or whatever thing was turned on the whole time, maybe that was causing all of this? And just for reference, where does one find trackpad options/settings?

Anyway, I'd like to get a few owners' opinions on this trackpad. Is it really this bad?

5. SSD was a Sandisk U100 SSD. The S9 right next to it had the same exact SSD, yet the UX31A's rating was 7.5 while the S9 was 7.6. I didn't bother asking the Rep's if they had Adata SSD machines as I probably won't be buying from Canada. Does anyone know why the UX31A's SSD get's a slightly lower WEI score? And the same happened with the Graphics. UX31A is 5.9, S9 is 6.4, that difference is pretty big. Is the 1920*1080 IPS display the cause of the lower score or what?

And finally:

6. I'll be going to the US shortly, and was wondering which stores have discounts for the UX31A. I know Best Buy sells it, Microcenter does as well (I think?) anymore? But I would like to, if possible, get a discount or deal for the UX31A.

Any help answering these is GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

 

I'll do my best to answer your concerns as you arranged them.

1. You will probably have some degree of backlight bleed. This is a fact of the type of display, and of this model in particular. In a well lit room (office, retail store, etc.), you probably won't see it at all. My first model had significant bleed in a regularly lit bedroom, but it was invisible in a well lit room. My second unit (I exchanged because of some random shutdown issues), has barely noticeable bleed in dim lighting, also invisibly under moderate to strong lighting.

2. The factory software on my first unit was buggy. I started noticing the fans spinning up like people complained about (noticeable during use, but particularly so following a wake up from sleep mode). Watching the task manager, I noticed that randomly, but especially after resuming from sleep, the bluetooth software was bugging out and consuming 25-50% of the processor. This seemed responsible for much of the heat, and closing these tasks or restarting resolved the problem.

Following a fresh install on my 2nd unit, I have had 0 heat problems under normal conditions. When I watch a lot of video, the fan spins up to low speed, but under normal use, It is almost always off, or at minimum speed (have to put my ear to it to be sure it is spinning at all). Bluetooth problems are gone as well (I'm using drivers straight from intel for the 6235 wifi+bluetooth combo).

3. Refer to the above. Appears to be bloatware and crap default drivers. A fresh install makes a world of difference here.

4. Two solutions that have resolved my issues with the touchpad. While I do use a mouse most of the time (Logitech Performance MX), I use the touchpad when I'm being lazy, and while it isn't as good as an apple machine, it does quite well. First, install the smart gestures driver ASAP. Some people like the original driver better, but I find the smart gestures driver to be a huge improvement. Palm rejection is much better, scrolling is better, and the accidental zoom is as well. Second, disable some of the gestures. Personally, I like two-finger scrolling, but I prefer to use key combos (ctrl + up or down I think?) if I need to zoom, but I rarely do. I turned off pinch to zoom, tap drag, and whatever the right click gesture was. Overall, I really only make use of tap to click and two-finger scroll.

5. The samsung SSD seems to be far more common. The ADATA is better, but under regular use, it is a small difference. If you get lucky, great, but I would be more concerned about fishing for minimum backlight bleed than fishing for an ADATA SSD if you're planning on doing so.

6. No major straight up discounts that I am aware of. I bought mine at Best Buy, and got the student deal for a free basic Xbox 360, which I sold immediately for 75% cost, as I already have one. I would be wary of Best Buy though, partly because of the company, but mostly because of the warranty on the laptop. From other sellers (the straight up DB51 model), you get a 1 year limited warranty alongside a 1 year accidental damage. Best buy model is lacking the accidental warranty, so keep this in mind.


I love this laptop, and I really don't see a lot of other options out there for a quality ultralight right now, besides the macbook air. The screen in this is killer, especially for the price. My main complaint is probably the SSD that can't be upgraded (as of yet), and the memory which also can't be upgraded. If you can spring for it, the UX32VD has a memory slot you can upgrade, and uses a slim but effectively standard SATA drive (comes with a conventional drive by default though). It tends to have more heat issues, but it also has a dedicated graphics card (Geforce 620M). Do be wary of the 999 USD Best Buy UX32 though, as it lacks the 1080p FHD screen (1366x768 instead). UX32 is also a little thicker to accommodate the hardware though.

Here is a guide I wrote for a fresh install on a UX31A, in case you are curious how involved it is. I consider it well worth the trouble if you can get your hands on a low bleed unit.

 

Thank you so much for the reply.

So it seems to me that the only real knock on this machine is the backlight bleed. So if I were to test this ... I would have to be in a dark room and the computer has to have a black screen on it right? Also, did the bleed get worse as you used it? I've hear many users say the bleed is worse even after just a few days of use.

I figured the bloatware was what was causing the fan to be spinning non stop. 100 processes is A LOT. This junk desktop from 2002 I'm using only has 38 max at one time. A fresh install seems to be the way to go (as is the case for any laptop I would say).

Good to know the trackpad isn't as bad as the one in store. Would you happen to have the link to that Smart Gestures driver you mentioned in case I happen to purchase the UX31A? I'm the same as you, tap-to-click and 2 finger scroll is all I ever wanted from a trackpad. I cntrl+ or cntrl- to zoom so pinch to zoom was never going to be used anyway.

I'll definitely make use of your guide if I get this computer (I'm still weighing my options. I've considered this, maybe a ThinkPad and the new Sony S13.3 Premium).

I assume you're in the US for the free XBox? Would you know if that kind of promotion is still going on? I'm planning on going to the US for a day to grab all my technology related stuff (it is generally cheaper in the US). The concern I have regarding that is I'm not sure if Best Buy will allow me to test the machines in-store for the backlight. I would HATE to have to travel back and forth just to exchange the machine. I know Amazon may be a good place to order, but returning is also a hassle there.

Thanks again.

 

Yes, the best way to check for backlight bleed is to examine a screen that is completely black (the "preview" option selecting "none" selecting blank as your screensaver does the trick), in a dark or dim room. My bleed did not get any worse over time on either machine (at least, in ~2 weeks of use on each). Keep in mind looking through the thread that there were also some people saying their bleed dissipated over time.

100 processes is a lot, but with nothing but my Chrome open (admittedly several tabs), I sit at ~90-95 on a clean install. I have not, however, disabled any startup items or background tasks.

The driver can be fond here, on the general UX31A download page. Can't link directly to it by nature of the page, but that should get you close. Slightly unnecessary though, as the Asus Live Update utility (already on a stock machine, optional install on a clean one) will offer the updated driver to you. The problem is, no matter the driver, to do 2 finger scroll you need to space your fingers apart a bit, and this tends to trigger the pinch zoom. Best just to shut it off if you're used to the key combos.

The free Xbox promotion is indeed still going on, through Sept 8, and is not Best Buy specific, but also available through Microsoft themselves, through HP on their site, and several other vendors (applies to any PC laptop over 699). The promotion can be found here, follow through to your site of choice ("Sign Up Now" on the Best Buy page). The promotion requires you to have a .edu email address to get the coupons, and mentions that they may (probably will) ask for a student ID when redeeming. I didn't ask to open the machine in store, but some others in the main thread reported being denied this. I suppose you could literally take it out to your car and test it (in the trunk or under a blanket?) but yeah, it is a hassle.

The screen really is absolutely gorgeous though, just the bleed can be annoying on a dark screen (or when watching a 2.35:1 movie with black bars). I cannot overstate how good the brightness, contrast, and color is (not to mention the resolution), but the backlight issue is a valid one.

 

I see. This whole bleed thing is weird. Some gets worse some dissipates etc. Did you have any other problems with your machine? Like the wifi, keyboard etc?

Ah lol. I normally disable everyone from startup that I don't use.

Thanks for the link to the driver and the link to the Best Buy deal. I don't actually have a .edu email (not in the US), but I know Best Buy does it in Canada too. And it seems to me that the UX31 (series) is the same price here and in the US unless I can find a store that currently has it on discount (which I can't seem to find). I may end up buying it in Canada at this rate.

I know the screen is amazing. I was walking back and forth in the store and I could still see everything quite clearly at the wide angles. That's IPS for you I guess.

Do you think I would be over-buying if I got the UX31A DB51? I'm just trying to get a laptop for school and the UX31A isn't really the cheapest one out there. I'm mainly looking for: decent screen, trackpad, keyboard, and long battery life.

Thanks again.

EDIT: Also is there a reason you say we can't upgrade the SSD/RAM ourselves "YET"?

 

Anyone else with answers/opinions?

 

You can upgrade the ssd yourself but it voids the warranty. I believe the asus uses standard msata ssds. At the very least you can track down the sandisk 256gb version of the same SSD you have and install that.

 

For the UX31A?

I thought we couldn't upgrade the RAM or SSD on those, only the UX32VD.

 

We can't upgrade the SSD in the UX31As because ASUS has chosen a proprietary pin-layout for the mSATA connections they use. Since there's been no official ratification of the mSATA standard yet, manufacturers are free to do whatever they want. There's more or less a company honor system standard which is different than what ASUS uses and even what ASUS uses is different from what Apple uses in their Macbook Air/Retina Macbook Pro line.

As for the RAM, in all UX31A models, the RAM is completely soldered onto the motherboard to conserve space, so upgrading is not possible. The only model that can have upgraded RAM is the UX32VD which has 2GB of the RAM soldered, and 2GB of the RAM as a SODIMM-upgradeable chip.

 

Hi yinyangtkd,

I am also planning to get UX31A and think the solutions you proposed for these minor issues are great! You said you wrote a guide for a fresh install, but I can't seem to find it. Can you please post it again or shown me the link? it will be really appreciated! Thanks!

**Update** Sorry, I found the link right after I wrote this post...lol. I hovered the mouse over the text and realized that it is a link. I was looking for the linked text to show up in a different color but it appears they are all in black that's why I couldn't tell at a glance.

 

Hi guys, I'm not sure how to set up my own thread, so I'll ask one of you. I have problems where half of my "start-up programs" don't actually start-up. For example, when I signed in this morning, only "bluetooth devices" and my anti-virus scanner appeared in the task-bar. The other programs (Realtek HD Audio manager, ASUS USB charger plus, ASUS live update, INTEL HD graphics, and ASUS Smart gesture) did not open. This occurs probably once every 2 weeks, in which case, I have to restart my laptop again (which is really annoying). Do you guys know what's causing this, and do you have a solution?

Thanks a bunch,


Alex.

 

This is the third SSD hard drive to crash on this model. The first laptop crashed within 1 week of purchase. I sent back to ASUS where a new hard drive was installed. That hard drive lasted approx. 10 days before crashing. I returned that laptop to store for an exchange. This latest laptop had hard drive failure within 1 week. I am extremely careful in handling the computer and have never had similar problems with other brands. Do you have any ideas as to what is going on. The odds of loosing 3 hard drives in a matter of weeks is very low. Could it be static electricity conducted through the metal case? I am at a loss as what to do next. Are other people having similar problems? Any advice would be appreciated.