Ivy Bridge Zenbook with FHD IPS screen UX21A UX31A UX32A UX32VD

Glad your liking the machine, Its got alot going for it. For me the light bleed issue is a deal breaker, I work with photos and wanted the IPS display for the color reproduction which is schewed with the light bleed. It would also be a problem for viewing movies as its really obvious in the dark scenes.

Also, I made the mistake of pushing in on the lower bezel once and it actually made the light bleed worse and it stayed that way. To me that sounds like its really not stable how the screens setup. I saw a video on youtube showing how to take apart the screen and fix the problem so I think its really an assembly problem. Hopefully my replacement will be better.

 

what did the video show as the fix?

 

Please link the video that shows a fix.

 

Heres a link to the video of the FIX on youtube.

Asus Transformer Prime Backlight Bleeding FIX - YouTube

Its not for the faint of heart though, you have to take the screen completely apart and adjust some fittings, then reassemble.

If I had the tools (the plastic spacers) it doesn't look like its THAT scary but the idea of doing that and probably voiding my warranty to fix a problem with a brand new notebook strikes me as something asus should do.

Oops. this link is for a transformer prime light bleed fix. I saw one for the ux31a as well but can't find it now.

 

Oops... that fix is for the transformer prime. Can't find the ux31a one in searching youtube but there was a link to it in this forum somewhere, its where I originally found it.

 

Can you actually see bleed after you have booted into windows? I haven't heard of anybody who can but everybody can see it during boot and if that's the only problem you have I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Many, if not the most, LCD screens with LED as backlight have some backlight bleeding. The reason why you notice it at the windows boot is because it's all black. This should be the same scenario in any black of dark scenarios.

 

I'm planning to order mine from Adorama - they have a pre-order for $1279.99 with no-tax for CA and free shipping. This seems to be one of the cheapest I could find currently.

I'm also planning to upgrade the RAM module - I read few pages here and there on this thread - with people recommending DDR3 1600 RAM module.

Could anyone confirm if the other soldered RAM module is also DDR3-1600 ? Did any one have issues with particular RAM manufacturer or CAS latencies or anything of that sort ?

Thanks.

 

I don't think so..when I set my theme to high contrast which is the blackest thing you can possibly find there was absolutely no bleed at all.

 

Try turbine up the backlight to max and then load a black screen or even better a dark scene in a movie. This should be enough to decide if your screen suffers from backlight bleeding.

 

Yeah and it doesn't except during boot..pretty much the same as I hear from most others too.

 

Well. That is kind if strange. Backlight bleed is hardware related and not software related, which basically means that your laptop must have some kind of automatic regulation of the backlight. Like local dimming.
But if you force it to show a completely black screen, is the screen then completely black? Or grey'ish?

 

Does anyone have the UX31A-DB71 (i7 CPU + 256GB SSD)? Can't find it in stock anywhere. I heard a rumor that the 256GB SSD is the slower SanDisk SSD whereas the 128GB is Adata - can anyone prove/disprove this? And does that model have the same backlight bleeding issues? That's really the one I want, but I want it to be perfect, of course (Adata SSD, no backlight bleed, etc).

Also, anyone doing photo editing on this laptop? Does the great resolution make up for the small screen size for tasks like that?

 

I've decided to go for Mushkin, for two reasons: first, tCL is 11 (you need to match the parameter from the soldered chip, so as to avoid down-clocking to 1333); second, it uses only 1.35 V, and not 1.5V as most RAMs, so I'm assuming it may translate into lower power consumption/heat, etc.

Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 8GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model 992038

Mushkin 992038 DDR3 SODIMM 8GB PC3L-12800 1600MHZ SODIMM 204p 11-11-11-28 1.35V RAM Experts

 

The bleed is there all the time, its just that when your in windows the task bar and light colors obscure it. It becomes a problem whenever there are dark screens like playing a game or movie. The uneven lighting due to the bleed also causes color accuracy issues when doing photo editing.

Unfortunately I do all three of these things regularly so its a major issue for me.

Also, here's how I see it... If there is a negative aspect of a device thats only present on some units then its a DEFECT while if its present on ALL devices then its a design choice. If its by design and you don't like it you just buy something else... but if its a defect I have no problem returning units until I get one thats right. Its not my fault they are releasing units with defects to their customers.

 

Maybe back in the 90s this type of bleed was fairly common. In the last 20 years the most common light bleed is just light leaking if you look at the edge of the screen from an angle which doesn't cause the screen brightness to be uneven like the asus is.

I've been buying notebooks for about 25+ years now, usually go through them every year or too so Ive had my share. I haven't had a notebook with light bleed like this in 20 years, so its not that common / accepted.

Your right that it only shows up in dark scenarios... like playing space games which i do regularly or watching movies (a common use of an ultrabook) or working with photos, etc. Its not a problem if your going to use the computer to surf the web, write emails and do facebook but if thats all your doing with it why not buy a cheaper netbook or tablet.

 

I wouldn't have a problem if it was during boot. On the one I have its all the time.

Its possible your taskbar is obscuring the problem... select the high contrast black theme and move your taskbar to the top of the screen to see if you have a problem.

 

someone stated earilier this thread, that the 1.35v works only if both rams have the capacity of the 1.35v modus...

 

Can any one comment on the ease of returns with Newegg? I've always bought my products through Amazon because of the easy returns. Newegg has the UX32VD in stock though, while Amazon does not.

 

Well if anyone wants to confirm this, they can just use CPU-Z.

 

well, mine works.

 

Exactly. 1.28V .


Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR3
Module format SO-DIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Mushkin (7F7F7F9400000000)
Size 8192 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
Part number 992038
Number of banks 8
Nominal Voltage 1.28 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 5.0-5-5-14-19 @ 380 MHz
JEDEC #2 6.0-6-6-16-22 @ 457 MHz
JEDEC #3 7.0-7-7-19-26 @ 533 MHz
JEDEC #4 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz
JEDEC #5 9.0-9-9-24-33 @ 685 MHz
JEDEC #6 10.0-10-10-27-37 @ 761 MHz
JEDEC #7 11.0-11-11-30-41 @ 838 MHz

DIMM # 1
SPD registers
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F
00 92 11 0B 03 04 21 02 09 03 11 01 08 0A 00 FE 00
10 69 78 69 30 69 11 18 81 20 08 3C 3C 00 F0 83 05
20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0F 11 05 00
40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70 00 00 00 00 00 83 94 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 E7 69
80 39 39 32 30 33 38 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
90 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
A0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
B0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
C0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
D0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
E0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
F0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

 

Does anyone else notice the horrendous image Trailing/Ghosting/"almost blurring" type effect when watching videos on the UX32VD display?

 

It might be due to the refresh rate. I believe the IPS display on the UX31a / UX32vd is set to a refresh rate of 40hz. They probably did this to save battery power, setting it to 60hz should help the ghosting.

 

Completely black..blacker than black really..Just set your theme to either of the three high contrast themes and see for yourself.

 

Could you post the same info for DIMM 0 (the soldered RAM module) ?

 

Refresh rate is at 60hz, so it's not the refresh rate. I'm noticing this on all video. Even in games, there is an obvious blurring effect during any movement within the game that I don't get on my other IPS display...

 

interestingly, I don't see an option to check DIMM 0 slot in CPU-Z (slot 1 with Mushkin is the only one I see). Memory is reported as 10126MBytes in "Memory" tab, though.

Ideas/suggestions?

 

Oh - that is quite odd... How did you figure out that the other RAM module was CAS-11 - from the BIOS ?

 

You can hide the taskbar and make the theme all black..it really isn't there after boot for 99% of people. I have had two that I returned for other reason and the bleed was only there during boot. Now they were both 31As and maybe there is a difference between 31As and VDs but I had no bleed at all..not even a tiny bit after windows was up.

 

I really hope thats the case, so when I exchange mine all will be right with the world. Since the lighting is hardware though, it think its more likely that people that say it goes away after boot just don't see it because the screen is no longer dark.

 

does anyone own a ux32vd or ux31a and a Vaio Z with 1080p and can compare the screen quality? that would be great!

 

I did not, I made a leap of faith to other users reporting it, as well as Crucial.

 

Reporting in with a ux32vd. I do have backlight bleed as well as the issue with keyboard giving way but neither of them bother me. Space bar seems a little squeaky too but whatever. The monitor is really really nice and Im very happy with the computer overall. And this forum has been super helpful, especially the driver list in dunces/jedighosts guide thread.

I installed a samsung 830 256gb ssd on it too and it was pretty easy, you wont have to bother with disassembling the ssd and stuff with this disk or any 7mm, like they do in a few videos(example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw-2wdZ0MdU), just stick it in there. 8gb ram stick coming in the mail soon too.
1. Should I get intel RST rapid storage technology driver?

The only annoying thing regarding the fans is if I either use instant on or have hibernation turned off the fans will go crazy right after returning from sleep.
2. Might a bios upgrade help with this? Other ideas? because regular return from sleep takes pretty much as long as booting up windows.

3. Is there some way to force the computer to use the built in mic? Because I have a mic on my headphones (smartphone headset) and it seems to get used when headphones are plugged in but wont work. clicking the buttons on the mic thing seems to give a mic response though, weirdly enough. One slightly annoying thing is that I have to plug the headphones out and in every wake up from sleep.

4. Did anyone get three finger tap to work with the regedit settings posted in this thread?

 

There isn't one out there that doesn't show bleed during boot that I have heard of. If you think that relates to what else you so then I wouldn't waste my time exchanging it as the replacement will be exactly the same..get a MBA or Samsung..more money, less hardware but it won't bleed.

 

bleeding is there. you won't see if you aren't looking for it and have colored displays on at all times, but if you put on a video that has a lot of dark screen and watch it, you'll see it. I didn't have problems with my first unit (which I had to return due to weird wifi adapter issues) but all my replacement units afterward had a significant amount. If you go to youtube and search for "black screen" and put it on full screen and turn your brightness up, you'll see it. I would not be on my 5th replacement ux31a unit if the bleeding didn't affect anything outside of windows booting up.

 

My second UX32VD came with a more apparent backlight bleeding but this time with no dead pixels compared to the first one.

I was actually satisfied with the first one but unfortunately not with the dead pixels. But I am gonna stick to my second one even though the backlight bleeding is a bit more visual.

Usually I am very persistent of getting something that comes with no flaw however I wont exchange it in hope for one without issue with bleeding and waste anymore money on it.
Their model will have backlight bleeding. It seems there are some screws that have been tightened too much, I just wish I had the opportunity to fix it.

My only concern is that if this can cause a worse bleeding overtime???

Overall I am very satisfied after an upgrade of RAM and SSD. I bought Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz CL10 of total 10GB RAM. The frequency did change to 1333MHz CL9. The lower latency will lower the difference between 1600 and 1333.

Asus got themselves a satisfied costumer.

 

How think is the UX32VD vs the UX31A? Is it very noticeable?

 

I'm getting both the new Z3 in the mail and a new UX32VD this week. I will let you know.

 

Does backlight bleeding worsen over time? Or does the screen worsen over time.

 

Is anyone selling the UX32VD that is also taking part in the free xbox for students offer?

 

Since I bought my ux31a local I'll keep exchanging it as long as they let me if I have to. The MBA is out for me, went down the mac road once and it was very unproductive for me, just cant deal with missing keyboard keys.

I like the samsung series 9 but your right its too pricey. If I can't get the ux31a resolved I'll likely go another direction.

Top contenders are
The new toshiba 14.4" widescreen. Its $999, like 17xx by 768 screen, better keyboard layout.

Get a closeout toshiba 830 from amazon or best buy. Lighter, not as good a screen and i3 processor but alot cheaper and will hold me over til the transformer book and other win8 touch machines hit this fall.

Or the oddball choice... a HP dv6t 7000. You can deck one out with i7qm, 750gb hd + 32gb ssd for quickboot / restore. 1080p screen and 650m video for about $1100 with coupons. Sure its almost 6lbs but it has the ultrabook fastbook/resume and full gaming card goodness.

Or, I might consider getting a ux31e refurb is bestbuy puts them up for 699 again. Its only got a 1600x900 screen but it didnt bleed. They keyboard is marginally worse but its a step above the toshiba 830.

 

Agree with the rest of your post, mostly, but just have to say: yuck regarding this one. I can't imagine a less productive screen resolution on a notebook. Do NOT know what Toshiba is thinking with that one.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Agree with the rest of your post, mostly, but just have to say: yuck regarding this one. I can't imagine a less productive screen resolution on a notebook. Do NOT know what Toshiba is thinking with that one.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

I think they made it for wide screen movie presentation but In my case doing graphic work, dtp, etc. the more resolution I can get the better so this is better than the hordes or 1384x768 display ultrabooks floating around.

If you want a high res display there really aren't alot of options in the ultrabook world, and the 'standard' display just doesn't cut it now days IMO. In DTP apps i can zoom to whatever scale I need to view it nicely so the more resolution the better.

I also like the toshiba keyboards... they are on of the few that puts dedicated pgup/pgdn home/end insert/delete keys down the right side of their keyboards. MUCH better for content creation than all the fn combos on all these mac air wanna be machines. If i wanted a minimialist keyboard id buy a mac, thats one of the main reasons I DONT want a mac.

 

Backlight bleed might worsen over time. It all comes down to how you treat your laptop. Simple small pushes to the frame can to damage to the screens backlight system. A drop might not destroy he screen, but it certainly will make the backlight very bad (tried this myself).

 

My wife has UX31E (same body as UX31A), so I have a comparison. UX32VD is slightly thicker, but still evidently slim. It just does not wedge towards the end as much.

 

What BB has for $699 isn't the UX31E but rather the UX31..the original..I had and returned a couple of those too because the ones I would get weren't the same as the display model in the stores. The stores had 1.7G processors and Adata SSDs. The ones in the box had 1.6 and Sandisk..every time. For 699 it's still a good deal though, the only problem is that horrible keyboard that nobody can apparently type on. I also had the Toshiba for awhile. It was definitely the best bargain around but I just didn't like the plastic body it has.

 

Giving this a try. So far so good but I'll hold out final judgement for a week or two.

 

Good to know about the BB ux31e's. Ive read about the slower SSD but never saw anything consistent on where they were coming from before.

The toshiba is actually magnesium and aluminum but its so dang thin that it feels plasticy. Plastic would have been heavier though. That machine would be perfect for me (great keyboard with useful pgup/pgdn home/end keys) if that screen was a little sturdier and maybe had 1600x900 res.