Ivy Bridge Zenbook with FHD IPS screen UX21A UX31A UX32A UX32VD

Yeah it is very odd that they removed it from their website. I managed to put in a BBY.com order for the R7202F (their model #), and the order is still processing. They said the ship date was hopefully the 18th, but we will see...

 

For whoever is interested. Here's the bleed that was on mine (UX32VD-DB71). Mine went back, I'm not sure if I want another one especially since mine was so bad.

 

So I have took a long hiatus from the forum since 6/29 because I decided to ship my UX32VD-DB71 back to Newegg because of the track pad issues. As much as I love shopping at Newegg, I have to say this is bar far the WORST EXPERIENCE I have had with many online vendors.

1) They wouldn't not offer cross-shipment even if I allow them to double charge my credit card
2) They wouldn't hold the inventory for me (I checked on 7/2, they had ~58)
3) They would only cover ground shipping for return (meaning 1 week from NY)
4) Once they received the laptop this Monday, it took them 3 days to examine the laptop, and they deem it to be up to manufacturer's specification
5) Total turnaround time = 2-3 weeks, with the issues unresolved

I contacted Newegg yesterday and explained to them that the trackpad for a $1300 laptop should not feel like crap and should not be defective. I actually personally went to Best Buy and Datavision and tested the Zenbooks and $300 netbooks, all of them do not exhibit the severe lack of response on the corner of touchpad.

After I also provided them with an Asus case number, they decided to process an exchange. Unfortunately, the laptop is now out of stock, so I am likely getting a refund.

Overall, HORRIBLE experience buying a laptop from Newegg.

 

man, so tempted to get the UX32VD to replace my envy 15....

So expensive to swap in a 512GB SSD though. Also seems like this thing is sold out everywhere

 

Looks like my third UX31A may be a keeper. Bleed is almost non-existent, VGA works fine and this time I did a clean install of windows and it seems to make all the difference in the world.

 

it's a shame quality control seems to be a hit or miss on these...

 

Thanks for an informative thread and discussions along the way.

I was considering the Sony Vaio S13P but due to a poor display and high price I'm now considering the UX32VD. The only real drawback with this computer seems to be that "everyone" is experiencing backlight bleed to some extent.

Anyhow, I think I'm going to buy this quite soon and will update it with 8gb of more RAM and maybe later an SSD (can't afford large SSD atm).

So I understand that I should get a DDR3 SO-DIMM PC12800/1600 mhz RAM. The part that I don't understand is that CAS Latency (CL) represents "latency" of the chips and that lower is better.

So I was looking at "Corsair Vengeance SO-DIMM DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz CL10 8GB" but then read a post which said that if you have CL10 RAM they will only run at 1333 mhz, and I don't want that if I can run them at 1600MHz right?

The other options are Crucial and Kingston ValueRAM both at CL 11. Are all three options reliable RAM? There was also a similar chip available from Patriot but I have no knowledge of them otherwise.

 

Anyone else having issues installing Intel's Rapid Start Technology?

 

Wow, thanks for this. This makes me feel infinitely better about the bleed on my UX31A. Mine is minuscule in comparison. At its thickest, it is maybe .5 inches up from the bottom right corner.

I am sure the camera shot exacerbates it slightly though.

 

Nope, it actually was as bad as it looks in the picture.

 

The bb model not having accidental coverage isn't a turn off for me..I plan on slapping a square trade accidental extended warranty anyway..and you can purchase that anytime..I still feel like going the bb route and selling the xbox saves more than the other routes..unless there is another 999 model from a retailer that has the coverage and accepts the xbox coupon

 

Yea, I tried to take a pic of mine for the asus rep an my camera phone wasn't good enough to show it... if anything it was probably worse than the picture.

 

Best Buy UX31A (DB51 equivalent) on the left... UX31A-DB51 from Amazon on right

 

Anyone know a solution to control the scroll speed on 2 finger swype with the new trackpad drivers ASUS just released. It scrolls so fast its unusable for me.

The SMART GESTURES updated driver is quite good - its solves the issue with typing and the pointer jumping everywhere, but now i have the scroll speed issue..

 

Found the answer - within the Control Panel / Mouse - reduce the wheel number of lines it scrolls, default was 3 move to 1 or 2.

 

Does taking apart the ux31a to replace the thermal paste void the warranty?

 

Be proactive about it from now, shop at Amazon whenever possible.

 

The plot thickens... its wierd the things i do sometimes.

Well as I've mentioned previously I bought a ux31a (microcenter) and it had screen issues... backlight bleed in low light situations that has been well documented. I'd been waiting about a week and a half for a replacement to come in.

Yesterday I saw they had them in at best buy, not out on display yet though so we opened one up together and it had no screen issues, and the P key that was hard to work with on the other one worked fine as well. Then I find out that the best buy version doesn't include the accidental damage warranty that just about all asus notebooks have these days.

Well today, microcenter got more in stock so I can exchange mine. So I figure i'll go try it out, if there aren't any screen issues ill keep it and take back the other one to best buy or vice versa. Since id like to have the damage warranty if i could.

So... i got it home and put it on charge.. what is it with the ux31a's they are all dead out of the box then you charge them for a heartbeat and they have 1/2 full batteries. So i turn it on and... spotlights from the bottom of the screen and the screen is generally more washed out than the other two ive seen. So its going back.

So I called up best buy, the 800 number was no luck so i talked to the manager of the local store. Told him about how they are the same price as the microcenter model and its comes with accidental damage coverage. I ended up having to go down there with both warranties and receipts to prove it.. and it turns out asus coverage only works for 1 incident... but he split the difference with me and i got 1 year coverage for $65 all said and done. So im happy.

 

So the one you found at Best Buy had no bleeding issues? Are you thinking then this is just a problem with the early models and isn't characteristic of all UX31A's?

 

Interesting... I have the same differences between the microcenter (like amazon) and best buy models. It looks like the best buy model also uses standard 1.5v ddr3 1600 while the other model uses 1.35v ddr3lm low voltage memory. This might have an effect on battery life.

 

You should be getting DDR3 1600 CL11 if you want to run at 1600 MHz. If you do get a DDR3 1600 CL10, the RAM clocks down to DDR3 1333 (CL 9 i presume).

Afaik, Crucial, Kingston, Patriot, and G-Skill are all reliable and popular RAM manufacturers. And usually for SODIMMs the RAM manufacturer hardly makes any difference.

I went ahead and purchased the Patriot one here: Amazon.com: Patriot Memory Signature DDR3 8GB 1600MHz SODIMM (PC3 12800) PSD38G16002S: Computers & Accessories
Many have reported success with this in this thread. I can confirm after I get my UX32VD on Tuesday.

Although I've read many benchmarks and reviews stating that there is marginal difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 that you'd notice it in your day-to-day usage.

 

Notebooks with the battery permanently installed often have a power circuit that can switch completely off (handy for RAM upgrades where possible and for shipping since battery can't be removed). Once this power circuit is triggered, you have to plug in the charger to get it to boot up.

 

All issues resolved with me, rapid start tech installed, aero features enabled, PCI controller in device manager gone.

I could write quite an interesting book about how I completed a clean
install of Windows on the UX31A... interesting to software geeks at least.

I had managed to create a situation during the installation where I had an unallocated SSD partition that wasn't a partition and was not in MBR format and therefore I couldn't boot without the usb or access the SSD. I was at the step to browse for the USB3.0 drivers which had to be on the SSD which again, I couldn't access. Paradox.

If anyone has issues doing the clean installation itself, off of the usb, I could probably answer some of your questions.

 

I would be very surprised if it had any effect on battery life. RAM has very little current draw.

 

I would like to know your process but then I see I will just wait til Windows 8 comes out considering a few months then install a fresh OS.

 

Mushin Enhanced Essentials I can confirm works as well.

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

 

Are you happy with your UX32VD? I ordered the same laptop yesterday and will also be putting a 256GB Samsung 830 in there.

I also noticed that the RAM you linked is 1.35v. Does the UX32VD support RAM running at 1.35v, or does it change it to 1.5v? Either way, I ordered that stick. The chance of it running at 1.35v seemed appealing compared to the Patriot memory that'll be 1.5v no matter what.

 

Usually the Best Buy models have something different (like the Sammy S7 lacking a keyboard backlight and the Toshiba Z835 with no bluetooth)... I wonder if the Zenbook is missing something other than the accidental damage warranty.

 

I'm extremely happy with mine, as I don't think I got any of the "defects" that others have, even the backlight bleeding that I think has been a little blown out of proportion.

My trackpad is fine with the latest Elan drivers, though the click is a little loud, and it seems impossible to find another power adapter for it; I was told by Asus that estore.asus.com will have them in August.

Now, to actually answer your question, according to CPU-Z, my ram is actually running at 1.28v, 800MHz (DDR), and dual channel.

 

I just got my UX32VD-DB71 in the mail from the States. I ordered it from jr.com and was worried it wasn't going to get here. USPS is the only way to ship to us (APO address in Japan) and they are banning all Lithium Ion batteries from being shipped by air. Jr.com labeled it "ASUS UX32VD-DB71" on the customs form which isn't technically a lie, but they didn't mention it was a laptop Anywho, I've got no dead pixels and very little light bleed from the bottom. I do have a very flexy keyboard though. Sending it back isn't an option for me. Anybody have any clues as to what they did to fix the flexy keyboard issue? I'm probably going to have to take mine apart and replicate their fix (or just make one up). It's just as bad if not worse than what you see in some of the youtube videos which segways into my next issue:

What fixed this? I'm having the same problem and have no clue what's going on.




Looking forward to seeing what people do with linux and this thing. I'm wanting to run Mint Linux soley off the integrated SSD and run /home and windows off the 256GB SSD I have on the way, but I'm not doing that until a lot of these issues are resolved (battery life being a big one for me).

 

Did you find any solution for the noise problem?
I have exactly the same topic, BIOS is now 209 and still no advance.
I'm also sure that it is a software problem, but ASUS does not seem to understand it...

 

OK thanks for the reply, but I was wondering what's the point of getting lower latency of the chips (CL) when it doesn't improve performance? I thought, at least in desktop computers, that you'd want RAM-chips with lowest possible CL. Is it "clocking" it down to 1333MHz because on the on-board soldered memory?

 

Thanks, that would be great to detail to process.. Much needed when I will finally order and receive my UX31.
I'm willing to buy it through a Belgian company on amazon.de, so VAT excluded but I don't want a German Windows & keyboard.
Did someone buy it on amazon.de ?
Is it German only ?
Many thanks

 

Are there Belgian users here who are also waiting on the Belgian Azerty keyboard version, but then with a 256GB drive? I can't find anything about this. Will they even come? (128GB with azerty keyboard are available.)

 

My third was the charm. Everything working good. Have to look hard to notice any bleed during boot although there is a spec there. I do recommend doing clean install of windows though. Just do your self a favor and have all the drivers saved on your SSD as you won't have an adapter or USB when you first come up. Fortunately ASUS planned for that and has a folder with those drivers already there.

 

Where is it available? It must be more expensive.. Amazon.de is cheaper but german keyboard No Thanks!
I don't want 256GB because it's only one year warranty instead of two..

 

So, are the 31a 72's available yet? Amazon still shows them as sold out and I don't recall them ever being available.

Also, being that the screen is hit or miss, I wonder if that means they are addressing the issue. Perhaps that has something to do with the relatively limited availability we've seen so far.

 

Okay so a couple things asked or mentioned in the last 10 pages or so.

Mykie - Thanks for the update on the power adapter. I found many adapter websites saying they were selling a UX32VD-DB71 ac adapters, but all were 45w. I'll be happy to wait and get the right one.

As far as Chrome and video issues - Gotta be the driver(s) your using. I did a completely fresh install on my 512GB SSD using Windows Enterprise 64-bit, and installed ALL the drivers from the original hard disk (512GB SATA). There was a folder with a setup file, and when I ran that ALL the drivers installed. Required maybe 5+ reboots, but when it was done... I uninstalled Rapidboot, per comments here. Is that why I'm having sleep mode trouble?

Meanwhile, I uninstall the 9 version of the trackpad software and went back to 5 as someone suggested. Didn't really seem to make a difference for me, so I uninstalled 5 and installed the latest ASUS (not ELAN, at least not labeled Elan version). Seems to make the trackpad work VERY well, but I've had my trackpad move my cursor away from this window at least TWICE while typing this. Meant to look at that "user written" solution that disables it while your typing, but not sure where to find it atm. I'll look for that after this.

Still VERY happy with the laptop. It's fast, great screen, and almost as good as my ASUS G73 that is at LEAST TWICE as big and maybe 3 1/2 times as heavy. Thanks ASUS!!!

 

There is a .10 version of the software which someone posted yesterday. You can find it here.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download Touchpad

My chrome works great with just a simple adjustment to 125%.

 

Hi,

I have the same fn+f2 problem and also followed Dunces guide

 

Hi,

I have the same fn+f2 problem and also followed Dunces guide

 

Where did you find 209? The highest I see for the 31A is 206.

 

Can anyone comment on the build quality of the UX32VD? I'm thinking of getting one and upgrading it for college, but am unsure it'll last me through four years.

 

Build quality is solid. The lid especially feels very sturdy. The body is a combo of aluminum and plastic, so it isn't quite as strong as a unibody design, like the UX31A or Macbook Air, but I honestly see no reason this shouldn't last you through college unless you treat your laptops terribly.

The only build quality complaint I have is that the hinge cover is made of plastic and is a bit loose. This is mostly an aesthetic irritation - don't know if this is unique to my unit or if others have noticed it as well. Not a big deal and shouldn't effect the actual lifetime of the device, but does cheapen the feel a bit.

 

RAM is organized in cells (like an excel worksheet).
CL - stands for CAS (Column Address Strobe) latency - it is the time between the memory controller asking the memory module for data from a particular column, AND the memory module sending the data back on its output pins. And this value is for a transaction. Most of the time data is read in burst mode, hence this lag is only for the first bit of data to be sent. There would be no delay for all the subsequent bits in the transaction.

One more thing to notes it that CL is expressed in clock cycles.

And if you've checked newegg for the CAS latencies available at different DDR timings - you'll notice that as the DDR clock gets higher, even the best and expensive RAM modules have higher CL values. But you need to understand the fact that in terms of the actual time it takes, the higher the clock - lower the time per cycle. This should explain why a CL9 DDR1600 is slightly faster than a CL7 DDR1333.

And in terms of difference between CL10 DDR1600 and CL11 DDR1600 - trust me less than .01% of any of that difference can be seen in real-time applications. Do not go by synthetic benchmarks - those just represent mere numbers. Like for example a difference between a 160 bhp vs 180 bhp car engine

 

Regarding light bleed... this link is a steb-by-step guide on fixing the light bleed on some kind of Dell monitor:
2005FPW backlight bleed fix. - [H]ard|Forum

Would a similar fix be possible on the Asus UX32VD? I understand that the problem might be blown out of proportion, but still, it's nice to have options.

As for the WiFi-problem, any more comments? Is it working perfectly for some? I've heard it's due to the aliminium - any truth in this?

Thanks

 

I literally joined just to ask you if you could explain this. If by "USB 3.0" you're referring to how the Windows 7 setup asks for a missing CD/DVD Device Driver, I'm at that step and would love to know how to deal with it.

I'm not new to reinstalling Windows, I've done it so many times I could probably do it in my sleep, but I've never needed to this before. Please help

 

Thanks for the input on RAM and CL.

Alright, then I'll go for Crucial 8gb 1600MHz CL 11. Should I get 1.35v or 1.5v RAM btw? (Not ordering quite yet...)

So now I've placed the order for the UX32VD, Torx screwdriver RAM and considering an external HDD. (The one I have is USB 2.0 and slightly unstable)

SSD: Well, considering it, but it's OK to have a huge SSD (512) GB for anything right? If the price is right for a 512 GB in a while I'll get it.

As I understand SSD-disks are mostly used to store OS/software/games on for faster loading etc. Will write a short post here on light bleed etc and the computer in general when I get it.

 

WiFi is slow on battery because the default power plan whether you do a clean install or use it as is is set to low power for the adapter, change it. Also change 80211n channel width for band 2.4 to AUTO in advanced properties. With both changed I get 300Mbps always when actually downloading, 54 when it just idles.

 

Download the driver and dump it on your USB stick. When it squaks at you point to that folder so it can install it and continue the installation.

BTW, this is the one you need..grab it from ASUS.

USB3_Intel_Win7_64_Z104225