Ivy Bridge Zenbook with FHD IPS screen UX21A UX31A UX32A UX32VD

pagefile.sys...where windows starts moving pages of programs in and out when there isn't enough memory left to keep everything in.

 

Page Files
The page file is used by windows to manage virtual memory. The ux31a has 4gb of ram so whenever the system needs more than that it uses the page file, essentially using the hd/ssd for more memory.

On a traditional PC with a HD this is where things really slow down because mechanical hard drives are no where near as fast as RAM memory so performance drops considerably as chunks of memory are moved to/from disk.

So as long as you don't run alot of applications or applications with large memory needs you won't use the page file and everything stays speedy.

Drive Differences
Both the adata and sandisk are pretty good on sequential reads which is what is used most when you are booting up and loading applications. The adata drive is still faster but you probably won't notice anything.

The problem comes in with writes, especially small block (4k) sequential and to a greater extent random writes. In this area the adata drive is 8-10 times faster.

So if the page file is seeing heavy use because you are actually using your computer for more than surfing the web or checking email... your system will be doing lots and lots of small block writes. In this situation the ux31 is still faster than a computer with a HD but noticeably slower than an adata equipped unit.

In my experience I've also noticed that saving a large programming project will be slower on my sandisk unit than on the adata unit I returned. By slower I mean it takes 1-2 seconds instead of being instant so its not huge but since i've had the other for the same price it does make me feel like I got screwed a bit on this unit.

One other possible performance hit is the hibernate partition. As part of Intel rapid start there is a 4gb hibernate partition on the ssd and as you use the computer its kept in sync with the computers memory to allow for fast hibernate operations. Since this is a low priority task It probably doesn't hurt performance much but its still doing alot of writes in the background as you use your computer and those writes are 8-10 times slower on the sandisk units.

I can't help but wonder if the sandisk has any redeeming qualities... longer mean time between failures or something to make it desirable.

One more thing... about your problem with installing software
I don't know if its related but I installed an app called PagePlus (low end desktop publisher I use alot) on each of the three ux31a's i returned. But, when I went to return them I could NOT uninstall the software. It would go through the uninstall process but the app would still be there. No errors or anything. Once is a fluke, three times is a bit odd.

 

I'm guessing it's cheap.

 

Probably. lol. Just hoping there might be some reason that it has an advantage over the adata. It sure isn't performance.

 

Hi everyone i just brought the asus ux32a i7 model does anyone know if its being shipped with ivy bridge yet and when i get the laptop how could i check if it has ivy bridge thanks in advance

 

Hey there, I haven't found any reports of this on the forum so I'm putting it here:

I just got a Zenbook UX32VD and I've noticed both the "e" and "i" keys are sticky, and by that I mean they get stuck very often, all the other keys respond well but this makes it pretty hard to type

Have you guys have similar experiences with the UX32vd, should I get it exchanged?

Additionally my screen has some bleed leakage, for those worried, it's only visible with maximum brightness AND a black background, otherwise it's an incredible machine

 

This isn't a common problem, and I would definitely get it exchanged. Just hope the replacement doesn't have bad bleed!

 

Thanks for the great info, Don1 and Alchemist. Hopefully I can find a way to successfully install MATLAB, doesn't sound like it has to do with pagefile.sys. If not, I may need to return this, or at least find someone who can.

 

it only comes with ivy bridge.

 

On the first UX31a I had the S key was like that. Part of the reason I exchanged it.

 

that's great to hear... I was worried it might be a design flaw, I'll exchange it and play the Bleed lottery... thanks!

 

Lottery is right. Its funny I talked to an asus rep about these problems, and the performance difference between the u100 and adata ssds. He said their view was an ssd was an ssd so its not listed on the label, but they did put a sticker on the black box for some reason.

I told him, that their customers have figured this out, and its likely costing them excessive returns while people try to 'hit the lottery' with a machine with no problems and the right drive. He didn't have an answer for that but asus reps have told me to exchange my unit two different times so they don't seem to worry bout returns much. I guess they are planning a booming refurbished business later.

 

are all the 256gbs sandisk?

 

Fan is fine on mine. I bought it from excaliberpc.com. The laptop is extremely fast but reading these forums it makes it look like units with Sandisk drives are utter crap. Definitely not the case.

 

Oh because i read online that some are being shipped with sandy bridge also the asus xu32a doesnt have a ssd drive so could i change the normal harddrive to a ssd?
Thanks in advance

 

Hi,


I would an hand-held alternative to my ageing 17", which still suits me well, except mainly its lack of portability due to its weight, its size and its weak battery-life in every sense of the word (the battery lasted two years before dying)... When the UX32VD with its IPS FHD screen and its huge storage for its price appeals to me since some month. So I've started to follow this thread since the beginning. But like a lot of users, I guess, I'm a little frightened by light bleeding and keyboard bending issues.

There are some users which claims that they've a minimal or no light bleed and/or keyboard flex at all. If it is your case, could you make some pictures or a video of your display showing a black screen with brightness at 100 % and if possible at a percentage where the light bleed disappears (apply to any model with IPS screen), and/or your keyboard (valuable only for UX32VD models) with and without pressure on the most flexible spot (probably near the J key), please? There is not yet a lot of physical shop exhibiting them in my country and no one near my city for the moment so I can't check by myself.

Actually, I've been only able to find pictures or videos where the unit seems to severely suffer from these problems, but none with a(n almost) perfect unit... So it's very difficult to know what's the normality and so if units simply slighy affected are regardless acceptable or not.

I can easily tolerate a small amount of them, but only until a certain extent (especially if there is something like an irregular light bleed with bright spots)... That's a $1.1k laptop after all!

Also, another problem that less people talk about is the loose touchpad on bottom edges reported by some users. Is this a defect on some units, or is it just "defective" by design and so every model has the same feeling? This won't put me off to get it, contrary to a possible prominent backlight leakage, as I massively use a proper mouse, but it's something that I prefer to be awake in order to avoid a little disappointment.


Anyway... Thank you in advance if someone can do that and/or enlighten me.

 

They aren't utter crap... if you had never used an adata drive on something that pressed the system you would never notice the difference. The sandisk drive isnt bad, its still lots faster than a spinning platter.

What bugs me though, is that its luck of the draw if you get the really really fast drive or just the really fast drive, and a good screen verus a bad screen, and a fan problem or not a fan problem. Asus needs to really step up both their QC procedures an how they source parts for their products. I hope they get thousands upon thousands of returns with people cherry picking for the right combo... If that happens they might take a look at why.

Right now Im fairly happy with my ux31a. But getting here I went through 2 db51 models with bad screens and one best buy model with a bad fan before getting this one. I also had to settle, not as good a warranty and higher power draw memory in the best buy model, and after three bad ones with adata drives the good one has a u100. I could keep playing the lottery but it took 4 tries to get this one.

Buying a $1000+ notebook should follow this pattern... decide, buy, enjoy. This whole process of problem after problem and ending up settling for something not quite as good as you originally bought just because you finally found one where the QC department wasn't sleeping is for the birds and quite frankly shouldn't be tolerated.

Part of me wants to return the one I have to best buy, buy another from microcenter and keep returning it until I find another good one with the adata drive. But I've kinda had it with the lottery so ill either keep it or return it. I have another week or so to decide.

I'll probably keep it though, I like the machine just feel like I got screwed by asus incompetence and its something ill definitely remember next time I buy a machine. Its a shame too since alot of the cool sounding windows 8 touch systems are coming from asus.

 

I looked at all the ultrabooks at the store today... toshiba uses their own ssds, everything else used the sandisk u100. Even samsung, which makes good ssds themselves, so all I can figure is that the sandisk u100 is so cheap that samsung can buy them cheaper than they can make their own.

 

My UX31A turned off again randomly with no blue screen.. First time in over a week. Need to decide whether to return.

 

Yikes. Mine has done it once and I dread the second, third...well you get the picture, time.

I'm just going to return mine and wait on my Lenovo X230 tablet to be delivered. Sure I'll miss the HD screen (for SURE) but having touch with Windows 8 will be great. Plus I have always had Lenovos so I know I'm getting a top-notch machine that won't randomly die on my in the middle of a huge spreadsheet. The X230 tablets can be had for under $1k fully equipped through the B&N Lenovo site. It's hard to beat that price for a clearly superior machine.

I wanted so much to like the Zenbook Prime, but I can't live with the random shutoffs. I've never owned a computer in my life that did that and it worries me greatly.

 

This is how the screen looks on my UX32vd. Black background, with 100% brightness on a pitch black room, there's no reflections so it's all light leaking



In normal use it looks 100% ok, unless you are watching a widescreen movie fullscreen, then you will see them in the bottom against the black background.

If you are bothered by it... probably better to wait for something else

Keyboard is totally fine, it's not solid like on a Macbook, more like thin metal, you can flex it if you press hard, specially in the middle, but it won't flex just by regular typing

Touchpad works well, it can rattle a bit but it's hard to notice after 5 minutes of use, I actually find the multitouch very reliable, not Apple reliable... but pretty close

All in all, I think it's a great machine (if you put an SSD in it) and if you can live with the light leaking, then go get it!

 

Do you consider that minimal bleed?

 

The one I have now (4th) has a bit less bleed than the one they are showing in this picture. But its definitely way better than the first two I had and about the same as the 3rd.

In the screens favor though its a trade off... its got great color, great viewing angles, great brightness and is top notch to use... for anything except really dark things, then it can look dated.

 

Even though the "bleed" was never an issue for me, it seems to be getting worse. I'm returning this unit to Amazon and going the Lenovo route (X230 tablet). Funny thing is it's not the bleeding, it's the random, immediate shutdown issue that's concerning to me.

The photos look worst than it does in person...but it's still there.

Oh well, maybe a few generations down the line I'll be able to trust Asus. Not yet though.

 

Omg that is bad... I am afraid to purchase one at the Microsoft Store considering the 20% off bonus, but only 14 days return policy.

 

Damn, thats bad. Even if its not quite that bad in person, the camera is bringing out the light variance showing you how uneven the lighting is.

Where did you see this x230 tablet? I didn't think any win8 devices were listed for sale anywhere yet. It is a couple months until it comes out stll.

 

It does look really bad in the photos. I swear it's not that bad in normal use. I was watching Breaking Bad on Netflix the other day and in dark scenes, my eyes always were drawn to the lower part of the screen. So it is an annoyance, but not a deal-breaker for me. Most, if not all IPS screens have this. My old Lenovo tablet (X220) I sold had it too and I didn't go crazy about it.

If you live on jet black screens when working (don't know if that's possible) it would be very bothersome. During normal usage, it is not noticeable at all.

 

It ships with Windows 7 and has a $14.99 upgrade path to Win8 (as all currently selling computers, including the Prime, do).

In case anyone is looking to jump ship to Lenovo, now is the time to do it...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...0-594-t430s-615-using-b-n-discount-again.html

I've used a T61, T400 (current work PC), X200, X220 tablet, W520 and have a T520 (currently). Just ordered an X230 tablet a few days ago. I will miss the nice resolution of the Prime, but that's about it.

 

Holy , that screen is bad! If I was returning that, I wouldn't even say that the light bleed is a problem, I would straight up call that broken.

 

At times ive used syntax highlighted text on a black background when programming but wouldn't think of doing it on this monitor. Its just not its strong suit.

 

Interesting. Do you know the technology of the screen... capacitive or resistive?

 

Capacitive w/5-finger touch points. Also has an active Wacom digitizer with a pen for drawing/note taking (works very well).

The outdoor screen has no finger touch capability (pen only). It's brighter and has gorilla glass, but unless you work, well, outside and use the pen a lot, it's not really a consumer-focused panel. I'd always recommend the regular touch version as you will go nuts not being able to use your finger on the screen with the Outdoor version.

They aren't without their faults, however. The Wacom digitizer is particularly bad with accuracy at the edges of the screen. Troll around the Lenovo forum here. You'll learn a lot. One difference you will quickly notice is the forum is not filled with manufacturing complaints. Yes, there are some (as with any machine) but by-in-large, Lenovo's are solid machines. My work T400 has been through hell and back and looks/works like new. I've dropped it a few times. Keeps on ticking.

The screen of the X230 (and Lenovo's in general) aren't nearly in the league of the Full HD screen of the Prime (minus the bleeding). It's about trade-offs, but if anyone is looking for a solid machine that will last many years, I'm not so sure it's Asus. I have years of personal experience with Lenovos (used to work for IBM) and they are highly reliable.

 

I'll add that the x230/x230t has the nice addition of an msata slot, so you can do the whole ssd+hdd setup, which you cant on the zenbooks.

i've been debating x230 vs x230t vs zenbook ux31a vs ux32vd for the past month or so. Will probably pull the trigger in mid-late august, but right now the x230t is probably ahead.

 

Lets transition on from display to thickness okay so I am debating whether to get the UX31A for its thinness, or the UX32VD if I can grab it for a good price and get the upgrades as well (currently waiting on Microsoft Store to add it to the collection before the 5th, expecting it to be $1199. After upgrades will cost just below $1300).

Do you find the UX32vd a lot thicker than the UX31A? I know I seen videos comparing both of them side by side, but I really cannot decide for myself, until I go see them in person, but it won't be for days!

 

I had the same thing happen to me, after ~10 days of use. Called Asus up and they recommended updating audio drivers with the newest from Realtek. I find it hard to believe random shutdowns are being caused by a bad audio driver, but you never know.

I swapped mine out anyways because the bleed was unacceptable, and I was hoping I might get an adata SSD in the swap. No such luck, but I did get greatly reduced bleed on this one. It is still there, but much better. Crossing my fingers that it does what some have done for others, and get better over the next couple days of use.

Strangely the keyboard is better on this one too. Other one was a little on the stiff side, so I missed some strokes sometimes, but this one seems much more responsive. Luck of the draw I guess.

Now I don't know if it is the new one I got as a replacement, or the fact that I did a clean install, but the fan seems much quieter. I haven't noticed any issues returning from sleep, and honestly I never hear the fan, even when watching video. It actually concerned me enough that I started watching temps, and they do like to sit around 45-50 C during mild use: higher than I would like on my desktop, but the fan seems to spin up a bit when it nudges closer to 55-60 C, but normally the fan is effectively silent at 3200rpm or lower.

Very happy with my replacement so far. So long as I don't get random shutdowns, and the bleed doesn't get worse, this one is a keeper, despite the SanDisk SSD.



By the way, for those looking for a walkthrough on a fresh install, stay tuned. I just finished that up last night, and I will be making a new thread here in just a little bit with the things you need to know to get it done on the UX31A.

 

i have the ux32vd, and my gf the ux31a. played with both extensively. the ux32vd is clearly thicker and heavier when using it, especially if you have experienced the thinness of the ux31a. particularly noticeable when holding it. though it isn't exactly TOO thick, i've been very tempted to return the 32vd for the 31a, just for the thinness and unibody. the most annoying part of it for me is when the 32vd is on a desk, and because the 32vd is not a wedge design, the front edge sits considerably higher than the 31a, and thus cuts into your arms much more if you rest them there.

so in all, you won't be unsatisfied with the thickness of the 32vd, unless you've experienced the 31a.

 

I'm thinking this or the Sony VAIO S 13" inch. Is it possible to overclock the 620M? Also has anyone successfully hackintosh this?

 

I currently have the UX31e, so I guess I will have to find out, a bit off topic but did you upgrade your UX32vd or are you planning to?

 

Clean install guide is up!

Feel free to contribute based on your own experiences, but my post covers the primary difficulties I faced in getting a clean install done, including the CD/DVD drive missing error, and Intel Rapid Start Technology (the last unknown device in the device manager).

Enjoy!

 

I can't believe I had to go through this pain but if I know about it at the beginning I would just spend more money and get a Macbook Air.

I purchased at MS at Valley Fair and swap till my 3rd ux31a already, they were telling me this is my last exchange for the third one since I am doing it too much time. 1st unit with large chunk of bleed. 2nd unit with a little lesser bleed but a paint chip on the screen bezel, which is the reason I decide to return it. MS sales rep (Jessica to be specific, worst rep avoid her at all cost) lectured me that I can't do this blah blah and they would charge me a 10% restocking fee if I return it, after an argument she agreed to give me last exchange of 3rd unit. Guess what.. 3rd unit had same amount of backlight bleed but with a dead pixel at the CENTER of the screen, which is worst and totally unacceptable.... Today I had to drove back to MS and talk to the manager (Jim, whose attitude is much better). He said they cannot exchange it anymore without the 10% restocking fee but he would do a diagnose and inform asus to see if I can get a replacement.. which I agree, so I would be getting a call from them in a few days..

Totally disappointed with this Asus purchase experience. How easy will Asus replace for a brand new unit, do you mail the unit back? If anything happens again I might as well deal with asus directly.


FYI, Microsoft Store always had a 10% restocking fee for an opened computer, but they will waive that in your first 2~3 returns, after that they will insist of charging that because they think you are too much trouble. MS should really learn from Apple for the no hassle 14 days return policy if they want to satisfy customers.

 

NewEgg.com just deleted the UX32VD from their website and all those user-reviews were also erased. There were ~13 reviews last time I checked. I returned my Asus UX32VD for the following problems:

1. Severe Backlight bleed that also showed on the sides of the display
2. Left USB 3.0 port worked only 50% of the time
3. All ports were misaligned and jammed to the left, thereby touching the notebook's chassis. This also made connecting devices to the ports rough because they were not aligned with the chassis.
4. Wifi signal drop-outs and intermittent diminished speeds from the same location.
5. Keyboard backing would fall-in towards the center during typing.
6. Trackpad performance was poor even with several extra "gestures" disabled.
7. HORRENDOUS video-image tearing when playing videos (like fast paced sports [UFC, etc]) or during fast scrolling of images, it's very noticeable and I'm surprised no reviewers picked up on this defect. It's difficult to enjoy a video when the image is lagging behind from the previous frame.

..And these problems still existed after installing the Samsung 830 256GB SSD + Mushkin 8gb memory module + Fresh windows installation + latest Bios & Driver updates

The Asus UX32VD is a great concept, but needs to work well out of the box imo and unfortunately, I was one of the unlucky ones.

 

Has anyone benchmarked World of Warcraft at 1080p? My current laptop runs it ok on a nvidia 540m (which I think is the same or less spec as the 620m?)

 

I was being sarcastic. I wouldn't touch a Zenbook with a 10 foot pole, and this was their second chance at getting it right; too bad, because the specs were nice. Judging by posts of other models, I am questioning ASUS quality in general going forward as well. I own various ASUS products including optical drives, graphic cards, etc. and they have been very reliable, so I would hate to see them go downhill the way that Lenovo did.

 

You do realize its the same 10-15 people talking/complaining about thier zenbooks right? This is how it always works. The few people who have problems are the most vocal and thsoe without any dont say a word.

I have zero light bleed, no fan issues, no shut downs. Works 100%.

 

Well it's the nature of it that people with problems are actively posting on forums whereas others won't. If I buy one tomorrow and it's fine, I won't come back to this site until either an issue comes up or 2 years later when I'm looking for more reviews on a specific laptop. Then there are all the people who just don't post regardless or average consumers who just don't notice or care.

That said, a lot of these people have problems with multiple ones. I can't think of many things I bought 3x and still had problems with. In cases like this, there is obviously a huge problem with production somewhere.

 

I got a replacement today, and like in my first one, the "e" key is super sticky... totally useless

Bleed is slightly worse than on my first one

I think I'm giving it a third shot... then I'm calling it quits

 

Where did you purchase your unit? and what is the model number? I have been told by an escalated Asus rep that bleed is common on the UX31A.

 

Thinkpads still look like bricks compared to ultrabooks. Lenovo is starting to come around but they aren't there yet and the only think they have even similar to an ultrabook is in the ideapad family.

 

Thank you for your report and the picture. It does not look so bad as in other pictures I saw... My current TN FHD display seems to be even worse in such situation – yes, it is still possible to find TN panels affected with backlight leakage. But the bright spots "layout" annoys me a little, it looks like the light isn't well diffused... As well as the fact that it can be distracting, it could lead to believe that the problem will worsen with internal clogging.

By the way, except that point, you seem to confirm my idea that these issues should be livable... As long as they are not too marked.

I don't plan a such upgrade, at least not yet... A storage of at least 500 GB is essential for me to be able to store RAW pictures and a such SSD is too expensive for now. (Note that I already have an external HDD for this purpose, but the more copies there are, the better it is.)

Ouch, thanks for your pictures too, but it's even worse than any other pictures I've seen until then... Reassure me, these patchs of colors are just some reflections due to your environment?

So please, could you provide some pictures of your display on a black screen with full brightness?

 

The odds of that being true are close to 0. Multiple peole who have had multiple pcs witrh the same problems indicate that it is a pretty good change that most of them are bad. If you really did get one without problems then you probably had one destined for a review site accidently shipped to you by mistake.

And that's the facts.