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    Ivy Bridge Zenbook with FHD IPS screen UX21A UX31A UX32A UX32VD

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by Mech0z, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    Any word on UK/europe pricing of the UX32VD?

    Hopefully it's sensibly priced relative to the Sony Z13
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 11, 2012
    #301
  2. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    CompUG, Jun 11, 2012
    #302
  3. CTM Audi

    CTM Audi Notebook Guru

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    CTM Audi, Jun 11, 2012
    #303
  4. urbanglowcam

    urbanglowcam Notebook Deity

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    Thanks for posting that. That's where I saw where it mentioned that about the SATA nad Dimm.

    Also, yes the entry level UX32 is the UX32A with the Sandy Bridge CPU (I've heard i3) and low res screen.

    The UX32VD we've been seeing in US stores online seem to be more expensive because they're including the i7. I have yet to see an i5 version but prefer it to save the money. I'm hoping they won't be locked to just the i7 due to being the more performance oriented model.
     
    urbanglowcam, Jun 11, 2012
    #304
  5. shiin

    shiin Notebook Guru

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    With the new lineup of MBAs being available with 8GB of RAM (and 100$ cheaper than last years model, too), do you think that ASUS might change their mind and give their Zenbooks an option for having 8GB built in hardwired instead of only 4?
     
    shiin, Jun 12, 2012
    #305
  6. clarkdale661

    clarkdale661 Notebook Guru

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    clarkdale661, Jun 12, 2012
    #306
  7. dj_mercury

    dj_mercury Notebook Enthusiast

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    dj_mercury, Jun 12, 2012
    #307
  8. kayrune

    kayrune Notebook Enthusiast

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    The 32vd I7 is priced about the same as 31A I5 in the EU (20% cheaper than the 31A I7)
     
    kayrune, Jun 12, 2012
    #308
  9. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    CompUG, Jun 12, 2012
    #309
  10. roberts56

    roberts56 Notebook Enthusiast

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    roberts56, Jun 12, 2012
    #310
  11. Karamazovmm

    Karamazovmm Overthinking? Always!

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    because that would mean that they are managed by non qualified people.

    1) Apple, usually, releases products with the same price point.

    2) The market research for the rentability of the mahine should have been done months ago before the product development.

    there are more reasons, several more
     
    Karamazovmm, Jun 12, 2012
    #311
  12. CodingTom

    CodingTom Notebook Enthusiast

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    Found this:

    Just how bad is the Sandisk U100 in real world performance? - AnandTech Forums

    It mentions that shipping has been delayed due to the SSD (currently a slow Sandisk U100 model in pre-production units), and the possibility of an upgrade/new SSD being actually shipped.

    Anyone else heard anything to this effect? I'm seriously being swayed towards a new MBA due to the SSD performance and upgradable RAM... If they also had an IPS screen I'd buy one over this in a heartbeat.
     
    CodingTom, Jun 12, 2012
    #312
  13. urbanglowcam

    urbanglowcam Notebook Deity

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    Yeah. So the 32VD should actually be cheaper. I'm happy to see that.

    I don't think so. I think it can only be purchased with up to 4GB.For storage, it also says

    "Up to
    500GB With 24 G SSD"

    I see your point, but I'm not implying they're unqualified and solely rely on Apple's pricing. I just think it's a factor when they're set to launch after. They want to have competitive pricing.
     
    urbanglowcam, Jun 12, 2012
    #313
  14. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    The manual suggests it is possible to expand/upgrade the ram, and as it comes with 4gb (iirc) hopefully that bit of the spec is wrong

    Still no sign of the UX32VD on the UK Asus site :c
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #314
  15. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Right, except it can be purchased with 4gb in the slot, totaling 6gb when you include the 2gb soldered on. Read the specs here to see what I mean: AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook Prime (UX21A) Review: The First of the 2nd Gen Ultrabooks So hopefully, you can slide in an 8gb into the slot and have 10gb total. However, in the product page on Asus's website, it says there are 2x DIMM Slots along with the 2gb onboard, so I don't know if they changed it or if that's a typo, but that'd be awesome if you had 2 slots to actually work with.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #315
  16. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    This is the first I've heard of 2GB being soldered on... thought it was 4GB in 1 DIMM + 1 slot free
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #316
  17. Ranessin

    Ranessin Notebook Enthusiast

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    Test Asus Zenbook UX32VD Ultrabook - Notebookcheck.com Tests

    There are pictures on the right showing the Dimm slot and the soldered RAM. It's a preproduction unit, so they might have changed it, but I doubt it.
     
    Ranessin, Jun 12, 2012
    #317
  18. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Lol, my PC has 4 slots :p

    But really, that'd be cool if there were at least 2 slots that can be used for swapping/upgrading memory. People like their RAM, so maybe Asus saw that, guess we'll find out.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #318
  19. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    So the standard i7 VD model has 6GB RAM then or have I misunderstood things?

    Or is it 2GB soldered + 2GB DIMM?
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #319
  20. MoeJoe

    MoeJoe Newbie

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    MoeJoe, Jun 12, 2012
    #320
  21. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Pretty sure, or at least they're selling the VD with optional 6gb (2 in the soldered, 4 in the slot). If they offer the i7 with 4gb I'd get that to upgrade it to 10gb (again, if supported by the mobo/bios).
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #321
  22. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    Its pretty much available in Germany and that region.
     
    CompUG, Jun 12, 2012
    #322
  23. MoeJoe

    MoeJoe Newbie

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    ...might be a good idea to wait a few more days though until most of the stores have it on stock which will probably make the prices drop a little... what do you think?
     
    MoeJoe, Jun 12, 2012
    #323
  24. shadvich

    shadvich Notebook Enthusiast

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    Waiting for amazon or the MS store to pick these up to get an extra gift card or xbox with it. Not sure if I want the UX32, UX31, or UX21. UX21 is cheapest but 1080p on an 11 inch screen would scale weirdly, and the keyboard might feel odd. UX31 has everything except discrete GPU, but that barely runs games at a good res anyway. UX32 has enough power for diablo but uses conventional HD and is larger.
     
    shadvich, Jun 12, 2012
    #324
  25. urbanglowcam

    urbanglowcam Notebook Deity

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    Same ordeal for me. Not considering the UX21 but between the UX31A and UX32VD. I'm pretty certain though that I'm going with the VD and swapping in my own SSD. Hoping Amazon or MS store comes through this week.
     
    urbanglowcam, Jun 12, 2012
    #325
  26. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    Same here, going to stick in a 7.5mm samsung 830 256gb - they seem to be pretty cheap at the moment
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #326
  27. jellycow

    jellycow Notebook Enthusiast

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    I had one in my Alienware. Those drives are screaming fast... I was able to boot into windows before the initial windows animation finished.

    I'm selling mine though as I prefer more space than fastest speed. I'll probably opt for the Crucial M4 (512gb) when I order my UX32vd since M4 is still 7mm and $400 for a 51gb is pretty linear price increase to the 256gb SSDs...
     
    jellycow, Jun 12, 2012
    #327
  28. urbanglowcam

    urbanglowcam Notebook Deity

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    Anandtech analyzes the Macbook Pro Retina. Seems the Asus barely lacks in black levels, but has brighter whites and a high contrast ratio. It's obviously lacking in the pixel density but it holds its own.

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/5998/macbook-pro-retina-display-analysis

    I still think it just might retain the best 13" display on the market.

    Note: The UX21A is compared, but I imagine the difference isn't much. I hope they examine the UX31A or UX32VD too.
     
    urbanglowcam, Jun 12, 2012
    #328
  29. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    This just makes me love the zenbook even more, 1080p is really a great resolution for that size of a screen, and on windows, until they get dpi scaling sorted out (hopefully in win 8) you can't use any higher res or it'll look all ed up. But the quality of the Zenbook screen just makes me giddy inside, I'm so happy they opted for such a high quality screen, that contrast ratio besting the retina is just superb. I can't get anything else because I want that screen so much, I can't wait to show it off to everyone. No doubt the best laptop screen for a PC and the best 13.3" screen on any laptop. That's something to brag about.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #329
  30. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah I am waiting for either M.S store, Amazon or one of the stores where you can get a free XBOX. I am 100 percent set on getting the UX32VD. I would buy it from buy.com if it came with the XBOX.
     
    CompUG, Jun 12, 2012
    #330
  31. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Is amazon one of the stores participating this year? I looked and I can't find anything that says they're doing the promotion this year.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #331
  32. CKtalon

    CKtalon Notebook Enthusiast

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    According to this, Amazon is not doing the promotion
    Students - Buy a PC, get an Xbox 360! #GetAnXbox

    Sucks, due to CA tax on all the retail stores that are in this.
     
    CKtalon, Jun 12, 2012
    #332
  33. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Damn, at least newegg is, and hopefully the microsoft online store will carry the vd.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #333
  34. rieuk

    rieuk Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah but only question is when ... will they get it yonks after everyone else stocks it? That would be crap.
     
    rieuk, Jun 12, 2012
    #334
  35. Maelwys

    Maelwys Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    C'mon Asus. Release the UX32VD to the US before I give into my tech-lust, go against my better judgement, and buy a 15" MBP-R for $3500 and stick Windows on it.
     
    Maelwys, Jun 12, 2012
    #335
  36. CTM Audi

    CTM Audi Notebook Guru

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    Thats the UXxxA.
    Thats the UXxxVD


    It looks to me like the soldered "ram" is the SSD cache. There are no hybrid hard drives with 24-32GB of SSD cache in them. Only hybrid drive I know of is the Momentus XT with 4GB cache.
     
    CTM Audi, Jun 12, 2012
    #336
  37. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    Haha, I know right. ASUS is taking too long. I think once we see sites like engadget and Theverge post reviews we sill see the device soon. Only European review sites have posted up reviews.


    The waiting really sucks.
     
    CompUG, Jun 12, 2012
    #337
  38. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    They have a teaser on their facebook page, they really need to be faster about this, or at least give everyone a solid date. https://www.facebook.com/asus.n.america
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #338
  39. clarkdale661

    clarkdale661 Notebook Guru

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    Yes, it looks like the UX32 variant will have normal SATA slot and a dimm slot for upgradable memory, however I still have my doubts on on the UX31A model. Since the UX31A is a tad thinner than the UX32's, it might have only soldered on memory since dimm slots will make space requirements a little thicker. And hopefully it won't have proprietary SSD slot either.
     
    clarkdale661, Jun 12, 2012
    #339
  40. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm totally confused now :p

    So the UXxxA models have upgradable RAM?

    And if the soldered on ram is actually ssd cache, does that mean the VD just has a 4GB dimm in it and a max capacity of 8gb?
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #340
  41. jellycow

    jellycow Notebook Enthusiast

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    It's clear from here:
    http://zenbook.asus.com/zenbook/?c=prime_ux32

    UX32vd has 2GB soldered on the motherboard with one additional slot for expansion. So in theory, you can add an 8GB stick for a total of 10GB if the motherboard/bios supports it.

    If you look at the review pictures very carefully, the memory stick and the soldered chips next to it are pretty close match, so that's probably the memory chips. There are few additional memory chips (probably the SSD cache) next to where the HDD is.

    Damn it...why won't Amazon sell this thing already so I can get it without paying tax...
     
    jellycow, Jun 12, 2012
    #341
  42. CTM Audi

    CTM Audi Notebook Guru

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    AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook Prime (UX21A) Teardown

    The A modles do not have dimm slots. ASUS will likely offer 8GB in the future though. The SSD is the same slot that it was in the UX-E models.
    Seems like its 2GB soldered on memory. The notebookcheck review sample had 6GB memory, so its looking like 2GB plus one dimm slot. They also said "this SSD cache is not directly accessible to the user." So Im guessing its soldered on to the other side of the motherboard somewhere.
     
    CTM Audi, Jun 12, 2012
    #342
  43. Darkimmortal

    Darkimmortal Notebook Evangelist

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    "DDR3 1600MHz 2GB (on board) + 2G or 4G Slot Dim"

    Sounds pretty definitively like 6GB max :(

    Definitely not going to put me off a purchase though
     
    Darkimmortal, Jun 12, 2012
    #343
  44. jellycow

    jellycow Notebook Enthusiast

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    Eh. I tend to ignore those. My Thinkpad spec says it does 8GB max. I run 16GB (2x 8GB) without a problem. If 8GB stick doesn't work on the 32vd...I'll just return it and accept that it only does 6GB max (which would be a bit of a problem for me but I'm sure I can deal with it).
     
    jellycow, Jun 12, 2012
    #344
  45. BigNerd

    BigNerd Notebook Deity

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    Is there a comparison chart somewhere between the UX31A and the UX32A?

    I don't mind the thicker form factor and hybrid drive of the 32 if the cost is markedly less.
     
    BigNerd, Jun 12, 2012
    #345
  46. Deathalo

    Deathalo Notebook Consultant

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    Exactly, the listing of 6gb max is only listing what THEY offer, it does not mean it's the max supported by the board. More than likely it'll support an 8gb dimm, since it's an ivy bridge board and boards have a pretty high support for ram nowadays. But, if not, you can always return the ram, but I'm sure we'll find out from someone quickly as soon as they go on sale.
     
    Deathalo, Jun 12, 2012
    #346
  47. clarkdale661

    clarkdale661 Notebook Guru

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    My worst fear for the UX31A or UX21A is probably true: memory and SSD is not upgradable :(

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    It looks like SSD uses a non-standard format, and memory is soldered on since the UX31/21 models are slightly thinner than the UX32A and UX32VD.

    AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook Prime (UX21A) Teardown
     
    clarkdale661, Jun 12, 2012
    #347
  48. jellycow

    jellycow Notebook Enthusiast

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    Memory is soldered on, but SSD seems like a typical MBA microSATA stick to me (obviously not 100% sure...I just can't see Asus having the cojones to design a proprietary connector and forcing SSD guys to follow along)

    I just wish they would release these soon before Apple goes after them for the patent infringement on the "wedge" design that they just received...
     
    jellycow, Jun 13, 2012
    #348
  49. clarkdale661

    clarkdale661 Notebook Guru

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    Anandtech mentioned that they looked physically the same, but still not compatible. So these are specially tailored for the UX21A/UX31A. I was almost sure I was going to get the UX31A, but finding out that the memory and SSD is not upgradable kinda makes me reconsider.
     
    clarkdale661, Jun 13, 2012
    #349
  50. gagaist

    gagaist Newbie

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    Hi Guys,

    I am thinking about buying a new Zenbook UX32VD, but I am hesitating a little bit what configuration should I buy...

    Is it worth to buy the ISP display for more money, or the cheaper display is enogh good considering the brightness, viewing angles etc?

    Because in reviews everybody deals about the ISP display, I couldn't find information performance of the cheaper display.

    Thanks for your replies and help.

    Best regards,

    Istvan Gaga, Hungary
     
    gagaist, Jun 13, 2012
    #350
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