Zenbook U500 Announced: 15.6" HD IPS, GT650M, Quad-Core i7...

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/ASUS_ZENBOOK_Touch_U500VZ/

[h=3]Specifications[/h]






















































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Processor	Intel® Core™ i7 3632QM/3612QM Processor
Operating System	Windows 8 Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Home Basic
Chipset	Intel® Chief River Chipset HM77
Memory	OnBoard Memory 4 GB , DIMM Up to 4 G
Display	15.0" 16:9 HD with EWV (1366 x 768) /IPS FHD (1920x1080) LED Backlight anti-glare
Graphic	NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
Storage	500GB RPM With 24 GB SSD 500GB RPM With 128 GB SSD 128GB RPM RAID0 Technology 256GB RPM RAID0 Technology
Card Reader	2 -in-1 card reader ( SD/ MMC) card reader ( SD )
Camera	HD Web Camera *2
Networking	Integrated 802.11 a/g/n Built-in Bluetooth™ V4.0 *3
Interface	1 x COMBO audio jack 3 x USB 3.0 port(s) 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 1 x HDMI *3 1 x Mini VGA 1 x SD card reader
Audio	Built-in Speakers And Microphone Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® Additional subwoofer
Battery	8Cells 4750 mAh 70 Whrs Polymer Battery
Power Adapter	Output : 19 V DC, A, 90 W Input : 100 -240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Dimensions	380 x 254.5 x 6 ~19.7 mm (WxDxH) 380 x 254.5 x 6 ~20.0 cm (WxDxH) *4
Weight	2.06 kg 2.16 kg *5
Manufacturer Warranty	2-year limited International hardware warranty. *different by country On-line problem resolution through web interface (BIOS, Driver update) OS (Windows® 7 ) install/uninstall consultation Bundled software install/uninstall consultation ASUS software supporting
Note	*1: •Mobile Intel® HM76 Express Chipset (w/o Raid0) •Mobile Intel® HM77 Express Chipset (w/ Raid0) *2:HD 720p CMOS with Array Microphone *3:Intel Advanced-N 6235(dual band, 2x2 Wi-Fi/BT combo HMC module) *4: •380 * 254.5 * 6 ~ 19.7mm(w/o touch screen) •380 * 254.5 * 6 ~ 20.0mm(w/ touch screen) *5: •2.06KG(W/O HDD) •2.16KG(w/ HDD) w/o built in ODD, optional external ODD Backlit chiclet Keyboard / Click pad with 3 fingers multi-touch Battery Life - 7hrs

 

I'm interested in this if it packs DDR5 650M's

 

Even if it's DDR3, that's still quite good for this class of laptop. Everything else in this form factor (except the MBP) has a 640M or less.

 

ASUS U500VZ-CN046H 15.6inch FHD+IPS Matt Intel i7-3612QM NV GT 650M 2G GDDR5 VRAM 8192MB DDRIII 1600 128SSD+128SSD 8 cell W8-64-bit

 

Provided that thing has no cooling issues, they're going to destroy the 15" multimedia market with this thing, especially if it's a price that starts at anything less than $1600. Goodbye to the Samsung NP700Z5C, XPS 15, N56VZ, Envy 15, etc. Looks like our Macbook Retina PC alternative has arrived!

I ordered an Envy 15t-3200 that I may cancel or return now.

 

EXACTLY!!! Hopefully people don't start calling this a MBPR rip off, differences are this will mostly be USER UPGRADEABLE, dual HD with more initial storage, and quad core cpu and 650m graphics in a portable PC. This hopefully gets right what the MBPR got wrong.

 

My wait for the Gigabyte U2442 has been put to an end by this beast of an Ultrabook. Core i7 quad-core, 650M, Full HD matted ISP display, slimmer and lighter compared to other high performance 15.6" laptops. Can't wait!!

 

Does anybody know the release date?

I hope its soon, so I can sent my xps15 back right now!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing hands-on reviews of the temperature though. It's only 0.77" thick and a quad-core i7 with 650M can run pretty damn hot (see the MBP). I don't know what the heat difference between 3610QM and 3612QM is, but still. The u2442n only has a dual-core i5 and a 640M and it's a bit thicker (0.83").

Late October.

 

The 3612QM has a TDP of 35W vs 45W of the 3610QM. The clock speed default and turbo boost is 0.2 ghz slower as well.

I'm nervous about the temperature seeing how hot everything has been getting plus all of the throttling issues everywhere. I was under the impression that thin form factor and cool temps do not play well.

The U500 must have two fans otherwise there is a good chance that it will overheat.

 

hi, registered so i can keep an eye on this thread
this seems to be the perfect laptop for me, now that the L521X has so many problems...

i think we can see the fan through the underside grills in this video... grills seems to be big enough for effective cooling....
Asus Zenbook U500 premium 15.6 inch ultrabook - YouTube

 

I'm very curious about the prices....

 

How do you know?

 

That's when Windows 8 is released and all of these new laptops will be coming out.

I agree with that picture... But only if there isn't any major flaws! :S

 

this makes me regret the purchase of the Asus N56VZ .

 

Yeah. I was ready to spend 1500€ for XPS 15, so if this baby doesn't overheat I'm pretty sold (even though I would have preferred an optical drive, but I can live with an external one, especially if the laptop is so thin and has 2 drive bays and 2 fans)

 

I'm guessing ASUS took to consideration of potential overheating and did something about it (I hope) hoping memory goes up to 16gb 1600mhz cause as of now, I'm sold.

 

+1

It does seems to have 2 fans, just like MBP. Also I'm pretty sure Asus will be less expensive then L521x.

 

How can you tell it has 2 fans?

I agree that the pricing will most likely be lower than the XPS. The version with SSD starts at what, $1700? I'm sure ASUS can sell these for under $1500 with an SSD/HDD combo.

I wonder who is the supplier for the 15" IPS display.

 

In this video - Asus Zenbook U500 premium 15.6 inch ultrabook - YouTube

At 2:25 you can see something like 2 fans under the hood...

 

just hope those "did something" doesn't include throttling :/

 

Will have to check for lowered clock speeds on the GPU out of the box and wait for some performance tests and temp checks before I buy - but right now I'm sold too .

I was very close to picking up a N56VZ or Y580 + SSD this week - I'm glad I waited - this thing will be awesome if it works properly .

Peter

 

Wow, could be the perfect machine and might just kill the u2442n for me. Adds the quad core I wanted and plenty more...

Really, really, really hate to wait until October, though.

 

Just keep in mind 1080p IPS, stronger gpu, stronger cpu, better build, 1080 IPS, stronger gpu....

And you'll be fine

 

I hope that 15" FHD IPS panel is not the same one used by sony and hp (orangegate) in Vaio S15 and Envy 15.


Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

If the u2442n had a good display it would be a good alternative, but it just can't compete in that respect. The Gigabyte's advantages are basically cost (probably around $1100) and cooling, otherwise the ASUS seems to win in every category.

Of course that is highly speculative at this point, but we can somewhat extrapolate from the rest of the Zenbook series. It will certainly cost more than the u2442 though.

 

Cost isn't really an issue for me, but cooling is. I'd definitely prefer the machine not be a screaming-fan-beast under load, let alone under light usage - and certainly not one prone to throttling. But yes, the U500 seems to be better in just about every respect.

Dying to see the first reviews...

 

Yeah, especially given the heat/throttling issues with the UX32VD. Let's hope the additional size allows much better cooling.

 

Are the informations in post #1 all official and confirmed? GT650M 2GB GDDR5?

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

I have found it on a Finland site :

http://www.nettori.org/U500VZ-CN046...ell-W8-64-bit-ASUS/cat-p/c36159/p5201652/l_en

Seems very expensive, it's over 2000€

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

1. We've still got 2 months before this laptop is released
2. It's the 2 x 128GB SSD (Not 128GB + 500GB HHD)
3. Doesn't that include the Europe 20% VAT? (If it does... then it should come out to around $1300

 

It's 1600€ without VAT, which is much more than 1300$

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$1300 was my guess. If they got the cooling right, this will be a very popular laptop. It looks so light in the videos too.

 

Usually there is a conversion one to one between $ and €, because € is valuted 20% more than $ but there is VAT (20%) that compensates it.

I have found another site :

http://www.europea-trade.eu/Product-U500VZ-CN046H-BE-90NWOG212J11B35D831Y_336295.aspx

This price of 1600€ is more reasonable.

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Things in Euro always seem to be priced either equal to or higher than the dollar equivalent. ie. $1500 on amazon.com €1500(or more) on amazon.co.uk. Even though the Euro is worth more, the dollar holders still get the better deal.

ux31a 256gb €
ux31a 256gb $

 

First price is in pounds not euro.

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Well. Close enough. They both still trump the dollar and things with their sign in front generally bear a larger number. My point still stands -- It will probably cost less in dollars.

Thanks for the correction though

 

Maybe base configuration will be 1300$

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I highly doubt it... That's the price for the UX32VD. $15-1600 for a base configuration sounds about right.

 

Has anyone seen anything to indicate whether the U500 will or will not have a TPM?

 

greetings from Malaysia
the UX31A-R4003V retails for RM 4499 here, with i7 and 256gb ssd... which means it's 1141USD/1150Euro/910 Pounds....
considering the history that ASUS prices their laptop aggressively, i'm speculating that it might cost around RM5000 when it arrives, the RM 500 difference making up for discrete graphics and the larger body...

 

someone help me please... I just saw this announcement of the U500 and needless to say it seems to be the perfect laptop.

Last week I ordered an HP envy 15t-3200 with HD7750m which hasn't even started production (estimated shipping date is Sept 10), and costs me $1000. Should I cancel the HP and wait for this new Asus? Specs wise, they are the same, but the HP is a lot bulkier and heavier, and knowing HP it will probably have sub-par Windows 8 driver support.

 

Damn I just tried to cancel my N56VZ order and they wouldn't do it.

Not sure if I can wait 2+ months anyway (probably 6 months for a limited Australian release). Also not sure if this will magically solve the cooling/throttling problems other thin i7-Quad/650M machines seem to have. Even with 5mm more thickness, the XPS 15 throttles badly.

Can anyone speculate on whether any 2.5" drive could be installed in those bays, and if so why they wouldn't offer a 256GB-SSD/1TB-HDD version? That seems to be the perfect machine for me (and is how I'll be setting up the N56 when I get it).

 

well I guess you can head over to the HP forums and check out the threads about the Envy, they should have plenty of information on it
personally, I think the HD7750M is inadequate as a discrete graphics, since the Intel 4000 internal graphics is quite powerful already... also, I would like a numpad to go with a 15" laptop... as for the bulkier/heavier part, I cannot comment on it since I've never handled one before, but it looks significantly harder to tote around compared to MBP, where as U500 seems have more or less the same level of portability as MBP...

 

I was thinking what do you guys think about Asus's keyboard and trackpad? How does it feel/how is the quality?

 

Damn, just bought my Asus N56VZ.

Whatever! I will buy the U500 when it comes out!

ASUS!! I LOVE YOU!

 

subscribed! like others said, if there is no cooling issues. that will be the laptop for me. after seeing the initial tests and if the reviews are good. my envy 15 is going up for sale . btw the new envy 15's dont have the orange gate issues and the screen is ips

 

u do realize the 7750m is right under the performance of the 650m? as for portability there is the slightest difference with the envybeing thicker. this is gonna be closer to the retina portability

 

Not sure if it's been posted yet, but here are some hands-on video reviews:

Asus Zenbook U500 premium 15.6 inch ultrabook - YouTube

ASUS 15-inch Zenbook U500: Ivy Bridge, optional NVIDIA graphics and a full numpad (update: hands-on) -- Engadget

ASUS Zenbook U500 - YouTube

Hands-on: Asus Zenbook U500VZ - YouTube

 

That definitely looks like two fans are in there as well. With the mentioned hardware, it would be silly otherwise. This notebook looks like a winner.

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