If you're someone who prefers Windows over OS X, then you've probably identified the Asus UX51VZ as a potential windows-competitor to the Apple Macbook Pro Retina. My wife has the MBPr, so I have had some experience with it. While Asus gets most things right, I think it falls a little bit short in the hardware department. But don't get me wrong, this is a great laptop.
Things this laptop gets right:
The combination of full-powered CPU and dedicated graphics card give it enough power to game (although I don't game myself)
They laptop looks very good, and is both thin and light
3x USB 3.0 Ports is great for data transfer speeds; I don't need thunderbolt at this point
8GB RAM needs to be more common in thin laptops (can be upgraded to 12GB)
They keyboard is great to type on and the trackpad is the best I've used on any Windows laptop (doesn't match Apple trackpads, but comes close)
This display is terrific. There aren't many options out there for people who want a thin laptop with a nice IPS display. It's also matte, which is a huge plus over the MacBook Pro Retina (and it's actually the #1 benefit over the MBPr I think aside from running windows natively). Color gamut may not satisfy the most professional photographer, but you can hook it up to an external monitor for that (although, see con below).
Things where this laptop fails:
The fan never turns off! The idle fan noise is very annoying and it's something that Asus needs to fix ASAP. In my book, if Asus just fixes this issue, then this laptop goes from a 4 to 5 star laptop. I hope they have every engineer at their disposal working on this issue.
I am not sure why this laptop has a mini-VGA instead of a mini-DisplayPort connector. The future is in high-resolution monitors. The HDMI is limited to 1080p. Right now there is nothing on this laptop to support my 30" Dell Ultrasharp at its highest resolution which is very disappointing. I hope Asus gets this right in the future
There is no kensington lock on this laptop. When I'm working in a coffee shop I like to be able to lock up my laptop and not worry about it when I go to the restroom. I realize this is a small request, but it's surprising that it wasn't included.
It's clear that this laptop is a great one if you're shopping the thin + light premium laptop category. If Asus could just fix those couple of missteps (namely the fan noise issue and add a mini-DisplayPort) then this laptop would be absolutely perfect.
I started researching replacements for my 15" unibody MacBook Pro in October '12. I wanted a similar form factor that preserved some of the things I'd grown attached to from Apple: great screen, responsive touchpad, and chiclet keys with great tactile response. I also wanted to massively upgrade. My MBP was top dog of its line when it was new, and the MBPr looks good, but only comes with a limited amount of video RAM. At minimum, I wanted: quad-core i7, 8GB RAM, SSD primary drive, nVidia dedicated graphics w/ 2GB video RAM. 1080p screen resolution was a must. Fit, finish, and materials had to be premium. I've never been too concerned with battery life, so in that regard I just wanted to maintain what I'd become accustomed to with the MBP. I'm notoriously difficult to shop for, and I'm exceptionally picky. After a month of searching high and low I began worrying that what I wanted simply didn't exist, and began worrying that I'd need to start making concessions. My wife has a Republic of Gamers ASUS laptop that looks like Batman's Tumbler vehicle. I can't stand the looks of it, but the performance was hard to ignore. Just before my purchase, I happened upon the u500 series from ASUS. On paper, I was sold. After a couple of weeks of research, some hands-on experience with the other ASUS Zenbooks, and lots of consideration, I made the purchase.
I. First Impressions
I'm a big fan of presentation, and ASUS didn't disappoint. The unboxing experience is satisfying, and as a gadget lover this is one of the best parts of getting a new "toy." Attractive packaging and creative boxing.
Bootup times are crisp and smart: 5-7 seconds when plugged in, with a couple of seconds extra on battery power. Installing software, browsing, and word processing happen nearly instantaneously; extremely fast. I play a few games: Counter-Strike GO, Minecraft, and World of Warcraft. All of them look excellent at maximum settings, and the nVidia card offers great performance in such a small package. One MINOR gripe: with maxed settings, there's just a LITTLE screen-tearing. It's almost unnoticeable, and I suspect it's more an issue with the screen than the rest of the machine. I'm also a web and software developer, and the screen offers a very pleasurable reading and writing experience. Text is very crisp; very sharp. All in all, I have zero regrets about my purchase. It does exactly what I want, and does so in a super sleek and sexy package. It's a powerhouse, and turns heads as soon as you open it.
II. Windows 8
I dislike Windows 8. There's no Start button, so without installing an add-on (more on this in a minute), it's necessary to go back and forth with the tiled interface. If the ASUS had a touchscreen, this might be a different take. If you're buying a version of this model in the UK or Australia, I hear this laptop not only has a touchscreen, but also comes with an external USB drive. Neither of these is the case for US models, so Windows 8 is pretty pointless. Feel free to point out all of the nifty new features under the hood that makes Windows 8 better than its predecessor, but if the first layer of user experience is more a hindrance than a help, it doesn't really matter what's going on behind the scenes. I installed the small add-on Start8 almost immediately after figuring out that I hated the default Windows 8 interface. It's a $4.99 purchase from the Stardock company, and it's phenomenal. Is Windows 8 usable without the Start button and a touchscreen? Sure, but it's painfully obvious that Microsoft did not intend it. Before installing a spare copy of Windows 7, if you have one, do yourself a favor and give Start8 a try. There's a 30-day demo, but you'll only need an hour to love it.
III. Bloatware
There's not a lot, but it's present. The usual crappy Norton trial is included, as is Office Starter edition. Windows 8 comes with an option to reinstall a completely barebones installation; don't bother. The bloatware will still be there after startup. Apparently, "barebones" installation still includes whatever subsidized garbage the manufacturer wishes to include. Thankfully, it only takes about five minutes to uninstall the garbage.
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I think the first review of this laptop is written very well, and I agree on many points. Since they have corrected the fan noise with BIOS 203, and since the Kensington lock is not an issue for me, nor is needing touchscreen, it is as perfect a laptop as one can get.
The sound is amazing, one of the best in speaker quality I have heard.
The display is top notch. The GPU is what I was looking for, a game worthy card. Having that on an i7 with 8GB of RAM, and an SSD, with three USB 3 ports, this doesn't lack for anything on my list. I understand the price is high, but anything in the 1000-1500 range comes with serious compromise--only 4GB of RAM, a spinning HDD, an Intel HD 4000 onboard card. I wouldn't have any of that at this stage, and could not find anything with those specs in a light (sub 3 lbs), thin "ultrabook". When you need those specs in a light, slick-looking package, suddenly the $2000 range is what you end up looking at.
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After having used this laptop nearly daily for the past seven months or so (since late November 2012), I, without hesitation, can recommend it as an option for anyone interested in a machine that balances portability and performance. Since several reviews already exist, I will try not to be redundant, but rather, to offer some insight into the less-covered aspects of the device. Let me also offer this disclaimer: if I seem at times to be overly enthusiastic, I apologize, but I really do love this computer.
I use the device mainly for editing word documents, taking notes in class, browsing the internet, checking email, etc., but I also do some video editing and moderate gaming. Under lighter usage, the computer runs cool and efficiently, offering upwards of 7 hours of battery life. The computer runs games and other graphics intensive programs well, but it does get rather hot under heavier usage. Even though the touchpad and keyboard remain relatively cool, I definitely recommend using a laptop-cooling pad for gaming or video editing.
Having done as much typing as I have over the past few months (I am a college student!), I can say that the keyboard is very sturdy and comfortable to use--adequate spacing and key travel, no loose or squeaking keys. I also really appreciate that ASUS included a number pad, which is especially useful for editing spreadsheets and doing general computations. I do agree somewhat with one of the previous reviewers on the sharpness of the edge of the computer around the palm rest. Depending on your posture relative to the machine (i.e., the height at which the computer keyboard sits relative to your elbows), the front edges of the computer can cause some discomfort in the forearm/wrist during typing. However, I do not find this to be much of a problem because I usually place the computer on my lap or on an angled dock on my desk, such that my forearms do not rest on the laptop.
The 1920 x 1080 IPS display has excellent contrast, and text appears sharp and is especially pleasing to read on the matte screen, even under harsh lighting (reminiscent of reading from my Kindle, in a way, albeit the display technology is different). Indeed, I do not think that I will ever purchase another computer without a matte display! Yes, there is some light bleed around the edges of the screen, but it is only noticeable when I am viewing a completely black image (in essence, only when the computer is booting up).
The touchpad is large and smooth. As to its usability, I have to say that the touchpad has become increasingly responsive and precise with successive iterations of the drivers that ASUS has released since I bought the computer (as one would hope/expect, right?). Although the touchpad was somewhat finicky at first, it now works very well, which is important because it is fundamental to gesture operation in Windows 8, especially in the absence of a touchscreen.
Speaking of Windows 8 and touchscreens, one might ask whether I miss having a touchscreen in what is a seemingly touch-oriented operating system. My opinion is that, on such a large device, reaching across the keyboard to interact with the screen would be a bit unwieldy (or perhaps I am just lazy!). For example, my mother has a 13.3-inch touch-enabled Windows 8 laptop. While manipulating content via the touchscreen on her smaller device is natural and convenient, the screen is also considerably closer to the user, i.e., you do not have to reach as far to touch it.
My one and only major peeve with the computer is that SD cards do not sit flush with the edge of the computer when inserted. Since I expected to use a 128 GB card as a more-or-less permanent expansion to storage, the card jutting out of the computer disappointed me.
The audio quality on this machine is simply first-rate for a laptop. I have never been able to use any of my high-end earphones with a computer (Macs included) without an attenuator or portable amplifier, as the audio output and distortion/noise have always been uncomfortably high. However, with the UX51VZ, I can finally use my earphones directly with my laptop, which is a double boon because the audio processing via the included Waves MaxxAudio software is fantastic, especially when coupled with lossless audio files. The sound through the laptop's built-in speakers is no less stunning (again, for a laptop). With MaxxAudio and the placement of the speakers on the device, the spatial resolution of the music is phenomenal: songs are immersive and vibrant. The laptop also comes with a mini external subwoofer that lends a fuller, richer sound to the audio. To be fair, I still prefer to use my earphones, headphones, or other external speakers for listening, but I never imagined that such audio quality was possible from a laptop's speakers!
By far, the UX51VZ is the best computer that I have ever used. Fast, sleek, and portable, it is a superbly crafted device as well as a pleasure to use.
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I have owned many Dell Computers, and during my years as a Network Engineer, I configured and installed hundreds more. They had been my choice for many years after Sony stopped supporting the VIAO line with good driver updates, etc. My last Dell worked well enough, but it had a lot plastic parts, it shipped with a scraping cooling fan, and the bezel cracked quite quickly. This put me in mind that I would shop elsewhere for my next computer.
Asus had been my favorite motherboard for desktop builds, and I never had trouble with one. When I learned that they were making laptops, I was interested. I read other reviews where people talked about cooling fan noise, but this seemed silly to me. This particular Zenbook is a very compact, very powerful unit, and it made sense to me that it might run the fan most of the time, which it does. I live high in the Colorado Rockies in a secluded location, and the fan noise has never been an issue at all.
The decals that others complained about came off in five minutes with a little nail polish remover (acetone,) Kleenex, and my fingernail. The touch-pad is indeed large and sensitive, and I do sometimes find that I have brushed it unintentionally. However, Function-F9 toggles the pad off and on for extended typing. I don't know what anyone else was expecting from a big well-made touch-pad. The recovery time from sleep mode is blazingly fast; just a few seconds, and it will stand by in that fast mode for a week or more.
I hate Windows 8 as much as anyone else, but a company called Stardock software makes a little program that gives you back your start button and all that it offers. This cost five bucks (really!)
This computer is not only the finest I have ever owned, it is one of the prettiest pieces of equipment I have ever owned. The shipping carton is even beautiful. I thought the sub-woofer would be a silly item, but it works surprisingly well. With companies like Dell seeming to fall on their sword, I am happy to have my money going to a company so clearly anxious to earn it.
This computer does not have a touch-screen.
After two months of ownership, this gets my highest ever rating.
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