My search for a new notebook came shortly after I returned from a business trip where I experienced major problems using LogMeIn to connect to my desktop back at the office (I was using my personal notebook and didn't sync the two...and why should I...it is a personal laptop). It was because of these problems, I decided to invest in an ultra-portable notebook which would be home to my email, proposals, contact and other documents and to use my desktop solely for graphic design and publishing.Throughout the next month or so, I spent countless hours at a local store conducting research. I set up the following parameters and continued with my search: screen size of no more than 14", hard drive of no less than 500GB, i7 processor and NOT A NETBOOK.
I found quite a few that met some or all of my parameters, but most of them were Ultrabooks and I couldn't justify spending $1,000+. To make a long story short, I stumbled upon this notebook...only the XH71 version with the i7-2620M processor. Unfortunately there were only about 10 reviews on the XH71 model and I was a bit leery. Usually I purchase things with hundreds if not thousands of reviews. I was definitely out of my comfort zone.
When I was comparing prices online I noticed an XS71 version. This one had a newly released i7-2640M processor, expandable memory to 16GB (read more about the memory capacity below) and an 8-hour battery life. ALL THIS FOR ONLY AN EXTRA $50! The extra money was worth it and I ordered as fast as I could. BTW, there were NO reviews on the XS version.
Here's my initial take on this notebook:
Battery: Battery life is rated at 8+ hours on the XS. During my initial testing I turned the computer on, removed tons of bloatware, restarted the computer a bunch of times, played around with some settings and had my cooling pad plugged in the whole time. I was able to get about 7 hours and there was still about 15% left when I plugged in the charger. The XH version is only rated at 6+ hours. Did ASUS use a different battery? Both notebooks come with a 6-cell bat. Now that I have been using the notebook more frequently, I notice the battery lasting anywhere from 4-6 hours with light-moderate use.
Keyboard: The keyboard is a little different than what I am used to, but the layout is good and the keys are not crowded. My email is now set up and composing on this machine is like second nature. I've missed a few key strokes at first, but now that I am used to it my typing has resumed to normal. The keys do sound different (more hollow) than my XPS or even my logitech wireless keyboard, but who cares as long as they work. I would have liked a backlit keyboard as I usually keep the lights off in my office and the black keys with white lettering can be difficult to see. With the lights on, there is no problem.
Speakers: The speakers are absolutely horrible and the ASUS SonicFocus software is garbage. I would recommend uninstalling this ASAP. These are definitely the worst speakers I've ever heard on a notebook. With that being said, the speakers do work and you can use them for basic needs...just forget about being satisfied if you watch a lot of youtube videos or listen to music through the speakers. You can always plug in a pair of headphones...though for some reason that didn't sound the best either.
Screen: Initially, I was unimpressed with the thought of such a low quality screen. However, it's not practical to throw a screen with 1080p into a notebook this size as the text would be so small you wouldn't be able to read it! The 720p screen that came with this notebook is sufficient (and most notebooks 10-15.6" come standard with a 720p screen), but for the cost of this notebook I would have liked to see a resolution of at least 1600x900 (this would come in handy when connecting to an external monitor). I am happy to report ZERO dead or malfunctioning pixels and the screen uniformity is nearly perfect. Backlighting is powerful if turned all the way up and flashlighting is nonexistent.
Ports: This notebook comes with 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, VGA, HDMI, 3.5mm Headphone, 3.5mm Mic and an SD card slot. I would prefer the USB ports to be located further back from where they are, but it's not that big of a deal. One thing I will say is that the USB ports are extremely tight. I've never had an issue with tight USB ports before...
Size/Weight: This is an ultra-portable notebook that weighs just about 3.5lbs with the battery and feels as light as a feather without the battery. The height in the front is about 7/8" and in the rear about 1-1/4" (with the battery). If you removed the battery, the height in the rear is only 1".
Boot Speed: 30 seconds to login screen from off. 40 seconds to login screen if restarted. 10 seconds to shut down. Not bad, but I was hoping for a little faster boot time...I thought that once I upgraded the RAM the boot time would speed up but I really didn't notice any improvement. I do think the computer became fully usable (once logged) in much faster now it maybe takes 5 seconds or so and you can open any program (Acrobat X Pro, Photoshop, iTunes, etc) and begin to work.
RAM: This notebook only comes with 4GB, but compatible RAM can be purchased pretty inexpensively. You can purchase the OEM 4GB Hynix memory module for about $90 online, but I opted for an 8GB Crucial kit from JR.com for only $45 (CT2KIT51264BC1339). I did use the Crucial online memory scanner and found that this system will only support 8GB of RAM and not 16GB like in the description. According to Intel, the 2640 processor can handle up to 16GB. Maybe 16GB would work...maybe it won't. Either way, it's too much money for me to waste (if it didn't work).
Processor: The i7-2640M is fast. Up to 3.5Ghz in turbo mode. This processor has an L3 Cache of 3MB, not 4MB as stated elsewhere online.
Heat: I've had this notebook running for hours on end and did not notice any heat radiating through the keyboard or palm rest area. There have been a few times when the processor has kicked into a higher gear and the air exiting the vents is warm, but it is definitely nothing to be concerned about. I do use a notebook cooler with 3 60mm fans and that helps keep temperatures down too.
Overall, I am really happy with this notebook. The specs look very good on paper and ASUS managed to fit everything into a very light and portable notebook. I highly recommend this to the traveling business professional or the individual who was considering a tablet, but realizes the limitations of a tablet. This is a great product!
****UPDATE 4/09/12****
I've been using this notebook since the end of February/beginning of March 2012 and I am still convinced it was a good buy. I love the ultra portability of this notebook and I noticed a considerable improvement when I upgraded the memory to 8GB and the Crucial kit mentioned above fit perfectly and was immediately noticed/accepted by the notebook.
This notebook has a 500GB hard drive that's initially partioned into OS:C with 186GB and DATA:D with 254GB. When you create a folder or place files in your Document, Music, Photo, etc folders it automatically saves it on the OS:C partion. You may want to change the destination of these folders to save the information on the DATA:D partion and keep the OS:C for software/programs. Or I suppose you could probably get rid of the D partion and save everything on the C. Does anyone know how to do this?
The Bluetooth functions flawlessly and I even purchased a Bluetooth dongle for my desktop so I can transfer files back and forth. Also, I am using the Microsoft 5000 Bluetooth mouse. I have noticed that the bluetooth mouse becomes jumpy and skips across the screen if I am in the process of transfering files via bluetooth. Once the transfer is complete the mouse starts working as it should. Also, I've sent info from my smartphone to the notebook and vice versa and everything worked just fine.
Still no heat transfer anywhere thru this notebook. Everything stays cool to the touch and the aluminum exterior is definitely a plus.
I purchased the Case Logic LAPS-111 10-11.6" Netbook Sleeve here on Amazon. This notebook fits perfectly and I highly recommend this sleeve.
Ran the Windows Experience assessment after I installed the 8GB Crucial memory and here are the specs (sorry, but I don't remember what it was prior to the memory upgrade):
Processor Calculations Per Second 7.1
Memory Memory Operations Per Second 7.5
Graphics Desktop Performance for Windows Aero 6.3
Gaming Graphics 3D Business & Gaming Graphics Performance 6.3
Hard Drive Disc Data Transfer Rate 5.9
ASUS screwed up the BIOS and the machine will not recognize any SATA III device. The hardware should support it, but after two BIOS updates all the way up to version 207, no SATA III device will be detected on boot. Doesn't matter if the device is backwards compatible or not! So, if you have any ideas about adding fast hybrid or SSD drives to this machine, or ever breaking the SATA II speed barrier, you are out of luck. This has been a known issue since release but nothing has been done about it. Highly disappointing coming from ASUS.
Buy ASUS U24E-XS71 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Now
I have just opened the box on this laptop today, but I will tell you my initial assessment is a definite thumbs up. This little laptop is just 1 inch larger diagonally than my wife's netbook, but it is as fast as a desktop computer. Graphics response with windows is immediate and clear. This is not a super quality screen, but still holds it's own. Ram is 4GB and works fine, but is expandable to 8GB if you require that. Despite the small size, the keyboard is high quality with great feedback to your fingers allowing you to really feel if you hit a key once or twice. Also, no missed key-strokes like some of the earlier ASUS laptops that I have owned. The touchpad is quick and accurate, but has not texture to it so it is easy to run your finger off the sensitive area until you are used to it. One of the best new features is the "Instant On" software that is installed on this machine. Just close the lid to enter sleep and 10 seconds later you are shut down. Open the lid when you are ready to go again and start-up is under 4 seconds. Battery life is estimated at 8 hours. I have not had a chance to test this fully, but I can tell you that I have been using this in Performance mode for over an hour and I have 91% batter left. Standby time is listed as over two weeks with a full battery and at anytime during that two weeks you can start it back up in four seconds. The processor behaves like a high end full size laptop, and scales it's power usage for maximum efficiency. Overall, if you are a student or business professional who needs on the go performance and power with a long life, but not all the gaming bells and whistles and super definition screen and sound options out there. This is an affordable, and well balanced option. Side note, it has a dedicated graphics processor with its own 1GB of video ram so it can play all the new games as well, but not on the highest video settings.Read Best Reviews of ASUS U24E-XS71 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Here
First, I'd like to confirm this laptop works perfectly with 16GB RAM (as other reviewers have stated). I've installed the Komputerbay 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 10666 1333MHz SODIMM 204-Pin Laptop Memory 9-9-9-25 and it works perfectly (just wanted to be clear this particular brand works fine). This memory is cheap and so far works as advertised.The Windows Experience Index score for the memory is 7.5 (on a scale of 1 to 7.9), this is VERY good. In fact, this laptop scored very well all-around. Processor: 7.1, Graphics: 6.3, Gaming Graphics: 6.3 with the lowest score coming from the hard drive performance at a score of 5.9. I'll be upgrading the hard drive to the Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 32 MB Cache 2.5 Inch Solid State Hybrid Drive ST750LX003. More storage and it has good reviews and I'm hoping for an increase in hard drive performance (it will improve no doubt, but by how much is the question).
The footprint for this baby is around the same size as a piece of paper to give you an idea of just how big/small it is. When I compare it to my 10.1" Asus netbook its just a bit larger and a tad thinner. I love the 11.6" screen, compared to my netbook everything fits the way it should (web pages, programs, etc.). No more scrolling left or right to get the full view.
This laptop is also VERY fast, Firefox loads in a second or less and the instant resume is blazingly quick. While using this feature the laptop isn't completely powered down, but in a deep sleep. According to the battery widget, on a full charge there's enough power to be in this state for 11 days. Open the lid or hit the power button and it's on and ready to rip in just a few seconds.
All-in-all I like it, a lot. I'll post back when I upgrade the hard drive and if I should encounter any issues.
Want ASUS U24E-XS71 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Discount?
I bought this early this month, so I've got about three weeks of hands-on time with ASUS U24E. I had previously bought the ASUS G74SX-DH71 Full HD 17.3-Inch LED Gaming Laptop Republic of Gamers (Black) as a desktop replacement, and was very pleased with the laptop, so when I needed a much more portable one, I ended up feeling confident that ASUS could provide a smaller package that I would like as well.First, this little laptop has a display resolution of 1366x768, which is quite good on an eleven inch screen. For movie watching and doing up spreadsheets and Visio diagrams, you get enough information on the screen at once without having pixels so small as to be difficult to see.
I can verify that it supports 16GB of RAM. I put in Micron Crucial 16GB kit (8GBx2), 204Pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 memory module [Crucial PN: CT2KIT102464BF1339] and it pushed the Windows Experience Index for the RAM from 5.9 to 7.5. Of course, the actual performance increase going from the stock 4GB up to 16GB is monstrous. You will see a decrease in battery life if you quadruple your memory for me, it's about an hour less than the stock battery life (which, at 5-6 hours, is impressive for a fully featured laptop) though I tend to have quite a few programs open at once. If you use your RAM more lightly, you might not see as much of a decrease. Also, the key board is much better than the ASUS keyboard on their Republic of Gamers laptops, which are notorious for missing keystrokes. I haven't had that problem on this laptop at all.
I'm a casual gamer in my free time, and this little laptop, with the 16GB RAM upgrade I threw in it, can play Skyrim and The Witcher 2 quite cleanly with no problems. The dedicated video card probably isn't up to the task of producing full 1920x1080 resolution in video games, but scaled down to fit the screen at 1366x768, it's plenty powerful.
Finally, the main reason I wanted to get a more portable laptop was that for my job I need to run around and connect to routers and switches and modems and the like. This laptop has the USB ports to spare for the connections I need, and can also quite admirably serve as my presentation laptop; with a VGA out as well as HDMI, I can put up presentations on a big screen as needed. Having all this power in a tiny shell is excellent. I obviously can't comment on the long-term reliability of this laptop, but just looking inside the case to upgrade the RAM shows a clean, neatly organized, firmly constructed board, so I have high hopes.
