Asus Zenbook Ux31a Ssd Replacement

The cheapest Zen. Asus already managed to be marked by considerable success in the ultrabook market. But the UX32A-R3001V model is one of the most affordable, and, alas, we approach this review with some caution.

Design and build quality

Speaking openly, not a single ultrabook can be called outright rubbish. However, some models are in a frankly higher weight category than competitors. and Zenbook UX31A refers to just such instances.

The UX32A frame is made as a ‘sandwich’. one part is plastic, the second is a metal, valuable stuffing in the form of a motherboard and other importance is placed inside. This design is quite reliable and easy to maintain, but somewhat loses to all-metal (Unibody) frames, like the MacBook Air or Asus Zenbook UX31A / UX21A.

Despite the comparative weight (1.5 Kg), the laptop does not really make the impression of a cheap toy. Even with strong pressure, the frame does not bend. The design of the ‘polished frying pan’ looks rather brutal and is unlikely to appeal to the girls, however, there is something attractive in this.

The cover concealing access to the device’s interior is located on the bottom; it is secured with 12 Torx screws. The hard drive, RAM and the wireless network module must be replaced independently, in addition, the user should not have problems with cleaning the case from dust.

Connectors and Communications

Asus refused to use the old USB ports of the second specification, and therefore the ultrabook is equipped three USB 3.0 ports. However, the third specification is compatible with the second, because all old flash drives and mice will work without problems.

In addition to the above, the device is equipped with a multi-format card reader, output HDMI and a Mini-VGA port, to which Asus prudently puts an adapter on a full-fledged box with an ultrabook Vga.

The Intel Centrino Advanced N-6235 adapter not only allows you to create WiFi a / b / g / n and Bluetooth 4.0 connections, but also supports Intel WiDi high-definition transmission technology.

Options Ultrabook compares favorably with most competitors. In addition to the UX32A itself with a battery and a power adapter, Asus puts a leather protective carrying case and two adapters (USB → LAN, mini-VGA → VGA) in the box. Of course, without standard information booklets and a guarantee, the case also could not have done. The term of branded warranty service. 24 months from the date of acquisition of the UX32A.

Input Devices

Pretty good keyboard Unfortunately, it suffers from the drawbacks that are standard for chiplet keyboards (shallow stroke depth, insufficient recoil). At first, fingers get tired of working with such keys. But Asus was not too lazy to set the backlight to work in the dark, and we liked the size of the keys. In general, after some getting used to, typing long texts will not become a problem, however, even with the 11-inch Alienware M11x the keyboard was more convenient.

Trackpad. this is a somewhat unusual touchpad that does not have separate mouse buttons. They are, but they are built into the bottom of the trackpad, and it’s much more convenient to press them than individual clicking buttons. I must say that the spacious dimensions of the UX32A touch panel and sufficient sensitivity to multi-touch gestures have earned our positive attitude: perhaps, there is almost no significant lag behind the ideal (which has been considered the trackpad of Apple MacBook Pro laptops for several years now).

Display

To lower the cost, Asus abandoned the Full HD IPS display, which is used in the more expensive Zenbook UX32VD and UX31A. Our test model uses a 13.3-inch TN sensor with resolution 1366×768 dots and matte finish (InfoVision M133NWN1 R1 model).

Asus Zenbook Ux31a Ssd Replacement

It should be noted that Asus chose the matrix in good faith. The average brightness of the LED backlight was 250.3 cd / m2 , and this is a very good result. Such brightness can be enough even for use under sunlight, and in a room it can even be reduced.

The number of colors displayed by the screen turned out to be rather small (see comparison with the sRGB spectrum). By eye, color reproduction can be called quite natural.

By the way, the contrast (obtained by dividing the illumination by the black level) also pleasantly surprised us. 513: 1. Dark scenes in games and films look very convincing.

Viewing angles are standard for a mid-range TN matrix. You can rotate the device horizontally as you like, but in the vertical plane (especially when viewed from below) the colors are quickly distorted, and therefore it is better to try to keep a right angle.

Performance

The Zenbook UX32A is the weakest ultrabook on the Asus track record.

Theoretically, there is a model with a modern processor Core i5-3317U (1.7-2.6 GHz, HD Graphics 4000). But we did not find one on sale, so I had to be content with last year’s processor Core i3-2367M (1.4 GHz integrated graphics chip HD Graphics 3000) Unfortunately, the performance of such a bundle is enough only for the most undemanding tasks: our UX32A configuration, both in benchmarks and in personal sensations, is closer to netbooks than to full-fledged laptops. (Simply put, advice. Try to avoid obsolete hardware stuffing).

Integrated graphics in the processor, Intel HD Graphics 3000, does not stand out with special achievements. even for the most undemanding three-dimensional applications, its power may not be enough. However, some games can be launched on low or even medium graphics settings (see the table below for the results of game tests).

To store data, the test ultrabook uses a hard drive in conjunction with flash memory to cache information and speed up the system. Honestly, such decisions are difficult to classify as effective. a 500 gigabyte hard drive would be better Hitachi used to store user data, and on SanDisk i100 32GB SSD Windows 7 would feel great along with the main programs. But no, no. As a result, none other than the user suffers.