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Received this product this past week. Quick review of my current computers, 1) 10 inch Acer Netbook 2) 17" Dell(8.8lbs) laptop 3) Large desktop, not OEM, based on Asus Motherboard, 3770k and GTX 680sc with an Asus 3D monitor. This new ultrabook is intended to be used as a replacement for my current netbook and laptop. As stated above, at home I have a very powerful desktop that I use for my hobby which is photography and astronomy. So most of my uses for this computer will be for browsing the internet, minor photo editing while traveling, and to be used for controlling my telescope operations including tracking, picture taking and their temporary storage. I stated my current computers only to show what my expectations are for my new ultrabook. If it were to be my only computer used for the purposes as I stated here, I would not buy an Ultra book computer I would purchase an advanced laptop.
When preparing for the purchase I reviewed just about all of the 13.3 and 14 ultra books sold by Amazon. I reduced my choices to Acer, Sony and Asus. I think you cannot go wrong with any of these three ultra books so it boils down to what my use will be for a portable/lightweight computer versus cost.
Size was my first requirement! As you can see I have been using both a small netbook and a large laptop. My eyes are not liking the screen on the 10" and my legs and back are not liking the weight of the 17.3" laptop so those sizes are out. So the choice comes down to the 13.3, the 14 or the 15.6. I immediately threw out the 15.6 even though they now are much lighter than my 17.3, but the footprint was too large for me. In deciding between the 13.3 and the 14, I considered for my use, that the very little difference in weight between the two Touch ultra books led me to decide on the larger (less than 1/2 my current laptop's weight) versions of the products.
Having decided on size my first choice would have been the Sony. I think, theoretically anyway, the chasis (build quality) of the Sony would be superior to the other two. So why did I not buy the Sony? In the end my decision along with size was based also on the CPU, Operating System, Hard Drive/SSD, keyboard and my budget, or as some would say "Bang for Your Buck".
On CPUs, it would have been nice to have a generation 4, but the premium on a current generation 4 was price prohibitive for me. So the choices boiled down to generation 3 Intel processors. One being a slower i7, Variations of the i5 and a non hyper threaded i3. I ruled out, right or wrong, both the i7 and the i3. So the processors for me came down to the Intel i5 (hyper threaded) 3317 and the 3337. I opted for the newer Q1 2013 release version, Intel i5 3337.
Hard Drives. In juggling cost and performance I decided that I wanted the old school hard drive and the new school SSD combo for start up and browsing speed. As for hard drives and their effect on my choice, I considered it a non-factor as all three manufacturers offered the same technology and size which I preferred.
Keyboard was my second to last consideration. I was not totally happy with my Acer netbook keyboard and since the only manufacturer that stated the keyboard used was Asus, right or wrong I gave the edge there to the them. It is unfortunate that I do not have a supplier close enough to me to do an in store assessment, but unfortunately I do not.
So my ultimate decision on buying the ASUS is based on the Bang for Your Buck (value) assessment, my recent history with their motherboards and monitors and Amazon being the supplier. I know if I really fouled up on my decision, Amazon would in some way bail me out.
So in the end did I make the right decision? So far, and emphatic YES would be the answer. I would also answer that the claims for start up time/sleep times as stated were fairly accurate. Actually start up was superior to my desktop which uses a Samsung 256GB SSD for start/operating system storage, which did surprise me. The screen although not an "Ultra High" high definition monitor, it does do it's job in the 14" format. I do not think it would be as acceptable for me in the 15.6" or 17.3". I have not seen the problem someone else stated about the intensity-brightness of the monitor. It is plenty bright for me in the "Balance or Power4gear High Performance" settings. The keyboard was as advertised with a good, properly placed home key dimples on the F and J keys which is important for me on a non back lit keyboard. It has a good feel to it with a nice emphatic stroke. As most keypads are, it is sensitive and from time to time I go somewhere that I did not intend to go. I have not had a touch screen before so I consider myself in a learning mode. My biggest problem on the touch screen and for that mater the computer, is Windows 8. After years of use of XP and Windows 7 I feel lost a lot of the time. Without a start button, at first I even had problems shutting down the computer properly. I hope that as others have stated, it takes a while getting used to Windows 8. I only hope they are right. On battery life, I have not achieved their approximate 5 hour run time, yet. Am currently cycling from full charge to zero charge several times to cycle the battery for optimum performance, then I will run a test to see what I should expect for cycle time in the future. As far as the onboard fan and the heating up of the bottom of the ultra-book, I can barely hear the fan come on in a totally quiet room. Others have noted that units from Asus' competitors have fans being offensively loud. On the heating up of the cabinet. Compared to my laptop and netbook the heat on the bottom is very tolerable. I can sit it on my legs for hours without fear of burning my legs. Almost no heat up at all. The actual weight of the computer as measured on my kitchen scale was 4 pounds 2 1/4 ounces.
Sorry for the long windedness of my statement here. If you have specific questions about this ultrabook please post here and I will do my best to give you the answer you seek.
8/19/13 Update. The battery cycling that I tried did not increase the time of use between charges. I would use 3.5 hours when planning use. Of course the operating time is greatly dependent on the power settings you use.
For those who are interested in the Windows Experience numbers. Below is the best numbers I have achieved by maximizing the power for performance.
Processor-6.9
Memory/Ram-7.4
Graphics-5.5
Gaming Graphics-6.4
Primary Hard Disk-6.6
9/12/13 Update. A couple of weeks ago I increased the RAM from 6GB to 8GB(maximum allowable). I really cannot tell any appreciable difference in performance during normal use. However I have not tried any photo/video editing or some obscene amount of open windows, at least not yet. On the Windows Experience, the only change was a 0.1 increase in the Graphics Number.
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This is my fourth ASUS product (the most recent purchase before this one was the G74SX gaming/desktop replacement laptop), and I've generally been happy with them. This is my first touch-screen enabled unit, something I was only mildly interested in but I actually quite like (though I'm hoping Windows 8.1 brings some much needed improvements to the currently somewhat incoherent user experience).PROS:
The body of the laptop is made of either a light aluminum or a very strong plastic; it feels really solid, and doesn't flex or creak at all, no matter how you hold it.
It's whisper quiet, even under load. I occasionally hear the fan whir up, but it's the difference between dead silence, and the kind of sound you have to stop breathing to hear.
Windows installed on the SSD is glorious; it boots and resumes very quickly!
The keyboard is very well spaced; I have sausage fingers, so the chicklet keys with about 2-3mm of space between them is pretty easy for me to type on. (I'd read other reviews complaining about the keyboard, so I didn't expect much, but it's actually rather good, at least for me. I can sustain about 70-80WPM on it, and am typing this review with it right now.)
The touchpad isn't made of glass like on the MacBook series, but it's almost as smooth. It's actually quite big and really nice to use. The button clicks feel nice and solid, thought I prefer to tap instead of click, so I don't use the button part of the pad much. YMMV there.
The body is pretty thin (not MacBook Air thin, but not MacBook Air *priced* either!), and the black/charcoal on silver scheme is pretty sweet looking, kinda Star Trek-ey.
The power adapter, yes! It resembles a slightly larger iPad charger; it's a square brick with folding plug pins instead of a separate cord, which I like. It's not very long (about 8 feet?) but it is certainly long enough. The brick is also about the same thickness as a standard plug, so it won't hog up 2 spaces like a wall-wart. There's also a velcro strap to keep it all neat, which is nice!
Performance wise, I haven't noticed any lag, excessive wait times, or anything not working right. It's zippy, and while it's no gaming machine, it does what it does really well!
CONS
The only thing I can say I'm not a huge fan of right now is the weight. It's not a large laptop (it's not tiny either, but I digress), so it seems like it should weigh a little less; I think the touchscreen adds a bit of bulk (glass instead of plastic), but it's an okay trade
off. It's not EXTREMELY heavy, just a bit unexpectedly so. Not a deal breaker unless you plan on walking around with it in one hand while typing with the other.
Overall, I'm really happy with this as my "traveling" machine. Solid, well built, performs well, and, oh! Surprise surprise... the most minimal amount of crapware I've every seen in a new laptop! I literally uninstalled one thing: McAfee Internet Security. That's it. (Windows 8 comes with Defender, which is actually a beefed-up version of the old Microsoft Security Essentials, and has the same user interface. No need to buy any more AV stuff as it does the job just fine, especially because I work in Network Security, and thus have a bit keener of an eye toward malware and other threats :)
If you're on the fence, don't be. It's a great little lappy.
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Just got my new Asus notebook and I am pleasantly surprised. It seems to be as well crafted as an Apple MacBook Pro (for 1/3 the price) and while I'm still getting used to Windows 8, I'm not hating it so far, though it will take some getting used to. Fortunately, the desktop icon gets you to familiar Windows 7 turf. Unfortunately, getting Windows XP to run in a virtual environment for some of my older software seems like an impossibility without purchasing Windows 8 Pro, as well as an XP license a major hassle that I will forgo as I can access such programs on my desktop running Windows 7.The machine is fast and for the price point, it really seems like a good buy. The touch screen is very cool, but my instincts are to use the keyboard and mouse pad both of which are responsive and have a nice feel. After lugging around an ~8 lb. Lenovo ThinkPad, this machine is going to be a lot easier on my shoulder (~4.4 lbs.).
Getting up and running went very smoothly. The machine does not have a DVD drive, but I was able to copy my MS Office 2010 and Adobe Pro discs onto a flash drive and install them off that without a hitch. Haven't attempted to install my Oracle software, which is always a bear, so I have something to look forward to.... The machine comes pre-loaded with many superfluous "Apps" a lot of which seem geared for kids, but it seems pretty easy to delete them. There are also some programs pre-installed, but not as many as I am accustomed to on new machines and they appear to be necessary for the machine's operation so I am reluctant to delete.
Haven't played with all the bells and whistles, but so far I'm pleased with my purchase.
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I'm an engineer student and I wanted a portable laptop for around a budget of $750. I got it off B&H for around $650 with free shipping and taxes. I am very happy with the purchase, the sound is loud and crisp, the touchpad/keyboard are solid, and the build of the laptop is just sexy. I would definitely compare it to an apple pro/air but just cheaper + touch screen. I'm not a heavy touch screen user but it is fun to play with sometimes.Some problems/fixes:
*I had some problems with the sound, it would stutter and buzz during songs. However, after uninstalling McAfee everything worked fine. Just use Windows Defender, its light on resources and effective.
*I tried connecting a mouse a few times, and the touchpad would turn off. After disconnecting the mouse the touchpad wouldn't turn back on (Ahhh touchscreen finally became necessary!) but turns out if you press the blue diamond button on the top right of the screen, there is an option to turn on/off the trackpad.
*If you're like me and accidently tap the touchpad a lot and it acts like a click, look in your taskbar for trackpad options and you can disable and enable all the touchpad "shortcuts"
The computer is fast, the 6gb RAM really complements the laptop well, the brightness is good and the battery life is around 3.5 hours+ (I played music then and watched a movie, so maybe a little more if lighter usage).
The webcam is 720p, the fps isn't very high but its totally fine for video calls etc.
The laptop is also quite light.
I personally did not like Windows 8, but I heard Windows 8.1 might fix a lot of the problems. *Make sure to download the desktop version of your favorite apps (chrome etc.) instead of the app version if you want to use the desktop (made a huge difference) The sleep/wake times are very fast just as advertised. The laptop stays cool and very quiet.
Cons:
The screen is glossy and reflective, I wouldn't recommend using it outside, and even inside it still reflects a little.
Fingerprints stay on the outside of the laptop and are pretty visible. I'm currently researching to find some sort of coating to avoid this. The trackpad button gives a pretty loud click, and is also very sensitive to your fingers texture, sometimes scrolling is very smooth and sometimes it is a chompy depending on the texture of your fingers at that moment. (moisturize your hands? lol)
I will update as I start using it for college. I do recommend it for someone looking for a sleek, sexy laptop that will get your basic work done, enjoy multimedia, and looking for great value. Asus is known for making their products in high quality, and they've finally mastered their element of design to make this machine run smoothly both in hardware and software.
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This laptop seems fairly solid and well made. Maybe not a macbook pro but not too far off.Seems fast enough for most tasks including watching HD video which it handles without issues (as it should given the spec)
I think it would be a great laptop for students on a budget but want something that will last.
I'm used to Dell Latitudes and IBM Thinkpads and while it's not quite up to that level of ruggedness it is better than most other laptops I've seen and held. It also weighs less than the Dells and Thinkpads I've had.
The RJ45 Ethernet jack is built into the right side and has a little flip down bottom which I suspect will be susceptible to breaking off
If I could change things:
keyboard backlight would be nice
a hardware volume control takes two fingers to change the volume
move the indicator lights to under the screen. where they are now they are blocked by my right wrist
had an options for Windows 7. Windows 8 is much worse than I expected and I didn't have high hopes to start with.
it shipped with a install CD for Windows ( not sure if anyone still does this)
UPDATE 7/30/2013: Using it outdoors today, the lack of anti-reflective coating was, not surprisingly, very noticeable. That is the trade-off with a glossy display like this one has. You get crisper text and more color pop in images but the display reflects every light in the room.
I'm still thrilled at the fast wake-up from sleep time that the machine provides.
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