ASUS ZenBook UX32VD review - a compromise ultrabook

    From complex to simple. This is exactly what can be said about the development trend of ultrabooks. First, flagship expensive models appeared, and then simplified and cheaper versions went along the beaten track. One of the most interesting purchase options is the ASUS ZenBook UX32VD. It has a lot from older models: FullHD matrix, keyboard backlight, aluminum case. But at the same time, the differences are noticeable - a classic hard drive, a thicker case, a discrete graphics card from NVIDIA. Should I seriously think about acquiring such a device? Under the cut, I will try to give an answer to this question.



    The box is no different from other representatives of the series, the same ones I saw in the first generation of the ASUS ZenBook UX31E and its descendants ASUS ZenBook UX31A. Black cardboard with the image of the device itself - that's all the discreet filling of the top cover.


    On the side panel, three colored squares are options for the color performance of the laptop, in my case - the usual silver, but for lovers the option of champagne or even pink is offered.


    The appearance of the entire line of ASUS ZenBook ultrabooks is exactly the same, which, in my opinion, is not very pleasant for owners of expensive models. Nevertheless, when you buy an expensive thing, you want to be unique in your own way, but here you get some kind of replica ... We



    did not simplify the delivery set, all the same, a folder cover and two adapters for Ethernet and VGA.



    Another surprise - the charger has become larger, well, the chessboard is like a kindergarten - the three ASUS ultrabooks - UX31E, UX31A and UX32VD - have different charges ... There is clearly not enough standardization. I will not once again refer to MagSafe, this is the right of ASUS to do what they like.



    The matrix in the UX32VD is the same as in the ASUS ZenBook UX31A. Matte surface, FullHD resolution, IPS matrix. Everything is very cool, the brightness is at a high level.

    My beloved logo stickers are breeding, the NVIDIA logo was added with information that the GeForce GT 620M is installed inside the UX32VD with 1 gigabyte of video memory.



    The location of the power button remains the same. Again, next to the Delete key =) But the indicator of hard disk activity was added. A small LED and a hard drive icon are located opposite to the right
    power buttons. It is unlikely that the reason for the addition was the request of habrayuzers, but for a classic hard drive such an accessory may come in handy, but not an SSD drive.



    The touchpad is similar to other models from the series, has two buttons and supports multitouch. Using the touchpad is convenient, I did not have any difficulties when positioning the cursor or when pressing the keys. Gestures that can be used are very reminiscent of counterparts for MacOS - for example, to minimize all windows, you need to hold
    three fingers from top to bottom.



    The keyboard is used island type with backlight. There are three levels of backlight adjustment and automatic mode, which will choose the power of the backlight depending on the illumination of the workplace. The key travel is soft and pleasant, there are almost no clicks when pressed, and working at night in silence you will not remind the radio operator Kat, knocking on a typewriter.



    The sound system was designed with the participation of Bang & Olufsen. Watching movies and listening to music from social networks is quite possible, music lovers will have to endure and listen to lossless on other systems.



    What's inside?


    CPUIntel Core i7 3517U (1.9 GHz, in TurboBoost mode - up to
    3 GHz), 2 cores, L3 cache 4 MB, NT,
    TDP 17 W
    ChipsetIntel HM76 Express
    RAM4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz in dual channel mode
    (2 gigabytes are soldered on the board, and 2 gigabytes are installed with a
    memory bar )
    Video cardIntel HD Graphics 4000, the core frequency is dynamically
    changed from 350 MHz to 1150 MHz
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M, the frequency of the graphic core is 625 MHz
    Network devices Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth
    Storage SystemHDD: Hitachi 500 Gb, SATA II, 8 Mb cache, 5400 rpm
    SSD: SanDisk i100, 32 Gb
    Integrated devices Webcam 1.3 MP, microphone
    Ports for connecting devicesThree USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port,
    one
    combo audio jack (headphone and microphone), one mini
    VGA port , SDXC / SDHC / SD / MMC card reader
    Display 13.3 ", resolution 1920 * 1080, IPS, matte
    Battery  Li-Ion, 6520 mAh
    Weight 1.45 kg


     Three USB 3.0 ports - cool! fashionable! youth! Not only are there three ports, so is USB 3.0, only positive words about the manufacturer, the 3G modem can now live with a USB receiver for the mouse and there will be one more free port.





    Dismembered. The sacred thing is to disassemble and see how it all hid there. If you look at the size of the battery, it becomes sad - after all, the consumption of the system has increased (external vidyaha and classic hard), and the dimensions of the battery have decreased.





    Strange foil screens are installed on the RAM module and the hard drive; this solution reminded me of the foil caps that protect the brain of humans from being scanned by alien creatures.





    Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 Network Card Supports Intel Wireless Display Technology



    The memory module was made by an unknown company ASint; replacement can be made with any DDR3-1600 module with a capacity of up to 4 gigabytes. Thus, the maximum amount of RAM in the ASUS ZenBook UX32VD
    can be 6 gigabytes.



    The battery capacity is 6520 mAh, the supply voltage is 7.4 V.



    Next to the graphic core on the motherboard are the video memory modules.



    The Intel Core i7 3517U processor belongs to the Ivy Bridge family and is made using 22 nm technology. The base frequency of the processor is 1900 MHz (19 * 100), in TurboBoost mode the multiplier can rise to 30, and the frequency of one of the cores will be equal to 3000 MHz.







    RAM operates at a frequency of 1600 MHz in dual channel mode.



    Characteristics of a discrete memory module.


    The graphics subsystem consists of two video cards: integrated into the processor Intel HD Graphics 4000


    and a discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M.


    Storage system: 500 GB classic Hitachi hard drive. It’s a little strange to see a SATA II disk in the new system, in addition, the rotation speed is only 5400 rpm and the cache size is 8 MB.


    For caching, a 32 gigabyte SanDisk i100 SSD is used. It supports SATA III mode and is unlikely to become a bottleneck in system performance; rather, problems will be with its partner.



    The speed of working with memory is at a high level, the new controller in Ivy Bridge processors is faster than the previous generation, and the frequency of the RAM gives an additional impulse.



    A hard drive can’t boast high speed, a commonplace, but an SSD is much faster.



    The traditional comparison of performance according to Microsoft is the weaknesses - hard disk and RAM. For comparison, my working ASUS ZenBook UX31A has a score of 7.9 per hard drive.



    The results of PC Mark 7 and PC Mark Vantage do not produce super impressions. Despite the presence of discrete video, it is not possible to lead, the reason is the SSD itself. Nevertheless, modern tests are strongly tied to the speed of the storage system.





    And here is the saddest moment ... The decrease in battery and additional load affected the operating time very significantly. The synthetic PowerMark test says that ASUS ZenBook UX32VD will last only 2 hours at work. A similar test with the UX31A shows 3 hours 22 minutes. The reality turned out to be a little more rosy - 5 hours with a minimum screen brightness, but still far from the performance of other ultrabooks.



    Another not the sweetest fad. The temperature regime is approaching a critical limit, when working on a table and processing photos in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, the processor warmed up to 85 degrees. Honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what will happen when I work on my knees on the road. It is unlikely that it will be pleasant and comfortable to hold such a stove.



    The off-screen studies in game tests showed the following: in Diablo III at a resolution of 1920 * 1080, you can play at medium settings with an FPS level of about 35-40 frames. StarCraft II feels much like World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm (yes, I'm a Blizzard fan) just flies (settings are average, about 50 frames per second). All tests were carried out with the power on in High Performance mode.

    Summary thoughts.

    It turned out pretty well. There are pros like more ports and discrete video, there are cons - HDD and a small battery. So I would like to: change the HDD to a 128 gigabyte SSD, expand the battery to free space, instead of the GeForce GT 620M we put the GeForce GT 640M? improve the cooling system (do not spare the copper). And then ... Opportunity
    increase the amount of memory, FullHD IPS matrix, keyboard backlight - everything becomes very tasty, and in the current version - ASUS ZenBook UX32VD - another compromise ... By the way, I already noticed in retail models with the same content, but with a resolution of 1366 * 768 - this no longer gets into any gates. I forgot to say that the price of such a miracle with Windows 7 Pro is 41,900 in Yulmart
    Thank you for reading the review. Next up is the Dell Inspiron 5423 with a 3G modem and a graphics card from AMD .

    Also popular now: