Review of ASUS ZenBook UX32VD - a compromise ultrabook. Ports and communications
From complex to simple. This is exactly what can be said about the development trend of ultrabooks. First, the flagship expensive models appeared, and then simplified and cheaper versions followed the beaten path. One of the most interesting options to purchase is the ASUS ZenBook UX32VD. It has a lot of features from older models: FullHD matrix, keyboard backlight, aluminum case. But at the same time, the differences are noticeable - classic HDD, thicker case, discrete graphics card from NVIDIA. Is it worth seriously thinking about purchasing such a device? Below the cut I will try to answer this question.
The box is no different from other representatives of the series; I saw the same ones in the first generation ASUS ZenBook UX31E and its descendants ASUS ZenBook UX31A. Black cardboard with an image of the device itself - that’s all the discreet content of the top cover. 
On the side panel there are three colored squares - these are the color options for the laptop, in my case - the usual silver, but for those who like to stand out, there is a champagne or even pink option. 
The appearance of the entire line of ASUS ZenBook ultrabooks is absolutely the same, which, in my opinion, will not really appeal to owners of expensive models. Still, when purchasing an expensive thing, you want to be unique in your own way, but here you end up with some kind of replica...
The delivery set was not simplified, it was still the same case-folder and two adapters for Ethernet and VGA.
Another surprise - Charger it became more, well, honestly, how kindergarten- three ASUS ultrabooks - UX31E, UX31A and UX32VD - have different chargers... There is clearly a lack of standardization. I won’t once again refer to MagSafe, it’s ASUS’s right to do what they like.
The matrix in the UX32VD is the same as in the ASUS ZenBook UX31A. Matte coating, FullHD resolution, IPS matrix. Everything is very cool, the brightness is at a high level.
The beloved stickers with logos are multiplying; an NVIDIA logo has been added with information that a GeForce GT 620M with 1 gigabyte of video memory is installed inside the UX32VD.
The location of the power button remains the same. Close again Delete key=) But an activity indicator has been added hard drive. A small LED and a hard drive icon are located opposite to the right
power buttons. It’s unlikely that the reason for the addition was the requests of hubbrowsers, but for a classic hard drive such an accessory may be useful, but still not SSD drive.
The touchpad is similar to other models in the series, has two buttons and supports multitouch. The touchpad is convenient to use; I had no difficulty positioning the cursor or pressing keys. The gestures that can be used are very similar to their counterparts for MacOS - for example, in order to minimize all windows, you need to swipe
three fingers from top to bottom.
The keyboard is island type with backlight. There are three levels of backlight adjustment and auto mode, which will select the backlight strength depending on the illumination of the workplace. The key travel is soft and pleasant, you can hardly hear any clicks when pressed, and working at night in silence you won’t resemble radio operator Kat banging on a typewriter.
The sound system was designed in collaboration with Bang&Olufsen. Watching movies and listening to music from social networks is quite possible, but music lovers will have to endure and listen to lossless on other systems.
What is inside?
| CPU | Intel Core i7 3517U (1.9 GHz, TurboBoost mode - up to 3 GHz), 2 cores, 4 MB L3 cache, NT, TDP 17 W |
| Chipset | Intel HM76 Express |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz dual channel (2 gigabytes are soldered on the board, and another 2 gigabytes are installed with a bracket memory) |
| Video card | Intel HD Graphics 4000, dynamic core frequency varies from 350 MHz to 1150 MHz NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M, graphics core frequency - 625 MHz |
| Network devices | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth |
| Storage System | HDD: Hitachi 500 Gb, SATA II, 8 Mb cache, 5400 rpm SSD: SanDisk i100, 32 Gb |
| Integrated Devices | Webcam 1.3 MPix, microphone |
| Ports for connecting devices | Three USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port, one combined audio jack (headphones and microphone), one mini port VGA, 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! youthful! Not only are there three ports, but also USB 3.0, only positive words for the manufacturer, the 3G modem can now live together with a USB receiver for the mouse and there will be one more free port.
Dismemberment. It’s a holy thing to take it apart and see how it’s all hidden there. If you look at the size of the battery, it becomes sad - after all, the consumption of the system has increased (external video drive and classic hard drive), and the dimensions of the battery have decreased.
Strange foil screens are installed on the RAM module and hard drive; this solution reminded me of the tin foil hats that protect the brains of earthlings from being scanned by alien creatures.
Network Intel card Centrino Advanced-N 6235 supports Intel technology Wireless Display
The memory module was manufactured by a company unknown to me called ASint; it can be replaced with any DDR3-1600 module up to 4 gigabytes. Thus, the maximum amount of RAM in ASUS ZenBook UX32VD
maybe 6 gigabytes.
Battery capacity 6520 mAh, supply voltage 7.4 V.
Next to the graphics core on motherboard Video memory modules are soldered.
The Intel Core i7 3517U processor belongs to the family Ivy Bridge and is made using 22 nm technology. Base frequency processor - 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 1600 MHz in dual-channel mode.
Characteristics of a discrete memory module. 
The graphics subsystem consists of two video cards: integrated into the Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor 
And discrete NVIDIA video card GeForce GT 620M. 
Storage system: classic Hitachi hard drive 500 GB. It's a little strange to see a SATA II drive in new system, besides, the rotation speed is only 5400 rpm and the cache size is 8 MB. 
For caching, a SanDisk i100 SSD with a capacity of 32 gigabytes is used. He supports SATA mode III and is unlikely to become a bottleneck in system performance, rather problems will be with his 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 boost.
High speed work hard The drive can't boast, it's a platitude, but the SSD is significantly faster.
Traditional performance comparison by version Microsoft - weak spots- hard drive and RAM. For comparison, my work ASUS ZenBook UX31A has a hard drive rating of 7.9.
The results of PC Mark 7 and PC Mark Vantage are not super impressive. Despite the presence of discrete video, it is not possible to lead, the reason is that same SSD. Still, modern tests are strongly tied to the speed of the data storage system.
And here comes the saddest moment... Reducing the battery and the additional load affected the operating time quite significantly. The synthetic PowerMark test suggests that the ASUS ZenBook UX32VD will last only 2 hours during operation. A similar test for the UX31A shows 3 hours 22 minutes. The reality turned out to be a little more rosy - 5 hours at minimum brightness screen, but still far from the performance of other ultrabooks.
Another not so sweet point. Temperature approaches the critical limit when working on a table and processing photographs in Adobe Photoshop The Lightroom processor warmed up to 85 degrees. To be honest, I don’t even want to imagine what it will be like to work on my knees on the road. It is unlikely that it will be pleasant and comfortable to hold such a stove.
Voice-over research in gaming tests showed the following: Diablo III in a resolution of 1920*1080 can be played with medium settings and an FPS level of about 35-40 frames. StarCraft II feels about the same, World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm (yes, I'm a Blizzard fan) just flies (medium settings, about 50 frames per second). All tests were carried out with the mains power turned on in High Performance mode.
Final thoughts.
It turned out well. There are advantages, such as more ports and discrete video, but there are disadvantages - HDD and small battery. What would I like to do: change the HDD to a 128 GB SSD, expand the battery to the free space, replace the GeForce GT 620M with a GeForce GT 640M? We are improving the cooling system (don’t skimp on copper). And then... Opportunity
increase the amount of memory, FullHD IPS matrix, keyboard backlighting - everything becomes very tasty, and in the current version - ASUS ZenBook UX32VD - another compromise... By the way, I have already noticed in retail models with the same content, but with a resolution of 1366 * 768 - this It doesn’t fit into any gates anymore. I forgot to say, the price of such a miracle with Windows 7 Pro is
2 years ago 0
Matrix!!! - simply BEAUTYFULL! Aluminum case The filling is complete stuffing, but with reservations Dimensions + weight Appearance number of usb ports keyboard backlight the keyboard itself is very pleasant and much more!
2 years ago 0
I've been using it for less than a month. Well, what can I say: 1. The image is just a joy. Very convenient to work in Sony Vegas; Photoshop, i.e. video photo editing.. 2. Soft comfortable keyboard.. 3. Small, aluminum, which allows you to put it in a small backpack/bag.. 4. The processor makes itself felt.. speed and quality.. 5. It is a “Dignity” in itself " ;)
2 years ago 0
Excellent display, very high quality. The flickering of the backlight from PWM is removed using special program(it’s strange that they didn’t do this at the factory). After this it is very comfortable for the eyes.
2 years ago 0
The only ultrabook with these characteristics, as well as the ability to upgrade -IPS FullHD matte display -High-quality case -Stylish design
2 years ago 0
Thin, beautiful, light.
2 years ago 0
Filling - design (monolith, minimalism) - dimensions, weight - screen (IPS, resolution) - keyboard - number and quality of connectors (I consider the absence of a microphone jack a plus)
2 years ago 0
Performance, ergonomics, screen resolution, viewing angles, full service center(unlike poppy)
2 years ago 0
Design, screen, compactness and autonomy, performance
2 years ago 0
Thin light hardware with the ability to increase power: 1. Awesome screen 2. Core i7 3. Fast memory 4. Metal case 5. Keyboard backlight
2 years ago 0
Everything that has already been listed: Screen, real ability to play, view, speed, convenience, 3 USB, HDMI without adapters, fast WIFI, equipment
2 years ago 0
After 1.5 months of working on it, the SSD failed, was considered defective and was replaced under warranty with a new Zenbook. This was the biggest disappointment while using it, I even thought about returning the money and buying an Apple. Here and there there are assembly flaws (irregularities in the places where parts of the case are fastened, keyboard deflections), the matrix is illuminated, but for me it is not critical. The hdd creaks a little, which I did not expect when purchasing it. Freezes still happen sometimes (I don’t play games, only office applications and the Internet).
2 years ago 0
2 years ago 0
Well, the only thing I found was that the keyboard was raised quite a bit, but these are whims :)
2 years ago 0
I got a defective one - a scratch on the display. Moreover, it was a factory defect - I didn’t check it because the laptop was completely sealed. When I opened it, a surprise awaited me. In the end it turned out that it was not a scratch, but dirt. Cleaned it with a napkin after pressing hard enough. In addition, it turned out that the LCD matrix was not centered in the frame. Those. The margin is too wide at the top, and the pixels at the bottom extend beyond the frame. It's sad that a top product has such significant assembly defects. High price means low build quality.
2 years ago 0
This is the first time I post anywhere, I just can’t ignore it.
I bought ASUS Zenbook UX32VD through Yandex.Market in a well-known salon on new year holidays. Well, I think, cool, I’ll just go to negotiations with him and have pure pleasure. It's small, light, fast, and so on.
I was disappointed immediately after the mega thoughtful 1.5 minute Windows boot 7. Further, if a dozen browser windows were open at the same time, my “hero” crashed Windows, with blue screens indicating a critical system overload.
I probably should have immediately run back to the store and returned the ultrabook to hell back then. But history does not tolerate subjunctive moods. Besides, it's busy again...
This is not my “happiness of owning a dream ultrabook”
2 years ago 0
What immediately catches your eye:
- Windows installed on a hard drive with an SSD, as a result - problems with the hardware (more details in the comments)
- unfinished multi-touch on the touchpad: scrolling with two fingers somehow scrolls too quickly (waiting for new drivers)
And two subtle but unpleasant remarks:
- the lid is already starting to creak, and the plastic part securing the lid is moving left and right
- yes, there are gaps on the black screen and the keyboard bends SLIGHTLY in the center
2 years ago 0
Assembly is worse macbook air, the screen is not as bright as on a macbook air, the hard drive, the keyboard flexes, but not much, the touchpad is worse than on a mac
2 years ago 0
Well, I don’t know.. Probably the gaps in the case at the bottom could be neater. And the software is crude.
2 years ago 0
1. No SSD option
2. Indistinct touch - but the problem is software
3. You can’t put it on your stomach, because will cut)))
2 years ago 0
No SSD
A bunch of pre-installed software
THE MATRIX IS FLICKERING! My eyes get tired.
ASUS recently introduced the Prime Zenbook UX31A ultrabook, which can be called one of the most competitive offerings in this segment, but it is not cheap. New for the mass consumer ASUS model UX32A promises to be no less interesting. You also get an IPS panel in a compact body. Despite the lower price, ASUS was even able to install a discrete GPU. In our review we will see whether ASUS managed to create a new interesting solution based on the ultrabook recipe.
ASUS's Zenbook line has proven to be quite successful since its announcement last year, which is in no small part due to the company's attempts to integrate one or another additional function to your ultrabooks. If the first Zenbook UX31E was not pleasing with its low contrast display, the new one immediately impressed us with its high-quality Full-HD panel on IPS technology, although many competitors still only offer 1366 x 768 panels. The same panel is used in the UX32VD, so our expectations were quite high.
Along with the release of new Ivy processors Bridge ASUS has decided to introduce a second 13-inch model to the market. If you thought that the UX32 would be the successor to the UX31, then you were mistaken: ASUS decided to differentiate the two lines. New model ASUS Zenbook UX32VD costs a little less than Zenbook Prime UX31A, but this is not so much a “budget” model in the Zenbook family, but rather a slightly different approach to ultrabooks. The case has become a little thicker, but the manufacturer, despite its compact dimensions, managed to accommodate discrete graphics core GeForce GT 620M. On the other hand, it was decided to abandon SSD, which is no longer so pleasing.
Problem solved
Advantages: 1) Screen. Full HD IPS matrix, matte finish, uniform brightness of 350 nits, contrast 1000:1, color gamut 99% sRGB and good factory calibration. You can work anywhere, even in direct sunlight. +fine grain, another plus when editing photos (and evaluating the result). 2) Ergonomics. Comfortable backlit keyboard, good set of ports, convenient touchpad, although I use the mouse more often. 3) Productivity. For 13 inches and one and a half kilograms, this is just a fairy tale. The system's responsiveness is excellent. In Adobe's editors, a discrete 620M is connected for calculations, and in games it also works with a bang. 4) Sound. In general, it is good, but for 13" it is magical. A little further details. 5) Value for money. I bought it at the end of June for 45,000 + a bag as a gift. Absolutely reasonable price for such a device. In general, we can talk for a long time about the advantages, since there are very, very many of them. I will pay more attention to the details that need to be finalized to make the device perfect. Disadvantages: 1) Here the hard game comes first. The responsiveness of the system and the speed of working with hybrid storage are super, like all everyday work, study, and games, but the hard drive itself is the bottleneck of the system. When copying large quantity he quickly gets overwhelmed with files and asks to be left alone until he finishes the work. Moreover, it has built-in shock protection, it slows down in case of danger - and when playing music through VLC with settings for quality and power (and 135+%), it is slowly activated. The trick is that the best sound of the beech will only be if it is used when listening exclusively to music. 2) Relatively strong heating of the bottom in games, but in them it is always on the table - so it is not critical. 3) Life on battery. Good autonomy requires reasonable use and settings - it is advisable to use a 1 GHZ/13W TDP limiter in surfing and/or typewriter mode and limit the brightness to 2-3 steps from the minimum. Then it turns out 6.5-7 real hours office applications, and 5-5.5 hours of surfing. 4) Screen resolution. You need to adjust the scale - 150% scale in Windows, 125 or 150% (if you want) in Chrome and manual adjustment in which applications are needed - then everything becomes great. Comment: In addition to the + and -: the UX32VD loves to be treated well. Not in terms of caution and blowing away specks of dust - in terms of order on the beech. Only then will he fully reveal his considerable potential. To begin with, you should clean out the Asus utilities, leave USB 3 Charger+, Wireless Console, Power4Gear and LifeFrame for the camera, and ATK-ACPI - the rest is not needed. Then - disk defragmentation, deletion unnecessary applications from startup, cleaning and defragmenting the registry. After all these procedures, my book boots with a standard HDD+SSD in 26-28 seconds (from pressing “On” until the desktop appears with a working Internet), loading gadgets takes another 4-5 seconds. For better sound I recommend VLC player with a manually configured equalizer, for good behavior of coolers in games - drivers for 620M from offsite ASUS (not NVidia!), they optimize TDP. And for quiet operation of coolers when surfing/video/item, I recommend the Quiet Office mode with manually set TDP settings of 1.9 GHz/19 watts with limitation maximum load(P4G) at 90%. And once every 3 months, manually unscrew it using a Torx T5 screwdriver and clean the coolers.
ASUS has also achieved significant success in the ultrabook market, releasing the first ultra-thin laptops in the ZENBOOK line about a year ago. The pioneers were ASUS ZENBOOK Prime UX31E and UX21E, which quickly won the sympathy of the public. Of course, the company did not stop there, continuing to improve in this direction.
So, one of the interesting options for purchasing on this moment is an ultrabook ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD, it inherited many characteristics from previous models line ZENBOOK, although it also has innovations. Let's take a look at the ZENBOOK UX32VD (UX32VD-R4002H) and try to understand what's what.
Specifications
| CPU: | Intel Core i7-3517U 1900 MHz |
| RAM: | 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz |
| Data storage: | 500 GB HDD, 24 GB SSD |
| Display: | 13.3" 1920x1080 Full HD LED IPS, matte |
| Video card: | Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M |
| Wireless connection: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Audio: | Bang&Olufsen ICEpower, 2 speakers |
| Interfaces: | 3xUSB 3.0, mini-VGA, HDMI, SD/MMC/SDHC card reader, combined audio jack |
| Additionally: | HD webcam |
| Battery: | 6-cell lithium-polymer 6520 mAh |
| Dimensions, weight: | 325x223x5.5~18, 1.45 kg |
| Operating system: | Windows 7 Pro |
| Equipment: | UX32VD-R4002H |
Contents of delivery
Along with the ultrabook you will receive pleasant and necessary accessories: a brown textile case made of thick material. The kit also includes two adapters from mini-VGA to VGA and from USB to Ethernet (RJ-45), and, of course, a charger.Design
Externally, the ultrabook turned out to be very interesting. The build quality is simply excellent. ASUS case ZENBOOK UX32VD is made of aluminum, making the laptop quite light, but at the same time durable. The edges of the ultrabook are rounded, which gives it a neat appearance. The concentric pattern on the lid looks very stylish. Right in the middle is the company logo, made of chromed metal.
There are four rubber feet on the bottom that prevent the ultrabook from sliding on a smooth or inclined surface. There is also a ventilation grille on it. Note that there is no separate compartment on the back for access to the main components, so to replace them you will need to remove the entire back cover. Thanks to a special protrusion on the front end, you can open the cover of the ultrabook easily and quickly, even with one hand.
The dimensions of ZENBOOK UX32VD were as follows: 325x223x5.5~18 mm, and the weight was 1.45 kg.
Display, sound and webcam
The edging of the ultrabook display is made of matte plastic. The 13.3-inch IPS screen with anti-glare coating has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The viewing angles are large thanks to IPS technology. The brightness of the screen was also pleasing and amounted to 350 cd/m², the saturation of transmitted colors was top level. It is worth noting that a model with a TN display and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels is also available.
Sound output is carried out thanks to two built-in speakers located on the side ends and the Bang&Olufsen ICEpower audio system. The sound is clear and balanced, and most importantly loud enough for an ultrabook.
The webcam is located above the display, and is perfect for video conferencing. It also allows you to take photos and record videos. You can see a built-in microphone next to the camera.
Keyboard and touchpad
The island-style keyboard has adjustable LED backlight, the layout of the keys is quite standard. They are made of black matte plastic. The only thing worth noting is the unusual location of the power button - in the upper right corner next to the Delete key. A hard drive activity indicator (LED and corresponding icon) was placed nearby.
The touchpad in the UX32VD is quite large; it is combined with two control buttons. Touchpad It has an almost perfect surface, provides smooth and precise control, and also supports multi-touch gestures.
Performance
The ultrabook is equipped with an energy-efficient dual-core Intel processor Core i7-3517U with a frequency of 1.9 GHz, but thanks to support for Turbo Boost technology it can be increased to 3 GHz. The processor is capable of simultaneously processing up to four data streams. The Intel Core i7-3517U is built using a 22 nm process technology and has a 4 MB cache memory. It should be mentioned that this laptop also available with a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5-3317U processor.
ZENBOOK UX32VD has both built-in Intel video card HD Graphics 4000 and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M with 1 GB of video memory. The presence of the latter has become one of the main advantages of the device, because it is not at all easy to fit a powerful video card into an ultra-thin laptop. Now you can also play quite demanding games on it.
The ultrabook uses 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz RAM. Supports both hard drive (500 GB) and solid state drive(24 GB) has also become a feature of this ultra-thin laptop. ZENBOOK UX32VD runs operating system Windows 7 Pro, but can also run on the new Windows 8 OS.
Ports and communications
A wide variety of interfaces has also become an advantage for the ZENBOOK UX32VD over its competitors. On the right are two USB 3.0 ports, a charging socket, an HDMI output, a mini-VGA and a combined audio output.On the left side you can see another USB port 3.0 and a slot for SD/MMC/SDHC cards. With such a set of interfaces, we can safely say that there are no problems with moving information to external storage and displaying the image, for example, on home cinema will not be.
As mentioned above, the manufacturer included adapters from mini-VGA to VGA connector and from USB to RJ-45 in the package, which will make your life even easier.
TO wireless capabilities This includes Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.
Battery
ZENBOOK UX32VD is equipped with a 6-section lithium polymer battery capacity 6520 mAh. Time battery life ultrabook is 7 hours, which is very good indicator. It should be noted that waking up the laptop from sleep mode takes only a few seconds, and in sleep mode it can work for up to two weeks without recharging.Conclusion
Despite the fact that the ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD is not the thinnest and lightest, perhaps someone would even want to argue that this laptop belongs to ultrabooks, but still the presence of a discrete card, hard drive and solid-state drive compensates for the rather large dimensions of the ultrabook. The undoubted advantage of this model is also the 13-inch IPS screen with Full HD resolution. And the quantity available interfaces can be the envy of any other ultrabook.In addition, discreet, but stylish design will perfectly emphasize the individuality of its owner. ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD can be confidently called a stylish and powerful device that combines everything latest achievements in the world of computer technology.