Asus Zenbook: UX31A or UX32A? Comments?
 

Looking to get a cheap ultrabook and I sort of narrowed it down to the asus zenbook after looking at most of them in-person

Right now I am kind of debating between the UX31A-DH51 and UX32A-DH51 (Both "on sale" at NCIX for $999 and $899)
ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A-DH51 Intel Core i5 3317U 4GB 128GB SSD 13.3IN BT Widi Windows 8 Ultrabook
ASUS Zenbook UX32A-DH51 Intel Core i5 3317U 6GB 500GB 13.3IN Bluetooth Widi Windows 8 Ultrabook

For just $100 more the UX31a has a 1080p IPS screen, and a full 128GB SSD (compare to 768p and 24GB/500GB HD on the UX32a)...but my biggest gripe is that it only has 4GB memory...(The cheaper UX32a has 6GB)
Normally, upgrading notebook DDR3 is dirt cheap, but I think the zenbookk (UX31A/32A) has non-upgradable memory??

I've never used a 1080p screen...does it make a big difference. Is it worth the $100 extra and sacrificing the the lower ram??

I have a few friends who have the Zenbook and they swear by both, however the more "techy" of them says that with the integrated graphics or Intel 4000 or whatever it is, the 1080p screen isn't really worth the additional money, however I'd say the SSD would be worth it in terms of speed and increased reliablity and battery life, the thing is 128Gb is quite small :/

Can you upgrade SSD in zenbook?

If so I would go for the cheaper option then buy a better SSD when they go on sale.

I doubt most people can tell the difference btw 768 and 1080 at 13"...but at the end of the day it's only a $100 difference and you probably get a better resale value with the 1080p model if you decide to upgrade few years down the road

The IPS screen on the UX31A makes all the difference. It is one of the best screens on the market, and the SSD is FAST!

Spend the extra $$ and don't be disappointed with the UX32.

I was debating between the two in September, decided on getting the UX31A over the UX32. Ended up with a macbook air. :lawl:

Is 128 GB going to be enough space for you that's the main question you should be asking yourself.

I'm using the UX31A. The 1080p IPS screen is amazing compared to a regular 1366x768. Zenbook UX31A is capped at 4gb because it's soldered on to conserve space. The UX32 with the regular spinny hard drive is upgradable in both HDD and RAM. If I were to do it again I'd get the UX32 1080IPS with Nvidia card which gives you the best of both worlds:

ASUS Zenbook UX32VD-DH71 Intel Core i7 3517U 6G 500G 24G SSD GT620M 13.3IN Widi Windows 8 Ultrabook

thanks for input!

The 128GB will be enough for me..(I have been using a 128GB SSD on my x201 for 2 years w/o any problem)

Exactly how much nicer is the UX31A screen? I went instore to check it out last time and they don't look too different...everything looks smaller lol..but then I was only looking at the window background because there is no photos inside.


I am definitely happy to pay $100 more to get the nicer screen and SSD, but I am just concerned about the non-upgrable 4GB ram especially on window 8...
I actually found a noticable speed improvement when I upgrade my thinkpad from 4GB to 8GB ram using window7


I wonder why asus decide to put only 4GB ram on a supposedly "high-end" ultrabook tho...
Even a $350 budget notebook I brought last month has 6GB ram...

If needed...how difficult would it be to replace the UX31A memory if I am adventurous enough to open up the laptop and work with a solder...? :badpokerface:

The UX31 screen is much nicer. You should also know that in addition to the higher res screen it's also IPS screen meaning the colours and viewing angles will be way better. But if this isn't important you might be able to forgo it.

The ram is soldered by precision machinery. It'd be pretty damn hard to do it by hand. I wouldn't even suggest it.

I recently bought the UX32VD that !MiKrofT posted and the screen is definitely much better then your average screen, although i do notice a bit of back light bleeding on the sides under certain conditions

I didn't realize 768p was of lower quality panel....then IPS + higher res + 128 SSD is definitely worth the extra $100
I dont think you'll notice a significant difference btw 4GB vs 6 or 8GB on Win8...but I havent used a laptop in a while so take this with a grain of salt

i just picked up the ux31a from ncix and it's been great so far, definitely worth it for the price. If you want more ram and and upgrade options, however, I'd go with the ux32vd that Peturbo has. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can get a max of 10gb ram out of that machine. It is a bit thicker and more expensive though so there is a bit of a payoff.

Asus Zenbook UX31A-DH51-CA w/ Core i5-3317U, 4GB, 128GB SSD, 13.3in FHD, Win 8 64-bit at Memory Express

save yourself another $25 after price beat

The UX32VD also had to downsize the battery to fit the video card as well. If battery life is important for you, go with the UX31a.

UX31A Touch is coming out. Well, it's already out but currently exclusive at US Bestbuy