Asus UX305 - users' comments & feedback

[tottijohn]

Hooting the ux305ua soon.

U guys think it's worth the extra ~$500 for i7 512gb SSD vs i5 256gb?

 

[Chevalier]

Hooting the ux305ua soon.

U guys think it's worth the extra ~$500 for i7 512gb SSD vs i5 256gb?

what will you be using it for may i ask?

I think the i5 variant is good enough for almost any daily task, esp if its not your main machine. the SSD if i recall can be upgraded later on if you want to.

look for more ram, 8GB preferred, cos its soldered on and not user replaceable

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

Hi, need a lightweight laptop for school ,office , web browsing and travelling (Not into gaming)

Is Asus ux305LA-FC002T selling it at best denki for $1098 a good buy? The spec shown is a 5th gen i5 models which comes with 4gb ram and 128gb. Weight is 1.3kg. I prefer the newer gen that come with 8gb ram with 256gb SSD but i am not sure what is the lowest price can get now. (Both model is selling at sitex nov 2015 for $1398)

Another shortlisted is K401UB-FR004T
Slighly heavier at 1.65kg. But a newer 6th gen i7 processor. Selling at promotion price $1198 with standard free gifts

If not heavy user, then 4GB RAM is enough.... and the Core M is also enough.

 

[tottijohn]

what will you be using it for may i ask?

I think the i5 variant is good enough for almost any daily task, esp if its not your main machine. the SSD if i recall can be upgraded later on if you want to.

look for more ram, 8GB preferred, cos its soldered on and not user replaceable

Biz, wamp stack, android studio, visual studio, python, photoshop etc. Nothing too cpu intensive and the i7 is dual core only, so i5 should be sufficient.

Down the road, do i need to replace the original hdd to a bigger one, or can i add on to the existing 256gb?

 

[youhsueh]

Biz, wamp stack, android studio, visual studio, python, photoshop etc. Nothing too cpu intensive and the i7 is dual core only, so i5 should be sufficient.

Down the road, do i need to replace the original hdd to a bigger one, or can i add on to the existing 256gb?

The UX305CA SSD is upgradable. Do note that it's using a M.2 SATA slot rather than the conventional 2.5" slot.

On the side note: I am considering the UX303UB rather than UX305CA. It comes with 1x RAM slot (4GB stick; the other 4GB is soldered on the motherboard) and 1x 2.5" HD slot. It also comes with Dedicated Graphic Cards: GTX980M [which may help for Photoshop]. Probably another choice you can decide?

 

[tottijohn]

The UX305CA SSD is upgradable. Do note that it's using a M.2 SATA slot rather than the conventional 2.5" slot.

On the side note: I am considering the UX303UB rather than UX305CA. It comes with 1x RAM slot (4GB stick; the other 4GB is soldered on the motherboard) and 1x 2.5" HD slot. It also comes with Dedicated Graphic Cards: GTX980M [which may help for Photoshop]. Probably another choice you can decide?

Photoshop doesn't require much GPU.
I would be able to increase the ram to 16gb on UX303UB but the battery life is leaning me towards UX305UA.

More decisions now!

 

[skyangel91]

Which one u all prefer?

UX305CA or HP Spectre x360 ?

I fee the UX305CA the screen is not as good as HP one.

 

[Rock-kun]

There is very little use for a dGPU nowadays in a notebook.

Hardware acceleration of the desktop environment can be more than adequately handled by the iGPU, and most typical productivity tools like Office do not even use the dGPU. Even video editors like Premiere and Vegas are CPU bound most of the time.

In addition, having both onboard + dGPU = eat more battery. Even if Optimus is active, the dGPU still consumes a little bit of power while standing by for Windows to open the communications path to it for more demanding tasks. And if you are buying the Zenbook to run an alternative OS like Linux (to date, the newer UX305 is sorta working in Linux; the trackpad isn't though), the dGPU is always on at maximum draw, which = lots more heat + more battery consumed.

I'd say just go with the UX305 and its iGPU. Choose the best possible processor suitable for your needs (either the i7-6500U - don't bother with the Broadwell ones anymore, or the m7-6Y75 for the light users).

 

[blue2509]

Hi, am considering this model and the asus K401UB as there is a dedicated graphics card+ HDD & SSD. Anyone has any views on this pls?

UX305 looked really good on paper but when I saw the actual unit, I find the casing on the screen a little flimsy and it seems to "emit" electricity... Anyone that has bought this that faces an issue?

Thanks!

 

[the_dog]

The static charge seems to be a "standard" Asus feature on many models.....I had it on my UX302, and now I have it on my UX303. Noticed it is more pronounced when the notebook is resting on say a glass surface than on a wooden one.

 

[tottijohn]

Went down to SLS to get pricing for UX305UA. Pretty standard across:
i5-6200U, 8gb ram, 256gb SSD - $1398
i7-6500U, 8gb ram, 512gb SSD - $1898

There is a promotion for UX303LN, 5th gen i7, 8gb ram, 1tb HDD, touchscreen for $1490.

Might get it from Challenger or Harvey Norman cos at least can use credit card to earn some points, and hopefully more freebies.

 

[youhsueh]

Photoshop doesn't require much GPU.
I would be able to increase the ram to 16gb on UX303UB but the battery life is leaning me towards UX305UA.

More decisions now!

True. But I do recall some software which taps on the dGPU to accelerate on the rendering.

dGPU may be also good for some gaming on-the-go? Just a mere suggestion. Though I agree that the battery life would be reduced!

Btw, just a heads up, the RAM slot is only able to accommodate maximum a 8GB stick (confirmed by Asus rep over their FB page). So that'll be 8GB (stick) + 4GB (soldered onboard) = total of 12GB RAM rather than 16GB.

 

[jason910]

There is no backlight keyboard for the UX305 model right?

 

[pchltws]

There is no backlight keyboard for the UX305 model right?

That is why I didn't buy this laptop.

 

[jason910]

That is why I didn't buy this laptop.

Ok thanks lol. I will skip this model then.

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

Why do you need keyboard back light? Do you work in darkness?

 

[jason910]

Yes. At times I do work in the dark after my Wife is asleep. Apparently we r still staying with my parents. I got the UX303 full SSD version at Harvey Norman at 1698.

 

[Rock-kun]

Yes. At times I do work in the dark after my Wife is asleep. Apparently we r still staying with my parents. I got the UX303 full SSD version at Harvey Norman at 1698.

a $10 USB LED lamp would have done the job and not disturb the wife.

 

[NsR]

should i get the $599 one or the latest M core one for $699 us in microsoft store? Difference is only the M core rest of specs the same.

 

[jason910]

That's probably in ur case. The slightest light of sound would have woken her up. There r some who are very light sleeper. I prefer having things in one rather den adding on. Personal preference though.

a $10 USB LED lamp would have done the job and not disturb the wife.