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Asus UX30

Notebook Specifications

Asus UX30Notebook: Asus UX30
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD
Display: 13.3 inch, 16:9, 1366x768 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 1.5kg
Price: 1500 euro
Average Score: 74.17% - average
Average of 6 scores (from 7 reviews)
price: 75%, performance: 80%, features: - %, display: - % mobility: - %, workmanship: - %, ergonomy: - %, emissions: - %

Reviews for the Asus UX30

70% Asus UX30 notebook
Source: Pocket Lint English

Despite the fact most other CULV laptops are selling for considerably less than the Asus UX30’s £999 price tag, it’s difficult not to be impressed by this stylish machine. Few laptops can offer such a great mix of style and quality at this price, and the compact dimensions and light weight make it a great companion for the daily commute. Look elsewhere if value for money is high on your agenda, however, and the same goes for those of you seeking a portable powerhouse.


Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/28/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
70% Asus UX30 review
Source: CNet English
The Dell Adamo is one manufacturer's attempt to offer a Windows PC alternative to Apple's svelte MacBook Air. The Asus UX30 is another. This £1,000 thin-and-light laptop with an ultra-low-voltage processor apes Apple's machine to a surprising degree. There's plenty to like about the Asus UX30. It's better value than the Dell Adamo and has a better specification than the MSI X340. At £1,000, though, it's not that much cheaper than the MacBook Air and, while it's a fantastic-looking laptop, it's nowhere near as lust-worthy as Apple's offering.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/03/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
80% Review: Asus UX30 laptop
Source: V3.co.uk English
The Asus UX30 is one of the first laptops to reach these shores to use one of Intel's new Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors designed for 'thin and light' ultra-portables like the MacBook Air, but without the high price tag - in theory. Wonderfully slim and lovely to look at, the Asus UX30 is an impressive feat of engineering, but it would be more compelling if the battery life was better or the price a little lower.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
80% A very thin and light laptop that uses one of Intel's new ultra-low voltage processors
Source: Computer Active English
Wonderfully slim and lovely to look at, the Asus UX30 is an impressive feat of engineering, but it would be more compelling if the battery life was better or the price a little lower. Pros: Gorgeous slimline design; great screen and keyboard Cons: Price; middling battery life
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
75% ASUS UX30
Source: Mobile Computer English
We’ve been lusting after the new breed of thin and light CULV laptops ever since we saw the gorgeous MSI X320 at this year’s CES and now models are starting to arrive in earnest. We’ll have a review of the Advent Altro for you next week, but first up is the ASUS UX30. CULV laptops are based on Intel’s Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (geddit?) processors and these offer energy efficiency approaching that of the Intel Atom, but better performance. The ASUS UX30 is an impressive first entry into the CULV laptop market, but it’s a bit too expensive for what’s on offer and the specification doesn’t quite tally with the premium price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 75%

Foreign Reviews

ASUS UX30. El mejor aspecto de las U Series.
Source: Hispazone Spanish ES→EN
online available, Long, Date: 07/21/2009
Rating: price: 80% performance: 80%
70% Exkluzív: Asus UX30 vs. Toshiba U500 bemutató
Source: Nonstop Mobil HU→EN
online available, Medium, Date: 07/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70%

Comment

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD: Onboard (shared Memory) GPU built in the GM45, GE45 and GS45 chipset (Montevina). Because of two more shaders and a higher core clock, much faster than the old GMA X3100. Still not advisable for gamers (DirectX 10 games not playable or only with very low settings). The integrated video processor is able to help decode HD videos (AVC/VC-2/MPEG2) , e.g., for a fluent Blu-Ray playback with slow CPUs.

Lower end of Graphics Cards for users who want to play games. New games should run on these cards, but only with decreased details and mediocre resolution.


>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).

The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.

SU9400:
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

13.3": This is a common display format for subnotebooks. Netbooks, UMPC and some subnotebooks have tinier displays. Nevertheless, the majority of standard laptops has a higher format. The advantage of a small display is, that the subnotebook can be small dimensioned and can be carried easily. Further the small display needs few energy, which improves the battery runtime and in consequence the mobility. The disadvantage is that the reading of texts is a bit exhausting for the eyes, especially with high resolutions.
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

1.5 kg: This sub-notebook weighs less than the average of all notebooks and represents a medium class of weight among the sub-notebooks. 11 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.

Asus: ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, a Taiwanese multinational company, produces motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, PDAs, computer monitors, notebook computers, servers, networking products, mobile phones, computer cases, computer components, and computer cooling systems. The company's 2007 revenues reached US$6.9 billion. ASUS also produces components for other manufacturers. The Eee PC initiated the netbook boom in 2008.

Asus reviews

74.17%: This rating is bad. Most notebooks are better rated. This is not a recommendation for purchase.

>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

 

Author: Stefan Hinum, 2009-09- 7 (Update: 2009-10-28)