Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW-FJ044T

Specifications

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Reviews for the Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW-FJ044T

80% Killer specs and pricing, offset by small flaws
Source: PC World Archive.org version
After spending time with it, however, it becomes clear why it’s less expensive, particularly when compared to the Dell XPS 15 with the exact same specs. The Zenbook Pro’s performance is slightly weaker, and it has subpar speakers and little oddities like uneven keyboard backlighting and that slap-dash Thunderbolt sticker.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/31/2016
Rating: Total score: 80%

Foreign Reviews

100% Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW
Source: Dinside NO→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/13/2016
Rating: Total score: 100%

Comment

Model: The Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW is a machine to look out for. Encased in an all-aluminium chassis, it is a solidly built laptop with a polished look. On the lid, it features Asus's signature concentric ring finish with subtle, polished edges on the sides. Its weight of 5 pounds (2.27 kg) is heavier than the Dell XPS 15, yet lighter than Lenovo’s Ideapad Y700. Measuring at 15.1 x 10 x 0.8 inch (38.35 x 25.4 x 2.03 cm) also makes it chunkier and bulkier than the rest. The full-sized, backlit keyboard allows for fast and natural typing and is only beaten by the Macbook Pro’s keyboard. It is also decked with full-sized arrow keys albeit at the expense of half-sizing the right Shift key. Its wide 4 x 2.75-inch (10.16 x 6.99 cm) touchpad is both quick and responsive and is big enough for comfortable usage but isn’t too big to get into the keyboard’s way like in many laptops these days. Under its hood, it is powered by an Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz processor coupled with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. There is a 512 GB SSD built in for impressive transfer rates. The transfer rate registered is faster compared to the XPS 15 although still inferior to Macbook Pro. Opening multiple windows and even running multiple heavy tasks is not an issue on this machine. Running on NVIDIA GeForce GTX960M dGPU with 2 GB of VRAM, users are assured with a richer visual experience in both gaming and video playback/editing. It will run most new games in around medium setting.

Display-wise, the 15.6” screen supports a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and 10-point multi-touch technology. In terms of brightness, it ranks on par with Dell’s XPS 15. Early feedbacks received from users include its highly glossy screen , which can sometimes be distracting. However, it is surely still a really good display and is suitable for video editors and graphic designers. It is also equipped with a 1.2 MP front-facing camera but this wouldn’t be sufficient for facial recognition on Window’s Hello sign-in as it doesn’t actually support the necessary hardware. Sound quality is crisp and clear as it is integrated with stereo speakers from Bang & Olufsen. Networking is supported by both high speed ac grade WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The connectivity consists of three USB 3.0 ports (3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.1 Gen 2), a Thunderbolt port, an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, a 2-in-1 card reader (SD/SDXC) as well as a brightness sensor. The Zenbook Pro comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home and bloatware has been kept at minimum by Asus. Battery life is equally impressive as it is capable of up to 8 hours of continuous web surfing WiFi, but it is beaten by the Macbook Pro’s capacity of 9 hours. Just as in the MacBook Pro, configuration option are limited. All things considered, the Zenbook Pro is a powerful laptop at an affordable price range for this category. If certain quibbles can be disregarded, users are in for a real value with the Zenbook Pro as it is nevertheless an upgrade with significant improvements on its specs.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M: Upper mid-range graphics card of the GeForce GTX 900M series.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

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

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

6700HQ: Skylake-based quad-core processor for notebooks. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 530 GPU and is manufactured in 14 nm.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

15.60":

15-inch display variants are the standard and are used for more than half of all laptops.

The reason for the popularity of mid-sized displays is that this size is reasonably easy on the eyes, often allows high resolutions and thus offers rich details on the screen, yet does not consume too much power and the devices can still be reasonably compact - simply the standard compromise.

Asus: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is a major Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer based in Taipei, founded in 1989. Under the Asus brand name, the company manufactures a wide range of products, including laptops, desktops, motherboards, graphics cards, monitors, smartphones and networking equipment, complete systems and PC components for end users.

Under the ROG (Republic of Gamers) brand name, ASUS manufactures gaming laptops known by gamers for their powerful specifications, dedicated graphics cards, high refresh rate displays and advanced cooling systems.

Beyond gaming, a wide range of notebooks are offered for different needs and budgets, from ultra-slim and lightweight ultrabooks to versatile 2-in-1 convertibles and budget-friendly options. In 2023, Asus had a 7% global market share of the PC market.

Customer satisfaction with ASUS notebooks concerns performance, the features, and the good price-performance ratio of ASUS notebooks. However, as with any brand, there are occasional reports of problems such as overheating, driver compatibility, or build quality issues.

90%: There are not very many models that are rated better. Most of the assessments are in percentage ranges below that. The tested product is not considered perfect, but the sources give a clear purchase recommendation.

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

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