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MagyarAsus ZenBook Pro UX501VW Notebook Review
The Asus UX501 series has proven to be quite popular as a jack-of-all-trades solution that's powerful enough for gaming yet thin and light enough to take between classes. It and its ROG G501 twin are indeed some of the thinnest 15.6-inch notebooks around with the GTX 960M GPU.
The latest refresh is the UX501VW with Skylake and USB Type-C as two of its most major upgrades. Otherwise, the chassis, input devices, and hardware are almost exactly the same. We recommend checking out our previous reviews on the UX501 for more pictures and comments on build quality and features.
Case
It's been just over six months since we first checked out the original UX501JW. While the chassis and design are still one of the best aspects of the notebook, the recently released Dell XPS 15 2016 is even smaller, thinner (22 mm vs. 17 mm), and lighter (2.3 kg vs 2.1 kg) whilst carrying the same Core i7 CPU, GTX 960M GPU, and 4K UHD option. This ultimately makes the UX501 less attractive than it was when it launched if size and weight are top concerns. Still, the Asus is thinner and lighter than Lenovo's latest 15.6-inch Ideapad Y700 and the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro.
Connectivity
February 9, 2016 correction: Asus has corrected its page to reflect Thunderbolt 3 support instead of Thunderbolt 2.
Like many other higher-end gaming notebooks these days, the UX501VW includes USB Type-C Gen. 2 with Thunderbolt 3 support. Asus has elected to remove the mDP port as found on the original UX501JW to cut down on costs. There are no Ethernet ports or Kensington Locks, which may upset a subset of users.
Communication
WLAN and Bluetooth 4.0 are provided by a Killer 1525 wireless-ac NGFF module outfitted by Computer Upgrade King. The dual-band 2x2 card supports theoretical transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps. We experienced no connectivity or dropout issues when connected to a standard home network. GPS and WWAN are not supported on this series.
Accessories
Included extras are a cable tie, cleaning cloth, carrying case, and USB-to-RJ45 (Fast Ethernet) adapter. Missing is the mDP-to-VGA adapter that was included with the UX501JW since the UX501VW has dropped the port altogether. Users are instead encouraged to purchase optional USB Type-C adapters and docking stations if needed.
Maintenance
The bottom panel requires both Torx and Philips screwdrivers to remove. Motherboard components are otherwise nearly identical to the UX501JW save for the relocated M.2 slot, the removal of the mSATA PCIe slot in favor of M.2 WLAN, and the changed speakers.
CUKUSA provides a detailed guide to the disassembly of the ZenBook UX501 series.
Warranty
CUKUSA offers 36 months of diagnostic support and warranty on all components that the shop may have modified or upgraded. Otherwise, the standard 12-month manufacturer warranty from Asus applies.
Display
The UX501VW includes a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) touchscreen like its older brother, but now with a different LP156UD1-SPB1 panel from LG Philips instead of the Samsung SDC434B. This leads to different color accuracy results as shown in our measurements below. Asus is also sticking to the RGBW pixel grid to provide more accurate colors at the cost of some contrast, similar to the recent Lenovo Yoga 900 Ultrabook. Nonetheless, black levels are deeper compared to last year's model.
Backlight brightness is worse than before in return at an average of about 250 nits compared to 300 nits on our previous unit. This is still more than sufficient for indoor use, but is dimmer than many of its competitors. There is some minor backlight bleeding around each of the four corners as well that only become noticeable if viewing movies with black bars and at high brightness settings.
It's also worth noting that the screen is under a thicker layer of glass than on other touchscreen notebooks, so colors and texts do not "pop" as strongly as they would on thinner displays due to the larger overlying glass.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 252.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 506:1 (Black: 0.5 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.22 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 6.74 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
89.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.45
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T 15.60, 3840x2160 | Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H 15.60, 3840x2160 | Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW 15.60, 1920x1080 | Dell XPS 15-9550 i7 15.60, 3840x2160 | MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21 15.60, 3840x2160 | Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P 15.60, 3840x2160 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -24% | -38% | 33% | -15% | -8% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 64.3 | 47.47 -26% | 38.55 -40% | 87.8 37% | 53.1 -17% | 64.9 1% |
| sRGB Coverage | 89.9 | 71.5 -20% | 57.6 -36% | 100 11% | 80 -11% | 66.9 -26% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.4 | 49.05 -25% | 39.86 -39% | 99.4 52% | 54.8 -16% | 66.9 2% |
| Response Times | 0% | 9% | -32% | 6% | ||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 43.2 ? | 43.2 ? -0% | 40.8 ? 6% | 58 ? -34% | 40 ? 7% | |
| Response Time Black / White * | 27.2 ? | 27.2 ? -0% | 24 ? 12% | 35 ? -29% | 26 ? 4% | |
| PWM Frequency | 58.1 | 1316 ? | ||||
| Screen | -9% | -1% | 31% | -13% | 26% | |
| Brightness middle | 252.9 | 302 19% | 258.6 2% | 361 43% | 212 -16% | 322 27% |
| Brightness | 250 | 307 23% | 242 -3% | 344 38% | 197 -21% | 325 30% |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 87 -2% | 88 -1% | 90 1% | 78 -12% | 90 1% |
| Black Level * | 0.5 | 0.79 -58% | 0.277 45% | 0.38 24% | 0.49 2% | 0.37 26% |
| Contrast | 506 | 382 -25% | 934 85% | 950 88% | 433 -14% | 870 72% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.22 | 5.4 -3% | 8.1 -55% | 5.34 -2% | 7.8 -49% | 3.77 28% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.33 | |||||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.74 | 5.99 11% | 7.23 -7% | 4.84 28% | 5.23 22% | 5.36 20% |
| Gamma | 2.45 90% | 2.32 95% | 1.99 111% | 2.21 100% | 3.05 72% | 2.39 92% |
| CCT | 6026 108% | 6670 97% | 6567 99% | 7395 88% | 6693 97% | 7163 91% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 58.4 | 45 -23% | 36.5 -37% | 89 52% | 50 -14% | 61 4% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 89.7 | 71 -21% | 57.2 -36% | 100 11% | 80 -11% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -11% /
-11% | -10% /
-7% | 11% /
23% | -7% /
-10% | 9% /
17% |
* ... smaller is better
Gamut is wider this time around at about 58 percent and 89 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. This is already better than most gaming notebooks, though the newer Dell XPS 15 UHD model has it beat by an even wider margin by covering 89 percent of AdobeRGB and all of sRGB.
Further display measurements with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal just average grayscale with generally good colors. A quick calibration will improve both dramatically and we certainly recommend it to get the most out of the display. Colors still grow increasingly less accurate at higher saturation levels due to imperfect sRGB coverage.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 27.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 7.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 19.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 63 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.1 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 43.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.9 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18961 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
While viewing angles are more than sufficient due to the underlying IPS panel, the backlight is not powerful enough to overcome the reflective touchscreen and glare when under sunlight. Outdoor usability is average at best when on maximum display brightness.
Performance
The jump from the UX501JW to the UX501VW includes a CPU upgrade from the i7-4720HQ to the i7-6700HQ. RAM gets an upgrade from DDR3 to DDR4 with 8 GB still soldered onto the board and a single SODIMM slot for expansion. Our test unit is equipped with the maximum capacity possible at 24 GB.
The GTX 960M GPU is otherwise identical to the previous generation. If idling, the CPU and Nvidia GPU will operate at just 800 MHz and 135 MHz, respectively, to conserve power. The integrated HD 530 GPU is available via Optimus for further power savings when the dGPU is not needed.
Processor
As seen on other notebooks with the Core i7-6700HQ, the move from a Core i7-4700HQ or i7-4720HQ brings very little to the CPU performance front. The lower-than-expected single-thread score of 113 points in CineBench R15 suggests poorer Turbo Boost potential out of the UX501VW when under extreme benchmark stress. In other words, the system is unable to hold its theoretical 3.5 GHz maximum clock rate long enough to complete all CineBench tests. Users can expect just single digit percentage boosts over the UX501JW in this regard, which is unsurprising as Skylake focuses more heavily on performance-per-Watt and the integrated GPU rather than on improving raw CPU power.
More benchmarks and comparisons on the Core i7-6700HQ can be found on our dedicated CPU page.
| Cinebench R15 | |
| CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| Cinebench R11.5 | |
| CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Eurocom Sky DLX7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | |
| MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Results from PCMark 7 and PCMark 8 are in the same ballpark as other notebooks sporting the GTX 960M GPU. Perhaps notably, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Y700 consistently edges out the UX501VW despite it using the slower SATA III SSD. In particular, we've shown that the Y700 runs at just slightly faster clock speeds than our Asus when under Prime95 and Unigine Heaven stress.
Subjectively, we experienced no uncharacteristic software or hardware issues during our time with the notebook. The operating system responded fluidly and without any hitches.
| PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P | |
| Dell XPS 15-9550 i7 | |
| PCMark 7 Score | 5323 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3077 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 4357 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3867 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
The move from a PCIe x4 controller on the original UX501JW to the growing NVMe controller on the UX501VW has increased read and write speeds across the board. NVMe SSDs are still uncommon on multimedia notebooks and are mostly found on high-end gaming machines including the MSI GT72S, ROG G752, and some Aorus notebooks. Thus, our Asus easily outclasses many of its competitors in raw transfer rates.
The only downside in this category is the notebook's lack of any secondary storage options. Our U.S. SKU is equipped with a physically larger 96 Wh internal battery compared to the smaller 60 Wh module in the European SKU. This smaller module gives just enough room for Asus to fit in a 2.5-inch SATA III bay for additional storage at the cost of battery life. This particular SKU is not available in all regions and we recommend that users choose wisely since relying on a sole M.2 SSD for gaming and multimedia can become very costly down the road.
See our growing benchmarks list of HDDs and SSDs for more data and comparisons.
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e | Asus UX501JW-DS71T GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL | Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2 | Dell XPS 15-9550 i7 GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB | MSI GS60 6QE-046XPL GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU | Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS SSD | -13% | -63% | -13% | -62% | -89% | |
| Copy Game MB/s | 684 | 904 32% | 302 -56% | 785 15% | 384.5 -44% | |
| Copy Program MB/s | 452 | 476.5 5% | 159.1 -65% | 318.4 -30% | 260.8 -42% | |
| Copy ISO MB/s | 1206 | 820 -32% | 295.6 -75% | 716 -41% | 473.2 -61% | |
| Score Total | 2588 | 2296 -11% | 883 -66% | 2410 -7% | 929 -64% | 813 -69% |
| Score Write | 619 | 556 -10% | 251 -59% | 694 12% | 331 -47% | 159 -74% |
| Score Read | 1312 | 1157 -12% | 421 -68% | 1166 -11% | 394 -70% | 431 -67% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.034 | 0.04 -18% | 0.039 -15% | 0.036 -6% | 0.037 -9% | 0.066 -94% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.037 | 0.052 -41% | 0.094 -154% | 0.053 -43% | 0.096 -159% | 0.182 -392% |
| 4K-64 Write | 361.7 | 351.6 -3% | 142.3 -61% | 532 47% | 197.9 -45% | 59.7 -83% |
| 4K-64 Read | 1075 | 977 -9% | 337.5 -69% | 975 -9% | 322.4 -70% | 362.9 -66% |
| 4K Write | 107.8 | 93 -14% | 94 -13% | 105.6 -2% | 89.8 -17% | 53.9 -50% |
| 4K Read | 43.59 | 39.75 -9% | 34.29 -21% | 34.63 -21% | 21.34 -51% | 17.88 -59% |
| Seq Write | 1498 | 1112 -26% | 151 -90% | 562 -62% | 430 -71% | 454.4 -70% |
| Seq Read | 1944 | 1402 -28% | 492 -75% | 1569 -19% | 505 -74% | 506 -74% |
* ... smaller is better
GPU Performance
The GTX 960M performs exactly where we expect it to be in synthetic benchmarks. Its 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics score is roughly 30 percent ahead of the GTX 950M and 40 percent below the GTX 970M. The larger discrepancy between the GTX 960M and GTX 970M has prompted Nvidia to launch the GTX 965M to close the gap between them. Note that the Lenovo Y700 is outperforming our UX501JW by just a couple of percentage points in most categories while the older UX501JW is just a few percentage points behind.
| 3DMark 11 | |
| 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus GX700 | |
| MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL | |
| Aorus X3 Plus v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus GX700 | |
| MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL | |
| Aorus X3 Plus v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus GX700 | |
| MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL | |
| Aorus X3 Plus v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 5562 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 44471 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 16208 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3998 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 2011 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
Gaming on the native resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels is hard enough for a GTX 970M let alone the weaker GTX 960M. Users will need to tone down graphical settings to the Low-Medium range for playable frame rates. Otherwise, the GPU is able to handle most games on 1080p with High settings while newer and more demanding titles may need to be set to Medium to prevent dips below 30 FPS.
See our dedicated GPU page for more benchmarks and comparisons on the GTX 960M.
| Fallout 4 | |
| 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| Sleeping Dogs | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:High (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| 1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Guild Wars 2 | |
| 1366x768 Best Appearance Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| 1920x1080 All Maximum / On AA:FX (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Tomb Raider | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | |
| 1366x768 High AA:on (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra / Extreme AA:on (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| BioShock Infinite | |
| 1366x768 High Preset (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| Metro: Last Light | |
| 1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| Thief | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x (sort by value) | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| Batman: Arkham Knight | |
| 1920x1080 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x (sort by value) | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng | |
| Metal Gear Solid V | |
| 1920x1080 High / On (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| 1920x1080 Extra High / On (sort by value) | |
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T | |
| Asus G752VY-RH71 | |
| Gigabyte P34W v5 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW | |
| Lenovo Y700-15ACZ | |
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Sleeping Dogs (2012) | 141.7 | 84 | 22.6 | |
| Guild Wars 2 (2012) | 53.3 | 26.6 | ||
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 163.4 | 112 | 50.3 | |
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 162.7 | 149.5 | 77.7 | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 118.2 | 111.3 | 45.5 | |
| Metro: Last Light (2013) | 92.9 | 55 | 26.6 | |
| Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) | 59 | 30 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid V (2015) | 59.9 | 42.9 | 31.8 | |
| Fallout 4 (2015) | 55.8 | 29.7 | 23.8 |
Stress Test
The UX501VW will settle at 2.9 GHz when subjected to Prime95 stress, which is 200 MHz slower than its rated maximum for all active cores. Consequently, its CPU benchmark scores are slightly lower than many other gaming notebooks sporting the same i7-6700HQ CPU. CPU and GPU clock rates fall even further when running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously with core temperatures leveling off in the 80 C range.
Running Unigine Heaven shows consistent Boost for both the CPU and GPU with core temperatures leveling off in the mid 70 C range. Of particular note here is that the GPU core will settle at around 1137 MHz compared to 1189 MHz on the Lenovo Y700. This gives the Lenovo a thin edge over our Asus in synthetic benchmarks, though any actual frame rate advantages in gaming are unnoticeable.
Running on battery will reduce both CPU and GPU performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 7453 points and 3446 points, respectively, compared to 8464 points and 5220 points when connected to mains.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (C) | Average GPU Temperature (C) | |
| Prime95 Stress | 2.9 | -- | 78 - 81 | -- |
| FurMark Stress | -- | 967 | -- | 79 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.7 | 405 | 81 - 83 | 76 |
| Unigine Heaven Stress | 3.1+ | 1137 | 70 - 72 | 76 - 78 |
Emissions
System Noise
Both the CPU and GPU share the same two fans and overlying heat pipes. When idling or during very low loads, the twin fans are completely inactive. Running on the Balanced profile will occasionally start the fans, though still at a very quiet 30 dB(A).
Running Unigine Heaven will bump fan noise to just under 42 dB(A) with a maximum of 43.9 dB(A) under the most extreme of processing conditions. The system is overall above average for a gaming notebook regarding fan noise. Competing notebooks tend to be louder both during low loads and gaming loads.
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e | Dell XPS 15-9550 i7 GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB | Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2 | Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU | MSI GS60 6QE-002US GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e | HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -9% | -5% | -6% | -13% | -16% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 28.9 | 31.4 -9% | 30.4 -5% | 30 -4% | 35.2 -22% | 34 -18% |
| Idle Average * | 28.9 | 32.5 -12% | 30.5 -6% | 32.2 -11% | 35.3 -22% | 35 -21% |
| Idle Maximum * | 30.2 | 33.6 -11% | 33.3 -10% | 35 -16% | 35.5 -18% | 36 -19% |
| Load Average * | 41.8 | 45.2 -8% | 41.4 1% | 41.7 -0% | 40.4 3% | 44 -5% |
| Load Maximum * | 43.9 | 46 -5% | 47 -7% | 42.6 3% | 47.2 -8% | 51 -16% |
* ... smaller is better
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 28.9 / 28.9 / 30.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 41.8 / 43.9 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
The symmetrically placed processors and cooling system naturally give way to symmetric temperature development. The warmest spot is down the center rear of the device whereas the front corners and palm rests remain cool in comparison. Overall temperatures are not significantly cooler than on the original UX501 when under extreme stress and are generally flat during low loads. The keyboard keys never become too warm for use.
When compared to other notebooks, the thicker Lenovo is cooler on average while the thinner and smaller Dell XPS 15 is much warmer under the same stress conditions. In general, surface temperatures are never uncomfortable on the UX501VW despite the thin form factor.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.2 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.9 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.1 °C / 88 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-2.2 °C / -4 F).
Speakers
The internal stereo speakers lack sufficient bass for an immersive experience as shown by our sound measurements where lower frequencies are almost entirely absent. Maximum volume is also noticeably softer than on larger gaming notebooks. To its credit, the Bang&Olufsen speakers don't exhibit static or distortions at higher volume settings. Earphones are recommended for longer sessions and especially for gaming to better drown out the inevitable fan noise.
Battery Life
At almost 6.5 hours of WLAN runtime, the UX501VW is able to outlast its older UX501JW counterpart by one to two hours. This is especially longer than the 60 Wh UX501JW model where we clocked in at under three hours in comparison. Runtimes for the Lenovo Y700 and Dell XPS 15 clock in shorter than the Asus as well.
Charging from empty to full will take just over two hours with the provided AC adapter.
| Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T 96 Wh | Asus UX501JW-DS71T 96 Wh | Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H 60 Wh | Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW 60 Wh | Dell XPS 15-9550 i7 84 Wh | Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P 52 Wh | MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21 47 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -6% | -58% | -14% | -11% | -58% | -59% | |
| Reader / Idle | 689 | 361 -48% | 617 -10% | 528 -23% | 216 -69% | 213 -69% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 379 | 263 -31% | 159 -58% | 353 -7% | 309 -18% | 166 -56% | 157 -59% |
| Load | 117 | 190 62% | 88 -25% | 125 7% | 58 -50% | 61 -48% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Aside from specification differences (Skylake, DDR4, USB Type-C, NVMe, etc.) between the UX501VW and UX501JW, the latest revision brings longer battery life and even a few updates to the display with higher contrast and deeper colors. Maximum brightness is dimmer for one reason or another, though this shouldn't be an issue for indoor use.
In general, users should be expecting essentially the same performance level out of the UX501VW as from the UX501JW.
The Dell XPS 15 9550 is an excellent alternative to the UX501VW with similar specifications given the $1500 price range. It's much more portable than our Asus whilst providing the same graphical power for games, albeit with higher surface temperatures, shorter battery life, and generally noisier fans. If cost is a concern, users can still opt for the older UX501JW without worrying about major performance downgrades when gaming.
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
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02/22/2016 v5(old)
Allen Ngo
Pricecompare
