ASUS UL30A-X5K Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Laptop with Kindle for PC (Black)

Full Description

4 Reviews

1. This is the second UL30A-X5K I’ve recieved from Amazon. The first one had a dead pixel in the middle of the screen so I returned it and Amazon sent me this replacement very quickly, no problems. Thanks Amazon. I primarily bought this notebook because it offers a mix of portability, battery life, and performance. I have a 10″ eeePC netbook and a 17″ Sony Vaio FW series. I needed a notebook with more power and functionality than my netbook but with better portability than my Sony Vaio. I chose this version over the one with the switchable graphics card because of the cheaper price. So far the 4500MHD card has met my needs perfectly. I typically use this computer to browse the internet, create MS office documents, and for entertainment such as online videos, and video/ music playback. Video playback is excellent, I have no problems streaming HD video content.

   The UL30A-X5 handles multitasking quite well. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick the 1.3ghz dual-core ULV processor works. The 4gbs of RAM is very handy as well for resource intensive programs. As far as build quality goes, I was a little underwhelmed. It feels nice and solid but apart from the aluminum case(fingerprint magnet) it seems a bit plasticky. The build quality is slightly better than eeePC series but I was expecting more at this price point, however the glossy screen does give it more of a high-end look. I still give this laptop five stars because while it’s not amazing by any means it is a solid, good performing PC with excellent battery life.

   Pros: Slim form factor, quick performance, battery life: around 9 hours of web browsing on power saver, better than average speakers, nice keyboard, good screen, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, lightweight, HDMI port, large hard drive, 1yr warranty,

   Cons: Dated BIOS; does not allow booting from SD card, comes loaded with bloatware, somewhat cheap build quality, fingerprint magnet case, no bluetooth,

   Overall I am pleased with my purchase, I recommend it to anyone who needs a notebook with great balance between performance and portability.

2. I received my computer a day ago and I haven’t had a single problem with it. I’m not a huge computer nerd, but I’m not computer illiterate… so here’s my PRO/CON list.

   PROS
   -It was easy to get it started. I was using the computer as I normally would an hour after I opened the box it came in.
   -The keyboard is easy to type on.
   -The track-pad is nice. People who have reviewed the UL30A-X5 (basically the same thing only without the Kindle Program installed) say they don’t like it, but I like it. It doesn’t make the skin on your finger feel “tired” if that makes sense.
   -The quick-start option is really cool! I know I’ll use it a lot when I want to quickly look something up on the internet but don’t want to go through the process of starting up Windows. Windows also doesn’t take a long time to start up… it takes a minute from the time you hit the power button to the time you can run a program.
   -The camera is very fun to use. It might just be the novelty of it, but it’s a fun little plus.
   -As others have written before in other reviews (for the UL30A-X5), there is little “bloatware”. You’re not really bombarded with the free trial stuff.
   -No problems with Wi-fi range.
   -It stays cool.
   -It’s quick, as a new computer should be.

   CONS
   -Fingerprint magnet, as others have said before. But does that really matter?
   -The right-hand shift key is shorter than your average shift key. I find myself pressing the up arrow by accident, but I think I’ll be able to train myself not to extend my pinky so far sooner or later.
   -The battery life for using normal Windows is 7 hours. Still not bad, but don’t get your hopes up for 12!
   -I did get one “This application is not responding” message when I used the application that comes with the webcam. I think I was clicking different things too quickly and it got confused.
   -No optical drive. This isn’t really a CON, but a forewarning. While not having one makes it harder to install software, it also makes the laptop lighter. You can buy an external one that burns DVDs for $50.

   And that’s all! If I ever have anything else to add, I’ll be sure to write it here. Feel free to ask me any questions!

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   EDIT: Today I logged onto my computer and I had some snowy rectangles on my screen, as well as some horizontal snowy lines. It’s hard to describe. I simply restarted the computer and everything was back to normal. I’m hoping something is not wrong with the monitor’s connection. I’ll keep you posted if it happens again.

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3. I was pleased with this model UL30A, I did not need or want the switchable video, so this was a good bargain at 599 for the larger 13.3 screen and full size keyboard. The screen is very thin, notebook is light and solid. I have a few other Asus notebooks and like the chicklet style keyboard they use. It is also very cool running. The reason I would not give it 5 stars is the ridiculous battery claim or 12 hours. This is not realistic in any fashion. I would say it is in the range of 7-8 with normal use, so even if everything is turned off I don’t see any way to get to 12.

   Overall, if you are looking for a 13.3 thin and light netbook it is a fantastic deal. If you want to go a bit smaller and save about $100 I would look at the 1201N-PU17-SL as an option.

4. I actually own the 1005-PR, so I am aware that Asus CAN delivery high quality work. This laptop was purchased to run outside as a document writer while in travel. Unfortunately, the one delivered to me had a hard drive that already starting whirring the clicks of death. I didn’t even have a chance to really install anything or do much beyond patching the OS when the computer starting randomly clicking. Hopefuly the second version which arrived today works better.

   I did do a battery test run doing nothing. On the PowerMark recommended settings, the battery lasts for 7 hours, not 11 as advertised. It played video well contrary to some other reports on this machine. This machine does not run hot in your lap compared to the 1005-PR.

   This is also the first time I have used the Amazon RMA process, and from a customer’s perspective, it’s awesome! The RMA ticket process is easy to generate, UPS easily handled my package, and a new one was shipped even prior to the delivered return. I’m never going to worry again about buying an expensive piece of equipment from Amazon again.

   —–Modified after I received an exchange from Amazon RMA from 2-3 stars————-

   So, now that I get a functional one, I really like it. I don’t need a optical drive directly attached. Even with being extremely battery efficient, I only get 7 hours (the other reviewer is right). It is fast enough that I don’t notice hanging with the standard Microsoft suite, it will play video fine, it will actually run Eclipse and NumPy (relatively painful on the processors) without noticable issues in interactive mode. The speakers aren’t bad, and the screen is decent if you are looking straight at it. Wi-fi is a cinch, and I don’t notice range issues with the card.

   For people who insist on putting their laptops through the wringer, it will play Quake 4 without noticeable lag, and LFD1 with noticeable lag. This is by no means a present day gaming rig, but the Intel 4500 is more than adequate for the normal run-of-the-mill tasks.

   Basically, if you need a light document writer, a long battery computer, this one is great. If you are trying to use RAM-dependent programs like Stata, NumPy, or Matlab, it’ll be slow, but the IDE’s will work fine. If you want to use Itunes or 1080p, the screen and even the speakers aren’t bad. If you want to put GOG games on it, it’ll work fine. If you are trying to play Crysis, *(& no.

   BTW, about Amazon’s RMA process. Request in 6/2, Amazon mails out 6/3, Arrives 6/5, return was just delivering to the local UPS acceptor (Kinko’s in my case). Yea, Amazon for making the exchange painless.