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Asus Zenbook (13inch) vs. Apple Macbook-Air (13inch) / Macbook-Retina (15inch)
- Thread starter Sahee
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Its actually a 30GB SSD from Sandisk which is stored on the Mainboard. The Mainboard has two Ram Slots of which one Slot can be changed. So when you install a 256GB SSD you get a total of 286GB SSD Space and RAM can be upgraded to a total of 10GB as I said before (8+2).
Again, the indication was that the RAM slot can be changed but only with a 4GB DIMM. Not sure if that is actually true (and that spec sheet could be wrong).
I somehow knew that I would get flamed for posting that topic here... but I really don't mind. Although don tell my what I have to do please, I think I can decide that on my own
. This thread is about discussing both devices and not about what I will do in the future.There are two amazing devices this year:
Asus Zenbook (UX32VD) and Apple Retina-Macbook
Best for value: Zenbook
Best for performance: rMBP
Your cost analysis just doesn't work in the US, now that doesn't mean it doesn't work for europeans. The zenbook isn't comparable to the rMBP in specs, it is closer to a MB Air. The MB Air has a better base processor and you can even configure the Air with a better processor.
The difference would be the screen between the MB Air and the Zenbook.
The difference would be the screen between the MB Air and the Zenbook.
You started this thread with the premise that the Zenbook Prime is better than the MBPR because it's $1000 Euro cheaper. It's like comparing a Ferrari with a Honda Civic, then saying why you prefer the latter because it's cheaper...I somehow knew that I would get flamed for posting that topic here... but I really don't mind. Although don tell my what I have to do please, I think I can decide that on my own
There are two amazing devices this year:
Asus Zenbook (UX32VD) and Apple Retina-Macbook
Best for budget: Zenbook
Best for performance: rMBP
Great logic.
Seriously, the Zenbook (as most other Windoze laptops) is just hardware attractive. When it's new, it's nice. But it all comes down to long term. Every single Windoze lappy I own needs proper regular maintenance or else it slows down significantly after a few weeks. While everyone here can attest how old Macs still run like the day it arrived.
I am Student and no millionaire so basically when I feel like I could buy a device for 50% cheaper that serves the same purpose, than I chose that one... I am not a gamer as well and I have a powerful desktop machine at home. I could use the Quadcore and 650M in some situations... but for such operations my desktop pc is more satisfying.
The Zenbook is not a Honda Civic... its more like a Audi A3... any yeah, I defiantly prefer a Audi A3 above a Ferrari... cause it only needs half the oil on 100km... and it can be pretty fast too. Fast enough to lock your seat belt
.I never had problems with any of my windows devices... since the SSD's have been released for the consumer, the registry is no longer slowing down any operations and the overall experience is much better. Everyone who is not able to maintain a windows pc is defiantly the wrong person for buying a 2200 Euro laptop.
It doesn't serve the same purpose. It serves YOUR purposes. Don't confuse the two. The Retina Macbook Pro outperforms the Zenbook vastly in every regard. If you posted the topic just to say that you're buying a Zenbook instead of a Macbook Pro, cool story bro. But if you're trying to make the claim that they are comparable computers in any regard, then you are simply delusional.
Reinstalling Os on my cousins PC. I installed Windows updates for no less than 3 hours on a clean partition Win7 install. Windows installed in just 30 minutes but to get the box usable it was a terrible experience. That's an example of life on Windows.
On this PC you either have to choose Windows, Linux, or try and hack together a hack-Mac. Windows sucks at managing hardware, Linux has less app support, and a hackintosh has all the same issues as a windows PC in that the software was not written specifically for the hardware it runs on.
Just like I don't care about the 100s of Android phones released every month, I don't care about all the lumps of some computer from another me-too PC vendor. I want the user experience offered by Apple software and the design that goes into the hardware.
Every PC I've ever laid eyes on is still using a crappy power plug that sticks in the box and puts pressure on a soldered connection on the mobo. They can't copy Apple's so they just sit there and suck. This is an example of the lack of innovation in the lump-of-PC manufacturers. Without even knowing the box, I bet it has fans that suck in where you rest it on your legs and a VGA port...
The terrible hardware design and the bad software options make these PCs pointless to me, and the fact that this is a MACINTOSH forum make this thread pointless.
EDIT - just noticed it has 'VD' in the name. They don't even care if their products sound like hightech STDs.
On this PC you either have to choose Windows, Linux, or try and hack together a hack-Mac. Windows sucks at managing hardware, Linux has less app support, and a hackintosh has all the same issues as a windows PC in that the software was not written specifically for the hardware it runs on.
Just like I don't care about the 100s of Android phones released every month, I don't care about all the lumps of some computer from another me-too PC vendor. I want the user experience offered by Apple software and the design that goes into the hardware.
Every PC I've ever laid eyes on is still using a crappy power plug that sticks in the box and puts pressure on a soldered connection on the mobo. They can't copy Apple's so they just sit there and suck. This is an example of the lack of innovation in the lump-of-PC manufacturers. Without even knowing the box, I bet it has fans that suck in where you rest it on your legs and a VGA port...
The terrible hardware design and the bad software options make these PCs pointless to me, and the fact that this is a MACINTOSH forum make this thread pointless.
EDIT - just noticed it has 'VD' in the name. They don't even care if their products sound like hightech STDs.
MBA doesn't have a dedicated GPU, so the Asus would win that fight.
This is still a silly comparison. They're two very different machines meant for different target demographics. Not to mention, this Asus has a dual-core that is lower on the totem pole than the 13" Pro's. Regardless of the turbo boosted clock speed, its still not going to perform at the level of a quad core. The GPU is also a few steps down from the GT 650m. Then there are obvious things like the RAM (which can likely be upgraded a long with the GPU), the fact it runs Windows, and then there's the hit or miss construction that you can get out of the likes of Asus and Dell.
And as impressive as 1920x1200 is for such a small display, it's still no retina display and the physical real estate is still smaller (and would be even harder to read than the retina at the same resi).
Honestly for a budget ppl,not really need / want an os x this asus notebook will be a great choice I think if we compare it with air , this will blown air out of the league ! Who said air win in this part, i don't know what he thinking. Then we compare it with rMBP ? Cmon this is not class with rMBP why are you compared the 13" with 15" , it's totally different level. And again there's many notebook out there will kill the apple note book lineup HW. But for someone who really like enjoy and need os x, good service,great finish,resale value.. Yeah they never wanna leave the apple product..
I'm asking myself this Q : can Asus use OSX? No. Then I decide to forget it. I'm talking about work efficiency let alone I'm used to OSX shortcut.
With OSX, I almost never use trackpad / even a mouse. I don't have this convenient shortcuts in my PC.
Hardware and software is one whole setup. I can't achieve something using windows what I can achieve using OSX. That's why I always say to someone who wants to buy their first mac. You don't buy a computer, you buy software and design.
I've personally never liked asus.
if i was ever to get anything except my rMBP(that I'm currently typing on
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon/4505-3121_7-35299011.html
its carbon fibre, but remember, though tougher, its not even near to aluminum when it comes to recycle ability.
i was previously getting a MBA so was comparing that to it.
rMBP isn't comparable.
If I was going to get rid of my rmbp and my Air that new Lenovo would be my choice too. Plus it's not so much and Air knock off.
Oh, and try the Asus' real world battery life, it sucks, as does the screen and trackpad. But keyboard has improved over last gens train wreck of a keyboard...
Off-topc: A cheapo stock Nissan GT-R beats a Bugatti Veryon on a race track. Now imagine if you tune that cheapo Nissan GT-R to 1000 hp.
Most of the people who are visiting the forum seem to buy the Retina-Macbook just for the Display... they use it for typing Code/Text or for surfing in the web, at least this is my opinion after I've been here for a while. The Zenbook will do those tasks with the same speed (when a SSD-Drive is installed)... and as I said before, most tasks only use a SINGLE Core. When we compare both processors than we can see that there is only a difference of 300MHZ on a single core. Both are i7-IVY processors...
Lets be honest, I do have a fast Quadcore-CPU at my home and when it comes to normal usage (Email/Web/Typing/Games) the CPU Usage barely goes above 25% (which equals a single core). Only when I do CPU optimized processes (Rendering/Programming) the CPU would go across this 25% line. The only Hardware-Part which is bottle necked in my Set-UP is my GPU (MSI 560GTX Twin Frozr)... this component is the only one who barely goes to above 70%.
The Zenbook has a Display which is on par with the Retina-Display. You will get about the same experience but on a 13inch screen. The laptop is thinner and weight a little bit less, this makes it more comfortable. Everyone who needs the power of the rMBP should pick it... for sure! But buying the Retina-Macbook just for the Display seems to be a bad solution, as the Zenbook costs half the price and offers about the same experience in that case.
I know that the Zenbook cannot be compared with the rMBP when it comes to "just" specs, but when you compare the overall package than the Zenbook is the best for value, its cheaper and offers about the same viewing experience.
The Zenbook-Specs are although not as bad as most guys do claim them to be...
As a Student my decision would be the following:
Asus Zenbook > Apple Macbook Air > Apple Macbook Retina.
...but guess what, yet I am not buying anything. My next semester starts in October so I do have the time to wait for other releases and I can test all devices myself. Maybe there are rumors for a new Winter 2012 MBA or 13inch Macbook-Retina device by that time. My old Lenovo-Laptop is still alive (Pentium processor).
Lets be honest, I do have a fast Quadcore-CPU at my home and when it comes to normal usage (Email/Web/Typing/Games) the CPU Usage barely goes above 25% (which equals a single core). Only when I do CPU optimized processes (Rendering/Programming) the CPU would go across this 25% line. The only Hardware-Part which is bottle necked in my Set-UP is my GPU (MSI 560GTX Twin Frozr)... this component is the only one who barely goes to above 70%.
The Zenbook has a Display which is on par with the Retina-Display. You will get about the same experience but on a 13inch screen. The laptop is thinner and weight a little bit less, this makes it more comfortable. Everyone who needs the power of the rMBP should pick it... for sure! But buying the Retina-Macbook just for the Display seems to be a bad solution, as the Zenbook costs half the price and offers about the same experience in that case.
I know that the Zenbook cannot be compared with the rMBP when it comes to "just" specs, but when you compare the overall package than the Zenbook is the best for value, its cheaper and offers about the same viewing experience.
The Zenbook-Specs are although not as bad as most guys do claim them to be...
As a Student my decision would be the following:
Asus Zenbook > Apple Macbook Air > Apple Macbook Retina.
...but guess what, yet I am not buying anything. My next semester starts in October so I do have the time to wait for other releases and I can test all devices myself. Maybe there are rumors for a new Winter 2012 MBA or 13inch Macbook-Retina device by that time. My old Lenovo-Laptop is still alive (Pentium processor)
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Agree it's a good machine. I would consider it, but it would need (1) 16gb ram, (2) a faster processor, (3) a >512gb ssd factory fitted, and (4) DP or equivalent output so it can drive a 2560x1600 display. All of those were minimum requirements of my choice of machine, the MBPr happened to fit them. The asus would have satisfied me for the notebook's screen probably (I was looking for HD as a minimum). Interestingly I have never looked at a Mac before now, been a cp/m, ms-dos, windows guy the whole time.
You choose the machine you want, but the above list shows the sort of differences between current ultrabooks and the MBPr that leave it head and shoulders above the rest, certainly if you're looking for a power notebook or a true desktop replacement (which is what I wanted).
The screen is just the icing on the cake.
You choose the machine you want, but the above list shows the sort of differences between current ultrabooks and the MBPr that leave it head and shoulders above the rest, certainly if you're looking for a power notebook or a true desktop replacement (which is what I wanted).
The screen is just the icing on the cake.
I agree with you in some aspects. My next investment will be a Widescreen Display with 2.560 x 1.600 Pixel resolution... so the lacking Display/Thunderbolt Port is a huge let down. The Mini-VGA is only useful when the Zenbook needs to be attached to a projector. A Display Port instead of a Mini-VGA (or both) would make this machine near perfect. The fact that it lacks a SSD is not that bad in my opinion... as I can chose the SSD myself (and I would pick the Samsung 830, which is already installed on my desktop system)... better than having a no-name cheap SSD factory installed.
Processor and RAM is personal preferences... but when you need huge power than the Zenbook will be the wrong device, that's true.
My preferences (sort by significance):
1. Display (Tie)
2. Portability (Zenbook)
3. Trackpad/Keyboard (Tie)
4. Hardware (GPU/CPU) (Mac)
5. Ports (HDMI/USB 3.0/DP...) (Mac)
6. Price (Zenbook)
7. Customization (Zenbook)
8. Design (Zenbook)
Trackpad and Keyboard of both systems are about the same quality (when the Zenbook runs on Linux). Multitouch support with W8 will be better... though its a tie. When used with W7 the Zenbook would lose against the Mac with its very good Multitouch support. Although some may question why Zenbook wins in Design... well, my university is filled with people who use macs. There are preconceptions towards Mac-Users. I actually do want a Mac only for the OS... and if there would be a option I would gladly remove the Apple-Logo on the back.
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I dont see the comparison.
620M vs 650M 1GB DDR5
HDD vs SSD
13 v 15"
IPS v IPS
Retina Resolution vs average resolution
OSX v Windows
Where exactly is the comparison here?
620M vs 650M 1GB DDR5
HDD vs SSD
13 v 15"
IPS v IPS
Retina Resolution vs average resolution
OSX v Windows
Where exactly is the comparison here?
Well, If you would read carefully you would know that the comparison is more like the following:
620M 1GB vs. 650M 1GB
SSD vs. SSD
13inch-IPS vs. 15inch-IPS
Full-HD on 13inch vs. Retina on 15inch
Windows 8 vs. Mac OS
Full-HD resolution on a 13inch display is not average at all
.As I said before... it depends on personal preferences, for some the Macbook-Retina will be the way to go... for others the Zenbook is a better solution. This comparison is not only about specs but about the overall package.
I maybe repeat myself but.... the Macbook-Retina costs double the price and does not offer double the power... its not double as useful! Its all about how much money you want to spend on a laptop device. I personally know that I will use the hardware of the Zenbook to its limits... but there are tricks to increase its performance (but it would lose its warranty)... as the resale value of Windows-PC's is not as good I can handcraft the Zenbook as much as I want... as I most likely will use it till its dead. I am some kind of Geek... so basically I like the fact than I can customize my system. With the Retina-Macbook I am too much limited in my personal favors.
The only people who really need a rMBP are those who do not have a desktop PC and need it as replacement in comparison with a external display. The rMBP would fit perfectly in those circumstances... but if you already own a desktop machine, than the Zenbook is more useful than the rMBP. When you are rich or your parents have money to throw away... well then you can buy the rMBP. I have the money for it... but I will most likely not buy it. I never used any intense programs while I was not at home (and I cant think of myself to do any of those things on a 15inch screen)... my portable device is for code programming and other low-usage subjects. The Quad-Core CPU would idle most of the time... and again: I am not a gamer
. The Zenbook is even fine for rendering and video/photo editing (if you really need to do it on a portable machine) in addition with an SSD-Drive, why does nobody recognize this? You don't need a Quad-Core CPU for that kind of things. Why did I make this thread?
Well... I've seen that there are many students around who need a new laptop and I basically wanted to help them to make the right decision. As a Student the Zenbook seems the best possible option right now (July 2012).
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Well, If you would read carefully you would know that the comparison is more like the following:
620M 1GB vs. 650M 1GB
SSD vs. SSD
13inch-IPS vs. 15inch-IPS
Full-HD on 13inch vs. Retina on 15inch
Windows 8 vs. Mac OS
Full-HD resolution on a 13inch display is not average at all
As I said before... it depends on personal preferences, for some the Macbook-Retina will be the way to go... for others the Zenbook is a better solution. This comparison is not only about specs but about the overall package.
I maybe repeat myself but.... the Macbook-Retina costs double the price and does not offer double the power... its not double as useful! Its all about how much money you want to spend on a laptop device. I personally know that I will use the hardware of the Zenbook to its limits... but there are tricks to increase its performance (but it would lose its warranty)... as the resale value of Windows-PC's is not as good I can handcraft the Zenbook as much as I want... as I most likely will use it till its dead. I am some kind of Geek... so basically I like the fact than I can customize my system. With the Retina-Macbook I am too much limited in my personal favors.
IT DOESNT COST DOUBLE.
You havnt factored in the full price of a SSD. You also havnt factored in this is a 13" machine which is CHEAPER because its 13"
30gb System SSD is a con. Everything else is slow which isnt on the cache. just a cheap trick.
They put a 1080p on a 5 inch phone screen, 1080p is nothing special.
620M is Junk. 96 shaders vs 384 Also slower and uses junk DDR3 memory.
"The 128-bit version of the GeForce GT 620M should perform similarly to the older GeForce GT 525M due to their similar clock rates and core architecture. Therefore, modern and demanding games should be playable in low to medium settings at 1366x768 pixel resolution. The rumored 64-bit version will likely suffer from the reduced bandwidth and offer slower performance in comparison."