Special thanks to GenTechPC for expediting my order and putting up with my endless inquires. Remarkable service as always.
The new ASUS U36J-A1 is ASUS's thinnest notebook available at the time of review. Sporting a slim 19mm profile, this slickly designed 13.3" gem also boasts impressive processing power coupled with Nvidia Optimus graphics to offer an exceptional balance between performance and mobility.
U36JC-A1 Specifications
- Intel i5-460M 2.53GHz Processor (3MB Cache, Max turbo frequency 2.8GHz)
- 4GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM (8GB Max)
- NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU + Intel HD Graphics supporting NVIDIA Optimus
- 13.3" LED 1366x768 glossy display
- 500GB 7200RPM Hard drive
- Atheros AR9285 WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1+ERD
- Ports: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, RJ-45 Ethernet, headphone output, microphone input, SD/SDHC memory card reader
- 0.3MP Webcam
- 8-cell 5600mAh battery
- Dimensions: 12.9" x 9.28" x 0.76"
- Weight: 3.74 lbs (with 8-cell battery)
- MSRP: $999
Build and Design
ASUS has been quite fond of using plastic materials for their notebook designs in the last few years. However, that trend stops here. The U36JC-A1 chassis is constructed from an aluminum-magnesium casing with a "nanometer coating". Theoretically, this should make the notebook feel sturdy and more resistant to scratches....and it does. The U36JC-A1 experiences almost no flex on the chassis and feels solidly constructed. The LED screen is support by two small but tight hinges which helps minimize screen wobble. The nanometer coating allows the notebook surface to look and feel matte. This is a highly welcomed feature as this helps prevent fingerprints scattered across the palm rest and the display cover.
Another new feature to ASUS is the machined keyboard/top case assembly bezel similar to the new Sony VIAO Z and the Apple Macbook lineup. This is great for minimizing keyboard flex but also means the keyboard is less user-replaceable friendly. As a matter of fact, ASUS has made every component in the U36JC series non-user replaceable with the exception of the RAM and battery.
Upon closer inspection, the U36JC-A1 exhibits further structural similarities to the Sony VIAO Z. While the bottom chassis of the U36JC is constructed from hardened plastic material, it is the top casing aluminum-magnesium keyboard bezel that provides most of the strength in the notebook. Without the metal top casing, the notebook is still fairly rigid but minor flex can be observed.
Front - No ports
Rear - No ports
Right - Headphone out, microphone in, SDHC card reader, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, RJ-45 Ethernet jack
Left - Power jack, VGA, HDMI, USB 2.0
Keyboard
Screen and Speakers
The LED display on the U36JC-A1 is slightly below average. Sadly, ASUS did not stick with AU Optronics as their display supplier as seen in their previous 13.3" generations, and instead chose an inferior ChungHwa CLAA133WB01A display. Although this display panel is rated at a brightness of 200 nits, it appears less bright than other similarly rated displays I have noticed. Contrast, sharpness and vertical/horizontal viewing angles seemed fairly standard for a consumer-based notebook. With this in mind, the sub-par brightness and the glare-type nature of the screen makes the U36JC-A1 almost impossible to use in my back yard under the Texan sun.
.................................
.................................
Stereo speakers on the U36JC-A1 are located on the front of the notebook. Unlike most other notebooks, the speaker itself is actually a single unit located just beneath the touchpad instead of two separate satellite units located on opposite ends of the chassis. While the speakers produces a satisfactory maximum volume, the treble is a bit too strong for my taste and sound can appear slightly muffled at times. In comparison to other notebook with only stereo speakers, the mid to high tones aren't as fulfilling but should be sufficient for casual use.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The chiclet-style keyboard is quite pleasing to use. Individuals keys are full-sized and matte, exhibits no rattling and the tactile feedback is good. Flex is almost non-existent which makes it easily one of the better chiclet-style keyboards I've used. The only gripe I have is that the keyboard is not back-lit. The convenience of having a back-lit keyboard would make it easier to type in low ambient light conditions, but for most people it wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker.
The U36JC-A1 uses a Synaptics touchpad which offers many gesture features similar to Apple Macbook touchpads. From 2-finger scrolling to pinching for zooming in/out to rotating; these features make navigating much easier. Sadly, the tracking of the touchpad isn't as great as the ones used in older ASUS notebooks. At times when you drag your finger across the touchpad, the motion isn't smooth and even causes your finger to jitter across the surface. Although this doesn't always happen, you'll usually notice it immediately and intuitively reposition your finger and try again. The single button is pivoted in the middle to distinguish between left and right clicks and should be fairly familiar to current ASUS owners.
Performance and Benchmarks
For a 13.3" notebook, the U36JC-A1 packs a big punch. The Intel i5-460M processor and NVIDIA 310M graphics combo provides more than enough power for video/photo editing, casual gaming and can even for running Folding@Home while streaming 1080p videos flawlessly from YouTube. Booting into Windows was also relatively fast due to the standard 500GB 7200RPM hard drive. Users who want to configure their U36JC-A1 with even faster hard drives or better wifi cards will have to purchase from select ASUS resellers who offer these options as ASUS do not offer different configurations directly to end-users. It should be noted that users who plan to perform these upgrades themselves are at risk of losing their manufacture warranty.
PCMark Vantage system performance test
3DMark Vantage gaming performance test
WPrime processor performance test
SuperPi (1M) processor performance test
Crystal Disk Mark hard drive performance test
Heat and Noise
The Catch-22 for having a fast processor in 19mm thin chassis is the heat produced. Setting the Power4Gear utility to High Performance mode allows the processor to run at a constant 2.8GHz and when any CPU intensive task is run, the notebook will get hot. Even with the fan running at its maximum 5100RPM, within 5 minutes of running the Prime95 processor stress test, temperatures often hit as high as 99 Celsius. Keep in mind that Prime95 takes the processor to its limits and most programs will never utilize the processor as extreme as Prime95. That said, I'd still urge users to avoid using High Performance mode on their laps.
On Quiet Office and Battery Saving mode, the U36JC-A1 is dead silent. Even in a sound-proof studio, the fan is not audible during idle. On High Performance and during load, the fan becomes noticeable but shouldn't be annoying enough to disturb the person sitting next to you in a study room.
Battery Life
The U36JC-A1 comes standard with an 8-cell 5600mAh battery which offers decent battery life. On Battery Saving mode and with the screen brightness set at the default 40%, a full charge lasts for 5 hours and 14 minutes of continuous use (switching between word processing, web browsing and email/instant messaging) before it was turned off. Jumping to High Performance mode will drop the battery life to 2-3 hours depending on what tasks you are running.
Conclusion
The ASUS U36JC-A1 is one of the top notebooks in the aesthetics, build quality and processing power department. The places where it falls short is its heat dissipation ability during high CPU usage and the mediocre screen. Although the touchpad could be better, users can easily substitute an external mouse if they'd prefer. At a MSPR of $999, the U36JC-A1 would be ideal for business and home users as well as students. It is durable enough to endure the hardships from a road warrior, yet quiet enough to be used in the library. Like most ASUS notebooks, a standard 2 year international warranty, 1 year accidental warranty and 30 day zero bright dot screen warranty is included. As far as I know, the closest competitor to this notebook is the Sony VIAO Z, which offers a slightly faster processor, graphics card and a better screen. However, the VIAO Z is also twice the price compared to the U36JC-A1.
Pros
Powerful and fast for a 13.3" notebook
Excellent build quality
Sleek, business-like design
Cons
Can get hot during load
Sub-average screen
Touchpad surface could be better
-
-
ALLurGroceries Vegan Vermin Super Moderator
Nice thorough, well written review. Added to the review index in the sticky. Congrats on the new machine!
-
What if you put one of those anti-glare plastic coating things, would the screen be more usable?
-
thanks for the honest review!
-
I'm currently sitting inside starbucks next to a window. Glare is obvious but still very usable. If you're outside in the shade, you should have no problems seeing the screen. -
Not sure if this is going to be a good idea, but I'm currently in contact with the SetFSB developer to see if he can add the U36JC into his utility for CPU overclocking. Would be nice to see this run at 3GHz but you'd probably need to replace the stock TIM on the CPU/GPU with a good quality TIM before OCing.
-
Thanks for the detailed review. However I got a major question. I use my laptop every night to watch HD movies on my tv via HDMI(mkv files on my hdd). I am quite ignorant if the graphics card plays any part in the playback process or is it just the processor. When i use my wife's 13" MBP, its sometimes not so smooth. Esp 1080p. and it got a 320M or 325M graphics card+ C2D T8300. But when I use my G51Jx with i5 430 + 360M, it works smooth and good but laptop heats up pretty bad. Since 310M is a low end model when compared to 320M, does it affect the full HD playback??
Also how easy or hard is it to upgrade the hdd to an ssd?
thanks -
For the U36JC, the GPU is not needed for HD playback. It plays just fine without it.
Upgrading the HDD to an SSD isn't that difficult. You'll have to remove the top case assembly and the hard drive enclosure to replace it with a SSD. -
U36JC-A1 overclocking update:
The i5-460M (stock 2.53GHz) can easily be overclocked to run stable at 3.35GHz. Max temps reach 99C with wPrime stress test. This is the temperature where throttling kicks in and your system begins to downclock the CPU to prevent it from reaching the TJunction threshold and overheating. Keep in mind that even when the U36JC-A1 isn't overclocked with SetFSB, temps also reach 99C and your CPU is also downclocked when running wPrime. That said, on High Performance at 3.35GHz, idle temps are in the low 40s C which is very acceptable.
-
Hi,
I was looking at purchasing this Asus but was wondering if it is worthwhile to upgrade the wireless card to the intel 6200 vs. the stock Atheros?
Can you comment how easy it would be to accomplish that, or would I be better off ordering from Gentech and having the put it in for me?
Thanks for any help,
Brandon -
The Intel 6200 would definitely be a step up from the stock Atheros wifi card.
Here's a quick run down between the two cards:
Atheros AR9285: b/g/n only. 150Mbps. 2.4GHz band
Intel 6200: a/b/g/n. 300Mbps. 2.4 and 5GHz bands.
If you never had any experience in disassembling a laptop, I'd probably let GenTech do it just to be safe. The process isn't hard at all, but it is a bit more complicated than most wifi card replacements on other notebooks. -
I'm trying to remove top case , so i can replace the hdd with my new lovly ssd. But I fail miserable .. removed all the screws (found those under the rubberfoot). Do i have to disconnect the "keyboard" to the motherboard ? -
A total of 11 screws must be removed from the back of the laptop (including the ram cover). When you remove the ram cover, make sure you disconnect the 2 ribbon cables. The larger (keyboard) cable has latches on the side and you simply pull it towards you to unlock it. The other smaller (motherboard) cable is also secured with a latch but you have to flip it up to loosen it.
Once that's all done, flip your laptop right side up and starting from the back, pry the top case open. Use the empty battery compartment as leverage and start prying from there. It takes a bit of force, but try and do it as carefully and slowly as possible. -
Thanks for the fast reply. I know there are definite advantages but I am just wondering if I will really be able to notice a difference.
And from what I have seen - there isn't a simple latch to remove like other laptops, would I basically have to open it up entirely to do? (potentially a warranty issue)
Also, I see you are part of the Asus team - there seems to be a mixed bag of comments on the after sales customer support. Do you work for Asus? Have you ever needed asus technical support and if so, how helpful were they? Repair turn-around time? -
If you want to replace the wifi card, you'd have to disassemble the top case assembly and remove the I/O board.
I don't work for Asus The "NBR Asus Team" is purely made up.
I have quite a few experience with Asus tech support and for the most part they were helpful. However, I have to stress the importance of WHERE you purchase your Asus notebook. I would highly suggest purchasing from a reputable online reseller as they can always help you with tech support and often are much more efficient and helpful compared to Asus tech support. See the Asus Info Booth Sticky for a list of reputable resellers. Personally, I went with GenTechPC. I recall one scenario where Asus tech support was unable to help me solve an issue but GenTechPC was. If you'd purchase an Asus say from Best Buy, they'd most likely brush you off to deal with the manufacture and have you deal with them yourself. Take a look at the Asus RMA and warranty guide I've written (link in sig) to get an idea of how their technical support works. -
Hmmm - I am not sure I want to void the accidental damage warranty (as indicated in the sticky) and furthermore, it would also mean all warranty coverage would go through the reseller. I guess I better contact GenTechPC to get more information.
I really appreciate all your help. There aren't many reviews for this lappy out there - and most are critical solely because it isn't a Sandy Bridge and don't give a good idea about the actual laptop. Most still recommend the toshiba r705 - but the specs are much better on the Asus.
Actually I was looking at purchasing it from B&H photo (has it for a web low of 949.00 vs 969+ everywhere else) -
However, this $29 discount isn't worth it in my opinion since when you use an American Express credit card to purchase any laptop in the US, you automatically get a 1 year warranty extension. I believe some Visa and Mastercards also offer this, but you'd have to check with your credit card terms. AFAIK, all variants of AMEX cards offer the extended 1 year warranty.
As an added bonus, most credit card offer some sort of rewards program. Spending $1000 gives you 1000 reward points and this usually translates to a $10 gift card from your favorite store -
Wow David - so fast. Thanks again - ya my mastercard has the same feature (Canadian MC).
Just wondering if the extra 20$ (or 55$ with upgrade) would be worth the help of Ken and his excellent team at GenTech
I'll call them tomorrow.
Thanks for all your help again!
Repped - but I don't think you really need it! ;-) -
Are you purchasing from Canada? If so, keep in mind that there's bound to be some sort of duties/customs tax when you have a new laptop shipped from the US.
Personally, an extra $20 is surely worth it. It'll give you a piece of mind knowing that you'd be taken care of no matter what.
Also, I should note that many reseller offer a price match guarantee. It won't hurt to ask if they can match B&H's price. -
I did - the guy said yes but then when he looked - he was like "Oh no no - we just can't do it. It is just too low." Seriously, I almost started laughing.
And no - I have a nice US shipping address - not paying 15% tax and duty...Canadian retail is so ridiculous.
Maybe I'll put the screws to them tomorrow. Tell them - I'll buy right now - 20$ ;-)
I was just wondering if you heard about another version of the U36JC that apparently has a hard drive that is a solid state hybrid drive (U36JC-SSH-RX116X) Is this the same hard drive that is in here? -
Also, AFAIK, the isn't available in the US. I believe it's only available in Australia. -
Well I went for it David.
It was a tough choice between the cheaper toshiba r705-p35 from BB or this one.
Ken actually asked me if I had read your review while I was ordering - I thought it was amusing. Do you get a commission ? -
Ken probably asked you if you read my review because it is the only review available on the forum. Unfortunately, I do not get any commission. Would be nice though if I did -
Thanks ! It worked , ive now replaced the hdd with an ssd (Crucial RealSSD C300 2,5" 128GB). The ssd is a bit "overkill" i guess , since its 6G sata.. but it works.
What didnt work was Asus ai-recovry , i burned the recovery dvd from the original hdd. At first sight it seemed like it would work to use the recovery dvd on the new ssd since the Asus ai-recovoery reported" all ok". But it was not ok i could not boot. ..I gave up and bought a new win 7 license and did a clean install .. which works excellent. boots up in a few secounds.
Lovly little Asus machine i must say
You dont happend to know if its possible to replace the 4g ram to 8gb ram ? The specs says 4gb only.
Its a lovly winters day here in Stockholm , but i can always warm myself with my asus
/Rickard -
A few comments on the laptop in case anyone wants to hear another opinion:
Screen - I found the screen to be very bright with good colour. If anything, it's too bright: the minimum brightness setting is too bright for a dark room. I had to turn down the brightness and contrast using the Intel graphics options. Vertical viewing is poor: white is fine, black inverts after only a few degrees. Definitely a screen that's best for one person.
Keyboard - The keyboard is the best I've ever used (admittedly that's quite a small sample size). No bending, responsive, well laid out, full sized arrow keys: very easy to get used to, other than the small right shift key.
Touchpad - I found this difficult to use at first. It didn't let my fingers slide easily over it. This problem seems to have gone away though, whether by me learning how to use it or the surface becoming less grippy. Multi touch functions don't work particularly well though, even after going through the driver settings. The buttons are fine, not as cheap looking as I was expecting. The single button seems to make no difference and the silver colour doesn't really draw attention.
Battery - My experience has been in line with what everyone else has said: Windows predicts 5 hours under moderate usage on high performance mode. I haven't had a chance to run the battery down fully in battery saving mode.
Performance - A surprising step up from my previous Asus M50VM (2.53GHz, nVidia 9600GS). I haven't run any demanding games but it's very snappy generally and in Photoshop, as well as easily playing HD without hardware acceleration. With the CPU limited to 30% it will not heat up and performance is still fast for normal use. And this is with all the original bloatware.
Bloatware - Not really sure why people complain about this. It's not very time consuming to reinstall Windows, and I assume Asus is getting money for bundling the AV trials and such, so the laptop can be made more affordable
Heat - At the moment heat dissipation is excellent. The CPU stays at 30C under light use. Under heavy load it does heat up surprisingly fast, but the fan is effective in cooling it down quickly afterwards.
Sound - The speakers are fine for videos; for music they are as bad as a phone, which is to be expected. Headphone jack is completely static free.
Ports - Everything I would need is there. The power jack being on the left hand side rather than the back is unusual but obviously a minor quibble. I've tested the USB 3.0 port with a 3.0 flash drive and external HDD. Both read with roughly double the speed to the USB 2.0 port, so it's nice to have that bottleneck removed.
Design - Very attractive. The Nano coating looks and feels nice. The screen and bezel are rather discordant with the rest, but I quite like the look. Amazing thin for a laptop with a full voltage CPU. Now I just seem to be repeating what you can read in every review, so I think I'll stop here
Minor concerns:
Can't play flash videos full screen unless I turn off hardware acceleration in the flash player settings. Might be an issue with the Optimus driver?
Changing the HDD: can the rubber feet be reattached firmly so they won't fall off and get lost?
The lowest screen setting really is too bright. Is this a backlit LED thing? Even with brightness at minimum in hardware and software and f.lux installed, a white background in a dark room has a lot of glare. -
As a quick fix, you can purchase a matte screen filter to decrease the brightness even more. -
Guide to overclocking the U36JC CPU is up if anyone is interested:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/556035-overclocking-asus-u36jc.html
Have fun with it -
Is 8gb really possible ?
-
that will give you the 8 total. -
can you use 1333MHz or is it limited to 1066MHz?
-
It will use the 1333 but downclock it to 1066... -
-
-
Are you sure, because your site lists it as 1066 at the stock condition?
Thanks for sending out the package so quick btw. My gf received it today!
Brandon -
Have anyone tried any games with this computer? Starcraft 2, Mass Effect 2? WoW? (Diablo 3 and SW TOR when they´ll come?)
I know this aint a gaming mashine, but can it handle these games on lower graffic settings? -
I think maybe mine does have a different model screen. My last laptop had a 200 nits screen and this one is definitely brighter. A matte screen sounds like a good fix though. -
-
I'm leaving the country on Sun and would like to order one of these asap. No one seems to have one in stock. Anyone know where I could get one and expedite shipping?
-
-
-
Anyone with a U36 - if you push the bottom part of the screen bezel (where the Asus logo is) is it firm or does it tap into the screen? I'm not sure whether mine is connected properly.
-
-
Maybe I missed it, but can the keyboard be replaced??
(like in the u35jc/ul30 series?) Keyboard looks the same... -
-
you're kidding...
I don't think I have the balls for that... changing a hdd or memory or a keyboard.. okay, but removing the entire inside of a laptop... no freakin way!
You're sure this can't be done otherwise? Because the U35JC is just like the ul30 series (if I'm not mistaken). -
-
Seems to me that it's not something the average joe can do, right?
-
I´m also waiting for the delivery of mine i5 version.
Only bad thing is the 5400rpm HDD. So I am also interested in changing it to something faster. How hard is it? And how big is the possability for mess ups? -
got myself the u36jc-B2B for 1060 tax and shipping in from Infonec.com in canada.
came with win7 pro and i5-480m.
i get a good 6-7 hours on battery saving while web browsing with brightness all the way down which is still enough unless in direct sunlight.
my only cons: no backlit keyboard. and god damn the stock HDD sucks. yes, it's a 500GB 7200rpm HDD. but seagate? really? this exact model of HDD has a 20% failure rate within one year. the HDD side of the laptop feels hotter than the CPU side. even on idle. swapping out for an SSD asap.
ordered a 120GB Mushkin SSD from newegg for $250 tax and shipping in. i am also going to use some of my leftover Arctic silver thermal paste while i have the laptop open. hopefully will drop my temps a bit. -
If somebody already upgraded to 8GB RAM, please check (of course a 64bit os should be running):
1) %windir%\system32\msinfo32.exe
What does ist say about the installed RAM?
2) Control Panel -> System
How much RAM ist shown? How much is declared as "usable"?
ASUS U36JC-A1 Review
Discussion in 'ASUS Reviews and Owners' Lounges' started by David, Feb 10, 2011.