ASUS U500vz/UX51vz Owners' Lounge!

So, lets see if I get this right.

The fans can be fixed using Notebook Fancontrol, but not well:

here

But the fans keep spinning up:

here

The throttling can be fixed with ThrottleStop or a bios patch (which I can't find now so I'm not sure if it exist)?
However, even though I saw promises to test this fix, I haven't seen any results...

...and how many of these problems persist under Linux?

Are the fans and throttling easier to control under Linux?

 

The U500vz/UX51vz really meets my needs in terms of performance/features/design/weight and all but i cannot buy it while having these thermal issue's, did anyone try to remove and re-apply thermal paste with better results?

 

Ugh, I have a speaker problem with my replacement UX51VZ. The right speaker makes a distorted sound when there is any bass coming from the internal subwoofer (external subwoofer is not plugged in).

I uploaded the video on youtube showing the sound is clear when the left speaker is 100% and the right speaker is at 0%, but when the right speaker is 100%, it has a very distorted sound.

UX51VZ audio problem - YouTube

Could someone repeat the same test using the following audio settings in here?



Max bass all the way up, and then unplug the external subwoofer.

Then go to speakers, click "Balance" and try the left speaker, then the right speaker. If you click outside the "Balance" box, it will play the warning chime.



I can't imagine that this is an issue across the board so this may well be another defective unit

 

Sorry, seems like a defectice speaker indeed. I did a quick test and I could not hear anything similar.

 

What thermal issue?

 

That's new to me too. I know there's a thermal throttling problem, but that seems to be mainly software (?) thinking that 60 degrees is too work and throttling the CPU/GPU at that temperature?

 

I don't see any newest ones that are for ASUS. Did you just download the Acer ones?

Has this solved your fan issue?

 

@sockfish - if anything, my left speaker seems to be behaving worse (more noise in the output) than the right one i'll have to see this is in real setup, i.e. listening to music, to see if it's an issue for me. replacement would be really hard to pull off

Has anyone had a problem with screen frequency? I can't reproduce it correctly but at times it looks like the screen is visibly refreshing and pulsating. It is a very subtle effect but noticeable
I installed he latest Intel hd4000 drivers from the asus site. The nvidia is both disabled and the windows drivers seem to be newer than the ones on asus site..

too many annoyances with this machine >.<
i'm becoming paranoid

 

@Terpen Tijn
I try to install it either by usb key and by the cd-drive.
It never work.
i pass like 12 hours trying to do different versions of my iso to make it work because i was thinking it was in fault.
But it's still not working. Always this message when i want to boot "select proper boot device insert boot media..." .
Win 8 is ty most of the stuff i use didn't work on it or is full buggy.
So i ask you. I need to find a way or i will return the computer. Can you like torrent me your iso ?

thanks for your guide. Hope some other people do it and it works because here ... ^^

 

Hi,

Offhand I can think of three ways in which a Win 7 ISO may fail to boot; either because it fails to recognize the USB 3 ports (but that still got me to the Win 7 loading screen before it got stuck), because your BIOS is still looking to boot in EFI mode, or because it contains no boot sector.

can you describe in more detail what you have done, and where it refuses to boot? Have you followed all steps I described? Do you know how to make a bootable DVD from the modified Win 7 ISO?

Can you force it to boot from USB/DVD by entering the BIOS (F2) and choosing that option on the last screen? The installer media need to be inserted for this to work. This is how I did it, as I did not want to prioritize USB over SSD for every boot (i.e., changing boot order).

Note finally that the Win 7 Pro x64 ISO is freely available, look at the direct link in my how-to post (under "Requirements") to download it.

 

"Screen frequency"?

For any LCD-type (not CRT), there's no visible update rate. Without data, the pixels just stay the same - no flicker. You have a pixel change time ("2ms" or "5ms") for how long it takes for it to flip and show the right colour.

If you however experience flicker, and it's not because you play an epileptic seizure-inducing computer game, it's because of the backlightning of the panel.

I don't know what the U500 has, if it's LEDs or cold cathode.

But in any case, those flicker with a very high frequency (thousands of times a second), which is usually not noticeable. But - if you're in a room with a similar lightsource, LEDs or cathode tube lightning - they can get interference and you can experience flicker. Try looking at it at candlelight instead of the house lighting and see if it stays.

Of course, the drivers - hardware, not software - for the LEDs/cathode might be buggy and flicker the light.

 

Don't know what to doo.
thanks for your reply !

 

Ok, what happens when you:

1) Enable CSM in the BIOS
2) Insert a 'normal' not-modified Windows 7 DVD in your DVD drive, and force boot it from the BIOS?

 

Just to clarify.

1. You have an 8GB USB Stick
2. You have done the diskpart procedure of clearing it, creating an NTFS partition and setting that partition active
3. You have a Windows 7 ISO file, extracted it and then copied the extracted content into the root of that new USB drive partition
4. You have run the "bootsect /NT60 X:" command to make the stick bootable

If you have those steps and it still doesn't work, did you try using a different USB stick? Stuff Like U3 partitons on it or any other kind of non-default stuff will block it from working correctly. Use F2 or Escape or whatever to change the booting device to the stick.

Drivers, USB3 or any other problem will only popup after the initial booting screens. So let's try to get there first.

 

All though this is loosely related to the fan issue, for me it did work in removing the Asus Smart Gesture tool and using the generic elantech drivers (in this case the acer version was the newest one). They work 100% and my min speed and max speed settings haven't changed since!

The idle fan speed BIOS profiles still plague us. The Fan control tool helps a bit but I don't feel comfortable using it all the time. They should just fix their ****-up and correct it.

 

Thanks for checking, I think it's acceptable for laptop speakers to have a little distortion/noise but the amount I have on mine is beyond what I'd consider acceptable. In many instances, price doesn't equal QC so between a $2000 laptop and a $600 laptop, it seems that the possibility of a defect is more dependent on the manufacturer. Does your noise go away when you plug in the subwoofer (no bass from the internal subwoofer)?

The good news is that this time I purchased my UX51VZ from a local store that would have otherwise sent me a pre-paid shipping label for a return-and-exchange if necessary. This all can happen in the same day so I won't be out of a computer. With a hard drive back up, I can swap all the data over in about an hour

I hate to keep ragging on XoticPC and any other smaller botique e-tailers with a similar customer-responsibility return policy, but this is another instance of a manufacturer defect that would have resulted in a costly return-and-exchange process even for a blatant manufacturer defect. I understand that repairs are free from ASUS, but in the computer world, time is money and inspection/repairs can be a lengthy process.

 

Only just started to catch up with this thread. The flex on the UX32VD looks very bad. I would not use this for typing on. Bouncy bouncy! My Sony Vaio SZ has no flex whatsoever.

 

I just ordered this laptop and am quite excited. From some of the reviews I've read, it sounds like it can get quite hot in certain places when playing graphically intense games.

Has anyone here bought a cooling pad for their u500 or know which types would work best based on vent layout?

Thanks

 

I think it might have had to do with the adaptive brightness... I haven't experienced it today, though I stayed most of the time on current and not on battery

Two more issues that I noticed:
- lightbleeding on the left edge closer to the top... mostly annoying when watching movies which is how i noticed it. obviously it's hard to spot it while browsing.
- my charger is getting very hot and there is a subtle buzzing sound coming from it... wonder if it means i should get it replaced

i've updated my WiFi drivers with what's on ASUS site but plan to be rolling back to what was in Windows.... connection drops have multiplied immensely, and i am staying no more than 1.5 m from my router

about the key flex - no flex whatsoever on the u500 with normal typing. however the sound of the space button is somewhat annoying.

 

I actually ended up buying a UX32VD. It's not as bad as in the video for mine.

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

 

Can the RAM be easily upgraded to 16GB?

 

No, maximum is 12GB. It is moderately easy, but it requires you to get a TORX-5 screwdriver and unscrew 12 screws, where 2 of them is located under the feets on the laptop.

 

Hello everyone, I'm new here.
I apologize for not introducing myself (I didn't check if there is a presentation section in this forum), but I'm in a terrible hurry and need a quick responde.
I'm currently in Australia and would like to buy this awesome ultrabook (U500VZ), but I can't find any store who has it. ASUS website redirects me to a few electronics shops here but no one has this laptop in stock. Anyone has a link of an Australian website where I can purchase the U500VZ from? I need to have it in 10 days because after that I'll be flying back to my country. I want to get it here because I would be able to claim a tax refund for the GST payed for the laptop. Also, I would (hopefully( be able to get a 10% off the price thanks to my school. Hope anyone can help me out, 'cause I really need to buy it (it's probably the finnest "gaming" laptop out there!)

THANK YOU

 

Pricerunner Australia? : British Expat Discussion Forum
lists a few sites that you can use to search with. Try the ux51vz name too.

(I'm Swedish so I can't help you more.)

 

Complaining here in the forum does not help us much. The visitors here are quite well informed about the problem. It would make much more sense to tell others (other forums / social media). We (and I mean all of us) do have to push Asus until they understand that a fix is crucial to sell the machine properly. Just be creative

 

Completely agree.

The twitter handle for ASUS is @ASUS where such questions could be asked. #asusux51fannoise
Of course, one might try their facebook channel, but I have a feeling this one is relatively less often checked by ASUS.

 

Just received mine. Are there any settings for the touchpad besides the asus smart gesture? Like sensitivity n stuff...

 

Wait. Are you saying that u500vz and ux51vz are the same model?

 

Yes they are.

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

 

Lol, I always thought they were two separate models. Anyway, I can't find them here in Australia, I think they're not on sale yet.. Hope I will be able to get one soon though.. The only problem is that in Italy they're much more expesive.. -.-

 

For cooling of the U500VZ, I find this "Cooler Master U3 NotePal Notebook Cooler" Cooler Master Note Pal U3 Review - YouTube quite ok (it's available in a somewhat smaller size as well, U2).

It also gives a good protection to the laptop when you are using it as intended (on the run , since you put your laptop in the cooler frame (watch the video).

The fans from the cooler are somewhat audible in idle, but then you can switch them off, though they drown in the fan noice when in load.

And speaking about fans, this post in another thread looks promising
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...ml#post8975354

 

Well... if you don't care about easy-to-return you could order from anywhere in EU really.

But considering some people's track record with it here, I would prefer an easy-to-return store.

 

Does anyone hate the trackpad as much as me? I haven't seen too much on it. I think it just doesn't like my finger.

 

Did you try the alternative drivers/tool I have posted? It allows you to be able to tune more parameters then the Asus provided version does.

 

Picked up my 3rd UX51VZ yesterday (1st one had BSOD using 650M, 2nd had a faulty right speaker). Out of the box, the usb port was bent outwards but aside from that, everything seems to be working well so far. I loaded everything in my last UX51 using Acronis so no need to go through installing everything.

Out of all the computers I've had, so far ASUS now takes the lead on poor QC. This includes a refurbished Gateway and a HP Envy, where both of those had HD issues. More $ does not seem to equal better QC.

 

This reminds me of a Californian company.. Something related to fruit..

The fact is that by purchasing it here in Australia before leaving for home I would save heaps of money.. Italy's too expensive for technology

 

Ya tried the new Acer drivers an its still a crappy touchpad. Any other tweaks out there?

 

Using ETDDeviceInformation.exe, I can actually move my finger around on the trackpad and see the numbers changing properly but the mouse movement is not in sync.

The position numbers start at 0,0 on the bottom left of the trackpad. The position numbers at the top right of the trackpad are roughly 3300,2100.

When I drag my finger from the bottom left to the top right the numbers change from 0,0 to 3300,2100 but the mouse barely moves. When I move my finger faster it seems to keep up better.

It's like the trackpad is not seeing my finger slide across but in fact thinks it's jumping across.

 

Ok, that is odd. Did you also try to see the pressure sensing utility to see if it actually registers something or not?

For me, pressure or speed do not matter at all, it registers just fine. Actually, a bit too sensitive for me often, so I adjusted that in the tool.

Maybe it's something on your finger or coating? Basically it's a capacitive touchpad so it registers using a small current through your finger. A special stylus pen you would use on an iphone or ipad or something should also work. If you might have one of those handy you could test it? Otherwise it might be defective?

 

What pressure sensing utility? My old hp used to show pressure in the mood icon but this one doesn't.

 

WARNING - Do not use the SD Card slot in the UX51 until you test it with expendable files. I just discovered that mine corrupts image files.

In the interest of saving everyone some pain but not cross-posting I put the details in the other thread.

 

Link isn't working, it gets shortened, use the link button above.

 

I ran a portable version of Winxp and tested the mouse with the same problems. Must be hardware

2 Dell LX521s with wireless issues and now an Asus with trackpad issues. I can't seem to get a break.I don't even know how to open a warranty case for this thing.

 

In the unzipped install zipfile I found a utility called "ETDHValueMonitor.exe". You can also use that for testing.

 

I see. That program didn't copy over to the program folder during install. I have the same program for my synaptics on my hp. It really doesn't seem to pick up hardly any pressure at all. In my hp I can push my pointer finger down and et the bar to the top. On the ux51 I can get the bar to move up about a mm if that. Can you test with your pointer finger and take a screenshot?

Are there hidden pressure sensitivity features?

 

hi
a quick question
is this available with specs 128GB SSD and 500GB hard drive.
if so what is model number to order
thx

 

Anyone experiencing that the screen brightness is way too dark after login?
At the login screen it's like it should be but once I'm in Win8 it's really not what it should be, I've set brightness at max and tried fooling around with the settings. Nothing seems to help.

Am I missing something, are there other people experiencing the same problem?

 

Did anyone experience the same problem with SD cards explained by gimme?

 

I too had some strange behavior of the display. I believe the cause to be several display technologies working against each other. Why make the screen brighter when there is a lot of white on the screen and darker when there is not. That is completely the wrong way around. :S

Also, sometimes the colors would fade strangely.

Turns out, this is all the fault of the intel drivers. They have a feature called "Display Power Saving Technology" which causes all this. You can find it using the Intel Graphics Control Panel, Power, select "On Battery" and disable the option.

The rest of my settings are set that my brightness for the battery profile and plugged in profile are maxed out. But then I enabled "adaptive brightness" and use the key combination on the keyboard to engage the light sensor.

That way my display is perfect. Always the correct brightness for the current lighting and adjusts automatically.

When you log in, you will notice the light sensor starting to work by the screen suddenly bedimming darker. You can also test this with the FN + A key combination on your keyboard.

 

No, worked fine for me up until now. I did install the drivers from the Asus website in my fresh Win8 install. Maybe that helped?