Asus Zenbook UX302LG Owners Lounge

This thread is a continuation of the Asus UX302 thread. Since the US302LA and UX302LG models are significantly different, it made sense to have different threads. I'll do my best to update this post with all relevant information. If you think something needs to be added, feel free to PM me.

Base specifications:

Processor: i7-4500U or i5-4200U
Memory: 2GB or 4GB onboard memory + DIMM up to 4GB. Slot supports an 8GB module
Display: 13.3" IPS 1920x1080
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M 2GB + Intel HD 4400
Storage: 500GB HDD + 16GB SSD ; 750GB HDD + 16GB SSD ; 256GB SSD -- Laptop has a 2.5" bay and a mSata mini slot(half-sized mSata)
SD Card reader
Webcam
Wireless AC + bluetooth
3X USB 3.0
1x HDMI
1x Mini Display Port
4480 mAh battery
Dimensions: 325 x 226 x 17.2 mm
Weight 1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs

Configuration list
Zenbook UX302LG-C4002H - 1200 euro - Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4008H - 1250 euro – Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 750 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4028H - 1400 euro - Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4007H - 1350 euro – Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 750 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4014P - 1550 euro - Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, Windows 8 Pro;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4027H - 1099 euros – Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8 Home
Zenbook UX302LG-C4027P - Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8 Pro
Zenbook UX302LG-DH71T-CA - CND$1399($1399USD*) - Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8 Home
*No US model exists, however some(including myself) have been able to get Canada's model through resellers such as NCIX.

Known quality issues
Warped keyboards - the keyboard and frame are built as one piece. Unfortunately some(including myself) have experienced warping to where the frame is bent and reaches the level of the keys(picture here). This affects the backlighting ability of the keys seen here and also can make typing difficult. Some have found a workaround by loosening some screws inside the laptop but most return theirs over this issue.
Backlight bleeding on the screen - Most, if not all of us have at least some form of backlight bleed. It's extremely common to have minor "points" of backlight bleeding at the bottom of the screen. For most of us, this is only noticeable at boot up and maybe movies where there is a black bar at the bottom. In lit rooms or when there is a picture showing, you won't notice it. Some users have reported more severe cases of backlight bleed. Many have ended up exchanging their units over it. This picture is a pretty good example of the minor bleed at the bottom edge, along with the heavy bleed in the top.
Backlit keyboard issues - Some users have reported issues with malfunctioning keyboard backlight after returning from sleep. No known fix yet.

Opening the laptop
There are a number of torx screws on the bottom that require a T5 or T6 driver to remove. Additionally, there are two Phillips screws located under the rubber feet closest to the hinge of the display. Some have reported they don't have those screws so YMMV. To get the feet off, you have to pry underneath them with something stong and thin. I personally used a small flathead and my fingernail. It's held on with double sided tape. My feet held up to 3 rounds of removal before I had to apply a little glue to keep them on.

Teardown pictures here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/734016-asus-ux302-56.html#post9546572
Another teardown with more pictures: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...book-ux302lg-owners-lounge-2.html#post9615736
Alternate way to open the laptop without completely removing the back cover: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/734016-asus-ux302-6.html#post9432931

Upgrades
Ram - Whether you have 2GB or 4GB onboard Ram, you can replace your DIMM with an 8GB stick. If you want to replace your ram with an 8GB stick, make sure it's 1.35V or it will not work. Here are some known brands that work ok:
-Crucial CT102464BF160B
-G.Skill F3-1600C11S-8GSL
-Mushkin model 992038
-Patriot PSD38G1600L2S
-Kingston KVR16LS11/8

2.5" bay hard drive - The stock HDD is 7mm wide. With the bracket, it measures up to 8.3mm. There have been reports of 9mm drives fitting but you have to remove the bracket and tape it down. Most newer SSDs are 7-8mm.
Known brands that work: All EXCEPT Crucial M500. Nobody with a 2.5" M500 has been able to get theirs to be recognized by the laptop. No solution yet. I personally use a Crucial m500 mSata through a 2.5" adapter and it works fine though.

mSata Mini(half-sized msata) - This is not a full mSata slot. Asus uses these slots for drive caching. You can remove the cache drive and add a larger drive to boot from, if you desire. Currently capacities are limited to 128GB and there are only a handful of options out there. I personally use the M-Factors mRock 128GB, which has 450MB/s read and 100MB/s write. MyDigitalSSD also has a 128GB drive at a lower cost that has up to 500GB/s read and 200GB/s write(Mine was 520 read, 170 write). This is a great way to get SSD speeds without sacrificing the HDD space.

I'll add a more detailed disassembly when I open my machine later in the next week or so. I am changing out the SSD in the 2.5" bay and will probably swap out that newer mSata mini as well, to test it.

 

Good start!

 

wow you had to but it in the lounge?
Why couldn't you put it in the other room?

 

What other room?

 

I meant the original forum not the lounge.

 

Wow, thanks Xentar712, that's an awesome front page !
I've been reading the whole previous thread these past few days and this is a superb summary !

Just a little addition : 2 users claimed that 8GB Patriot sticks (PSD38G1600L2S) work perfectly as well.


May I ask you where you found your Windows 8.1 ISO for the clean install you did on your 128 GB m-sata SSD ? I know the right version to use it the "Core" one but I haven't started searching for it yet.

 

You could perhaps add this configuration list?

Zenbook UX302LG-C4002H - 1200 euro - Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4008H - 1250 euro – Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 750 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4028H - 1400 euro - Intel Core i5-4200U, Nvidia 730M, 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4007H - 1350 euro – Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 750 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM;
Zenbook UX302LG-C4014P - 1550 euro - Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, Windows 8 Pro;

I've copied the text from Asus Zenbook UX302LG / UX302 review - the GAMING 13 inch ultrabook

 

There's also the one I have : Zenbook UX302LG-C4027H - 1099 euros – Intel Core i7-4500U, Nvidia 730M, 500 GB HDD + 16 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8 Home

 

And also Zenbook UX302LG-C4002P - which is same as C4002H, but has Windows 8 Professional

 

Microsoft used to let you download it from their site if you had a product key but they disabled that ability. I'm guessing most people torrent it now. Just use your DD and make sure it's legit and virus free. I got mine from the MS site over a year ago but it's Windows 8. I had to install almost a GB of updates, and then update to Windows 8.1.

 

dd.......?

 

due diligence

 

Just make sure to confirm the MD5 or equivalent hash matches the one on the Microsoft website and you should be good to go.

 

Xentar, can you add this to the list of compatible RAM sticks ? :

Kingston Technology 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L (PC3-12800) 1.35V
Non-ECC CL11 SODIMM Intel Laptop Memory KVR16LS11/8

 

Xentar712, you say you're using the M-factors msata SSD but didn't you mention once that you used a Crucial M500 msata ? (and that it worked fine, as opposed to the 2.5' sata SSDs)

I'm looking forward to seeing the comparison with the ones from MydigitalDiscount !

 

Sure I did. http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/734016-asus-ux302-83.html#post9584858

I've had the 128GB M-factors + 256GB Crucial mSata w/ Syba mSata adapter (SY-ADA40050) combo since I got the laptop. It works fine but I need more space now, so when the MyDigitalSSD comes in, I'll replace the M-factors drive with that and replace the Crucial with a 750GB Samsung Evo that I picked up on a slickdeals deal last week. If it's significantly faster, I might put the MydigitalSSD in my wife's Q501LA. Crucial and the adapter is going back into my desktop. It's annoying that Asus uses mini msata but it's not so bad when you have more than one of their laptops to use the drives in.

Looks like it's finally in stock so hopefully I'll be able to test it early next week.

 

So I opened it up again today. Probably will be the last time I use the screws under the rubber feet since they no longer stick(this is my 4th time opening it). My goal was to replace my 256GB Crucial M500 msata+2.5" adapter with a 750GB Samsung Evo and to swap out the mini msata with a newer one sold by MydigitalSSD. I also wanted to go a step further and try to see just how replaceable the keyboard really is. I took a few pictures, so I also figured I'd make a mini tear-down guide out of this.

-From the backside, you need to remove the two rubber feet circled. They have adhesive sticking them on, so it takes a bit of effort to get them off. Then remove the two screws underneath with a Phillips screwdriver. My adhesive has seen it's last stick, so I ordered some molding tape from 3M to see if I can get them back on nicely. Using a T5 or T6 driver, remove the 9 other screws on the back.


-Now you'll only be able to lift the lid at an angle. To get it off, you need to pop the rounded part off the hinge. I did this with a sharpened pencil(break off thelead) in conjunction with applying force in the direction of the arrow. It helps to focus on one side, then the other. Once you get off once, it gets easier the next times.


-Pictures of the curved portion, so you know what you're dealing with



-This is my configuration. Yours will look different(i.e. stock hard drive, ram and mSata). To get the battery out, remove the screws shown. There is also a connector that can be removed by pulling up from underneath both ends with a case opening tool. You need to remove the battery in order to get the 2.5" hard drive out. I removed my bracket completely to reduce the weight and since it was worthless holding my msata adapter. Tape works fine - your drive isn't bouncing around in such a tight Ultrabook.



-Pic with battery and drive removed


-I took some detailed pictures of everything. You can see some part numbers. Note that the top frame is the same part number as the top for UX302LA. The touchpad is the same as the UX301LA.










-I confirmed that the keyboard and top frame are indeed one piece. You can peel back this adhesive to see the keyboard frame underneath. Unfortunately it appears to be attached to the aluminum with plastic rivet snaps. There's no way I would want to attempt removing all that myself. That made the teardown stop short though. To dig further, you would need to remove the screen, as well as the motherboard. Pretty straight forward to get those off but I'm going no further.


-Evo fits in nicely. I'm taping instead of using the metal frame. It will be easier to remove now since I won't have to remove the battery next time.


-This is the replacement mSata mini sold by mydigitalssd. Benchmarks shown below.



-Below are the benchmarks for the M-Factors mRock 128GB mSata mini vs the MydigitalSSD 128GB mSata mini. Ignore the disk size of the mydigitalssd, I cloned over a resized partition and haven't expanded it back again yet. The MyDigitalSSD is a better value at a lower cost with better write speeds.

 

Epic disassemble. Good job, man!

 

Good job! Thanks!

 

Awesome post, thanks Xentar !

After choosing to remove the metal for good, did you use some normal scotch tape or is it a special kind of tape ? (I think electrical tape exists, right ?)

 

Hey guys I'm planning to get a UX302LG, but I wanted to know first hand from people who own it whether there are any heating issues with the laptop when gaming?
also it seems like there are some common issues with this model such as the backlight bleeding and the keyboard warping. would you still recommend it?

 

Gold Kapton tape is what I use. It's electrical tape but thinner and without the nasty residue. It doesn't stretch like regular electrical tape though. Kind of pricey, so I only use it on computers.

 

I've played a lot of games on this thing. It gets hot but not so bad that it burns your lap. On the Y500, m11x, and V7-482PG, I had to use a cooling pad to game long term. Not with this one though. As for the issues, I personally can handle the bleed on the bottom. The excessive bleed in the upper corners would annoy me though. The keyboard warping is intolerable imo and should be returned.

 

Thanks !


I found this on eBay, that's exactly what one needs to open the PC, right ? :

 

That should work fine

 

I feel like my ux302lg's graphics card is not as strong as it is suppose to be.
Because I'm loooking at this and this guy is getting 30 fps on ultra, and when I try BF3 using the same settings in the same part of the game, I only get around 15-20fps? I'm even overclocking the graphics card. I'm not using integrated graphics, I'm usingt e dedicated graphics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwbr6MFrBI8

Can anybody try a performance test wit their's and tell me what they get for their 3d graphics?
PassMark PerformanceTest - PC benchmark software

 

That CPU in that laptop is far superior to this one. Might have something to do with it. No time today but I'll try to benchmark it tomorrow.

 

If you can get one with minimal keyboard issue, you're probably fine. I've got some bleeding but it is totally invisible in every situation except when you first power on the pc.

 

The problem about ASUS is that it's ASUS. They are trying really hard to make better laptops, but they ALWAYS fail on something. I've been using their laptops for years now, had 6 of them ( two 9'', can't remember their model numbers, 1215B, K52j, 1225B, and now UX302), and every single one of them had some annoying issue, which has to be fixed.

About your questions:

1) Yes, it`s heating. After the two hours long online match in GTA IV front panel gets quite hot right above the keyboard. I think this can affect the Zenbook if that heating is long-term.

2) Keyboard varies from unit to unit. Mine is perfectly fine. Still, it has a software glitch - even if you will turn the backlight off, it will still occasionally turns on. Probably light sensor overrides the user setting, even while auto-brightness is turned off.

3) Backlight bleed. Yes, it`s the most annoying thing about that particular Zenbook model. Problem comes from the idiotic technical solution with the glass lid. If it were made from aluminum - it wouldn't be so flexible, and we wouldn't have that issue. Mine has some bleeding on the lower edge ( i guess 90% of UX302 have that). But in addition to lower edge, it has some bleeding in upper corners, which grows over time since you keep opening and closing the lid. That corner bleed' makin' me angry. I draw a lot, using Photoshop, and that lightbleed can be seen sometimes on dark pictures even in a moderately illuminated room, with brightness set to 60-70%. Same goes with movies, if you`re watching widescreen - be prepared for light bleeding.

Here`s a pic of my screen in a dark room:



In other aspects the screen is good, although it has some little yellow tint on default settings, but it`s just an insignificant detail, comparing to bleeding problem.

 

Overall - 2231.6
CPU - 4166 (i7-363#QM scores in the 7000 range)
2D Graphics - 641
3D Graphics Mark - 560
Memory -1885
Disk - 4431

 

I think that's the score for the integrated graphics. Try setting the global settings (NVIDIA control panel) to NVIDIA processor while u run it.

 

3D went up to 777

 

There are two versions of the 730M, one that uses an older gpu the GK107 and a newer one which uses the GK208. The GK208 only has a 64 bit memory bus, where the GK107 has a 128 bit bus.

Now the UX302LG uses the GK208, so it performs less than laptops using the GK107. Out of my own experience know you can play crysis 2 on "high" (lowest available) in 720p without any lagg. Older gamed can be maxed out (like dirt3).

Whenever the gaming performance doesn't satisfy me I just realise how thin, small and light the notebook is... it's amazing how far tech has come today.

Source: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

 

Got my UX302LG-C4014P updated to 12 GB RAM just now. Used the Kingston KVR16LS11/8 and thanks to the guide there was no problem removing the back cover completely.
Thinking next of ordering the MyDigitalSSD 128 GB mSATA since I got the room for it.

 

US availability?

Rob

 

Was told by an Asus rep that the UX302LG will never be sold in the US because the UX301LA was sufficient enough for the market. You'll have to go through a Canadian importer like NCIX. Last time I checked, they were all sold out though. Onedealoutlet has one on Amazon for $2k which is absurd.

 

Concerning the 500 GB hard drive that comes with the UX302, can anyone tell me what brand and model it is ?

 

Lots of numbers on it...

Hitachi
HDD: Z5K500-500
HTS5450A7E680
P/N: H2T500854S7
P/N 0J30005

 

Once again, thank you very much Xentar ! :thumbsup:

 

Does anyone know if the mSATA mini port is empty on the hybrid models? HDD + SSD.

Zenbook UX302LG-C4002H
Zenbook UX302LG-C4008H
Zenbook UX302LG-C4007H
Zenbook UX302LG-C4027H

BTW, I've received the MyDigitalSSD and installed it easily today, pros for including 2 screws in the parcel.

 

I have UX302LG-C4002P (which is same as C4002H), just instead of Win 8 has Win8Pro.
I have 500GB + 16GB SSD cache and this cache is in mSata mini port. And I also have 128GB SSD drive from MyDigitalSSD. Just replace this new drive with the 16GB cache.

 

Hey there, just acquired the UX302LG. Whenever I try any 2 finger gestures, the cpu throttles down to .77ghz.
Can anyone else confirm this issue? Open up task manager and go to the performance tab, and keep an eye on it while you two finger scroll down a webpage. The cpu will throttle down and stay there for a while.
Doesn't seem to be an issue with 3 finger gestures. If I disable the two finger gestures in Asus Smart Gesture and try to do two finger gestures it doesn't throttle. leading me to believe the driver is faulty and that this isn't a hardware issue.

I've tried the latest UX302LG VER225 drivers and the UX301's VER228 drivers, same issue. And the issue also persists on power savings, balanced, and Power4Gear power plans.

If you don't have this issue, can you please post your current Smart Gesture drivers? Or recommend an alternate driver that has two finger gestures and good inertial/scrolling? I don't care for 3 finger gestures.

This seems like a pretty big performance issue.

EDIT: occurs on AC and battery power. 99% sure it's the Smart Gesture drivers

EDIT2: SOLUTION: I uninstalled Power4Gear completely and the problem went away. Make sure to reset your High Performance/Balanced/Power Savings plans to default, or manually configure it since it seems Power4Gear changes the default Windows plan settings. Laptop is now how it should be!

 

Have you tried giving it a one finger jesture?

Glad you got it working, was there a more recent version of the power gear software available?

 

Hello. I want to replace the hard drive on the SSD - Transcend TS512GSSD320 512GB or Crucial CT480M500SSD1 480GB Can tell someone, are they compatible with this laptop?

 

A lot of people were having issues with the m500 not being recognized. Not sure if it was ever resolved. The transcend hasn't had any reported issues

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Stay away from Crucial M500 SATA3. Until now, there is no fix for the compatibility issue. We have a number of threads opened in the crucial forums but no answer from crucial yet that worked (latest drivers do not work).

 

As stated above, don't get the M500. Personally, I've installed a Samsung 840 PRO and it works fine.

 

Hello guys!

UX302LG is my first laptop after many years of using a desktop and I must say that the transition from one to another wasn't easy at all. But to tell the truth though, day by day, I'm
learning to "love" this machine even more, and its capablities(considering its size) never fail to amaze me.

So, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions that I've been having all this time, hoping that other people could take advantage of your answers also:

-My first question is a practical one. Did anyone find a way to have a middle mouse click with out having to touch the keyboard(using only the touchpad)? Surfing the internet without a middle mouse button can get really frustrating. (I tried with the Elantech driver but not with much success. Plus, I kind of prefer the overall experience with ASUS GESTURE driver than with the Elantech).

-Also, did any of you try to remove the keyboard buttons to take the dust away and managed to put them back without damaging anything? In my case I want to change the position of several buttons (I want to partly transform my AZERTY keyboard to a QWERTY one).

-Now, I want to take advantage of your collective knowledge. What are the average temperatures of your laptop? For example, mine is between 40-55 when surfing, but without having many tabs open and not playing high resolution videos. What's the highest temperature that you had? And also, does someone know which are the manufacturer's given temperatures?

-I left the most important question for last. I am considering the possibility of converting this baby into a Hackintosh. But I want a dual boot with the windows 8.1 that I already have. Is that possible? What's the ideal layout for the HD-mSD? Can I do it with only the default ones(500 GB HDD and 16 mSSD)? Or is it better to maybe buy an extra SSD to replace the HDD or a bigger mSSD(or upgrade both of them)? Did any of you actually do it and can share a tutorial of the necessary steps? Or at least share which tutorials from the internet did he follow?

Thanks in advance guys!!! And sorry for the long post...

Thumbs up for your valuables tips so far!
Keep up the good work!




-

 

Try these references for the 3 finger middle click. Note that I've never tried either of them.
3 finger middle click (not 3 middle fingers) | mikemurko
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...er-functions-elan-touchpads-zenbooks-etc.html

I would HIGHLY recommend that you leave your keyboard alone. There was a user that had a broken key(either in this forum or the UX302 one). He took a picture of the key and the slot and they looked very fragile. There's no good way to replace the keyboard either so if you break a key, you're SOL.

I've never measured temps, mainly because this laptop gets nowhere near as hot as other Ultrabooks I've used in the past, even when playing games.

Hackintosh? I tried and failed miserably. There's a lot of things going against Hackintoshing this laptop as it is, but when you add that there are very few people who own them, it makes troubleshooting that much harder. You can't even use the UX302LA as a guide because of the video card. I'm sure it's somehow possible, just don't expect it to be an easy road. I'd try it with an external drive before messing with buying a newer internal drive. Also, you have to turn off UEFI booting in the bios which is very un-inintuitive. You have to first disable secure boot, then reboot the bios and a CSM menu will appear. Use that to start a legacy boot. Good luck!

 

Thank you very much for your answer Xentar,

I have already tried both of the references that you posted about middle click but with no success. I will try again soon just to be sure.

I think that I am going to follow your advice and not risk my laptop's safety by taking the keys off.

The reason why I mentioned the temperatures is because from what I am reading from other users I understand that their laptops don't really overheat. Well, for my standards I think that my machine overheats when I'm stressing it, like when I'm using Adobe Premiere CC for example(It gets up to 60-65 degrees). I didn't change the HDD though, so probably one of the reasons of high temperature is that. It might be nothing, but still I'm curious and I would like to know how other people laptops are reacting so I can understand if mine is problematic.

For the Hackintosh I think that I will try it later since is such a big fuss. Now, I don't have the time for experiments and I will do a bit of research also,,,

Thanks again for your help. I will update if I find solutions to my "problems".