Since it seems to be of interest I quickly prepared and started a USB stick with Ubuntu-Linux 12.04 "Precise Pangolin". The good news: basically everything works, WLAN, touchpad, sound, Bluetooth - everything there. Otherwise: the function keys are without their function and the power saving functions don't seem to work. This can probably be fixed with the right cpufreqd settings, but in "out-of-the-box" state, a battery life of not even three hours is "predicted". The CPU clock rate is also lowered by Ubuntu-Linux, but this does not seem to be the only power saving method ASUS has implemented - and which requires Windows drivers.
To save the honour of Ubuntu, it must be said that Ivy Bridge is a new processor generation and the HM67 chipset from Intel offers new functions and may not be optimally addressed by the Linux kernel - so there is still potential here. Also, activating/deactivating the Geforce GT 620M may not work as intended.
But since in my case the device was purchased as a Windows Ultrabook anyway, I will not spend any more time in Linux on the ASUS Zenbook UX32Vd rather there will be an update on how games work on the device, the first one to be used will be an older 3DMark.
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I'm very interested in the UX32VD and I'm curious to see how the memory expansion works and the gaming capability. Unfortunately I can't get it until September because I'm not in the country at the moment :/ (otherwise it would probably have been ordered long ago haha )
Can you see a difference in the haptics by "only" removing an aluminium layer instead of a uni-body? On the photos it still looks very stable. I am grateful for any new interesting information/experience 😉
That sounds good to me. You can still optimize it, e.g. install new mainline kernels that support the functions of the chipset. What about the 10GB RAM test?
The RAM has to be delivered first - I did not have an 8 GB module lying around.
@Falk Jeromin
I'd be very interested in that, too. I'm also going to get this NB.
Hello,
you can write where you ordered the notebook.
I can't find a dealer anywhere who has this in stock.
I ordered mine from Cyberport.de last Wednesday. There it was for a short moment on "immediately available".
Hello,
surely you have Linux installed parallel. How did you do that, because of the GPT? I read that you have to overwrite the GPT with the MBR and then install Windows via USB to prevent Windows from writing a GPT table again. Did you do the same thing?
Thank you very much in advance.
MfG.
I only started it from the Live-CD and did not install it completely. So I can't say how it behaves with the bootloader.
By the way, here's a good overview of the current state of the Asus Zenbooks under Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AsusZenbookPrime
As you can also learn, the last few points under 12.10 are probably all erased.
I was actually about to buy a UX31A, but this 4 GB limitation is really embarrassing with the current storage prices.
That's why I'm now also looking at the UX32VD - this is the somewhat less valuable model of the UX31, not quite as flat, but expandable 🙂
What I'm interested in now is how the device is doing with the volume - it should start quite fast and then be clearly audible - and how long it will last under Windows - to estimate how long it will last with the next Ubuntu release.