Interesting New Notebook from Asus/Review

[GusSmed]

Is that "SSD slot" pictured above an mSATA slot?

I don't own the laptop, but no, that's not a mSata slot. That appears to be an fixed on-board SSD - not something you can upgrade, it's there when manufactured or you don't have it.

 

[stoicblitzer]

I don't own the laptop, but no, that's not a mSata slot. That appears to be an fixed on-board SSD - not something you can upgrade, it's there when manufactured or you don't have it.

I'm 95% sure it IS an mSATA slot. It even has a screw hole above it to lock in an SSD. Boot time after clean install is 36 seconds plugged in so I will not be getting an SSD for the time being.

In any case, I did eventually do a clean install using a basic Win 8.1 x64 ISO that I "found" and the Windows key that came with the notebook. Very smooth and battery life is 6+ hours with brightness on low. Could probably get 8 hrs just browsing, but i like to watch Netflix as the screen is so crisp and sharp.

 

[JensenGeek]

I bought one of these for my daughter a month ago. Then yesterday I bought one for myself after giving up on Dell to ship their 7000. I like this laptop a lot. I already ordered a Samsung 840 EVO and memory upgrade for mine. Thanks for the pictures and description for removing the back cover. I'll post a better picture of the SSD area for your info.

 

[you2]

deleted.

 

[JensenGeek]

Speaking of HDD, the process to swap for the SSD was pretty simple: I simply unscrewed the bottom cover, pried open a corner of the cover and followed around in order to remove it completely. From there, swapping the HDD for the SSD is very simple: 4 screws hold the HDD in place. It is standard laptop size, of course, so a standard 7mm SSD fits perfectly.

Hi Quantos! How did you pry the bottom cover off after removing the screws? This seems to be the most well put together laptop I've seen! I've tried several corners, even sticking a utility knife under the corner and I can't get it up. At least not without risking damage! Is there a secret screw I've missed? I've upgraded many laptops but this one is tough to get into. It looks to nice to screw this up... Any help you can offer would be appreciated!

 

[celamantia]

Hi Quantos! How did you pry the bottom cover off after removing the screws? This seems to be the most well put together laptop I've seen! I've tried several corners, even sticking a utility knife under the corner and I can't get it up. At least not without risking damage! Is there a secret screw I've missed? I've upgraded many laptops but this one is tough to get into. It looks to nice to screw this up... Any help you can offer would be appreciated!

I've removed the bottom cover twice now; it is definitely snug! I start near the screen hinges and work my way around both sides with my fingernails or a thin flat screwdriver. The front edge is the hardest, but it will eventually pop.

Chris

 

[jrichrds]

I've removed the bottom cover twice now; it is definitely snug! I start near the screen hinges and work my way around both sides with my fingernails or a thin flat screwdriver. The front edge is the hardest, but it will eventually pop.

Chris

I'm trying to remove the bottom cover, and wow, I can't get it to budge without fear of messing up the case. I figure if I can get it to pop up somewhere, the rest will be easier. But I don't know how it's clipped in.

Mine came with Intel 7260 WiFi (with Intel WiDi).

EDIT: Got it open...messed up the casing a bit at first using a thin flat screwdriver, but found a plastic tool to pry the rest of it open. Mine has the space for the mSATA SSD slot with SSD silk-printed on it, but the slot is missing. Lucky to whoever had the slot and can stick in an mSATA SSD for OS boot while still keeping 2.5" drive there for storage, even if he had to replace the Atheros Wireless.

 

[hur00003]

To the person who did the clean install, where did you find the drivers? I'm about to buy this laptop, and do a clean install myself, but I hate hunting down drivers.

 

[coastdweller]

Im going to install windows 7 on three that I have so this info gives me the courage to remove the bottom. When I get the drivers all sorted Ill throw up a link to them.

 

[slag]

I don't understand the gripe about the 6GB of ram. That's plenty for a laptop that does office work and 90% of anyone who games.

 

[celamantia]

I don't understand the gripe about the 6GB of ram. That's plenty for a laptop that does office work and 90% of anyone who games.

It's not like it isn't expandable. Specs are hard to come by (ASUS has little mention of this model) but Crucial claims that the single slot will take an 8GB SODIMM for 12GB total memory. Within the next couple of weeks I am going to order an 8GB SODIMM and a Intel SSD 525 mSata (30 or 60 GB) configured as a cache (rather than reinstalling my OS on it); at that point I think I will have a pretty decent notebook.

The Crucial SSD's are so much cheaper and bigger; I think a Crucial 120GB is less expensive than the Intel 60 GB; I'd go that way if I was going to reinstall the OS, but just adding the SSD and activating it as a cache should be pretty painless.

EDIT: The space available for that SSD slot isn't big enough to hold an Intel 525; it's made for a card exactly the same size as the wireless card. Could GusSmed be right that it's not an mSATA slot at all?

 

[celamantia]

EDIT: The space available for that SSD slot isn't big enough to hold an Intel 525; it's made for a card exactly the same size as the wireless card. Could GusSmed be right that it's not an mSATA slot at all?

The ASUS S56CA-WH31 Ultrabook has the exact same kind of slot, also simply labelled "SSD" on the motherboard; it comes with a 24GB mSATA half-length car in that slot, so I am guessing a similar card will work here. See the thread at http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...down-integrated-ssd-hack-os-install-hack.html for pictures.

 

[celamantia]

The SanDisk SDSA5FK-64G looks like it will fit in that slot.

http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-SDSA5F.../dp/B00ENZA48Q

 

[xAlias]

Right now a refurb copy of this laptop is available from ebay for $480.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321328516158

Btw, which is the wireless card on this? Some posts seem to suggest Atheros but the ebay link says WIDI capable so I am assuming its an Intel wireless card?

 

[celamantia]

Two different wireless cards have appeared in it over its life. Mine came with the Atheros, but I replaced it with an Intel 2230 making it WiDi-compatible. Others have had an Intel 7260; that one did not have the SSD slot.

Chris

 

[Husky55]

I am having a really rough time removing the back cover. What tools did you guys use to pry open near the hinge? My cover is so tight I can't even get the tiny screwdriver to fit in. I really don't want to damage the cover or the laptop. Already bought the Crucial M500.

 

[celamantia]

I'm 95% sure it IS an mSATA slot. It even has a screw hole above it to lock in an SSD.

Just so everyone knows: It is definitely an mSATA slot. I just installed an 128GB mSATA Mini (Half Size) SATAIII SSD in that slot and it is recognized as a disk with 119.12GB available. That was the largest half-size SSD I could find. The SSD did not come with a screw, I used one of the four screws holding down the hard drive to screw it down.

 

[royqiu]

this laptop's keyboard is such a failure!!!
Not long use the cap's clip leg is broken!!!