Eventually I wouldn't be too surprised if we could fit a high performance x86 motherboard onto a PCB not much larger than what Apple ships in the iPad.ĪSUS still employs a split PCB design for the Zenbook Prime.
With Haswell the CPU and PCH will be integrated into a single chip (just for Ultrabooks), which should help further reduce the motherboard size. The CPU and PCH are cooled by a single fan and heatpipe assembly.
The majority of the volume of the chassis is occupied by the 35Wh battery. Internally the Zenbook Prime is very similar to the original Zenbook, and Apple's MacBook Air at that.
#Sandisk ssd u100 128gb asus ux21a drivers
Despite the only easily removable component in the Zenbook Prime being the SSD, the notebook is remarkably simple to teardown as long as you have the right screwdrivers (the same drivers that work on the MacBook Air work on the Zenbook Prime). Another five keep the battery secure as well. Ten torx bits keep the back panel on, while only four phillips screws hold the motherboard in place. Getting into the new Zenbook is no different than its predecessor. I did get the chance to dissect the new Prime however. I have been running additional battery life tests on the Zenbook Prime, but I didn't get a chance to finish them before hopping on a plane to Taiwan for this year's Computex. I've shared my test data with ASUS with hopes that we may see the return of another SSD option for the Zenbook Prime prior to launch, but it's too early to tell if that will happen. My only major concern about the Prime is its Sandisk U100 SSD, which simply isn't very good - particularly compared to what Apple is expected to be shipping in the next MacBook Air. While Ultrabooks won't really get super exciting until Haswell, if you've been holding out for a non-Apple ultraportable, the Zenbook Prime is likely just what you've been waiting for. As we found in our early review of the UX21A, ASUS addressed nearly every problem we had with the original Zenbook. ASUS' Zenbook Prime is due for its official launch later this month.