Question 1

I know the Intel processor is efficient and supposedly stays cool; however, some reviews (youtube and here on newegg) report that it, indeed, gets very hot.  I live in a very hot climate and wonder if a laptop fan cooler would remedy this. I didn't see any vents on the bottom of the computer chassis, so would fans even help? I really love this computer but before buying it, need to make sure I can address this issue. Thanks!

Accepted Answer

It actually dissipates heat through the aluminum chassis, so yes, it can get warm. It especially gets warm when charging.

However, the heat builds up around the center of the hinge area, away from the battery, keyboard, and touch pad. Also, when running on battery power at idle, the machine stays close to room temperature, and it never really becomes uncomfortable. The TDP of this chip is 4.5W; that's not a lot of heat to dissipate.

A fan would probably keep the machine mildly cooler, but it wouldn't make a practical difference. The processor is designed to run up to 95C, which I've never seen in real world usage. The heat seems to be concentrated in the part of the machine where it's least noticeable, and only occurs when charging or stressing the processor and/or iGPU. If you're taxing the machine that heavily on a consistent basis, look for something with active cooling built in, because that's not the focus of this laptop.

If you're looking for something lightweight with a long battery life to do web browsing, SSH, productivity stuff, etc., this is  a great machine.

I live in Arizona, so my experience is probably relevant.

Question 2

Does this Zenbook have a touchscreen?

Accepted Answer

Thank you, everyone!! I have never been helped so well and quickly, when asking such a question. I'm grateful.
Now I'm looking at another Asus Zenbook, that does have a touchscreen.
I'll find it on this website and ask my questions.

Question 3

Is the keyboard backlit?

Accepted Answer

As (correctly) specified on the NewEgg "specs" page the keyboard is NOT in fact backlit.

Question 4

It is M processor yes we got it, but which one?

Accepted Answer

According to Asus website
www_dot_asus_dot_com/us/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_ZENBOOK_UX305FA/specifications/

it should be - Intel® Core™ M 5Y10 Processor

Question 5

Does this version come with the free upgrade to Windows 10?

Accepted Answer

Yeah it does. I bought mine a few months ago and just upgraded it to 10 with no problems. I absolutely love this laptop.

Question 6

Many reviewers said this was a dark purple colored, but the pictures make it seem black. Which is it? Is it hard to tell its a dark purple if at all?

Accepted Answer

It's not quite black, more of a dark charcoal.  There may be some refraction going on with the the exterior fine brushed lines and interior matte finish.  The reported "purple" is subjective, and may say as much about the lighting source as the actual color of the case.

Question 7

Does this model have wireless AC?

Accepted Answer

it has the n version of the intel 7265 chip. However, it can be quite easily upgraded to AC. The wifi card inside the asus is removeable and the AC version of the card is readily available on the internet. You  need a torx driver, but the bottom unscrews easily and you can access the internals of the laptop. i just popped out the old card and popped in the new one and screwed the cover back on.

Question 8

I'm looking into down-sizing my current laptop and picking up something more portable with the battery life to last all day. I'm a programmer and was wondering if anyone else has used this machine for writing/compiling code and if they had any issues with doing it in a decent amount of time? I'm mainly thinking Visual Studios, Eclipse, and gcc for writing/compiling code and was a little concerned the processor being able to handle it.

Accepted Answer

I too am a programmer!  I don't run Visual Studio or Eclipse, but I do run Vim in a Tmux session, and have the JVM running all day to power the Play Framework in a Linux install.  The computer doesn't have any problem at all keeping up with the JVM's demands.  GCC runs just fine, and I use it daily to compile packages for the Arch Build System.

I don't run Eclipse anymore, but if I recall, the performance problems had more to do with with memory than CPU, and this thing has more than enough memory to handle it.

Question 9

What is the difference between Intel i7 and Intel Core M?

Accepted Answer

So the i7 is a better chip in terms of performance, but it gets very hot.  The core m is designed to operate at a very cool temperature, making it a great choice for a slim laptop.

I use the laptop for work (Internet browsing, Microsoft Office) and some casual gaming and video watching and it works great.

The i7 would be better of you were a hard core gamer or did some sort of 3d graphic or video editing that is more CPU intensive.   For everything else, the core m is great.

I highly recommend this laptop.

Question 10

1... WHAT IS DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS IN 'NITS?'

2... IS THE SPEED OF THE ZENBOOK EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF THE DELL XPS 13?

Accepted Answer

No, not quite. Xps 13 has a core i5 and cost twice as much. Asus zenbbok has core m processor. core i5 is 1.5 time faster but spends 3 times more energy than core m . So comparing them I can say zenbook has more battery life and less powerful. But I am doing all kinds stuff and don't feel any lag or slowness

Brand	ASUS
Series	ZenBook
Model	UX305FA-ASM1
Part Number	90NB06X1-M02240

CPU Type	Intel Core M
Processor Name	Intel Core M-5Y10
Turbo Frequency	Max Turbo Frequency 2.0 GHz
Number of Cores	Dual-core Processor

Screen Size	13.3"
Touchscreen	Non-Touch Screen
Wide Screen Support	Yes
Resolution	1920 x 1080

GPU/VPU	Intel HD Graphics 5300
Video Memory	Shared system memory
Graphic Type	Integrated Card

WLAN	802.11a/g/n Wireless LAN
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0

ASUS Zenbook UX305FA-ASM1 Intel Core M 8 GB Memory 256 GB SSD 13.3" Ultra-Slim FHD Aluminum Laptop Windows 8.1 64-Bit

Learn more about the ASUS UX305FA-ASM1

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Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information

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Manufacturer Contact Info

Keyboard	Chiclet
Backlit Keyboard	Non-backlit
Webcam	1.2 MP HD Camera

Ports
USB	3 x USB 3.0
HDMI	1 x HDMI

General
Style	Thin and Light
Type	Everyday Value
Usage	Consumer

Dimensions & Weight
Dimensions (W x D x H)	12.80" x 8.90" x 0.50"
Weight	2.60 lbs.

Item#: N82E16834232393