ASUS Zenbook (UX21) Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 22, 2011 8:00 PM ESTTwo SSD Options: SandForce and SanDisk
Like many OEMs, ASUS sources SSDs from two vendors for its Zenbook line: ADATA and SanDisk. Unlike Apple however, the division isn't random. ADATA supplies all 128GB drives while SanDisk handles the 256GB drives. The explanation is simple: ASUS needed a drive that could fit all of its NAND on a single side. SanDisk had a 256GB offering that met those needs; ADATA/SandForce did not.
ASUS didn't specify what SanDisk controller was in use on the 256GB drives, but I suspect it's the U100. ASUS supplied the following test data comparing the two SSDs:
Performance is actually comparable between the two, which is surprising. I'm going to see about getting my hands on a 256GB SanDisk model for comparison to verify for myself. The sample laptop we received comes with the 128GB ADATA drive, which performed quite well in our tests:
Granted you're looking at highly compressible datasets, but being able to break 500MB/s puts this drive up there with the standard desktop SF-2281 offerings.
If you caught our Zenbook teardown you may have noticed a firmware label on the ADATA drive indicating it was using SandForce firmware revision 3.2.2. Uhoh! SandForce just recently announced that there is a known bug in all version of the SF-2281 firmware prior to 3.3.2 that can cause BSODs. I asked ASUS when we'd see an updated firmware and why on earth it chose to ship a drive with a widely known bug.
During development, ASUS tested 100+ Zenbooks with 100+ samples of the ADATA drive. The testing included over 50,000 accumulated reliability tests including rapid sleep/wake cycles, 3DMark and other application based tests. In addition to pre-production testing, ASUS conducted additional testing on mass production units. Throughout this entire process ASUS didn't see any reliability issues with the SandForce drives and thus felt comfortable shipping with them. I should add that we have seen many cases where the SF BSOD bug simply won't appear on certain platforms, lending credibility to ASUS' claims that the SandForce drives proved stable during testing.
That being said, I'd still feel more comfortable with an upgrade to 3.3.2 if it turns out that this firmware revision does in fact fix a known issue with the drive.
I pointed out the obvious rework on the ADATA SSD to ASUS engineering. The team responded by saying the rework was implemented to reduce EMI, which was a bit too close to the margins before the change. The rework has since been incorporated into a surface mount component design which will ship in a future spin of the drive. I'm not a huge fan of reworks on shipping products but from time to time they do appear. The nature of the rework and quality of the workmanship are also important to keep in mind, both of which are less alarming in this case than others.
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rs2 - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
That's some quality anti-logic. The problem isn't that PC's are somehow unable to run OSX, it's that OSX has been deliberately crippled to prevent (or at least, attempt to prevent) it from running on any PC's that haven't been assembled by Apple. It is not the PC (or the Mac...after all a Mac is just a PC that's being marketed as something that's not a PC) that is limited, only OS X is limited.And if you don't care that this limitation was *intentionally* built into OS X for the sole purpose of *forcing* OS X users to buy their hardware from Apple, then you are a fool.
Remember all the trouble MS got in for attempting to force people to use Internet Explorer? The thing to note there is that whatever your opinion of IE, it has always been a free product. In that light, Apple's shady business tactics are significantly worse than Microsoft's ever were.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
The point is that with windows you don't have any reason to run a osx. For some reason, people using macs still find it necessary to run windows in some fashion. OS X must be limiting in some way, it seems.lukarak - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Sure you do. The fact you don't know what they are, however, an indicator of how deep your computers usage goes.Fradelius - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
i can tell ya this,apple = mostly a not hi techy user who likes to use his system out of the box
windows = Working, gaming, hi tech users
Linux = apple + windows if you have the requiered knowledge.(wich 99% of the users dont have)
if im wrong then why 89% of the world uses Windows on enterprise level?
im not a mac hater, i just dont like it.. its like cars, or ice cream
you do.. or you dont.. but still even i fi like it..
Active directory = Win
LDAP = Linux
Mac haves something like active directoy, but like all mac stuff its under the control of apple, in active directoy im on top.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Brilliant. Unfortunately, this is a hard pill for the vast majority of apple users to swallow, especially when they depend on anand for acceptance and approval, as they did jobs.lukarak - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
Why does it have to be separated? Are the just three types of users or are the borders a little more fuzzy? Why couldn't you belong in two of the groups. Or three?I'm not saying that everybody has to like it. I just don't understand the aggressiveness towards Apple.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Guess you finally got to a bad reaction. I guess I must of struck a nerve. Sorry the truth is so troublesome to you. Sorry you are so insecure. Your defensiveness is quite apparent in the not so kind things you have said. Enjoy your mac and your pathetic existence you sad coward.lukarak - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
You didn't strike a nerve, you just revealed your level of knowledge. The rest of the post is really not worthy of a comment, but while it doesn't say anything about me, it say everything about you.Sunburn74 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
If I'm on an apple pc and want to play most games, I need to install windows. That is an obvious limitation that causes people to install windows.Its not PCs fault they can't run OSX out of the box. Its an arbitrary limitation Mac chooses to enforce.
morousg - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
I don't think it is a question of comparing apples to oranges. I think this is a question of understanding R+D or not understanding it.I love Apple for many reasons, but I hate it to for many others.
I love Windows because I can play all the games and run all the Office suite, and is the best OS for easily managing business infrastructures, but I hate it for all the rest.
I love linux because it's free, OpenSource and internet is full of documentation about it's code and design so I can learn OS design, but I hate not having Microsoft Office software for it and driver troubles and having difficulties to use it on a Mac hardware.
So, my concerns about this Asus laptop is not a question of comparing or defending Apples against oranges. It is a question of defending R+D, that is my job in the university and business.