Getting to know UX

Meet my new Genimate, the ASUS 13.3" UX303UB Multi-Touch Notebook.

My faithful laptop purchased over four years ago has given me good service but was getting very slow and starting to do strange things.

I often read horror stories from fellow genies with computers that just crash and die. I decided that I didn't want to be in that situation so I started looking around for a new model before the inevitable happened. I spent hours on the internet deciding what to buy without spending a fortune.

I've had my new toy for two weeks now and am delighted. I cannot believe how quickly it boots up and connects me to the internet (no time to walk away and make a coffee). This baby is fast.

The advertising says that the model I have purchased has:

• 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7-6500U Dual-Core (Not the fastest but fine for me, has decent reviews)
• 12GB of DDR3L RAM (My old computer had 8GB so I wanted more)
• 512GB SSD (Don't need heaps of storage I use external HDDs, wanted the SSD for speed and stability)
• NVIDIA GeForce 940M (2GB) (This means nothing to me)
• 13.3" IPS Glossy Multi-Touch Display (Wasn't too fussed about having a touch screen)
• Quad HD+ 3200 x 1800 Native Resolution (Suppose this is good - it has a clear display)
• SD & MMC Card Reader (Handy for downloading all my photos)
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 (Wi-Fi essential, not fussed abt Bluetooth)
• Built-in 1.2MP Webcam, Mic, & Speakers (Yet to test these, hope they are good enough to use on the road, travelling with lots of peripherals is a pain)
• Windows 10 (64-bit) (Lazy me wantedWindows 10, which I like, reloaded, didn't want bother of upgrading).

 

I was influenced in my decision by the reliability of the ASUS netbooks I have owned since my first eePC in 2007. The price for these specs also seemed competitive.

I wanted something small and light that would travel easily. The screen size is fine for occasional use and I'm using an external monitor at home. I like the feel of the keyboard too. I didn't need an optical drive, I have a couple of old ones on hand.

Tweaking and adding of programs is ongoing. It is not until I set out to do a task that I realise I need to download something extra to complete it. The good news is that my genealogy software, Family Historian, is running like a charm and syncing with my smaller Pink ASUS. I still need to get my desktop set up to suit me, I could do with a bit of guidance here.

I haven't found anything yet that makes me regret my decision to upgrade to this model.