Things That Suck

Asus ZenBook

Initial posting: 2019-09-19

Asus ZenBook

Asus ZenBook UX430UN

This is by far the worst computer I have ever owned. You want to know the list of computers I owned? Here it is:

  1. TI-99/4A
  2. Apple //e
  3. Home built 383-33 Turbo
  4. Macintosh SE
  5. Byte & Floppy PII266J
  6. Macintosh SE/30
  7. Power Mac 6100/60
  8. Dell Dimension 4100
  9. Dell DImension 4700
  10. Sony Vaio VGN-SZ140P
  11. MacBook Pro
  12. Mac Mini
  13. Dell Optiplex 7010
  14. Intel Compute Stick
  15. Asus ZenBook

I'd still be using the MacBook Pro, but while browsing details on the final scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, an app running on the page caused the Nvidia chip to burn up. Yes, my MacBook was killed by a Jedi mind trick.

Anyway, I got this ZenBook to replace the MacBook because I needed a new laptop, and I also didn't want to drain my savings account. It turns out that it was one of my worst decisions ever.

I can't rely on this computer for anything. I never know when it will go to sleep and not wake up, which is far too frequent. Each time that happens, I need to hold the power button for ten seconds to reset it. Then, of course, any work that I had open is lost.

Then, at random times, the blue screen shown above will appear. Sometimes, it restarts by itself, but other times, it will just sit there and heat up until the fans turn into jet engines. I swear one of these days, I'm just going to let it catch on fire and be done with it.

Just to keep Asus from contacting me with their usual troubleshooting flowchart, yes, I have done a full system restore three times already. Each time, the only software I installed afterwards is Microsoft Office, Apple iTunes, Apple Airport Utility, Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, Google Chrome, and Adobe Reader. If that is already too much for this computer to handle, then this really is a worthless computer.

Call me an idiot for not taking care of this while it was under warranty, but everything pointed to an Intel graphics driver that would eventually fix the problem, but it never happened.

UPDATE 2020-02-25

All of my problems were resolved by returning it to Costco concierge extended warranty repair service and then hearing back from the repair shop several days later that it was unrepairable. I was informed I could return the ZenBook to Costco, complete with a full refund. Thank you, Costco! Shortly afterwards, I found a Dell XPS 13 on costco.com. The memory and storage were half as much as the ZenBook, even though the price was about the same. I ordered it anyway, and it arrived a few days later, and I have been happy (with the laptop) ever since.

So add a Dell XPS 13 to that list of computers above.