1. Introduction2. Design3. Specification4. Keyboard, Screen and Speakers5. Testing Methodology 6. Cinebench R15 & Application Tests7. SSD Performance8. 3DMark (Time Spy)9. Thermal Dynamics10. Battery Life11. Closing Thoughts12. View All Pages

To measure idle temperatures, a reading was taken after having Windows open on the desktop for 30 minutes. A reading under load was taken with Prime 95’s SmallFFt test running alongside 3DMark Fire Strike.

The Core i7 processor inside the Asus has been beefed-up since last year, so it’s no surprise that during a stress-test it hit a peak temperature of 88°C.

That’s not a dangerous level, but it is pretty high – the Kaby Lake Refresh chip is obviously pushing the limits of this chassis, and its slightly heftier design compared to last year’s Zenbook makes a bit more sense.

Pleasingly, none of that heat made its way to the outside of the chassis, which means the Zenbook will remain comfortable to use on a laptop. There’s hardly any fan noise, either – even at peak performance, the interior could only be heard with an ear right up against the metal. When idling, the Zenbook was essentially silent.

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