T200TA Better Specs! - Bay Trail Z3795, 4GB LPDDR3, Self-Upgradeable Hard Drive Bay

[BoneZ]

Looks like the T200TA got a spec upgrade from previous rumors and reviews. Originally, the T200TA was supposed to have a Z3775 CPU, and 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Seems that the one ASUS is selling, (at least in the U.S.) has a spec upgrade.

From ASUS' website:

- Processor: Intel® Bay Trail-T Quad Core Z3795 1.6 GHz Processor

- Memory: LPDDR3 MHz SDRAM, 4 GB

- Windows 8.1 64-bit



And my favorite part from the "Overview" page:

- Smart hard drive bay included for easy self-upgrade when more storage is needed.


More about the dock and the Smart Hard Drive Bay:

Untitled.jpg


Apparently, unlike with the T100TA, the dock without the 500GB hard drive still comes with the hard drive bay to insert your own hard drive. These new specs and accessible hard drive bay make me want one even more now. Unfortunately, Amazon is out of the models without the 500GB hard drive in 32GB and 64GB flavors.

Hopefully, people shopping for one will see the newer specs and become more interested in this particular model as well.

[andreqs]

Finally:

Asus Shipping ROG G751, Transformer Book T200

[slim4511]

Well I have the T200 with 2GB, 3775 arriving in a couple of days. Now there will be 4GB and 3795 available here in the US at some point probably relatively soon. I have a couple of questions related to this. Will there be any noticeable difference in the 3775 at 1.467 clock speed vs the 3795 at 1.6? Also, if I have a micro sd card inserted augmenting the 2GB of RAM, is having the 4GB that bid of a deal? Trying to figure out if I should just ship the one on its way back when I receive it and wait for the updated one or not.

[zeo]

Will there be any noticeable difference in the 3775 at 1.467 clock speed vs the 3795 at 1.6?

Potentially, yes... but it depends on how Asus optimized the system as mobile SoCs balances performance versus battery life and thermal limits... Especially, with more RAM as that lets the system work harder and can potentially cause a noticeable reduction in battery life... So it's not a simple matter of spec comparison...

The Lenovo Thinkpad 10 for example doesn't make full use of the Z3795... So, we'll have to wait for reviews to know for sure... but I believe chances are good that performance would be better and with 4GB it also means it's likely it will come with 64bit OS and 64bit UEFI and that is something that could help it appeal to those who want more flexibility and a easier option to run Linux, etc. along with longer time before you'd need to consider replacing it in the future...

Though, a 128GB eMMC option would have been nice but easy HDD bay area in the KB dock is a good step in the right direction for end users...

BTW, for anyone testing... make sure you test both on battery and on AC power, as performance could be limited on battery... While thermal limits may effect how long Burst Clock speeds can be maintained, as another performance factor...

[BoneZ]

is having the 4GB that bid of a deal?

The faster processor and more memory will always be better. Just the other day, my T100TA started crying about running out of RAM (thank you Firefox). So, 4 GB of RAM will definitely be better. Especially when multitasking.

The real question is will what you have planned for your T200 benefit from the extra 2 GB of RAM? If you're just doing simple internet browsing/emailing, then you probably won't need it. If you'll be doing more like word processing, image/video processing, gaming, then you'll need the extra RAM.

[Tor]

It's disappointing to me that all the Intel-based Asus T models come with 1366x768-limited displays. I wonder why that is. I have a 1366x768 notebook and I almost never use it. The TF700T is much better for anything that needs some pixel space, from using a VNC (work stuff) to editing/cropping photos. The vertical limitation is the worst. If it wasn't for that I would get one, either a T100 (they were very cheap at the local store last I looked), or this newer T200. In my case I would convert it to a Linux version, but that's not really the point. I wonder if it is some Windows restriction which sets the limit here? It sounds strange that it should be so. But why aren't these models coming with the higher resolution displays of Asus' ARM-based transformers?

[zeo]

The faster processor and more memory will always be better.

Not everyone will agree when there are trade offs involved... Again, mobile SoCs are balanced for power efficiency and thermal limits... So depending on how the system is optimized and how well or badly Asus designed the whole system will determine if the SoC even reaches its official specs or performs somewhere below them...

Remember, mobile SoCs have to deal with power budgets, thermal limits, performance throttling when those limits are exceeded, balance between desired battery life and achievable battery life with a given system optimization, etc.

Systems with Z3770, for example, have better CPU performance than a Z3740 device but the Z3740 devices often have better GPU performance because the power balance simply prioritizes differently for the two SoCs and allows more power to be allocated for a specific performance vector but not everything at once... While the newer Bay Trail SoCs can push GPU clock a bit higher for up to 15% performance improvement but unless the system can handle the increased heat generation then it could be further throttled... even if they allow for a higher power budget...

Like the T100 with the Z3740 could pretty much maintain its Burst Clock speeds indefinitely but many have reported the Z3775 to limit below its max rated Burst Clock speed after a few minutes of use... and that leaves us to Wonder whether the Z3795 will be throttled even more...

Many devices also limit max performance to only when conditions are optimal for them... like being plugged in to AC power and for some even requiring an external active cooling system... While we have to remember increased performance usually means a drop in battery life as the usual trade off, even if we don't have to worry about thermals as well...

So, we'll have wait and see as to whether the trade offs will be severe or minor...

It's disappointing to me that all the Intel-based Asus T models come with 1366x768-limited displays. I wonder why that is.

Combination of factors...

1) The T model series are primarily budget devices and the higher resolution displays are still handled as premium offerings...

2) Windows... the desktop is still not optimized well for small screens with high resolutions and auto scaling is still limited and not always optimal, especially for apps, pop-ups, etc that don't take advantage of it... which is also why the PC industry hasn't really advance screen resolution much over the last decade...

3) Performance and power efficiency, higher resolutions make the system work harder and thus effect overall system resources and system battery life... which is one of the reasons why the screen is also not that well back lit...

Among other more minor issues that often deal with specific usage types... Like gaming, etc. that makes a HD resolution more ideal in most cases or at least a better compromise for these sizes of screens, budget, and limited performance range...

[BoneZ]

It's disappointing to me that all the Intel-based Asus T models come with 1366x768-limited displays. I wonder why that is.

Like Zeo has pointed out, pushing more pixels means using more power, less efficiency, less battery. Obviously it also depends on the operating system as well, as evidenced by Android tablets utilizing 1080 and 1200 pixel screens and still being efficient with long-lasting batteries.

Suffice it to say that the mobile SoC's aren't as powerful and efficient yet in the Windows environment as the SoC's that are used for the Android environment.

[andreqs]

Amazon has it now (low stock):

ASUS Transformer Book T200TA-C1-BL

[BoneZ]

Amazon has it now (low stock):

ASUS Transformer Book T200TA-C1-BL

I was just looking at that this very minute. I'm waiting to see how much the 32 GB version is going to be. Either $399 or $449. Hopefully the former.


Newegg has it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834232129


Tiger Direct also:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...3554&CatId=219


Tiger Direct and Newegg also show that it's Windows 8.1 64 bit. Woohoo!