Scalpel Please
Considering the small size of this laptop, taking it apart isn't likely to prove particularly beneficial. It's not as if you're going to be able to upgrade the CPU, since that's soldered onto the motherboard. But when have we let practical considerations stand in our way?
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The first step is to remove the keyboard, which requires you to locate the four small catches along the top edge of the keyboard and pressed them in using a small screwdriver. Then disconnect the ribbon cable and you now have access to the memory socket. If you want to continue dissecting a laptop, you will need to remove six screws on the bottom and seven more screws underneath the keyboard before you can remove the rest of the top cover. You also need to unplug the brown ribbon cable (both ends), two cables in the top-left, one cable in the top-right, and three cables in the bottom-center.
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With the top panel out of the way, you gain access to the optical drive and the 1.8" hard drive. You could conceivably upgrade either of these components in the future should the need arise, though it's unlikely you would need to swap out the optical drive anytime soon. (Blu-ray support doesn't make sense in a device of the size, plus you need an appropriately sized Blu-ray drive.)
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It did require a decent amount of patience and careful prying before we could separate the top panel from the rest of the laptop. If you're not careful, you could easily break one (or more) of the small plastic latches that help secure the panel. In particular, the plastic clips on the left side and the back of the chassis are difficult to disengage. There are two memory sockets in the laptop, but the second is not easily accessible. On the test laptop, the top socket contained a 2GB DIMM and the second was a 512MB SO-DIMM. Getting to the other socket requires a lot more effort….
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sam13007 - Friday, November 6, 2009 - link
hi friendsplease what's the model of the motherboard of this asus U2E please friends answer me.
thanks
Anonymous Freak - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
[quote]We still think that it would have been nice if ASUS could have managed to provide easier access to the bottom memory socket.[/quote]Why? If they are going to ship it with a 2 GB module in there, why does it matter? The chipset only supports a max of 4 GB of RAM, so 2x2GB modules would get you there. Heck, if they were going to supply it with 3 GB of RAM, why not go the MacBook Air-route, and solder the 2 GB onboard to save space, leaving just the one SO-DIMM socket.
JarredWalton - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
I wrote that before finding out that ASUS was switching the lower socket to a 2GB SO-DIMM - or at least, that's what they say. But then, you never know if your RAM is going to go bad, and making it easy to replace never hurts. A small panel on the bottom could have made this tons easier.howardmoore - Monday, September 15, 2008 - link
Hi,Is there a way to find out whether the bottom SO-DIMM socket does have 2GB of RAM installed without having to take the thing apart?
I say that because I have a U2E and bought 2GB Ram upgrade (2 x 1GB) on the advice of Orca Logic in the UK. Before I upgraded it said that I had 2GB of Ram, though the chip that was already in the top tray was a 1GB. I presumed therefore that the bottom tray had 1GB also. When I installed one of my new 1GB chips into the spare top tray the upgraded RAM read 3GB, but I would have thought that:
a) If the bottom already had 2GB the top would have read 3GB already.
b) If I installed 1GB more into the top, it would read that I now had 4GB.
So, what to do!? Do I go through the laborious (and potentially dangerous for the laptop!) task of disassembly to see whether I can upgrade the bottom socket, or just live with 3GB? Also, is there a problem with the two sockets being on different amounts - I read somewhere that they had to have the same memory amounts to work effectively. Finally, why cannot I not see 4GB showing?
Thanks in advance for any responses.
JarredWalton - Monday, September 15, 2008 - link
You can use CPU-Z (from www.cpuid.com) to see what memory is installed.Nimbo - Thursday, April 17, 2008 - link
3 years ago I could buy a 10.6' laptop with centrino platform (1.1GHz) 512MB and 80GB HDD for $1000 and DVD CDRW combo for $1000. How come a similar laptop with updated to today's hardware it's dobled in price. Back then the ultra small laptops were not regarded as special and Averatec did not charched a premium because of the form factor.Asus should follow the same path and de-primiumaze this niche market so I can aforded again.
JarredWalton - Thursday, April 17, 2008 - link
The ASUS Eee PC 900 series takes care of the lower spec market, I suppose. It seems that the ultraportable market has either become lucrative due to business interest, or perhaps there just aren't enough customers so they need to recoup the R&D expenses. The specs of a modern ultraportable are quite a bit better than the three year old stuff, though.kmmatney - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
It would be nice if the optical drive could be swapped out with other hardware, like an extra battery or another hard drive...IvanAndreevich - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - link
Last time I used the optical drive on my laptop was to install the O/S. Really, I would prefer my T60 didn't have one. As for this, it would be a much better thing to have the full 2.5" HDD, and perhaps a slightly bigger battery, or faster processor instead of the aforementioned optical drive.I also have an IBM X31 without an optical drive, and it doesn't bother me a bit.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
I use the optical drive on my T43 quite a bit for watching DVDs, burning the occasional disc, and loading programs. Plus the bay can hold another battery or hard drive. Too bad ASUS couldn't fit that functionality into the U2E, would let most people be happy with what they put in the bay.