In our original review of Asus' Zenbook Prime, we lamented that the notebook's high-density display—a beautiful 13.3" IPS specimen with a 1920x1080 resolution—wasn't terribly well supported in Windows 7. The operating system happily applied the correct PPI setting and enlarged text and widgets alike, but certain apps scaled poorly, and web browsing in particular involved ugly compromises.

At the same time, we expressed tentative optimism about Windows 8, whose improved support for high-density screens Microsoft proudly announced earlier this year. We figured the new OS would better harness the Zenbook Prime's magnificent panel, especially in the newfangled Metro user interface.

Now, we're about to see if that optimism was warranted.

We've grabbed the RTM release of Windows 8 from the MSDN Evaluation Center and loaded it onto the Zenbook Prime. This is the exact same build of Windows 8 that's going to show up in stores and on pre-built PCs next month, so our experience should be representative of what you'll see then. Has Microsoft made substantial improvements to high-PPI display support as we hoped, or did the company drop the ball? Let find out.