* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5519104&postcount=1024
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5518734&postcount=1017

 

Keep reading the thread. It seems that the example you gave is the only person getting those temps. Although they all claim lower idle temps, they also have noise issues. Gaming temps seem to be about the same with theirs or a little higher which leads me to believe that the quiet running fan is giving us higher idle temps. I think ours idles at a higher temp because of the slower running fan while idle.

Here are some more posts in that thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5519825&postcount=1034

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5520065&postcount=1035

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5520318&postcount=1036

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5519104&postcount=1024

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5520813&postcount=1045

I am sure SpeedFan will eventually support our N61 or another application like it. Once it does, you can have the fan run higher during idle which should cool your N61 better but add noise.

 

Your second example reads, "Max temps while gaming have been 82 for CPU and average 78 GPU max was 78 but average is 66". Only high idle temps are lower. Another example of what I am trying to convey.

 

I'm playing Morrowind again on mine right now, I never actually finished it the first time I was playing. It looks sparse now compared to Risen/Oblivion. It's funny how we remember things is often not quite reality... But its charms quickly won me over and I'm loving it all over again..

 

The idle temperature varies by processor and processor technology. 32nm, 45nm, different materials used are all going to have different thermal properties. Their idle temps are going to vary. You can't just make a claim that all GPUs and CPUs at idle should be at X temp. I'm hoping in 50 years a idle temp of anything over 35C would be too much .

 

i'm comparing same 45nm i7 and GPU in different models.

26W TDP GPU in N61 quad got a weak thermal conductor, plus it lacks having a fan for the gpu, and doesn't have proper size of air intake on the bottom cover. this crap thermal design increased both CPU and GPU idle temps.

 

Why worry about idle temps? The test of a thermal solution is its ability to dissipate heat when the most heat is generated: under load. These chips will run at 60 C with no problems whatsoever; sure, you could max out fan RPM and get those temps cooler, but you are wasting power, generating noise, and shortening the life of the fan. If the cooling system can't keep temps below a safe limit under any real application, THEN it's a poor design. This does NOT include running power virus benchmarks that stress the processors to limits they will never see!

I should also mention that the idle temps reported by Intel chips are buggy at best. The DTS is not designed to be accurate so far below Tjunction. See this link.

 

You're only comments before the thread posts you provided was the thermal design on this laptop was crap. Sorry but it's not. It might not be as good as some other models, but it is certainly not crap.

Well I guess crap is an opinion... We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

Do you think it has something to do with the 10.3 catalyst. I don't remember it ever happening with the stock drivers.

 

Hello everyone !
I got my laptop a week ago and I really like it.
But I notice something on the back. It looks like it was not correctly closed.
Can you guys tell me if it is the same for you.
I saw the picture waqas uploaded and mine isnt like that.

Waqas


Me (citof)




If it helps I did not open the laptop but added the thermal compound in my order.

Thanks.

 

It is no big deal, just push down where it is too high. Those clips just didn't get engaged. Push down and they will click in. You will hear them pop into place.

 

Wow that was simple ! Thanks a lot Paladin.
I was to scared to damaged my new laptop

Thanks for the super fast response

 

seeing the bottom of the N61 makes me want to buy another cover and modify it with more vents, like that one person did with their G51.

 

2MNY, It is not my intention to play down any issues with the N61. I welcome everyone with an issue to post it here so we can approach ASUS if we see a trend. I have no intrest in defending this laptop and really could care less if anyone else buys one. I am just trying to be as informative as I can be to anyone who comes to this lounge. That is why you see on the first page I have posted every issue that I have seen posted here. And I have posted every review good or bad.
This is a long thread and I have seen in other long threads someone complain about heat, returns, noise and then all of a sudden you get people posting like it is a common issue. I will sometimes jump in to point out how many actual complaints we have had and direct them to the complaints.
In summary if you are having a problem with your N61 or ASUS support please post it here so we can try and get to the bottom of it. But lets not generalize a few reports as everyone. And calling something Crap seems more like an agenda than a constructive review.

 

Excellent observation "And calling something Crap seems more like an agenda than a constructive review."

 

I don't think that would be a good idea. Read this review below. I agree with this review and think you might be messing with the cooling design by adding more vents. One thing I really like about the vents is they don't get blocked even on an uneven surface like a blanket or pillow.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5919799&postcount=925

 

Way cool Donald!
And wishmaster, you sir are full of it
Who spends months hanging out in an owners lounge of a laptop they never intend to buy?
Answer- A Troll !

 

rtong, No offense intended, Just didn't want people to think we had widespread returns. What's going on with the peeling on your N61? Let us know if it starts spreading. And can you post us a picture.

 

citof, Welcome to the Lounge! If you post us a review of your N61 pro or con I will post it on the first page.

 

It is funny to watch the over reactions in this thread. I'll be honest here, this laptop would not have been my first choice. If it wasn't for my G1S going out on me in at the beginning of the semester I would have waited for something else. However I have been pleasantly surprised by this machine. I'm so glad I got the i7 over the i5. The extra 30 minutes of battery life is meaning less to me and this thing performs. I've never regretted my decision to buy even though I thought I would due to the LCD.

I use this laptop for a variety of task, every thing from basic c/c++ to virtual machines running oracle, serving up some test web application, to games. I was running photoshop (creating a web layout), dreamweaver (working on css and a few html templates), a virtual machine (running the db and webserver), browsing (about 14 tabs open in chrome), and itunes (gotta have music when you're work'n) all at the same time without any slow downs. I will say it would have been nice to have about 2 GB of extra ram for all that but the layout I was creating wasn't complex so I didn't have any issues. It meets or exceeds all my expectations, you can say I'm a happy N61JQ owner.

 

Adamal,
While trying not to over react , I will say that was a very informative post and I added it to the review section.

 

I understand the idea of channeling air over the components (creates flow and prevents stagnant air). But with the GPU and CPU near the fan (and thus near the exhaust), wouldn't any heat picked up from the mobo reduce the cooling of the CPU and GPU? Maybe it's only a small/negligible difference from the increase in temperature of the airflow but that's just my thinking. I'm sure Asus designed it for a reason and they felt happy with it.

Dang it, I need the laptop in my hands. The longer it's not, the more questions and thoughts about it keep popping into my head. I'm pretty sure once I get it, all these worries and questions will disappear.

 

Good point. I think you will be ok with the heat though.

 

Negative. Check out my sig but I'll give you the story anyways

Ordered it from Amazon mid-March. Waited 2 weeks for any sort of update. Decided "screw this" and jumped ship to XoticPC on the 26th of March. (Funny thing was I checked back that night of the day I canceled from Amazon and they "removed" it )

Sent the check to XoticPC and they got it yesterday, so now I'm waiting for the check to clear. Only upgrade I got was the thermal compound.

I'm gonna be using the heck out of that thing til the end of the year. I've got a senior project to work on .

 

isnt it possible that one is researching and is waiting for the right time? Besides, not everyone has access to buy it from the states like you guys, and could be waiting for someone to get it for him.

Anyway, to people who love to trash other people and be judgmental, this sort of reasoning would never suffice.

 

Let's put this into perspective, the notebook listed starts out with a base configuration that is $300 more expensive than the n61. It's 37.46 x 25.4 x 5.08 cm 3.35kg versus the n61 at 38.4 x 26.5 x 3.91 cm 2.91kg. With 2 fans, the Clevo has the better cooling system, at the cost of size, weight and price. Given it's "limitations", I feel the single fan solution in the n61 does a commendable job. Owners have lauded it for the low case temperatures. So far there have been no complaints from anyone about the heat in actual use (monitoring heat levels during torture tests doesn't constitute real-world usage).

I'm with Donald, you're full of it.

 

Wow, I'm not even going to touch on the grammatical nightmare that this statement is (I think I just did) but, it is completely opinionated. Yes, you have a right to your opinion but, try and do it with a little more diplomacy.

Let's just look at this per item:

Huh? Are you saying the thermal compound isn't sufficient? Where are you getting this information? Can you come up with examples of how the "N61 got a weak thermal conductor"? Yes, there are better alternatives that PowerNotebooks and XoticPC can apply but, that doesn't mean that the thermal compound used is inefficient.

The Mobility Radeon HD5700 series is designed for both passive and active cooling. Many notebook manufacturers use passive cooling. They use cooling pipes to cool components and actively cool the pipes. I haven't looked at the N61 but, it is very common not to have a dedicated fan on the GPU. My Dell XPS M1710 came with a Nvidia 7900GTX and it also did not have a dedicate fan. Just a single blower to move the air across the cooling pipes.

It is the number of air intakes, the position of those intakes over components that create heat, and the size of the intakes that matter. There are several intakes across the bottom on the unit. Given the size of the exhaust, and the size and number of intakes over the components, they are adequate.

Again, the fan isn't spinning hard enough during idle use to keep the components cooler. I agree that we should be given more control of the fan speeds during idle usage. I would like the ability to determine the noise versus heat levels.

Other then that, you are just trolling. Sorry.

 

Greg, again I agree with you. There are a lot of Crap comments being made too. ;-)

 

any comments bout my cpu temp? i get, at max,
81C
78C
81C
78C

minimum,
56C
56C
57C
56C

under normal use [web browsing, etc], i get this:
65C
63C
64C
63C

i get max 86C gpu.

i'm worried a bit.

 

I am thinking to buy a N61Jq but some issues discussed in the forum makes me pause a bit. So need some help to make a decision.

seems as it got i7 its bit warm, but how would it be in the long run? I mean can constant high temps affect reliability after a year or so? (not thinking to Game much, but will use some Photoshop, AutoCAD...)

Is there usual problems for the model ? (i see some complains about peeling off surfaces etc., does it affect most models ?)

Any other suggestions (~ $1000) wud be also helpful. (Since I would use it abroad Asus' 2yr global warranty is a real plus point.)

N82Jv seem to be good, but still no idea about date of availability!

Thanks.

 

Scias: I've read around and it seems that while it may seem warm, there's no real worry unless temperatures start nearing 100C.

buddhi: Please check the first page. There is a list of "issues" that some owners have encountered. The peeling issue seems to stem from how people position their hands on the laptop and how they store/transport the laptop.

As long as the cooling system is up to snuff, the temperature shouldn't be an issue in the long run. I'd expect Asus has designed the cooling system to be able to support the heat put off by the i7 design for the long run. Most of the heat problem reported have been from faulty video cards. I don't think there's been any reported cases of a processors overheating and killing the laptop yet.

What are your planned uses for a laptop? You mentioned no/light gaming and photoshop and AutoCAD. My concern with what you said is the screen resolution for Photoshop use. I plan on using SW and AutoCAD but on an external monitor. If you don't have that option, you may look into getting something with a bigger, higher resolution screen.

 

The temps are great. The laptop I am replacing with the n61 has a Core 2 Duo that idles ~70 even after undervolting. I think something might be wrong with thew cooler or fan though.

From what I understand, programs like photoshop and CAD don't really push the graphics card in a system like gaming does. Because of this you should have less wear on the notebook. I second Zzyzx85, for design work you want an external display with more room to see by and more accurate color.

The peeling issues are predominant with users who carry their notebooks around in bags for the better part of a day. If you plan to leave it on a desk most of the time it should be fine.

 

Thanks guys for the replies.

Yes I would use bigger external monitor when using PS n stuff.
So Im ok with the reso.

According to 1st page this has "small complaint to post ratio ", so hope its ok.

But what about faulty video card ? is it a major/common issue? is there anyway to identify it at the begining (first days of use)?

I will be carrying in a backpack almost all sundays & saturdays. so that peeling cud be a minor prob.

Also heard N82JV will come on start of May, I like better battery (optimus), probably cooler temps (i5), easier carrying (14in).

So do u think its worth waiting ? (wont be able to get it if its $1000++ & Dont kno abt its reliability either)

 

I use a Zalman N2000 Cooler at home and low power settings on the go. No issues at all with heat.

 

Anyone notice gestures ( swipe left and right to go back and forward ) randomly disables itself for an unknown reason? I have be happily browsing, then all of a sudden swipes have no effect yet work in every other browser and in windows.

 

Guys can we please give up on the troll? We have had about 5 pages of useless posts about the thermal design of this laptop. I have built many custom PC and trust me the thermals and aucoustics of this Asus are fine. Let's get back to topic and post any driver updates etc you find.

Today I found out something, do not use any aero based themes from Strata40 as it sucks battery life big time! I was blown away after changing my theme in Firefox to another one and finding my battery life increased by 45 minutes! That theme really sucks life as it is using more graphic power to show the theme.

 

Sorry Risco. You're right. I'm done with it now. Greg is probably pointing and laughing at me for getting caught up in it.

Speaking of drivers, anyone know anything about HTML5 acceleration and the ATI drivers? Since the iPad has been released and is pushing HTML5 as a viable alternative to Flash, Silverlight and many other technologies, how are the ATI drivers with this technology. I know that you need to install the SDK for OpenCL acceleration so, is this also needed for HTML5?

 

Have to say I am not really well versed on it tbh! However interested on any information you can find on it! What battery life are you getting out of your system out of interest!

 

I left about everything on when I used the battery. The first time I used it extensively on the battery was yesterday. My daughter was playing outside with her sidewalk chalk and I took the day off of work to hang out with her. Yes, I was doing a little work also.

I was doing application installs which required some reboots and RDPing into my work desktop. Other then that, I was writing some code in Visual Studio 2008 and browsing the web. All-in-all, I got just over an hour out of it. The screen brightness was on full since I was outside in the bright Florida sun.

I didn't take the battery down all of the way though. I used it until it said I had about a half hour left. The time I was actually getting was about half of what it estimated.

It wasn't the best battery life but, I really didn't have it optimized for battery usage.

 

QFT; I removed most of the trolling comments so this thread can continue uninterrupted.

 

Oblivion isn't exactly graphically outstanding by today's standards but, what a great game! I have to admit that it is a lot of fun. The ATI HD5730 allows you to use all those graphical "bells and whistles" that I couldn't use years ago. It gives a new appreciation for the game.

Using my PS3 controller for Crysis is a great feature on a laptop that allows of gaming. I am going to see if I can get it to work with Oblivion. I'll admit that it didn't even cross my mind until recently.

I used to play a ton of games via the keyboard/mouse combo when I had a gaming desktop years ago. When I got the N61, I thought that the full keyboard would be a familiar gaming experience that I would go back to. Yet, playing on my PS3 for the last few years makes a controller more comfortable. Thanks to MotionJoy's drivers, I can have the best of both worlds.

I am going to try and write up a full gaming review pretty soon.

 

I never could get into using controller for games...unless like sports game or racing game. For FPS - RPGs..etc.. I go WASD / Mouse

 

I was the same way until I got the PS3. It took a while to get used to. Once I spent all my gaming time with the controller, I was finally able to play with it. Years later, it is hard to go back.

My nephew, who was locked into his Xbox, is now a PC gamer. He was able to convert to the keyboard/mouse but, he has a controller in reserve. ;-)

 

We should take some pics of our desktop backgrounds and show them off. Once I get mine back I will take a pic of my layout.

 

Here ya go!

 

Nice bro.! What games you like to play Risco ?

 

I picked up an ASUS My Cinema U3100 Mini USB TV Tuner and am currently setting it up on the N61. I have an RCA Amplified Antenna already and am using it for the tuner. I have to admit, the channels I have working so far look awesome!

 

When I was on my desktop it was mainly FPS games. But now it is more hassle asthe screen is not so big ( came from a 24" LCD ) So really anything that uses a joypad. For example Just Cause 2 has caught my eye, then there is Fallout 3 and of course driving games such as Grid and Dirt 2 or NFS! I might get a bit more in to FPS if I can convince myself ( and train! ) that it is ok to use a gamepad. Trouble is using a gamepad is fine on a PS3 as everyone else uses one, but on a pc everyone uses a mouse which puts me at a major disadvantage. I used to be very, very good at UT3 ( was in a clan )

This system is a stepdown from my desktop, but I was not gaming so much so thought I would go mobile!

 

Well i purchased my laptop from newegg and had it within 24 hours of placing the order, very pleased by that! Ive been using it the past 2 days for mostly gaming so I will write a basic gaming review of the machine.

The laptop can play everything i currently have with no frame issues whatsoever. I haven't monitored the FPS but there has been no slowdown apparent to the naked eye. The most graphically intense game i have is probably Modern Warfare 2 which the machine defaulted everything to the highest setting. 2xAA. I also play league of legends, TF2, Cs 1.6, starcraft, and far cry 2. They all run perfectly on the laptops monitor. I have monitored the temperatures of both the CPU and GPU during 2 hour+gaming sessions with similar numbers as others have posted. Cpu topped out at 86 and the GPU stayed cooler at 75.

The only issue i have had with the laptop so far is when i tried to hook it up to a 46" 1080P TV via the HDMI port. The setup was as simple as plug and play which was nice however i played MW2 on it for about 30 mins and my machine autorebooted, presumably due to heat. Because of the reboot i lost temperature recordings so i cant be 100percent sure.

Overall I am very pleased with the laptop so far. I will try testing on the 46" tv again in the days to come. If you have any questions post away.

 

Thanks for the information bro!