Asus N80Vn-GP011C: First Impressions/Review

It would be Firewire 400. Just to double check 'cause I'm paranoid, does y our X5 explicitly sday it has an LED backlight? (Like the picture on Newegg shows the screens resolution and then/LED on the label...but it could be a different system they're picturing, for all I know).

Thanks!

 

It does say 14" WXGA/LED on the label.

 

Thanks!

AAAAAH!!!! (Must decide if I order this and that external blu ray drive for a Friday delivery :-/ I am the most annoying, indecisive person on Earth )

 

@ Wolfpup - I know you've been asking about external bluray drive support since the beginning of this thread pretty much, but I've always been curious as to why an external drive for a laptop? Are you going to be driving the signal from your laptop through an external display/HDTV? And why not just get a standalone player for home entertainment? Just curiosity - not aware of any other reasons for bluray other than movies.

 

Did a fix on the keyboard today. There is an area on the left side of the keyboard that is not covered in a black pad. The rest of the keyboard is and this is clearly the reason for all the noise. I covered this area with a single layer of electrical tape (essentially I just extended the "pad" over the whole keyboard and now there is no "clack" noise coming from the left side. I really don't understand why the pad doesn't cover the whole keyboard in the first place.

It is really nice to be able to type and not have to cringe at that horrible noise coming from the left side of the keyboard. I am actually comfortable taking this laptop to class or other quiet areas now.

 

Well, I'd prefer internal, but I'm not clear on how/if that can be done if it doesn't ship with it. I'm assuming that $115 external Light-on model would work okay.

I'd basically just leave the Blu Ray drive in one location, and hook the n80 up to it when I want to watch something. I'm just a bit nervous since getting to have Blu Ray on the go is one of the big things I'm excited about for my new system (okay, 'on the go' meaning 'at my desk', but still).

I do have a Playstation 3 for my TV, but this would be for other locations (though an internal drive would be more convenient). I'm blown away by how cheap that Light-on drive is, but I am nervous about whether this all actually works. I guess that CPU can handle Blu Ray decoding even without hardware acceleration though (but probably just barely), and if the program includes support for Nvidia's hardware, it should theoretically work fine :-/

 

Ahh! My X5 won't be here until tomorrow! Everything -else- I ordered at the time, and the case I ordered the next day, showed up today.

Even though they came from CA and the Laptop is coming from much closer...

BAH!

 

I know with a little bit of handiwork you could swap in an internal Blu-Ray drive, and they cost about the same ( http://cgi.ebay.com/UJ-120-Blu-Ray-...ive-(New)_W0QQitemZ350132437735QQcmdZViewItem)

I know it's pretty painless for a desktop system, but for a laptop I'm not sure. Can I get some input?

 

EEEK!!! I'm freaking out. I'm one step away from ordering the X5. Like one button press. I'm so nervous. I've never owned an Asus (parts, but no full system). But but but it has an Nvidia GPU versus the ATi on the equivalent Dell :-/

 

Okay, yet another dumb question. How's the sound quality through the headphone jack on these n80 systems? Any hiss or static?

 

No hiss at all.

 

Thank you! That's fantastic! The XPS 1640 didn't either, but I've heard a lot of notebooks that do (which IMO is unacceptable considering a $230 iPod has no hiss, but...it's still a worry )

 

Sound quality is actually pretty great IMO. I have a set of Swan M10s hooked up to it and the sound is clear.

 

hmm.. I think i might get the laptop as soon as i got the money.. All the respond to wolfpup question made me more confident.. LOL..

Can't wait for my new ASUS X5.. Hope that newegg has lots of them in stock.. hahahha..

btw did anyone notice that there is an increase in price of about $50 for the X5.. might as well get it soon for those who wants to buy it.. lol..

 

yup... newegg increased the price from 990 to 1020, $30 increase
i was also very tempted to buy it

 

That drive will be a problem in this laptop as it is IDE and the N80 is SATA

 

With the X-5, just how bad is the "clacking" problem on the left side?

I'm planning on using it to take notes in class- would it be an issue?

 

That's just a random reference.

 

Thanks squads. I successfully OC'd my 9650M GT to 650/500 just like you and also set it to only load when opening my games. Everything went without a hitch. I have seen a significant improvement in COD4/WaW and the heat is not a problem at all.

Cheers !

 

Does the heat annoys you at some point? It only produces heat when u r playin hardcore games lyk COD4?

 

I checked the inteface for optical drive with GenTech. N80 has SATA. That is why I ordered the LG slime BR burner, yet as external (but I will swap drives to make it internal) for $400 on ebay. I still hope that N80Vn-C1 will allow decent blue-ray playback. But my priority use for BR discs is acŕchivation of home video/raw data photography. What do you guys think? Is the performance enough to handle BR movie seemlessly?

Additionally, many thanks to GenTech (Ken Lee). I completely messed it up when doing my purchase, using unverified PayPal address, heaving it shipped to my cousin living in US and than taking it down to Mexico where I live now even if paypal account is in Czech Republic. Ken helped to resolve it, no issue, my new baby is on the way, next week with me The only issue is that the translation software I work with does not integrate with Vista x64, well there's nothing like lunch for free ...

 

The N80 should be well suited for Blu-Ray playback.

Grats on your purchase!

 

I guess I'll find out how well Blu Ray works tonight

Hopefully the copy of PowerDVD included with the drive I'm getting accelerates Blu Ray playback on Nvidia GPUs. I think maybe the first version that did Blu Ray did everything entirely on the CPU, and I'm not sure how that'll work (although maybe a 2.4GHz Penryn is still enough, I don't know).

 

What I meant is that compared to most laptops, this lappy has great heat management, even after a considerable video card overclock and being in the 14.1" category. I would even say that it produces less heat during gaming (when OC'd as well) than my old Thinkpad T60p during basic tasks. It is truly great.

 

I just got my N80VN-X5, only the outside of the box has a warning that the laptop has a lamp with mercury in it-in other words standard CCFL, not LED lighting.

The specs still say the 14.1/LED screen, and I'm wondering if it's just a generic label Asus (or even Newegg) is slapping on all their systems.

Did anyone else see that on their GP011C or X5 box? If it does have CCFL lighting, I don't want it. I would never have bought it :-/ But now I don't know how to find out and theoretically can't return it to Newegg I guess...except it's not what I ordered obviously

I don't know what to do. I haven't opened it yet.

 

My GP011C has the same warning. I'm not sure on your model, but throw it up next to your old laptop (which I presume has CCFL) and you should notice an intense level of difference in brightness. I assume the label is just stuck on all their notebooks for liability and compliance.

 

Oh, well that makes me feel better than the GP011C has it too! I got the X5, which as I understand it is basically just the direct replacement for the GP011C.

I'm just kind of paranoid, I guess. I'd love to know for absolute sure.

I don't have all the drivers on yet, so can't adjust the brightness. Seems bright, but then so do many florescent models, so...

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220488

Model N80Vn-X5

Display
Screen Size 14.1"
Wide Screen Support Yes
LCD Features LED backlight
Display Type Wide XGA
Resolution 1280 x 800

newegg has finally updated their specs and included the LED Backlight...

 

Yeah - Rule of thumb for questions regarding LED backlighting. If it is WXGA (1280x800) it is LED backlit. If WXGA+ (1440x900?) or higher, it is CCFL. This is the prevailing official word on the question of LED screen or not on the N80Vn.

 

Well, I tried out the Lite On external Blu Ray drive I got with it. It comes with PowerDVD 7 (8 is the newest, I think), and the program MAY require activation, I'm not sure, so I'm not sure what happens when I reinstall the OS or use the drive on a different computer or whatever.

It had me update to 7.3. It says it's using Nvidia's video acceleration, and appears to use roughly 20% of my CPUs when running. Like the version of WinDVD included with the Sony AW, it has to switch the video mode to the old style, non aero interface. I don't know if newer versions of the program have (or will) get around that or not, but at least it's pretty seamless, just switches in and out of it automatically.

The weird thing is, I can't seem to run it right while running Folding @ Home. The player barely functions. Quit Folding though and it works pretty flawlessly. Again, not sure why that is, as EVERYTHING else I've ever run works fine with Folding, as Folding runs at the lowest priority. I mean games aren't affected.

It could be another fluke of versions 7 probably being the first one that supports Blu Ray.

The other problem is the sound at max is pretty quiet, at least through my n80's speakers. You can hear it in a quiet room okay, but some more volume would be nice. Again, not sure why that is, as it might be the system even.

The video looks great though! Just fantastic, and sooooooo much better than DVD. I wish it was built in to the system, and I wish it didn't have these quirks, but I guess it's working okay. (I'll post back I'm sure once I watch my first disc for real.)

Oh, another surprising thing is the player was eating up a bit over 500MB! Not that I don't have the RAM to spare, but that was kind of a shock. It may just be horribly unoptimized all around, being their first release I guess. (I'd love if Vista just included Blu Ray support built in, but I guess that may be years...I think DVD is built in now, maybe.)

Oh, and the first disc I tried runs sort of slowly (the interface and stuff) even on my PS3-Mamma Mia. Unlike most Blu Rays I've watched, it seems to be wrapping the whole interface in some bulky probably Java based 'wrapper'. So other stuff might work with Folding still running.

But at any rate, getting it to work was effortless, which is a far cry from the Dell I had that didn't actually ship with Blu Ray software!

 

I think you can turn up the volume of the speakers via the BIOS if they are not loud enough.

 

Oh, like that would affect the maximum volume level? Something that can't be set from within Windows? I remember seeing something about the volume in the BIOS, but I assumed that was just the volume for before Windows loaded, and didn't do anything once you were in Windows.

Also I forgot to mention this, but my system defaults to full brightness every time I turn it on. Not sure if that's because I didn't install all the Asus software or what.

 

The speakers on mine are pretty loud, so I assume it's the external drive/software that's keeping it low. However, why would you bother watching Bluray if you aren't listening to the high def sound through externals or headphones?

 

I was thinking maybe it was PowerDVD, but it doesn't seem to be, as Windows Media Player is the same volume. Did you install Asus' audio drivers? Maybe that's the issue. I'm just using what Windows installed.

 

Does everyone else have the built-in screen go to full brightness every time you reboot the system? It's not a huge deal, but I'd rather it didn't. (Hmm...maybe that's set through the power profile settings...though you'd think it would just default to whatever it did last.)

I ONLY have the ATKey software installed, so maybe I'm missing something.

Regarding the audio, turning it up in the BIOS didn't help-I do think that's just pre-windows volume level. I'll install the drivers though if that's what everyone else has done.

 

I did the regular install process and have the audio drivers and everything stock and my volume is great, and the screen brightness is controlled via the profile utility (power4gear). They don't take up hardly any resources or cause any slowdown.

 

What's Power4Gear do? I'll go ahead and install the audio drivers now, and maybe the touchpad drivers in the hopes that they have a way to disable the touch to click type options (so I can type without my cursor moving around half the time!)

 

The Symantec driver lets you customize all the clicking, scrolling, tap zones, etc. You can turn them all off if you like. It also allows you to disable the touchpad with FN + F9. I use the Vista driver because scrolling with the Symantec driver is horrible.

 

anyone play gta4?

what is the best forceware for this 9650m gt?

 

Thanks! I'm wondering if that works without the special driver, that disable thing. I may try removing the drivers again, and seeing if that command still works. Not sure why Microsoft's default drivers don't let you change anything (like disabling tap to click, etc.)

 

I think brightness resetting to full is the default behavior... I have it on all my laptops. If you install Power4Gear, it should allow you to configure the brightness level per power profile, and switch power profiles automatically -- thereby solving the problem.

In fact even the Windows Vista power profiles have a brightness setting I believe.

You need the touchpad driver to use the touchpad disable hotkey.

 

Yeah at the barebones level you need ATK Hotkey and ATKOSD2 in order for all of the keyboard functions to work.

 

zmatin, im curious on how your laptop fix went. btw, how reliable/secure is the carry bag that came with the n80?

 

Which functions? I just installed that ATKey thing and I've got access to the bluetooth, wifi, and all the function buttons (like screen brightness, etc.)

I...somehow locked myself out of the system though. I don't understand how, or what's going on, because I could get into it before... (I use Truecrypt).

Sooooooo I can't do anything until tonight, and I guess I have to reinstall (EEK!)

 

The hotkeys at the top and the Fn+X for the brightness and such. I am using XP and I only did it once so I'm not 100% sure that both are required. I remember installing one of the two and having only 1 work.

 

Oh, okay. Well, I guess it's that ATKey one 'cause the functions buttons worked. Three of the 5 hard buttons at the top didn't, but I don't really care about them.

I hate this though. I guess I have to reinstall everything. I've been working so hard on it this weekend I don't understand how this happened!!!

 

well one of the buttons is Express Gate, which only works to boot into it when the computer is off. Another one is Splendid Utility, which needs to be installed to work (its a useless program). And the last button that isn't working must be Power4Gear, which you also need installed to work (I like this program personally).

ATKOSD2 makes a nice looking pop-up show up in the middle of the screen when you change any of the functions (i.e. volume, brightness, toggle BT or WiFi). If its not installed then you get the function indicator in the top-left of the screen. Having it installed just makes for a more attractive interface.

 

I haven't had time to get around to it yet (just picked up a new job) but from what others have said (forgot who specifically), a few layers of foil and electrical tape have pretty much completely dampened any of the flex/clackiness. I plan on doing that once I get some time to do so.

Regarding the carry bag - It's nice as a freebie, but not built for heavy duty daily/regular use. It's something that you'd spend maybe 15-20 bucks for, if you wanted to buy it on its own. I just got a great messenger bag with a rigid padded section built in for the laptop (that's removable) that I use (made by Mountain Hardwear), as well as a backpack with a special suspended laptop section padded with neoprene (made by Burton Snowboards).

 

anyone know what kind of DDR3 ram this chipset supports? i looked it up and apparently its a PM45 intel chipset, but the RAM support was pretty vague and crucial.com's scanner doesnt seem to like the vista OS and wont give me a proper readout :s

 

Ooooh, okay. Thanks! Yeah, I saw that at Best BUy on a model. It's nifty I guess, but the corner pop-ups are probably less resource intensive (if nothing else, you don't need two programs running), and look fine.

The chipset supports DDR3, but the system doesn't. Not that it matters, it has the same performance.

And apparently my problem with Truecrypt wasn't my fault. I've decided to get rid of it for the time being, as a number of other people have the same issue on some systems.