M50Sv: Review & Owners' Lounge

I found a small white square (about 4x4px) in the upper left edge of my screen, and I can't figure out what it is. I can cover it with something, so I know it's not the LCD screen. I figure it's some kind of program, but I can't verify that. Anyone seen anything like this? Thanks...

Update: I found the perpetrator. It was the Catalyst Control Center. Closed it, white square went away. Opened it, white square back. Shoulda done a little research before I posted a stupid question!

 

Meh, I should have waited for the m50vm-a1 model to come out. I got the m50sv-a1 model like in May and it's only been 2 months and the newer refreshed model comes out!

O well, looking at the specs of the vm model, its basically everything in the m50 maxed out with the 9600 nvidia gpu. I hope the newer 9600 gpu doesn't outperform the 9500 gpu by too much.

In terms of RAM, I can always upgrade to 4GB and the harddrive I can always change. So those things I don't really concern as much as the other things. However, the newer Centrino 2 processor is clocked at a lower speed of 2.26 GHZ compared to the SV model of 2.5 GHZ. In terms of performance, I don't think the new processor will outperform all that much. But I still believe that it's still a little faster.

I'm just bummed out that the m50sv-at is already discontinued. I was hoping it would discontinue later in the year, but it happened so early!

 

I've been doing reviews for weeks and and wanted the M50sV but figured I should wait until Centrino 2 came out. My boss has the M50sV and seems to like it a lot, I'm really looking forward to see if the Vm out performs the sV by much. Also the B1 model of the Vm has a 2.53GHz processor that uses more power ( T9400 vs P8400 in A1).
Just purchased my Vm from Gentech last night and can't wait to get it.

 

Can the m50SV-a1 have a ddr2 800 ram?

 

No, because the PM965 chipset does not support DDR2 800.

 

Ok thanks ken. can't wait till you have the review of the m50vm =) it'll gonna put the icing on my crumbling cake =|

 

Does anyone know if the M50VM uses all of the 4GB of RAM? I mean its restricted isn't it? Or has there been a workaround that lets Vista 32 bit use 4GB of RAM?

 

No.
Yes.
No.

 

I just configured at GenTech PC a new M50VM Montevina similar to my newly-old M50SV for just $125 more. I'd have bought it but oh well. Tech moves on and there's always a "just around the corner faster better something coming". This M50SV is a great machine and I'll enjoy it for years. But I still have that DARN feeling, lol.

I just emailed the link to my California cousin to buy it for his freshman year at college. Nice rig for a nice price!

 

I'm using ddr2 800, but instead of getting the whole 400mhz per ram stick, im gettin 368mhz per stick as opposed to a 4gb ddr2 667mhz set up where you only get 333mhz per stick...

 

i just need 64bit to use the rest of it.

 

Like JuiceBox said, the 4gb ddr2 800mhz ram can be used in the M50Sv, BUT it will only run at 667mhz. Installing a 64bit OS will also allow windows to recognize all of the 4gb of memory. 32bit will recognize ~3.2gb.

 

I just noticed this in device manager. Does anyone have any idea what this device is and what the problem may be? Does anyone else have this issue?

 

Another issue I'm having is that when I plug in a drive to the eSATA port, the drive does not appear in my system. It does show up in the BIOS though.

 

I believe that it's source is in software, it is for converting IPv6 addresses, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6to4 you may have ticked some checkbox in the network adapter properties or something...

 

Hey guys the M50VM-a1 review is out thanks to ken =) man it's faster that's what i can say...

 

If you've installed the Intel_inf driver then it should work. Most eSATA external drives i think, will require a power supply (either from the USB or and actual power adapter). I initially thought that the eSATA cable can just draw power from the ESATA port, but apparently, it can't.

Although no one really asked, but here's some tests I did on the stock hard drive.

1. HDTune test of hard drive inside the notebook




2. HD Tune test of hard drive using eSATA (as you can see, it's speed is almost identical when the hard drive is inside the notebook!)




3. HD Tune test of hard drive using USB 2.0 (not very impressive )

 

thanks emporium =)

 

Okay mumar, it's time to get over the fact that you didn't get the M50vm. You cannot OC the 9600m GS so the M50sv can achieve equal or better gaming performance with a decent OC.

 

No problem

I'm sure eventually there will be a driver that will enable the 9600M GS to be overclocked. Right now there's only a limited number of drivers that officially supports the 9600M GS.

 

Well, I think it worked in XP when I had it installed, but not in Vista. Maybe I'll have to give XP another go, but I'm really tired of reinstalling OSs at this point. Maybe I'll give Asus tech support a call.

 

Yeah i'm over it. =)

 

Vista also works as I recall. I think it must be a driver issue for you since you said it worked in XP.

 

Emporium after seeing the review of the m50vm, what can you say about the difference between the two in terms of gaming (i feel like i am a host of a talkshow here hehe)

 

LOL..... Well, it's hard to say actually... since the 9600M GS can't be overclocked now, I'd say an overclocked 9500M GS would perform very similarly to the 9600 GPU. Obviously, if we left everything at default settings, the M50VM-B1 would be superior. The CPU difference won't affect gaming that much and even if they do, it's negligible.

 

Ok thank you emporium. What would you like to say to your fans out there who are always asking you questions? hehe just kidding =p

 

Keep buying my albums and stay tuned for my newest blockbuster movie coming soon to a theater near you! Lol~

 

Do any of you guys think it would be possible to get similar battery life to the VM (New drivers, acpi, power management etc)? if I could, that would make me feel a lot better about my very recent purchase of the SV ( I did not need it yet, just wanted it a little early to game on) I'm a little upset about not knowing this upgraded version was coming out but I guess you win some you lose some and its my own fault for not waiting.

 

I have 175.80 drivers and sp1 and i haven't noticed a difference in battery life, some may differ though.

 

a) under volt your cpu
b) disable camera, ir, blue tooth, unused ports
c) under clock your cpu when on battery

you should be able to squeeze out an extra 15-20 minutes

 

Thanks for the advice-- I guess what I really want is similar battery life with no performance hit... Not possible I'm beginning to believe

Just irked at my impatience.... Don't get me wrong because I love this SV its just that a week's wait would have made all the difference

 

just under clocking and disabling things you won't use will give u a boost in minutes. vista's battery mode already underclocks your cpu a bit which you won't even notice unless you are gaming.

ur m50sv is still a fantastic notebook but i understand how you feel, i bought a f8sn just a month ago but i really needed it and couldn't wait.

 

I'm running xp with power4gear, when I use my battery I hope it doesnt underclock without telling me.


Is that Expressgate feature flashed to the new VM's motherboards or is it something I could put on the SV? That's a really appealing feature.

 

if you go to the configuration of power4gear's battery mode, you will notice that the cpu's maximum processor's state will be around 60%. i think this under clocks your cpu.

 

We won't see battery life like the M50VM in our SV models simply because of the less power consuming CPU and GPU used in the VM. I've already tried disabling every possible device I could think of in battery saving mode and with the GPU underclocked, but it only helps a tiny bit with battery life. Honestly, webcam, BT and other devices uses such insignificant amount of power, it really don't matter. It just adds 10-15 minutes of battery life.

 

other things to try
- turning off hard drive earlier
- under volting - on battery mode i also disable the top 2 multipliers since i only need to use word and fire fox while i'm in class

i was able to add a little more than 30 extra minutes on battery mode for my f8sn doing all the things i recommended

 

Would somebody know if the accidental warranty works even in the Philippines?

 

Hey I just tried something real quick with the whole Ram and recognizing it issue. Using the stock settings without overclock using SETFSB i got a windows index score as follows. Processor 5.4, Memory 5.0, Graphics 5.0, Gaming Graphics 5.3, Hard Disk 5.4.......But using SETFSB up to 2.73 ghz, I got Processor 5.6, Memory 5.4, Graphics 5.0, Gaming Graphics 5.3, Hard Disk 5.4. So using SETFSB, if you look at the clocks in cpu-z it ups the clocks and uses it. My memory jumped .4 points and obviously processo up .2....idk just thought i'd share that...if anyone knows how to post the actual windows index score, and cpu-z scores let me know and i will post them as soon as possible.

 

Just want to inform you guys. I've been googling a lot on the upcoming laptops that are coming out this mid july (i did this after buying a laptop duh =p) and so i stumbled upon the hp dv5t. A gorgeous laptop in my opinion with a gorgeous specification and a modest price.. So i also monitored the forums waiting for some benchmarks(hoping that my sv-a1 would be at par with that laptop). Everyone was hyped about the 9600gt. I turns out that it was just a promotion to keep the hp sales rolling. So with just a blink of the refresh button on the browser... the 9600gt option is no longer an option! this would really blow the tops off those wanting to get a hold of the laptop because of the gpu. ASUS ALL THE WAY BY MAKING DEALS THAT ARE UP THERE EVEN IF YOU REFRESH THEIR PAGE ahehe =)

 

That makes me so happy, I wouldn't buy from another maker anyway, unless this thing disappears off my lap into thin air....Then i know i have a problem with my laptop

 

you could post it on imageshack and then paste the link =)
Some (many in fact) are saying that the WEI is a very inaccurate tool for measuring the system's performance. I do believe that you have been able to add power to an already powerful machine so kudos to you my friend =)

 

I first need to get the image, being in Iraq i didn't bother bringing my printer/scanner...so i can't scan it in....ugh just take my word...

 

you don't need a printer/scanner! Just use the "print screen" button on your keyboard...... open up Paint under Start-> all programs -> accessories..... press "ctrl" + "V" to paste.... save... voila~! now you can just upload on NBR!

 

that is likely the bluetooth adapter falsely recogized. check pg 77 for drivers.

 

Hey guys i would like to ask again if the accidental warranty from asus would work here in the Philippines. My cousin is the one who purchased the laptop in michigan. Thanks in advance

 

Windows Index Score....without overclock, 5.4, 5.0, 5.0, 5.3, 5.4 with 175.80 drivers, Using Overclock this is what i got..

 

Well done Juicebox =) as for me i'll just overclock the gpu =)

 

Multiply Mhz times two...and there ya go

 

Unfortunately, ADW is only available only in the US or Canada. I don't think Asus Philippines would honor a warranty only available to North America, but I would call their Philippines CS to confirm.

 

aww... but it's ok since they still have the 2 yr international warranty =)