A7J or W3J?

I had set my sights on an A7J, however, I realized it is a 17 inch notebook and that the W3J has a 14 inch screen with the same processor and video card. What is the weight difference between the two? I will be attending college this year so I would like to purchase something that I will use for 4 years. If I am carrying the notebook occasionally to class, will the extra weight be a problem? Thanks.

 

I would be more concerned with the dimensions if I were you. In my book, the most important aspect of a notebook being portable is it's size. The weight does matter too but 0.5-1.0lb is not a too big of a difference although still notable. If you are going to carry this around class occassionally, I would not recommend getting the A7J. For me, even a 15" is too big to carry around regularly. For your use, the W3 series would be much more preferred. If you do need a 17" display, just get an external monitor to use at home.

 

Get the W3J. Go to best buy and look at those 17" monsters. Ask yourself if you want to carry one of those babies around for 4 years.
Tim

 

The W3J would be much much more appropriate for your situation.

 

I concur with the folks above. You can put a 14" laptop on an airline tray or one of those weak excuses that pass for college desks. Can't do that with a 17".

Great idea about going down to Worst, err, Best Buy and checking out the 17" desktop replacements to get an idea. Going down in person persuaded me to change my mind about the Sony SZ / FE series and go with ASUS instead.

 

what u don't like about SOny SZ
Sony SZ is actually wildly popular

 

1) Keyboard felt flimsy

2) Flex in the unit

3) Viewing angles weren't great

4) Price erformance ratio didn't match ASUS

5) Availability online (I hate Worst Buy almost as much as I hate paying taxes)

6) Sony's support, from basic information in their website (including shipping information and false assurances -- check the SZ threads in the Sony NBR forum for a lot of disgruntled folks who ordered one) to service on purchased models (colleague has a relatively new Vaio, and service has been a nightmare)

All in all, it made more sense to go with an ASUS. And I can support small business (resellers) instead of a conglomerate.

As for the SZ's popularity, it doesn't really matter to me that other people like it or don't like it. I'm taking an evidence-based methodology to this purchase, which supports the purchase of the W3J. Things may be different for azure or others. Just trying to offer an opinion (and you know what they say about opinions...).

 

Pretty much the same here. I was sold on the Vaio, until I actually touched one. The keyboard is... different, and the thing basically felt cheap. My bosses just ordered two of them, but I'm holding out for the w3j.

 

My previous laptop was an IBM ThinkPad T43 (which weighted about 5.8lb), now I’m a pretty big guy 6’6 210lb and I get tired of carrying that thing around even by it self. Therefore I think every pound counts!

 

The extra weight will be a HUGE issue......... 5.5 pounds or 9 pounds... you be the judge.... but also just the sheer size of the A7 may make it hard to use in class.... I don't know what kind of sitting arrangements you have, but the A7 is bigger than any college lecture seat I've ever seen..... so for something like that the W3 is perfect.

 

In my opinion - over the years of carrying every system Asus has had over various distances...... anything over 5.5 pounds becomes a real burden over time. Even the M6 (Z70) at slightly more tha 6 pounds was a real pain in the rear after a while...

 

I'll add in another one:
7) Don't want to have my pacemaker go haywire when I'm still using this thing at 60.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I checked on the W3J at proportable's link and it looks like I'll be going that route since weight might really be a problem for me. If I watch movies and play games often, will the 14 inch screen be enough? Also, I noticed the W3J has hypermemory with 256megs of actual memory. Can anyone confirm that the video cards in the A7J and W3J are the same? Thanks.