A8Jm vs Z96J vs S96J

ARgh.. I'm torn between buying these 3 laptops. In my view, here's the adv and disadv of each one of them to me. Can someone tell me if I'm wrong and help me out in choosing one of them? This is gonna be my main computer for awhile, programming, web dev, presentations, gaming and the whole shebang.. Won't need it until end June, so I could wait... but have been waiting to pull the trigger for so long.... the urge.... so... strong .... Just wanted people's input...

A8Jm:
+ I can get this next week
+ DVI
+ Looks better than the S/Z96J
+ Smaller than S/Z96J with same res as S96J
- WXGA
- More expensive than the other 2
- Bluetooth extra
? Heat/Noise (smaller chasis, powerful GPU, ... not sure yet, can someone comment on this?)

S96J/Z96J:
+ WSXGA (Z96J)
+ Bluetooth (Z96J)
+ Heat/Noise very low
+ Available Now (S96J)
+ Cheaper than A8Jm
- WXGA (S96J)
- Who knows when it's gonna be available (Z96J)
- Bluetooth Extra (S96J)
- No DVI
- Looks average

 

since it's going to be your main computer and you'll be doing work that would benefit from higher resolution... definitely go for the Z96J. WSXGA+ is an awesome resolution for your kind of work... and plus it's nice to have a bigger screen if it's going to be your main/only computer.

 

on the other hand, a lot of people, myself included, actually prefer WXGA instead of WSXGA+ on a 15.4 inch screen

so........

if you need dvi or need a slightly smaller laptop, get the A8Jm
if you prefer WXGA, get the s96j
if you prefer WSXGA+, wait for the z96j

 

get a dell





just kidding. i think you should get the z96j b/c it seems to have everything you need except dvi and attractive look.

 

I agree with the other regarding the S96J/Z96J.

The high resolution LCD makes a world of difference, especially if its your main computer. Im kinda dissapointed in the A8JM due to its WXGA lcd.

 

I agree with SMT, the WXGA screen is the main reason I went for the S96j. I really can not stand higher res than that on a 15.4" notebook. If you have not had the oppurtunity to see both resolutions on a 15.4" notebook I recommend that you do before buying.

 

its not so disappointing. I've yet to see any 14" with a wsxga screen. This year there's only a very few that have wxga+

 

I was thinking about the resolution issue, whether or not it would be important to me, and although right 1280 x 800 is more than enough, I think I'd like the option to go higher, which the Z96J allows.

The only issue with Z96J is that noboby knows when it's coming out for sure, so I was considering the S96J as well.

Does anybody know about the design of the A8Jm? Whether or not it's as good as the S/Z96J in terms of heat and noise?

 

we'll have to wait until next week to see how the a8jm is really like, unless someone from asia is willing to review it...

 

Well, the Z96J is essentially the S96J with higher res+internal bluetooth option.

I recommend going to a local computer store and seeing if they have 15.6 inch notebooks with both resolutions... WSXGA+ is just too small for my eyes on anything less than a 17 inch screen personally.

 

I voted for the Z96J mainly because of the resolution it offers. It's be THE Asus notebook to get (for my needs at least); but since there aren't any ASUS resellers here in Singapore, it's just out of my reach. I have yet to see any notebook sold in Singapore that has a higher resolution than XGA/WXGA+; apparently laptop manufacturers seem think that there isn't any market for high-res notebooks here. Thus, the highest resolution I've ever seen on a notebook was the SXGA on my old Fujitsu E7010.

 

im looking at these three as well

i think the z96j would be the best one. im thinking about cost as well.

 

Man... looks like I'm not the only one torn between the 3 of these. The poll shows almost equal votes for each machine. Argh...

 

I agree with stamar here because of the high res screen, and BT, but no DVI .

But by all means if you want a lower res screen, then definately go for the S96.

I know the Z96 would cost more, but how much? maybe 100-300$ more? =\

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Well, I might just drop out of the A8Jm bandwagon soon... calculating cost... $1729 + BT $70 + extra RAM $110 + 7200 RPM HD $70 + Cooling $23 = just about $2000 + Tax = $2300 CAD.

Maybe I should just wait for the Z96J or go with the S96J and save myself a couple hundred bucks ... or ... Anybody see the ACER 5672 with X1600 coming out in June?

 

Nooooo.... don't go down that Acer road.

 

hmm that's cos you want all those upgrades, do you mind waiting a bit longer? Possibly the A8jm would come as a barebone...

Lets say im gonna buy an ensemble units, i personaly wouldn't upgrade it anyways, not worth spending all that money to make it top knotch. (my opinion) But i personaly would look at a ram upgrade in the future, not right away, tho. yah i can see the cooling pad being worth while too.

If you were to configure the S96 or Z96 yes your total price would be around 2000$ CAD after taxes with possibly everything you need. Mind you these models dont have DVI =\.

So ask your self do you really need BT, a 7200rpm HD and a ram upgrade right away? (your needs will obviously be different than mine)

Hope this clears some stuff for you.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Mystic: Yeah, I'd prob want all the upgrades right now, coz I'll be moving to Indonesia within a couple of months, and I'd rather have all the parts bought here. It might be cheaper there, but sometimes they alter the items and give u ****py ones, so I'd rather save myself some headaches later on

If I config the Z96J to the same spec as the A8Jm, it'll still prob be at least $200 - $300 cheaper (I only need to upgrade the Memory, and I can use the T2300 vs T2400, - OS which I already own). Plus, probably don't need the cooling pad with the 96J's based on what people have been saying about their experiences. Still no idea about A8Jm's heat...

Yeah... DVI is the only issue, but I think Eddie at Geared2Play's review of the S96J says that he found DVI already built in, just need to pop in something else(?).. so maybe an upgrade is possible in the future...

 

Actually the review posted by Eddie for the S96J stated that he found a spot that was blanked out and looked like it could have had a DVI port but was removed.

You wont be able to add DVI to the laptop in the future, since its not a plugin card or anything like that, its part of the motherboard.

 

You can just get a couple VGA to DVI connectors.. My videocard came with 2 of them :S

 

You cant go from VGA to DVI. Its only from DVI to VGA. The adapters that came with your video card are DVI to VGA.

 

Actually... here's his quote :
"
It is directly to the right of the vga port. Looks like a piece of rectangular plastic. I had the whole unit parted and it turned out to be dvi interface without the actual dvi port. I imagine someone with a electrical engineering degree and a good set of tools can just pop a dvi connect in there but we will not be doing that. I am still working on this so stay tuned
"
http://geared2play.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=627
So I'm assuming a DVI is actually possible sometime in the future?

 

Darrick, hyper told me in the other thread that the S96J does not have DVI.

So i dunno about this little mod thing=\.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

I am just getting the ram upgrade to 2gigs, 7200rpm hdd willl hurt the battery life and heat etc. After upgrading the ram, the price is still decent for such a small machine with its specs

 

Actually there isnt much heat difference and the battery life doesnt change almost at all with a 7200 RPM hdd vs a 5400 RPM... But 7200 isnt really worth it because its not that much faster anyhow..

 

Hmm.. prob will ignore the 7200 RPM then... thanks for the advice...

Still torn on which to buy... *sigh* ...

 

i don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but geared2play offers an option to make a wsxga+ matte screen for the s96j.

 

A8JM for me, I don`t know why everyone is so upset over resolution as 14" is fine with standard resolution, now going to a 15.4 is purely preference but wxga+ is overkill for a 14" in my opininion, I never seen any 14" wxga+

For me the A8JM is perfect for portability and power as I also have a nice home PC.

 

Wow... didn't know that... thanks...but might be too much of a hassle to send it to Canada (customs, tax blah blah)...

 

Darrick, where are you planning to buy from? I need to buy a S96J, but Canadasys says they dont really accept credit cards and I'm just wondering from what vendors to buy. They're like the only ones in Canada...

 

Mystery:
I'm gonna get my notebook from CanadaSys. Haven't really looked at any of the other vendors, but I remember checking out the Canadian ASUS reselllers page. Maybe u wanna start there if you're thinking of other places to buy? (Haven't seen S96J anywhere else... how bout one of the US resellers.. prolly same price after custom and duties?)
http://ca.asus.com/mobile/buy.html

ps. I thought Danny said he was working on the credit card, and should be avail within a few weeks?

 

Yea.. and the W3J should have been here in late April... It's unlikely he'll fix it by the time i want it (late July/early August).. But I hope he does. Planning to put it on a student loan or something..

 

Actually If i recall the posts over at NBF, he should have it by the end of the month. He told all the a8jm pre-orders there is a chance of a CC payment, but not necessarily, depending on how good'o TD works.

I say they're all fair notebooks. If you don't care about looks, and aren't fond of the a8jm specifications, then i say shoot for the Z96J.

PATIENCE

 

i think the 96j's r the way to go.....i know they dont look as attractive as the ensemble notebooks but the fact that u can get much higher specs for a MUCH better price without sacrificing quality is a major pro.
I know everyone's got their own take on the looks part but mine is....THEY DONT LOOK THAT BAD...and if the plain LCD cover is REALLY bothering u then u can just get the asus logo (or any other sticker u like) and put it on there...there's also the fedex kinko's service.

This is a link to a store i found on ebay (probably one of many) that has a wide variety of high quality vinyl sitckers that would look great on that plain LCD cover.

http://www.marketworks.com/StoreFrontProfiles/default.aspx?sfid=35358

PS: check out the asus one, it's 1.3" X 6.5" with a nice blue colour to it...alittle big but i still think it wouldnt be that bad (check out the "store" link...it has a pic of the sticker on the side of a desktop CPU)

 

Thanks for all the input guys, looks like I'll be going with the A8Jm after all.

 

I didn't see an bluetooth option on the Canadasys page. How are you getting that added?

 

The A8Jm is definitely the way to go, in my opinion. The A8Jm does not come with Bluetooth in the US, but ASUS is in the process of bringing in the BT modules from Taiwan so that resellers can add it as an option. However, it's very difficult to say how long it will take for them to actually get the modules here.

 

why do u say a8jm is the way to go i am also having a hard time choosing between the Z96J and the A8Jm, not sure which one to choose but i am a gamer somewhat and i am not sure which one would be better for it.

 

I personally like the A8Jm because of its graphics performance (GeForce Go 7600 512MB) and slightly smaller form factor. I play games too, but usually on an external monitor. The DVI-out on the A8Jm is a huge plus for me, providing higher quality images than the standard VGA-out.

 

what about the 5400rpm hd does that effect game performance compared to the 7200 rpm hd

 

I've decided on the A8Jm too, but I'm wondering if I can get bluetooth added to it too at Canadasys.

 

A lot of people are starting to put 7200RPM hard drives into their notebooks. While there are performance gains, there are also potential heat issues you have to take into consideration as well as more noise and shorter battery life. If you are going to be mobile most of the time, I would suggest sticking with a 5400RPM hard drive. However, if your notebook is going to be sitting on your desk most of the time, go ahead and go with the 7200RPM drive.

 

I'm not sure what the situation is in Canada with the BT modules for the A8Jm, but here in the US, ASUS has been unable to deliver them up to this point. They might have them here within the next few weeks.

 

Well i think i will be doing both, I will be playing games a lot but i will be moving it around a lot. Not sure if i will need a 5400 rpm hd or a 7200rpm

 

Well, the A8Jm comes with a 5400RPM hard drive. Try it out. If you are satisfied with the performance, just save your money and keep it

 

Where do u recommend i should buy this labtop from

 

In Canada, MilestonePC (a.k.a CanadaSys) is a great source... unfortunately Danny has said he won't install BT modules internally unless there is a huge demand for it.. not really worth the effort he says... so maybe if all the A8Jm users who are in Toronto got together and asked him nicely .. in the meantime I got a cheap USB 2 BT adapter from ebay ($12 CAD shipping inc) and it works fine... dont' really use it too much..

 

So Darrick where did u buy ur Labtop from?

 

MilestonePC / CanadaSys