A8f?

A salesman mentioned the A8F to me today, and I'd never really heard about it, but it sounds really good. A couple questions:
-What have people heard about it? Even looking here, I can't really find much about it...it seems cheaper than a lot of Asus models...is there anything wrong with it? How is battery life?
-How much does it weigh? Their website (and the salesman) says 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs or so), but NBR says 5.3 lbs. Which is right?

Thanks!

 

You can do a search on this forum for A8F and should return some threads about it. If you want, you can compare it to A8Jm or A8Ja or A8Jc, the difference is that A8F has integrated graphics with Intel GMA950 (or is it 900?), while the others have dedicated graphics. Battery life I'd assume is a bit more than comparable A8 models with dedicated graphics, so about 3 hrs 15 mins to 3 1/2 hrs with wifi on and office work?

I think that 1.9 kg weight is not including the battery... with battery, it's more like 2.2 kg ...

 

its basically a crippled version of the A8 series - beats the heck out of me why they would use a dual core cpu on a crap graphics card.

the order of A8 series is something like this
A8JM, A8JA, A8JC, A8F

 

Just becuse a laptop has integrated graphics doesnt mean its rubbish and doesnt need a good CPU. For someone who uses a laptop for internet/office/music/DVD's they dont need the best and most powerful GPU and so integrated is fine. Not only does the laptop run cooler but its cheaper as well. Also for someone who travels a lot the laptop will have increased battery life if the GPU is integrated.

@ oodam, as Darrick said, look at reviews of the other A8 models. That should give you a feel for the laptop. The A8F has integrated graphics so as long as you dont play games it will handle everything else fine.

 

I opted for the A8F route, basically for the reasons mentioned by radditz. It was cheaper than the A8JM, runs cooler and the battery life is longer.

I don't play games, so didn't really care about a dedicated graphics card.

Also, if you do a search I've done a review on it.

 

Gamers need to stop recommending notebooks to the general user.
For anyone who doesn't play 3D games, or run 3D intensive apps... you don't need a dedicated GPU.
In some cases many people will opt for integrated graphics for lower heat and longer battery life.

 

Agree completely with radditz & Sasha - integrated is fine (and fully functional) for the majority of users who stick to mainstream applications.

I get 4-5hr on battery with my undervolted z63 w/ integrated for most of my portable work . When I need to game, that's what the desktop and/or console are for.

 

Thanks for the help so far. Can anyone who's seen one confirm the weight - is it 4.5ish pounds like their website says, or 5.3 like it says here?
Is that difference just the weight of the battery?

 

Vista Aero, anyone?

 

You'd buy a video card for that? 'nuff said.

 

Of course, isn't it a hardware requirement?

 

dont get me wrong, there plenty of valid reasons to use dual core systems. but at the very least acknowledge that integrated graphics is a very big sin.

i heard the intel 950 gma's will run vista aero without any problems. also you dont need a graphics card to do top of the range video encoding and the lot but KNOWING that you could play games on it is only a bonus.