ASUS F3JP - Opinions, concerns?

So I was browsing for a notebook on Newegg, and I came across the F3JP. It seems like a rather well-equipped notebook, and for $1500 it seems like a great deal.

Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz)
1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-667 RAM
ATI Radeon Mobility X1700 256MB (512MB with Hypermemory)
120GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
15.4" WXGA+ Screen
802.11A/B/G Wireless with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Windows XP Professional with Vista Upgrade Coupon
FREE Deluxe Carrying Bag

I did a bit more researching, through some reviews and scouring the ASUS forums. I found out that there were two major complaints, and was turned off from it. The first was that it has extremely poor battery life. Some people reported that the battery gave out after ~90 minutes. The second was that the screen was grainy, and even the BIOS "fix" didn't fix anything.

Should I be worried about either of these, or are they isolated cases? If anyone here has a W3JP, I'd like to hear your take on the notebook as a whole, also.

 

Ive got an f3jc with a lower gpu and I haven't encountered any problems thus far after a month. The f3jp model wasn't available when I purchased back in november but I'm not sure I could've have afforded it anyhow.
I get a good 3 hours worth of battery life with brightness half way and wifi turned on. I'm sure I can stretch it further if necessary. The grainy screen is news to me, I havent heard anything bout that.
The only other problem I've heard of is with the audio dj getting stuck and playing music through speakrs/headphones at once.
I think the notebook is a great deal, but most people opt for the more popular 14" a8js which is $100 more at newegg.

 

The F3 is actually a really good performance system, but it falls into the same issues that the A8 series does....... In my opinion, it's not a classy looking, feeling, or built system......... the F3 does for 15.4" systems what the A8 does for 14"... It attracts the typical Dell buyer by offering a high spec for a decent amount of money.... and the system suffers from a lack of what Asus often does best......... which are high end designs, using great materials and producing high quality builds.

It's a great bang for your buck, without a doubt... and I actually like it a bit more than the A8 series, since the panels are a little thicker on the bigger models, it gives it a better feel in my opinion.

 

One major thing you should be weary about this the inherent F3 series AudioDJ problem, in which after some earphone jack usage the notebook's own speakers won't mute anymore when you plug your headphones in. A LOT (including me) F3 series owners have (have had) this problem.
Otherwise I agree with hapablap, 2:30+ hrs battery life and no grainy screen for me.

 

Well I'm glad to see that the battery life issue was something of an isolated case, and that your laptop doesn't even have the graininess problem. The only reason I'm shying away from the A8JS is that the FN and CTRL keys are inverted, and owing to the fact that my computer time will be split about 50/50 between laptop and desktop, I'd like some consistency there.

 

So are you saying that this one isn't a well-built system? Should I be worried about quality control or anything?

 

What I've read about the F3 and the A8 (and G1) models is that they aren't as sturdily built as other Asus models -- just the materials they are made out of and such. They are still more sturdy than a Dell or an HP, though. I'm personally considering one of them because I just can't afford to get the specs you can get in the F3 or A8 in a W or V series.

 

I received mine last week and have been using it heavily. So far it's great. I haven't used the audio port yet so I don't know if I'll have that problem.
After first opening the box and firing it up my thought was that I would have preferred a 14" instead, and that a higher resolution would better suit the 15.4".
Since then I've gotten very accustomed to the size and res. though higher res would be nice (and more $$$).

You state the RAM is (2x512MB) but it's (1x1024) which is nice for expansion.

 

Its a very tough sell to buy this machine over the a8js.

the a8js has a better gpu and is a lot smaller.


it also has a brighter screen with higher resolution.

 

I hear you. It was a tough sell and I'm not sure I made the right decision for me. The $150 price diff and the fact that I don't carry it around much makes it work out pretty well though.
I made my decision and ordered it 2 weeks ago during the flurry of negative A8JS comments that seem to have come and gone by now. Also, a friend told me his HP was a 15.4" and I thought it was the perfect size. It turns out his is a 14" . lol

Still, I have no negative comments about the performance of the machine. If anyone wants a 15.4", it's a great value.

 

I have a few problems with the A8Js, that I feel are "fixed" with the W3JP.

1. The CTRL and FN keys are inverted, which I think would make it awkward to type. I'd probably get used to it, but then when I go back to a desktop it would be weird again.

2. No Bluetooth. This is becoming close to a necessity for me, as I have a PDA, phone, and headset that I'd like to easily sync with the laptop. The W3JP has it, and the US models of the A8JS don't.

3. I figured the X1700 would be a superior GPU to the 7700, but I really don't know about that.

If I could find an internal Bluetooth module for the A8Js (for under $50), I'd probably give it a second look and possibly take it over the W3Jp.

 

no the x1700 is inferior to the 7700.

And also, its not in the w3jp. It is in the f3jp. f3jp doesnt have bluetooth.

You can get bluetooth for under $50 from milestonepc.com btotech.com and portableone.com

 

The f3jp at newegg has bluetooth and it's $1498.99

 

I just got a F3 for my girlfriend, the Audio problem, was that hardware or software failure, would I be able to fix it my self if it occurs?

I am also looking at getting and installing the BT module anyone done this with the F3?

 

According to btotech, the bt module is available for the f3 but the proper cable isnt for this model. So far it seems to only be offered for the a8js. Plus, it technically voids the warranty.

 

Btw, I just spotted the a8jp at newegg for $1300 with X1700. Sounds like a great deal.

 

heh i was just about to link that

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834220104


t7200 and 1440 x 900 screen too

 

I'm afraid not, warranty is the only solution to replace the faulty AudioDJ board....or abusing the headphone jack some way to get the hardware switch inside it to properly work again which I won't reccommend.

In the beginning I had to use some force to plug headphones in, probably because of the switch inside. When the problem occured, the force required fell distinctively. Perhaps you can verify that if it happens to your gf`s F3.

 

That is a great deal. It is the exact same spec as the f3jp except for the size, screen and res for $200 less (including BT).
I would have chosen this over the f3jp I'm using right now.

 

That looks like a great deal. I think I'm gonna take this over the F3JP...I guess saving $200 is worth having to get used to the FN-CTRL inversion.