ASUS F3JP grayness

Hi all.
Just bough ASUS F3JP (F3JP-AP033M) and while watching DVD's notice some grayness. I suspected it had nothing to do with video configurations (although i tried), goggle a bit, found this board and read that this is a problem for many ASUS users, but for some there's a bios update that solves the problem (if i read well).
But i didn't find many info about the model i bought.
Is there any update for my model? Should i contact ASUS? Or should i return the laptop? Should i wait for a fix?
Bad luck on my 1st laptop...
Thanks

PS: sorry about my poor English...

 

BIOS update for F3Jp is not available yet. Yes, you can contact ASUS. BTW Ken from GenTechPC had already contacted ASUS regarding F3Jp, so if I were you, I will wait for the BIOS update... (BIOS update for W3J, F3Ja and V1J are available after, among others, Ken's efforts..)

 

Thanks for the fast replay. I think i'll wait, overall i'm happy with it.
Just a completely newbie question (my 1st laptop).
I've always worked/played/watched on 17' CRTs, 1024x768 - 85 HZ.
On this model this resolution is not very good, so i had to keep the default (1280x800 60HZ).
It is impossible for me to work with 60 HZ on normal CRTs.
Will i experience the same problems, like my eyes burning or because this is a different technology this won't happen?
I didn't have the chance to test for a long time (lot of work at the college), that's why i ask.
Thanks

 

The default/native res for F3Jp is 1280x800. If you set it to resolution other than that, you will always get a bad display IMO. I don't think your eyes will burned due to 60 Hz frequency in the LCD. I've been using notebooks since '94 and I think my eyes are still OK.

 

are you sure that the F3Ja BIOS fix is out? I've been searching a while for this ..

 

Yes (at least the beta version of the BIOS, but several F3Ja owners claimed that it really fixes the graininess issue in F3Ja). Hold on... I'll give you the address.

 

OK here's the beta BIOS with graininess fix for F3Ja (and ONLY FOR F3Ja): http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/images/Notebook/Asus/F3JA206.zip

 

Thank you! I'm going to try this ASAP

 

The correct expression should be "Thank Ken!"

 

Well I tried it and it works wonderfully! Thank you and thank Ken for bugging Asus about it

 

i want to try the bio update. I have never done one before though so what am I meant to do? The .zip file contains a .rom file and I have no idea what to do after that. Do I just double click or do I have to do it from the bios or what?

 

What kind of ASUS is your notebook? Anyway, in my W3J, I just extract the .rom file to a certain folder, such as My Documents or something, then I run Winflash and tell Winflash to use the .rom file in My Documents. The rest should be easy, just follow what instructed by Winflash. Hope this helps...

 

Hi slowdive, Ken just received a beta BIOS for F3Jp that's supposedly address the graininess issue in F3Jp.
Please download here http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/images/Notebook/Asus/F3JP203.zip and let us now if it works.
And all the thanks should be directed to Ken Lee (GenTechPC)... don't shoot me I'm just a messenger

 

I'd like to add that the F3Ja bios 206 seems to have increased the clockspeeds for the x1600 from 450/350 to 450/390

 

Hi Fiah have you tried 3DMark05 to test your F3Ja's graphic card? If you have, how is the score?

 

yeah I just ran it, 4110 points now. when i first ran it (with the supplied drivers, on the first day) it scored 3800ish

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=2319506

 

hmm i also got an F3Jp and have the same screen problem...
how do i install the bios update and where to get the graphic driver for the x1700? the asus website don have it!

 

you can find the newest Catalyst drivers for mobility cards here: http://ati.amd.com/online/mobilecatalyst/

you can update the bios using WinFlash (supplied by Asus, in your start menu). alternatively, you can flash it from your bios, just place the bios you want to flash in a convenient directory on your hard disk (like in the root c:\), press F2 and select the 'easy flash' option

 

hmm i use the winflash they provided but there no effect... i just restart my comp and goes window... don seem to have any bois flashing... cause its like 20sec to windows?

second thing is, i don see any x1700 driver!

 

oop ok... the screen grayness was solved! THANKS!

what happen was that the WINFLASH asus provided was buggy itself -.-
it crashes at startup, it cant load up and the system just reboot again which went to windows...

so i had to manually go F2 into bios and select the file and flash it...

now the screen is correct and i notice the color contrast is much better then last time. Interesting how bios can affect a screen output.

leave me with 1 more thing, the ATI driver for x1700 are not on the website. Does anyone know where to get the new driver as asus give a really OLD driver. Having some D3D crashes... thanks

gots this for roughtly 2weeks only... luckily i found this site

 

You can try following the instructions in the forum thread below on using the omega drivers for the x1700...do note that these are omega drivers and not catalyst drivers...

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=201686

 

Did you go to that address with your browser? Usually if you paste the address to your browser and press enter, your browser will come up with a dialog box asking whether you want to download a file called 6-10-mobile blah blah.exe. That's ATI mobility catalyst driver, which should contain the driver for X1700.

The address mentioned by Fiah ( http://ati.amd.com/online/mobilecatalyst/) only provides the latest cat driver though (currently ver 6.10). If you want previous versions of 'plain' (not Omega) drivers, go here http://www.3dnews.ru/download/drivers/ati/ . You need to click on the links with 'mobility' under each version.

 

Thanks, I tried winflash. I have a F3Ja and I have now updated the bios.

I also had the same thing happen to my graphics card that someone else had, It's now raised the stock speeds and I can overclock more without artifacts now.

 

If it works? Is it safe to use a beta version? And if something goes wrong?

 

hmm teh beta driver is still find for me... the screen is kinda sharper now...

as for the driver... i checked, catalyst haven support x1700 yet... not so sure about omega... What driver is that? is there more information about this driver?

 

Taken from omegadriver.net:

" The Omega Drivers have been recognized by ATI as the best moddeed drivers in the Internet!!!

Here is a quote from Terry Makedon when he was interviewed by a German Magazine:

"ATI supports the enthusiast community wholly. Omega Drivers are in fact a good example of ATI's user community at its best. What they are in principle are CATALYST drivers with different settings enabled via registry keys and other such methods. This provides users an alternative to ATI's CATALYST default settings. While there are a few different modification drivers out in the community our relationship with the creator of the Omega Drivers is of the highest working standard. The author of these drivers is part of the CATALYST beta driver testing team and also in direct contact with ATI. In fact we would go so far as to say that if a user chooses to go the mod driver route they go with the Omega Drivers."

Many thanks to ATI and their support team for this honor!

Also many thanks to all the Omega Driver users all around the world for their support."

It is actually a modded version of the catalyst drivers that COULD provide a performance boost for your ATI card. However, results vary for different individuals. Some people feel more comfortable using catalyst drivers while others find it better with omega drivers. It is just another option for catalyst drivers.

 

I don't have an F3Jp, so I can't answer the question satisfactorily... but AFAIK there were 2 F3Jp owners tried the beta BIOS update for F3Jp and they reported that it fixed the problem.
Based on my experience with my W3J, nothing should go wrong as long as I follow the BIOS update instructions.

 

Seems the problem is gone.
When a final version is out, where will it be available? In a big forum like this is easy to miss something unless there's a sticky...
Thanks for all the help

 

It will be available at support.asus.com, I guess.

 

Just a quick question.
I've been reading about repartition HD without losing any data.
But one thing i'm not sure...
I have only one partition (~120GB) + the recovery partition; i want to have 3 (not counting with the recovery partition), so i'll use partition magic or the other program mentioned on the guides.
My question is...Will it mess with the recovery part of my disk or will this part be untouched?

Thanks

 

SHould be untouched from what I have seen of Partition Magic. It will show you two partitions when you start it up. Your main one and the recovery so you just pick the main one to split.

 

Thanks for the reply.
Should i worry because there are no drivers on ati for x1700, while x1600 and x1800 have?
If they released the card why they don't support it?

 

same problem... as x1700 is a mobility card, the support need to come from both the notebook maker and ATI, may a while before any support driver are released by ATI. and those driver need to be further patched for the laptop as each laptop have different power saving, setting and stuff...

so like u, im stuck with a buggy x1700

 

I made that questions because it's not the 1st time i read some guys complaining that they still use one year drivers or even older.
I still have the chance to return it and buy F3JA with x1600.
Should i do it?
I'm happy with it (F3JP), but i don't want to use the same drivers next year...
And since x1600 is supported....
Newbie questions,i know, but it's my 1st notebook, don't want many problems caused by outdated drivers...

 

IMO the X1700 is still very new, that's why ATI has not yet included support for it in the current mobility catalyst driver. I think it's just a matter of time before ATI officially supports it.

BTW noone tried Fused's suggestion yet? Someone called kkoeter claimed that he/she can modify omega driver to support X1700 (kkoeter owns an ASUS A8Jp) here http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=201686

 

Someone in a German computer forum posted files to modify official Mobility Catalyst driver (6.10) and Omega drivers to support X1700 here: http://www.computerbase.de/forum/showthread.php?t=236989

 

Thanks robohgedhang, you've been a big help.
Already knew the 1st link, but didn't have the chance to test it (many college projects).
During the weekend i'll try following the instructions of the 1st link, or use the modified version posted on the german forum.
Thanks again.

 

it's just that ditto in my Lightspeed Z96J. What to do?

 

That link as nothing to do with Lightspeed Z96J, that link is for Asus S96j.
Some people, who have notebooks with asus components, have the same problem. Can it be fixed (grayness) for them?