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    ASUS F3SV-B1 - need some help

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by sutapanaki, Dec 7, 2007.

  1. sutapanaki

    sutapanaki Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi,

    I'm having hard time choosing a laptop. I want to replace my old ASUS laptop which I bought in 2003. I've been looking at what is offered by companies and so far I tend to ASUS F3SV-B1 for its functions, computing capabilities, etc. I would appreciate very much if someone can share his/her impression of this laptop and especially compare it to the likes of Dell, Lenovo and HP. Also recommend ASUS laptops in the range $1000 - $1500.

    TIA
     
    sutapanaki, Dec 7, 2007
    #1
  2. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    The F3S is a budget ASUS laptop. That will usually be better than budged Dells and HPs in terms of build quality. However, the battery life is usually worse (for all ASUS notebooks currently except perhaps U6S/E, not just the budget ones).

    Does Lenovo make budget notebooks? :)
     
    E.B.E., Dec 9, 2007
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  3. sutapanaki

    sutapanaki Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you for your reply. Yes, I've come across that battery issue researching Asus on the internet. I guess it is a question of compromise here. How worse is it? Also, have you heard about problems installing Windows-XP on Asus F3sv-B1? Something about Windows not recognizing the SATA drive.
     
    sutapanaki, Dec 9, 2007
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  4. D3X

    D3X the robo know it all

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    From recent reviews, it's around 2:10-2:15 minutes of battery run time when using dynamic switching battery mode(not max battery savings), so in other words it's not as bad as they say Asus is.

    Well no, XP installation does not recognize SATA drives without a driver diskette( a: ) or a slipstream of the drivers, this goes for all SATA drive laptops not just Asus.
     
    D3X, Dec 9, 2007
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  5. sutapanaki

    sutapanaki Notebook Enthusiast

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    2 hrs is really acceptable, although I've read that it can go for about an hour only, but I guess I wouldn't know for sure without trying it first.
    BTW, how does F3sv compare to Aser? I'm under the impression that Aser is also going strong in the last years in terms of laptops. But mostly uses AMD processors. Here I'm completely lost as I don't really know which one is better (if any) - AMD or Intel. AMD is usually cheaper, but do you pay for Intel more just because of the name?
     
    sutapanaki, Dec 10, 2007
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  6. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    2 hours is really unacceptable for any notebook that wants to be called portable, but that's just my opinion :)

    Acer are cheap chunks of plastic, at least as far as I've seen. ASUS is leaps and bounds better in terms of quality.

    (I presume it was a typo and you mean Acer. I know no OEM called Aser)

    And to the AMD versus Intel question, without a shadow of doubt, in the laptop world Intel is the winner. Why? Less power consumption, resulting in less heat emanation. Possibly also better performance, but I cannot guarantee that.
     
    E.B.E., Dec 10, 2007
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  7. FusiveResonance

    FusiveResonance Notebook Evangelist

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    you must understand that the videocard in the f3Sv although advertised as an 8600m GS will not perform like an 8600m GS. This card is purposely underclocked by ASUS and is known to under perform. Read thru the f3sv thread for more details.
     
    FusiveResonance, Dec 10, 2007
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  8. unk3

    unk3 Notebook Consultant

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    unk3, Dec 11, 2007
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  9. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    I don't understand, why from that link should we conclude the F3Sv is crap? The link is for an F8. Or are you suggesting an F8?
     
    E.B.E., Dec 11, 2007
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  10. unk3

    unk3 Notebook Consultant

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    Im saying for around the same price range you can get better. And im saying from personal experience that the f3sv's are bad.
     
    unk3, Dec 11, 2007
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  11. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Ah, I see. I also understand that you had bad experience with the notebook, but we have to keep things into perspective and realize that perhaps yours was a bad machine.

    Of course, we can't ignore your experience either, so let the prospective buyer be wary :)

    How is the build quality on the machine? Component-wise, things can be different between two machines of the same type (like one works, and one doesn't) but the build quality will be pretty much the same.
     
    E.B.E., Dec 11, 2007
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  12. sutapanaki

    sutapanaki Notebook Enthusiast

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    Can you comment on the crappy part of F3Sv. From what I see, the difference between F3Sv and F8Sv is mainly in the display size and the generation of the video card. All rest seems the same. So, what was it that you didn't like about F3Sv?
     
    sutapanaki, Dec 13, 2007
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  13. FusiveResonance

    FusiveResonance Notebook Evangelist

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    negatives about the f3sv--

    battery life is horrible..but everyone gets the rotten apple on that boat.

    in terms of the graphics cards, the 8600m gs in the unit isnt the stock card on the market. in fact, asus took the pleasures of ruining the card. You're not truly getting an 8600 GS.

    For more info on the card, head over to the f3sv lounge, and read...
     
    FusiveResonance, Dec 14, 2007
    #13