ASUS F8Va or N80n, Which one is better?

Ok there's been debate going on which is better. Everything is pretty similar specs wise. Only major differnce is asthetics. The specs below.


F8Va:

14" 1440x900 HD Screen
Intel Centrino 2 Duo T9400 2.53ghz
4GB DDR2 800mhz
ATI HD 3650 VRAM:1024MB HM:2048

TV Tuner, 802.11abgn+BT, 320GB HDD etc....


N80n:

14" 1280x800 Screen
Intel Centrino 2 Duo T9400 2.53ghz
4GB DDR2 800mhz
NVIDIA Geforce 9650M VRAM:1024MB

TV Tuner, 802.11abgn+BT, 320GB HDD etc....


The only major differnces are asthetics on the casing, the resolution on the screen, and most important graphics card. How much big of a boost is it to have the NVIDIA 9650 over ATI HD 3650 and vice versa. Are they equal, or which is better?

Also I like the fact that the F8Va has a HD perfect 14x9 screen where as the N80 doesnt. Is it worth it to go F8Va over N80 becuase of this? I think I would go for the better screen resolution if the video card isnt that much of a big difference when playing games.

What do you guys think? Your opinions? Thanks... I will decide shortly.

 

I do not think any F8VA models have a TV tuner. (At least in the US models...)

Besides the LCD resolution and the graphics cards there is one more (potentially important) difference too: F8Va models have CCFL backlight whereas N80 models have LED backlights. Photoshop users may prefer N80 since it has better color representation...

I do not remember where I have read but an article about LED backlight was saying that extensive usage of LED screens may harm eye vision + trigger migraine attackes due to some unfiltered harmful lights. This was not happening in CCFL screens. I would go with the F8Va model...

 

if battery life is a concern, it seems like the F8Va doesn't last long from user reviews...

 

I'm in the same conundrum....I would prefer 14x9....maybe Ken from GentechPC can chime in because he has seen both. I think the F8 would be better for me for Strat games because the ones I play are CPU intensive, and the native res is higher...however, the N80 may just plain look better and the CPU may not make a diff....

 

Both video cards use DDR2 memory, so the 9650M GT is a decently amount better than the HD 3650.

 

I'm in the same boat.

I was set out to buy the N80 but the 1280x800 display is the deal breaker atm. My brother has the F8 and it looks perfect at 1440x900.

I would give up the LED for 1440 res on the N80. I have sent emails to both excaliberpc and gentechpc, both saying that they have no inventory of there being a N80 with 1440x900.

Decisions... I would prefer the Nvidia card over the Ati and the casing of the N80 vs F8 but the screen resolution out weighs everything for me right now.

 

I'm currently deciding between these two laptops as well. Even though I really want the resolution for the F8, I'm leaning towards the N80 (I like the graphics card better too), never liked ATI cards much. I still think I'll be satisfied with the resolution for the N80.

 

There is supposed to be a WXGA+ (1440x900) model of the N80vn sometime, though it hasn't been released yet. According to ASUS's website, the WXGA+ screen will not be LED back-lit, though. Also, AFAIK there is not a model of the N80 with a tv-tuner available yet. However, the first N80's just started showing up and shipping a couple weeks ago, so maybe waiting a month or two will yield more options.

If you head over to the review linked in my signature, pico1180 had some very definite opinions as to the differences between the two models (he owns/owned an F8Va and has considered getting the N80vn for the vid card, though I'm not sure if he actually clinched on the deal).

 

Another thing to consider...I'd imagine the build quality of the N80 to be superior to the F8. From what I've heard, the quality of the F8 isn't all that high.

 

Although there are some cosmetic changes, the cases are still the same. It looks like the F8Va has a solid colored high gloss black lid where as the N80 seems to be a shade of dark brown with vertical lines through it. Also, on the N80 the top of the case (keyboard and palm rest area) look like the same metallic brown of the lid. On the F8Va it is a silver, brushed aluminum look.

Other then the cases LOOKING different they are not. You can see some of the pics I posted in zmatin’s review thread to compare. I wouldn’t expect one to feel more solid over the other.