ASUS M50SV vs ASUS M51SN

I'm debating between these two laptops. I need it for school and some gaming but I can live without all the extra features included in the M50SV.

1) which has better battery life ?
2) which is more sturdy and better built?
3) does the faster cpu justify the price difference?
4) which should I get? (I know M50SV should be better)

Thanks

Specs:

Choice A) $999.99

ASUS M51SN-B1 Notebook - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 (1.83Ghz), 3GB DDR2-667, 250GB SATA HDD, 15.4" WXGA (1280x800), Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS 512MB of VRAM, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium


Choice B) $1,369,99

ASUS M50Sv-A1 Notebook - Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5Ghz 6MB L2 Cache, 3GB DDR2-667, 250GB SATA HDD, Nvidia G9500M w/ 512MB of VRAM, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

 

1) Assuming the batteries are the same size, you'd probably get better life out of the second one as it has a lower power 45nm processor. But Asus is generally known for rubbish battery life anyway.
2) It's impossible to say which is better built, they're almost certainly exactly the same considering the similarities in looks between the to machines. But the M50Sv is a higher model, and newer I believe, so if either is better it should be that.
3) Unless you need a fast CPU, no. Considering that there's no other spec difference, it seems very expensive. Even Dell only charge $300 for that upgrade! Unless you do really CPU intensive work, or are set on having the latest and greatest, stick with the slower processor.
4) Answered in previous questions.

Why are you set on getting an Asus? From reviews I've read Asus usually have poorer screens and battery life than other manufacturers, and certainly in the magazines I read they always seem to say "Good - but look at this better machine instead". I'm sure there are many people around who will say they've had a good time with Asus, but I'd have a look around. Guessing here, but are you after the 9500M graphics? Performance is very much equivalent to 8600M GT with 256MB DDR3, possibly slightly slower, so don't be worried about having 8600M GT instead.

I'd definately have a look at something like the Dell XPS M1530 - it's more of a premium design than the Acer, and although it would probably work out a bit more expensive depending on specs it's a premium machine which has been very well reviewed by a number of sources with next to no concerns about it. The battery life is also likely to be considerably better than the Acers'. Just look at the most popular machines graph on this site to see that it's popular.

 

1. Both will be nearly equivalent, with Asus' recent penchant for battery issues, 2-2.5 hours max.
2. Again, equivalent as they're essentially the same chassis with some different internal components. One is not really newer over the other, they're just different market segments of the same notebook.
3. For your described uses, and if you don't quite have the money to spend.... No, unless your priority is to future-proof the notebook somewhat, as the T55 series will be more than adequate and the gaming bottleneck is pretty much always the gpu over cpu limits.
4. Consider my points above.

My personal suggestion to OP -- for more details scan the Owner's Lounge threads for your two choices to get a bigger sense of their pros/cons while you consider your purchase. They're long, but you'll get a pretty complete picture of the two models when you're done.

 

The reason I chose the M50 over the M51 was the screen resolution is different. For what I could find I could only get the m51 in 1280x800 where the m50 is at 1440x900. It may not seem like that big of difference, but it was to me. I would also suggest reading the owners lounge threads. As lengthy as they are, there is alot of good information in there, and you can see what issues the owners are having with them. As far as someone suggesting on manufacturer over another, don't buy their words unless they are a laptop dealer, and then only listen to them if you aren't buying from them.

 

Thanks for the responses.

The reason why I would like an asus is due to their reputation for build quality and their warranty/customer service.

I am attracted to the M50SV cause the specs are amazing for the price. The main concerns I have about the M50SV is the battery life. If it was better I would get it for sure.

and I have been reading the threads about both systems.

 

Just curious
Why did you choose the M50SV over other laptops available like the XPS 1530?

 

I didn't really want to post here but I will since some people are more interested to show how much of brand fanboys (similar to religious fanaticism and extremely common in this section, probably not curable as well) they are...

Contrary to what fanboys said above, these notebooks aren't the same, the M51 is based on a low-end F3 series chassis, and is a cheaply made notebook, you can compare it to a cheap Acer. If you see it in person, you probably won't buy it, at least I won't. That's unless you are really looking for a cheap notebook.

And that's a review about it, if you want one more opinion and feel like reading.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=243757

 

The M50 is a great deal, I have not seen a dell even close in a cost/performance ratio comparison.

If you know me any at all you know my opinions are always unbiased and count for a lot.

So rather than make such a bottomless and bold statement, take the time to back it up with some facts. Post a Dell system, its specs, and price and then make a professional analysis on why its better.

 

Go for the better

P.S. all notebooks are not future proof. In less than 1 year you may want something like SSD and LED backlight and much faster FSB(I do not mention new CPU and GPU) that are going to be affordable by this time

 

1280x800 on a 15.4" is kinda a waste of space. 1440x900 better.

 

ViciousXUSMC, are you talking to me?

So what? I don't know what you have seen and I don't care, but "cost/performance ratio" doesn't make notebooks good or bad, it makes them cheap or expensive, for example. Granted, it's all about about "great deals" for some people, but I'm definitely not one of them.

I don't know you at all, but now I'm not sure I want to quite frankly.

Either way, your opinon about your opinions is hardly something unbiased, so try to post something unbiased next time and let us decide if it really is.

Facts about what? If it's about the fact that a Dell fanboy and an Asus fanboy posted in this thread... well, that would not be too hard. Or about the fact that there are many fanboys in this sectoin? That would not be hard too, especially considering the fact that many of them are proud of that and happily admit it.

I probably could but why would I do so? Did I say anything about Dell? No, simply because it wasn't the point of this thread. The OP posted a thread in the WNSIB, so if I wanted to suggest other notebooks, I would do it there. Other than that, whenever someone mentions notebooks from other brand in this section people tend to get very defensive as it's obvious.


Btw, congratulations, you have just made a very "unbiased" post, the problem, however, is that your post is about nothing in particular and it doesn't add anything to the thread.

 

80% of the world's laptop (including Dell) are designed and made by the same 4-5 ODM in Asia. There are no build quality difference between most of them. Sometime, you'll see a slight design difference when a customer request certain features to be included and sometimes a customer will provide their own design. But in general, you won't see much of a workmanship difference.

P.S. I'm not a fanboy of any particular brand. I go thru laptop every 12 months or so and I have spent over $30K on laptops in the last ten years with brands like Dell, HP/Compaq, TI, Sharp, Toshiba, Acer & Asus.

 

*SIGH*

Well, it might be news for you, or I guess you haven't seen many notebooks in your life but most brands offer from low-end budget notebooks to high-end business notebooks and the difference in quality is significant.

As for you misconception about the ODMs, they made most of the notebooks, but that doesn't make them the same. It depends on the OEMs how much they want to spend on design, quality, features, etc. And if you had bothered to do some research before making such an ignorant post, you would have known that there are quality differences (even construction or materials if you want) between notebooks offered by the different brands and in some cases they are pretty significant.

 

o....k.... so back to the OP's questions..

1. The M50Sv-A1 has just over 2 hours of battery life w/ the standard 6-cell battery. The M51Sn-B1 has just under 2.5 hours of battery life with the same battery.

2. The M50 series is built more sturdily.

3. This will depend on how you will use your laptop. If you will be using many CPU intensive applications, the price difference will be worth it. Similarly, if you are only going to be doing web browsing and using MS office, then there's really no need for a fast CPU.

4. Get the M50Sv-A1. You can get it for $1299 at GentechPC instead of $1369.99 as you quoted in your OP.

 

Wow this thread turned ugly rather quick. Let me try to post something that doesn't cause this brand flashing war to get any worse, and to hopefully not scare someone off of a website that could potentially help them in the future. Your question, directed at me was:
"Why did you choose the M50SV over other laptops available like the XPS 1530?"
The reason I chose the M50 over other well performing laptop brands was based on the solid reviews, and the cost/performance ratio. Ever since I was able to unload my old anchor of a laptop (10 lb internet machine), I wanted to find something that was powerful enough to run current games, had a larger hard drive, and was a bit more portable. I started looking at 15.4" laptops that had a dedicated video card. I looked at all of the manufacturers websites I could think of and found more in the process. My close friend just bought a Dell with almost the exact same specs as the M50 and is very happy with it. At the same time he did spend more, and that was slightly out of my budget. I even looked at the really cheap laptops like Cyberpower, and Ibuypower. They have some of the same parts that all other laptops have available, yet are usually a few hundred cheaper than the rest. I didn't buy from them, because of mixed reviews. Alot of service issues, and general laptop issues that I didn't want to deal with.

When it comes down to it, YOU need to decide what you want to do with the machine. YOU need to decide on how much money you want to spend, and finally YOU need to make the choice that suits you, based on your ability to comprehend your own research.

Reptar the M50 might work for you if you want a portable entertainment/gaming pc and your budget is around $1300.

If you are concerned with the build quality of a particular part number, I would probably listen to someone who has one.

And if we are going to be naming prices I got mine for $1299 also at Excaliberpc with a free wireless mouse.

 

Re-read my post since I've probably used more laptops than you have in your life and I have worked in the Electronics manufacturing business for over 30 years. Most brand name laptop share many common components. Even down to a slight variation of the same mobo depending on the model. If two notebook are using the same major components. It's not like the more expensive one will get a better quality 8600M GPU than the other. The only quality difference is if a customer supply their own design. Even then, most of the times it's cosmetic. Yea, some will use better material for the construction but the inside is pretty much the same.

I have used $5000 laptops and I have used $1400 laptops. Construction material have never been a problem if you just treat it with care (yea, yea, there have been a few cases where poor design on certain models have lead to problems). Although I went thru laptops like water. Most of my used ones are given/sold to my employees and friends and I know they continue to use them without problem till they were obsolete.

Also, treated with care. There's no reason a low-end budget notebook will not last as long as a High-end Business notebook from the same manufacturer. It's not like the low-end budget model have a built-in self destruct date.

 

Re-read my post since you haven't a clue what you are talking about . . . And that's what is inside (i.e. the components) has nothing to do with build quality, just so you know.

Btw, the price doesn't necessarily mean that the notebook is high or low quality, but it's just another example of ignorance.

And this conversation is over, as I don't think that anyone will take you seriously anyway.

Good luck.

 

Guys,

Take a breath or two...there is no need for this bickering. Some posts have been deleted.

-kdawgca
NBR Mod

 

Sorry Reptar, I tried to calm the bickering, but it didn't work. Safe bet would to read the reviews, view some pictures and videos, and decide from there.

 

no problem


another question though, i read in the lounge that there were a few people who had "grainy" or bleeding screens. anyone know if this is a frequent issue or these people unfortunately just got lemons?

thanks

 

I absolutely love my M50. With that said, I do think that the screen appears a little grainy, at least when operating on battery. (Speaking of battery, a 9 cell battery is available for the M50.) However, the screen is very bright and the ambient light setting works really well to automatically adjust the screen brightness to the brightness of the room that you're using it in.

The bottom of the screen does have some light bleed to it. I don't find it a problem, but I can see it when I'm watching movies.

I was debating between buying a Dell or a Sager as the following thread shows: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=228489

I decided on the M50 because it is a newer model with more bells and whistles than the Sager. I vetoed the Dell because I read about too many build problems. (Plus I don't believe that the 1530 had the N wireless capability at the time which I determined was really important to me.)

Anyway, I'm really happy with the decision I made.