ASUS Notebooks Quality?

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I know ASUS makes one of the best MBs for desktop PCs, but I've never owned their laptops before, and they're actually quite new in the laptop market compared to brands such as Toshiba or IBM, so I've no idea about their overall built quality.

I was wondering, current ASUS laptop owners, would you guys recommend anyone to buy their laptops, or I should turn away?

Actually, I went to a few computer shops that sell many different brands, most of them would tell me to stay away from ASUS laptops even when they're selling them in the store... They said they've had much more returning customers for repairs with ASUS, BenQ, and Acer.

Currently I'm shopping around for a 13.3" notebook, and the ASUS W7Sg looks very promising in specs wise. I'm comparing it to the Lenovo Y310a, HP DV3000, and Dell XPS M1330, which all 4 are in the same price range. But the W7Sg seems to come out on top on papers.

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

The fact is, ASUS was once VERY reputable in their notebooks, and they were quite exclusive in what they sold(mid to high end notebooks at a premium).

However, they've started to sell in more abundant markets, which is the low to mid end market, so their quality has slipped quite a bit. While their notebooks aren't bad, you get alot for what you pay in terms of power, but it'll lack the solidness it once had.

However, this is not reflected upon all their notebooks, they do have quite solid ones, so I would recommend looking at the owner lounges or threads in general(do a search) to make your own decision whether or not it'll be right for you.

 

Seems like a lot of manufacturers have headed that direction.

I just read a review on the W7Sg, it seems like the GeForce 9300M GS will generate a lot more heat compared to the 8400M GS , and the actual benchmark is only slightly better.

 

You should have read the ASUS info both stick. There is a link to this thread.

 

Sorry, I should have read the sticky. The poll thread also seems pretty helpful.

 

Check this thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=212031

 

hi

Asus Support und Build Quality is really bad.

See the custumer satisfaction survey in the recent C´t the most reputable computer journal here in Germany. I don´t think they sell other computers to the
rest of the world.

Asus ist on the last position. 69% of their customers are unsatisfied!!
Poorly 29% satisfied.

Dell is the best, then Lenovo/Toshiba, Hp and others.

 

hmm... that's not very good, I think people are right about their "current" quality.

Yeah Lenovo and Toshiba build really good finishing quality laptops, one of my laptops is a Portege, after a few years, still in perfect shape, and the keyboard is definitely one of the best in the market, no flex or anything, until now all the keys still work flawlessly, never had anything replaced, except the HDD for more storage. I'd stay away from their Satellite series though, only the Tecra and Portege are good.

 

DO NOT BUY AN ASUS - UK DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR THOSE THAT NEED IT

Please, Please, consider very carefully about buying an ASUS. After having mine for over a year I was quite happy until it died on me.

My laptop was sent away for repair 50 DAY (7 WEEKS) ago. After searching several sights, all i have found is complaints about warranty. Most of the people posting have been waiting over 30 days for their laptop to be repaired with no resolution in sight.

You do not get a UK call centre, the phone number 0870-1208340 is not a UK number, it diverts straight to Holland. I have been trying for weeks to get a UK number, and finally got it today after stating that I was issuing court proceedings and needed to speak to them urgently.

For all those in the same position as me, the UK number is 01442 202 734. I have been dealing with a Mr Jay Parmer, who deals with Replacements for faulty machines. His direct number is 01442 202 732. His email address is [email protected].

They have offered me a replacement machine, but at half the cost and spec. I am waiting for a reply (today apparently), but do not expect to get any resolution.

I will be issueing court proceedings within the next 7 days unless I get a machine of equal spec and price or a full refund.

I wish I had done my homework before buying. Not just about the machine itself, but about warranty for when things go wrong.

I hope this is helpful, especially the UK contact details which are a nightmare to get.

NoServicePlease (Im British afterall) !!

 

Thanks for the head ups, NoServicePlease. Sorry to hear about your situation, hope you will get a resolution soon. How can they offer such a poor replacement?!

 

i believe is only the europe service had problem, if u live in north america is fine, and quick. we got the asus repair office over in Ontario Canada. and the phone technical support is really nice and helpful. So far, what I had read all those compain are from europe about the holland technical support

 

To OP: You have to realize that there are few people who would bother posting on a forum just to tell everyone that their laptop is working as expected. While looking through the threads on nbr, ASUS or otherwise, it may seem like the vast majority of posts are negative, but that's just because of the nature of a tech support forum.

I've got a G1s-a1, and while it's not quite as sturdy as past ASUS notebooks, it has yet to die on me (Well, Vista screwed up once, but that's MS's fault). It's been running strong for the better part of a year, and I'm more than pleased with my purchase.

 

I compared all of them at a store and I found that the HP is the best in terms of buld quality and features , but ASUS or Acer gives you better bang for your buck.

So I 'd say if your budget is relatively small , you should go for these brands, other wise, go for a HP, Dell or Lenovo.

I personally have had Lenovo R61 and used the HP DV3006 and think they are better laptops than any of current ASUS models(as a whole), but remember with Acer or ASUs , you will get free insurance and better GPU.

So if you really care for build quality and multi media features , then get an HP, other wise, you will get more with an ASUS IMHO.

For me , a bit better graphics is more important than a bit better build so I will take the ASUS over the HP.

But if you dont mind toting a 14.1 around with you , then get a F8SN or F8SG.

I think F8 is a better model than W7s with more configuration options.

 

No , no way, seriously the 9300 GS is much better than the 8400GS with less heat generating.

 

Dont judge its service only by where you live.

ASUS is known for its best service and generous warranty and insurance package that HP and acer copied.

The company has provided the most professional service for years in Asia and all Asians know it , therefore , the company has been chosen to be the best of the best laptop maker by The wall street jounal Asia.

 

Mr._Kubelwagen, I know what you mean and I don't disagree with you. I really want to give Asus a chance, but when even the sales rep told me to get something else and that they've had more repairs than other brands, it got me thinking a little. Anyway, I will look around more, I'm sure some Asus models are ok, just like every brands, some models are good and some are bad.

lappyforphotoshop, the 9300 GS really generates less heat than the 8400 GS? On another forum, this guy just bought the W7Sg, he said everything is great, except the heat from the video card, he said he has to buy one of those laptop cooling stands for it. Too bad Asus didn't offer the 8600 GS for the W7Sg, this would be even better than the 9300 GS. For me, I want something with a bit better graphics also.

 

I can't speak to what everyone elses experiences with ASUS have been, but I have been pleased. My laptop hasn't given me the slightest bit of trouble. I can't say about service and support though, as I've had no necessity for either yet.

 

The only way that statement could be correct is if he had previously owned a W7 to compare it to, which I very much doubt. People have been complaining off and on about the W7 series running hot since it was released 2 years ago (with quite a few threads on this), but this is inaccurate - yes, it runs warm; but that is simply because of the high-performance (and heat-generating) parts that are stuffed into that small 13.3" chassis.

Users keep forgetting one simple fact..... if you have warm air coming out of your vents, your notebook's cooling system is doing it's job . In addition, the 9300 is supposed to be simply a rebranded 8400 gpu, according to published reports from nVidia, so it's the *same* thing. It isn't going to run hotter, and the W7 chassis hasn't changed at all since inception. Installing a gpu of higher performance would probably exceed the thermal requirements of the W7 chassis and exceed temp thresholds, something which Asus' engineers are well known to be very conservative on (i.e. they have often downclocked the higher gpus in their performance systems).

Finally, the W7 is a business model and is spec'd as such with the gpu choice - it was never intended to be a portable gaming platform. For graphics prowess, you have to move up to at least to one of Asus' 14" chassis and/or 8600 level gpu.

 

ClearSkies

Thanks for the info, I will have to see it myself at the local shop about the heat, it's probably not as bad as what that user claimed. About the 9300 GS is a rebranded 8400 GS, I don't know, cause according this benchmark report, they're different.


lappyforphotoshop,

Once again, great insight and info. Yes you're absolutely right, everyone, including myself, is biased. Although, I'm not a huge fan of HP, my ex bought a HP last year, some keys on the keyboard started to be less responsive after only 6 months of low usage. For main brands, IBM and Toshiba(not Satellite) are my favorites. My current laptop is a Portege, extremely solid built, the keyboard doesn't flex at all.

Actually, I'm not looking for a gaming laptop, I need one more for Photoshop kind of work. I'm still undecided if I want a 13.3 or a 14.1, but most of the 14.1 screens(non +) are also for 1280x800 like most 13.3, then I may as well just go for the 13.3 for a lighter package.

The LG P300 looks very interesting, the only 13.3 on the market that comes with a 8600 GS card, too bad it's very expensive though.

 

9300gs is a die shrink of the 8400gs. if your not looking for a gaming notebook then any 13.3" or 14.1" laptop with integrated graphics will fit the bill. Id recommend getting an 8400/9300 though, you'll have less problems with video playback.

 

hi, the LG gets really hot , especially compared to my toshiba M600 , but it is a nice laptop with serious power, the LCD of it is really bright and its build quality is excellent as well.

but I think it is available only in Europe.

have you ever tried a BenQ?

I was pretty impressed with S41-337 or something like that , it is a small 14.1 laptop with excellent LCD and Nvidia graphics (NV8600GS with 256mb).

the BenQ costs only 700US or less , and it has a good quality case too(comes with Linux).

As for photoshop work , I think the ASUS F8 SN or SG is the best in 14.1 inch laptop group because it has very good contrasty WXGA+ resolution screen, I really like this laptop , it has much better LCD and Graphics than my HP, currently nothing else with 14.1 or 13.3 LCD beats it in terms of pure performance.

but well , you are right it looks pretty boring and its build quality is something to be desired , especially compared to my thinkpad or Toshiba M600.

since you like an IBM quality laptop , you may dislike the feel and design of this laptop(cheap and noisy, the HDD and Optical drive are very loud).

If you like 13.3 with an excellent quality screen , the Toshiba Portege M600 may be a good choice(quiet and built well), it does not have dedicated NVIDIA or ATI option though.

There is also the Dell XPS M1330 , but if you like this Dell wait a bit and get it with the NV 9300GS , which is significantly better than the 8400GS.

 

link1313, a discrete video card is what I'm after, I want a minimum 8400 GS.

lappyforphotoshop,

The LG is definitely nice, they're available here, but it's a bit over my current budget, and for that price, I can easily choose a good ThinkPad. Also, I'm not too fond with the glossy case finish, they're hard to keep unscratched. Also, I think LG is targeting the same market as Sony, part of the money you're paying is for the style/looks. The P300, although it has a 8600 GS card, I still think it's a bit overpriced for a laptop that doesn't have a built-in optical drive.

BenQ? Tell you the truth, I really don't like their built quality, they're very similar to Acer, which I don't really like either. When I used to be in IT, I've seen too many problems with Acer computers. Maybe they did upped their quality in over last 6 months like you stated, but I'm still afraid to get one for personal use.

I'd have picked the M600 without thinking twice if it has a dedicated video card. Toshiba also has one of the best power management software for laptops. The Dell M1330 is a good choice I think, and there is also the Lenovo Y310a, very similar specs to the M1330, and seems like a bit more solid than the M1330 too.

 

Isn't BenQ one of the budget alternative lines manufactured by Acer? I thought I remembered stumbling across this when I was looking at desktop LCDs a while back...

 

I just did a quick search, Acer and BenQ used to be together, they broke up in 2006...

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39263877,00.htm

 

Hi stewiegriffin, I am sure you are paying lots for its build and design especially for the finish when you buy a LG , Sony and HP .etc.

I am also interested in the Lenovo Y310(and Y410) you just mentioned , but I did not know that model had discrete graphics.

What does GPU the y310 have?
I saw it a few days a go and compared to the HP DV3006 and I though the Lenovo is a nice small laptop but the HP built better IMO.

I am not a HP fanboy but I like their laptop build quality and case design , the paint or imprint or whatever never comes off and it is quite scratch resistant.

Now , the HP look is the trendy design , I think many brands are copying it ,I am quite sure the ASUS infusion finish and LG stripe patterned finish are all copy of the HP imprint design.

 

I think the Lenovo Y series, which is also called "IdeaPad" in come countrie, is a quite good buy. Also, you would want the Y310 a/Y410 a, the regular Y310/Y410 doesn't have the discrete vid card. The Y310a has the 8400M GS with 128 MB of ram, which I think is pretty good for the price.

I saw the new HP DV3000 series, I know it has the same vid card with 256 MB of ram. I used to think HP has decent quality, until the bad experience I had with its keyboard. I know HP and Compaq joined, but back then Compaq had some pretty solid business laptops over HP models. I still believe Compaq's current models are better than HP's though.

Honestly, I actually prefer a less-trendy-more-business style laptop, cause trendy ones, their styles grow out too fast, it won't look very trendy after a year.

 

lappyforphotoshop,

Btw, how's the keyboard of your HP DV2761TX compared to your Toshiba and ThinkPad? Maybe I was just unlucky. The more I look at the DV3000 series, the more tempting it is.



*EDITED/ADDED*

eek... I just did a search on "keyboard" in the HP/Compaq section, it returned quite a lot of keyboard problem threads... :confused2:

 

just my 2 cents; i used to owned an Asus X51R (15" with ATI 1100 128mb and 160gb HD) and it has been with me for the past 1 year and exactly 3 months and i dare say it was very satisfying... the notebook keep me alive until i get my wage and able to buy an M15x.. but i did not replace it instead i give it to my lil bro which he used it exclusively for surfing the internet and playing a bit of game...

The Asus notebook build depend on where you are at; at my place it build really good with out any problem to the physical state... in fact a lot of student (college) prefer to have asus as their notebook for doing assignment due to the price being really cheap and also very good spec...

what can i say is that, Asus notebook are really great with a very reasonable price. Their CS are also an excellent assistance when my notebook have problem with the hard disk( due to my fault... spill some water on it ) since i have experience it first hand..

the M51sn & M50sv is a fine example of good spec with reasonable price... and their build are really cool... i mean come on, its on a 15" which is great for mobility..

i would really recommend you go with the 15" instead of the 13"... the 15" have great screen which i thinks it is great for photoshopin as well as good spec... but hey that's just my opinion...

EDIT: oh, i just ask a friend and they prefer to use a 15" screen for doing photoshop work since it's much better to view the picture in better quality, dunno... they are also Asus user

 

Thanks for the info, terek.

Yeah I'm sure a bigger screen would be better for Photoshopping. I don't think I will go with the 15, since it's bit too big to carry around imo, but I'm still torn in between 14.1 and 13.3. I know I should go minimum 14.1 for PS though.

 

Oh , the HP keyboard, in my opinion , is probably the best or second best ,maybe Dells got better keyboard, but the HP is in this regard quite good.

I personally do not like Thinkpad keyboard but it is just me , I like the Thinkpad black box look better than the shiny glossy HP look.

The DV3006 or DV3000T is a great model for sure but is a bit over priced , is currently sold for 1450us or more in Thailand.

I may buy a Toshiba M305 , which has the new ATI HD3470 or 3650 with 512mb Vram (not sure GDDR2 or 3 yet).

It is black and looks very durable to me , I think this model will be powerful enough for me since I am a casual gamer mostly playing RPG or non-FPS kind of slow games.

My main reason to get a 14.1 or 13.3 laptop with decent graphics unit is to play DVD smooth and I have no interest in Bluray so I think the Toshiba would be a good deal for me, plus I do prefer ATI over NVIDIA , since my HP gets so hot and I think it is because of the NV.

I will compare all of them at a local shop on Friday and I will see what kind of deals I can get.

BTW, I am a Dell fan but Dell is no longer available in Thailand so I will have to buy something else , Take care.

 

haha... I guess everyone has different encounters in terms of kb...

I just checked the specs on the M305... they all said it comes with the integrated X3100 GMA.

Right now, I'm still leaning toward the Y310a.

The DV3000 series is very tempting though, I know they offer different specs which some are decent priced. If I do get the DV3000, I don't think I will get the top model, which is the DV3007 that comes with a T9300 CPU. I think the T8100 or T8300 will be enough for me.

 

2 year z63a whitebook owner here

just wanted to chime in and say that i love my laptop. if i had not dropped it and broke it (100% my fault) it would be running fine and i would keep using it

in fact, i'm looking to buy another asus. build is very awesome. i'm from the silicon valley and techhy people all approve

 

If you want a simple yet well-built scratch resistant laptop with discrete graphics the Thinkpad Y410 or T61 (14" with NVS140m) are excellent choices.

 

How would you guys compare the G1 and G2 series in general to the XPS series of Dell in terms of build quality and reliability?? How would you compare the G1/G2 to other brands in similar price ranges (gaming systems) in terms of build quality and reliability?

 

If you are not in the US or Canada , you can get the M305 with the ATI.
The Lenovo sounds good ,the HP looks much better built but it is too expensive and as you said , many do not need the T9300 and so HP should offer CTO option for us like Dell.

And , I personally think the T8300 is the best buy CPU now because it is almost as fast as the much more expensive T9300 in many benches I saw on line.

How much is the HP in UK?

Also, consider the Dell Vostro1400 , you can get it with NV8400GS and it's very very well built.

 

The G1 /2 series built very well , they are fantastic laptops but in SE Asia, they are too expensive.

The Dell is a value PC in my opinion and so is not as well built as the ASUS but it performs as well as the G1/2 since the Dell also has the GDDR3 version of NVidia 8600GT.

 

Thanks, I will look at the Asus again next time I go to the shops.

You see, this is the thing, so many people have these glossy finish laptops, after less than a year, a lot of them looks older than my 3 y/o one.

I will take a look, but I never liked the Satellite series though...

I don't know how much in UK, I live in Canada and sometimes travel to Asia...

Few days ago, someone posted the price in HK for a DV3022TX(T5550) in the HP section, which is the low-end of the DV3000, for HK$8,980 MSRP. A site in Taiwan posted the price of the DV3007(T9300) for about NT$49,900 MSRP.

 

I just bought an M50SV-A1 and the screen size (15") is the right size for graphic work on the go. My daily job involve using Photoshop and illustrator and various graphic programs extensively so to have a good size screen while enabling mobility is ideal. My wife's MacBook is 13" and I can't imagine doing anything graphic heavy. The most she'd ever use the MB for surfing the web and iTunes and word processing.

 

Thanks for the advice. Yeah I need it to be able to do PS work, but at the same time very portable. I will check all the sizes in person again, maybe I'll ended up getting a 15" lol. Actually, I think the most important is the screen res, WXGA vs. WXGA+. A lot of the 15" laptops don't have WXGA+, so the max res would be the same as the 13.3 @ 1280x800.

 

I wouldn´t buy an M50 especially for business use.

I would go for a Dell or HP or a Lenovo 3000 or R61.

They are well build, don´t get hot, and are quiet, if you use it for hard work.
The support is much better!

But if you can afford to wait 3-or 4 weeks without
a notebook, cause RMA, then buy the Asus.

Greets.

 

I beg to disagree.

The M50 seems very well built, not as good as Lenovo, but comparable to HP or Dell.

It's quiet, doesn't get hot, it's fast, fast, fast and in the States has good support. For business, having a numeric keypad on a 15.4" laptop is really great.

Try it....you might really like it.

 

Battery life itself makes it a horrible business lappy , but a good multimedia always connected kinda lappy.

The R61 is a real bargain and the LAtitude D630 is the best in this area IMO.

IMO , HP business models are not in the same league , they do not even have high resolution screen options , so if you are shopping for business , there are only 2 companies left for you Dell and Lenovo.

 

Sure is well built , but noisy and the battery life is so short and it is not a good business laptop, a great multimedia model though.

 

So most people feel Lenovo has the best build quality? What do people think about the build quality of the Asus G1/G2 series versus a lenovo?

 

I agree that if you were buying for to go for a business machine, Asus shouldn't be what you start with. Dell and Lenovo are the choices that you should consider, since you won't need the fancy graphic card or the faster processor chip. You can get a good business dell for about half the price of an Asus. Build quality of the Asus I have is definitely the same as the Dell that my sister in law has, and it's definitely better than the HP DV9700t that I looked at and tested.

 

Just wanted to chime in... I've had my V1Jp since December of 2006. My next laptop will not be an Asus. For something supposedly in their upper range the quality simply doesn't match what I used to see from Asus.

The lid and hinge both have too much give. A few V1J/p owners are starting to report cracks in the plastic around the hinge. My USB ports do not like hubs or combo memory card readers. Dell makes a much better docking station. At one point Asus actually released a bios that lowered the video card memory clock so more of the stupid things would pass quality control (it was in the release notes).

It's not all bad but it's enough of a mixed bag that I will probably go Lenovo next. If you want to play games though I'm not sure what to suggest. I miss the old days. I built two S1N lappys for friends back around 2001 and they lasted amazingly well. One survived a flight of stairs even.

 

I dont think Lenovo has the best quality at all, just saying the company produce a good business laptop like Thinkpad R61 , I mean if you pick up a cheap lenovo like its N something series and compre it to a G1 or a U2E, then you know which will win.

But as a whole laptop for business use , I think the R61 is the best value, but there are better choices if your budget is unlimited.

And if Dell is your option , I think the Latitude D630 or 830 beats all others , Dell lets you really CTO, you can choose any kind of screen resolution you want it to have.

 

And for business , real mobile use , Panasonic W7 is a good choice too considering its outstanding battery life and build quality.

And, the Lenovo X300 , Dell D430 and Toshiba R500 are all better choices than any of ASUS or Acer for BUSINESS, real portable mobile use.

But I am not saying they are the best in all areas or ASUS or Acer models are not good(actually they are the best in powerful budget notebook market), just Lenovo , Dell and some others do very well in this market.

I think Sony TZ is another great business computer, if it is in my price range , I may buy it but it is over priced in my area.

Not build quality alone but combined it with outstanding battery life,real mobility and moderate power makes a great business notebook.

And I think the X300 has all , I do not get the X300 since it is so expensive but it is a great notebook , no doubt about that.

I just prefer my R 61 since I do not need discrete graphics of the T series in a business notenbook and I do prefer 14.1 over 12.1 of the X61.

HP business notebooks are also good but they are not fully customizable.

I now buy Lenovos but if I were in my home town , I would buy a Dell Latitude and XPS because I really love their CTO sytem.

And I think Dell business line build quality is better than the thinkpad build, I know many disagree but I dont think Thinkpad build quality is so special that makes it that legendary brand name, I think other factors(such as battery life , keyboard and security softwares) made it so so so unbeatable.

 

I am shocked at what I am reading. I bought a W3V 3 years ago. It is now a paperweight but at the time it was comparable to Thinkpads (IBM was selling the line at that time). Dell customer service was worthless. Toshiba was having heating problems and denying they had a problem.

Now I read that the pendulum has shifted and ASUS has cheapened their build, Customer service is crap, Dell is now better in both build and customer service and Lenova has proved they can take over where IBM left off.

I bought the W3V since it had similar build but a better price than the IBM Thinkpad of three years ago.

I need a business build and price with some ummph to get the job done.

I am reading that Lenova is probably the brand to look at?

 

Yeah, ASUS has been going downwards in the business range. The golden age of the W3, V6, M6 models is gone, unfortunately.

Like someone said above, ASUS are now best in the price/performance ratio, so not-so-expensive performance notebooks. However, that must come at a price. That price is I think in some issues with the build quality (which is no longer stellar, and some models have serious recurring issues like the F3), and firmware problems.

They also make some stylish, "experiment" notebooks like the leather U-series, and the VXes. Some of those notebooks some people like, others not...

Edit: after reading thru the first page, I find this is pretty much what Coriolis said in the 2nd post on the thread...