Asus N76VZ open questions

Hi all.

I read the reviews and watched some threads here in the forum and I'm almost sure that my first high performance notebook will be the Asus N76VZ (for video/photo/audio work). It seems highly competent in all areas without any significant weaknesses.

There's a few open questions (in order of importance) I still have before I splash the cash, maybe an owner or someone with da knowledge can strike a few of these down:


1) Many reviews glow over the screen, although most tests put it at not more than 90% of the sRGB spectrum, with around 80% illumination with 250 cd/m2 average brightness. These values ​​seem to be rather ok, just not spectacular. @photo/video users, how are you getting on with the display? Could you set up a satisfactory neutral calibration? Not too much trouble with different viewing angles changing contrast/colours? My current laptop is a Fujitsu T4220 and you can view that from literally any angle without loss of picture (but then that is a touch-screen 12" panel with average resolution, completely different to a 17" full-HD screen).


2) on Asus's Facebook page they claim more than 8GB RAM total is not possible for the N56 because one of the 4GB sticks is non-removable and also that most CPU's don't recognise the 8GB sticks anyway. We already have a thread trying to clear this one up, but I'm specifically interested in whether the N76VZ is also affected. At the last count it seems GenTechPC may have found a solution for us (Corsair Vengeance). Anyone else with anything to add?


3) The snap, crackle & pop issues have been well covered here, but what I'm interested in is if these sounds still occur when I'm using my external USB audio-interface? If they do, then the problem would be that Windows itself is generating these unwanted sounds. If not, then the issue is with RealTek. Anyone with experience of using an external audio card with the N76?

NB: I wonder if it's related to this issue I sometimes have with my current setup (and which would explain why not everyone has the problem): I hear crackly sounds when I scroll or change windows, regardless of program (browser, explorer or anything that scrolls). I hear it amplified when the more sensitive audio interface is used. These sounds aren't from Windows or from the sound card, they're just natural electrical static charges caused by the moving graphics on the screen, with the real origin of the sounds being a suspected ground loop hum in the home. These sounds are somehow routed out to the most obvious amplification (big monitor speakers in my case).



4) I really would prefer a Bigfoot in there to the set Atheros AR9485WB. I'm assuming the WLAN adaptor is hard to get to, but still possible. What I'm less sure about is if the WLAN adaptor is soldered on the board. If so then the Atheros is there to stay after all. Anyone with reports of how the AR9485WB performs? Hopefully it's reliable and strong within 10 meters.



5) There's conflicting reports online as to whether the DVD drive can be swapped for a Sata hard drive. I've read that the N56 can do it, but the N76 can not (which makes little sense). Can anyone confirm? I need that space for a third hard drive. Obviously we'd need a caddy to go in there first.


6) How is Optimus? No, not the giant robot...I mean the graphic power-switching. Is manual intervention possible or is it all automated?


7) The touchpad has for some weird reason no L/R buttons. How do you get along with using the pad itself to click? How's right-click + drag?


8) What exactly is the difference between N76VM & N76VZ? As far as I know, the VM uses the GT-630M & the VZ the GT-650M, otherwise no other visual or technical differences...sounds about right?




If anyone has other open issues but don't want to make your own thread, then do add them to this thread. Hopefully we can get everything cleared up. I only need about half of the above issues resolved satisfactorily for me to buy the thing, so with any luck it'll swing that way.

The N76VZ really does seem to be almost perfect. The others on my short-list in the same price-range had better displays (ie: more color space and brightness) but had significant negative points: loud fans, non-Kepler graphics, no room for second hard drive, more USB 2.0 than 3.0 slots onboard, uncomfortable keyboard etc. .. things that may not be dealbreakers for some, but for me are important.

(in case anyone wondering which screens are regarded as better: the Dell XPS 15 L502X with glossy B+RGLED, the 3D matt screen for the Asus G74SX and the matt for the Schenker P511 all comfortably covered the sRGB spectrum, and got close to or even fulfilled Adobe-RGB).

 

1) The viewing angle is above average. It works as advertised I would say (150DEG). Compared to the other 5 or so notebooks I've used over the last several years it's great.

I'm not a sophisticated photo/video user, so I can't answer the other questions competently.

2) GenTechPC is the only place that claims the N76 can house 16GB of RAM. Since the Asus site says 8GB max, I would go with that. 8GB is plenty anyway (especially if you install an SSD).

3) The popping sound doesn't go through the headphone port when plugged in, so I doubt it will go through an external USB device.

4) I use wireless almost exclusively and sit further away than 10m from my router. I haven't had any issues with buffering, etc. when streaming HD video and the like. I have had to disconnect and reconnect a couple of times since I've had it, but I do keep it on and connected all the time, so I don't know if this was due a router timing/handshaking issue or not.

5) I'm not too sure about this one either. I left the secondary HDD alone and swapped the primary HDD for a 256GB SSD. You could replace the secondary HDD with a 1TB HDD (since that's a big as they get right now for a 2.5" type) and use external drives for the rest of your needs. Western Digital recently released a 2TB Passport USB 3.0 external drive that is USB-powered. It works well and keeps the clutter to a minimum.

If you plan on adding more RAM, an HDD, and an SSD, you may want to consider going with a higher end notebook (like the G75 series) since the price will soon be comparable.

6) It's automatic.

7) I covered this here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/678358-asus-n76vz-2.html

The right-click/drag takes getting used to, but it isn't too bad.

8) I believe that's correct.

I do consider this machine to be almost perfect as well. The only issue I have is with the popping sound (which is pretty much a minor annoyance). Performance-wise, it does the job I need it to do and does it well.

 

Thanks for replying, Kaiser.

When you say it's above average and works to 150°, do you also mean that the colours remain constant? Or do the colours begin to change well before 150°?

No, 8GB is certainly not enough. Technology is always moving, why buy a brand new laptop that is already standing still?

That's why this is high in priority. I want a high-end laptop that will last me 3 or 4 years. I require it for high-level HD editing (which may become 4000p before long) and also eventually for Virtual Machines, remote work and graphics.

I want to be able to have many jobs going on at the same time, and keeping my applications running at the same time. I know now in the year 2012 8GB RAM is fine, but in 2014? I'm not spending over a grand on a laptop when I can't even upgrade the RAM...that would be ridiculous.

We hear all the time how Windows 7 64-bit can offer us a marvelous 192GB RAM, yet supposedly high-end laptops released in the summer of 2012 with the very latest Intel i7 quadcore processors are unable to carry more than a grand total of 8GB RAM?

That would be really disappointing.

Hopefully more users will come forward and support GenTech's statement that 16GB is indeed possible. Otherwise there will be some very frustrated users in a couple of years when they realise those ultra-cheap 8GB RAM sticks (in 2014 we're talking at most €20 a pop) aren't compatible with their Asus.

That's interesting. So maybe it's just the speakers then and nothing to do with Windows or RealTek? That's at least the best possible scenario.

Good to know.

I also sometimes have to reconnect my wireless on my T4220 (Intel 4965AGN). But not often, maybe a couple of times a month.

Yes, those USB-passport drives are a good tip. But I really don't need a DVD drive, so it's a big waste of space and on a laptop that is just silly. I don't want to ask you to unscrew anything, but is it possible you could have a quick look at your DVD drive to see if it just kind of pops out? And if so, what sort of connector do you see inside?

I wouldn't need to if the N76VZ offers these two very simple things: 2x8GB RAM possible, and extra Sata-3 slot when removing the DVD drive.

Oh, that's a shame. But hopefully it works well. I really only need the graphics for very specific jobs (and the odd game). I reckon most of the time I won't need it at all.

Yes, haha...it seems you've mastered the touchpad more than most reviewers have If I can't get to grips with it it's no biggie, I'll just deactivate it and use a wireless mouse.

Let's hope it can do those two things I'm looking for (RAM & 3rd drive), and also if you could confirm that the colours don't drastically change within smaller viewing angles (say within 90°) that would be great.

 

I've just found another retailer supporting that 16GB is possible:

Cyberport (paraphrasing) "16GB is possible, even tho' Asus homepage say only 8GB max"

(click on the Fragen & Anworten and it's on the third page)


Although, on the other hand on page 2 of these Q&A's they also say the DVD drive is not removable. Asus on their Facebook page say the N56VZ's DVD is removable and is connected via SATA.

Strange that they didn't allow the same option for the bigger brother. Likely a marketing decision.

But that was a lesser priority than the 16GB RAM...just waiting for some more feedback regarding viewing angles and when colours start to change

 

No. It's the sound when the internal speakers switch off. You don't get that on usb, hdmi, etc.

It's pretty much exposed completely under the service plate, so to speak. But it works perfectly fine, completely common part. It has better reception than my friend's macbook. But then again, so does my EeePC, so I don't know.

Generally, this doesn't actually depend on the chip itself either. It depends on how the antenna is set up, and if it's designed with some thought. The entire rubber-strip on the lid to not create reception problems with the aluminium surface, etc. Works well.

It's not automatic. You basically launch an application, and then the drivers launch with the dedicated card or the internal card, depending on what the profile for the application says.

Nvidia just adds default settings for the most commonly used apps, with tweaks based on user-feedback, so that people think it's automatic.

You hit the pad down on the right lower side, and drag. There's not much room to do it, and it's not as easy to click the pad down and drag as it is on a macbook. But then again, you don't really have to do that very often..

Slightly different processor with higher boost speeds, along with an older fermi-card. Weird combination, really.

...

Oh, and the ram-thing. Write Asus and kindly ask them to enable the default spd-timing sets, instead of overriding them with weird settings. Then ask them to set the base fsb-speed at 133Mhz..

 

Hi nipsen,

Interesting. I think the internal design is mostly quite competent in the N76.

Sort of related: my theory as to why we have USB/network connectors on the side of the laptop is that internally this helps the heat distribution. I'd have to see an internal plan to make sure, but I've got a feeling if those connectors were at the rear, then it would adversely affect the general heat distribution, causing the average temperatures to rise and in turn creating louder fan noises.

Good to know, I might have some element of control after all.

How is it a different processor? They're both 3610qm. The one closest to that is the power-saving 3612qm. Unless I'm missing something and there are different versions of the 3610qm out there.

I'd love to write Asus, but only owners can write their customer service. Crazy, I know...but without a recognised serial number you can't write them. Instead you're referred to authorised dealers.

This is Asus Deutschland...maybe it's different for Asus UK or USA.

By the way, I did read your posts in the 16GB N56 thread. To be frank I didn't quite follow you, but if you're sure of what you're saying it sounds like Asus need to employ you as a technical consultant

 

I stand corrected. I didn't think to look in the 3D portion of the NVIDIA Control Panel. It does function automatically by default, but you can manage what card is used by a particular program.

 

souldavidsoul posted a review of the N56 here: Review Asus N56VZ-S4044V Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews. In it, they show a fairly accurate representation of the different angles and colors.

Generally, I would say that the picture doesn't suffer all that much when looking from left to right at sharp angles (it certainly doesn't wash-out like older models). The picture is definitely uniform (with respect to both contrast and colors) within the 90DEG range.

I don't know about the removal of the optical drive though. I took the HDD bay door off and had a quick glance at the back piece and it doesn't look like will come off quickly. If I didn't have a lot of work to do at the moment, I'd take it apart and post some pics, and if I have time later, I'll do it, but I make no promises.

You might want to ask one of your sales centres in your town if they can check for you. I know an outfit in my city that goes the extra mile with these kinds of things.

 

The N56 uses a Samsung panel, the N76 uses a CMO panel. Both achieved similar ratings, the Samsung has slightly better average brightness and luminance consistency, while the CMO has better contrast, slightly more of the sRGB spectrum and according to some reviews superior viewing angles too.

But generally they are both of the same class...any differences are quite minor to be fair.

Thanks. This is what I was after: a real-world report on the viewing angles rather than some cold review analysis

No promises and absolutely no rush, mate. I'm becoming convinced that 16GB is indeed possible via 2x8GB sticks, that and the display were the dealbreaking issues for me.

But yeah, do post your findings if and when you do find time. These threads are among the first results when future-people google

 

Happy to help. Finding a suitable, long lasting PC is a pain in the a**.

 

Mm. Seems to me the 14 inch version was the most impressive achievement, since it has the same thickness, and the same cpu/gpu class. With the same excellent cooling and so on. But sure.

No, doesn't matter how those are set up. Network card draws something like 2w. USB controller doesn't have to be placed on the same side as the ports, etc.

..You can also right-click any program, and use the context menu to launch with internal or dedicated graphics.

No, some versions at least are sold with a 3620qm.

Then maybe write them? Say things like: "Alas, I was just about to put down a considerable amount of coin with your exquisite shoppe and mercantile. And then I realize that the most plentiful collection of memorization modules would, as a matter of fact, not work on this particular electronic computation device. Which does sour what would be an otherwise palatable exchange of goods for coin. Please contact Asus immediately and have this so-called BIOS issue taken care of, so that I may shower you in money, and then recommend this to my 6000 friends who just so happen to be all looking for a new laptop with 16Gb ram right now".

And then embellish it a bit. Usually helps if you drone on about how your dying kid has only one wish in this world before he succumbs to illness, and that this is why you're writing, for example.

..then you wouldn't have trouble with bios-updates any more, at least.

 

Indeed! And there's always the danger of looking too much and into too much detail, that you end up never finding the one you want...as there's no such thing as a perfect notebook.

Saying that, I went to a shop which had the N76VM instore (same except GT630) and managed to complicate my choice even more as I came away with 3 slight negative impressions on the screen alone:

1) although the viewing angles left/right are very good, up/down they're not so good, over/under-exposing with just the slightest off-centre viewing. I expect this from a glossy TN, but not from a matt TN panel. As I said before my Fujitsu T4220 12" panel literally doesn't lose anything up/down/left/right all the way until you can see the back. I guess that must be an IPS (or perhaps PVA).


2) when i right-click on the Windows desktop (which is a mission in itself with that touchpad) the text of the submenus are so small that they actually pixelate, show artifacts and are close to being unreadable. What only occurred to me after I left the shop was to set Windows-View to 125%...that would have probably fixed it (while losing 25% viewspace, of course).

I wonder if this is a limitation of 1920x1080 on 17.3"? Because the actual letters are big enough to be readable, but they're just rendered poorly. I did check the resolution and it was correctly set to full-HD. Maybe a full-HD on a 15.6" would look sharper, making those small letters more consistently black and therefore more readable.

I did also check some sample videos and pictures, but the video was only 720p, looking more like 480p, and the pictures were compressed to hell. (they're standard Windows samples so N76 owners might still have them in their Docs folder, if anyone wants to check).


3) The grain was easily visible. Some people say this is typical of matt screens but my 11.6" HP NC4400 showed less and my T4220 shows none at all. Tho' this is likely because the smaller screen and fewer pixels make the grain less noticable.


On a positive note the brightness, contrast and mattness (lack of reflections) looks fine. It was difficult to judge the colours without access to more demanding samples, but they look fine too.

I probably have more exacting standards than most people. I might have to re-think some things. External monitors or IPS panels in alternative laptops, or buy the N76VZ anyway and if I really don't get along then just return it within 14 or 30 days or whatever it is.


Further, another thing which disappointed me a little was how sticky and numbing the touchpad felt after a short time. It is a supersmooth surface, but this isn't what a touchpad surface should be like: it should be lightly-ridged or sanded over so the finger doesn't feel numb over time.

Not a dealbreaker, as a good wireless mouse was always gonna be the superior option anyway.


Keyboard: this was nice to type, and quiet too...a little weird as I'm not used to those sorts of keys and made a couple of typos when testing it out...but something to get used to, I think.

Speakers: the subwoofer wasn't available, but even without it the sound is the best I've ever heard from a laptop (not that I've heard many of the modern ones).


The only other 17" i7-quad in the shop was an AlienWare M17x R3...and wow, what a joy that was to handle! The keys are gorgeous to use, and the touchpad feels a slightly bit rougher, which in this case is a good thing. It certainly felt more responsive. And of course has the classic left/right buttons.

But even at only €1000 I was never going to buy it, as it had a glossy display. How on earth glossy displays are popular is a mystery akin to how so many people like eating at Macdonalds. In a bright store the reflections are even more terrible than normal! How can anyone seriously prefer this when impulse-buying over a nice clear matt screen?

Well...now I'm toying with the idea of a 14" XPS, Alien, Asus or other. I will still be able to get my two hard drives (by choosing a model which allows a DVD-caddy replacement), and 2x8GB RAM should be doable. A supersharp HD+ or even full-HD and an i7-quadcore with Kepler GT650...in a 14 incher? Maybe. Then invest in a proper good HP IPS 24" for those epic moments.


@anyone reading this long blabbing report, don't let me put you off the N76VZ...it looks absolutely fine and I might still get it...but gonna have a re-think anyway.

 

1) I didn't mention this before because all of the panels on the other notebooks I looked at do the same thing. It seems to be normal (for the larger notebooks anyway). It's not really a big deal though, since once you open the lid and adjust it to where you want it, it's good to go.

2) Text looks great on my machine (and I left the text view at 100%). The menus look fine to me as well.

The sample video you watched (the 'Wildlife' one I assume) is absolute crap. I wouldn't judge the monitor based on viewing that. The file on my machine is heavily pixelated (maybe from the compression as you say or maybe it's corrupted).

I run 1080p video often and it looks great. It looks even better when using the NVIDIA graphics card and sending it to the TV (via HDMI).

3) The grain is visible, but no more than most monitors and notebooks I've used. For reference, I have 3 22" matte Samsung monitors at work and the grain is about the same. We have a couple 17.3" NBs there too with matte screens and they look the same as well. I'm probably just used to it I suppose.

This is one of the nicest panels that I've had though. The only one that I've seen better was on the Samsung NP700G7C-S01CA. The contrast and colours are amazing, but it does have a glossy screen (I can't stand glossy screens either btw).

I wouldn't bother with the subwoofer though. I don't find it to be all that good. I do listen to mostly metal and the bass sounds somewhat retarded (and I'm no audiophile). If you listen to contemporary, new age, etc. it might be OK. I do agree that the sound is pretty good through the onboard speakers.

I thought about an Alienware as well, but the price for equivalent Asus hardware was around $500 - $800 more.

I know what you mean about overanalyzing your research. I did the same for a few months and became even more indecisive than I i was initially before I finally pulled the trigger on this machine. Since you're into HD photo/video editing, I can see why you'd be more picky than most when selecting an appropriate panel.

Once you do finally make a decision, and if there aren't any major flaws related to what you intend to do with it, you'll more than likely get used to it and be content. As you've said, there isn't a perfect PC out there; you just need to filter out the deficiencies as much as possible when choosing one.

Keep searching though and good luck to you.

 

Hi Kaiser.

You're right that it's normal for almost all TN panels, whether matt or glossy. I wasn't fully aware of this, but I am now, hehe.

It's important to me because when I'm editing a picture (mostly just the contrast/exposure/colours) I like to be sure that what I'm looking at is the faithful edit in terms of exposure and colour-balance. I know the contrast and colour-accuracy will vary on different monitors, but the exposure and balancing is important as that looks the same everywhere.

So with a TN panel, I'm having to always check if I am vertically in the middle. I could easily train myself to know which vertical degrees are the optimum, but it's not just that, I also like to study images from different areas of the room I'm in, just to get another perspective. If I'm standing up and looking at the monitor from a few meters away it would mean I'd have to adjust the monitor so it's facing me directly.

Very doable, and honestly it's not that big of a deal...but it's just something I'm factoring in. I really enjoy using my T4220 and I'd like my first beast of a computer to share the same viewing angles.

Yeah, I fully trust your judgement on this. I've got a feeling the shop people didn't optimise their N76 correctly. When I was using it I was getting (paraphrasing) "graphics FX not found" errors, which I couldn't figure out as I was able to get into the Nvidia menus.

Aye...I would guess that if my T4220 came in a 17" screen with 2 million pixels filling it I'd also see some grain. As it is this circa 1mp screen is 12" and I don't see any.

The speakers are only a convenient bonus as I generally use external studio monitors for proper stuff, but I'd definitely much rather have good internal speakers than not. Those times when you're outside the main room or just lazing about are when good internal speakers are useful.

For metal I recommend 8" monitor speakers with adjustable frequencies (you don't want full highs) and a warm graphic-equaliser program (like the freeware Apollo Music Player). Then your metal will sound ultra-crunchy yet warm too. The basses may just eat you alive!

You probably already have a great system, but just for info I use ESI Near08. I listen to a lot of darkpsy which also requires clean, crunchy and warm bass.

I can find Alienware R3 M17's for around the same price as the Asus, but it's 1 year older tech and to secure that price it's normally a refurbished model.

As it is I've spent what seems like a million hours compiling a new shortlist:

- Asus N76VZ (still a very feasible choice, and by most accounts a better screen than the N56VZ)
- Asus G74SX (older, but 3D matt display which has won all the plaudits...but again a TN panel with the up/down viewing issue)
- Sony Vaio S15 (IPS panel, but many reports of problems with the colour red)
- Sony Vaio F23 (another 3D matt screen, and a higher quality IPS than the S15)


The F23 might just be favourite based on the screen...still researching other stuff about it.

Otherwise I'm off for a high-end business notebook from Dell & HP...I'll just have to accept paying that extra money for a Quadro I don't really need.

Yeah, this is good advice: pick out the flaws and the ones that worry you the least might just be the laptop you need.

This is my third and final stage of searching. I had a phase at the end of last year and basically picked the G74SX, which still survives as a choice.

I had another phase in the Spring and that was all about configurable Schenkers. They had one of the best screens on the market (full Adobe-RGB!) but sadly since the beginning of the summer they are only including common TN panels from CMO...which are still pretty good, but one of the two big advantages of Schenker has gone now. The other is of course ultra-configurability, so they are still in my thoughts as a backup plan. The big criticism of Schenker notebooks are the noise & heat emissions (far above average). The Vaios also have this problem, but that's offset by a configurable emissions-management system and of course the lure of IPS panels.

Since last week I've started the third and final phase and will open my wallet next week or so. I've got tons of 1080p MOV files that need working on

 

G74SX it is! Slight up/down viewing angles I'll just have to live with, otherwise this really ticks all the boxes, and adds another one with 3D view.

The daft thing is I effectively chose this at the end of last year, haha

oh well, i have the funds now...I think I'll be very pleased


Thanks for the good thread, everyone.

 

i have been researching like crazy on this series for a few months.
i think its true that the differences between the vm and vz is that the vm also doesnt have a backlit keyboard, among the other things mentioned.

still sitting here in the uk waiting for it to ever release