Asus U35JC/U45JC

Has anyone installed the newest Elantech drivers from the U45JC on their U35JC? I heard of some other users who have done this.

I installed this driver and I like it a lot because of the Smart Area feature. Is there a way to keep this driver without it prompting me to run it every time I reboot the laptop? Anyone else get this prompt with the driver? Any way to avoid it?

 

So I got my laptop today. I am a little concerned as my fully charged battery according to the battery meter said 4 hours. Right now it is at 72% and says 3 hours left. Brightness has been set at a little under 50% browsing the internet and listening to some music on the quiet office setting. Should I be concerned?

 

when that prompt comes up there is a check-box in the corner... remove the checkmark and it won't ask you anymore

 

Think that may be a bit of a repeat from an earlier question, but I don't recall seeing a reply... Has anyone figured out the relationship between Super Hybrid Engine and Power4Gear Hybrid? Are they the same? Redundant? competing? Is there a good guide for when to have SHE on or off?? On my netbook it is always 'on'... but the U35 came with the SHE gadget with it turned off... Anyway. If anyone had a good 'guide' on when to use either/both, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would really appreciate it if someone posted all the drivers for the U35JC that they have updated and have worked well along with their locations. I am a bit unsure with the driver names on Asus' support site and do not know exactly what each is for as some seem to have multiple possibilities. One of them being im just an idiot.

Thanks in advance!

 

This is not really a u35jc specific question but one sec ago I was enjoying the magic of the preview window on the start bar when hovering over the program and now it is back to old-style xp. Like this

Im assuming I hit or adjusted something by accident?

 

If you are talking about the disappearance of your background image, it does that when you select the 'battery' mode... as it sets your computer for max battery endurance. If you choose another power profile (button on upper left corner of the computer) the background should come back! There are four 'standard' settings: max power, entertainment, quiet office, and battery.

Hope that works/helps!

 

Gaaah! Two days after i got the computer it started making a high pitched noise that was super annoying and pretty constant. It went away and came back again today. It has been on most of the time the computer is. I have run seagate testing tools on the HDD and they all come back saying its fine. Also its sometimes off when the fan is still running and on when it isnt so i dont think thats it. Any idea what this annoying super-high pitched noise could be? I really dont want to have to send the U35JC in as i start school next week. Its driving me crazy and i dont know what to do!

 

Does anyone know the fix for the pixelated problem with Windows 7? The video in any media player is more pixelated versus an XP system.

 

@JFlem: I don't know if this will help you...but it has helped some of the U45JC owners.

I have already posted this in the U45JC owner's lounge, so I'll quote myself.

"I sort of had the high pitch noise problem with my U45JC. I noticed that it was only when idle. I google'd for similar issues and found a solution that worked for me.

Go to-Control Panel>Hardware and Sound>Sound
Select the Recording Tab.
Right-click the Microphone and select Properties.
Select the Listen Tab.
Select and Check the Listen to this device.
Select the Levels Tab.
Click the speaker icon to mute the microphone.
Click OK.

Hope this helps some users. So far I'm enjoying my U45JC."

 

twindragons...

thanks for this tip..however, i think for some of us, the high pitch noise is actually coming from the HDD and not the microphone...

 

i think it's more or less the same about what i'm getting as well...
depends on ur usage and the apps you're running...4-5hrs is fine for full charge...

 

when I select
the Power4Gear Battery Saving Option
it puts me at 10 hrs of battery life
when I'm above 90% charged
and doing simple internet browsing.

 

also, I do dim down the brightness down on the screen

 

anyway, I recieved my laptop on Wed. and
I have been using it briefly.


aside from the slim nature
it really didn't seem to be that smaller that my previous dell e1405 machine
when I sat them them side by side.

but it is much slimmer when I hold it closed in my hand
and light.
also, I appreciate the quietness of the machine
no fan noise, no start up noise
it is just quiet.
the only noise that there is
are some springy noises from the keys when I type.

getting used to the chiclet style keyboard.
I'm a small person
though I do have long fingers
I do prefer the traditional keyboard over this
I feel like I have to stretch my fingers out more
to reach the keys.

the one thing, right off the batt, that I do not
like about this laptop
is the left/right mouse buttons on the mouse pad
they are extremely difficult to press
cannot do so in a natural way at all.
there is a lot of resistance
you have to press down very hard on it
and I am finding that it is not responding well
with the movements of the mouse
when I navigate/scroll.

we'll see how it works for me
when I do some photo processing.

 

+1

I tried disabling the mic and turning the volume all the way down, but the high pitched noise is still there.

 

does the u35jc have a wireless bluetooth option?
if so, I am unable to locate it.

 

I believe the US spec doesn't have a built-in bluetooth.

 

What benchmark system are you using?

 

Thanks for the input. I dont think its from the microphone unfortunately. Also i ran a bunch of tests from the seagate tester on the HDD and it passed all of them with no problems. Im not sure what it is besides super annoying. =(

 

i am curious if the u35 can be modded for a backlit keyboard like the u30. it looks like the enter key is different on the u35 so it may not be possible.

 

Hey guys,
Just wanted to give my initial thoughts and impressions after owning the laptop for around 13 hours and playing on it for a bit.
Build Quality
In terms of build quality I think Asus did a fairly good job. I was torn between the Asus U30JC and the U35JC primarily because I really wanted the brushed aluminum plam rests. I was concerned that the plastic palm rests would not only feel cheap, but they would also be a total fingerprint magnet. I am happy to report, that in my opinion the machine feels very well built. I am not noticing any fingerprints on the silver palm rests either.
Keyboard
I found a slight bit of keyboard flex down near my arrow keys but it takes quite a bit of pressure, and certainly not the amount exerted when typically typing. The keyboard feels okay to me. The lay out is fine, it will take some getting used to coming from a net book where I am used to a really cramped keyboard. I don't particularly like the way the keys feel, and typing on this keyboard is a bit louder than I generally like. I will be able to live with it just fine though.
Battery Wiggle
I found there was no noticeable play in terms of battery wiggle when it is securely locked in place.
Touch pad
I have mixed feelings about the touch pad. I like the surface of the touch pad but I am still getting used to navigating with it. At this point, I felt I was a lot more accurate with my NC10's touch pad. With a little bit of time I think I will be quite proficient with the touch pad on the U35JC as well. On a couple of occasions I have had the cursor hopping around and not doing what id like it to. The multi touch gestures I found to be garbage. After setting them up and trying maybe 20 times, I got the back and forward gestures to work maybe twice. (Maybe I am doing it wrong?)
Screen
I find the screen to be adequate for my usages. I watched Top Chef last night and did notice that the viewing angles are pretty horrible. But since the laptop is in my lap generally, or I am within a couple feet of it when watching something, I am not particularly concerned with viewing angles.
Battery
I am not particularly impressed with the battery life. Maybe I was expecting too much. I should also add that I have only done one full cycle through the battery so perhaps it is a little premature to draw solid conclusions. Installing programs, resetting the computer (probably 4-5 times), watching an hour of Top Chef, browsing the internet, and listening to some music, with screen brightness around 30-40% on Office Mode I got roughly 5 hours. As I am sitting here typing this I have been on Office Mode only running Firefox for about an hour and 15 minutes... battery is now at 80% and reads 3 hours 52 minutes. I was expecting more
Noise!
I am also a little disappointed with all the noises that come from this computer. Heh, I already mentioned I generally like a quieter keyboard but that is no big deal. My computer has a case of the high pitched whine! It's incredibly obnoxious. I found a solution here... ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Forum- How to eliminate high pitch noise?
Also I am not pleased with the amount of fan noise. It is quite audible, even now with only firefox running on office mode. I am wondering if that solution to take care of the whine has made my fan kick on more (and by more I mean always!) Even before I made the changes I think the fan was a little loud... maybe there is something I can do about this?

I have NOT upgraded the bios.

GenTech PC
I placed my order with Gentech a week or two ago. I also ordered an external DVD drive as I wanted to do a clean install and I have a recovery DVD. Unfortunately the external drive that arrived with the laptop (the one from Gentech) was defective. I called Gentech and Ken took care of me, he immediately emailed me a return label to send the item back. While it's annoying that the unit didn't work, I definitely cannot complain about the service! Thanks Gentech!

I have a Zeroshock III case on the way and I will take some pictures of the device with that when it arrives. Hopefully today or tomorrow! In the mean time, I did a little photoshoot next to my NC10 and my 22 inch monitor. Let me know if anyone wants more photos...

 

So the solution to the whine is to disable your processor's idling? Not cool. Does your processor not enter idle states at all now? This is interesting and upsetting at the same time.

Did playing with the microphone settings not work for you? Either way, I use the mic for Skype so disabling is a no for me.

That super thin screen in your pics is super sexy!

 

Yeah I tried the microphone thing and it was not successful.
I have left my laptop on while running some errands with Windows Media Player Streaming some music and firefox open, 12% volume and 1 click above the lowest brightness setting. My approximation of when I got up this morning and booted up the computer was 9:10. Right now battery indicator shows 50% with 2 hours 15 left. I am curious to hear what other people are getting for battery life.

 

Would you mind doing a small test?

Can you please bring up the Windows Reliability & Performance Monitor (Start/Control Panel/Administrative tools/Reliability & Performance Monitor/Performance Monitor) and set the graph for % Idle time as well. You can do this by double clicking on the line '% processor time"/ Add, double click Processor, select % Idle Time, Add, OK, Ok.

If you let the computer just sit, not doing anything and with no internet connection, your processor time should be way at the bottom towards 0 and idle time up near the top. How does your chart look? A screen shot would be nice if possible.

If the processor isn't allowed to idle or sleep, I'd imagine your battery life wouldn't be good at all. However, about 3.5 hours passed and an estimated 2.25 left sounds like what others are getting for casual web & youtube-ish use.

 

So this indicates that my processor is sitting idle not doing anything? Therefore my battery life is relatively worse? Am I understanding this correctly?

 

I am getting mixed battery estimates as well. My initial one was around 7-8 hours. Today in class it was reporting back and forth between 4 and 5 hours.

Is it possible to have the SuperHybridEngine enabled 100% of the time without having to enable it through widgets?

Is it bad to let the battery completely drain and then re-charge? Should I charge it once it hits 50%? I am just trying to get the MOST out my battery length in terms of lasting longer over time.

 

Full discharges are discouraged with lithium ion batteries. You can charge it whenever you want, since they technically don't have "memory" like nickel cadmium batteries. I usually plug it in at about 10% or so.

Battery wear is linear and inevitable. The only thing that you can do to limit your battery's lifespan is to subject it to extreme temperatures or to keep it plugged in for more than a few weeks.

 

I did a clean wipe/fresh install the other day and got around re-installing the drivers. But if I am correct I am pretty sure there was no drivers included on the disc for Super Hybrid Engine. I don't have that widget on the top left of my screen anymore . I tried googling but have found nothing.

EDIT: Unless Power4Gear is SHE?

 

Just wanted to do a quick update since Zeroshock case came in the mail today. I followed the link someone posted quite a few pages back to Amazon. When I placed my order, I got an ETA of September 28. Within a couple days it said it shipped out priority mail from Texas. After it shipped it only took like 3 days to get here. The case fits very nicely. I have had experience with the zeroshock III case before with my NC10. I have been very pleased with it for my NC10 and have no doubts that I will have the same experiences with the U35JC. I know some people complain that it smells plasticy... and...yes...mine does smell a little plasticy, but I fail to see the problem with that unless you constantly smell your notebook sleeve, and are bothered by the smell of plastic. Like I said, it fits quite nicely. Here are some pictures. I cannot recommend this case enough!

 

Looks like a very nice case, especially the inside.

 

From what I understand, SHE is included as part of P4G (but will only work if your notebook supports it.)

 

Well guys, J&R FINALLY shipped the laptop today. It's definitely later than "by the end of August" as I was told originally, but sooner than the 9/17 date that was thrown around since then. So, I'm happy to get it "early". Shoot... I think they pulled some kind of Jedi mind trick on me that way!

Anyway, it's scheduled to arrive Monday. Looking forward to it!

Oh, as for the battery conditioning thing. I'm not sure if it'd be the same, but I intend to do the same thing I do with my cell phone. Basically, charge it until Windows says it's at 100%, then shut down, unplug then re-plug the power cord. Often when the battery isn't conditioned (or maybe it's more accurate to say that Windows isn't), the battery charge light will come back on and continue charging for a while. My Android phone will do that sometimes and continue charging for a half hour or more. The trick is to leave the machine off while it's topping off the battery. Afterward, 100% should be a lot closer to what Windows says 100% is. It's worth a shot!

 

I am having difficulties trying to switch to the nVidia GPU. I was curious about how HD playback would be with it vs the Intel. I right clicked Firefox and chose "Run with nvidia gpu" and my tool is still saying that its off. I even put firefox to run with the nvidia gpu and it still wont trigger. Am i doing something wrong?

EDIT: I have a problem going back and forth. A reboot cause the nvidia card to enable, but now I can't switch it back to the integrated. Am I missing something? Surely I shouldnt need to reboot with each change.

 

Correct. Launch Power4Gear and you can switch it on and off at the bottom of the program.

You can also right click the desktop, select Gadgets, and select SuperHybridEngine.

 

Anyone having a pixelated issue with playback on video on their U35JC? If so how did you fix?

 

In stock at J&R as of 12:46am on 9/11

ASUS U35Jc-A1 13.3" Notebook PC - Silver in PC Notebook Computers at JR.com

 

Even though I specifically tell the GPU to switch on for IE, it won't. Although it will switch on for SC2 which I told it to do.

Does it not switch on for IE because it simply doesn't need the GPU? I figured watching some HD youtube vids with the GPU would be nice...

Also:
How much has anyone actually gotten the most out of their battery so far? What settings other than battery saver/hybrid engine/turning off wifi did you use? Finally, did I just screw up my battery by letting it get to about ~15 mins before plugging it in? xD

 

Depending on the source and the program you are running, it is very likely the 'pixelating' is due to bandwidth and not you laptop CPU/GPU. Are you streaming over WIFI, or are you playing a DVD/BluRay? Is it using the Intel Gfx or the Nvidia GPU?

 

User RIBS15183 posted this question on the U45JC forum and i thought it would be helpful here as well:

"It may be helpful to determine what HDD those experiencing the perceived HDD whine have in their systems. I'm curious if those who upgraded the HDD from the default aren't hearing the noise.

I have the default 500GB 5400RPM HDD and I HAVE the CPU whine.

Others?"

 

Yeah, I don't know why I am having such an issue. I remember people talking about how it would switch to the nvidia GPU automatically when watching HD movies. I tell it to run Firefox in the nvidia GPU. I go to watch an HD movie and it won't switch. I am using the 258.96 drivers. The only thing that seems to work is setting it to the nvidia card and then re booting. I don't want to have to do that.

 

I've been toying with the idea of buying this laptop. What is holding me back, no optical drive and neither drivers for XP. I don't really like Win7, I'm happy using something simplier. Is that true no drivers for XP? Thanks!

 

you can get the U45 to address your concerns regarding the lack of a ODD.

 

i think you need to go to nvidia control panel and make sure you select internet explorer program to run using the external gfx...

as for the battery life, i'm flipping between quiet office and entertainment in my power 4 gear.... typically getting about 5hrs average....

and no, you did not screw up your battery at all...

 

i have the black version...but this silver one looks beautiful !!!
damn !!!

 

Just curious, why would you need the lappy to switch to Nvidia on IE or browser watching HD video? integrated 4500M is more than enough to handle high def. I am actually rather happy the new driver fixed the issue of using Nvidia for browser HD. My mom has a dell with old integrated X3100 and she can output 720P to her big screen LCD TV effortlessly.

On prior drivers, Nvidia was being criticized for switching on even for a 480P flash video thus decreasing battery life, subsequent driver release aimed at fixing that and let integrated handle HD which was more than enough.

Speaking of which..I had one other acer netbook with SU2300 (2 core 1mb cache) and integrated 4500m video that handled 1080p coded MKV file perfectly smooth as well.

 

I have noticed slight chugging trying to watch some HD Netflix/Youtube with the Intel Card. I just cannot get the nVidia GPU to turn on for HD Netflix/Youtube without a reboot. Does S.H.E need to be off to use the nVidia? Is it possible to use the nVidia GPU while unplugged on battery saving mode? I can't trigger it for the life of me without changing Firefox to use the nVidia and then reboot.

Has anybody been able to successfully watch HD Youtube/Netflix/Hulu with the nVidia GPU with the U35JC with no problem switching back and forth?

 

I would definitely turn SHE OFF while trying to get the nVidia GPU to run. I think SHE plays with the timings.

I will add that when I force FF/HULU to use the Intel HD IGP, it seems to (mostly) run fine if my CPU is running faster as well.

 

I received my u35jc yesterday from j&r (ordered 7/30: $816-$40 BCB - $32 (BofA add it up) - $16 (shipping reimbursement) - $10 (GEICO10 code) = $718. A great price for a good laptop. i have been playing with it and did a fresh install right away.

However I have been searching and trying to install a driver for the PCI communications device (I don't know what I am missing here?). It's not a card reader, camera, atheros drivers (since i already installed them). Any help/idea would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.