Asus U35JC/U45JC

End August. All new Asus laptops are appearing to be delayed until the 25th/27th I've heard.

 

August 25th. That's an entire month.

And that's terrible.

 

The B1 looks like a good backup, but it also looks like it's out of stock everywhere...and the only place that I can find it for less than $900 is amazon.ca

I think at this point I might have to just deal with the U30JC or buy an M11 or something like that.

The U33 might have some potential, but the thing looks ugly (IMO). This might be a stupid question, but is it possible that the U33 wouldn't be able to handle severe weather because of the bamboo? I plan on taking my laptop down to the Caribbean for school is why I ask.

 

Is Aug 25 a sure thing or are you saying thats more likely?

 

Hmm...I may buy one of those U45JCs from Taiwan. what's the price in US dollars if I bought it from there?

 

God damn it! Thank god school starts on the 29th of September for me, but still... I wanted a new toy!

 

Haha yeah school starts around then for me too I'm in the same boat as you. Do you think the U30JC is a sufficient substitute for the U33JC? I don't want to have any regrets if I end up getting the U30JC that's my only problem.

 

If you don't mind the slight increase in thickness, the U30JC B1 (which might be affected by the delay, who knows) is priced at a reasonable $850. It has the same i3 that the U35JC has, plus an optical drive.

But even if you have to buy the A1, the i3 330m shouldn't be too much slower than the 370m. It's only 160mhz, right?

In the end, it all depends whether you want a thin and light laptop, or if you will be fine with a laptop that is slightly thicker.

And Relentless: I was going with what Ken from Gentech PC was saying about the delays. He wrote in the U33/43/53 thread that the U35JC was delayed until August 25th.

 

I don't think that you're going to be able to not have any regrets. Though the B1 that Chanda_Bear mentioned seems like an awesome laptop, if you really want the U33 you're going to be disappointed that you bought the U30JC if the U33 comes out a month later. In terms of just the specs though, the differences seem to be that the U33 has USB 3.0, an extra 512MB of VRAM, obviously looks different, and has a slightly larger hard drive (assuming that both have the i3-370). The B1 is much cheaper though.

I'd say that if you really want the U33 that bad, wait it out and use an old laptop until you can buy what you want...assuming that's possible for you to do.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice Chanda Bear and rs27. I think I'm going to consider the U30JC-B1 at this point.

@Chanda Bear: Why would the U30JC-B1 be affected by the delay? Is it still a new system as well?

Also, does anyone know what the U45JC's ETA is? Or if it's already on the market and at suppliers such as XoticPc and GentechPc.
Thanks again!!

 

Don't forget that the U33Jc (and all the bamboo line) have that much nicer 2.0 MP webcam as well.

And here, again, are the three U30Jc models being offered in the US and elsewhere:
A1: i3-350M (2.26) / 320GB 5400rpm / No BT / W7 Home Premium / No WiDi ($872 Amazon)
B1: i3-370M (2.40) / 320GB 5400rpm / No BT / W7 Home Premium / WiDi WiFi card ($889 GenTech)
A2B: i3-350M (2.26) / 320GB 7200rpm / BT / W7 Professional / No WiDi card ($989 GenTech)

U33Jc: i3-370M (2.40) / 500GB 5400rpm / BT / W7 Home Premium / WiDi WiFi card / 2.0 MP webcam ($969 GenTech)

**Oh and that all-aluminum keyboard area and dark bamboo wood palm rest & top (that probably won't do well on the beach in the Caribbean)

 

Out of the Asus U30JC-A1/B1/A2B which one would you recommend the most?

I'm also considering the U45JC-A1...for the most part they're mostly similar. Or should I just stick with one the the U30s.

 

Nice summary Quatro, thanks!

xtk, the B1 to me is the best U30 for the price and GenTech says that they're in stock (you lucky Americans!).

Thanks also for confirming my thoughts about the bamboo in the Carib...ugh, I want to buy an Asus so bad but it's like they just don't want me to get one!

 

Of the U30Jc's, I'd probably go for the B1.

U45 is 14" so it depends if you prefer 13.3" or 14". Visually, the 14" adds about 1/2" to the width of the screen and 1/4" to the height.

From what I've read and photos I've seen, chassis-wise, the U45Jc is closer to the look of the UL80Vt, not the U30Jc. But internally, it's closer to the U30Jc. I think the U30Jc's body/housing is quite distinctive.

 

You know what I just realized? Asus is actually using 4x in the model names this time around (UL80JT/U45/U43) instead of 8x (UL80VT). Does anyone know why they chose to use 8x in the first place? My suspicion was that they didn't want to have a UL40VT because 4, 14, and 40 are unlucky numbers in the Chinese language (the word for 4 is phonetically similar to the word for death, and the word for 10 is similar to that for "certainly." I'm sure you can figure out the rest from here ).

 

The 13-inch=3x & 14-inch=4x made perfect sense to me. I never understood why they had used 13-inch=UL3x but 14-inch=UL8x.

Your explanation/hunch makes more sense then I could have come up with.

Sounds good to me!

 

So from pictures/information and personal use would you say the U30JC's body/structure is better? or the U45JC's body/structure?

 

I prefer the design of the U30Jc over the U45Jc because of:
1) Real, brushed aluminum on the palm rest & trackpad. (Some feel the U45 is plastic in the entire upper area.)
2) The bottom has NO air vents or air grills to cover up. A solid bottom. The air is pulled in from the front & out the left side. Yet the U30Jc runs very cool. Thickness (1.2 inches) may help in the cooling.
3) Very quiet fan.

I've no idea yet how cool the U45 will run nor how quiet the fan is.

 

Does the U45JC not have all of those things? For example does it have a air vent on the bottom? I'm just afraid that the U30JC won't be big enough for me because I used a Dell Studio 15 before with a 15.6 inch screen.

 

That's a valid concern. Then you need to decide about screen size. The 16:9 ratio does compress the height of the screen (I preferred the 16:10 for real work space).

The 14" (16:9) compared to the 13" (16:9) adds about 1/2 inch to the width of the screen and about 1/4 inch to the height.

I had the same concern and when I'm doing accounts or spreadsheets, there are times I wish I had that extra 1/4 inch (width wasn't as big a deal.)

But I wanted the smaller size & lighter weight for carrying .... but at the end of the day, there isn't that big of a difference in the two chassis. Go with what you think you need.

A suggestion. Go look at a video review done by Brandon over at Expert Laptop Review HERE comparing the UL30VT & UL80VT side-by-side. It's a great chance to hear him talk about a 13-inch verses a 14-inch laptop.

The video is part way down the page.

 

So anyone know the real ETA?
On some sites it says mid JULY and it's almost AUGUST.

 

I'd take it with a grain of salt but i was on the live chat thing with xoticpc and the person said u45jc would be in stock this wednesday. so basically we'll see

 

Same date with the U35JC?

 

Oops please delete. I am waay behind.

EDIT I maybe jumped the gun. I didn't see this mentioned anywhere but the U45jc is in stock at amazon.com and xoticpc

 

What page are you reading from? Amazon says of the U45Jc, "This item has not yet been released."

 

Amazon.com: ASUS U45JC-A1 14-Inch Laptop - Silver: Computer & Accessories

its from a 3rd party called mobile advance. They must've imported them. They only have 4 in stock.

ASUS U45JC-A1
No longer has the preorder label

 

Does the U35JC have a backlit keyboard?

 

No. No backlit keyboard in any of the UL30/80/50Vt/Jt's or U30/33/43/35/45Jc's.

But we can all wish there were. (Just saw a guy with a 13" MBP in a dimly-lit coffeeshop and, I must admit, it looked really beautiful ... and useful.)

 

Hmm the amazon link still says they have 4 U45JCs...I wonder if it's for real. Amazon.ca still shows it as out of stock, though it also says that the U45JC also has USB 3.0 which I'm assuming is an error.

 

The Bamboo version on Amazon definitely does look quite appealing, I had just within the past week started looking for a replacement laptop for myself and was narrowing it down to one of the 14" TimelineX, but the U35 just might fit the bill, assuming it has the same Optimus/Corei5 goodness. I just wish that they went a little higher to 1440x900/1600x900 or maybe with a G320/G330...

 

rs27 where does it say that the U45JC has a USB 3.0? I couldn't find it on the Amazon seller's site. But either way it must definitely he a typo.

I had a question, what's the difference between a graphics card that has 1 GB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM vs one that has 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM? Does it mean you can multi-task games better? 0.o? I'm slightly confused.

 

If the bamboo looks appealing, why are you considering the U35? The bamboo models are U33Jc & U43Jc.

Or do you prefer the non-bamboo U35 as a possibility?

Yes, I too would like a higher res screen, but mostly, I'd trade that for a higher contrast and truer black screen.

 

How much does the U45jc weigh? Gentech says 4.63 lbs while xoticpc claims it to be 5.1lbs. If its 4.63lbs with the battery, it would be so much better to buy this than the ul80jt.

 

xtd, the USB 3.0 is on the amazon.ca page but not the amazon.com one - see here:

ASUS U45JC-A1 14-Inch Notebook (Silver): Amazon.ca: Electronics

But 99.999999999999999999999999999% sure that it's a typo.

 

On the weight of the U45Jc:
ASUS: 4.62 lbs
GenTech: 4.63 lbs
Xotic: 5.1 lbs
Amazon: 4.6 lbs

Xotic appears to be the odd man out. I'd go with best 3 out of 4 and say 4.6 lbs!

And I'm 99.999999999999999999999999999% sure that ASUS only has the USB 3.0 on their bamboo 2010 models (U33/43/53Jc). But don't we wish all of the new ASUS models had USB 3.0 & 2.0 MP webcams? (Oh, I'm wrong. Some of their N line are also coming with USB 3.0 (like the N53Jn).

 

Oh wow rs27 you're right. I didn't see that link before. It also states to have a 2.0MP webcam which is also not right. They seemed to have gotten mixed up between the U43JC-A1 and the U45JC-A1. I'm almost 100% sure that it's a typo as well. Unfortunately for me, if it wasn't a typo, I would have definitely gotten that laptop!

 

Also, can anyone answer this question xD

What's the difference between a graphics card that has 1 GB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM vs one that has 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM? Does it mean you can multi-task games better? 0.o? I'm slightly confused.

Because the U30JC has 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM while the U45JC has the 1GB. I'm trying to decide between the two laptops and was wondering if this was a valid pro for the U45JC gaming wise.

 

I think I've read that in present games, the bottle neck is the 310M GPU, not the amount of graphics memory. So units w/ 1GB VRAM aren't showing any real improvements over 512MB VRAM. It does nothing, for example, for the 3DMark06 score.

Several feel it is just a marketing ploy by NVIDIA & ASUS ("more must be better").

 

What's the main benefit of a U45JC over the newest U30JC model with the i3-370? XoticPC sells them both at the same price and I can't really see a difference apart from the size.

 

I'm not sure there are benefits as much as differences between the U30Jc-B1 & the U45Jc (for you to choose which one best fits your needs):
1) BOTH have :Same processor. Brushed aluminum lid. DVD-RW drive, 0.3 MP webcam. NO USB 3.0. NO bluetooth.
2) U30 has real brushed aluminum in palm rest & trackpad. U45's base is all plastic (I think)
3) U30 has 320 GB HDD. U45 has 500 GB.
4) U30 has a WiDi-capable wireless card. U45 does not.
5) U30 is 13.3". U45 is 14". This means the U45's screen is about 1/2" wider and 1/4" deeper.
6) U30 is 1.2" at thickest point. U45 is 1.06"
7) U30 is 4.8 lbs. U45 is 4.6 lbs

I don't think there are any western-based reviews yet on the U45Jc. AnandTech has a thorough review on the U30Jc-A1 HERE.

___________________________

FYI, I just heard back from XoticPC on the ETA's they have from ASUS:

Posted by XoticPC

• U33jc-end of August
  
• U43jc-end of August
  
• U35JC-end of August
  
  [*]U45jc-should be in stock next Tuesday/Wednesday of this week
  
  Trying to figure out when the models will actually be in stock (besides the U45jc) is a little tough. Asus has already pushed the ETA out once and on the JT models they even took away the ETA all together.

The ETA's of GenTech are more detailed and, let's hope, ultimately more accurate.

So there is some hope for those wanting the U45 before school.

 

Do a lot of you guys use mice with your laptops? Would you recommend a smaller laptop sized mouse or is a regular sized one better? I was looking at the Logitech MX1100 at Best Buy on sale for $35. I don't know if getting a smaller laptop mouse would be better though. What do you guys recommend?

 

And for those concerned about the speakers on the U33/43/35/45Jc notebooks, I was saying earlier (in the U33/43 thread) that they are probably of a similar quality to the UL30/80Vt (& U30Jc) speakers due to size, location (front, downward-facing) & type of the speakers (Altec Lansing).

So here are a few quotes from UL30/80Vt reviews that should give you a fair idea on the speaker quality of the upcoming U33/43/35/45Jc's:

"The speakers are poor despite the Altec Lansing branding. They do not get loud enough and are very tinny. The headphone jack is fortunately static-free and the best way to get audio out of the notebook." -NBR on the UL80Vt

"The speakers on the UL30VT are slightly worse than on the UL80VT. They output below average volume and have no bass and only minimal mid-range sound. In an quiet room, they will sound okay and be clearly heard, but if there is any other loud noises, don’t expect to be able to hear them well. Part of the problem is that the speakers are located near the front so that when the laptop is on your lap the speakers are muffled. I’d say you only get about 75 percent volume when on your lap compared to when it is on a table. The speakers were about the same as on the UL80VT, but the front of the UL30VT has more of a slant so that the speakers are more muffled when the notebook is on your lap (compared to the UL80VT)." - Expert Laptop on the UL30Vt

"Most thin and lightweight notebooks sacrifice speaker location for other more important aspects of the design. The ASUS UL30-series offers lap-firing speakers, which sound tinny at best, muffled at worst. When you have the notebook sitting up on a stand or on a flat desk surface they sound average compared to other notebooks of this size, but once you put it on your lap or a soft surface they are completely muffled. Headphones would be highly recommended for this notebook." - NBR UL30a review

"though the speakers aren't the greatest we've ever heard." - Engadget on UL80Vt

"And the audio, though slightly tinny as it emanates from two front-firing Altec-Lansing speakers, delivers enough mid-range clarity that you won't instantly reach for headphones." -PCMag on the UL30a

"Speaker performance is lack-lustre. Headphones are a must if you want to listen to music on this notebook. " -EMOIZ on the UL30a

 

Well at least the U45 is coming...I guess I don't really have a choice and have to bite on that...or the U30JC-B1. We'll see what Canadian retailers stock. Talking to xotic they've been very polite and easy to deal with so if no one in Canada has the laptops by the end of next week I guess I have to suck it up and pay the $129US for shipping from xotic.

 

I would think that the mouse size is utterly a personal choice. How can we recommend what is purely personal preference due to hand size and USB dongle size?

But if you want to know (!), I use the very-basic Microsoft 3000 wireless mouse ($20). I like its price & that it is smaller for portability. I felt the Logitech was too large (& too expensive) for my bag & hand.

I DON'T like the very large USB dongle it uses! If you have the money ($50-60!!), I like the tiny dongle of the Logitech Nano series, though I prefer the smaller mouse as well. Logitech seems to make their mice so big (to me) and $60 is a lot of money for a mouse!

And the only time I attach a mouse is for gaming. Other than that, my touchpad works very well .... and it's the MOST portable mouse of all!

 

The u45jc does have a dvd drive according to GenTec and XoticPC

I have to decide between the u45jc and the HP Envy 14. I don't think I can bring my desktop to school I'd rather have the Envy 14, but it costs $300 more after taxes and everything.

 

I wondered about that. Usually the 14" has an ODD. I was going by GenTech's list of specs at the end of the page. Beside "Optical Drive" it reads "None". (UPDATE: GenTech have now corrected that.)

But the opening of the list says, "DVDRW" and the photo shows an ODD. I'll correct my post. Thanks for pointing that out.

On the U45Jc vs the Envy 14, to me it would be the difference between more battery life for school use away from an outlet (U45Jc) and gaming power (E14 - at twice the graphic power of the U45Jc) ... but what's $300 for 4 years of awesome graphic power, slot-loading DVD and that beautiful magnesium-aluminum alloy body (plus extra weight). Go on, say it ... you want it!

 

I know and I think that is my dilemma. If only I could just have my desktop with me I would for sure get the Asus. The HP I could try it out and if I don't really need it I could just get my money back since they have their fancy return policy.

But since you have a u30jc, what is your normal battery life? I would expect the u45jc to have a somewhat similar battery life.

 

I get 7-8 real hrs on 50% brightness and no wifi. 6-7 real hrs with wifi but no flash video. 3-4 hrs watching HULU or streaming video/ripped DVD's. 2 hrs of game playing on high settings.

I heard from an Envy14 owner HERE that he gets 4 hrs on max power saving & wifi on, give or take 30 min, so the E14 gives you much less battery.

But for some, 4 hrs is enough!

 

Oh man wizrd54 why'd you have to bring up the HP Envy 14. Now I'm stuck between three laptops haha. U30JC vs U45JC vs HP Envy 14. This sucks xP

 

lol sorry. don't get the u30jc, there now you have two choices. the u30jc is fine and everything but the u35jc and u45jc are the more updated machines i'd say. but otherwise it is kind of a hard choice. envy has better screen, gfx card, and audio. but ya pretty hard choice :/