Asus U35JC/U45JC

sun glare when using the u35j outside is so bad that I cannot see the screen.

any solution to this?

 

3M makes privacy filters / anti-glare filters. You may want to try one of those. I've never used one, so I don't know how well they work.

 

I got this laptop (U35jc) since 3 days ago and I didn't have any problems updating the GPU drivers or OS's bios nor I have heard any annoying sound... Yet. But I do have 2 problems with this laptop:


1. After I did a clean install I just can't find any driver for this " PCI Simple Communications Controller" and when I click on its properties to see the details it doesn't show any kind of info of what kind of driver I should install. It just says "PCI simple communication controller"...

---Any help with this from those that did a clean install?

2. my second problem is that I don't know what's wrong with the keyboard but sometimes while writing the cursor just jumps from one place to the other messing up anything I was writing.

---Could this be another driver problem?

 

Quick question. This might have been answered before, but I am not entirely sure.

I decided to do an updated Windows Experience Index score for the laptop today. My Aero score dropped by .2 and my gaming graphics dropped by .4. Any reason for that?

 

Okay, I know cos this same thing happened to me


You will find the driver for the PCI on the asus support under u35

You need to download and install


Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver and

Intel(R)_Management_Engine_Interface



for the course jumping places, the problem is that when you are typing, sometimes your palms touch the pad so you need to learn how not to type so close to the touch pad


what I do is disable the double tab feature on the mouse settings so it becomes less annoying

 

Nope

yeah it is really bad but the U series was made for the work environment wasnt really made for the average consumer. If you're at school or in a plane, the screen is fine because it will be you looking, asus added the HDMI so if you want to watch movies, you can connect it to a tv

 

You need to install the "INTEL MANAGEMENT ENGINE." It's on your ASUS DVD and, yes, I forgot to install it too when I first did a clean install. Also I forgot to put in the ASUS Splendid Utility and so my hotkey Fn+C didn't work. It's a nice utility, actually, that sets the color tint or bias for the entire screen. Also I hadn't installed the ASUS LifeFrame Utility and so my hotkey Fn+V didn't work. It's a useful utility to set up the resolution, etc on my webcam.

On the touchpad issue, you could try setting the sensitivity level on the "PalmTracking" under the ElanTech Smart-Pad Options. There are 6 ticks available and mine is set at the 4th tick from the left.

 

Did you do any kind of a NVIDIA driver change? Did you ever have the graphics overclocked before?

.2 & .4 isn't really that huge a loss. I'd more go by 3DMark06 for a better gaming score. You should score around 3,400 on stock clocks under the NVIDIA GPU.

 

Thanks for the fast responses, now everything's fixed! Thanks a lot

 

I see no usage difference between 12 and 13, but if you desire to try it out:
- Go to the Asus Site, software section
- Select notebook, but instead of selecting a model... select 'drivers' as model
- in Drivers, select touchpad... then Windows 7 64 bit when it asks.

The drivers listed will include a version 12, then a version 13, then another version 12 (no clue why)... this is where you can get version 13!

Good Luck

 

Used my HDMI out for the first time last night watching some Hulu-Plus. Played flawlessly, audio thru HDMI worked great, and image looked AWESOME on my 52" edge-lit LCD... on par with HD Satellite... impressed!

 

When I plugged mine in it didn't fill the entire screen, and it looked very pixelated.

 

Whats your tvs model?

also remember to right click, screen resolution and change the to the tvs max resolution

it wont fill it whole

 

Not sure, it's a 4 year old rear projection tv by Sony.

Connecting it with HDMI.

 

I am really loving this laptop since I got the battery to work as its supposed to.

The only thing I wish this laptop had was a backlit keyboard.

 

At native resolution (ie. the laptop's) mine did not fit the entire screen, but zoom (on the TV) made it fit perfectly, or pick the TV's resolution (as stated by other post). Are you getting pixelization on the 'desktop' when connected, or just on the video content?? With movies I streamed, I get zero pixelization, even in dark scenes... but it can be based on your source... what are you using as a source? Many streaming sites (like netflix) will adjust resolution based on your bandwidth... if you are streaming over a poor internet connection, that could be the cause. Hopefully you will find something that works for ya.

 

Thanks Quatro for all your insight it really means a lot!

I installed that codec pack and all but I still get this:



No I didn't install the latest BIOS driver yet, I'm just scared of bricking my computer right now xD. Plus that Nvidia driver is still in beta right, any other possibility why my videos look like this sometimes?

Just to make sure, this is the right page to download the Nvidia drivers, is it really necessary I update to the latest ASUS BIOS before proceeding?

 

Is it only doing that when you've had it on for a while? Your GPU could be overheating. Check temps whenever that happens.

 

Its random. Like right now when I just checked a few videos, some are perfectly fine on youtube, others appear scrambled like that. Also some that do appear scrambled now, can appear fine later. Is there a program to check temp? Just placing my hand by the vent, and it is not hot at all...

 

Use this to monitor your temps. If temps are fine, I can't suggest much else. I don't even own this laptop. Hopefully someone else will be able to help you, if that is the case.

 

find 310m, not 310 bro...

 

Ethicall, could you give us the link you're using on any video that does this odd effect so that we can see if it works properly on our setups or if we get the same codec issues (if it is a missing codec)?

Most importantly, other U35Jc owners can then test the link on your model and give you feedback. I'll test it on my U30Jc, but it isn't your model so I may get different results.

But I'd think it was a software issue you're facing. Maybe a missing codec or wrong player.

UPDATE: Okay I tried what looks like your link to Dre Murray "Too Classy" HERE and it played fine.

This may be as simple as an Opera browser-related problem. Have you tried that link in other browsers? In IE? Could you run that link again but in FIREFOX 3.6 this time? (Actually, I'm using FF 3.5.9, but that shouldn't make any difference.)

And I see in your first example back a few pages that you were using Firefox. I doubt this is an NVIDIA driver issue as much as something related to browsing, like Java or codec-pack or QuickTime or Adobe Flash. It depends on what the browser is needing to see & use the streaming videos you're attempting to access. The fact that the problem repeats on different browsers & it works sometimes and not others tells me it is either something that almost works and glitches at times or there is another conflict that is interfering at times, but it is something all of the browsers use. That's my suspicion anyway.

Any chance to try & update & install these items (you've already tried the codec route):

• Java
• Adobe Flash Player 10.1
• QuickTime

It may be none of those, but updates of each won't hurt you.

 

Ooh! Good catch! I hadn't noticed that.

You DO need to be looking for the right drivers under "310M" not 310 (which begins under "300M Series" not 310 series.)

But you can't, I think, install those updated video drivers any way without updating your BIOS to 208. Sorry, but just the way it is. For sure the 258.96 drivers do NOT work without the BIOS update. I've no idea about the 260 Beta ones.

Updating the BIOS is flawless if you follow my instructions a few pages back. I've done it many times on various notebooks and never had a problem. It flashes the BIOS very quickly. Just do it and get it over with!

But use WinFlash, not EasyFlash and follow the steps I laid out for you.

 

Has anyone tried the fingernail polish fix for inductor whine??

Copied from another thread:

"Capacitors vary in shape size and design, but the name essentially explains what it is. It's a coil of copper tubing. When the oscillation of voltage reaches certain frequencies, it manifests itself in a physical noise. Basically it means when loaded they vibrate, which is why I suggested you can attempt to insulate them to prevent the noise, nail polish, epoxy all have been used successfully. Although the noise should change or even go away over time as heat changes the materials."

 

I clicked the link for Dre Murray youtube video and it didn't play correctly for me either. I am using Google Chrome. Never had an issue with YouTube videos though. First for me. Weird.

EDIT: Plays fine in Internet Explorer and IE Tab extension in Chrome. Guess it is a browser issue. Like I said, this never happened with other YouTube videos on Chrome for me.

 

Relentless, could you also try the link in Firefox? Thanks.

 

Works fine in Firefox. Looks like I only have issues with it playing in Chrome if I don't use IE tab. Only YouTube video I experienced this happening with.

EDIT: It will also work fine in Chrome if I change the resolution from 360p to 240p or 480p.

 

So changing the resolution fixed it? Really weird!

 

I ran it on IE, 3.6 FF and Opera and it is still the same weird screen, once again it's not for all videos only some. And even with the videos that do show it, sometimes it'll play fine from my experience. I will go install Java/Quicktime again and let ya know how it goes, I already have the latest flash but might as well try it again.

EDIT: I tried what Relentless said and tried it at a different resolution and it played perfectly fine.

 

I've no idea what is causing this graphic problem. You change the resolution to either higher 480p or lower 240p and it's okay, but it plays weird on 360p?

Relentless gets it in Chrome, but not the other browsers. Ethicall has it sometimes in all of the browsers.

Any one else have some ideas?

 

Yep exactly. I just updated QUicktime/Flash/Java and nothing

 

i get this problem when the nvidia gpu does not kick in. the problem with the older nvidia driver is that the gpu doesnt ever turn on. Updating the drivers fixed this for me. I can reproduce this phenomenon by forcing chrome to use the integrated intel graphix. I dont get this issue with all vids, only some like this one: YouTube - World's Scariest Job

 

Hmm with the stock drivers I set it to kick in while using Opera and it still looks weird for me.

 

And you're sure the nVidia GPU is on while this color smear problem occurs while watching some videos?

 

anyone has tried this or have any demos or quides?

 

I think you'd need a lot of nail polish on there for it to isolate the noise successfully. The capacitors on the motherboard are already buried under a lot of plastic and aluminum but it's the frequency they resonate at which makes it so audible. Maybe an epoxy would be thick enough, JB Weld might be a good idea. All are highly flammable when wet (JB Weld not so much when dried) so allow a full 24 hours for the stuff to fully cure.

I'd love to know if this idea works.

 

You gotta be sure the GPU kicks in. I know with the stock drivers, it doesnt know when to turn on even if u tell it to. Installing the latest driver will give you the option to toggle an indicator on ur sys tray that tells you when the gpu is in use.

its weird tho. the intel integrated graphics should be able to handle these vids

 

Hearing several of you discuss about coating your MB's (or capacitors) in epoxy or fingernail polish, etc. . . . I'm just really glad my U30Jc has no whine ... or perhaps that I'm too deaf to higher frequencies to hear it!

Ooh, awesome. My rep just reached "Quatro is a glorious beacon of light." I'm feeling almost transcendent!

 

I'm certainly in your camp (well..minus the U30Jc) but for over $800 no one should have to apply Avon to their motherboard. That certainly would void the warranty too, all to fix a manufacturer defect the manufacturer wants nothing to do with a solution to.

A beautiful laptop though...

 

Listen to more Gothic heavy metal . . . real loud. That should damage your hearing sufficiently to make you unaware of any high-pitched sounds!

Whaddaya' think?

 

I've got plenty of time on stage with various hardcore bands so my hearing is far from perfect. I noticed for the first time a few days ago my Dell makes a bit of a very high whine. It is very soft though and I can only hear it when the room is absolutely quiet. When I first heard it, I was sitting in bed reading some PFDs and it was a bit of a revelation.

I think I might buy the Asus to give it a run through anyway. If the sound is present and bothersome, I'll return it for the Acer. We'll see. I'm still in the phase of collecting funds. Until then I'll keep an eye on the forums.

 

Which Acer? The 3820TG looks very nice, though must be ordered from overseas.

 

It sure does. The best part is, there aren't any issues with it past the odd individual having a bad driver update or something like that and I can upgrade the CPU to an i5. It's also known to run very cool which is a huge plus for me coming from using my Dell, almost more than the processor upgrade.

I'm looking at the T mainly but retailer stocks are running low with some showing it's been discontinued. The TG is more than I need graphics wise, so is the U35JC but it's really the only other choice and if I go Acer it must be that sexy silver! If the T really is on its way out and I do decide on the Acer, I'd probably wait until I'm in Europe again in a month or two and pick one up over buying it from Singapore. All the stuff I have planned for whichever notebook I buy will void the warranty anyway so I'm not concerned with shipping it for service.

This thread has kinda died down now that people have received their laptops. First person who coats their capacitors with silicon gets rep points every day for a week!

 

People got their laptops, fixed their issues, so they dont need to come here anymore.

 

I'm glad it's still here though, because I enjoyed reading a lot of the information. The U35Jc and the U33Jc are my top choices right now...and I'm leaning towards the U35.

 

Ha! Hilarious thought . . . and you get a rep+ points for thinking of it!

 

BTW, for any of you thinking about deep discharging your battery to get better readings (or other reasons), THIS article is very informative.

You'll want to especially read his section " Depth Of Discharge (DOD)".

"The relation between the cycle life and the depth of discharge is logarithmic as shown in the graph below. In other words, the number of cycles yielded by a battery goes up exponentially the shallower the DOD."

"Ignoring other ageing effects, one cycle of 100% DOD is roughly equivalent to 2 cycles at 50% DOD and 10 cycles at 10% DOD and 100 cycles at 1% DOD."

"There are important lessons here both for designers and users. By restricting the possible DOD in the application, the designer can dramatically improve the cycle life of the product. Similarly the user can get a much longer life out of the battery by using cells with a capacity slightly more than required or by topping the battery up before it becomes completely discharged."

"Mobile phone users typically recharge their batteries when the DOD is only about 25 to 30 percent. At this low DOD a lithium-ion battery can be expected to achieve between 5 and 6 times the specified cycle life of the battery which assumes complete discharge every cycle. Thus the cycle life improves dramatically if the DOD is reduced."

" . . . since deep discharging may damage general purpose batteries."

"The cycle life of Lithium batteries can be increased by reducing the charging cut off voltage. This essentially gives the battery a partial charge instead of fully charging it, similar to working at a lower DOD as in the example above."

In essence, what I think he's saying is that with lithium-ion batteries, it's best to keep the depth of discharge (DOD) not super low, as in 20-30% and not to fully charge it; keeping it less than 100% and more than 10 or 20% to prolong the life and number of charges of the battery.

 

Very informative article Quatro! Thanks.

So plug it in at 20% and unplug when it turns green? (roughly 90%?)

Plugging it in at 20% is not a big deal, but I don't know if I can unplug before its 100% as I typically plug it in the recharge when I go to bed so its ready for class the next day.

 

I read the same idea in another article last month that small recharges (never empty & never full) is the best for the battery.

How low? I can't say. He quotes mobile phone users and 20-30% when they recharge, but I can't be sure if this applies to laptop batteries.

How full? Another article threw out a 96% figure. I'm not sure myself.

As for class and charging overnight, that's your situation. I wouldn't worry about it.

Do read HERE, on the U33Jc thread, what this poster's experience with his battery has been.

 

So I just updated my BIOS as well as my Nvidia Driver... After the switch I have noticed that everytime I touch the trackpad I hear almost like a buzzing noise coming from the left side of the laptop. It is different than the high pitch noise. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, can I fix this??

So it seems that the noise is coming from the same area... When I plug in my laptop (and I have it set to disable processor Idle) both the whine and buzzing go away. They are two very separate distinct noises though.

It also seems that according to batterymon, my discharge rates are 1-2k higher than before. Ugh, this laptop is very frustrating...