Asus U35JC/U45JC

Yeah, Intel HD graphics are pretty decent for normal use, I wouldnt play much but for HD its decent and its cheaper and battery will last longer as well

 

Here's some incite for ya. With power4gear and Super hybrid engine, I don't think having a discrete graphics will be a costly effect to your battery life. But you will lose alot of power without the discrete graphics card. I know it's not the best gaming video card, but it scores about 3x better in the 3D test than the IGP. Also I believe it's better at decoding HD video, and maybe....not sure...more efficient? I heard with the IGP, the cpu goes crazy to compensate for HD video decoding.

So I think the only reason to go for the F, would be to save money for something you don't really use. Well...what if I told you that the JC is actually cheaper then the F right now at J&R if you're from the United States. Use the code geico10 to make it $739. The choice is much more obvious now. You do lose out on the great services of Gentech though...but if cost is your biggest priority, check out J&R.

 

I noticed alot of these LED backlit screens have the this issue
so its just not asus

 

What about big battles @ medium settings @ native res? (1366x768)

 

Yeah...my expectations of SC2 is low setting on 720p with no extras for smooth play. I'm happy it's even playable, since that's the game I'll probably be playing the most on this notebook.

 

Do you have some evidence of that? (Longer battery). I can't find a review of the U35-F anywhere

I hear ya. I read that too about the cpu. Maybe that's why the battery lasted longer with the discrete graphics ON. Saving money isn't really the issue after looking up the price. I can get an U35-F from the UK for 790,- euro's. The cheapest U35-F costs 20 euro's less .
I saw the price on Amazon, only problem is that I live in The Netherlands. Customs is a . Don't know if I can sneak one past them. ( Any thoughts on this?) If not it will be more costly. (not by much though.)

So... leaning towards the U35JC. Any other suggestions? (looked @ the 3820T/TG, but I dont like the looks etc.)

 

If I was in your shoes...it would be really hard for me to pick between the two laptops. The 3820TG is a beast for its price. I guess good thing it's not available in the States...haha. Plus, Asus is built better, has a good reputation for reliability, and no one comes close to Asus's standard warranty. Seriously...any other company provide Accidental damage warranty with 2 year global warranty?

 

Precisely. That's what I think I said: "But these cheaper TN panels (not just ASUS) ...". I have 3 notebooks in my home (Dell, ASUS U30Jc & last year's MB) and all three exhibit severe light bleed issues.

And you're right, it is a common problem, though I would have hoped when notebooks get close to $1000 or beyond, they'd give a better quality screen. But sales show that general consumers aren't asking about or looking at the screen's contrast ratio/light bleed ratio. They read resolution (maybe) and see the color quality. To many, an LCD screen is an LCD screen.

This year's 13" white MB has now upgraded their screen to be equal to the MBP and THAT screen is beautiful. Nearly no light bleed.

 

I've read of several users on an ASUS, using the 310M, playing SC2 on medium with no issues. One even said he happily played it on high, but on large campaigns/battles, there was some slow down.

 

The Acer 3820TG, due to its twice-the-speed ATI HD5650 GPU, is in a different class as a notebook. It has a backlit keyboard as well.

The U35's screen may be brighter. The 3820TG's battery life was good, though the U35's, I think, is much better.

So if it is great battery life, get the U35Jc. If awesome graphics & very good battery life, and I was in the Netherlands, I'd get the 3820TG (not the T).

And word is from users that the 3820TG is a really quality build from Acer, so they may finally equaled ASUS in a solid notebook.

Have you gone over to the Acer 3820TG thread on this forum and read users' comments and asked them questions?

 

You know, I really want to look more into this high pitched whine noise. I experimented a lot with it today and it DEFINITELY is not apparent when you are NOT using a browser. I let it sit for about 15 minutes and not a peep. I can hear it immediately after booting Chrome/Firefox. As soon as I close it, it disappears. It also does NOT seem to make the noise if you use IE. I can't stand using IE so that's a high pitched whine by itself so to say

Anyways, I am very rarely in a situation where I can hear the high pitched whine. I usually hear it when I am trying to study alone. I wonder what this issue could be and why I can hear it with Firefox/Chrome and not IE.

 

Seems pretty unlikely it could be related to a browser... BUT... I also paid attention today and it only made the whine while on Chrome as well... haven't heard it otherwise (not sure about in the past, didn't really pay attention). I don't have firefox so can't speak for it... REALLY odd!

 

What happens if you put headphones on? Do you still hear it (1) while wearing the headphones through the earpieces themselves or (2) the headphones being plugged in make no difference and you can hear it when the aside from the earpieces?

 

Try IE and see if you still get the noise.

 

All I have is a pair of earbuds. You want me to just put the earbuds in with nothing playing? I will try it tomorrow because its shut down right now charging.

EDIT: Just to let me people know. This noise isn't loud enough to NOT buy this laptop. This laptop is incredible and I am extremely happy with it. I couldn't ask for a better laptop..Well maybe a U35JC with no whine! You should not let this stop you if you are considering purchasing this notebook! I have to be in an extremely quiet room to hear it. I was on campus at a desk and it was pretty quiet with other people around with their laptops on and I couldn't hear the whine.

 

like I said before

it sounds similiar to a dog whislter


but more like static sound ish



its not too bad
but its ANNOYING when its quiet

 

I think maybe I will attempt to use IE if I am ever in a very quiet place. It will be brutal using IE, but it won't happen too often.

 

im def getting this laptop regardless of the whine.

but yea put the ear buds in without anything playing just an idea it probably wont do anything though.

 

Thanks, Relentless, for investigating. The whine really is the only thing stopping me... I also hate IE so I guess I'll have it too. I probably won't let it stop me from pulling the trigger either especially since the price dropped at J&R.

 

Those having the whine issue- is it the same as shown in this video?
YouTube - Sony Vaio High Pitched Sound / Whine

Thanks

 

like i said..its not only the web browsers causing this noise. opening windows magnifying glass causes the whine to come back. what does the magnifying glass and web browsers have in common :S

 

I agree :]

 

To whoever was asking (late, tired, don't feel like sifting through the posts) the build quality of the 3820TG is reported to be a very structurally sound laptop. The battery life is also stellar, easily on par with the U35jc and they both weigh 4lbs. You can upgrade the processor to an i5 or even i7 and overclock from there. The cooling system has 2 fans, 1 for GPU and 1 for CPU and users report it stays amazingly cool. Shipping to Netherlands, Germany would be your nearest option? Maybe Sweden? Seems like time for a holiday!

I definitely recommend the 3820TG thread, LOOONG but full of good stuff. I've endured reading most of it over the course of a week and a half and am torn between it and the U35JC. They're both great laptops.

Users also say the screen's contrast ratio isn't the best. This review puts it at 132:1 which is low. A user in the 3820TG thread reports it as 140:1, no source. I can't find the Asus's atm but I remember it being a bit higher. The Atheros wifi card should also be better than the Azureware in the Asus, and not nearly as difficult to replace.

With the recent price drop of the U35jc and the Acer TG coming to Canada, IMHO there's really no reason to even consider the U35f-x1. There are some Amazon reviews but very few people here seem to have one. However the name sounds like a fighter jet so that's pretty cool...

 

The 3820TG doesn't have a backlit keyboard, but can be retrofitted with one, a la UL30, have to do a bit of modding. The 3820 has a solid chassis, I've owned a 3810T, and it was pretty solid, a bit of wrist flex and keyboard flex but nothing really bad. The bad points for the body is the awful bilingual keyboard(Canadians only lol) and the really thin lid.

 

Not to turn this into a 3820TG lovefest but ....

W O W!

From Staples Canada, i5-430m & ATI 5470 GPU for under $700USD. I suppose this is what credit cards are for...

 

Oh, the 3820TG with the 5650 seems to have a MSRP for $749, a few places have started pre-orders as low as $745. However, the CPU is limited to the i3 Core. This is the Canadian one BTW.

 

Oh, thank you for correcting that. I thought it had a backlit keyboard (wishful thinking perhaps.)

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Azureware/Azurewave & Atheros were the same wireless card company.

 

YUP

exactly

 

You are absolutely correct, Im not sure which one is which, but one makes the card, one makes the chip in the card.

 

It did! Appreciated!

 

Will ASUS accept RMAs for laptops with the high-pitched whine?

 

Funny, I listened to this multiple times and can hear no 'change' when he says the whine starts/stops... so either I have an issue with my ears or speakers Ironcially, however, he is 'aiming' his camera to exactly where I hear the whine orignate on mine (when I hear it, which is kinda rare)... beneath the keyboard about where the left shift key is. Mine sounds almost like a bad hard drive, in that it modulates a bit like a hard drive doing a search... except it is on the wrong side and mirrors the 'activity' of others... so I am assuming it is NOT the HD. Honestly doesn't bug me, but intrigued as it seems so repeatable across most users.

 

If you haven't bought yet, buy from a company with a relaxed return policy (like Amazon)... since it seems pretty standard in all U35JCs, it is unlikely a 'return' is going to satisfy you. So... if you have the whine, and it is unacceptable to you (ie. you can hear it and it bugs you)... return and get something else! Unless there ends up being a software fix (likely if it is CPU stepping) or a change to the motherboard, I think this is a feature/shortcoming of this model. Actually sounds like it hits most/all manufactures using this CPU.

 

Funny...I think I can only hear it when it starts. But then I never hear it go away. Lemme hear it again.

Update: Ok...nvm. I put on my good earbuds, Shure E2C, and actually hear it go on and off now. I think it's livable. My current laptop fan goes nuts along with my laptop cooling pad fans, so a little white noise is manageable.

 

Wow I watched that youtube movie and the high pitched sound is absolutely hearable... Can you guys tell me when you hear this sound?

Opening google chrome or firefox was one thing. Did you guys try FF 4.0 (beta)?? I find it weird that IE doesn't have the same issue...
Any other programs that make this sound come alive?

 

you know if it is an actual pitch / tonal frequency that is being heard maybe if we all gave our age we could figure out what bracket of people actually hear the sound, because i watched the video and i could barely hear it.

all depends on if people are comfortable with sharing that information

 

My notebook has issues with FF 4.0 beta. I don't know if its the GPU, but it acts really weird and the browser messes up. Its weird and hard to explain.

 

You'd need to ask ASUS Customer Support that question.

But since it isn't a consistent problem and not everyone can hear it plus a notebook emits a number of noises including fans & HDD (though ALL are much quieter then any desktop I've ever use), it may be difficult to claim it as a manufacturing fault. How can they "fix" it if they don't see it?

 

Wild. I listened to the YouTube demo with his Sony Vaio ... I could hear the very high-pitched whine.

Fascinating. So some of the Sony Vaio's have it too .... and it was when he opened & closed Chrome as well, like it has been for Relentless.

I have no idea what it is, but perhaps it is some stepping feature in the CPU that Chrome is activating?

Under Win 7 Pro x64, I keep having problems installing Chrome. When I click on the CromeSetup.EXE file, a box pops up that reads, "Unknown Installer Error."

Any one have an idea how I can fix this?

I'd like to see if I can get the whine as well.

UPDATE: Google is my friend. I googled it and came up THIS link that fixed my problem.

Thanks, Quatro, for fixing my problem! You're the best . . . oh, wait a minute.

 

Well I'm 23 years old and I can hear the whine pefectly. Although you have to be in a almost quiet room to really notice it I think. Just some surfing on your sunday morning in bed without music or anything it could get quite frustrating...
I must admit that my PC (X3 720, MSI GD-70, 5850) sometimes makes the same high pitch sound. Never quite understood why, but it also sounded that it came from the CPU. Although this is AMD and not an Intel cpu, it looks like sertain programs have some sort of programming that activates that sound.

So maybe you can make a list with programs that make this sound happen?

1. Chrome
2. FF (3.6 I guesse)
3. 'magnifying glass program'
4. ... (you guys complete it )


Still, I very much like the U35JC. @ Quatro, I'm reading the 3820T/TG topic. It's a nice laptop, but I think it's too much for me. I mean, I'm not planning to game on it, so a 310m with longer battery will be the better choise?

I found an 12 cell battery on the internet (for U35JC). Does anyone have it? If so, could you tell me if it sticks out the back (by how much) and how many hours you get compared to the standard 9 cell? Thanks!

And Quatro... you deserve much kudos for all your work that you've put in this forum/topic. You are honestly in almost every page I click on .

 

somebody also mentioned the magnifying glass program

and im 23 but i barely hear the high pitched noise..

 

too lazy to go back to the topic and research it out

pretty much it has something to do with Intel power management something
the the number of cycles the cpu makes that is causing something in the motherboard to make that sound from the capacitors or coils or something like that



FF uses more resources than IE thats why we dont hear it with EI

 

What a great idea! Those of you who can hear the whine, try to list if any programs turn on the sound and if it stops when that program is closed.

Have you been able to find out from that thread what the 3820TG's battery life is? Is it very much shorter than the U35Jc? Because twice the graphic power is really a significant difference if you ever do any gaming in the future.

Standard 9-cell? I thought the U35Jc was an 8-cell.

As for a 12-cell, since number of cells means the number of "batteries" inside the chunk of plastic, I would imagine the battery would have to stick out the back or drop the bottom lower. They have to fit those extra cells in there somewhere.

Keep in mind that the number of cells has no real bearing on the life or power of the battery. For that, you need the mAh or Wh rating. For example my (& your, I think) battery is 5600mAh / 84Wh. So if you are consuming about 8W, then your battery would last you about 10 hrs. If you are using an avg of 10W, then your battery would last you about 8 hrs.

And some batteries sold out of China on eBay are not what they say. It's when you charge it and then use BatteryMon (or something like it), it will tell you the real rated Wh capacity of your battery and what Wh it is holding at full charge.

I've gotten some great batteries from China and some fake ones as well. (I know you didn't mention eBay or China in your post, but just in case...)

 

It lasts about 6 hours max. So yeah, I noticed a difference You got 8-9 hours with the 30JC. That's with optical drive, so I guesse 9 hours is feasible with the U35JC right? What ever, I'm whining. There is no better laptop when it comes to battery power.
I have a PC for gaming. This is more for on the road, college etc. Don't see myself gaming on a 13.3 inch screen. 24" is hardly big enough if you ask me

You're right. 8 cell instead of 9. THIS is the link to 12 cell I found on ebay . If my calculations are right, this should have about 97Wh. (6.6 amp x 14.7 volt.) I wonder how big that thing is, can't conclude anything from the crappy picture.


I was wondering what else, aside from the whine, was "wrong" with the U35JC? (sorry, just TOO many pages for me to read... 3820 over 500, this 200... )

 

I downloaded batterybar a few days ago and the battery wear it is showing concerns me. It initially showed 6.0%, then 5.8, and now it says 6.2. Judging from what others have posted this seems very high. I've only had this comp a little over 3 weeks. Any thoughts?

 

.2% in 3 weeks = 2% in 30 weeks... = 3 1/2% per year which seems about what one would expect I think... about 10% reduction over 3 years ain't half bad

 

Well I only just dl'ed batterybar two days ago, which is when it showed 6.0%, so that means it reduced 6% in 3 weeks.

 

It's mentioned a few pages back: most batteries out of the factory come with some wear - they're never/hardly 100%. Although, 6% does seem to be more than what some users have reported: 2-3%.

 

Ahh... misunderstood you. Mine also showed around 6% right away... but hasn't really changed at all. Not certain how accurate these 'tools' are anyway until they build a history with your machine.