Asus U35JC/U45JC

Without SHE on and processor set to 5/25, discharging at 18,000 mW right now with WiFi. Seems abnormally high.

What is this microphone mod you mentioned Relentless?
I don't have many background processes running from what i can see, but ill give hijackme a shot.

 

By saying you are not using SHE, are you saying you don't use P4G? I definitely get worse battery life without P4G... I usually run in Quiet Office mode as I don't see significant savings with battery mode beyond it (I realize they are all adjustable). With normal web browsing via wifi, I 'idle' in the 8000 range in Quiet Office mode with the newest P4G hybrid installed... have the camera turned off, but not certain that has any impact.

 

I am using P4G. There is an option for the P4G to activate SHE or not though and usually I don't have it on. Even when I do turn it on though, I am still getting about 18k mW discharge. Not sure why...

 

I cant seem to get anything below 8,200mWH. I wonder if there is an optimum CPU setting or more services that I can turn off.. Is LAN automatically off when not used?

 

How many processes do you have running? Whats your CPU usage %? I never altered my max CPU processing. I believe the max is 60% for battery saving. 8,000 idle is fine BTW. That's not a high number.

 

wow I remember when I care about my discharge rate and battery life


I feel lucky if I get at least 3 now


SHE On
brightness screen 20%
Office Mode

 

Doing this will lower your battery life and heat up your machine

 

Please, bear with me, I've never even heard of flashing BIOS, let alone done it, before reading this forum. I've got a U35JC-A1, and the Nvidia control panel controls do not affect anything, leading me to think the Nvidia graphics processor does not kick in. I certainly can't get it to manually kick in. Reading here, it seems this may be solved if I flash my BIOS to the latest on the ASUS site -- 208. Is that right?

Having not done it before, I've dug up these instructions from a posting on page 217 of this thread --

“To flash your BIOS safely, use the ASUS WinFlash Utility:
1) If WinFlash is not on your PC, download it from the ASUS site or get it on the Driver DVD.
2) Download the latest BIOS from the ASUS drivers page for your model
3) Turn off wifi
4) Turn off AV
5) Turn off sound
6) Turn off screensavers and put the PC in high performance so it won't shut down while lashing
7) Unplug all peripherals (USB external stuff incl speakers, ext HDD, mouse, & bluetooth)
8) Plug in the notebook
9) Some boot into Windows Safe Mode, I don't.
10) Be sure no other programs are running
11) Run WinFlash and point it to your BIOS file
12) WinFlash will take about 30 sec to flash the BIOS and then reboot.
13) On bootup, press F2. Go into BIOS and select "default settings" ”

Is this the proper procedure? If so, what is meant by "turn off AV"? And on boot up, when do I press F2? When the ASUS screen appears for a moment before proceeding to a Windows start? After setting BIOS to default settings, exit and what? Reboot?

Thanks, sorry for such basic questions, I guess we all have to start somewhere . . .

 

Discharge rate still hovering around ~17,000 mA, really cutting into the battery, still not sure why :/.

 

That is the procedure i followed except i didn't boot into safe mode and at the end i didn't press F2 on restart, it just restarted and had been updated successfully. Turn off AV means turn off your Anti-Virus program, and as stated before i did not use F2 when updating my BIOS.

Hope i helped and good luck!

-JFlem

 

Concur... with a few added comments which are also covered well in threads in this forum.
1) Make sure you have the latest NVidia software. The newer versions allow you to place an icon in your tray that will show you when the GPU kicks in, and what program(s) it is supporting. Very helpful in understanding if/how it is working

2) The Nvidia GPU can't be 'turned on' on this machine... so don't get too worried about that. It kicks in when the optimus chip tells it to. You can set rules for it to be utilized by programs while they are running... but it only works when needed based on the ruleset. This is frustrating to many but is a good thing... and is the whole reason to buy a hybrid-Optimus based machine and not a desktop replacement or a gaming platform. When you need it, it is there, when you don't you get max battery savings

3) Have you run the windows experience index? Assuming the GPU is working, it will definitely kick-in during that check. By checking the final numbers (many examples of 'good numbers' in this thread) you can easily tell if it is working. If it IS working, then you don't have any issue!

Hope that helps your understanding.

 

Well after owning this laptop for about 4 months, this laptop ceases to impress me and I sort of regret purchasing it. It definately does deliver on its reputation for having a thin and light form factor with an impressive 10-hour battery life (which I was able to achieve)

However, the quality leaves much to be desired. The laptop has been constantly restarting for no reason and I still cannot find a cause. I do know its something related to Optimus, due to the error reports windows 7 generates when it crashes. However, Ive ruled out any software related or driver related issues as Ive tried various old and new drivers to no avail- so im guessing it may be a hardware issue.

Furthermore, just recently, yesterday, my laptop screen cracked mysteriously. It was in its neoprene case, inside my messenger bag, which is padded. The laptop was not bumped, dropped or physically damaged in any way to my knowledge, so I was shocked to open it when I got home to see a giant black blob on my screen. There are no physical marks anywhere on the case or the LCD as well, the crack is internal. Im thinking it must've been "damaged" when I was lying on my messenger bag for a brief period on my coach bus ride home from school. The chairs on the coach bus are the soft, reclining type chairs. This means construction of the frame is probably sub-par, to not able to withstand light pressure because for years Ive transported my cleap plastic HP laptop in the same manner with no issues. I also remember in a review of the U45JC, the reviewers got the LCD on the U45JC to crack pretty easily. Maybe this is just the curse of thin-and-light laptops conbimed with the fact that I am just unlucky.

So I am RMAing this laptop, which will also force me to use up my 1 time accidental warranty. Hopefully it will come back in like-new condition without any restarting issues.

Now im contemplating whether to sell this laptop and just use the money to buy a thinkpad.

 

I had that happen too the other day. I grabbed the laptop from the battery's end and it compressed the lower part of the screen and I heard a crack. Turns out it was the screen bezel that unlatched. I had to push the clips bezel back in. Sometimes I dont understand why makers decide to utilize aluminum for the cover then only to build the rest of the frame with crappy components.

 

Thanks JFlem and shotgunb! But shotgunb's notes make me wonder if I need to flash the bios to 208 at all. My WEI score is 4.3 for graphics for desktop Aero, but 5.6 for gaming graphics, which if I understand correctly -- a big IF -- means the Nvidia processor kicked in.

Any reason to flash if that's the case? btw, I do have the latest Nvidia driver from Asus's website, but the tray icon just allows me to open the control panel -- am I missing something?

Thanks for your patience, I am the newbiest I am afraid.

 

I have a question


so I been messing around my video settings but if I wanna change the contrast or blue green or red I have to use Intel graphic control panel

any way I can just do it from nvidia?

I dont see much options there (using 260) and if I right click Graphics properties, it just takes me to intel graphic control panel instead



What are these Nvidia profiles?

 

Wahf, Your numbers sound about right... I get 4.3 graphics and 5.8 gaming. The accepted rule on BIOS updates is to only do it when you have issues... ie. don't mess with it unless there is a reason to. I have always been an 'early adopter' and generally flash the new bios when one comes out... so I don't necessarily follow the 'standard'. As far as the NVidia software. I actually downloaded/installed the newest version from Nvidia.... 260.89. This version puts an icon in the tray called "NVidia GPU activity". It shows when the GPU is active and which program is using it. Can't recall if the 'official' Asus one has that option. I have been using the driver off NVidia for a while with no issues. The newer version also allows many tweaks.

On the NVidia control panel (with 260) I have a 'video' tab with and 'adjust video color settings' sub-tab. This brings you to a screen that allows you to adjust either 'with the video player settings' or "with the NVidia settings". The key however, is the NVidia panel ONLY affects the color output of the NVidia processor! Therefore, when the Intel integrated GPU is being used (ie. normally)... the NVidia change will not affect the video... instead it will only affect the video output of the GPU. The actual NVidia control panel recommends running a video in a window (with GPU) when adjusting so you can see the adjustment. Hope that helps.

 

dang

Yes this helps alot

its set to Auto in Nvidia control panel and I dont game of watch HD content very much

oh well I will just have to mess around with Intel Graphic Panels


btw
what are your settings using Intels panel?

 

Hey everyone,

Most of you may think this is a dumb question, but I'm wondering how you do a "clean install"?

Do you use the recovery disc you made at the beginning (with the AI Recovery Burner)? Because my U35 didn't come with a recovery/Windows 7 disc. The only disc it came with is the Driver & Utility Ver 3.0

Please also let me know what else I need to keep in mind when I do a clean install.

Thanks a bunch.

 

Problem solved

Any Starcraft II player here?
I've been really happy with my U35jc after a clean install.
However, since last week after some patches, whenever I play Starcraft II with my laptop, out of nowhere the computer just shuts off (or sometimes goes to hibernate mode/freeze).

What could be the reasons for this problem? Is it overheating? I even tried using cooling pad, still won't fix the problem. Sometimes it happens earlier on in the game, sometimes it's later, but it rarely lets me finish the game.

Please help, much thanks

David

 

Hi everyone,

I have a new u45jc, and I'm trying to do a clean install. For some reason, after it successfully install, the laptop will restart itself after the windows loading screen. It comes to this gray screen and then restarts. I'm not sure what's happening. I've done many installs on desktops and I haven't came across a problem like this. I'm mind boggled right now.

Has anyone encountered the same problem or know what I'm doing wrong or maybe offer a fix? Please? Thanks in advance.

 

Anyone know where I can order a U45 at this point? Seems to be discontinued and out of stock everywhere I look..

Or, should I wait for the U41? (And wondering since they didn't call it a U46 or something if it's LESS powerful than the U45?)

Wanted a PC for the wife for Christmas..had a U45 on order with XoticPC and they gorked my order up and then couldn't get their hands on another one..REALLY tweaked about that since now we have to wait for the U41 unless you guys know anywhere to get a U45..

TIA..

 

hey guys what mode is the best mode ? I was on entertainment4 the whole time and then saw that there was a BALANCED mode. Is this the preferred battery mode? Also, i done battery saving mode but if i do this, i lose the taskbar at the bottom.

I also see a power saver mode as well.

 

Hi,

I just got my U35JC and am wondering if I now can install Nvidia drivers without having to flash to bios version 208 ?

On a general basis one should be able to update graphics card drivers without having to flash bios.

I must admit I'm a bit "afraid" of potential crashes if I flash bios.

 

Yes upgrading nvidia drivers do not require bios flashing

 

Hey guys.

I have been looking at the Asus UL30 for a while, and also posted this in the UL30 thread. Basically, I need a computer for school. I will be doing a lot of programming, and specificially some graphics programming (CUDA, GLSL, OpenCL and such). Someone pointed out that since the UL30 does not use Nvidia Optimus, there could be some trouble with driver updates. Then i found the U35 and it seems to be a better machine on that area. I also value the battery time on both models much since it improves portability. Does anyone have any comments on graphics programming on a U35? Are there any problems with the whole switchable graphics system?

Thanks in advance
/ Victor

 

Not an easy question to answer as all modes are very customizable... so you can alter any to pretty much anything you desire. There are also P4G modes, and regular Windows 7 modes. The Balanced mode is not one of the Power 4 Gear options... the P4G options: Maximum Performance, Entertainment, Quiet Office and Battery Saving. Battery draw is basically Highest to lowest in that order... As far as the stock options (ie with no change to the settings) I like Quiet Office, as it seems faster than the Battery Saving and has the taskbar/background... but not a huge difference in battery draw. If I need more power I generally skip Entertainment right up to Performance. Again, with the customization, you can make any of the 'modes' be whatever you desire and meet you needs... basically think of it as 4 options that can be set by the P4G button (upper left). As you noted, you can also skip P4G and use the Windows options as well.

 

The nvidia drivers in asus support are a bit old

I am using 260 right now with bios 208 and its working fine

however, I needed to update my bios to 208 from 206 because 206 gave me too many issues

This is after being on for 20 minutes with NO activity whatsoever

 

I have Bios ver. 207, and I read from earlier posts that you needed to flash to 208 before installing new Nvidia drivers. But that was regarding ver. 258. xx. of the nvidia drivers.

So I hoped that maybe this issue had been resolved by now and I can safely install ver. 260


I'm just stressing this beacuse of the general rule of thumb that says "don't flash Bios unless something is wrong"

 

I got a new u35jc and my sd card reader doesn't work. It doesn't show the volume when I put the card in, but it work fine in a linux. The cards I tried were fat32 so I don't see why it isn't being shown. I called asus tech support, wow they really suck.

 

and there is something wrong
260 wont work on 208

make sure to their support page and download the drivers for ur card reader

 

I got the latest drivers, but that doesn't work. What I figured out after a few hours is by changing the alcron drivers with the default microsoft usb storage drivers I can use the sd card slot. However I am thinking something is maybe wrong with the slot on my computer as my other asus laptop I could boot from SD card and I couldn't on this one.

Does the asus u35jc support boot from sd?

Asus tech support sucks. They were so freaking rude.

 

So I've been trying to upgrade my graphics drivers on my u45JC, however downloads from the Nvidia site don't work.

I've tried 260.99 and 260.89 - both are the notebook drivers for Windows 7 64-bit.

When installing, during the first "checking system compatibility" phase I get the error: Installation cannot continue. This graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware.

Anyone got a fix for this? I'm on the latest bios (208) and currently running the most up to date graphics drivers on the Asus support page.

 

Personally I would recommend just stay with whatever the Asus support site gives you. I upgraded to 260 and my u35 started to have overheating problems when I play games, so I downgraded back.

 

Well after a bit more digging (i.e. click "supported products":

NVIDIA DRIVERS 260.89 WHQL )

it appears that "Notebooks supporting Hybrid Power technology with Intel chipsets are not supported by this release". This is the same for the 260.99 drivers (I assume that this is a catch-all phrase which includes 'optimus' on the u45jc).

So two question:

1. How are some of you getting 260.99 (or other 260 releases) to insteall?
2. What Nvidia drivers support the u45jc?

 

Hi,

Found these forums after buying an U35Jc.

I have a quick question; is the slot next to the AC a Kensington lock slot? Haven't used one before as my previous laptop was everything but portable

 

well, I updated my Bios to 208

 

Have been using 260.89 for a while with no ill effects on my U35JC with the latest BIOS. Haven't tried 260.99 yet.

 

I'm using 260.99 with no problem at all.

 

on asus site, thr is driver 265.66 for u to download...

notebook > driver > vga..

 

Yeah but we need the driver for OUR model
not in general

 

Don't we all wish...

No the slot is not a kensington lock slot. This computer does not have one as listed. It was a big deal for me since i use it in college, but i was forced to make a lock that i pass through the space created by the hinges. Only catch is i can't close the laptop while it is locked.

 

im using it, n it runs juz fine..

 

is there any improvement or significant gain in performance after installing it? let say..., in 3dmark06 score..?

 

Link?
NVIDIA DRIVERS 260.99 WHQL

latest from Nvidias 260.99

 

Pulled the trigger on a U35jc-a1 on Amazon last night thanks to a number of giftcards from the families. Too bad the u35jc-xa1 sold out a few days ago. I was hoping to get a black model.

 

are from US? why dont you get the U31?

 

Yes, from the US. As far as I know, the U31 is not available yet.

 

if you want an Asus U series, is a worth wait !! much better VGA ...

GRID is running with few FPS in my 310m ... seems that Intel HD and this 64 bits 310M DDR3 Nvidia are the same

 

New NVidia will definitely outpace the 310M... but if your 310 is getting you the same as the Intel HD, you may want to make sure it is turning on! I see a very big difference between the two... in both performance and battery life.... which is exactly why they have the optimus and two cards! Assuming you are looking to do current 3d gaming, or want USB 3.0, may be worth the wait for the U31 (and willing to pay the $200ish difference) otherwise it is likely the 310M will meet your needs and the U35JC is a great buy.

 

Just picked up the u35jc for Christmas. It's a pretty solid machine, except for the flexing keyboard; even the lightest press on the keys and I can see the other keys around sink down a little bit. Also I ran into an issue where when I am connected to my external monitor, and I run TF2, the external says "input missing" once the game starts up. Starcraft II doesn't have that issue... any idea why this would happen?