Asus U35JC/U45JC

Hmm so Canadians will get it on August 4th and Staples will carry it? Not bad...but $1060? I don't know that the U35JC is worth $100 more than the U30JC-B1

 

Depends. For me, a mere $100 extra for SIX or SEVEN upgrades, one of them a major innovation, is VERY worth it!: BT, USB 3.0 (that's major), 2.0 MP webcam & 500GB HDD, all-aluminum around the keyboard, top-facing speakers (and 1GB VRAM, for what it's worth). The U30Jc-B1 has NONE of those.

And there are already USB 3.0 HDD enclosures for sale. Cheap. Meaning anyone with a USB 3.0 port can start to use it NOW with any external HDD they may have.

My silver-painted plastic around the keyboard edges and the front edge bit of silver-painted plastic is already starting to wear off on my U30Jc-A1 (black plastic underneath, so it really shows.)

 

I think he was talking about the U35JC. It's also posted on Amazon.ca for $889

 

Yeah I think you thought I meant the U33 Quatro - I don't believe the U35JC has USB 3.0, though I might be wrong about that.

The only real differences I can see between the U35JC and the U30JC-B1 is that the 35 has 1G of VRAM whereas the U30 has 512MB, extra 180GB of space on the U35 (which is meaningless for me) and no ODD on the U35 (I would prefer the ODD anyways). I'm not sure how they came up with a price of $1053 for the U35 because it seems like a rip off to me.

And I'm also sure that Amazon will boost up their price as the laptop gets closer to launch like they boosted the U30JC-B1 up by $80 in the last week

 

Oops. Sorry, you're right. There's not a lot of difference. The VRAM difference is meaningless. To me, it would be the trade out of:
U30: aluminum palm rest & trackpad. ODD. Thicker & more weight.
U35: all plastic housing & trackpad. No ODD. Thinner & lighter.

Weirdly, in the US, the U30Jc-B1 is $70 MORE expensive than the U35Jc ($819).

If you wanted the ODD and the B1 was cheaper than the U35 ... I'd definitely go with that.

 

Good find! Directdial.com (Canada) also has an ETA on Aug 4th.

 

If you google image "u35jc", on the fourth line you'll see Quatro's avatar.

 

Well, I hadn't realized my avatar had become so famous!

First godhood. Then my avatar is on Google ... what's left in life?!

... what browser are you using? Oh, I see. I have to expand the menu on the left to select images.

Unfortunately, my original avatar was an animated GIF and the red Cylon light moved back & forth, but this forum doesn't receive animated GIF's.

 

Well I'll be darned. I was thinking the aluminum construction was carried over to the u35. I don't understand why they would revert back to plastic on a new model. Thats just plain silly.

I was pretty set on the u35. I don't want an ODD and the HD is just going to be replaced anyway.... but plastic? Ewww.

 

Yes, I know. I even PM'd GenTech and asked them about the U45Jc construction (which one assumes will be the same as the U35) and Ken Lee confirmed that their U45Jc's were made entirely of plastic except for the lid (as with all ASUS' now.)

 

Hello everyone,
I'm new here. I've been looking at the U35jc on mostly Taiwanese forums and finally I found an English one! I have a few questions about this Asus model, hoping to get some help from you guys~
1. I read something about U35 going to be available in Canada on August 4th, where is it going to be available? So far I've only seen it on Amazon and the specs info. seems to be not very correct.
2. How big of a difference is the i3 and i5 cores?
3. What is the actual weight of the U35? Many sites seem to have different numbers..
and 4. I've purchased the StarCraft II and planning to play on the U35. How smooth am I going to be able to play the game with the 310M 1G graphic card? I know I won't get anything close to the G series but would it be okay to say the least?

Thank you in advance^^

 

Welcome david...I think more complex answers can be found if you surf the previous pages in the thread...but...

1. If the U35 does end up in Canada on Aug 4th (I still have my doubts about this), the link posted was for business depot which is Staples. Another poster also said that Direct Dial reports Aug 4th availability

2. I don't think the U35 will be offered in Canada with the i5 core...we don't get the same ability to customize our laptops up here...very few retailers carry the i5 U30JC so I guess it's possible, but if the i5 is offered it probably will come well after the i3-370. I also think that the i5's can be boosted for more performance when needed whereas the i3 can't be. More detailed info about performance differences can be found here:

Notebookcheck: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist

3. I don't know off the top of my head but several people talked about that earlier in the thread

4. I thought that someone posted this earlier but I couldn't find it again...IIRC on low/medium settings SC II is fine with the 310M



Quatro, thanks for the info...I think you're right in that the U30JC-B1 makes more sense. One more question for you though...the U45JC has vents on the bottom and you have mentioned that the U30JC you have has no vents on the bottom. Am I right to assume that the U35 will have vents on the bottom whereas the B1 doesn't?

 

1) 8/4 been floating around for the U35 in Canada. No one knows if this is accurate.
2) Depends on what you're doing, right? Probably not for the average user with mundane tasks.
3) The GenTech and J&R website say 3.74lbs with battery.
4) http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/491769-starcraft-2-geforce-310m.html

 

Yes, the U35 should have the standard air / heat dissipation vents in the bottom just like the U45. You can see U45's bottom clearly (and the entire body) via this excellent video tour by GenTechPC.

To my knowledge, the U30 is the only recent ASUS with no vents at all on the bottom, yet is amazingly cool. The B1 will have the same housing as my A1.

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

I know the obvious difference, I'm talking about the difference between the U35jc vs the u45 as far as thickness and weight.

 

hello everyone, im new here

i've recently bought U35jc(black) from Malaysia n i can say im satisfied with it.. here is the specs..

i5-450M
2GB DDR3
Nvidia 310m w/1GB
500GB HDD
802.11n/Bluetooth
No ODD

but

izzit normal to feel slightly heat at the left side of the palmrest whn playing games?

and also, im kinda stuck in updating to the latest nvidia driver which is 258.96 as it keeps my notebook hang after restarting my notebook..

rite now currently using stock driver 18x.xx...

other than tht, everything's good

 

Thank you guys for the help. I found out that GenTech can ship to Canada..with some fees of course, and it's kinda customizable. I wonder if they offer the i5 upgrade as well..
Also I'm wondering why they don't ship the colour black to North America.. All the reviews I read in Chinese forums were the black model, but everything I've seen here are silver so far x_x

Edit: They do have upgrade to i5 cores, but this is pre-order too. I wonder when it becomes available

 

The U35JC is slated for Aug 23rd-25th.

Can't wait to get mine

 

Just in weight, you've seen the different numbers.

On the unreleased U35Jc, GenTech & Xotic both say 3.74 lbs. ASUS says 4.19 lbs. Different.

On the U45Jc, now released in a few places, GenTech, ASUS & Amazon say 4.63 lbs. Xotic says 5.1 lbs. Again, different.

To confuse things more, in the recent GenTechPC video tour of the U45Jc, they say it is 4.4 lbs!

How are any of us supposed to help you with this, given that you want a comparison with a laptop (U35Jc) that no one has in their hands and no reviews have been written?

No reviews for the U45Jc either, though it has been released in some places. I asked Odysseus for you if he even has a gram scale and can weigh his U45Jc+battery. But even then, we have nothing to compare it to since there is no U35Jc around, only the specs sheets with varying figures.

Even the U33Jc, that is near ready for release, and which there are several reviews that have come out today, has varying weights listed. The reviewed weights thus far for just the U33Jc are: 3.7, 3.9, 4.0, 4.4, 4.5 lbs. The reviewer at AnandTech said that ASUS told him it was 3.7 but he felt it was a tad heavier so he guessed 3.9!

But no one on this board can help you with the varying weights and thicknesses, where they vary, on a notebook not yet released.

UPDATE: kiz1983 reports that the U35Jc has just been released in Taiwan. I'll PM him and ask the weight.

 

We only get the silver color of U35JC in North America.

 

Kiz1983, do you have a gram scale or can you find one? Could you please weigh your U35Jc with its 8-cell battery and tell us how much it weighs? (Just the notebook & battery. Not the AC adapter.)

Thanks!

 

@Ken

I saw the video overview for the U45JC can you confirm that the lid is just plastic that looks like brushed aluminum? I always thought it was an aluminum sheet over plastic. Was this the same lid used in the UL30VT?

Thanks

 

Confirm the lid is plastic? Did anyone say it was plastic?

Ken told me the upper surface of the keyboard & palm rest area is plastic, but he said nothing about the lid. And in the video, the lid looks like ASUS' classic brushed aluminum lid.

 

said by gentechpc in response to a comment on the youtube video tour of the U45JC

 

u35jc tht i bought is from malaysia, not taiwan

the lid is brushed aluminium, scratchproof surface..

palmrest is kinda plastic, but good enuff..

weight is around 1.9kg, 4.18lbs...

 

I see. And is it true that the available date for U35 is Aug 23rd-25th?

 

Did you actually weigh it or just go by ASUS spec sheets?

 

lemme measure it again later...

im not at home rite now

but its weird tho as i cant update the latest driver... hav to stick with stock driver for now...

 

How thick is the U45JC?

 

According to GenTech PC it is a little over an inch thick at 1.06"

Definitely would like to see the true weight of the U35JC as well!

 

Remember... Staples equal every other store prize less 10% of the difference. Amazon.ca sell it 889$ I think... just print up the page and bring it to your local store !

 

Ah right kamikas, I forgot that Staples price matched! Though I think they're pretty sticky about it, hopefully they can't argue too much.

It also looks like Direct Dial is offering the U35JC for $865. It's a little weird to have almost a $200 difference between retailers but there's a good chance that the pricing will change closer to the release date.

David how much did GenTechPC quote for shipping? And did they mention what company they use?

 

Shipping Rates
USPS Priority Mail to Outside of US and Canada ($149.00)
USPS Express Mail to Outside of US and Canada ($189.00)
USPS for APO/FPO US Military Only ($59.00)
UPS Canada Standard ($46.54) *Insured
UPS Worldwide Expedited ($120.03) *Insured
UPS Worldwide Express ($133.91) *Insured
UPS Worldwide Express Plus ($177.11) *Insured

so 46.54 is the cheapest

Where are you planning to get it, fellow Canadians~? I want it NOW xD but no retail store offers it yet, and online store only provide pre-orders as of now..
But I really like how Gentech offers customizations though, I wouldn't mind paying a little more to get what exactly I want. Too bad there's no black version..

 

Lol tell them too call me if they refuse XD they can't refuse that. They will equal every prize you can find in a canadian store + shipping

Oh ! and if you take the 2 years warranty plan... they will exange your battery when you will get the half of the normal battery time... 150 $ for 4 years of warranty + a new battery...

 

How come I don't see neither Staples of Office Depot listing the U35jc yet? Where did you guys find the information that they will carry it?

 

I'm working there and I have access to special command Ingram website... you wont see it on the website or in store it's a special command... ask them too search on Ingram

 

Oh I see. Then how are we supposed to get it then? If not online or in store..?
Sorry if I'm misunderstanding something xP

 

In store you just need to ask it to a tech

 

Oh okay, thanks. So it is available already, or in August?
Please do post back if you got them to cut the price down xD.

 

I am thinking at this point, now that I found that XoticPC does upgrades, I may just get a U35JC with the i5-540M

 

don't worry I'm checking the stock every day... 4 of August is the release date. But you will not have it fast because its special command so... be patient you can wait 2 weeks after ordering it.

 

Just checked out this site too. For fellow Canadians, their shipping rates for U35JC:
Canada Shipping Options (15 lbs)
UPS Ground 3-7 Business days $57.00
UPS Express 1-4 Business Days (Avoids UPS Brokerage Fees) $129.00
UPS Express Expedited 1-4 Business days (Avoids UPS Brokerage Fees) $139.00
USPS Priority Mail $79.00

So it's a little more than GenTech but not by too much. Customizations and costs are a little different but no big ones

Edit: With the $33 cash discount, the total will be a little bit cheaper than GenTech
However, note that "All International Customers (including Canada) will have to pay duties/taxes/brokerage upon receipt of their package." I wonder how much that's gonna cost...

 

Indeed. The paranoid thing that I am interested about is their Thermal Compound options.

 

david, for brokerage and all that don't do UPS ground - you'll get killed by the brokerage. If you want UPS delivery go with the express option. Canada has some technological workaround where laptops that are new are exempt from duty. If you want to be sure, call the border services.

The only thing you'll have to pay is GST (and PST if you live in an applicable province) as long as your brokerage is covered.

Xotic didn't tell me that they do USPS - that's probably the best deal out of all of them because all you'll have to pay is tax + a $5 handling fee. Once again, you should definitely call border services and verify this but after hours of research this is what I have concluded.

kamikas thanks very much for the info

If it takes two weeks to get though I'm probably SOL...I leave for school before the end of August and would need at least a week to make sure the laptop is good to go. Regardless I want the U30JC-B1 anyways so I guess it won't really matter.

 

I go by what I see and feels and not 100% sure if it's real aluminum.

I have a W3J at home and it has brushed aluminum lid. it feels cold when I touch it but U45JC is different.

 

Hi Guys,

I'm new here. I just would like to share my experience with my new U35Jc.

I bought mine last Sunday in Taipei's Guanghua electronics market. Specs are:

i5 450m
4 GB RAM
Nvidia 310m

To answer a few questions posted here:

- The top is black brushed aluminum; very prone to prints
- The glossy LED-backlit display is very bright and nice; I am happy with it at half brightness all the time
- The palm rest and the whole area around the keys are made of some heat-resistant special plastic that deflects heat from the components; I love its feel, but it is prone to prints as well
- The U35JC does not heat up so much, but I only play Civ 4 and use Photoshop and Dreamweaver a lot
- Speakers/audio is not tinny but power is fairly typical for a laptop; I think it's good, but would prefer if it could go louder
- SRS makes the audio sound great with the laptop speakers; it sounds strange in a "barrelly" way when hooked up to my living room surround speakers
- Performance is impressive; the four virtual cores (2 physical) on the i5 is great; not sure what one misses using an i3 in the real-world though
- No hiccups while performing an AVG scan while applying filters to a huge image in Photoshop; of course, the filter took time to apply as expected
- Battery life is impressive; I think it can easily do 6 hrs with real-world use that includes some productivity work, Web surfing, and multimedia

I do have some questions for you guys:

I'm wondering if I should use the super hybrid engine (SHE). I noticed that it's pretty effective in keeping my processor clocked DOWN to save me 1-2 hrs more of battery time, but I did some tests and found that it seems to be pretty conservative when clocking UP. To be specific, I tried to apply some PS filters to an extra large doc, which made my CPU go up to the 80% range, but my CPU clock stayed at around 1.1Ghz. I was expecting it to throttle close to 2.4Ghz or even to overclocked speeds.

What do you guys think? Should I use SHE? Isn't it's overly conservative settings preventing me from taking advantage of the full power of the i5? BTW, I set the ASUS Power 4 Gear to "maximum performance" during these tests. I'm still messing around with the ASUS apps, thinking to uninstall/disable the ones I do not really need.

Thanks!

 

gratz on ur u34jc

about SHE, i didnt use it, juz use the power4gear battery performance when im on the move...

but i did notice i can push more on battery life whn i activate SHE.. but i can live with p4g as i can go around 6-7 hours online...

eh ur u35jc, can u update the nvidia to the latest driver, 258.96? mine cant

 

Congrats on your new laptop! If possible, can you share how much you paid?

In Hong Kong, the U35JC models only come w/ a i3 processor and 2gb of ram...