Asus U36SD-A1 is now available for pre-ordering at GenTech, price is even cheaper than U36JC

GenTech PC - Asus U36SD-A1 13.3 inch Intel Sandy Bridge


13.3" 1366x768 Glossy

2nd Generation Intel Core i5-2410M
nVidia GeForce GT520M 1GB GDDR3 Optimus Technology + Intel HD Graphics
4GB DDR3 1333MHz PC10600
640 5400rpm SATA II 8MB
8 hour battery life
Built-in 802.11 Wireless N / Built-in Bluetooth
USB 3.0
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
0.3 MP webcam
Super slim and lightweight
12.9" x 9.28" x 0.76" (W x D x H)
3.74 lbs (with 8 cell battery)

 

Awesome! I will put my order in tomorrow. Any idea on the ETA?

 

I was told ETA 2-3 weeks.

 

will the review thread be this one or will a new one be created?

 

You can also order from this site which is the site that ASUS uses on the campuslife website, so it might be more official, better vendor: ASUS U36SD-A1 13.3" Notebook. ASUS U36SD-A1

And on that site in the right hand column, it has an ETA of July 5th.

 

Any word on pre-orders in Canada?

 

did you place your order yet?

 

I put an order in last week. Can't wait to get it.

 

can't wait to hear your thoughts on it

 

I'm seeing many U36sd popping up in froogle,

u30sd - Google Search

we're really close

 

Could you please also do some ~20-30 minute CPU stress testing with Prime95 using CPU-Z to show the temperatures and clockspeeds?

Free Software - GIMPS (link for Prime95, the .zip file is about 1/3 the way down)
and
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Thank you!

 

Sure. I've never did any kind of reviews or benchmarks but I wouldn't mind running some. I'll also tell you what I think about the build quality when I get it.

Can't wait to actually get it.

 

That'd be awesome, thanks a lot. The testing stuff is easy, just let the Prime95 do its thing while you watch the CPU's speed in the CPU-Z window. If it drops down to 1.2 gigahertz or so from 2.x Ghz, that would be CPU throttling you see. We don't want that. It won't hurt your comp though, it just means your CPU is running at the lower speed until it cools off.

 

whats the sandy bridge thing supposed to do for basic day to day activities?

 

That's a good question. I just spoke to GenTech and they said early July is the ETA.

I think I will wait until it's official release to pull the trigger.

 

I am thinking of buying a U31SD-A1... One thing i have to ask you guys is this... Is it possible to ask your reseller to not install any bloatware/asus utilities? Can you just get a fresh windows 7 install with no crap preinstalled?

Its getting tiresome to keep buying computers... and the first thing you do is maintenance. Reinstall windows, find drivers, blah blah blah. I mean these laptops arent cheap, is it too much to expect a usable pc out of the box? You pay for hardware only to have it run slow as molasses. Mac users dont deal with this.

Any idea?

Also, what happens if you do a hard drive swap? Does the optional recovery DVD you can get from resellers (gentech or xoticpc), allow you to install the OS on the new HDD? Or are you screwed?

 

Really interested in this... deciding between this, the MBP, and Toshiba Tecra.

Just want this to come out so I can see what build quality is like.

Where's the best place to buy/pre-order in Canada? If the place has a really good return policy I could maybe pre-order.

 

thats hilarious i just responded to your MBP thread in apple section.

 

Yea I think were both looking for similar laptops. It's tough.

 

@DeusEx & dyzfunctioned
I am in the same boat as you guys. Thinking about getting a MBP 13, but I am concerned about no discrete graphics. Hopefully the u36sd will launch soon and be available in canada soonish...

 

Yeah ill get one of hte asus 13 inchers that are on the market now. I need right click, and i do like windows UI better. Apple hides a lot of options to make everything simple and i dont really like that.

 

ya. Well I will be running linux on mine so the OS it comes with is mostly unimportant.

 

@nwadams Are you going to be trying out bumblebee or just trying to disable the card with acpi_call?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lin...e/473915-no-support-nvidia-optimus-linux.html

 

i asked gentech that when i bought the U35-JC and according to them they can't your best bet would be to custom build your own laptop/notebook/netbook. Even though I haven't done this yet i have a feeling it may not be that difficult, u'd just need some tools i think.

 

It becomes too expensive if you build it yourself believe it or not. It used to be a decent option years ago (i did that with my first laptop the Asus Z71V), but with ASUS no longer selling barebones , its impossible.

Its alright i guess i realized i have a win7 dvd. The first thing ill do after getting mine is press the power button, then go into boot menu and reinstall windows 7. Wont even boot into the desktop.

I have been considering the option heavily but so far my decision is unchaged. Even if the macbook is only 999 from microcenter. Both systems have its pros and its cons. I liked that with similar speced asus i got 3 year warranty so ill go for that.

Plus since asus was my first laptop i kind of want to go back to them again. really did like it a lot more than the dell i have despite the better hardware and the screen on the dell. Cant really explain it. Guess the Z71v will always be my "first"

Btw i dont know how you endure with linux. With such crappy flash support....dont matter which distro u pick u can never watch videos without stuttering anyway. sucks.

 

true it does run pretty high. i've always been to scared to do a clean install, incase i brick the damn thing. If you do get this one mind letting us know how you go about cleaning it up?

 

This is only the case with certain proprietary *cough* nvidia *cough* drivers.

It's not really an issue with their newer drivers, but it was for a long time because both nvidia and adobe were pointing the finger at each other.

 

I'm going to be trying out bumblebee...bleeding edge for the win...or at least until I brick something.

999 macbook eh? thats somewhat enticing...but the u36sd shouldn't be any more expensive...but I will have to wait and pay for shipping.

I have an old xps m1330 with intel graphics running ubuntu 11.04 64 bit. I haven't had any flash issues, my gpu can't render 1080p youtube very well but 720p looks very nice.

 

Sweet. Just don't follow git without keeping a close eye on MrMEEE, or you may find stuff like your /usr missing https://github.com/MrMEEE/bumblebee/issues/123

 

I've never used Nvidia+Linux but with ATI graphics, everything is smooth as it should be.

If you have a Win7 dvd already, you should look into 'returning' the Win7 license that comes with the laptop you buy. You need to take it up with the retailer and you can get refunded for the unused license key. I've seen the refund amount vary from ~$50 to over twice that but never done it myself. I plan on pursuing it for my next laptop though.

A clean OS install should be the first push into the deep end for any computer enthusiast. You can NOT screw anything up. Maybe if you load some alpha Intel RST driver or cut the comp's power in the middle of the install...but you won't be doing that. Brickage can be the result of a BIOS flash gone bad, reinstalling Windows won't brick anything. You simply have to follow the prompts. Just be prepared then with a usb stick of all the drivers you need from Asus's site.

 

dkukade it is impossible to damage your computer in any way by reinstalling the operating system (unless u drop it on the floor!)...

You just put the dvd in, restart the computer, and press F12 or whatever key brings up the boot menu. Choose boot from DVD and just follow the directions on the screen. Its usually only a few clicks away for a full reinstall. Even linux distros are that easy now.

So dont be afraid and do it. You will be amazed by the performance increase.

If you have any questions you can just google how to reinstall windows 7 and you can find guides that will show you what to expect. It really is worth your time take my word for it.

I used linux for maybe 1 - 1.5 years. I never did resolve the flash issues. Not only that, firefox would run REALLY slow, so i switched to chrome under linux. Basically the only improvements i got were:

1. faster boot speed.
2. No Viruses.

Besides that, general performance went downhill. (i tried ubuntu, linux mint and a few others).

Linux is pretty neat but never worked well with my hardware. Considering my dislike for windows i wouldve most certainly kept it if it wasnt for these types of issues.

But windows 7 looks to be solid so ill be happy to take that.

 

hmm then maybe i shall give it a whirl with this asus..thanks guys

 

Well,well,well...look what I found
NCIX.com - Buy ASUS U36SD-A1-CBIL I5-2410M 13.3IN HD NV GT520 640GB 4GB USB3.0 BT WIN7 Prem Black Notebook - ASUS - U36SD-A1-CBIL - in Canada

pre-orderable in canada

 

What happens to the ASUS/Linux quickboot OS option on the laptop if you wipe it clean with a fresh install of Windows 7?

 

You would have to reinstall expressgate because it resides on the C: partition.

If you don't reinstall it it will just fail to boot if you hit the expressgate button.

 

Thanks! I just recently stopped checking everyday lol
now to decide between this or the UX31

 

Can you remap the expressgate button to do something else? For example turn bluetooth on/off ?

 

In linux you can for sure. In windows you might be able to with asus nbkeys or something but I'm not certain: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/150016-asus-notebook-keys-v1-3-a.html

 

What's NCIX's return policy like? if you don't like the laptop can you return it or?

And what are the complete specs on this pre-order?

 

How can you do it in linux? I'm thinking about remapping mine to a little chrome OS partition.

i think ncix will charge 10% (or atleast they used to) if you return within 30 days. But if you pre-order you can cancel your order at any time before it ships if she specs arne't what you want. And I think they will contact you before they charge you anyways. I'm not completely certain on this.

 

If you take a look at the asus-laptop module source code, that's where the hardcoded definitions are in the kernel (drivers/platform/x86/asus-laptop.c). But I think the new machines are all coming with WMI instead, which uses a new driver called asus-wmi, so look at asus-nb-wmi.c in a kernel later than 2.6.39.

You can then bind them to whatever you want through gnome, or change them manually and recompile the module (those definitions are in include/linux/input.h).

The scancode is 0x5c (which is the same as fn+space).

 

Hi there,
I'm interested in the U36SD.
But in Germany there is only the U36JC with 1st gen. Intel Core CPUs.
The German ASUS website only lists the JC Version till now.

Should I wait for the SD? Or should I rather get the slightly thicker P31SD?
Any other differences between the U36SD and P31SD?

Thank you.

 

Besides being a bit thicker, I think the P31 has a more plastic chassis as opposed to metal, and has a matte screen as opposed to glossy. In Germany I think the P31 model is also a different color, grey.

 

Oh damn.
I just found out the P31SD has a matte screen and UMTS.
Does it really have 3G module, or was that shop wrong?

EDIT: I searched a bit more, must have been an error. 3G would have been a big plus for me.

So in total only the matte screen is better.
The U36SD is slimmer and lighter.

 

3G is an option according to the asus site, but I don't know how you get it. Maybe it means there is an extra mini pcie slot. In that case you could add a modem yourself if you wanted. I am not sure though.

 

Just a heads up -- I contacted NCIX today and according to the sales person I talked to this model only has 1 year of warranty + 1 year accidental... which is 1 year less than the standard 2 year warranty that Asus usually has on their notebooks especially at this level.

That's kind of disappointing... but I think it's something to keep in mind, since if we're going to shell out this much, might as well get the full package..

I don't really know what's the deal w/ the 1 year, but it's keeping me from pulling the trigger, atleast until newegg, amazon, onhop, canada computers stock up... cuz USUALLY at that price point they should have the 2 year warranty. (Gentec has the thing for cheaper and it has 2 year warranty!)

 

I noticed that. The warranty is through asus after 30 days not ncix. I am pretty sure asus has 2 years warranty on all their notebooks so I believe NCIX is just misinformed, but I will look into it before I buy

 

So basically we get newer processor and better graphic for this model. I pray the heat design is better than the previous u36jc model. This is like a perfect laptop . Thin and powerful is what I always want. Don't care if i have to pay premium for it but the cooling design must be good. It is either this laptop or the LG p330 for me.

 

@Upabove
Here is a German review LG P420-N.AE21G im Test Schmaler Schönling auf notebookjournal.de of the P420.

( Edit: I have the link with google translation )

I doubt that it is much of use for you, but I translated the conclusion that is written in bold for you.

Personally, I'd rather take the Asus U36SD

 

I've been noticing lately that Asus has been negotiating with a bunch of manufacturers, and they actually knock down the 2 year warranty to 1 year with their retailer so that the retailer can list a lower price, and also they can pick up additional business by selling their rip off extended warranties.

So if you go to Amazon.ca you can actually find a bunch of Asus laptops with the X in the code, and it'll be the same spec'd machine w/ 1 year warranty. Also if you check the bestbuy website (they're listing a ton of asus computers now, ever since they negotiated the sales of Asus' tablet) those will only have 1 year warranty too.

NCIX... usually has 2 except for machines hovering arond $5-600 but... no way of telling