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

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by sl0519, Jun 3, 2011.

  1. RWUK

    RWUK Notebook Evangelist

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    So, is the CPU soldered into the socket on the U36? If so, is there any way to change it out? Even if it comes down to opening things up and taking a Dremel to the solder dabs?

    Gentec, you guys know anything on this?

    As for heat, it'll be a very close call for this laptop and it's already known for being toasty in Arrandale form. Based on all the overheating & throttling problems with other Sandy Bridge laptops out now, I'd not in the least be surprised if the U36 suffers the same. Hopefully Asus is taking the time to make sure things are problem free.
     
    RWUK, Jun 25, 2011
    #51
  2. Upabove

    Upabove Notebook Consultant

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    Upabove, Jun 25, 2011
    #52
  3. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    I didn't find anything about a black model of the LG.
    Temps are between 25-32°C and on the left side 32-37°C
     
    guliat, Jun 26, 2011
    #53
  4. Upabove

    Upabove Notebook Consultant

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    how is it that the temp are so low? Dual fan or dual heat pipe? You still prefer the asus u36SD, why? I like the size.
     
    Upabove, Jun 26, 2011
    #54
  5. RWUK

    RWUK Notebook Evangelist

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    RWUK, Jun 26, 2011
    #55
  6. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    @Upavove
    I generally like rather Asus than LG.
    And I don't like the design of the LG P320.

    The U36SD is a mature version of the U36JC, less problems hopefully.
     
    guliat, Jun 27, 2011
    #56
  7. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    Hey, just saw the configurations available at xoticpc. For those who are not
    happy with the i5-2410m, you can switch to the i7-2630qm,i7-2720qm,i7-2820qm or i7-2920xm. Im about to preorder the asus u36sd and was just wondering if upgrading to the i7 processor would take a hit in battery life and if it would generate more heat then the i5 processor. Thanks.
     
    vongola27, Jun 28, 2011
    #57
  8. viperabyss

    viperabyss Notebook Evangelist

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    The i5-2410m has a TDP of 35W, while the quad cores (i7-2630QM, 2720QM, 2820QM, 2920XM) have TDP of 45W. So you'll be more than likely to feel the increase in heat dissipation, as well as the drop in battery life.
     
    viperabyss, Jun 28, 2011
    #58
  9. jtay

    jtay Notebook Geek

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    with such a thin frame. it COULD be a problem. but only if asus did not account for ppl wanting to switch the cpu's as well as if they did not design their ventilation well haha...but for me. i think the biggest choice for me would be the difference in performance between the batt life for each... :p
     
    jtay, Jun 28, 2011
    #59
  10. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    True... The thin frame of the u36 might be a reason why not to put a quad core i7 in it. I also read quad core i7's are mostly suited for 15" and higher notebooks. I dont think ive ever seen a 13" and under notebook with a quad core i7 yet. Unless someone is willing to try haha.
     
    vongola27, Jun 28, 2011
    #60
  11. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    guliat, Jun 28, 2011
    #61
  12. Janne303

    Janne303 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Here in Sweden they say it will come to us around last weeks in july or beginning of august :(
     
    Janne303, Jun 28, 2011
    #62
  13. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    Yea.. the qm's are quad cores. The model's with m such as the i7-2657m ulv processor are dual cores. I'm a bit skeptical with xoticpc's offering of quad core processors with the u36sd... mostly due to the form factor.. but i may be wrong haha. I hope they can offer other i5 options such as the
    2540m or 2520m also.
     
    vongola27, Jun 28, 2011
    #63
  14. link101ooh

    link101ooh Notebook Enthusiast

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    I asked Xoticpc if the CPU was soldered and they said that the current info they have says it is not a soldered CPU. That is why they are offering upgrades to quad core i7s. The only way to know for sure is when they get them in, open them up and look at the CPU. Im still betting it is soldered though.

    To answer your question though, if it is soldered taking a dremel to it would not be advisable. The way to remove a soldered CPU is with a reflow oven or infrared BGA rework station. There are some places online that offer this type of service, like places that fix PS3 or xbox video problems. Just search bga reflow or bga rework reball in google and see what comes up.

    To change out the CPU after that is another matter. You would have to find a bga proc and see first if the laptop bios supports that chip. If the bios does support it then you would have to reflow the new chip back onto the motherboard.

    Actually, the way to tell if the new Sandy Bridge CPUs are LV or ULV is the last digit in their model number. The ones that end in 9 are LV and the ones that end in 7 are ULVs. Example: i7 2649M is a 25W LV CPU and the 2617m is a 17W ULV. The QM means that it is quad core mobile CPU.
     
    link101ooh, Jun 30, 2011
    #64
  15. Benchmade 42

    Benchmade 42 Titanium

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    Is thermal cooling going to be adequate when benchmarking/gaming long hour sessions w/o throttling down because of high temps on this think 13" laptop?

    Where are the speakers located and are they by altec lansing?
     
    Benchmade 42, Jun 30, 2011
    #65
  16. dannyp32

    dannyp32 Notebook Enthusiast

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    sorry if this has already been stated, but is there any news on a release date for the asus u36sd (i know its up for preorder...thats now what im trying to ask for)
     
    dannyp32, Jul 1, 2011
    #66
  17. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    I just checked gentechpc.com and it has it for early august now
     
    vongola27, Jul 1, 2011
    #67
  18. GenTechPC

    GenTechPC Company Representative

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    Yeah I check with Asus everyday and today they told me ETA is now early August :eek: :

    "Hi Ken,
    Yes. Supply chain is not very efficient now.

    We will continue to push."
     
    GenTechPC, Jul 1, 2011
    #68
  19. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is that only for the USA?
    Or do you think in Europe will be delays, too?
     
    guliat, Jul 1, 2011
    #69
  20. Janne303

    Janne303 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I want it NOW!!!
     
    Janne303, Jul 1, 2011
    #70
  21. dkukade

    dkukade Notebook Consultant

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    are there any reviews other than that random german one?
     
    dkukade, Jul 2, 2011
    #71
  22. Benchmade 42

    Benchmade 42 Titanium

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    Check the review by David on U36JC-A1, it is the same except for the gpu and cpu.
     
    Benchmade 42, Jul 2, 2011
    #72
  23. dyzfunctioned

    dyzfunctioned Notebook Consultant

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    So this isn't out till august now? Looks like I'm going with a MBP by default. Wanted Sony Vaio SA but didn't like build quality, then wanted U36SD but can't wait that long... erego, MBP 13" here I come =/
     
    dyzfunctioned, Jul 2, 2011
    #73
  24. Benchmade 42

    Benchmade 42 Titanium

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    Dyzfunctioned the U31SD-A1 is being release on July 5th 3 days from now at Gentech. It also sports the GT 520m w/ i3 SB cpu that weights 3.8lbs

    If you get MBP 13", you will suffer the wrath of Intel HD 3000 (Yuck)
     
    Benchmade 42, Jul 2, 2011
    #74
  25. viperabyss

    viperabyss Notebook Evangelist

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    I absolutely understand dyzfunctioned's logic. I'm pretty much in the same boat as well, only that I'm fortunate enough that my ASUS UL80VT is still chugging along until the N45 hit (yes yes I know, they look fugly). I almost considered getting the MBP 15", because I thought I was running out of time.

    It always comes down to timing: when do you need the laptop. If you can wait, there are always lighter, yet better ones down the road.
     
    viperabyss, Jul 3, 2011
    #75
  26. dyzfunctioned

    dyzfunctioned Notebook Consultant

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    Yea... I can hold out a bit longer but I've already been shopping for a new one for a year. And the latest I can order by is early August as I need it here before school starts and who knows when the U36 will actually be released and by then everyone will just be waiting for the LG P330 anyway..
     
    dyzfunctioned, Jul 3, 2011
    #76
  27. dannyp32

    dannyp32 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I start school in mid September and I'm also waiting for either the lg p330 or the Asus u36sd. Specs-wise the lg p330 looks like a much better option, but there's still no news on whether it will release in the US and i don't know if I can wait until October (I believe its suppose to release in September but by the time it ships here it will probably be October). I really want to start off the school year with a laptop (this will be my first laptop), but if i have to take my old desktop to wait for a the lg p330 then i might have to do so. I preffer the lg p330 over the asus u36sd design-wise and spec wise. I do think i'm going to be using a dvd drive which is one of the only reasons why i'm having doubts on the u36sd. And if im going to wait till september, i might as well throw in the ux31 as another option.
     
    dannyp32, Jul 3, 2011
    #77
  28. dyzfunctioned

    dyzfunctioned Notebook Consultant

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    Yea... My laptop gets about 90 minutes off battery life, just not going to cut it.

    I'd consider waiting for the P330 but there's conflicting reports on whether it will be released q4 2011 or q1 2012, it may not be available in north America, and it'll probably be out of my budget
     
    dyzfunctioned, Jul 3, 2011
    #78
  29. GenTechPC

    GenTechPC Company Representative

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    We don't know about Europe release date, Asus USA does not get involve with other regions release date.
     
    GenTechPC, Jul 4, 2011
    #79
  30. Janne303

    Janne303 Notebook Enthusiast

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    What date has the US then?
     
    Janne303, Jul 4, 2011
    #80
  31. mister_b

    mister_b Notebook Enthusiast

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    These release dates are getting out of hand. If it pushes too far into august I"ll have to go change my order cause I'm moving!

    Grrr... come on asus, don't let us down.
     
    mister_b, Jul 4, 2011
    #81
  32. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    vongola27, Jul 7, 2011
    #82
  33. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    guliat, Jul 7, 2011
    #83
  34. mister_b

    mister_b Notebook Enthusiast

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    I feel like that preview article is not reliable.

    The core i7 seems to contradict the point of the u36. If it was one of the low voltage dual core i7's, then maybe... but still doesn't make sense.
     
    mister_b, Jul 7, 2011
    #84
  35. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    You never know ... Xoticpc does offer quad core customizations for the
    u36sd when you choose to configure.
     
    vongola27, Jul 7, 2011
    #85
  36. mister_b

    mister_b Notebook Enthusiast

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    mister_b, Jul 7, 2011
    #86
  37. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    Interesting. Is the u36s the same as u36sd just named differently according to region?
     
    vongola27, Jul 7, 2011
    #87
  38. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    I think so.
    That guy also did a comparison video with the Sony Vaio SB
    Interesting, the U36SD is actually thicker than it looks on the press pictures.
     
    guliat, Jul 7, 2011
    #88
  39. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    Ahh I see. Thanks guliat. I also heard about another u36 model called
    the Asus Pro36SD. There's even a drivers page for it on asus' website.
    Upon researching more, I think it may only be exclusive to singapore though. The difference is that it includes an i7-2620m processor and
    a NVIDIA N12P GV 1G DDR3 VRam graphics card.
     
    vongola27, Jul 7, 2011
    #89
  40. Janne303

    Janne303 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Any release date now that he on youtube got one?
     
    Janne303, Jul 7, 2011
    #90
  41. guliat

    guliat Notebook Enthusiast

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    No, he had a review sample.

    In his video description he says U36S=U36SD
     
    guliat, Jul 7, 2011
    #91
  42. dkukade

    dkukade Notebook Consultant

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    pretty awesome review. however he doesn't really state any cons, there have to be cons it can't be a perfect product.
     
    dkukade, Jul 7, 2011
    #92
  43. ALLurGroceries

    ALLurGroceries  Vegan Vermin Super Moderator

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    The -A1B models (here in the USA) have the fingerprint reader. There could be different submodels in other regions too.
     
    ALLurGroceries, Jul 8, 2011
    #93
  44. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    vongola27, Jul 11, 2011
    #94
  45. Sxooter

    Sxooter Notebook Virtuoso

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    It's interesting that the guy reviewing the U36 says it's overheating. The hard drive is a very reasonable 37C (many laptops run HDs in the 45 to 50C range) the CPU is 80C which is actually quite cool for an i5 CPU which won't throttle until well over 95C, and the GPU is only 68C which is actually quite good as well, considering the max operating temp for the GT520M is about 85C.

    Many folks run much hotter CPU/GPU temps without noticeably higher failure rates, so I'm not sure what the reviewer is complaining about. Now if the CPU was at 95 and the GPU at 85 all the time I'd start to get a little bit worried about the long term life of the machine. But not the temps listed in the review.
     
    Sxooter, Jul 11, 2011
    #95
  46. GenTechPC

    GenTechPC Company Representative

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    Yeah the U31SD is in stock now and we found out the CPU is not soldered and upgradable, we expect U36SD to be the same. :)
     
    GenTechPC, Jul 11, 2011
    #96
  47. EXcaliberPC

    EXcaliberPC Company Representative

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    We believe the U36SD has been pushed back to August 2011.
     
    EXcaliberPC, Jul 11, 2011
    #97
  48. wicketr

    wicketr Notebook Enthusiast

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    The GenTech website shows all the optional configurations. There are 4 different processors, 3 of which are i7s. You can get it with more ram, and even an SSD preloaded.

    GenTech PC - Customize System

    Not sure why ExcaliberPC doesn't have any customizable options for the laptop.
     
    wicketr, Jul 11, 2011
    #98
  49. vongola27

    vongola27 Notebook Guru

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    Daang.. Was hoping they had at least an i5-2520m upgrade available. Quad cores seem to powerful for the u36sd.
     
    vongola27, Jul 11, 2011
    #99
  50. yromenapri

    yromenapri Notebook Consultant

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    Does this have an expresscard slot? Can't find anything that says it does.
     
    yromenapri, Jul 11, 2011
    #100
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