Asus U41JF, U31JG

Just want to know how you like it? How it preform?

 

does it have USB 3.0, does it have the same 10 hr battery life?

 

It doesn't have USB 3.0. The battery life is stated to have that but most I have seen so far is about 7 hours on minimum brightness surfing the internet and reading PDFs.
It is a very fast notebook though in terms of the feel of performance. Having had it for just over a week it seems to be everything I was looking for in a notebook but there are a couple of annoying things that I am starting to get used to. The flex of the keyboard isn't as bad as it was at first after I took it out and put it back in again. Also, the flex in the area above the keyboard between the hinges is not so noticeable/doesn't affect me as much anymore.
The screen is actually really good in my opinion with good brightness levels and great colours (compared to my older notebooks).
One problem I seem to be having is that when gaming (NFS Undercover) there seems to be some sort of artifacting - the wheels seems to be displaced and background scenery flips quickly between many different types. But this only seems to happen infrequently.

 

I want to reformat U41JF and get rid of all the bloatware. If I download an official Home Premium X64 ISO from Technet/MSDN, will the key that is provided by Asus on the sticker underneath the machine work with the ISO?

 

All you u41jf owners did you guys ever consider any other asus models like the n43? I like the look of the keyboard in that model and the over all look but the battery and weight of the u41jf cannot be denied.

How are you guys liking the keyboard? Do the keys respond well how do your hands feel on it as oppossed to a standard computer keyboard that im used too?

 

Yes, it also worked with my P31F..

 

So, I just got the anti-glare screen protector I mentioned before. It is a KAI Screen Protector (or OKAI, something like that), made in Hong Kong. I applied it with some difficulty and it works quite nicely: I didn't notice any difference in the brightness etc, while there is significant improvement in the glossiness of the screen.

There is one major problem, though: The under-surface of the screen protector (that will stick to the monitor) is a dust attractor. Once a tiny particle or piece of cloth goes on it, you can't remove it (I tried everything) and it creates an air bubble around it. I ended up with a few of those on the side that I applied first. They are noticeable mainly in bright whitish backgrounds (such as the background of this forum). I'm posting a photo of my screen (taken with my iPhone).

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4zz0a4gahwix7dz/ScrProtect-Dirt2.jpg

What to you think guys?

 

I'm interested in doing the same. Is there a link to where I can find this ISO? I looked around at Technet and it appeared to be aimed specifically at the tech/industry professional, which I am not (just a home user).

Size/weight was a priority for me this time around and I considered the N43 a bit too large, although it looked interesting on paper. As for the U41 keyboard I'm finding it's definitely different than what I'm used to. The feedback is minimal and the keys are perfectly flat, unlike the concave keys I'm used to which provide good feel for where you are on the keys. I haven't had any accuracy issues so far with the U41 keys but I'm slower on it at the moment.

 

Here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

It'll work fine, but you may need to call the automated activation line 800 number to complete the activation.

 

You can customize a U31JG here: Asus U31JG-A1 13.3"/Core i3-380M/NV 415M 1GB GDDR3 + Intel HD/4GB DDR3/500GB/BT/Silver/ In Stock: GenTech PC Store

 

Looks nice! I think I'll buy it too

 

Thank you ALLurGroceries! I did some searches but came up empty.

 

Hi All, (Newb here)

I am deciding which laptop to buy once I get my cash. between now and April.
I have struggled between:ASUS U80VT/ASUS U45Jc-A1/ASUS U41Jf-A1.
I live in the Netherlands(Europe) now, but I will move back to Uganda(Africa).
what I really Like in a notebook:
1- Battery Life minimum 6hours(as long as possible)
2- Able to play 1080p videos with eas. (Power point + Projecting HD 1080P videos)
3- 14 Inch. (Must have DVD player but max 15inch)
4- relaible and cool (in de heat of Africa it must have some temp. headroom. and not breaking down far from any laptop repair service.)
5- Also A good extra can I manually disable: Hyper treading and CPU clock speed? While I am reading PDFs or typing documents, there is no need for 2.5Ghz. Can I set it at 1.3ghz in the Bios?

I think the only unanswerd questions are: 1/4/5.

Cheers

 

Hi Sizomu,
Regarding your first point, with only light web surfing or reading pdfs and typing documents, I can usually get about 6.5 hours of battery life with my U41JF. However if anything more intensive is done or videos are being watched online (youtube) then battery life does fall a bit to about 4-4.5 hours.
Regarding your fourth question about the temperatures, it doesn't get warm at all unless you are using the dedicated graphics card. With my current usage (right now I'm in lectures reading pdf and typing notes in MS Office) temps highest temp is CPU at 45C.
I'm really not sure about the last question though. I haven't tried to manually disable hyper-threading and have no interest in doing so. I don't think that the CPU being at 2.53GHz adversely affects the battery life or temps anyway (my opinion) so for me the power potential being there is more a peace of mind thing.

 

hi pkan, could you post some detalied pics of u41jf?

 

What type of angles or details would you like to see? I will do that in a couple of days when I get a better camera.

 

the Core I series downclocks all on it's own, using the windows power settings. You can manually change them (and set them as defaults, etc) easily enough.

As for hyperthreading, there is no gain to disabling it. If you can't do it in bios, you can use a windows registry tweak to get rid of it.

 

thanks Pkan for you replay. I am going to use it for:
- Lectures with projectors and power point.
- Typing and Reading pdfs. and some internet
- a Village cinema. connecting projector/beamer + a speaker system. playing 1080P Documentaries and Films. (that's why I think I needed a dedicated GPU.)
- Build quality must be good to last at least 2 years.

If Any has experience between these 3, pls give me your recommendations.

thanks alot, this helps.

 

bottom, right, left (for battery), for the other ones you do as you want.

 

Can anyone who has the U31JG comment on the build quality please? Since I cant find any review of the u31jg and that the U41JF seems to have poor quality from what I've read in half of the review I'm kinda worried that the 13inch would have the same problem. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Can any of the u41jf owners please post a video review of the laptop on youtube?

With Thanks,

aceshark7

 

or ... search for "u41jf review" on youtube.

 

There's none!

 

Pokemon species number 132.

Please help us out with a video, especially one showing keyboard and lid flexing!

 

Keep seeing keyboard flex listed as a con, what exactly does this mean? What part is flexing? What does it affect?

 

^^^bump^^^

 

I think you need to be more specific then. There are a few, they're just sales-reviews and promo shots.

 

I am interested in this. how long did it take to arrive? how much was delivery and do they deliver to UK?

 

Any artists here using the U31JG or U41JF? Just wondering about the quality of the screens on either laptop. I'm interested in purchasing one of the two in the next week, and would like to use it on-site for photoshoots. I've heard the screen is pretty bright (I'll be using a shade for it either way), and that the color saturation and contrast are good, but of course with no actual testing. Has anyone tried to use a colorimeter on these screens (I've got a Spyder3Pro)? Or has anyone seen these two laptops side by side? The main factor in my decision would be the screen quality. If they're equal, then I'd go for the smaller laptop.

 

Hey, folks! I need a laptop for occasional CUDA development, and it seems that u31jg is a nice choice for that. Now, I would like to make sure that CUDA works finely with it. Could you, please, help me on that? This will take some effort (~150 megabytes of traffic + 15-20 minutes of your time), though I will be really grateful for your help. Thanks in advance!

The steps that you need to take if you decide to help me:
1) Download and install "Notebook Developer Drivers for WinVista and Win7 (260.99)" from CUDA Toolkit 3.2 (January 2011).
2) Download a test application from NVIDIA: http://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/sdk/Projects/deviceQuery.zip
3) Unpack the archive and run "<folder where you unpacked the archive>\NVIDIA GPU Computing SDK\C\bin\win32\Debug\deviceQuery.exe".
4) Post the output of the application here.
5) Repeat steps 2-4 for http://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/sdk/Projects/deviceQueryDrv.zip.

P.S. All files linked above are hosted at NVIDIA servers, so they ain't malware, trojans and viruses.

 

Bump... I too am interested in the build quality of the U31JG. Any comments regarding keyboard flex (or lack thereof) would also be very helpful.

I can't seem to find any proper, decent (ie detailed and in-depth) reviews of this 13.3" laptop.

 

I'll be receiving my U41JF in the middle of next week. I'll post up my findings shortly afterwards.

Beyond just the quality, there really isn't another laptop that has the power vs battery life vs size that this one has. The main reason I bought it.

 

I just got the U31jg, there is an absolutely large amount of keyboard flex. Like enough that it actually throws off my typing a little bit.

The laptop is crazy light and really portable, but I spoke to an Amazon rep and she said that even if I opened it, and there was no damage to it, as long as I returned it within 30 days, I could get a full refund. So I think I'm going to return it.

 

Yikes, that is kinda alarming. Good thing you'll be able to get a full refund.

 

Got mine yesterday. A few quick impressions from a couple hours of use:

• Keyboard flex: mine is a bit bouncy in the upper right. There's movement throughout the rest of the keyboard, but nothing noticeable as I'm typing, even the upper right.
  
• Speed: this thing is quick! Coming from my C2Q 2.4GHz Q6600 desktop, I don't notice any lag in task processing. I'll have more info when I install Photoshop.
  
• HDD: it's kinda slow. Messed around in L4D2 a bit last night, and it took a while to load. Then again, I'm coming from a WD Raptor drive on my desktop. I'll be tossing in a Momentus XT soon.
  
• Graphics: awesome! L4D2 with max settings, 8x AA, and 8x AF, and no stuttering, even with a bunch of zombies on screen and random particle effects. That's pretty much the most demanding game I play these days, so I'm happy.
  
• Sound: the only thing I'm disappointed in. Not the quality of the sound itself, the positioning of the speakers. The left one comes out of the left, but the right one comes out of the... center? I can adjust the balance to recenter the sound, but it's kind of odd the way it works. It also loses panning noises by dropping the left speaker sound that much. I'll be digging around inside while installing the backlit keyboard, so I'll see what's going on there. Most of the time, I'll be using headphones or HDMI-out sound, so it's not a deal killer for me, but it may be for some.

 

Could you do any other gamings tests, like the Risen demo or something? I'm considering this laptop, but there have not been any real gaming tests at all. Thanks!

 

I've had the U41JF for over a month now and have done minimal gaming, but have tested it a bit. I ran Battlefield Bad Company 2 at medium settings nicely at native resolution if I remember correctly. It seemed to perform well, especially for a laptop. I had an issue when running L4D2 initially, in that it would drop out of the game to the desktop randomly. The game hadn't crashed, but I would need to click on the game tab in the taskbar to re-enter the game. It prompted me that it was an unrecognized graphics card as well, which may have led to that problem. From the sounds of it though, that has been resolved now. Hope that helps!

 

Awesome, thanks! Now if only I could find any U31 tests...

 

Downloading the Metro 2033 demo for tonight. :3 If there's anything that'll overheat and/or crash this laptop, that would be it. Installed Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue last night, and both maxed out framerates at 60fps with full quality settings.

 

I can't wait to join u guys, I just ordered a U31JG-XA1. I sold my heavy m50vm last year and can't wait to use this.

God willing everything reaches in one piece soon.

 

Just joined forum, but have been reading forums and reviews for days. I would love the U31 with its better graphics but found the U35 on discount(display model for under $700). Is the better graphics worth the $100? Also, is the display better than the U35, or they about the same as the U31? What about the high pitched whine I have been reading about for the U35, are any of you getting that with your U31/41? I am trying to decide and buy the U35 or order the U31 in the next few days. The only games we have now are SIMS, LEGO Star Wars, Flight Simulator. Would these work OK on the 310M?

 

Passmark shows the GT 425M (U41 GPU) being over 2x as powerful as the 310M. The 415 in the U31 should be a bit slower than that, having less shaders, but should still be noticeably ahead of the 310M. The 425M in my U41 is definitely a nice GPU, running programs that my GTX 260 can on my desktop (both at their respective native resolutions). The GPU was the big reason I chose the U41 over the U31. I really would've preferred the smaller size of the 13", but I would definitely miss the ability to play current games at high detail levels.

The question you need to ask is how much of a gamer are you? Are you planning on getting any newer games that have high graphics demands? Do you need the detail levels turned up, or are you OK with basic settings? Also, do you do any video editing or work with Photoshop? Most video programs and PS use the GPU as a secondary processor, so the faster the GPU, the better.

Another thing to keep in mind is battery life. The U41 gets about 50% more run time than the U35. The U31 should be similar.

Finally, I haven't had any odd noises. The fan does turn into a hairdryer when the CPU is being taxed, but that's about it.

 

Ok so ive had the u41 for a few days, still havent tried any cad work on it yet but heres what i feel so far..
on skype, the other end hears a static or buzz that is quite annoying, i thought it was the fan but when the fan rev's up the other person says nothing changes..
the keyboard flex issue is over rated, its totally fine.
the screen is smaller than what im used to but its working ok so far.

so thats how i feel about it!

anyone know why the other end of skype would be hearing that noise? ive been ina long distance reltionship for 3 years so i know the skype program inside and out:S

 

ok so i just got my U31JG-XA1 from amazon... im using it this minute!
i must say it is pretty fast. The keyboard flex? what u talking about...

it is pretty fast i must say. Really happy.
I was expecting it to be a little lighter but its all good.

Sorted that out... shutdown fully and the fan it worked normally

 

Definitely reinstall Power4Gear. It gives you access to power saving and overclocking power profiles. Once you have that back in, Fn + space bar cycles through the presets. You can somewhat adjust the fan inside each profile (active vs passive cooling). Passive will keep the fan off longer, though the fan shouldn't really be cranked up unless the processor is being taxed.

 

wickedestman, can you look and see where was your XA1 manufactured? I am curious if they come from Taiwan or China. And is the lid a black metal or is it black plastic?

 

Sorry i didnt update in time. Do i really need Power4Gear? I find it was VERY buggy to say the least. Everytime i changed a profile I'd have to log out and log back in for it to take effect...
I did a full shutdown and the problem was gone. Seems that restarting didnt take off the system entirely so it kept the same setting throughout.
That's what I know wrt to the CPU, and it wasnt being taxed at all, it was chilling at around 35C at 1GHz and the fan was 100%. Thankfully that's over now.
Thanks anyway BBT.

kent, under where the battery slides into has made in china. The lid is black metal and i believe its aluminum. It gets very cold as compared to the rest of the body so i can say its not a plastic. The hand rest area is surely plastic though.

Ok... guys... minor issue... so i ripped off one of those silly stickers. The one mark "10hours...." but it has left a sticky residue that is for the life of me, not wanting to be removed... any advice? i see use peanut butter?! that i am not doing... I tried methylated spirit, WD-40 and even vaseline! nothing... Its a rough surface so the glue adhered nicely to it in the grooves

and of course, any questions, ask away ^_^ (please not about games though, i dont plan on testing that)

 

@wicketestman - Whenever I get leftover residue from adhesives, I use an eraser. Just erase it like you would a pencil mark, and it should come right off.

What's the battery life on the laptop like?

 

Asus U31JG-A1 Review & Rating | PCMag.com

Do you guys know what the guys at pcmag are smoking?
Backlit keyboard? really? Can anyone here confirm that your U31 came with a backlit keyboard?

 

thanks keiyun but that too didnt work too well.
I actually im not using it as much as i should as i spent most of yesterday unloading a lot of the bloatware. I was supposed to go and probably use the clean install guide but im too lazy. When i got it, it had about 37% battery and it said it had about 3hrs left. I got about 2 hours until i plugged it in. I left it to charge to 100% last night and took it off. I'll see how much i get off it in the coming days as i have to install office, etc on it.

ncc, honestly, ASUS even has it on the label (see below) and it also has info on a 3G data sim slot (in the booklet) neither of which i have on this (or is it i dont know where to toggle to turn it on is!). I wanna believe the backlit keyboard mod will work though...

and i agree with pcmag wrt to the touchpad... it is... weird... it feels nice going horizontally... but vertically it feels odd. but minor