Asus UL30JT

Mid March! Nice! I think I can wait for that, and thanks for uploading those pics, especially the naming convention one. And whether it comes with i5 or i7 ULV, I don't really care, I just want an Arrandale proc

 

Hey Joni....

Thanks for sharing the link....!!!

Yipee Yo... Yo Yipee Yo...

I'm doin Back Flips...!!!

Yipee Yipee Yo...!!

 

Thanks for sharing the info Joni... Can't wait for mid-march , almost there though

 

happy to share !

can't wait haha...

 

If you look at the amazon.com forums... there is a Asus employee that always engages the users there as well. He doesn't release much information because he said he couldn't but much earlier he released some basic information.

Like back when everyone was anticipating VT; he gave alot of news and answered alot of questions.

 

Don't trust that guy 100%, though. Either he lies (to sell existing products), or is not totally informed. A few times people have asked questions, and he has specifically said 'absolutely not' and then proven incorrect in just a couple weeks after.

 

Well for the VT, I remember almost everything he mentioned to be spot on. The only thing I remember that wasn't quite correct was "there will be no silver version" which maybe at the time wasn't something they planned and he couldn't confirm the batteries mAh.

 

Good to hear that there's finally some hint as to when the 30JT will be released. Anyone have any idea whether Canada will get it at or close to the same date as the states? Did we get the VT at around the same time as the states?

 

I vaguely remember two instances of misinformation... one was at the beginning of this year.. I can't remember what that was. The other was around the end of last year... Again, I'm lost on specifics, but someone asked "will there be a model X before the end of the year" in octoberish?... Asus rep responded with an absolute no. The guy said thanks and that he had purchased the current version. I think a month later that model X was released... so the guy got kind of screwed.

Not to discredit everything the dude says, it's great he/she is communicating.. just don't rely on the info 100%.

But it is GREAT news that the UL30JT could materialize in March. That would be perfect for my timeline

 

If it does materialize in march in the states, there might be a chance to grab it in april in canada in which case I have a huge decision to make whether to get the JT or the m11x. I was set on grabbing the m11x over the VT at this point but now that the release might be much earlier than expected; decisions arise!

 

exciting information. Perhaps the most exciting fact is that "specs" and "price" are not finalized... Possible upgrade of GPU anyone?

 

This link goes to a discussion about the vt, dated march 2009. The release date they are talking about is the VT!

 

And upon further reading, the reference you speak of is on page 9.

Even if it were true , it's good for the Germans, but what about Americans?

 

Maybe but a lot of people keep insisting on comparing this to an m11x. Asus has never claimed nor stated this was going to be a gaming ultraportable. If it comes with a better gpu than the 310m great, if not then who cares. The UL30JT, like the UL30VT, never was meant for hardcore gaming.

 

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-310M.22439.0.html

How did Asus manage 1GB of dedicated memory if the Max amount of supported memory is 512MB?

 

I suppose NVIDIA either lowered the max amount of memory or they just make a mistake in the specs (more likely):

From the 210M specs:

From the 310M specs:

The full 210M specs can be found here:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_g210m_us.html

The full 310M specs:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_310m_us.html

 

Guys, it has been well proven there is little to no performance difference going from 512 to 1024 med dedicated video memory. The fact that usually the smaller 512 meg overclocks higher can give that better performance.

 

If this thing comes with 330m or 335m (GDDR) i'll buy it. If not, M11x is my choice.
310m is just to weak for gaming.

 

I'd say go ahead and buy the M11x. I can't imagine there is any possibility of a 330 or 335. Those are performance cards and the UL30JT is not really designed to accommodate gamers

 

I understand what you mean. But i have time and can wait a while. I want a notebook (11.6'' to 13.3'') that can do 6000+ @ 3dmark06.
This asus looks good, but must wait to see what will come in it.

 

Don't hold your breath, just get the m11x. Why wait another 3 weeks or more for the UL30JT when the m11x is out now. No one, not even Asus has said that it would come with a better GPU than the 310m and I'm not sure why people keep holding out hope for it. More than likely it'll have the same specs as it did at CES, everything else you've heard is just a rumor or false hopes. The UL30VT wasn't a gaming ultraportable and I don't expect the JT to be either.

 

I assume you want gaming performance, why even look at 3dmark06 scores. You should be trying out vantage or something instead because it gives a better understanding of how it will perform in games.

 

3dmark06 was an example. People are used to it. And M11x has serious bugs for now, so i'll away anyway. Must see if it gets an update soon.
Gaming performance, as you said, is getting into smaller notebooks (13.3'' and below). We all can hope Asus will come out with something one day
This UL30JT is only failing on its graphics. I know Asus never said it would have a better chip, but till it's finally released we never know.
And its CPU is far better than SU7300.

 

Gaming on a 11.6"...laughable.

 

statements like this used to be made about laptops, in general.

 

I wouldn't expect the UL30Jt to come with a more powerful GPU as its main selling point is battery life.

The ASUS N82Jv will be 14.1" with a GT 335M, though, and it's likely to come sooner than the UL30Jt. Core i5 rather than ULV so its battery life won't compare, but it will likely be one of the most powerful machines for sub-15" gaming. The Lenovo Y460 seems like it will use an HD 5650 with switchable graphics - this means it will be a little more powerful, but the switching won't be nearly as convenient as Optimus.

 

I agree that the JT is likely to have a 310M variant in it. I would guess that it will be a 1GB if that was what was suggested at CES in January. I would also guess that there will be some news at CeBit about availability of the JT.

With the advent of Optimus, however, I think the GPU battery issue becomes less of an impeidment to putting more powerful graphics in a thin and light. In fact, with Optimus, I would think that would be the trend.

It looks like the most likely candidate to put an I5/I7 with a decent GPU in a 13" laptop next is Dell with its rebuild of the XPS Studio 13. Acer?

Bronsky

 

Well, the Vaio Z already has a Core i5 and GT 330M in a 13.1" size, but it's in a whole different price category and lacks Optimus.

Dell and Acer are quick on the uptake, so I can agree that they're good candidates for being the next to do it.

 

310m or better I'm getting it...unless Dell or somebody else releases something at the same time, in which case there are decisions to be made...

 

Yes, it does. I just returned mine. It had too many issues. I had a gap in the top of the screen that leaked the backlight, bugginess with the FN keys, The fan had throttling issues, the unit would freeze out of sleep, I got hardware errors during boot up periodically (6 beeps during start up + a windows hardware error), the screen's plastic cover was terrible, Dell/AW customer service and tech support is terrible. I think Asus now has an opportunity to fill in this niche market for an ultralight gaming machine.

 

It was quite tough depending on the game. RTS's were almost impossible. I did like playing Demigod on my M11x. Truthfully tho, I think 13" screens are min. requirement for gaming. When I went back to my 13" Macbook Pro from my M11x it seemed enormous...

 

And likewise i don't see why people can't hope for it.

damn it must've been massive then xD

 

You can always connect to an external display at home, and have enough power to play on the move.

These CPUs have integrated graphics, so it could use it for battery life, and nvidia for gaming.

I think the problem here is the heat and power consumptin generated. Vaio Z is not in this league (2500€ . And Sony have some serious issues with battery draining...

 

I meant the next manufacturer to bring a refresh to market. Sony's Z is already shipping and has been released for CTO. It is a monster of a machine at a lofty price.

Dell has discontinued the Studio XPS 13 and has indicated that it is completely redesigning the XPS 13 but it won't be ready for release until the middle of 2010. I think the thread is in the Dell XPS owner's lounge area. A redesign of the 13 from the ground up could be a good sign for those of us who would like to see more powerful graphics cards in a 13" I5/I7. I like the studio design from what I have seen.

I don't see Acer jumping into this "13" ICore discrete graphics w/Optimus" market right away but I don't know a lot about Acer's lineup.

Bronsky

 

Acer has a 3810 version with Intel and ATI switchable graphics, so its replacement may stay with ATI.

I've played Sim City 4 on an Asus EEE 901 (8.9" screen).

 

Not so fussed about the GPU to be honest (although it'd be nice). I'm hoping we get the i7 that was in the CES presentation and not the i5 that was on a later website. That and it'd be really nice if they could slip USB 3 in there given they seem to be putting it in a few other systems (even netbooks).

 

Typing this from my new UL30VT-A1. I gotta say...I absolutely love this machine. I can not believe the gaming performance out of this little notebook. Sure, it isn't a gaming notebook by title - but I can play the crap out of TF2 and Counter Strike Source!

The first thing I did when I got the notebook was installed an intel x25m, and I am astonished at how well it performs. I was expecting a half-step up from a netbook, and I got a desktop replacement (for my needs anyway)

So anyway, if this is any indication of the JT, I think all of you waiting are going to be incredibly well surprised when you get it. The JT is supposed to take this machine and improve upon it even further, unbelievable. I couldn't wait for the JT's release to get a new notebook - so I got the A1 and I am incredibly happy. If you are waiting for the JT and need a notebook now - I am not sure you can go wrong with a notebook like this one.

The keys are great to type on, the screen looks really good (much better than implied by reviewers), and the build quality is amazing. I haven't gotten to really wear it in yet, but if my first day is any indication I think I will be incredibly happy with this little guy for quite a while.

 

Congrats Adonis!

 

Thanks a lot man!

 

Congrats! Good read, you seem really impressed. This is a little off topic but I purchased the ASUS 24" monitor about a couple days ago. I read reviews saying it was impressive but lacked in certain areas which had me worried. When I received it, I was blown away by how great it looks and it has made me a fan of ASUS products.

On topic: I might just buy the Vt-A1 now and put an SSD in it like you did. How much faster does it run with the SSD installed compared to the HDD that comes installed? Are there any bottlenecks? Thanks.

 

Do it!! I purchased my A1 with the SSD thinking that there may be an off chance that I could ditch my desktop and go with this alone. I was really not expecting much in terms of gaming ability, but man was I wrong. I have been playing MW2 all night, and both looks and plays great on the A1.

On to your question. The performance with the SSD is stellar, and a huge step up from anything I have ever used before. My boot times are seconds. Opening large files and installing programs are insanely quick. One thing I do recommend is picking up an external enclosure for the 500GB drive that comes with the notebook. I got one on Amazon for like $10 shipped, and I am very pleased. That way you get all of the speed of the SSD and you don't have to give up the storage space of the internal drive.

The A1 comes shipped with a 5.4k drive, so the upgrade to the SSD is significant. The original hard drive is by far the biggest bottleneck in the system.

One other thing I would like to note. I have had a couple of netbooks, both the HP 1035NR, and an MSI Wind U100 and while I think they are great for notetaking the Atom processor understandably struggles with multitasking. I was expecting some of that from this notebook, being that it is a ULV processor, but I was dead wrong. Multitasking is a breeze on this thing. I am surprised how well it keeps up, and I don't see any of the stutter I had with Atom.

 

xAdonis, does having a SSD improve games performance?


Also, I am wondering what you said about Team Fortress 2. I thought the SU7300 was not very good for CPU-depending games like TF2 and other source games?
What settings are you playing at, in a 32 player match, and what FPS(frames per second) are you getting?

 

SSDs doesn't improve in-game performance. It will however, increase your load and boot times.

 

I think you mean decrease.

 

I heard someone say that it would help in games, that needs to access information from the hard drive. For example if you are standing in World of Warcraft in a very populated City, with a slow hard drive, characters and objects gradually pop up, but with a SSD things supposedly just come instantanious!?

 

I'm wondering, are some of the track pad issues people seem to have with the UL30A and UL30Vt going to be fixed on this model? I've never tried out an ASUS laptop for myself, but it seems like there are lots of complaints about the quality of the trackpad...or am I mistaken?

 

Whoops! Yes, you're correct; I meant decrease

I think this has more to do with the CPU rendering data more than the system trying to access the data from your hard drive. At least this is how it usually is for RTS games with a very populated/busy screen.

 

Just a quick question, what do some of you think about the HP 5310m? It's getting fantastic reviews and the laptop itself is built incredibly well with aluminum and magnesium (not brushed like the UL series are).

The only downfall is that its got a very basic video card so you will definitely not be able to game on this one, and battery life is the standard 5-6 hour. But other than that it looks pretty good to

Review:

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/hp-probook-5310m.aspx

 

HP sucks, just had a laptop die on me out of warranty. They had the highest % of rate failure according to a study done just months ago. Stay away from HP.

 

Fair enough. lol