Asus UL30JT

Anyway, I thought UL30jt will come with i7, but later in the discussion you guys say i5, or that's just for Europe ?

 

The ASUS product page presently lists the UL30JT ( here) as ONLY coming with the Intel® Core™ i5-520UM Processor.

I've not heard of any variations from that yet and I'm not sure where it's been released thus far beyond Taiwan (& Holland, I think).

Anyone know where it is being sold at present?

 

You can buy it in the most of europe now.

 

Does anyone know when the UL30JT with the i3 will be for sale? Like the i5 it has the newer design, more power than the SU7300 but hopefully more battery life (more like the ul30a series).

 

As far as I can read the i3 ULV's are just like the i5 chips, they just lack the turboboost function. Therefore they shouldn't give better battery life than an i5 like the one I have running in battery saving mode.

 

Anybody see the new HP TM2T? It looks like it will be a mini UL30JT. I5 or I7 UM processor, HD5450 GPU (similar to the 310M for 3D gaming but far better in multimedia applications), 12" display, convertable tablet, aluminum case, 4lbs. It will probably be available on June 27th when the envy 14 is released. If there is a good Bing Cash back deal then, you might be able to take one of these home for ~$850.

Bronsky

 

There's no indication that I can see that the UL30JT will ever come with the i3, only the i5-520UM, and why want an i3-350M? As cheller said, the i3-350M runs at 2.26GHz, can't be run in Turbo33 and isn't a ULV chip.

The i5-520UM can be run in Turbo33 at the same speed as the i3 and yet is a ULV chip.

Having said that, I'm enjoying my U30Jc!

 

No, I meant the UM series.

According to the world magazine of may/june the JT will come with:
i5-520UM
i5-430UM
and! i3-330UM.

According to some benchmark site (cant remember which one) the 330UM is on the same level as the current SU7300. (good enough for anything, but not gaming, something I'm not interested in)
The UL30A series has the best battery life for now, and the 520UM doesn't match that. I was just wondering if battery life could improve with the i3-330UM. Both chips have a TDP of 18w, but this one doesn't have turbo boost.

 

Oh, okay. But if the i5-520UM is stock-clocked at 1.06GHz and doesn't get as good battery life as the SU7300, why would the i5-430M or the i3-330UM which both have higher stock clocks of 1.2GHz get better battery life than the 520UM?

I don't follow.

 

Soooo...to the UL30JT owners out there, how are the heating levels? This review here says it runs a little hotter than the VT version.

 

Well, I own the U30JC, and mine hardly gets warm during gaming or videos. The exhaust gets warm or hot, but not the chassis. Excellent cooling. The best cooling I've ever had in a notebook. It doesn't even have any cooling grid vents in the bottom of the chassis; just solid black plastic (except for the component hatches). No vents to accidentally cover. All of the cooling pulls from the front to the left side ...

of course, you were asking about the UL30JT. But since you were asking about heating, I thought I speak up to incite a bit of jealousy :laugh: :tongue: .

 

The cooling is similar in the UL30JT.

 

Photos of the JT show heat-dissipation vents (grills) on the bottom of the chassis. Is that correct? Does your JT have them?

Mine's just solid plastic.

But as for cooling, I've heard that the U & UL notebooks in general do a pretty good job of dissipating the heat.

 

sexy. i'll be watching newegg for this. i'm happy with my g60jx, but the batt life sucks... so i have been thinking about getting a smaller footprint machine - this just might be it.

 

Hah! Nothing for me to be jealous about! I'm just weighing the multiplicity of 13"/14" notebook options I have on the table. What still drives me away from the UL30JT are the plastic parts and the mushy keyboard. Those two factors constitute the reasons I've still got my eye on a soon-to-be-refreshed Sony Vaio Y, Vostro V13, and of course, the HP Envy 14.

Don't get me wrong. Asus's notebooks are known for being of solid quality. I'm typing on a refurbished G50VT which is still running solid since December. But I want to make sure the machine I'm typing on 5-7 hours per day is reasonably light and excellent build construction.

 

I think my dream notebook would be a Sony Vaio Z ... but alas, I can't afford it.

At least your dream ones are affordable!

My U30JC's keyboard doesn't feel mushy to me, but that is a personal feel issue most likely. So are the bases/chassis of the Sony Vaio Y, Vostro V13, and the HP Envy 14 made of aluminum? Photos of the HP Envy 15+17 show a banding of aluminum around the sides, but still black plastic on the bottom. Is this the case?

My plastic base (with brushed aluminum palm rest & trackpad) feels pretty solid though a little thicker than I'd like.

The 13" MBP's look very nice to me as well. Solidly constructed and a fast-enough OS.

 

The Vaio Y still uses plastics but with a bit of magnesium to keep things sturdy and it's gotten excellent reviews for the keyboard and build construction. I'm not buying it unless they discount it by $100 as they occasionally did with the pre-refresh version. No discount=no buy. The Vostro V13's more or less all-aluminum, though as with the Y, I can't see myself buying it unless Dell releases a coupon for small business. I'm also looking at the DM4t which seems to be all-aluminum too. It's priced excellently once you apply the usual $200 off coupon. If the E14 doesn't fall through for some reason, I'll settle for it. The E14 like the Sony is also a hybrid, though it's mostly made of aluminum and magnesium. I'm not entirely sure what the bottom is made of, think it's plastic. I would've preferred aluminum as it helps dissipate heat a bit better, but gotta make compromises at the price point.

 

so when is the UL30JT coming out!?!
I need to buy a laptop in 2 weeks max, will it be available in aus by then?

 

Have you looked at the Australian online retailers?

I think the last I read, some on this site were ordering thier U30JC's from the US or elsewhere & having them shipped to AU and paying the customs. Would the UL30JT be like this?

 

OK I'm probably gonna draw a lot of fire for this from Asus fans but ...

There is a new version of the HP TM2 being released later this month. It will likely have the I5-540UM processor (we hope - preconfigured units in Germany at least have the I5-430UM - actually I am hoping for an upgrade option to the I7-640UM), it is a 12" unit, weighing 4lbs in a metal chassis with switchable graphcis and an HD4540 (roughly equliv to 310M) and, it functions as a convertible tablet. With HP discount I expect that you can get one of these for $850US.

With all of this power finding its way into a 12" unit, has the delay in bringing the UL30JT to market made its design less desirable? I'm really not interested in all the complaints people will have about HP vs Asus, etc or warranty issues, my point is that the TM2 looks like a 12" tablet version of the UL30JT. Even if you don't like the HP unit, how long before somebody else does this in an 11.6" unit? Is time passing the UL30JT by?

Bronsky

 

Someone posted about this machine a page back.

 

My bad

Bronsky

EDIT: LOL it was me!! I forgot I posted that. Dam!

 

I was just ribbing you a bit. I'm surprised there isn't a thread started for it in the hp section though.

 

There is a thread on the TM2, but its on the Tablet PC site. That was a funny rib.

Bronsky

 

I'm very curious about this as well, anyone have any idea?

 

Alienware just started shipping the M11x with Core-i series starting at $950. So I think that the JT will be out (in North America) any minute now. Will probably be cheaper than $950 with the 520UM (Alien tax is much more than human or even Apple tax).

 

I was going to buy this for myself.
But...I gave my daughter got a Asus UL30vt as a birthday present two months ago. A couple of days ago the screen became white.
The screen was broken (same screen as UL30jt).

Luckily we have good guaranties in Sweden. I thought.
Asus says that it was broken by, my daughter.
My daughter says: - No way.
(It's not a scratch on it. And Asus could tell this from a bad picture from a cellphone.
Noooo help from them.)

I say...the screen is tooo flexy. I couldn't recommend it because of that.
When I tried to pull the screen in the edges I saw a crack grow in the screen. And it was not much force involved.

If you are going to use it at home I can recommend it but not if you are going to use as a laptop.
You know, on the road, close it and open it.
Maybe I had bad luck but I would recommend you to feel the screen before you buy it.
The cost to fix the screen is 350-400$. Nice.

(Maybe look at the Acer 3820tg instead)

/Teaser

 

This damage is not covered by the Asus accidential damage warranty?

Bronsky

 

I'm afraid not. Can't get over this. I have loved Asus products.
(I still do that, but I will not admit it)
I do not love their support in Sweden right now!

I could have taken a separate insurance at the shop but that costs 100$. But since I work at an insurance company :yes: and knows that the standard guarantees covers a lot.
And I was sure that a fabrication (?) fault would be rapaired by Asus, as the law says in sweden.
But what can I do when they say that my daughter smashed the screen?

 

Now that, ladies and gentleman, is why constantly I harp on about build construction, design/engineering, and materials. People on slickdeals forums always groan about the price premium that Macs, HP Envies, Thinkpads, and Sony Vaios routinely command considering their specs. It's a textbook lesson in why that age old adage "You get what you pay for" applies when stories abound of that small business that switched from Lenovo/IBM to HP notebooks to "shave costs" only to find a few months down the road that spines and chassis portions were cracking and falling apart.


In this case, though the Asus UL30JT looks nice on paper, it's only good as how it performs in real life. A little flex may not always create a world of hell, but a few extra dollars spent on superior build quality can do a world of good and provide a bit of peace of mind. Seriously, to those who have more months to wait, I'd watch and see whether Dell decides to update the processors on the Dell Adamo and the Vostro V13. Both are made out of aluminum. The latter doesn't have HDMI, but I'm sure it's a great candidate for an i5-430UM upgrade. I'm personally watching to see whether the US version of the Vaio Y gets some proc upgrade love as it's soon to get in the UK.

 

I own a U30JC, and I've said from the start that the aluminum plate on the lid (same as on the UL30VT/JT) is far too thin. You have to be careful with it. It is indeed too flexible when compared to the plastic lid on my Dell Vostro 1000 or my ASUS 1000HA.

Aluminum doesn't always mean stronger. I'd not worry if I dropped something on my other two's thick plastic lid, but the ASUS aluminum lid will dent easily and is very flexible.

By contrast, the MBP's unibody is a casing entirely made of aluminum. The lid is thick and doesn't bend. It can handle a bit of abuse.

I baby the lid of this U30JC.

I like my U30JC, but the lid's metal plate is just that ... a thin aluminum plate of light-weight sheet metal.

Nuff said.

 

Looking at getting your laptop. Do you have a case for it?

 

Two, actually.

A thin, light-weight, Wenger bag with two large zippered pouches that have well-lined cushioning against shock and just fits my 13" U30JC in one pocket and can hold a legal sized 1/4" thick folder in the other.

The other is a Targus bag with two pouches and several zippered pocket areas and looks more like a traditional laptop bag. This bag is bigger and thicker and can hold a larger notebook. This one's good if I want to take along lots of papers & books.

 

Well, aluminum or no aluminum, my bottom line strategy is to always check reviews for flex. A bit in the keyboard area doesn't hurt as long as I'm not pressing down hard.

With that being said, the E14 deadline approaches, and I truly hope it's just about everything everyone's made it out to be. I'm still planning to buy a warranty for it and I hope I never have to use it. Hearing stories like the one just mentioned above about the screen will most likely knock the UL30JT off my list.

 

Well, the thinnish aluminum lids of the U & UL series are the same on all of them and nothing new. It would appear that 99.9% of people have no problems with the lids and I may be overly-nervous (I've not dropped any rocks or other heavy, sharp objects on it of late to test out my concerns. :confused2

What I don't get about the story above is that the 1-yr ASUS Accidental Damage Warranty should cover it. The ASUS ad says that it covers drops & spills. So why isn't it covering her notebook?

ASUS' page on the ADW says that certain retailers don't offer the ADW like Best Buy and others. Perhaps her Swedish retailer doesn't offer the ADW.

My unit required I send in a warranty card WITHIN THE FIRST 30 DAYS to get the extra ADW. Did she do that? The story seems odd to me.

What I'm getting at is for those of us who qualify for the ADW, it makes for an even better deal on the U30JC or UL30JT/VT, etc.

The HP E14/15 seem solid enough but that extra magnesium or aluminum or whatever the shell is made of makes it look even thicker & clunkier (to me). For sturdy and solid aluminum with no corners cut, the best seems to be the MBP, but I like W7 so I don't want to move over to the MBP (and it's more expensive.)

But as chassis go, I've not had any issues with any of my notebooks, be they Dell or ASUS or Lenovo. That plastic seems solid enough. ... though I did have a lid on a Compaq once that warped, but the warranty covered it. And I broke a Thinkpad once when I tripped on the cord overseas and pulled it down from the table onto the solid granite/concrete floor. It did crack in the corner. But I continued to use it another two yrs. But I don't get a notebook to protect myself from my own carelessness.

The aluminum in the ASUS looks & feels nice, but I don't think it makes it sturdier at all. But I prefer it nonetheless.

BTW, when will the E14 be released for purchase?

 

How about a sleeve? I already have a bag a 15" bag with a strap to hook in my laptop. Hope I don't have to get another one if I go the U30JC route.

 

There are several good sleeves for 13.3" laptops on Amazon. My wife bought a nice Case Logics Neoprene sleeve for her 13" Macbook. It has two zippered pockets in it and cost around $20.

Hers fits my U30JC fairly well. Its a tad deeper/taller but a close fit. My Wenger bag is more like a neoprene sleeve except with a strap. Very form-fitting & tight.

Just search for Case Logics Neoprene 13.3" laptop sleeve on Amazon.
Here is the link for hers, but there are lots of 13.3" Case Logics choices on Amazon, plus other makers as well.

 

June 27th.

 

FYI - I've had my UL80VT for approx 9months now... on several occasions I've come into the room and found my son (2 years old) standing on it, with the lid closed. But no damage to report of any kind.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Oh! Well, that's not a test I would want to have tried .... but glad he did it for me! Thank your son for me.

But let's hope he doesn't add jumping to his present test of your lid!

So no warping or bending of the aluminum in the lid after he stood on it? I suppose the chassis provides adequate support around the screen in that case.

Though when I take hold the lid/screen in two hands (while the notebook is resting on the table & the lid is up), I find I can easily bend the screen & lid in my hands; hence my concern. I cannot do this with my Dell Vostro nor my ASUS netbook. MBP's unibody lids are also equally impossible to bend in my hands. They're just a lot thicker aluminum and an entirely different shape.

The keyboard with its aluminum backing, if popped out, also easily bends in one's hands and can be easily warped (!) I've done it. The metal sheet supporting it in the chassis is fairly strong and doesn't bend.

That's why I suspect some people's complaints of keyboard flex is merely a warped keyboard not resting flat on its supporting metal sheet attached to the chassis frame. It takes only a very tiny bit of warp for the keyboard to feel like it is rattling slightly in its seat in one area while typing. The good news is that such tiny warps can be straightened out with work & feel. I've done that too.

 

So you must be fairly careful with it? I want something durable, but alas it seems you must make sacrifices somewhere.

I wanted to go to a mbp but since I would want windows 7 (for gaming. etc) and the other things you can add (ie warranty) i bowed up. I should just stop stalling and get the u30jc. It has received great scores from so many sites, reviewers, etc.

 

may i ask how long you've had your u30jc?

 

Double sided tape cures all.

Bronsky

Hey Quatro. I've been reading your posts for quite some time. I thought you were crazy when you bought the U30JC because we were all focused on the UL30JT which turned out to be vaporware for teh past 5 months). The U30JC did not look as sleek the UL30JT and there were a bunch of question marks about the performance of both. As it turns out, you made a great move. The high powered CPU's are far better than their ULV counterparts. Not only that, you've been using your U30JC for the past few months while most of the others have been waiting for their units. (just look at my sig to see that I am a long suffering potential Acer buyer ). Anyway, good move.

 

I've owned my U30JC since it was first released on Amazon at the start of April (8th). So it's been a little over 2 months.

The thinness of the aluminum lid doesn't mean (to me) it isn't durable. My U30JC feels VERY solid. It only means that it has its vulnerable spots. But honestly, when the lid is open, who (but me) pries & twists on the lid & screen? When it is closed, as the standing boy shows, the chassis & keyboard provide plenty of support for the screen. I do still think the lid could be dented if you hit or whacked it hard enough.

As well, the bezel is an odd flexible plastic around the screen that is barely popped on (tiny plug-like bumps) and can be easily pulled on & separated from the lower edge of my screen. Again my Dell Vostro & ASUS netbook are nothing like that.

Others don't have that problem, so that may be a construction issue with my unit from the factory (the workers were in a hurry?). I merely used two fingers to press firmly on both sides all around the edges of the screen. As I did this, little pops were heard as the bezel frame popped more firmly into place in the lower section. Several others did NOT have this issue so it's not a general manufacturing issue.

And it wasn't a big deal as it's fine now ... and who pulls on their screen bezel anyway (besides me)? That's on my lid.

My chassis hasn't had one weakness, including the keyboard. There was a very tiny warp that happened when *I* popped out my keyboard to see how it was seated and constructed. Others have felt a keyboard flex. I have never felt that in my keyboard. My keys are very quiet unless I bash on them.

The hinge is very solid.

I like that there are NO air vents on the bottom to accidentally cover up. That's kinda' cool. The U30JC draws air from the front and pushes it out the left side. My unit runs mega-cool. I've played games with it sitting on my legs (while in shorts) and I felt nothing except it being only slightly warm on the upper left side. The aluminum palm rest just adds to the feeling of cool-to-the-touch.

While it DOES add 3/16" more thickness than the UL30VT, plus a pound more weight, I like having an internal DVD drive. I use it at least once every week. And some are glad to have the extra space if they want to remove their DVD drive and put in an extra drive caddy (with the same cover plate.) Some are putting in an SSD + HDD.

When I open Word 2007 the 1st time after a boot up, it takes about 3-4 sec. After it is cached, it takes about 1.5-2 sec max. It's nearly instant. And that is with the stock 320GB 5400rpm HDD. Awesome! I generally keep my unit asleep so that it opens instantly when I need it.

I really like this unit and the look of it. I think it looks classy. A tad thick, but classy nonetheless. (And still lighter than my old Dell Vostro 1000 15".)

 

Ha! Yeah, I waited a month for the ever-elusive UL30JT myself and then gave in once I saw the U30JC and its specs. I didn't want the thicker body+ODD extra weight of the U30JC, but went for it anyway (I had seriously considered the 14" UL80VT, so I was prepared for an ODD-laden unit). I'm glad I did.

Now I like it. It carries well in one hand and doesn't feel overly heavy. I actually use the DVD drive most weeks at least once. I'd become fed up with my external slim DVD drive being seen and then not seen once I'd removed it and then reinserted the drive later. I had to keep rebooting Win 7 on my netbook to get it to see the external ODD. So the internal is nice. I can add an SSD later if I wish.

The U30JC looks good (to me) as well. I'm glad I didn't keep waiting for the UL30JT that we all thought would be out by Feb or Mar.

On using the 2.26GHz i3, man, after caching, Word 2007 opens in 1.5 sec on my notebook with the stock HDD. That is really nice.

 

Ask the turtle in my sig.

 

Okay ...

Oh, little turtle
in his sig,
When can we buy
that beautiful rig?

The Envy is coming
14 inches in all.
Don't be like the ASUS
and stall, stall, stall

Your buyers are waiting,
Put off by JT
Their eyes are wand'ring
to the mighty HP.

Your name is a symbol
of Envy & Lust.
So bring it to market,
We'll buy it. We must!

We've waited too long
For this vaporware model.
With the UL JT
They just dawdle & dawdle.

We're sick of it, ASUS!
We're sick of your twaddle!
So we're moving to Acer
Or an HP model.

At least they're consistent!
Their deadlines, they meet.
They don't make a promise
And then drag their feet!

Acer 3820
or Envy 14
is what we will buy
once it comes on the scene.

"Too little, too late"
is the UL JT.
So ASUS won't get
any money from me.

We waited & trusted,
– you never came through.
Who are we, you ask?
We're the buyers
That's who!

Dedicated to Bronsky, zeth006 and everyone else who's been hanging in limbo waiting for the UL30JT to one day appear.

 

This deserves some rep! NBR tells me I need to spread some reps around before I give Quatro some more. I'm on it...

 

Bravo! Bravo!