Asus UL30JT

According to this 3820TG review over at Notebookcheck, the temp chart shows that it doesn't actually run "really cool"; and by cool, I don't just mean internally cool but the temp of the chassis as well. Notebookcheck was getting about 50C on the back bottom-right. That's hot on the legs. And this reviewed model is the middle-of-the-road using the HD5470 GPU. The upper-level model several are looking at packs the HD5650 and should run even hotter.

A friend has a Lenovo Y560 with the HD5650 and it gets really hot on the bottom in various areas while gaming. Fast, but toooo hot!

 

When you are using the 3840TG (battery power) on your lap. It is switching graphics from the HD 5740 or HD 5650 to the integrated Intel GMA on the Core i3/i5. So it should be much cooler than just running a dedicated videocard.

When you are gaming. You should be using it on a desk or table.. and why touch the bottom? All laptops are hot/warm on the bottom or another area when you play games.

Name one laptop with a dedicated videocard (comparable to the HD 5650) that doesn't run hot/warm on the bottom or another area when you play games.

 

Why use it on my lap? Just because.

Two pages back, one user stated, "Both my HP computers get so hot that I can't even have them on my lap, so running cool is important."

I often sit, with my laptop plugged-in and on my lap playing a game or watching a HD video or HULU (with uses the discrete GPU), so, yes, heat on the bottom is important to some of us "lap-users"!

My U30Jc is mostly-cool on the bottom while playing games. One area gets slightly warm (certainly not hot or truly warm), but that's it.

So, you want me to name a laptop that doesn't run hot on the bottom while gaming? Easy. The U30Jc.

 

You play games & watch HD video on your lap while being plugged in the outlet? That's your own problem & decision to burn your lap. You are blocking the airflow to your laptop and that is why it is running hotter than usual.

The NVIDIA 310M is not comparable to the HD 5650. 16 pipelines? Really? The Intel GMA in the Core i3/i5 has 12 pipelines & is not that much slower than it (it just doesn't have stable drivers for games). The NVIDIA 330M has 48 pipelines and is more comparable to the HD 5650.

 

The U30JC has absolutely NO air vents or holes of any kind on the bottom. Nothing to block. I find that so awesome! It draws air from the front of the unit. And it doesn't run hotter than usual. That's the point. It stays cool.

Of course using it on my lap is my decision ... I just doubt I'm alone in that.

Yes, the the HD5650 is FAR superior to the 310M (and runs hotter.) But the 310M IS comparable to the HD5470 that was in the 3820TG Notebookcheck reviewed and said the bottom right was hot.

Nuff said.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Many people are buying the 3820TG and love it. I'm simply saying that not everyone has the same list of needs in a notebook. For some, the Acer 3820TG is perfect; for others, it won't be, due to heat or battery or something.

 

I agree with you on that. Both the U30JC and the 3820TG are great laptops. I would recommend either laptop. However, they aren't perfect laptops either, but better than most laptops out right now. They both have their own flaws.

 

Too true.

Now if I could just get a MBP chassis construction & MBP screen, HD5650 GPU & switchable graphics, an i-series CPU at 2.4 or better, 2.0 MP webcam, 7+ hrs of battery life while on the web, cool-to-the-touch chassis bottom and 100% Win 7 x64 compatability (not boot camp) ... I'll have found the perfect notebook!

 

haha. This almost sounds like the Envy 14. Just not sure about the 7+ hours of battery life or the cool-to-the-touch on the chassis bottom for the Envy 14. People are still testing it out.

 

I've seen an Envy. I'm not convinced the chassis & housing is molded from one piece of aluminum like the MBP. And the Envy is still plastic on the bottom. The MBP's main housing is literally a molded single piece of aluminum; and not a thin plate, but thick metal that resists abuse. People make the comparison, but from what I've seen, the MBP remains in a class by itself.

Some people strangely (to me) made a "MBP" comparison to the U30JC, but mine is a mere metal plate on the too-thin lid construction and an aluminum plate on the palm-rest & trackpad. Nothing like the MBP's utterly-solid & totally-aluminum chassis (and GLASS-covered trackpad!). And the MBP's screen, though a TN-panel like the rest, remains far superior to the pack ... including the Envy 14 screen.

I've got to hand it to the Apple team. They have really made an outstandingly tight and clean notebook in the MBP.

 

regardless of how good the envy is, i'll always be scared of hp laptops after the way my dozens of friends complained about theirs. baseless fear? maybe. isn't the envy pretty big too?

i'll never get an apple after my friend's experience with their customer service, which reminded me more of a brain-washing scheme. and being someone who likes to be able to fix the small things when things go bad, MBP is definitely not for me.

acer has impressed me as of late, but i like the UL series styling over the timeline x... but that's just a personal preference.
but asus has awesome warrantee

 

I was impressed by macbook air, but had to say what the hell, it's so heavy, after trying to lift it in the store, same goes with ipad, it looks thin but a lot heavier than the look.

 

ASUS does have an awesome warranty(ies).

My wife has a white 13" MB & an iPod Touch. I've had to go to the Apple Store 4 times in the last year, 3 just for the MB (serious problems where they replaced the unit or a major part) and once for the iPod (our fault). While it doesn't speak well of durability (!), yet in every case, the Apple Store has been incredible & bent over backwards to help us. I still like my PC, but I am blown away by my first-hand experience with our local Apple Store.

My wife plans to get a MBP next time as their durability record appears to be better.

 

just as a general question: i saw the benchmark CPU scores on notebookcheck. my current T7500 processor is ranked pretty high up there, but when i compare its windows 7 performance index to the lower ranking ones, it is actually lower. can anyone explain that?

 

What kind of CPUs are you comparing it to? Newer architecture like in the i3/i5/i7 CPUs or similar Core 2 Duos?
It could have something to do with how Windows 7 takes into account things like hyperthreading and whatever new tech is on the new chips. I'm not an expert but just a guess.
Also, I wouldn't be too concerned with the index score. More experienced benchmark people seem to pay it little attention.

 

i'd just like to know how it works. and i was comparing it to the i3 i5 um processors

 

the win7 index score comes from the bottleneck of the system. If you got core I7 having 8 points, but your gpu is a damn intel having 3 points, the index score will be 3.

 

Here is an explanation straight from Microsoft about Vista's version Link and here for Windows 7.

Also see here, they go in depth.

 

i at least know how to read the score breakdown, thanks...

i am guessing just because a processor is slower, it still can perform better with a better board and better design? more streamlined for the purpose that it is for?

 

This is how I think it works. Someone actually educated in processor architecture could say it better with confidence.

Even though the UM processors are slower GHz than your 2.2GHz T7500, yet your processor is a C2D. It has 2 cores & 2 threads. The i-series have at least 2 cores and 4 threads that act like 4 virtual cores. WEI isn't just looking at the GHz but hyperthreading as well.

When I look at Device Manager>Processors, it shows that I have 4 processors (4 thread) each running at a potential 2.26GHz. Everest shows the same thing.

Other items like L2+L3 cache will affect it as well. But the extra hyperthreading gives the i-series an advantage (I think) over the C2D in WEI.

 

THANK YOU... i wish i know how notebookcheck rank the processors now

 

I wonder why your store agreed to sell a sub-standard product like the current UL30JT-A1 with i3UM chip at a price like that.
Look at the competing price from Acer with the same chip but 11.6" display at Tigerdirect:
Acer Aspire Timeline X AS1830T-3927 Notebook PC
There is a difference in the size of the screen. But we all know that both screens are of very low quality.

 

And why are you making this comparison? Beyond the same processor, the two units are utterly different. For simplicity, we'll name the AS1830T as simply "Acer" and the UL30Jt as simply "ASUS":
Acer: 11.6" LCD / ASUS: 13.3" LCD
Acer: 3GB DDR3 / ASUS: 4GB DDR3
Acer: 320GB HDD / ASUS: 500GB HDD
Acer: Intel HD IGP only / ASUS: Optimus switchable graphics w/ NVIDIA 310M GPU + Intel HD IGP
Acer: 128MB Shared IGP / ASUS: 1GB dedicated GDDR3 for GPU
Acer: 6-cell 4400mAh / ASUS: 8-cell 5600mAh
Acer: limited 12-mo warranty / ASUS: 2-yr hardware warranty + 1-yr accidental damage warranty + 1-yr battery pack warranty
Acer: 1.3 MP webcam / ASUS: 0.3 MP webcam (oh, you're right. Acer's webcam is better. That's what makes them comparable. )

 

so after looking at the U35 specs, i must ask... what's the point of buying the ul30jt over the new u35? (other than it MIGHT come out first and MAYBE better palmrest?)

oh, and here's a box-opening of the U35:
???????? ASUS U35JC???? - Mobile01 ????

click on the links in blue to display the pictures

 

And also the U35JC has the i3 370M processor vs the ULV i3 330 UM the UL30JT has. I agree with you that the U35JC looks like a better deal than the UL30JT especially since they both cost the same at $819 on gentechpc and xoticpc.

 

in taiwan, the U35JC actually has i3 and i5 options and a few different processor options within those two as well. the palmrest has this design on that will probably hide your fingerprints should it be a problem. rated hours are about the same, despite having non-ULV processors. the hard drive it comes with is 7200rpm vs. the usual 5600rpm ones (not sure what the ul30jt comes with)

 

Deacy, have you actually SEEN the U35JC?

What is the area around the sides of keyboard, above the keyboard and on the palm rest made of?

Aluminum anywhere or just plastic?

Thanks.

 

I would think that the UL30JT would get better battery life, but since the U35JC will probably get about 6-7 hours of battery life (since the U30JC has the same specs and easily reaches that sort of lifespan on a charge), I think it would be better to go for a full fledged i3 rather than a CULV one. Although since the chassis is the same size as the UL30VT, I'm a bit worried about the cooling/temperatures.

 

I suppose it's the longer battery life of the ULV UM processor compared to the M processor.

 

Was the UL30VT prone to heating problems? I thought it was fairly cool. I'd have to back & look at the reviews to be sure.

 

I was referring to having a normal Core i processor in such a tiny machine. I hear the Toshiba Portege R700 stays cool, I was just voicing one of my nagging worries (of which there are THOUSANDS ). The UL30VT was (from what I hear) very quiet and very cool. The thing is, I assumed that the reason the U30JC was so much thicker than the UL line was the inclusion of an optical drive into a 13" form factor as well as the larger heatsinks and whatnot necessary to cool the i3 and 310m.

Also, @Kosha: Way to tell one of our valued informants to "go to _ell [sic]." I'm sure you'll get the information you're looking for if you insult the person with the capacity to find the answers for you.

 

You have no idea what you are talking about. The Asus UL30JT is not a sub-standard product. You have lost all credibility with me and everyone on this forum. lol. Funny thing is that own the Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG and I disagree with what you said about the UL30JT.

 

if you had followed my link, u'd have seen lots of pictures. no, i don't have it, but from what i've read, people who owns it said it's metallic palmrest, and claiming that the weight gain over the UL series is due to the conversion to more metal?

http://attach.mobile01.com/attach/201006/mobile01-4cee858862982e8cb383a84a437e45f4.jpg

btw, my guess is that the U35jc wll be a little warmer than the ul30jt. while they've claimed that they've figured out a way to use non-um processors in ultra-slim's, i'm guessing the thermal performance is still not as good.

the ul30jt is rated for 10+hr of use and while i haven't seen any official asus website info on the u30jc, i've seen pictures suggesting that it uses the asus super hybrid engine and can achieve 10hrs of battery life. perhaps this super hybrid engine doesn't work on um processors? and it looks like one has 10+ and one has only 10.... lol

 

I was directing my "go to _ell" comment to Asus. You would feel the same if you had to wait for a model half a year.

 

You didn't quote me correctly. What I said was that UL30Jt with i3UM processor is a sub-standard product. And the price does not reflect the quality.

It's OK if you don't always agree with me. I would be interested in knowing how many UL30Jt units with i3UM processor ASUS can sale at it's current price.

 

i'm pretty sure most of us have.

but from the looks of things, asus might have been planning to push for U35jc instead of the UL30jt all along

 

So other than the CPU difference, what other difference are there between the U35JC and ul30JT??? It seems identical, is there a build quality difference?

 

Sorry, Deacy. You're quite right. I hadn't looked at your linked pictures.

NOW having looked at them (above) and seeing the printed pattenrs around the lip edge of the palm rest and the molding & printing going sloped & grooved around the buttons and side of the keyboard .... that still doesn't look like metal to me, but plastic. I think it would be hard to do that with aluminum AND print on it.

We'll see once someone has one in his/her hands & can report directly to the thread here.

GenTechPC list the U35Jc & the UL30Jt BOTH weighing 3.74 lbs so I don't see that one weighs more than the other. The U33Jc DOES weigh a little more.

The "Super Hybrid Engine" is the merely the power saving manager name that later became "Power4Gear". Don't expect some great power saving from it. It's no different than P4G. That's just marketing hype. My ASUS 10" netbook has "Super Hybrid Engine." So what. Just a power saving mode app.

The UL30JT will get more battery life than the U35JC. Think about it. One is a UM ULV processor running at stock 1.2GHz. The other is an M processor running at 2.4GHz. Take marketing claims with a grain of salt (not too seriously). The UL30VT was rated for 12 hrs and got it. The U30JC is rated for 9.5 hrs and gets 8.5 hrs (about, on a great day). That's a UM processor & an M processor.

 

apparently the U35JC has a stiffer keyboard. that's about it (so far)

 

According to someone at GenTechPC, apparently not. Same chassis (essentially). Nearly the same features. Just the CPU difference.

Time will tell if the U35Jc has ANY aluminum on the chassis' housing.

 

Who's been able to type on both keyboards to be able to compare them?? :confused2:

 

@Kosha: my apologies. It seems that I was as hasty as I thought you were being

@Quatro: In that bit-tech article, they write that the Super Hybrid Engine allows for "automatic overclocking and management of its power distribution based on usage." I've not a clue what that actually means, other than "performance can be changed when needed." Is it really just Power4Gear with a new set of paint, or is it something more "automatic?"

That word threw me off a bit; automatic to imply that something happens without the user needing to change anything manually. But that's might be the kind of drivel that I dream up while in GRE mode!

FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUU--

 

Here is Asus' own page describing Super Hybrid Engine. I had always figured SHE dynamically adjusted the CPU power and I think this is in fact what it does.

"Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) is a technology found exclusively on ASUS notebooks and netbooks that monitors the system load and intelligently adjusts system performance and energy use to meet the requirements of the specific task being performed. It is smart enough to factor in the subtlest differences between CPUs, mechanical design and usage scenarios when making these adjustments—significantly improving performance while reducing the device’s carbon footprint and extending its battery life.

 

Well, yes, it does dynamically adjust the CPU power .... but so does P4G. You do note that in P4G's GUI, it has a min & max for the CPU for each state. So when I go into "Quiet Office Mode", the CPU immediately throttles down to 1197MHz and power usage fluctuates between 9.69W and 5.47W. If I go to "Battery Saving Mode", my CPU throttles down further to 931MHz. It seems to do this by changing the multiplier but not the BUS speed (which stays at a constant 133MHz). And according to that max & min, it fluctuates between the two speeds depending on the need/load I put on the system (and the power usage fluctuates as well, hence power saving).

My SHE on my netbook does exactly the same, but with only 4 modes, including a slight overclock mode and an "auto" mode, which merely means it sets the CPU speed depending on if you're on battery or plugged in.

Guys (if you're both actually guys!), I have Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) on my ASUS netbook under Win 7 and have used it for the last several years. Personally, I found SHE to be pretty stupid and did little to boost my battery life. The only setting that was "dynamic" was "auto" which meant the CPU speed was set by the power source (battery or wall plug) and put the CPU in either "Power Saver" or "High Performance". It's hardly something new with ASUS notebooks! Here's a little quote from a "how-to" article on SHE:

"The Asus Super Hybrid Engine is a software application that comes with Eee PC netbooks running Windows. The utility lets you adjust the computer’s clock and bus speeds so that you can squeeze more battery life or more power out of your computer, depending on your needs at the moment.

Normally, you can choose from four settings:

* Super High Performance Mode (which overclocks a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU to run at 1.7GHz)
* High Performance Mode (1.6GHz)
* Power Saving Mode (1.2GHz)
* Auto Mode (When you’re on battery power, the system will automatically switch to Power Saving Mode, when you plug it in, the machine will switch to High Performance Mode)"

Don't be easily beguiled by ASUS' marketing terms. SHE is just a power scheme that adjusts the speed of the CPU (and thus the power usage) as does P4G. The upcoming version might do it by adjusting the BUS or just the multiplier ... that may be in cooperation with the i-series processor, which also does some of its own throttling. And the updated version may adjust more by load/demand (my SHE for the netbook doesn't) but so does P4G within the perimeters of the min & max you set on the P4G GUI's CPU-settings.

 

Well, why wait for it if it is a "sub-standard" product as you harshly said to the XoticPC rep who has no relationship to ASUS beyond daring to sell this "overpriced" laptop? You sounded more like you were accusing him of some poor business practice.

Well, you didn't really even respond to my posted-lists objection to your odd comparison earlier ... beyond "both of the processors are the same".

You complained that the UL30JT was a "sub-standard" notebook, overpriced and then compared it to the Acer TimelineX AS1830T, which is an utterly different notebook (nearly a netbook)!

Okay, you feel " the processor is THE SINGLE most important part of the laptop". I think it is one of several important factors including build-quality, LCD panel quality, GPU graphics ability and dedicated VRAM (incl switchable graphics), amount & speed of RAM, quality, size & feel of the keyboard, length & type of warranty, ... just to name a few.

Your comparison to an 11" Acer notebook was really strange given that the only similarity between the units was the CPU ... and you complained that the ASUS was more expensive?? There's more to the sale price of a laptop than the CPU specs.

Try to find a more similarly-featured laptop if you want to make a comparison of price or an assessment that a given laptop is "sub-standard". So what's the "standard" to you? The little 11.6" Acer TimelineX?

If you're frustrated by the long wait for the UL30Jt, fair enough. If you feel the UL30JT should have had more features for the price and late-date of its release in the US, that's perfectly understandable.

But don't take it out on the poor XoticPC employee and don't make comparisons that don't make sense to others. Most people (hopefully) look at a LOT more in a laptop than just the CPU.

 

You are missing the point. i3-330UM processor is expected in a value oriented model like Acer TimelineX AS1830T not in UL series. Please check how much BestBuy is charging for their version of UL80J-BBK5 with i3-330UM processor.

I don't know about XoticPC but sites like B&H, J&R, or even Amazon has full control over what they want to sell in their site.

 

You guys are perfectly happy seeing i3-330UM processor used in a overpriced UL30Jt model when the rest of the world is getting at least i5-520UM. You must be seeing something that I am missing here. Help me out.

 

you are posting in two posts what you can easily post in one, help me out here...

the UL30JT is also notable for its design. the brush aluminum top is really a nice feature. it's also one of the early adopters of the nvidia optimus system. the chicklet keyboard is nice, it's standard 8 cell battery is nice. the asus warranty alone is worth at least $50 (probably $100, considering it has one year accidental) over its competitors. it has successfully overclocked um processors. relatively cool palmrests, and really, the best styling i've seen in anything under $1000 (Quatro will argue that the U30 has better styling, but i disagree ).

Maybe we've been slamming its faults for so long that we've forgotten what we liked about it in the first place. but don't be mistaken, it's still a damn good laptop, even with the i3, which is still an improvement over the original SU processors.



Quatro, i believe the SHE is different from P4G. How? i don't know. and regarding the keyboard stiffness, after going back to the source, it was a misread on my part. the author was noting that the keyboard does not have a lot of give/is stiff unlike the "usual" and not the UL30 specifically. sorry

 

Well ... of course the U30Jc has better styling then the UL30Jt. It's, like, ... shiny and metallic and ever-cool to the touch ... and just looks so solid. But I am ever full of patient mercy toward those lesser mortals who had to settle for the UL30Jt. We can't all have a U30Jc.

Now, then again, the U33Jc is an equally classy bamboo cousin and I welcome her as an equal into the CC (The Classy Club).

BTW, on that Best Buy UL80J, BB is listing the processor as an i3 running at 2.13GHz. The only i3 that does that is the i3-330M, not the 330UM that runs at 1.2GHz.

I'm intrigued by this. The BB version has mostly the same specs except:
1) a full i3-330M processor (I think) instead of the ULV 1.2 version
2) a 4400mAh battery (said another review) instead of 5800mAh (hence the listed 5' 24" battery life)
3) 1-yr standard warranty instead of ASUS' 2-yr hardware & i-yr accidental damage warranty
4) of course, since it is the UL80 version, it has an ODD
5) If the "T" in JT means Turbo33, then the BB ver doesn't have it and is the speed it is, but then again, if it is the full i3 at 2.13GHz, it doesn't need to be "Turbo'ed".

Any other differences any one can point out? Kosha (IMO) has a point that that's not a lot of difference for a $120 difference in price, and typically online guys sell cheaper than BB in their stores.

The close-up of the palm rest really does look like painted brushed aluminum:



Well .... maybe I'll let you into the Classy Club after all, but only if you promise to play nice.

 

the only problem is that you can have a smoke and just leave it on your palmrest while it's lit anymore XD