Asus UL30JT

Its funny how this thread was so active in the months leading up to the UL30JT launch and now that its here, the thread has died since no one cares about it anymore and everyone is flooding to the 3820TG/U35JC/U33JC/U30JC threads instead.

Asus definitely dropped the ball on this one.

 

Amazon.com is back to listing the processor as the i3-330um and laptop can be purchased again. However, it says: "Usually ships within 2 to 4 weeks."

 

This thread is probably dead but let's see if I get a response from anyone on the Asus board...

Right now I'm still undecided between the UL30JT or the Sony Vaio Y11S1E. And just in case you're note aware, the Vaio I'm talking about is the not the current one on the market with the U5400, it's the older model with the SU7300.

What I like most in the Sony is the better screen (viewing angles mostly), better keyboard/touchpad and construction/materials (magnesium alloy). The one thing that's keeping me from buying the Sony is the CPU, if it had an i3, I wouldn't be posting here. I think I'll miss hyper-threading, if you know what I mean.

In the other hand the Asus has a better CPU (i3-330UM), a little better battery life (so it seems) and is slightly lighter. That's about the pros of the Asus (that I care of). The one thing that's holding me back from buying the Asus is the overall design/construction, horrible screen and touchpad (my girlfriend has a U30JC and the touchpad sucks a bit).

I can get the Sony for 689€ (~$954 USD) and the Asus for 741€ (~$1026 USD).

Suggestions?

 

You might see a little improvement from the i3 but IMHO the other pros you mention outweigh the con of an i3 hyperthreaded by a large margin unless you do a lot of processor intensive tasks. Even then the i3 won't pull ahead by much. The SU7300 is a solid performer.

The one thing you failed to mention however is the GPU. The UL30JT has a nVidia 310m which blows the 4500MHD out of the water which is in the Sony. Unless that matters to you or not? If you do little to no 3D stuff then maybe your other pros would matter the most.

If it comes down to mainly the CPU's I'd stick with the Sony basing on your other pros you mentioned.

 

I didn't mention the GPU because I don't game nor I do 3D stuff and even if I did, it wouldn't be any heavy stuff. Of course, If I go for the Asus, I would probably play one game or two (I stopped gaming because my current laptop can't handle anything these days).

What I need from the GPU is for HD playback and probably would like to take advantage of hardware acceleration in programs like Photoshop. I suppose the performance for those using hardware acceleration from the GPU would drastically improve with a dedicated GPU against the 45000MHD, or is it really just for gaming and 3D stuff?

I mentioned hyper-threading because as a programmer/webdesigner I have lots applications opened at the same time and keep on switching between them. Like Photoshop, browser, e-mail, music app in the background, VMware, Visual Studio 2010 (of course, not all of them will be opened all the time). I just wanted to avoid stuttering as better as I can when using those apps and switching between them.

By the way, the apps described above is mainly what I use my laptop for. Also, this semester I'll be working the Oracle database (won't need to install a server though, the university provides one) and for the next one, I'll be doing some OpenGL programming (I guess the dedicated GPU would come in handy here but I won't be developing the next Crysis lol, I'm sure any card handles what I'll be doing). This new laptop is basically for that stuff, my university and personal work.

Would you still recommend the Sony? Is the dedicated GPU the only reason to go for the Asus? The hyper-threading is irrelevant?

 

I hope someone else will chime in because that's a tough question. However, considering what you're trying to do, the power of the Asus is probably your best bet then.

 

I think I'll go for the Asus, better safe than sorry right?

I really like the look and feel of the Sony Y, the Asus doesn't even compare. But I need a new computer because my 5 year old laptop is getting very sluggish and I need something to replace it.

I'm just afraid the SU7300 won't cut it...

These UL30 threads are abandoned these days, I won't probably have any more answers and I really need to make a decision cause I can only buy the Asus Saturday and before it runs out.

 

Naz,

I am a .Net developer who works with Visual Studio and a sql developer who works with Management Studio I would like to weigh in on your choice. I usually have 2-3 instances of VS open at a time, 1 instance of MS, at least 1 instance of Firefox open (3-7 tabs), at least 1 instance of Internet Explorer open (2-4 tabs), plus often I have a few instances of Microsoft word, excel, and or visio open too.

When at work my lovely company graces the developers with Core 2 Duo machines running @ 1.86ghz, 3 GB ram and it bogs down all the time. Often I get so much lag in my forms designer that I can count from 5 - 10 before I get a response out of the thing when trying to change the design of my form or web page. If Im working with Windows Workflow foundation you can forget it, the system becomes a exercise in futility.

When at home I develop on my laptop which is a Core I5-520m and 4gb ram. There is a tremendous difference in system responsiveness. It is like my home laptop is 1.5- 2.0 times faster than my desktop at work.

Multitasking is a must for developers so I would strongly recommend going with at least a dual core processor with hyperthreading and even a quad core if you can afford it.

If possible I would also go for a full voltage processor and not a low voltage processor due to the increase in frequency youll get. I know Asus makes some very good full voltage Core I3 laptop that still get 5 hours of battery life.

But if you want to stick with choosing between the Sony Y or the Asus UL30JT I would say stick with the Asus.

My laptop(see sig) is a monster on performance but is weak on battery life (only ~3 hours).

 

Thank you for your input

But a full voltage processor is out of the question. I want something light, small and with long battery life to take everyday to the university.

You seem to be a professional developer and although your input helps me make a decision, you still do more heavy tasking than I'll probably do while a university student. And I think (or I want to believe lol) that a CULV i3 will fit the bill for my current needs.

I was just afraid the SU7300 without hyper-threading would be a bad choice...

 

Im sure the CULV Core i3 will be fine. The core i architecture is a major improvement over the old core 2 architecture usually offering at least 20% and up to 50% more performance per clock.

Make sure to come back and keep us updated once you have had some time with your new laptop!

 

I hope so...

But the Sony just dropped to 621€ ($861.57 USD), it's a really nice price (almost 200€ drop from the initial price). They are probably trying to get rid of the last units cause it's a discontinued model.

But I think I'm better off with the Asus better specs for what I do. Like I said, better safe than sorry, right?

 

Always but being a student one time myself I also understand tight budgets and it can be hard to look past a low price.

Did you ever consider the asus ul30vt? Same as the ul30jt except with the culv core 2. Plus Asus has built in overclocking (supported under warranty) that lets you get quite a decent speed bump with the push of a button!
Its on sale at amazon now for $722!!!!

Link to product


I very nearly bought that model myself but back when I was shopping it was $849.99 and the sony I got was only $899

 

Nah... The VT is out of the question, for that, I rather go to the Sony, no doubt. Even if the Sony doesn't have that "overclocking" thing.

And strange as it might be, the VT is basically the same price as the JT.