Asus UL30JT

Might as well wait till next year before buying a laptop. My point being, keeping up with technology is a costly investment. Buy now and don't have buyer's remorse otherwise you will never be happy

 

I think what is happening with this anouncement is that Asus is demonstrating Optimus in its current line of laptops. This site has just posted a review of the UL50VJ, which is an update of the UL50VT. Apparently, the only thing that is different is the Optimus. The Vj still has the SU7300 CPU and the GT 210M GPU. The UL30JT is being completely refreshed to an I5/I7. The CES display said it would have a 1GB 310M. I don't know of any 310M's with a 1GB (although it probably wouldn't be that hard to make one). The confusion created by the identification of a 1GB 310M has caused speculation about the GPU in the JT.

I am hoping that the lack of information on the UL30JT was designed to let Asus and NVIDIA roll out the Optimus concept first in advance of CeBit. But, we're still only guessing.

Bronsky

 

The Fudzilla article mentions the Core 2 ULVs in the new ULs, including the UL30Jc, which makes me think they would put a Core 2 ULV in the UL30Jt, if it ever comes out. This is bad news for those of us waiting for the i7 ULVs.

Additionally, no news on the UL30Jt. (The difference is the added optical drive (possibly Bluray) and thus extra weight.)

Add to this the announcement of Fermi and DirectX 11 GPUs, I might have to wait until summer.

 

why would you put a core 2 ULV in the ul30jt when you (asus) already put it on display at CES with an i7 ulv? that doesn't make sense.

 

Asus @ Facebook

U30JC but no UL30JT? Suspicious...

 

Because based on the older UL30* series, the only difference between them was the optical drive.

This article ( http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=868&type=expert&pid=7) mentions UL30Jc availability next week!

 

There's an article on Engadget about Optimus technology, but it was shown on the current model UL30Vt, not Jt.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/09/nvidia-optimus-automates-graphics-switching-promises-the-best-o/

 

It's U30JC not U'L'

 

The $900 price on the U30JC seems a bit high. It's not exactly light nor slim. The cpu could be a little better and the gpu isn't exactly great. The screen I'm sure will be typical Asus, which will be pretty average. Battery life should be good given that it'll have Nvidia optimus technology and an 8-cell so maybe 5 - 6 hours.

For that price the Sony at BB looks really good. i5-520, GT330m gpu, and 14" 1600x900 screen, and blu-ray drive. Asus will most likely have better battery life but I'm not sure what other advantages it offers.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...digo/9724013.p?id=1218159867984&skuId=9724013

Hopefully the UL30JT comes out soon because that's the one, I think could offer a lot for those looking for an ultraportable.

 

The U30JC is being released with a Geforce 310M. If it is released with a 310M/1GB, then we will likely have our answer about the UL30JT w/the 1GB 310M. If the U30JC is released with a 512 310M, then there is still hope that the UL30JT will come with a better graphics card.

I would guess we are still a couple of weeks away from knowing about the UL30JT.

Bronsky

Edit: My bad - in checking the U30JC thread it looks like the 310M in that machine is a 512 memory. Hope springs eternal.

 

naming conventions confuse me. I understand the numbers but I've seen JT and JC in these, and in the G73 I've seen them end in X1 and A1/A2? ?!

 

(link doesn't work)

I think the version available at Best Buy only has integrated graphics. It's available with a GT330 in other countries, but not the version availble in the US (where Best Buy has an exclusive agreement). If I'm wrongs, somebody please correct me.

 

Yea, you got me thinking, what exactly does the JT and JC stand for?

I remember reading somewhere that the V stood for video, as in video card switching and the T is for turbo...

So following those lines, I think the J stands for something to do with the new nvidia optimus. Maybe the J stands for 'joined'??

 

Does anyone else not like the enter button on the keyboard?

 

that keyboard is the UK design...when the UL30JT comes to the US, it will have a standard US keyboard

 

The Sony CW in the US Best buys has the I5/330M GT combo. The S model at Best Buys has the integrated graphics.

Bronsky

 

Ah excellent! Thanks for the good news.

 

i'm calm and waiting for this Asus Ul30Jt Peacefully....

 

Sigh, I hope they aren't waiting for CeBit, I can't wait that long! Need info now.

@rana; I hope that's sarcasm

 

I hope the Asus ul30JT has the new Nvidia "Optimus" Technology...!!!

 

SweClockers.com (swedish site I guess) has an article with specs on the UL30JT/UL80JT.
I can't read swedish but looks like google does a decent job at it:
http://translate.googleusercontent....&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiLCdPGyqzGM5-5B7FHyA2IgKsx6Q
As you can see, from what they're saying it'll have the i5-520UM cpu and G310M card... and they say it'll be released somewhere in the second quarter

 

Reads and weeps silently.

Bronsky

 

In terms of on-chip features, the i5 is no different from the i7, but the i5 will be slower (under 2 GHz) when on Turbo Boost and it will have less L3 cache. I have doubts about anything under 2 GHz running things like Flash or games well. Hopefully, a third party like xoticpc can put in a different processor.

 

until we get some sort of official press release from Asus, I am not believing anything regarding specs.

 

That brushed aluminum palm-rest sure looks hot.

Interesting that it has a WiMAX option... but it's too bad they couldn't put a better graphics card in there.

 

well that chart on sweclockers pretty much confirms that the JT will be using the nvidia optimus.
http://www.sweclockers.com/imagebank/201002/Ul30jt_specs001.gif

I think im slowly getting to like optimus. At first I didnt like it, because I thought that the automation would completely remove user control. But it seems the user can still choose intel or nvidia graphics.

 

Man, this thing's going to cost at least US$1000. Looks like I might end up going for the UL30VT after all.

 

Still using a 0.3 MP camera? That is absolutely pathetic. My eeepc has a better camera than that.

 

And if the sweclockers info is anything to go by, why exactly is the JT coming out in the Q2? Its basically a Vt with new processor only. I suppose the chassis is changed a bit --they're using the exterior finish on the inside as well; but if it is Q2, it's gonna be 4 months since its announcement before it's going to be sold =/

 

I suppose it's simply to maximise sales of the VT...it doesn't make any sense for Asus to make the VT obsolete within 2 months of releasing it. Better hold off on releasing its natural successor (the JT) for a few extra months.

 

So when do you guys expect the JT to be out I'd have to pick up a laptop before May for school so I guess m11x will have to be my option since this won't be coming out in time. But if this ends up performing well I guess I could then sell the m11x

 

I wonder if it would be too much to hope that the ul30jt will have usb version 3 by the time it's released.

 

They would have added on the spec sheet at CES 2010, because it's a good bragging point for ASUS. Unfortunately it will most probably won't have USB 3.0.

 

Since we are all waiting for news from ASUS, perhaps I can ask a couple of question.

I am looking to buy the JT (hence I am here). I travel quite a bit but I was thinking about setting up a home setup with a 1080 monitor and external mouse and keyboard. I understand that there is no real docking product for ASUS? Can I close the lid on the laptop and still have it working with external stuff? How hard is the switch between external monitor thru HDMI (I have a Dell and i really need to get into settings to operate the HDMI on it). Will the JT support higher resolution than its own screen (I am sure it will but just want to make sure).

Sorry for all the noob questions, but you guys seem to be here alot, despite any JT related news

Thanks

 

The answer is almost certainly "yes" to all of your questions. You set the closed-lid behavior of the computer through Windows 7 power options, and it's pretty straightforward to set it to "no action," which allows you to close the lid and still have an external display set up.

Switching between external and built-in display in Windows 7 is also easy. You just hit Win + P I believe.

As far as monitors go, basically if a computer has an HDMI port it will support any HDMI monitor out there. The one caveat is that the performance of graphics-intense applications. especially games, will suffer if you try to run them in the full resolution of the external display. But the UL30JT isn't for hardcore gamers anyway.

 

Thanks!

No, hardcore gaming is not the purpose for this JT.

Ok, back to normal.....when will this damn JT be released?

 

Thanks. That makes eminent sense.

So, are there any other UL (ultralite) notebook/netbooks anywhere that have currently - or have announced - USB 3.0 capability.

Why I'm so interested is that once USB 3.0 becomes widely available, its awsesome speed improvement will make those lacking it very envious of those having it.

I know this is the category "if you're going you wait for that one new feature or for the price to come down to whatever" you're going to wait forever.

But USB 3.0 is reality today and it would be a shame to invest in something "brand new" without that seemingly game-changing feature.

 

FYI, just to clarify the devices you connect to USB must also support USB 3.0, or else you won't see the speed increase

 

Yes but the CPU was different to that mentioned a few days ago here not to mention the 1GB for the video card has been debated a bit. Would be nice if they could just announce them to be honest however I doubt they want to take away from the VT's sales yet. As it is, it may not be worth reading too much into the specs, especially when so far they have been rather inconsistent.

The longer we have to wait I think the more likely things like USB 3.0 ect become but.

 

The upcoming ul30jt didn't stop me from buying a ul30vt for $799 from Amazon. I don't normally buy the 1.0 version of any hardware/software product. I'll let the bleeding edge folks pay premium dollar for something I can pay half in 6 months.

 

Except it won't have USB 3.0.

 

Acer has anounced (fudzilla) the first of the Ion 2 netbooks: the 532g. It is to have an atom pine trail and the Ion 2. The release confirms that the Ion 2 will contain the NVIDIA G218 GPU, the same GPU in the 310M, slated for the UL30JT.

I also read an article on techpowerup site that confirms that the 310M can be fitted with 1GB of DDR3.

So, it looks like the specs on the CES version of the JT are quite possible and the device will likely have a dedicated graphics card that will be ubiquitous in the next generation netbooks. I don't get the marketing strategy here. Then again - I don't have to.

How long before we see a manufacturer produce a 10" I3/Ion 2/2GB/7200 rpm HD that will perform close to the UL30JT's specs in a far more portable shell?

Bronsky

 

I agree. In my opinion asus choose an idiot VGA to the 30JT.

 

This might sound dumb, but are you guys saying the UL30JT is now no longer worth the wait?

Should I get a UL30VT-A1 now?

 

No. The VT only has a 1.3 Ghz C2D, while the JT will have at least an i5, if not i7. The 310m is practically the same as the 210m, but the CPU makes it worth the wait.

 

Gotcha, thanks!

 

It depends. From what we've seen, the UL30JT will have:

a) a 1.2GHz i7 640UM or 1.06 GHz i7 620UM, both with TurboBoost v. the UL30VT-A1's 1.3 GHZ Core 2 Duo SU7300.

b) a 1GB NVIDIA 310M (probably with NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching) v. the UL30VT-A1's current 512MB NVIDIA 210M.

On the one hand, make no mistake: these are upgrades, and while I suspect that most of the difference will manifest itself in power usage rather than raw performance, the UL30JT ought to be a higher performing machine in most if not all respects.

On the other hand, there's the timing issue: if you need a new laptop now, then the UL30JT is simply not an option since it hasn't even been officially announced yet. Remember too that if you're indifferent between the UL30VT-A1 and the UL30JT, then the former is only going to get cheaper as the latter is announced and ultimately released. That's an incentive to wait.

I don't think you're going to see a netbook any time soon with a processor/GPU combination that's competitive with the UL30JT. Perhaps in a couple of years they'll get close, but I doubt the UL30JT would be obsolete any earlier than expected.

 

The JT is clearly worth the wait over the VT. The performance increase from the I5 or I7 is a minimum 20% over the SU7300. The JT will have NVIDIA Optimus switching. The JT will have a 1GB 310M. These are all significant improvements over the VT and well worth a month or so wait.

It is just dissapointing to see the GPU that Asus is likely to put in the JT. It would not take a lot more effort to put a 1GB GT325M or GT330M in the JT and make it a world class machine.

I think that the JT will be eclipsed in a few months not a couple of years.

Bronsky

 

I agree on all accounts with Bronsky

 

I completely disagree. It would take a whole lot of effort, if not breaking a few laws of physics, to put a GT330M into the JT. The m11x at ~4.5 pounds is heavier than the UL30Vt (3.7 pounds), with a significantly smaller and bulkier 11.6" chassis. I can tell you where all that weight went, the heatpipes and cooling for the 330M.