Asus V6V versus Lenovo T43

Like both of these units.

What about the overheat problems reported on the Asus V6V - true, exagerated?

V6V owner come forward - is this a truly good laptop? Or is the T43 a better product?

Thank You

 

Nate, I'll give you this much..... they're not on the same level. The V6 is a tad lighter and has a larger, 15" screen. It also have a 64mb ATI x600 gpu instead of an x300. Both the V6 and W3 have been out for about 8 months now and there aren't ANY "overheating" problems at all. The ONLY thing anyone's ever claimed is that their right palm gets warmer than the left. This is really under full cpu use for a long period of time.

-The V6v is a great system - if you're looking for one, we've got a few left and you qualify for the discount program, plus an extra 1% on this particular model.
-The V6va is just an awesome upgrade from that if you're looking for even more and have a couple hundred in your budget.

 

Thanks for the insight on the V6V - sounds like the heat issues posted on some other threads/forums are exagerated.

I noticed the V6V comes with 512MG DDR2 400 and not 533. Can it utilize the 533 speed memory and would me upgrading /replacing the memory myself void the ASUS 2 year warranty?

Thanks

 

ask yourself this.. what kind of GPU you needs do you have? the T43 is a business laptop, the best GPU it gets is an x300. However it is available in both x300 and integrated GMA 900, and generally configurable on the IBM site, something which you can't get on Asus Ensemble models unless you do it on your own.

if you need something with a better GPU then the v6 series is for you. if not, then the IBM will be cheaper.

 

The V6v comes with ddr2 400 and the bus will accept 533 with a bios update. I wouldn't waste your time getting all new RAM because you're not going to see the performance difference and before you go and do that, I'd suggest you just get the V6va..... The V6v as is, is a great system and right now anyway, you can get a great deal on it and even if that's more than what you need..... it's a sexy unit and build and design wise.... it's above that t43.

 

perhaps the design, but how is the build above the t43?

 

Well.. reading the review done on this site... I love how the guy gave the t43 a 10 out of 10 for build and design...... the design is *blah* by anyone's standards........ But everyone knows that before Lenovo took over, IBM had a contract with Asus to design the next gen thinkpads because of their designs.......

But when it comes to build... ok, IBM's keyboards are the only ones that are better than Asus..... but all of their systems are heavier and I believe some of that has to do with thicker keyboards which would make them sturdier...... But other than that...... I don't know exactly what the t43 is made of, but the V6 is mainly carbon fiber, with the touches of aluminum (which mainly just goes to design) and then has the magnesium lid.... I'm guessing the t43 is all magnesium based on the weight of it being a 14" and heavier than the V6v. Carbon fiber is a better material for a notebook as the walls of the chassis can be thinner and still have the same strength..... So if anything, I could easily say they're just as strong, the t43 does it in a more old fashioned way (that's so 3 years ago). What's with the battery sticking out the back? I can see the need for that on a 12" system with extended batteries... but not as a normal battery on a 14".

Last thing I'll say is that the hinges on the V6 are better, bar none..... both in design and in build as well as function. This screen is going to start to flop around over time and due to the way the screen opens with those hinges, the bottom of the screen is basically just above the keyboard. This leads to a lower overall height of the screen which may be important to a lot of people who travel...

 

From what Abaxter and others in the IBM forum says, it's partially titanium. The hinges are metal and very sturdy

according to the weight mentioned on NBR and on your page
T43 15": starts at 5.3lbs
T43 14": starts at 4.5lbs
Asus Z70v": 5.49 with 8 cell battery
http://www.notebookreview.com/revie...eviewSiteID=13&brandID=9&productReviewID=2578
http://www.proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=102

That is the extended 9 cell battery Abaxter used. In the same review he had the 6 cell which sits flushed
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2477

As to the original question:

price wise.. using the IBM Visa discount. The T series starts at $1200, pricing will naturally vary on your configuration and screen size choice. However I have seen better pricing on the IBM board. ATM, IBM gives you a choice of free 512mb ram or a carrying case.

as for Asus, the cheapest V6V is on NewEgg which is at $1749
other resellers sell it at the fixed price of $1799 whether it be ProPortable, Geared2play, etc. Personally I'd pay the extra $50 because of the reputable service from ProPortable and G2P, heck, I've even seen Justin (the guy above me) help out Asus users who bought from somewhere else!

V6va is new and costs $1999. It has a much superior video card to anything the T series can be configured with and the V6v.

It ultimately depends if need the extra capabilities of the v6 series. You should ask Abaxter what he thinks, he reviewed both the v6v and t43.

 

I just received the V6Va today. The right palm does get warmer then the left, and to me that IS an "overheating" problem. I don't mind other areas of the notebook being a bit warm, but the couple of square inches where I have my wrists should be cool.

It probably is not a problem for most people, as I am a bit oversensitive to this issue. I will be using this notebook for hours at a time, where even a slight heat transport through your wrist will eventually become unbearable. The HD (which is the component located directly under the right wrist) seems to be around 39-40 degrees celsius during normal use, but the wrist area seems a bit warmer than that.
It is not as bad a problem as it was on my previous Dell D600, but that WAS bad. I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, holding my wrist and screaming "Please mommy, make the pain go away!".

Now, other than that, it is a sweet notebook. Light, stylish, and performing the way it should. The CPU fan is not annoying, and at near idle the CPU is at appx. 50 degrees celsius after undervolting. Got 2500 3dmarks05 right out of the box. Omega drivers and a bit of overclock could probably push that a bit. The GPU fan is yet to be found. Unlike the Z70Va turbine howl, it seems silent (if there is a fan at all), even during the 3dmark execution. Which is a good thing, as I have not been able to control any fans yet. Speedfan does not seem to be a fan of this notebook.

Is the wrist-heatup so bad I am returning the laptop and going for a Z70va instead? Not sure yet...I'll give it a couple of days. Suggestions for improving the situation are definitely welcome.

EDIT: BTW, the screen I got was non-glossy. Probably a scandinavian special edition, "V6882VAMP". Good screen, though. Not sure glossy is what I want anyway.

 

Well it's not an overheating issue, regardless of what you think...... I can understand your point of view but it's not exactly something that would hold up in court or something.... It gets warm depending on the speed of your hard drive, but it's also a factor of performance..... the more performance, the more heat produced, the more you may feel........ but you have an aluminum palmrest and a hard drive that is 1/32" under your palm..... use some thermal tape and reflect the heat if you're uncomfortable.


Now-- back to the t43 --- the hinges are metal... that's fine, I never heard of plastic hinges......... I'm talking about the design of them.... I guess you'd have to actually have a system witha hinge design like that and then one like the W1/V6/W2 to actually really understand it.

 

Maybe its just me, but someone who runs a shop that sells only asus systems will likely be a little biased towards those systems. Don't get me wrong, I love asus systems, I own a w3v that i purchased from proportable, but i have never heard any negatives about thinkpads, in fact i have heard terrific things about their build quality and quality of keyboards. a buddy of mine has a t series and though it looks a lil dull it is a rock solid system. I believe a conflict of interest comes into play when comparing systems that you sell versus a competitor. bias will always creep in. just my two cents

 

... no kidding, but what really pisses me off is when someone brings that up when it's convienent for them..... and not when I have a pile of new information that they like to absorb.

I'm not saying the thinkpads are bad systems, but there are reasons why say the keyboard is the best in the industry (it's made of more robust parts that make the system heavier). Right now we're comparing apples and oranges and if someone wants to understand WHY it's got the repitation that it does, it's for the reasons states above and it's overbuilt in certain areas...... but what makes it different is also what makes it heavier, which is an argument in itself. Does making a hinge out of titantium using an old design for a laptop screen hinge really do much? The answer is no....... It's a selling point and obviously one that they promote in their commerials, but the design of the hinge itself is bound to fail before what I'd call a "powerbook" hinge which is more like what the W1/V6/W2 have as they're more modeled after the powerbook models....

But the overall issue here isn't by bias, Thinkpads have sold themselves for years without new designs........ their' blah type business machines that lack a lot of the svelte that any of Asus' machines have... including the V6. Basically you've got a system that's built just as well, using lighter materials which are just as strong but can be half as thick as magnesium........ and by doing so opens the possibility of having a lighter machine that has a sexier design.....

.... I'm not knocking the thinkpads for their build......they are great machines..... but without a doubt they lack sexiness and the finer details that Asus' systems have..... and yet are just as strong.

 

while we definitely agree that Asus is indeed sexier. I've already pointed out that the Thinkpad is not heavier than the V6 using NBR and your V6 data page. Furthermore i've already stated it uses titanium in the chasis, not magnesium (that's MSI), and it's hinges are steel. This ends here since I'm pretty much repeating myself.

 

... no, actually I didn't bother to read most of what you said because of how they promote it....... they promote it as having "titanium" hinges..... and regardless of weight..... it actually should be almost identical, but the V6v is coming in about about 5.6 pounds with it's 8 cell battery and the t43 is at 5.7, is it not? I'm also not sure on what battery it uses, but that's beyond this argument.. it's a 14" laptop and the V6 is a 15"....... that alone makes this like comparing apples and oranges.... yes the t43 is a nice weight for a 14" system.... but the V6v is super light for a 15" in that case.

.... but as far as build.... that's fine, the hinges are steel.... just like everything Asus has used for at least the last five years on every system we've built........ the entire chassis can be titanium bt carbon fiber is still stronger, lighter and can be thinner than even titanium...... both are space age materials, but there is a reason more is made of CF today. This is like comparing a ferrari and a lamborghini.... sort of.... we can go back and forth and it doesn't make it any easier.

 

I've heard the T43's run warm and noisy, and most people on the Thinkpad forum actually recommend the T42's instead. Which means

1) I would probably not be very satisfied with the T43
2) Thinkpads are not perfect either
3) It seems that the combination of small/light and high performance still is quite troublesome, independent of brand.

With those rather annoying insights, I will probably have to sacrifice some portability to have the comfort I expect. Wish I could have the best of both worlds, but at the moment that doesn't seem like an option. The V6Va was extremely close, though...

 

who is "they"? also if you bothered to read, it would've saved alot of time, especially since you keep bringing up varying weight numbers and materials that were already stated on the first page.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1190314&postcount=8

my post in this thread ends here since I already posted all the information that there is with the sources of data and what I think the original poster should do. I've also provided a name of a reviewer who has evaluated both units, so that the poster could ask an opinion on. It appears that your opinions are based on the common view of the thinkpad, rather than looking at the thinkpad yourself.

 

I have not used the t43, but have used the t42 and other units and frankly I've never been as impressed as a lot of people are with them...... a lot of people who go from a thinkpad to an asus think the same thing and say the only thing that was better on the thinkpad was the keyboard, but not by much. I never started the argument based on anything about the t43 except for physically verifiable numbers.... you brought in other aspects which no matter how you put them, it still doesn't make the build better... but it doesn't make it worse either...

But hold on a second..... I didn't even see that post you just linked to...... yet I don't know how I missed it. All the numbers I was looking at, based on a review here at NBR and from thinkpad's site......... said the 14" was 5.7 pounds...... there's obviously a mistake somewhere, but if you're saying the t43 comes in a 15" and is 5.3 pounds or whatever... then that's an entirely different story and I apoligize....

Just the clear things up though.. in that post you point to the Z70v -- not the V6v..... and also, if you ever mention price to anyone in this forum...... try to remember that there is a forum discount and on something like the V6v, there is actually a $50 off sale that we've been running as well on the remaining stock....

 

For 3d-freaks, these are the stock V6Va figures:
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=1503881 (2605, after turning off "high quality" on the 3d-properties tab)


Out-of-the box, the Z70va I had here only got 2461:
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=1342182

The difference probably being due to the V6Va having a higher stock memory frequency (330 vs. 297).

 

.... install the lastest omega drivers and see what you get... you'll be impressed.

... Right now, after through a 100gb/7200rpm drive in the V6va I took for myself, it's certainly "the" notebook of December. They've been selling very well and for good reason.

 

Errr..where do I buy thermal tape?

 

any automotive or home repair type place. IF you put a 7200rpm drive in the unit, you're going to get all out performance out of what should be an illegal size.... you're going to have to deal with heat.... But from my experience so far the seagate 7200rpm drives are cooler than the hitachi and run about as hot as a 5400rpm hitachi..... so technically the "warm palm's" should only be about as bad with that drive in a v6va as the stock 5400 is in the v6v.

The main reasons Asus put a 100gb/4200rpm drive in the new v6va is because people said they'd rather more space... and a handful of people who commented on the heat of the hard drive, really blew it out of proportion. There is thermal tape under the touchpad on the V6va.... I didn't add any more when I put in that seagate 7200.... but you certainly can and it's not going to hurt anything.

 

Here in weirdo-land (Norway, that is), the V6Va comes stock with a 60 GB 5400rpm drive. HTS54-something, which I guess is a Hitachi?

Not sure I want to mess around with thermal tape on the inside just yet...I can still return it and have a Z70va. Of course that one is out of stock for the next month over here :-(

 

Correct..... HT would be a Hitachi.

If you've got a V6va and switch to a Z70va, you're going to be truly disappointed. "Messing around" inside the system is totally different than adding a piece of thermal tape if you so desired... the hard drive cavity is really sealed from anything else and you can certainly go in there without a problem.

 

Justin, how much battery life can you squeze out of the V6Va?

 

With the 7200 rpm? I get about 3, but I haven't had a need to "squeeze" the life out of it, so it's mainly running pretty good without much being used in terms of power saving. Battery life is going to be similiar to a z70va with similiar specs..... I would consider it excellent life for what it has in it, without a doubt.

 

With the 5400 rpm and brightness on 30% (which is ok for working unless you're out in the sunshine), I seem to be getting very decent battery life...more than 4 1/2 hours with WLAN on.
As an added bonus, the palmrest is a lot cooler when running on batteries. Probably due to some magic battery-saving mode of the HD and other stuff.

EDIT: This is, of course, undervolted to 0.7 volts and running on "Max Battery" profile

 

I think you could get a closer to 5 hours with the settings you're claiming above... but regardless, that's very good.

 

Do the Asus notebooks come with any useful software/features like in the case of IBM thinkpads, i.e thinkvantage. While a lot of people compare thinkpads with the new uber cool looking notebooks, they sometimes forget to mention that a notebook should be more than just looks.

This is where i personally think IBM is way ahead of others as i have found the included software in the thinkpads to be actually valuable, whether it's security features or power/batt utility programs to wifi settings. Since i have never had the pleasure of owning an Asus, i wonder what utilities/security features does it come with.

 

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. My Toshiba has a great power-management pannel, enabling me to squeeze out 2.5 hours of battery life from my old Toshiba.

 

As far as I know the IBM T-series does not use Ti in the chassis or lid cover. It was Lenovo (in their poor taste imo) that decided to tack on a cheesy looking Ti cover to their Z-series. Either use a fully-Ti lid or don't - rather than stick on a Ti plate that makes the notebook look like an overgrown can of sardines ...

Also AFAIK I'm not aware of the hinge-assembly on IBM notebooks being a problem. To the contrary, I've only heard good things about the hinge build-quality and durability.

I can't seem to find any info regarding the V6V/V6Va and carbon-fibre covers on the Asus site or the ProPortable site - can someone please point me in the right direction, as I'm quite interested in the growing use of "alternative" materials for notebooks.

For the record I'm an IBM R51 user currently shopping for an HP business notebook. I have no experience with Asus notebooks. I am not here to recommend IBM or Asus.

I will say this though - and its not a defense for IBM - IBM notebooks are definitely not for everyone, and not just in terms of their aesthetics. Yes, a lot of individuals and SMBs buy Thinkpads, but a good portion of them are sold thru large-scale corporate contracts, at huge discounts, with comprehensive service and support agreements. In other words, these customers are buying a lot more than the notebooks.

Just my $0.02

 

Yes, they all do... power4gear number one is their power management software which has gotten really good over the years......

... norton internet security.... which I delete or don't install anyway... but it's free.
... nero, asusDVD, some other software that's like a powerpoint software which some people like but I never even used called Mediashow, which is like a slideshow and PowerDirector which is to edit movies.
... they are even including a copy of MS Works Suite in the W2vb/W5ae... but not anything else..

 

The T series has Magnesium composite in the top cover and titanium and carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) on the bottom side.

 

I'm not sure about anything similar to ThinkVantage...however, they do come with a power profile utility called "Power4Gear". Also, I think they come with Norton Internet Security...other than that, it's pretty much just the drivers and recovery discs.

 

Thanks - I stand corrected

 

I was thinking of getting either the V3 or the V6va but seems like the V6va offers much more for just a couple hundred extra and much better performance. The Z series in IBM has been a bit disappointing since the cover looks like someone just slapped on a metal cover over a plastic as device mentioned. The t-43 sitting next to the Z-60t looks far better.

 

Another thing im concerned about the V6va is regarding heat issue. Does it have any problems like that? I don't mind if it gets a bit warm as im used to Apple 12" PB, which can get pretty hot. Speaking of the powerbook, how is the Wi-Fi performance of the V6va?

Im asking because the Apple PB sucks as far as Wi-Fi signal is concerned, most people have pointed it to the all aluminum enclosure which acts like a Faraday cage and weakens the signal of the Wi-Fi card inside the Apple PB.

 

The V6va even if you put in your own 7200rpm drive it's not going to get as hot as a powerbook with a 5400rpm..... two different worlds.

Your comment about the faraday cage is actually a good one, but the signal gets through the same as the other notebooks we've got. The W2 has the most aluminum and that is the same as the rest as well.....

 

Thanks for the info Justin. That makes me feel a lot better, especially regarding the Wi-Fi issue.

 

I bought a v6v from proportable about a year ago and the service was great.

I am having terrible overheating issues with the v6v. The "Aluminum" piece that covers the laptop right over the fan gets burning hot. The laptop occasionally shuts down because of the heat. I can rarely use it on on my lap as the right side is extremely hot.

I am not running games or anything, usual outlook, and other business related tools. I love the laptop, by far the best one out of a dozen I have owned. But I really need a fix for this overheating issue.

If anyone has any suggestions please post them.

 

compressed air is your friend

blow it in bursts in the vent

 

I have a few times. Only way to keep it alive for a day is to have a fan blowing right into it.

Believe me I have had dozens of laptops this is by far the hottest.

 

Well unless you live in the Gobi desert, then I'd say you have a problem..... I'd go with a very badly blocked heatsink/fan on the CPU..... open it up and give it the compressed air treatment.

As for thinkpads hinges... they are good but they do become loose over time and then the screen falls over flat backwards or forwards...

My dad had a friends one in pieces trying to fix it and the AC socket which broke..

insane

 

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=138273

Your HS could look liek this