Asus W3J Questions

1.) Is the ATA hard drive in the W3J bad? Should it affect whether or not I buy this notebook? Is it slower than a SATA hard drive? How much slower?

2.) Is the 14 inch screen comfortable to play games on? Does it feel too small?

3.) Is the W3J upgradeable to the Core 2 Duo (Merom) processor?

4.) Does the W3J have a sturdy build? Is it solid? Is it built like a rock?

5.) Will the W3J last 4-5 years without becoming technologically obsolete?

6.) Is the W3J a good notebook for college?

7.) Is Asus support good? Is it reliable? Will I get screwed if I have a problem with my notebook?

 

1) Not at all. Maybe less than 3% difference between ATA and SATA. It's all only seen in benchmarks, you won't notice it.

2) I don't recommend 14" if you're going to be playing more games rather than doing work on the go. Look into a 15.4" at least. I know there's only 1.3" difference, but it feels almost huge when playing games. I dont recommend the W3J for daily gaming.

3) Yes, but it will void the warranty.

4) I wouldn't say its built from a rock, not as solid as the better built Titanium Thinkpads or those indistructable laptops, but its nearly drop proof if let's say you were to drop it off the table on a wooden or marble floor.

5) No, it will be obsolete in 4yrs, especially with 64-bit processing and new DirectX 10 video cards coming out. I would expect to you play games on good resolution for another year, and after that, significantly dropping the resolution to very low settings once DX10 graphics set in. Im sad by this also for my desktop as well as for my future to be S96J laptop.

6) Yes, it's decent, i recommend the modular bay battery. Just don't expect to be gaming so much on it, unless you decide to buy an external 17-19" screen, cuz gaming on 14" almost kills your experience. It feels like you're passively watching a movie instead of being into the game, cuz the screen is so small. Some people will say you sit closer to laptops than to desktops, but I find that to be absolutely ridiculous as my 19" monitor on my desktop is only 10 inches away from my eyes. I wouldnt keep a laptop closer than that.

7) ASUS support from stories i read is not as good as other companies, but def better than Alienware or Acer's. They will most likely fix your product, unless you voided warranty by changing CPU/parts, however I've heard a lot of stories it takes very long for them to do so.

-- My own thoughts: One thing i dont like about the W3J except for the annoying 14.1" screen while trying to game is the very bad choice of memory used. They put 2 x 512mb sticks each 533mhz. Not only you hafta spend a lot extra money to upgrade to the desired and recommended 2Gbs of ram for Vista and most modern games, but it's also 533 Mhz.. bah. Some ppl say diff between 533-667mhz isnt so big, but ive seen benchmarks and there is quite a difference. Also you void warranty by changing the ram. If something goes wrong, you're screwed unless you decide to keep the old ram, but in that case you're losing 100$ for not selling it.

Another bad thing is the lack of DVI port . This means you cant connect it to your nice HDTV/LCD that you will be forced to buy in 2008. (Bush signed the constitution they're cutting down analog tv's completely as of January 1st/2008, so everyone will need to buy Digital LCDs/Plasmas)...

Although a nice feature is the modular battery for an extra 119$ (?? i think thats the price). But that obviously adds onto the weight of the laptop for nearly 1lb and its only a 6 cell. A similar effect could be achieved by buying an A8Jm/S96J/Z96J and carying a 9cell in your backpack. Not only you'll get more life out of the 9 cell on the other models, but the models are also significantly cheaper.

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback. I think I'll just stick with my Dell Inspiron E1705 instead of returning it. I really appreciate your help.

 

yea man, u r inspiron is definately the better machine for gaming: nicer and larger screen, much more powerfull video card, more ram, faster CPU.

 

1) Benchmarking, thats it.
2) I think its pretty comfortable. I have a decent 17" Sony flat panel laying around and I haven't been tempted to hook it up. I've had a pleasent time playing with the 14".
3) Yes, theoretically and supposedly it is. However, given Intel's track record, most are taking a wait and see approach. Point is, given what Intel has said, it should be upgradeable. Keep in mind that doing so will void your warranty however.
4) This baby is a rock, not just any rock but a beautiful shiny rock. If you do research you'll find that Asus build quality is most generally considered second to one with one being IBM.
5) I don't have a crystal ball. There is no telling what direction the industry will head. Most likely it comes down to what you can tolerate. In 5 years will you care if you aren't running Vista? Will you care you only have a measely duo core processor?
6) Thats what I'm using it for and if you need the power for gaming I think this and the A8j sit a top the pile. It is what I would consider very portable and packs a punch too.
7) I have no experience with Asus support. I do have experience with Asus the company while waiting for the w3j. That said, my experience hasn't been very positive. Hopefully, given the quality of this unit, no or little service will ever be needed.

And Mystery, you are mistaken friend, the RAM in the US w3j is 2x512mb 667 mhz. But he is certainly right that the e1705 is a better gaming rig. You probably paid less for it too .