Asus W3J...

OK thanks that cleared a lot up.

 

Oh ok, asynch FSB/ram timing. That makes sense.

So the FSB runs at "166Mhz x4", all the time, irrespective of ram. If you put 533 ram in there, the system knows to only "put data on 3 of the 4 clock cycles", or... however that magic DDR stuff works . But basically, with 533 you would utilize 75% of the bus bandwidth, and with 667 ram you'd be utilizing all of it. But either way, the bus physically runs at 667Mhz all the time.

Which answers what my next question was going to be, "When we upgrade to 667 ram, will the CPU clock up to 2.0Ghz?", the answer to which is no, because the bus speed won't actually be changing.

 

I remember reading that performance is generally best when ram bus timings and cpu bus timings are the same, (for example, best performance occurs at CPU bus 333 mhz if the ram is also 333mhz, even better than if the ram was at 400mhz in several cases), does this not hold true anymore?

 

Performance is best if the RAM speed is a whole number multiple of FSB speed. Currently no FSB runs as high as 333MHz.

 

Is the w3j expected to come with a WXGA screen?

and...

I've read that (on paper) the Merom chip is supposed to be compatible with Yonah boards. Even if it is true, is it very likely?

 

LOL, if it's true, it's true. Why do you need to ask whether it's likely if it's true? Sorry, I can't resist. It's such a nice commentary on the present times when truth is merely a measure of degrees, hehe.

Anyway, I read that Merom is compatible with Napa as well. According to current reports, Merom will be introduced just like Dothan was: the first generation Merom will run on the Napa platform with 667MHz FSB. The second generation Merom will have its own platform, Santa Rosa, with a 800MHz FSB. The second generation Merom can run on Napa with reduced speeds.

 

Ahhh. I asked because I had just heard it on another message board. It quickly turned into an argument about how Intel has promised this same type of deal in the past and how they didn't fulfill. I don't know Intel's history well enough to comment so I thought I would ask here and get a second opinion. So basically, I didn't know any of the details

Thanks for the clarification.

 

Does anyone know if w3j is going to have built-in camera and microphone?

Thank you !

 

Built in microphone... yes.
Built in camera... no.

 

AuroraS - thank you !

 

i read the newsbit in the news forum and it said

"Asus Core Duo Notebook Releases and Availability

Asus is looking to the new Napa platform from Intel to be a major drive for its notebooks sales for 2006. They've launched six new Napa notebooks in Taiwan since the Chinese New Year and PROPortable has provided us with expected release dates and pricing on upcoming Asus notebooks for the U.S. market"

does this mean w3j is available in taiwan right now? my moms there for the week, if it's there and the price is the same, id tell her to get me one. any1 with info on this? thx

 

would anyone comment if this true or not? it is from topic "ASUS W3V or M9V? "

"...Asus have a reputation for getting warm but there are also many reports of the w3 series getting very hot underneath where the HDD is and gets quite uncomfortable on your lap. I don't know about the m9v but a friend bought and returned a w3v because it does get very hot underneath..."

thanks a lot !

 

I had a quick look, w3j is not on sale in Taiwan yet, if you can read chinese see
http://buy.yahoo.com.tw/?hpp=gdcat&catid=12173
bear in mind if you buy in Taiwan you NB will have chinese version of XP installed as standard. The prices of NB in Taiwan are generally the cheapest in the world.( as most of them are made there, and local taxes are very low)

hope this helps.

JC

 

Well yeah that's one reason I want to buy it in Taiwan too, cause everything will be in Chinese and it'll save me alot of time reinstalling everything into Chinese. Sorry but I'm more comfortable working in a Chinese Envirnment. As for price, well everything is cheap in Taiwan, especially when you can barter for the price , or have some connection to the dealer or the storage depot ^_-, but next time I'm going back is going to be end of the year... and I don't know if i can wait that long.


Do you guys know if there is going to be a new W2J model? I love W2V, and won't mind if they upgrade the video card to 256mb either .

 

thx a lot for the info.

 

Yes, the W2 will be available in Core Duo as the W2J.
It should have double the VRAM [ATI X1600 256MB].

 

Not true. The MacBook (available now) comes with 667mhz ram in all configurations.

 

Find an online store that sells it? its not for sale on the internet yet.

 

Crucial sells 667mhz ram now. Check their website.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820221043
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145048


pwned.

 

i was pwned. i checked when the acer notebook was coming out and none was available. and all the dealers said they werent out yet. when were they released i checked maybe 3 weeks ago.

 

I think i got it from when justin posted in another thread then he posted this the other day. But i was wrong.

 

http://www.samsungnotebooks.co.uk/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=192 &idproduct=593

full specs of w3j from uk site

also has w2j specs

both look fantastically tasty

 

it seems that w3j is going to have chipset 915gm. why not 945gm? are there any differences b/w them? i am just not an expert

thanks!

 

People who read these reviews should be warned... number one.. believe 1/2 of what they say.......... the "J" indicator on the model mean's it's a napa platform model.. the napa platform consists of teh 945 chipset..... period.

 

ProPortable - thanks !

spec from the link provided by philkempo says it.

ProPortable - is it possible to w3j be released at the begining or at least in the middle of March ?

 

woo! that site says 1.8! and 2 yr warranty! those make me happy -g-

 

Can anyone confirm with absolute certainty that the W3J will be coming with the Intel Core Duo T2300 CPU @ 1.66Ghz and not the T2400 @ 1.83Ghz?

I know Justin confirmed it in his sticky at the 1.66Ghz, but every other review or mention of it online that I've seen so far seems to be with the 1.8Ghz...and the same goes for the V6J. I believe I even saw a review/test featuring a W5F with a T2500!!!

If Asus is fitting these models with the higher specs in other parts of the world right from the start, why would/should North America get any less?

Also, A Canadian retailer claims he has had W5F and V6J models instock and for sale for the last 6 or 7 days, is this possible?

 

Also, does anyone know If the wireless card in the new
W3J has been upgraded or changed from the one in the W3V....or is it the same?

Thanks

 

CalibratedComa, the wireless card in the W3j is different to the one in the W3v. The W3j has a 3945abg card, the W3v has a 2915abg card. The new wireless cards are part of the new Intel Chipset design (NAPA), and are supposed to draw less power, be smaller and still have the same or better wireless range/reception.

As for the faster processor, i would also be extremely pleased if it was installed in the US model. Hopefully someone could enlighten us soon.

 

Justin,
Do you happen to know (or could take an educated guess) what the warranty will be like for the W3J?

 

Sorry, I just saw you posted the answer already.

"ENSEMBLE Extended Warranty Program
*Starting now, Asus' Extended Warranty will be SKU'd up as part of the Ensemble model line. An extra 2 year warranty will be optional in addition to the standard 1 year (Models with the 2 year warranty ie: V6va) can not be upgraded. The cost of this option will be $169
"

 

I know some people are concerned about heat. Do you think the W3j will have any problems playing games for an extended period of time (say 5+ hours in one sitting if a new game comes out and I get addicted). I'm not so worried about the heat bothering me but the heat causing damage to the laptop. Should I look into getting a cooling pad?

 

I can verify CanadaSys has the V6j, I was at their Markham location on Friday afternoon to buy some ram and they were installing PCMark and 3DMark on the V6j to run some benchmarks.

I'm sure Asus wouldn't release the laptop without a properly designed cooling system; they'd be faced with mass returns and RMAs if the heat damaged the laptop.

 

I've never seen a laptop actually have problems with getting warm enough for internal damage due to extended use. And my laptop tends to run 24/7 except for when I'm doing my commute

 

Can anyone comment on how this compares to the Sony SZ series?
thx

 

The SZ series has a worse graphics card (7400 vs X1600), 13.3" display, and better battery life. It also only weighs about 4 lbs, compared to the 5-6 lbs of the W3J. Personally the W3J is a better deal.

 

OH, I need something lighter. thx for the info.

 

Well the W3J weighs closer to 5 lbs.

 

You're looking at basically 5.5 pounds for both the W3 and V6 models with their standard US batteries and optical drives...

 

Thanks guys, you told me exactly what I wanted to hear

 

PROPortable, I just noticed you updated the Asus Napa models info with more detailed memory information. So the W3J is going to have DDR2-667 memory? If so that is great news. Do you also happen to know why some models have 533 while others have 667?

 

Thanks very much to everybody posting here -- lots of good info. This is now on my list for a must-have lappy...have a bulky Hypersonic Aviator (Athlon 3800, Nvidia 9600) that's due for a replacement.

 

BTW, I emailed PROPortable (his company, not the pres) to ask when they might have pre-orders available for this laptop on their site... the reply was to check their site in a couple weeks, as they think they'll have an idea then of how many they will receive and when. Hope that's helpful.

 

Yeah, right now we sense a much greater early order need this year than last.. and the w3v sold like hotcakes.. This year, with mainly just refreshed models coming out, everyone knows what to expect and are ready to jump on them. The only problem is I personally think this year we may not have enough units in the first shipment to satisfy all customers, which is one reason an advanced order hasn't been started yet. Once we know how many we can have, we'll set an advanced order up with a stock number... so people can see they'll deffinately have a unit from the first shipment.

 

Justin,

When the W3J does become available for preorder, will my credit card be charged when it ships, or right away? I ask because I'm planning on selling my Z71V for something like the W3J, meaning I won't have enough money to buy the new laptop until I sell my old one. If there will be limited numbers, I want to get in the first batch, but I don't want to get charged until it actually ships.

 

Well all of our advanced orders are actual orders, when you hit confirm on the order page, you essentially put a hold on your own credit card.... now, we don't charge the cards until they get processed, which means with a credit card, you just probably won't have that "credit" to use, but physically it's not ours yet either.

One thing that needs to be done with advanced orders is that there needs to be a point of finality where we need to physically start to process the orders and make sure everyone who have an order in, still wants it. With the huge amount of advanced orders we get when we run them, it's often like getting a months worth of orders that need to to out in one or two days. So, once we know how many we're getting and we have the best finalized specs available to us..... the day they hit the port we contact everyone to let them know as long as they still want it, we're starting to process the orders. This is because we want all orders to be processed and ready to go the day the systems come in.

Last year, I spent two days calling and emailing all the W3v pre-order customers and that was just a pain in the rear.... So we're going to run this closer to the delivery date and sort of make the order final.... I can't spent a couple days calling people to make sure they still want an order that they already placed.

... Ted - not sure if that answered your question exactly how you wanted... but technically we charge the cards the day the units get shipped to us from California.... but the day you put in your pre-order, if you don't have the credit available on your card... it'll probably deny you... Hope that explains it.

 

Well yeah it answered my question. I have a check card if that makes any difference. I recently made a preorder at gamestop.com, and they didn't charge my card until it shipped out on the 18th. This worked out for me because my paycheck wasn't deposited until a week after I placed my order.

I can live without my laptop for a few weeks, so I guess I could try to find a seller now. Do you know about how long it takes from the first shipment to the second shipment normally?

 

I understand.... A check card is not cool to use online... this is a consumer speaking, just knowing the risks... First, companies can take check cards for close to nothing, which makes it more like cash. So when I tell you it's not a good idea, realize there's a little more money it that potential sale.. But you have almost no protection with a check card... and what they legally have to do with a check card is physically hold your money. With a credit card, your "confirm" on the order page puts a hold on that amount of credit... With a bank, that "confirm" legally makes your bank responsible for the transaction and so they physically won't let you spend that money from the second you hit confirm... because obviously if someone was then to go and process the transaction, that money has to be there.. if it's not, the bank has to pay it... so that's why they don't let you spend it. So, all-in-all, just not cool to use a check card online... for your own safety and security, overall.

Usually it depends... but I've seen 2-3 weeks, especially at the begining because other models are coming out at the same time and that limits the space they have to ship..... and then the next shipment may be totally different models, etc...

 

Is there a specific reason why the W3J is shipping so much later than say the V6J...when both models are basically refreshes of existing platforms and they both basically have the same internals?

What I'm basically asking is if It's something specific like because of the graphics card/component availability, or because maybe they spent more time ironing out certain issues they might have had with the W3J that the V6J setup didn't? Is there any ONE reason why two very similar existing models, both being almost equally popular/anticipated would release almost a month apart?