Asus W3J...

Hi,

I am a bit worried that a 1.82Ghz processor will be a little low considering it has an x1600 256mb graphics card! Any thoughts?

 

Are you sure about that? Granted, I'm not too familiar with Asus products, but I do know that many computer manufactures apply seals to their products such that if you mod your computer, the seal breaks, and they know you've been tinkering.

 

I can speak with five plus years of experience and personally knowing these systems in and out.... as well as knowing what Asus will and will not let you know...... eventhough they want things original when they work on them.

... there's a warranty sticker on the cpu and wifi card..... neither will be changed while you have your system under warranty or you'll void it.

ram and hard drives have no seal, no warranty sticker, no bios logs to show anything was changed.... Asus just asks that everything be original if you want warranty work done.

 

Excellent! Thank you so much for this information. That puts my mind quite at ease.

 

ProPortable, I have a couple questions for you.
1. Is the "Asus Notebook Extended Warranty Package" a global affair, or is that only applicable for North American repairs? In other words... If I'm in Thailand and my laptop breaks, can I get it repaired in Thailand with the ANEWP?
2. What's up with the W3J being configured with a 1.66Ghz in NA, but 1.83Ghz in the UK?
3. Is there honestly much of a difference between the two processors in terms of real world performance?

Thanks for your assistance, bro! You're great.

 

I can answer #3 since I have read this thread. No real world performance, alittle on a benchmark is all.

 

will this version have a higher resolution than the w3v?

 

From what I read here it's the same.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=42307

 

No... I don't even there there's a screen company who makes a WSXGA 14" widescreen...... if you find me one then we can talk about it..... but the W3 is certainly set for WXGA and anything higher would be very difficult to use.

To the question up above...

1. yes Asus says it's just an extention of the global warranty
2. I answered this many times, but here it is again incase you missed it..... it's price point and performance/value... the 1.8 would be a little over $100 more and zero performance difference for 99% of people.... Asus finds that W3's sell better at $1799 rather than $1899...

 

at the risk of sounding like a "n00b", does anyone know exactly what type of HDD the W3j will use, and if the type of HDD you could replace it with matters at all...? just curious, as i'd really like to get a 7200rpm HDD in there if that was at all possible. takk...

 

It's expected to come w/ a 100GB 5400rpm.

I can't speak to whether techincally can replace it (you probably can), but it will void the warranty.

Check out this link for details on current and "coming soon" models:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=42307

 

^^

as per justin's post, the warranty will not be voided for my system...it just wouldnt cover the new HDD itself. is that a shame? yes. but i can live with that quite comfortably (even tho the HDD is probably the most likely thing to crap out on me in the case that i must envoke the power of my warranty.) i am just interested in knowing what exact disk i would need to replace it with, considering i am no expert in this field.

 

Well... obviously Asus isn't going to cover a part that they didn't provide... so it's not a shame, but really common sense... But really that doesn't matter. Seagate's drives are coming with a 5 year warranty now and you could just get something like that and return it to seagate if there's a problem.... hitachi's still got a 3 year... regardless, it's not like you're living on the edge or something..

 

by "a shame" i mean that if i buy some third-party HDD and it fries, im screwed, not that i curse Asustek and their every-waking breath for not covering MY substituted drive. im not completely inept...

 

Right...... so you meant what I thought you did..... and no... you're not screwed. Most hard drives have a better standard warranty on them than Asus or any one else will give you on the unit. Like I said.... Hitachi has a 3 year and Seagate has a 5 year warranty....... they'll replace ANYTHING. Do you understand that or are we on different pages? I just want to make sure you know that if you want to increase the size or speed of the drive... really the only down side is you are going to spend more money.... other than that, there is none.... easy to install, great warranty... better performance and more storage...

 

i was just rebutting my first statement's unclarity, not including the wisdom you had later imparted unto me. we are on the same pages now, you and i, fear not. and i thank you for leveling with me. i need it from time to time.

 

As far as the question of putting a 7200 in the W3J, you probably aren't going to see as much of a step up in performance when you go from a 5400 --> 7200 as you would from a 4200 --> 5400, so it starts to act like the law of diminishing returns. Frankly, I'm not sure it's wise to push for desktop-like performance from a non-DTR notebook, especially considering battery life and heat factors.

--two cents--

 

As far as I can tell this hasn't been asked, I did a quick search. What will be included with the W3J? i.e. power supply, carrying case, what disks, etc. If that is not known, what is typically included.

 

Along these lines...
I'd be looking to upgrade the HD eventually too. Anyone have any experience doing so, and how much heat increase there is in a 7200 vs a 5400?

 

I've changed out HDD in desktop and notebook systems before. I'm also a quiet computer enthusiast, so I have been concerned with heat and noise. As for how difficult it might be in the W3J, I dunno. It varies by chassis. Generally, notebook systems are going to run hotter than desktop systems due to the lack of airflow and the closed nature of the chassis. The acutal temperature that the drive will run at is determined by a number of factors, and each chassis is different. The same HDD in one system might run hotter in one chassis, and cooler in the next. The best approximation to see beforehand how a HDD might compare to the one in a system is to compare the power draw of the two HDDs. If the new one is near the old, it should be okay. If there is a much greater power delta, then you could be in trouble.

Here is a link that might help for the comparison. Linky-Linky
Check out the power dissipation stats.

--KansaKilla

 

No problem... it's one of those things that I didn't think you understood... and you're certainly better off having understood what I was talking about.

 

I disagree with the performance assumption. While there is a point in diminishing returns secondary memory (HD) are usually considered one of the biggest bottlenecks in systems. The difference in RPM speed between a 4200 -> 5400 is 1200 RPM while the difference between the 5400 -> 7200 is 1800 RPM. I don't remember where I read this but from what I remember a 4200 -> 5400 RPM is a 33% increase in performance; 5400 -> 7200 RPM is also a 33% increase in performance too.

I do agree with the increased heat and battery life issue.

Just my 2 cents.

 

okay, I'm new here *waves to everyone*
and I've read the whole of this tread.. =|

neway, I'm from Singapore, and am really keen on getting the w3j.
Was wondering, If i got a friend of mine to help me purchase it in london and bring it back to singapore, i'll still be able to get it repaired here right?
I know this has already been asked and answered, but just wanna really make sure.. ^^;;

and yeah, that mega I.T event that we had here in singapore is over.. was dissappointed when I did not see the w3j there.. was considering the a6J, but its too big and heavy for me to bring to and fro school everyday..

so yeah, the earliest review and feedback we can get from the consumers here would be on the 14th?
please do update us on how the w3j is~

neway, thanks for all the info posted in this tread, was really helpful~
*cheers*

 

hi joy!
im in the island too.. n i been considering this baby too
dun think it's a good idea to buy back from london
cause i tot about that too, and figured..
it's way much more expensive
than compared to getting it here (muchhh later) or from let say, a US reseller
im thinkin of waitin' but that guy in the it show said they'll only bring it after 3 mths. :O three freakin months. *yelps*

 

Hi dys~ yeah, saw your posts.. haha..

neway, what?!?! 3freaking months???!!
THATS LOOONG!!
I want this for school.. [poly..] =(
3 months would be in June?
aww.. ><

I'm in the Game Design and Development course and I figure since I need a laptop that I can game on and do my school stuff on and yet not as heavy as the A6J, the W3J would be close to perfect.

I'm wondering now if we'll get the 1.6 or the 1.8ghz.. personally I don't mind paying up an extra 100bucks or so to get the 1.8ghz even thou its mentioned in the tread most people prolly won't notice the difference.. haha.. =x
thats y i was thinking that since i know someone whose going over he could help me get it sooner and also its the 1.8ghz version.

I guess if its really a 3month wait then it'll might it intime for the PC Show in the 1st week of June.. hopefully.. =(

 

I respectfully disagree.

The increase from 5400 to 7200 is a 33% increase in rotational speed, not performance. Take the Seagate Momentus 5400.2 versus the Seagate Momentus 7200.1. Both are notebook HD by the same manufacturer, both have similar platforms but the rotational speed differs. As an example, per the link in my above post if we consider the sequential transfer rates (max and min) based on the testbed used, then the differences come out to be [(48.2-39.3)/(39.3)=22.6%] and [(28.6-21.8)/(21.8)=31%]. No average value is given, which probably would be a more accurate representation of performance in applications. The increase from 5400 -->7200 does not automatically mean there is a 33% increase in performance.

From a different review of notebook drives, using a different set of benchmarks, we can compare 4200 and 5400 drives. The Hitachi 4K80 and 5K80 are 4200 and 5400 drives, respectively. Avg read performances are 23.3 and 27.2 MB/s, respectively, and avg write performances are 23.3 and 26.4 MB/s, respectively. Differences are 16.7% and 13.3% between the two drives. The rotational increase is 1200 rpm, or roughly 28%, which does not translate into a 28% performance increase.

Depending on the benchmark you are using and the test system, etc., there can be a fair bit of difference between benchmarks and between drives. I haven’t run across a comparison of 4200, 5400, and 7200 rpm notebook drives as yet. If anyone has any info, please feel free to post it. My personal opinion is that I would be quite contented with a 5400 rpm drive in the w3J, especially something like the Seagate Momentus 5400.2 since it rivals 7200 rpm drives in transfer rates with less power dissipation. When I move on to “bigger and better” I’ll put it in my wife’s computer to help quiet it down.

My overall point is that a faster rotational speed does not necessarily mean that the hard drive will have a faster transfer rate or read/write ability, or that it would make a noticeable difference in everyday use. It may be faster, yes, but one is not guaranteed an automatic 33% increase in overall performance.

–my 2 cents with compounded interest

 

I respectally stand corrected

I guess for me the increase in RPM speed is quite noticeable because I at times like to multitask (MS Office, web surfing, listening to MP3's, downloading using bittorent). It all depends what everyday general use is to people.

But you are right a 33% increase in RPM speed doesn't translate into a 33% increase in performance.

 

And don't forget that some media creation programs require/recommend 7200rpm drives (e.g. Adobe Premiere)

 

joy: there's another pcshow in june??!? *waves to joy*

hmm. i think it could be justified for you to get a more advanced processor. the diff shud be slight for normal user, but for heavyduty programming like for gaming progs.. shud be more than just unnoticeable. haha but i can stand corrected too..

i cant stand the waiting too. v v v v v tempted to get it over from overseas too. hahaha but tech is tech. "better wait than fret" ..so wait it is for me.

 

true..

yup, heard there will be a PC Show from 1st to 4th June i think.

Really Hope the W3J will be there~!!

Can't wait for someone in this forum to do a review on it too~

 

My God, on proportable site ETA is in April and you are talkin' about June?! Can someone explain this to me...

 

Here is a review with 13 2.5" drives including the Seagate 5400.3 160GB which I'm using in my W3V. According to the benchmarks in that review the 5400.3 momentus performs on par and in some cases better than the 7200 rpm drives but temperature and power consumption is close to the 4200rpm drives.

 

mastha212: We're talking about the release in Singapore.
Different parts of the world has different release dates, unfortunately for dys and I, Singapore is wayyyy slow.. ><

 

Ups, sorry my bad...

 

mastha212: hahah sorry
not many people has ever even heard of the v6j yet.
and australia already have them, and they're further from taiwan than we are. *sob

akaidiot n co:
i did some calc. based on the review (edit: 400 x 1MB)
on average, the respective hdds manage
7200 : 35.12
5400 : 39.95*
4200 : 46.54

*i didnt take western digital into consideration since it's an outlier

so i guess it's about 5 - 7 sec difference in performance.
7sec/46 is like 15% improvement from 4200 to 5400, but 4sec/39 is like 10%. diminishing return like he said. and why did i do this again? .....

isnt this (edit: my post) OT btw? haha sorry.

 

Yup. OZ has got the V6J already, but they don't have the spare parts to support it yet Retards

 

lol
still waiting seb?
be strong.. be stronggg..

 

akaidiot: thanks for the link to the review. i'll give it a thorough read here soon.

dysfunctiotnal: thanks for the calcs.

 

That is a very interesting read on those drives Akaidiot. Thanks. I believe most of us were looking for that very information and talking around it with assumptions. That will be my first I look for when the W3J arrives is if it has the 5400.3 or 5400.2 Seagate. If not, 7200RPM for me

 

That 5400.3 does look sweet. Prices on Froogle are about $310 for the 160 GB version. The 5400.2 is close in performance, although 100 GB. $150-ish for that model. I'll check out the HDD on the W3J when I get it. If I have to replace it, I'll probably get the 5400.2 (after ~$1800 on the W3J, I'll need to save some money or I might get locked out of the house).

 

Asus will not use Seagate..... they're in with Hitachi first and Fujitsu second.... On another note though, we got in some of the 160gb 5400.3's... wow... I don't know if it's up as an option on the new models yet, but I got to test it this weekend... pretty nice.

 

Is it correct to assume that a Seagate HD could be used in a Built-on configuration, rather than an Ensemble?

 

i wonder when Seagate is going to release a "perpendicular" 7200rpm drive...

Hey ProPortable... do ya'll carry the 2nd hdd cage for the W3V? Will there be one available for the W3J? Also, I guess I should ask... will the W3J have a hot-swapable cage like the W3V?

 

I don't know if this is general knowledge and I'm giving away my amateur status, but what size hard-drive will the W3j have? Personally, considering my needs, I don't think I'll have reason to replace anything.

 

According to this link, the W3J in North America should havd a 100GB 5400rpm hdd.

 

As has been posted many times already in here, the W3j is still a W3, so the W3 chasis should be the same. That means that it will use the 2.5" drive and will have the swappable bay for the CD/DVD Drive, HDD, and Battery.

 

I meant storage capacity. Not physical size. Now I feel like a total goofus since I've read that very link multiple times without that factoid settling into my brain. Ask me the bus speed, or processor, or GPU and I could spit it out no problem. Hard-disk?...eh, selective memory I guess. Thanks Jude.

 

no worries!
Does anyone know how much more battery life the extra 6-cell hot-swappable battery would give for the w3j (or w3v)?

 

One of the coolest things about the w3j/w3v is that you can hot-swap out the optical drive for another hard drive, or another battery. That is seriously ultra-sweet! I'm totally digging the prospects of this.

 

The modular battery is a 6 cell, while the regular is a 9 cell I believe(or was it 8?). So you will be 60~% more battery life.