Asus W3j in Taiwan for $1320!

Hi guys... I just went down to a local computer mall here in Taiwan. There were around 10 stores selling the W3j. The cheapest price I found was $42,000 NT ($1320 USD at today's exchange rate).

It comes with the following specs:

- Intel Core Duo 1.66ghz T2300
- 1GB DDR2
- 100GB 5400RPM HD
- Wi-Fi a/b/g
- 14" Glossy WXGA
- Built in Bluetooth
- ATI X1600 256
- Windows Xp Home, Nero, PowerDVD and Norton Antivirus
- 2 year Asus Global warranty

I also looked at the A8J. It had similar specs. It had a 7300 Go instead of the X1600 and only came with 512MB RAM vs 1GB. But it did come with a built in camera. It went for $1170 USD. It is also a 14".

I will most likely purchase the W3j shortly. Apparently the X1600 can use hyper memory up to 512MB's. (256 shared 256 dedicated)

 

wow what an amazing price

 

Yes... I was very shocked to see that price. I'm really happy because my budget wouldn't let me buy one for the $1700 that I thought it was. $1300 is just right I might be able to do better. I have a few friends who can get computers and stuff directly from the factory. Perhaps $1200

 

Do all the models that are available in Taiwan have the same specs as the NT$42K one you mentioned? Or are there other models with a faster processor (1.8Ghz) and XP Pro installed?

 

I looked around and all of the stores had the same one with the same specs. They all had 1.66ghz CPU's. No 1.83. But I'm quite sure you can get Windows XP Pro for a little extra $.

 

ALL W3J's have the azalia sound chip, correct?

My friend's mom is coming from hong kong, and i'm wondering if i should ask her to bring one...

 

Thanks! I was hoping to be able to exercise one of my options to get the W3J from Taiwan if it never actually came to Singapore. But since you mention that they didn't have anything better than 1.66Ghz, I'll have to hope the faster processor version actually comes to Singapore.

cheers!

 

I'm not sure about the azalia sound chip. According to proportable it has the Rich Cinematic Audio no clue what that means. But yea you should look into how much it costs in HK, it should be around the same price that I found.

 

jasonck08, can you provide a link? a possible alternative website in Taiwan with prices and specs plz.

Cos this is very interesting, i have some family in many parts of the Asian countries too. Would be kool to see laptop close to 500$ OFF USD prices in United States.

Thanks for the headsup.

Um, what about the keyboard? USA qwerty? or with some other language that i can't read? lol

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Dang thats **** cheap. If only they let you take a large crate full of laptops aboard a 777.

 

they probably would.... u just have to figure out how to get it into NA without paying custom/duties on them

 

Bring 20 laptop bags. Pack em all up and say you work for intel

 

You could put the laptops inside condoms and swallow them.

 

I am scared the condom will burst and the liquid crystal will leak out and damage me permanently./

 

No, it wont burst if you use durex super duper extra safe. huahuahuaha you guys are hillllllarious and it's 3:15 am here....

 

That IS cheap!

The cheapest W3J here in Denmark is ~$2700 ...

 

At least it is out there

 

If only . . . it appears to be delayed as well.

Sweden and Norway has it though but I need a danish keyboard with æøå

 

I do not believe HK's W3j is around the same price as Taiwan's W3j. I think it is actually more expensive than a W3j in NA.

http://www.hornington.com/e/default_home.asp

Above is a Asus retailer at HK. Go to Asus>notebooks>w3j. It is pretty expensive... It's in HK dollars. Converted back to USD around $1910

 

those are definitely wicked prices.

i just picked up my a8j from taiwan, too, got through customs no problem just leave the cardboard box behind.

list price for a8j is 47800nt in taiwan, the cheapest on-line price i saw was 38799nt (the chinese characters show up as ????? might as well i guess ha!)
http://sh2.yahoo.edyna.com/ewsn/item.asp?item_id=1110576

i upgraded mine to 1g memory, in the end the lappie cost me 39000nt. (in taiwan tax is included in price) got a real sweet logitech mouse and asus bag too.

the original keyboard is qwerty, plus some smaller chinese characters below. it didnt bother me so i stayed with it, but most stores will switch it to english-only keys no charge. i definitly switched to ENGLISH windows xp tho, also free of charge.

QUESTION: i still cant figure out what the difference is between a8ja/c/m... is it just the graphics card?

i'll post pictures n review soon!

 

Would you by any chance know if the a8jm is on sale in taiwan as well? The link you gave in your post is only selling the a8jc.

 

there is no a8jm or a in taiwan. only a8jc.

if anyone can kindly explain the difference between a8ja/c/m i'd really like to know. from what i see it's just the graphics card?

 

Yup, a8ja has the x1600
a8jc has the geforce go 7300
a8jm has the geforce go 7600

 

How much is a ticket to Taiwan and does anybody wanna go halfsies?

 

doodling -
How do you like your a8j? You got a good deal. The cheapest price I found was $37,000 NT but thats for it with a 80GB HD and 512MB's of RAM. I didn't ask but you really think they will change the keyboard keys to English only? It really doesn't bother me at all, but in the future If I ever sell it... They will switch to english Xp Home for free also. They also throw in a free case and a 256MB Asus USB key. I really like the fact that the a8j has a built in camera. If only the W3j had one. I would go with the a8j but I really like the looks of the W3j. The brushed aluminum lid looks very nice. But the main reason I'm leaning towards the W3j is the X1600! Perhaps I will pick up my W3j this weekend!

 

I think your mistaken. Here is a Taiwanese site selling the A8Jm:

http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/asusu/detail.php?pid=ASU00207

 

doodling -
How do you like your a8j? You got a good deal. The cheapest price I found was $37,000 NT but thats for it with a 80GB HD and 512MB's of RAM. I didn't ask but you really think they will change the keyboard keys to English only? It really doesn't bother me at all, but in the future If I ever sell it... They will switch to english Xp Home for free also. They also throw in a free case and a 256MB Asus USB key. I really like the fact that the a8j has a built in camera. If only the W3j had one. I would go with the a8j but I really like the looks of the W3j. The brushed aluminum lid looks very nice. But the main reason I'm leaning towards the W3j is the X1600! Perhaps I will pick up my W3j this weekend!

jason:

they WILL change the keyboard to english-only, many of them free of charge. insist on it. get a free mouse too while you are at it

is the w3j brushed aluminum on the inside too? a8j has a plastic-y feel that im not too fond of, but ta-da...

here are my personal reasons for purchasing the a8j. i also wanted the w3j originally, it's really pretty and certain specs are better than the a8j. but like you said it does not have the camera. it doesnt have dvi output either which is really important to me since i will be hooking up a high-res lcd monitor. the go7300 graphics card is more than enough for me - i dont game AT ALL. according to the salesmen the w3j also has some overheating problems - because the battery is in the back heat dissipates to the screen and over time may cause defects in the screen. aside from these issues, w3j is definitely a better purchase than a8j for the nominal price difference (in taiwan, that is!)

good luck on your purchase!!

 

Well I'm going to check on a lower price for the W3j. I'm going to talk to some Chinese friends of mine and see of they can hook me up $1320 USD is a very good price but the lower the better. Check out this site... it has millions of pics of the W3j.

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=2059289

doodling... did you get the same Asus mouse in the picture? Is it wireless? How about the notebook bag? Were these things included in the Asus box that the laptop came in? Did you have to specially ask for them? Thanks!

 

does taiwan hav ethe w2jc ? the wsxga model

 

Hey everyone,

Im going to contribute a bit to this, I hope this isnt a thread jacking.

I bought the w3j in taiwan, its got 1.66 dual core. I havent had a lot of time to play with it. I bought it for a bit more, at 1400USD including sales tax and the 1.86 isnt available here yet. I paid sales tax supposedly even though some resourceful shoppers will probably get away with not paying it using cash. Price quoted here is usually without tax, at least in terms of electronics so im not sure 1320 is with or without tax.

Im typing on the a W5 series rite now and the screen on the W3 is noticeably brightler (side by side). Construction and keyboard wise i think everyone will find it to be very similar to the other ensemble notebooks. Certainly the w3v ive checked out is extremely similar.

The sound is called soundmax integrate HD. Thats what its called under system/devices, so i dont think this is intel HD audio.

Heat wise, on the high performance via ac power heat is noticable, but the office aircon is pretty darn cold. The W5 heat output is similar under ac, so I wouldnt say its excessively hot. I havent really run any games on the x1600, so it may be warmer with the gpu more active.

As far as right hand side heat vents go, ppl must have really short arms to be using the mouse that close to the vent. I use a rf logitech mouse on the right but i never get close enough to the vent.

The asia models come with a bluetooth mouse and carrying case, and 2 years warrenty, so definitely factor in that price difference to the NA models.

As far as i can tell, the only diff between this and NA model is the slower processor and possibly the audio chip. RAM/HD/GPU is the same. There in more warrenty and some free bes definitely helps the cause. The dealer also gave me info on extending the warrenty for another year at the cost of 90USD. 90 days to decide, havent done it yet.

Some minor points:
Ive found 3 dead pixels, none are bright dot, but one is in the middle of the screen.
The back battery doesnt sit as flush as it should, especially when u look from the bottom on the nb. The demo w3v on display at the local pc shop also had the same problem (anyone have any insight on this?)

I bought a drawer battery pack, but after going into sleep mode, the nb wont wake up rite, the screen doesnt turn on. Ive heard similar stories with w3v. Weight takes a hit with the extra bat pack tho. Maybe i should have just bought another bamboo stick in the back. With the dvd draw in, everyhting is fine. I think same price for the bamboo too.

Also bought a hdd mounting kit, i didnt know the darn thing came with a travel drawer in box...

Im happy with it thus far, but have been busy traveling and playing with a new bt stereo headset (ht820) with my x51v.


Also checked prices in HK, they have the 1.86 cpu, but prices are higher, then NA prices i think, close to 2gUSD. Prices in GZ china is halfway between HK and taiwan, of course with bargaining skills, yrmv. Although my co workers have horror stories even with reputable nb dealers in china, stolen parts, missing pieces etc. Seems like the nb market is booming, but margins are low for all the dealers. So I admire the great support and comments from the various NA dealers on this board. I dont make it back home to the USA much anymore so doing the waiting for customs/delivery just wouldnt have worked.

If anyone ends up buying a nb in asia, get a plain looking bag and watch it closely. While i was shopping, 2 ppl tried to sell their "used" laptop from their shoulder bag, one was a fairly new t43p too.

Ill try and answer any questions let me know.

 

Hey thanks for replying! When I go to the store I will be sure to open up the box before paying for it. I'm not paying $1300 for dead pixels. That’s awesome it comes with a free bag and Bt mouse. The Bt mice sell for around $40 USD here in Taiwan. So how’s the battery life? Does it get 4+ hrs on battery save mode with the screen turned down all the way doing light tasks? So the travel drawer was included? Can you actually put something small in the drawer? Like a wallet? How much was the HD mounting kit? Thanks!

And does anyone have a 3Dmark05 score for one of these. I saw where a W3j got 4400 something with a small overclock and a 1.83 duo cpu. I assume with no overclock it should get a little over 4k?

 

To Blood,

How much is the 1.8ghz version in HK right now?

 

Hey guys!

I'll be going to Taiwan in July, and I was wondering if you could recommend me a reputable place to buy the W3J. I'll be staying in Taipei, on the Chien Tan youth center campus. It's located in the north, but once I get used to traveling on the MTR I suppose I could get anywhere

Many thanks~
silverbolt

 

silverbolt... I'm currently in Taichung, Taiwan. I would recommend googleing places in Taipei that sell computers. You want to visit a few stores that sell thw W3j. The prices range from $1320-$1500. Some of the stores sell the W3j for a lot. Just be sure to look around

 

does anyone know the prices in HK???

 

originally posted by Dragon529:

http://www.hornington.com/e/default_home.asp

Above is a Asus retailer at HK. Go to Asus>notebooks>w3j. It is pretty expensive... It's in HK dollars. Converted back to USD around $1910

 

Now you never know with online prices. The online prices in Taiwan are from $1600-$1900. They are VERY high. You need to visit an actual store in HK. I would think It would be the same price if not cheaper then the W3j's in the US.

 

asus has zero dead pixal guarantee

 

Silverbolt, I just bought W3J in Taipei. Price is NT$46K (USD 1465) incl. tax.
If you don't care about the tax, u can easily negotiate down to USD 1460.

Make sure they include the standard carrying bag and Logitech bluetooth mouse. Some shops sell W3J with standard corded mouse.
I was given a nice little 512MB flask disk as well.

As for shops, you should go to either Taipei Main Station or Zhongxiao Hsingsheng MRT station (GuangHua Market). There are many notebook shops.

 

doodling, I wouldn't count on that ZBD guarantee...Asus only offers it on select ensemble models, and to my knowledge as of now, the W3J and A8 series aren't included. Some nice retailer's will also offer it on the barebone Asus's they build for you, but I wouldn't count on that either, unless they specifically told you they would. JasonCK08 is smart to want to check it for dead pixels on the spot before he buys if he can.

 

CC: taiwan still offers 2 yr global warranty and zdb guarantee on at least w3j and a8... it is of course good consumer practice to check product before handing over the bills tho! warranties are definitely a pain in the *** last resort.

 

Well I just talked to my neighbor and it looks like he is going to look into getting me an even better deal. He thinks he might be able to get it for NT 40k - around $1250 USD. He also told me that there is a computer fare coming up, and that retailers will be selling notebooks at a discount. I will go and check that out, after all tickets are only 30NT - about $1 USD.

I have been told that the Asus service in Taiwan is very good, and that if your notebook is having a problem... then you just call Asus and they will come to your house and give you a replacement notebook to use while your notebook is getting repaired. As long as the HD isn't the problem, then they can swap the HD in the replacement laptop, and you will keep that one until your notebook gets repaired.

 

Well my friend called around and it turns out the place I went has it for the best price! NT 42K. $1320 USD. It turns out that is most likely the price for "cash only" meaning there is no official government receipt. They do this to get by with paying the 5% tax. I'm going down tomorrow afternoon and going to try to get it for $1320 USD and insist that they give me an official receipt. My friend told me that If they don't give me a receipt then it is harder to get it serviced. Rather then having Asus come to your house and pick it up, you have to bring it down to where you purchased it and let them fix it. I think they might then send it into Asus, and Asus will fix it for them. It's really too bad it's so complicated. I might end up having to pay $1400 USD to get a proper warranty directly from Asus. Any comments / Suggestions?

 

Jasonck08, i guess an extra US$80 won't hurt too much, to avoid any service incovenience/complication in the future...

I myself bought it at NT46K...but that probably my chinese sucks and dunno how to bargain.

 

If I were you I'd get the "official receipt" at all costs, no pun intended. It's too big of a risk if you ask me...you definitely want to have proof of ownership, they could turn around and claim they never sold it to you otherwise...among other things. For $80 It's not worth the hassle, but that's just my opinion. Good luck

 

Yea.. So I went down to the store. The price was 42,000 NT. $1306 USD. Tax is 2000NT and this place gives you a real receipt. So the total would be around $1368. It also includes a free case and mouse and I think a 256MB Asus USB flash drive. The 4200RPM HD just doesn't sound good. I'm either going to wait a month for the price to drop or going to wait for the Asus A8jm to be released. The one with the 7600 Go. It has some better features than the W3j. A built in webcam, 5USB ports (vs3), 5400 RPM, DVI port, and I'm told it will cost less than the W3j. The only thing is... It doesn't look quite as nice. It is still not a bad looking notebook though.

 

I just got back from HK, prices have dropped in the last week. At mongkok computer center you get 1.83 w3j for 1800usd more or less.

Also saw the LG 14.1 piano colored lid, very sharp and light if it werent for the intel graphics.

tried to fit a sumdex memory foam like sleeve around the w3j. Very tight squeeze, I didnt end up buying it because of the fit.

Im not sure about everyones bargaining skills, but at least on this trip my china purchases always resulted in lower prices than hk shops.

 

So you purchased the W3j in HK?

 

No, i bought mine in taiwan. But ive been traveling between taiwan hk and china, so i did a bit of comparison shopping.

 

Hey Jasonck08,
Sorry for out off Asus topic but since you are still shopping for yr perfect laptop and happenned to be in "laptop paradise" country, why don't you have a look in BenQ Joybook S73G as well.
It has the same 14" wxga screen, ATI X1600 256mB, sata HDD, bluetooth, 1.3 mp camera, built in DVB TV tuner, remote control, DVI port, magnesium alloy body, etc... etc..., everything that W3J is missing.
So far I only found this review