Asus W7j quality?

Hi everyone,
I'm new here, so please be patient with me. Thanks!

Anyway, I've been doing research on various 12-13in laptops for a while. Finally, I narrowed down my list to Dell XPS 1210M and Asus W7j. I want the laptop to have a decent graphic card that will handle the heavy graphic demand of Vista. And now, both Asus and Dell have started offering free upgrades.

Currently, I'm leaning toward Asus for better quality, but a tiny bit reluctant about the premium price and questionable support. I have the Inspiron 6000, and I've seen it next to W3J. I've to say that Inspiron 6000 just looks cheap, ugly and chunky compare to the elegant, well-built Asus. There is absolutely no creaks or cheap-looking plastic as on the Inspiron. However, maybe XPS line is a lot better? Perhaps someone can do a comparison of w7j and XPS
m1210?

Following is the two sample configuration I'm comparing so far.....

http://proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=173
W7j- $1499
Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66Ghz; 667mhz w/ 2mb Cache)
13.3 WXGA (1280 x 768) Color Shine Glaretype LCD
Asus W7J w/ Intel 945GM Chipset
1024MB DDR2 533 (512mb onboard + 1 x 512mb SO-DIMM) - supports up to 1.5GB
100GB; SATA 5400RPM
Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 PCI-E Graphics w/ 128MB VRAM (256MB w/ Turbo Cache)
Built-In Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 A/B/G miniPCI
8x Super Multi DVD Burner
6-Cell Li-Ion; Approximately 2.75-3 hours of life

Windows XP Professional
12.4" (length) x 8.92" (width) x 1.142"~1.453" (height) / 4.3 LBS (with 6 cell battery)
2 year global parts and labor through ASUS*
*Zero Bright Dot LCD Policy - free panel exchange within 30 days (Directly with Asus)

54mm Express Card Universal Slot (not a legacy PCMCIA)
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam
S-Video out
4 in 1 memory card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)

btw, how's the w7j quality compare to the other Asus models? I noticed that w7j seems to receive just little attention here compare to other models. I wonder if the build-quality is comparable to w3j, a8j, or even Sony's SZ series (way too expensive for me)?

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170779&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017747&Mo=12&pos=1&No=5&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4338&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=
Dell XPS M1210 - $1399 (from Costco)
Windows Media Center
Core 2 Duo T5600
12" WTL WebCam 1GB
80 DVDRW
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (64 dedicated)
XPS Dedicated Tech Support
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz (2 Dimms)
1-year Warranty
6 cell (53WHr) Lithium Ion Battery
W: 11.7” x D: 8.7” x H: 1.2”
Weight: Starting weight of 4.37 lbs


Asus Advantages
Better graphic card
Larger screen and same weight (if not lighter)
100GB HD
XP professional (better than Media Center in my opinion)
Bluetooth
Two years warranty
Built quality?

Dell Advantages
Cheaper
Mobile broadband (which I don't need)
Faster processor (not sure, but I believe there isn't much difference in performance when it comes to different Core 2 mobile processor)
Expandable up to 4 GB of RAM while Asus can only take 1.5GB maximum (many manufacturers recommend at least 2GB)
Easy to buy and trustworthy support/service
Built quality? I really doubted m1210's quality even after reading positive reviews, which does mention that m1210 is a little thick. So, is Dell using cheap components or is there some kind of design flaw that causes m1210 to be quite a bit heavier than the other ultaportables like Sony and Asus?





In conclusion, it'll be great if you guys can answer some of my concerns and give me some suggestions as well. I'm pretty sure that I miss quite a few thing on my comparison chart.Once again, I would like to run Vista at its best without choking the machine or break the bank. Built quality and looks of the laptop is also quite important. I plan to find one that can last a long, long time (hopefully). Maybe you guys can point me to some other alternatives other than these two. However, I really don't want an AMD laptop. From what I know,Turion X2 simply stinks.Thank you so much for reading this. I'm looking forward to your comments.

Patrick

P.S. Probably off-topic, but I notices that Asus state that they will upgrade Windows Professional to Windows Vista business for free, and Windows Professional X64 to Vista business x64. I thought standard vista should 64 bit already? I know that there is certainly 32 bit editions for older CPU, but... Anyway, so we need to pay extra for the 64 bit edition?

 

Asus Global Warranty support is much better then Dell's outsourced support. Nothing questionable about the Asus support at all, and you get 2 years by default vs Dells 1.

The design and quality of the W7J are much better then the XPS. Dell used a full-height laptop optical drive, which made the XPS thick, clunky and heavy vs the slim W7J.

 

I know this is an ASUS forum, so there will be a lot of ASUS enthusists around here... so, let me try to sound as resonable as possible.

In the XPS M1210's defense, it is really not that thick and heavy as people made it out to be... and as I have said before... "if only I have a penny everytime someone goes on about how the M1210 is thick and heavy".

This is the post I made in the other thread, but, let me recap once again...

The dimensions listed officially by both ASUS, and Dell, are as follows:

ASUS W7J
12.60" x 9.06" x 1.16"-1.48" (1.32" average thickness)
4.29 lbs.

Dell XPS M1210
11.70" x 8.70" x 1.20"
4.37 lbs.

So, the W7J is only 0.04" thinner than the M1210 at the thinnest point (front of the system), while it is 0.28" thicker at the thickest point (back of the system). And it is only 0.08 lbs lighter.

The statement that: "which made the XPS thick, clunky and heavy vs the slim W7J." really fails to stand here from the specifications above. I really don't understand why EVERYONE blows the M1210's dimentions out of proportion?

I must agree, the W7J *is* a well built machine, no doubt about it. But they are both well built, the M1210 is by no means the consumer Inspiron line. It is built with an Aluminium-Magnesium alloy chassis and LCD lid, what Dell calls their "road-ready" design, the same they used for the business Latitude and professional Precision workstation lines.

The ASUS W7J is made with lighter carbon-fiber composite and plastic chassis and lid (and so explain the lighter 0.08lbs weight while being slightly larger in width and depth).

As far as support goes, again, don't diss Dell just because they "outsourced support" and you hear every "horror story" some random person have with them. They only outsourced support for the phonelines for their cosumer lines in the USA. If you have their Latitude, Precision or XPS products you get a dedicated priority number to call (which gets you to a local USA call center). Plus, they offer Next Business Day (or "At-home") On-site response for any hardware problems, where a technician comes to YOU with spare parts to fix your system. Or CompleteCover which fix/replaces any accidential mishaps to the system or even when you break your LCD screen (and LCD screens can be quite expensive to replace too). I don't see ASUS offering that yet in North America, or even back on their home turf in Taiwan.

On the matter of global support, yes, ASUS offers a global warranty, however their presence might not be as comprehensive as Dell in some countries (I mean, afterall Dell is one of the largest PC companies in the world) and you are assured of a local toll-free number and again, on-site warranty support.

Oh, and ASUS outsource support too, since its more cost effective for them to contract out a contractor to handle warranty issues than to establish a local office for every single country. They are just the same as everyone else in the industry, Dell, HP/Compaq, Lenovo, etc.. They are no different.

The W7J comes with a default 2 year global warranty, while with Dell you can custom configure every single combination there is, the base is 1 year "return-to-depot" but you can get the Next Business Day (At-home) On site response (where a technican comes out to your place to fix the machine in front of you), all the way to 3, 4 or even 5 years of CompleteCover, or even Theft cover (yes, just like getting insurance in case your laptop gets stolen). You can also extend or add features to your warranty anytime too with Dell (its just a phonecall away), as long as your system is still under warranty at the time.

Anyhow, my point is, don't dismiss Dell quickly because it's a Dell. Their support might be slipping in recent years but you do get a much more comprehensive coverage options and they are by no means bad. I have had/heard my fair share of ASUS horror stories regarding tech support, where they refused to fix your system because you upgraded RAM or HDD, or charge you a horrendous price for replacement parts. (The good thing with Dells are, since they are the largest PC company in the world, spare parts for older systems are aplenty on say, eBay, and can be had for cheap, that's economies of scale working for you).


Patrick Y.: Rest assured that Dell did not use some cheap components or that there is a design flaw with the M1210, and as I pointed out above, all this "too thick and heavy" is most often blown way out of proportion. Yes, it is a tad thicker and heavier (if you consider 0.04" and 0.08lbs to be "a tad", more like "just slightly"), but it is still highly portable and as much power you can squeeze into such a small package. If they did skimp on quality I am sure the end result would be somthing even larger and heavier.


It is one of personal choice, really. If you ask in the ASUS forum (right here), no doubt everyone will tell you to get a W7J. If you ask in the Dell forum, I am sure everyone will tell you to get the M1210. (And seeing I own the M1210, I am biased towards, well, you know which one).


For any given similar configuration, the Dell will be cheaper than the equivalent ASUS model. However the Dell is much more customizable (CPU choice ranges from the T5600 (1.83GHz/2MB L2) all the way up to the T7600 (2.33GHz/4MB L2)), while the ASUS W7J Ensemble system is fixed to the T5500 (1.66GHz/2MB L2). And no, not all mobile Core 2 Duo are "about the same", there is quite a performance difference between the slowest and the fastest, and again a slight boost in performance going from 2MB L2 to 4MB L2 cache. The sweetspot in terms of price/performance right now is the T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2).


I guess the W7J is more "unique" and geeky as it seems to have that aura around ASUS notebooks in the forum here and in North America. And as ASUS is the "underdog", well, most root for the underdog don't we?

Bottom line is, both of them are very decent notebooks and either one will suit your needs fine.


P.S. The OEM who made the M1210 for Dell is Compal (HAL30 is the model number). I am sure if Compal launched it under their own brand as the HAL30, all this talk about "too thick and heavy" wouldn't exist or won't be mentioned every single time. Funny how a badge changes everyones perceptions.

P.P.S. As far as OS'es goes, Windows Vista will be released as both 32-bit, and 64-bit. I have tried both RC2 32-bit and 64-bit, and I am actually sticking to the 32-bit version for now. The problems people have with Windows XP Professional x64 is going to apply to Vista 64-bit editions: program compatibility and driver support/issues. Again, bottom line is, for the average home user, there is absolutely minimal, or no advantage gained from using a 64-bit OS at the moment. I would imagine the majority of systems even with 64-bit CPUs will continue to ship with the 32-bit versions to maximize program compatibility (and to cut down on technical support calls as there will be a flood of people asking why their program wouldn't work with the new 64-bit OS).
And I would imagine they will be priced the same for either 32-bit or 64-bit version, you wouldn't be paying a premium for using 64-bit.

P.P.P.S. Yes, I love my Dell notebook and I won't hesitate to recommend one to anyone else. But I also love ASUS and all my desktops/servers and machines I build or recommend to my customers/friends use ASUS motherboards, graphics cards etc.. So, I am just a fan of good technology like everyone else.

 

Patrick,

The models that get the most attention here are the ones that are basically brand new and have specs that blow peoples minds... All of the notebooks are amazing, go back and search for topics around these times and you'll see what I mean:

March - May 2005 -- Everything W3v (new form factor w/ dedicated gpu)
July - September 2005 -- Everything W2v (new form factor w/ tv card)
October - January 2006 -- Everything V6va (first IPS lcd in two years)
March - May 2006 -- Everything W3j (first ati x1600 in 14" notebook)
June - July 2006 -- Everything W7j (new form factor w/ dedicated gpu)
August 2006 -- A8jm (first nvidia 7600 w/ 512mb in cheaper chassis)
September 2006 -- All Merom Models (A8js / W7jp / W3jp / R1fm)

Right now, a vast majority want the A8js... mainly because it's a powerhouse and cheap dollar wise.... That attracts a lot of people... Once the 64bit Merom updates came out, there was little buzz - especially on the W7jp and W3jp because all they got was a cpu update.... So, although plenty of people were waiting for them, people weren't asking every question in the book about them because they've already been answered back when the last model came out.... they buy them and then they go back to work... But the forum is usually centered around the highest performance model of the time - and the one most popular with the current age group of the forum.... Last year it was people in their 30's, now it's more like late teens, early 20's...

The W7 is a great machine. I was a huge advocate for the W3v for both it's portability and power. However, after a year with that, for someone who travels a lot, I could see that I could use something a bit lighter, but the power was more than enough for the professional graphics stuff I do..... The new W3j came out with the 256mb x1600 and that was a great update, but much more than I needed.... When the slightly smaller W7j came out with the 128mb 7400 and which was lighter by 3/4 of a pound... for me, it was a logical change.

The W7 was a blending of two computers that did very, very well last year - the W5 and W3....

 

Try to buy it through froogle ewiz, it's much cheaper.

 

Thank you for your words of wisdom . Now, I've a better understanding of both machines. Another thing I'm concerned about is the screen size. Quite accustomed to the 15" screen of my I6000, I think it might be a bit painful to just jump to 12" screen. That's why I'm leaning toward Asus- bigger screen and slighly lighter.

Though, which configuration, in you guys' opinion, is better valued? Thanks.

Also, I'm also looking into A8js... However, it's pretty expensive and I'm not a heavy gamer. I do watch and edit videos a lot though. Not sure, but A8j uses 0.3MP cam while w7j has a 1.3MP webcam?

 

Angrymob is the first person I've seen to acknowledge that there seems to be a geeky, unconditional love for Asus laptops around here.

 

It'd be a tossup for me. I love my Z33, so the W7 with its similar styling and size would probably be my first choice.

The A8js does have the slightly larger screen, and I think the 2.0Ghz/7700 is more then worth the extra $100.

 

hmm... btw, I'm interested in what people got their a8j or w7j for through group buy by Milestone.

Edit: also, I'm wondering if t5500 is worth the extras vs. t2400. As far as I know, the only advantage of Merom is 64 bit and larger cache. Since both have 2MB cache, wouldn't t2400 actually be faster? Also, is the 64bit CPU actually be worth getting for vista? I meant, after reading Angrymob's comment, I'm having second thoughts about 64bit vista...

 

Clock for clock, the Merom should be "faster" at the same processor freq because it's a new architecture. But, the issue is that 98% of users will be unable to stress the 5500 enough to show an appreciable difference in system speed above the identically configured 2400 system - you can see it in benchmarks, but in reality it all comes down to what you plan to use the machine for. If you're not often stressing your current system to very high loads all the time at full speed, you will probably be better served by taking the money and spending it elsewhere where it can make a functional difference in day-to-day, like RAM or HD upgrades.

64bit OS will only go so far in affecting system performance - you really need the software you're running to be compiled to take advantage of the OS and processor support, and that's at least a few years off. Vista's big contributions look like they're going to be graphic interface and security (at least, security compared to XP); it doesn't seem like a huge leap forward in the OS functionality at the surface level - even though Redmond is supposed to have re-written most of the underlying code from the ground up.