Asus z62f Review

Asus Z62F Yonah Napa Notebook Review

Tested model Specs:
Intel T2400 1.83ghz dual core
80gb 5400rpm 8mb Samsung
1gb (512mbx2) ddr2-667
8x DVD/RW UJ-841 Panasonic
Intel 3945abg wifi
Win Xp pro

General Appearance:
This is a pretty nice and compact 14 incher. Yes I have to admit it does not have the appeal of the z63a which it is replacing but it’s a lot better then the pictures tell. I can’t really say much more on this. It is what it is a value notebook from asus. Pics can be found here http://www.geared2play.com/store/products/laptops/asus/z62f/z62f.htm at the bottom

Ports, buttons and expansion:
1x Port Bar 3 dock
1x Integrated video camera into top of the screen
1x Kensington lock hole
1x PCMCIA card bus
4x usb 2.0 ports
1x Firewire mini type port
1x 7-pin tv-out
1x vga out
1x Ethernet nic network card gigabit
1x 56k modem

Video card and assembly:
The video card is integrated from Intel. It scored a "whopping" 1519 points on 3dmark03. So much for gaming on it. Assembly is easy. A 10 year old donkey can slap this thing together. This notebook is solid. Yes it little flexing in the palm rests but most of them do. Who cares? No creaking yet. All the panels for adding and removing parts are on the bottom. Asus finally made a notebook with easy assembly. I have never seen an easier notebook to add or remove parts from.

Screen:
Awesome A grade screen. Excellent brightness, contrast and color definition. Excellent wide view angles. Not so great verticals. No complaints this is an A grade screen. This one is a 14" glossy type display. Max resolutions @ 1280x800. I can’t really add much more. I guess people will have to take my word that the monitor is all that and more without any imperfections.

Audio and Speakers:
Pretty weak speakers as its replacement (z63a). On the other hand there is an optical spdif port for a mini tos link. So if you want nice sound the ability to connect to an optical receiver is there. The 2 speakers it has are minute. Can’t say I am surprised. It’s a budget laptop.

Dimmensions
13x10x1.5 Inches (wxdxh)
The legs are about 2mm.
Weight @ 5.5lbs fully loaded with base battery.

Battery life:
I got exactly 4 hours and 3 minutes out of it while typing this review. This had power4gear set to email/office and brightness @ 50%. That’s phenomenal. If you set brightness at 15% in a dark room its very visible you can get upwards of 5 hours on very mild use I imagine. Very good battery life and surprisingly better then expected. Now keep in mind this is without undervolting.

Heat and Noise:
This thing is extremely cool. I am on battery now. The fan is Silent. No Joke. It feels like it is off. On ac adaptor it is still silent. Only time you can hear it is during pcmark. NICE!!! The fan in here is all that and more. This is less loud then any laptop I have seen from asus in the recent past. I can say its silent but I know I will get bashed so I will say its almost silent. After installing notebook hardware control these are the temps i got while on battery. I am still not undervolting this thing so keep that in mind:
cpu: 40C (battery low load)
hdd: 43C (battery low load)
CPU:47C (AC low load)
HDD:43C (AC low load)
CPU: 53C (AC 35% load)
HDD:49C (AC 35% load)
Please keep in mind the hdd during these simple tests remains mostly off. Obviously during simultaneous uploads and downloads or disk defrag most hdd will reach up to 60C. This is normal. I give this an A in terms of heat and noise.

Benchmarks:
Ok what I did to compare is run pcmark05 full suite on 3 machines all with very comparable specs except the z70va which has a dedicated x700 and a 2.0ghz cpu instead of the 1.8ghz as the others which explains the high graphics score:
Z62F Overall: 3012
CPU: 4266
Memory: 2505
Graphics: 1079
Z62F Overall (after bios flash): 2536
CPU: 4273
Memory: 2912
Graphics: 809
Z63A overall: 2082
CPU: 2992
Memory: 2734
Graphics: 812
Z70va overall: 2883
CPU: 3195
Memory: 2823
Graphics: 2888

Basically all these tests conclude is that the z62f destroys all mobiles that came before it in terms of multithreading and general cpu performance. The reason it fell slightly behind in memory is because of the high latency. DDR667 is cas5 while ddr533 is cas4. Now i did not run extended memory tests but i am sure the higher clock can contribute to some beneficial results over the others. It’s also possible that 3dmark05 does not have full support for the new chipset. This is pretty minor still because in terms of overall processing power the z62f destroys both no contests. With all that said the battery life is actually greater then its cousin the z63a. Same 4800mah battery too. Just for kicks and giggles I tested my desktop which has an amd athlon 3200+ which is still considered a high end desktop cpu. It scored a whopping 2751 on the cpu test of pcmark05. That’s pretty sad considering it scored even less then the 533fsb Dothan. It (my desktop) did destroy the lappies in all other aspects including memory which scored more then double, hdd which scored almost tripple (running mirror raid here with 2x sata drives).

Pro's:
* Extremely easy to assemble. They finally got it. A donkey can put this notebook together from scratch.
* Built in camera and mic
* All ports on one side. Some may not like this but I think its ok. A lot better then having some ports on the back
* Nice keyboard. Has very little play. Some very picky analyst will return because of this so I though i should mention it. It also has a partial spill proof keyboard. Just a spill proof layer of clear acrylic on the bottom of the kb. Will not stop a flood but will prevent a small spill from toping over to the mainboard. The keyboard can use a little work. Some padding on the bottom will help. I have seen a lot worse. This gets a B unfortunately. After some fiddling around I used double sided clear tape on the bottom. I have to say it is very solid now. Too solid. I will recant the B and give it an A-. Too solid infact. I like a little play in my kb gives it a soft feeling
* Port bar connect is on it. This is not a very popular feature. It is basically an expansion dock that allows you to connect asus port bar from the rear which has a ac hole, vga out, 4 usb, modem, lan....
* They finally got rid of the ****ed Toshiba Samsung optical drives. Those things were just unreliable. Hopefully they won’t contract Samsung for anything anymore. This year all they did was get screwed by them and we got it even worse
* Got rid of the audio dj. Yes this is a pro. Did anyone actually ever use that feature? What 1 in 1000?
* This notebook is an awesome value. We started the base barebones off at $579. In the history of asus there has never been a better value.
* Positioned the exhaust vent on the left side middle. That’s good because I don’t have to take phone calls that start with "is it normal for my hand to sweat if I use an external mouse near the vent on the right?". I love picky people.
* Stackable memory. Yes finally the memory bays are right above each other. Why o why did they use to put one of them under the lappy and the other under the keyboard?
* This is the best one. A standard unaltered optical drive. No more rail kits or faceplate kits. This thing is original as manufactured by Panasonic. I think. Though this does not affect end users it helps us a lot in terms of rma. We no longer have to order special drives from asus for rma purposed. We can pick then up anywhere and not get bent over.

Con's:
* Someone screwed up. The plastic fillers for the PCMCIA and sd card readers were not included. Talk about attention to detail.
* Absence of a modular optical bay. That’s right this model no longer employs the famous modular bay. You cannot use a second internal battery or a second internal harddrive. Of course there is no traveler drawer. All good things that made asus stand out before are now gone.
* The plastic legs on the bottom. Not sure why they are there. They are a bit taller then the rubber feet which makes this thing wobble on a flat surface. For now we are just grinding them down. This is a defect. We are fixing this on our end but I hope asus will take care of this in the next shipment with slightly taller rubber feet. We are basically polishing them down a bit don’t worry they look natural.

Conclusion:
It doesn’t look bad. It doesn’t look beautiful ether but it is what it is a very good value and from what it looks like a good quality design and hopefully remains to be such for the next few years like the z63a.

 

Nice review, read it on your forums earlier today

The Z62f won't even offer BT as an option?

 

I have to check on monday. unfortunately the current internal modules we stock do not fit the new port. There is a port for bt but i dont know if we will be able to get those modules soon enough. Have to see on monday

 

Thanks Eddie, nice job

Now, any closeups?

 

No problem, I was just wondering about it and in case someone here might care for BT.

I am convinced to wait for the Z35f.

 

Nah no close ups yet. I got a ****py camera. besides the pics that are available now are pretty decent. I will try to see if i can have a 3d model drawn up for this thing and the new ones provided asus marketing funds cover the expense. Not sure if this one is even worth it all that time and effort.

 

I got one here on friday. Dont know how but it came with a 915 chipset and a pm750. Not even the core. Dunno what to do with it. I havent been this excited since the z70va came out and now i have nothing but a fancy shell without the right chipset.

 

That's annoying at least solo (as was your initial info) ment you could have upgraded it.

At least is the shell nice and well built?
Have you tested battery life on it yet? Since it seems the P-M and the duo are roughly consuming the same amount of power.

 

Eh its ok. They will hopefully bring it in black instead of the strange mixture of silver and white on top. Looks like a mac with all the white. Its small. I am quite satisfied with its portability. I still would love for them to bring in a non wide 12 incher. Something about the 12" wide that makes the screen frame look too large and the screen to wide. I guess i am just used to my 12" m5n. You know i belive the cores actually use less power. The z62f gets more battery life from a 6 cell. Anyone know if the z63a also had a 6 cell or an 8 cell. I think they were all 6 cells. Only the z70 series had an 8 cell.....i think????

 

wow, over 4 hours on a 6 cell is great battery life!

 

I think it's an 8 cell, everything over 14.1" is 8 cell, everything else is 6?

Not sure...

Still, the Core Duo's bettery life is impressive.

 

You say the fan is silent...
I know it's probably a long shot, but can the Z62f fan fit into the Z63a?

 

I would have to check that out. It looks a bit bigger though at first impression. Why do you want that anyways. Is your z63 fan loud? Its wes well below loud when i reviewed it. Then again with new bios all that can change. Also keep in mind that the z62f naturally is lower temperature for some reason. The fan mostly stays on at very low rpm./

 

What the cr@p were they thinking to have the battery stick out the back like that??? That's plain old shabby on Asus' part. A 14" shouldn't have that sticking out the back. A 12"? Maybe - but not a 14"!

 

Sorry man i should have mentioned it. The battery does not stick out the back. I am working on more pics. The battery is completely flush does not stick out. I just edited some of the pics which show the extended battery. I ll try to take sme more soon. But the current pics should accurately reflect what is there.

 

is the BT port hard to get to a'la z70 or easy due to the CBB stuff? sounds like a pretty solid notebook, probably too heavy for my taste. Eagerly awaiting the production z35f.

 

did you edit the pics on paint? I looks really ugly. I can see a white mark on a grayish background

 

Photoshop
The only pic that looks unatural is the shot from the back focusing on the battery. When i get into work monday i ll take some more shots. But those pics are mostly ok except that one.

Not at all its right next to the hdd channel. But like i said it all remains to be seen if they release the module for it. I am also not 100% sure that is the new bt port but i have a strong feeling it is. Still dont have the new bt modules on hand so no way to tell.

 

That was my thinking, too; to wait, that is. Then on Eddie's site http://www.geared2play.com//phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?p=3851#3851
If I'm understanding it, that machine with a C-Du-o may not exist in reality. Chinese websites have posted the designated model for us would be z35f with the follow-on "j" designation for the enhanced video-guy.

Then, they maybe releasing the A8jf first, and then come back with the built-on model later...you know...a marketing suit decision...for the most part they can just play with us until everything gets serious in Q3/Q4 when the confluence of EM64T enabled Intel ceepews and Mr. Gates' new inventions comes together for the fall and Christmas 2006.

I just hope these guys don't get too smart by half and blow it to the other design/builders who want that price spot.

As soon as I see what I want in that narrow band, I'm ordering.

 

I hate flexible roadmaps

 

5.5 lb...why is it so much heavier than the z63a? because of the built in cam?

 

Yea it is a bit heavier than the Z63 but 5.5 lbs isnt that heavy. I would be more concerned about its dullness when compared to the Z63 than its weight.

 

They actually have the same exact weight. (with the standard batteries)
But the Z63a offers a weight saver instead of the optical drive, while the Z62f doesn't

 

Hello,

I had a few questions about the Z62F:

1. Does it come with an express card slot or with a PCMCIA slot? This thread seems to inidicate that it is an express card slot...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=43665&highlight=z62f

...though I have seen spec sheets that indicate it comes with a PCMCIA slot.

I have a professional sound card (RME Multiface) which requires a PCMCIA slot and was really bummed after I read that thread.

2. Is it possible to use an Atheros wireless mini-PCI card such as this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Atheros-G-wirel...22603QQcategoryZ45003QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

They seem to have the added benefit of offering "Super G" which my router currently supports. It would be nice to not have to use the separate (again PCMCIA) adaptor. Any reasons to not use this?

Thanks a lot!

kendall

 

2- this model uses the mini pci-ex which is a different size card, which atheros is yet to release one for, but they are expected to.

 

Its a pcmcia card bus

 

I am a bit confused. This post seems to be certain that it is an express card slot:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1294824&posted=1#post1294824

Yet this one seems to be saying it's PCMCIA.

Is it possible that Geared2Play.com and ProPortable.com carry different models?

kendall

 

The only express slot is the one inside for the wireless card. The pc bay is pcmcia card bus. I am not mistaken i am 100% certain of it unless the new bay is the same size and form factor.

 

i think they are similar PC slot sizes. My fujitsu has one of both (stacked) and from the outside you can't tell which slot it which.

I think the z62f has express but i'm not the one with it in my hands (like eddie).

 

Would it be possible to test the slot by putting in a PCMCIA card? Unfortunately, not supporting PCMCIA is a showstopper for me.

Thanks for all the help.

kendall

 

I tested the slot with a legace pcmcia modem. Works just fine. All the z62f are the same. It is infact a pcmcia slot nothing else

 

one way to tell from pics (if you don't believe Eddie who has it in his hands)

Most, if not all, of the pcmcia slots will have the 'ejection' button (like the z62f) while the expresscard slots are usually spring-loaded.

 

You know the weird part is that the pcmcia bay actually has the xpress symbol on it. SOrt of looks like an incomplete square. I think thats what that is. Anyhow it is a pcmcia bay as stated in the review. Thats one thing i made sure to check before i posted though i didnt try it till now
Edited
Never mind i am seeing things again disregard

 

Thank you Eddie. I appreciate you following up and being very thorough.

I don't mean to come off like I don't believe you. It's this post that really got me confused:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...highlight=z62f

Since the title is something like "... V6j's/W5f's and Z62f's all shipping ...", perhaps he was referring to the V6J and the W5f?

I have been tracking the Z62F for months now and was really disappointed when I read that thread after waiting forever.

I am a recording engineer looking for a new laptop. It's been pretty tough to find a machine with just the right specs as my requirements are pretty specific (PCMCIA, PATA, GBit LAN, 14.1"). I am an experienced builder of digital audio workstations, but the laptop products are a bit new to me.

Pro audio computers can be quite finicky. Even though this machine appears to have all the right ports, there is still the question of how well it will work with my Multiface. There have been issues reported with the certain CPU's (primarily single-core) and the NForce 4 PCI Express-based chipset which have severly limited the use of this combination for pro audio work. Has something to do with contention for cycles between the video card and the sound card. From all that I can tell, there have not been any issues reported with the Intel 915 chipset, though, there isn't much data yet on the 945 chipset. I don't usually like to take gambles like this (they have backfired many times), but I just sold my laptop and need a new one soon. I have been considering the Z63A as well though it bothers me that I have to pay more for the older platform.

kendall

 

All i can tell you is that we offer a no penalty exchange policy as part of the standard warranty. if the z62 is not to your liking you can exchange it for the z63a just pay the shipping without penalty in original condition. I realize not everyone may be pleased by every machine but thats why we also have a return or exchange policy.

 

that's pretty cool. I didn't know that.

 

Thats becuase people are not keen on looking for written warranty. They are all very very different.

 

Thanks for the great review!!

I just have three questions:

1. How does it compare looks-wise to the Z70va on a scale of 1 to 10?

2. Is the 5.5lbs weight good to carry around to University everyday?

3. Will the integrated video card manage to at least play Counter-Strike 1.6 (the old non-graphically enhanced version)? Everyone seems to denounce integrated video cards religiously, and I was just wondering if they are THAT bad!


Thanks again!

 

Nice job on the review Eddy.

Like you metioned in this review and as I have commented in another thread, Asus seems to be cutting corners to save money as they make their move mainstream.

I really hope this isn't the case because not many laptop manufacturers offer what they offer with modular bays, top notch materials and build quality, attention to little fine details.

Their new models, well a lot of them, seem to be missing the "Asus Touch".

Cheers,
Mike

Edit:: battlecat... Looks wise, from the pictures that thing doesn't compare to my Z70Va. 2) The Z70Va if I recall is 5.6-6lbs, I'd say it's probably 6lbs or a little more. I carry this baby around everywhere and she does drag me down. Carrying her around by herself is no problem, but with books on campus it's a bit of a load. 3) Integrated videcards ARE that horrible if you want to PLAY games and not just participate in them. I think the integrated graphics from Intel will handle Counter-Strike 1.6, dunno about Source though.

Hope that helps

 

Hey Eddy (and anyone who has received their Z62f yet) -

I've been looking around but haven't been able to get a consensus on this: how is the "construction" on it? If you pick it up, heft it around, does it feel solid, like it'll last a long time, survive some bumps?

I'm almost sure I'm going with the Z62f, but I'm not going to get the chance to feel it for myself beforehand. I'm going to go down to Best Buy to make sure that a 14" screen and 5.5 lbs is giong to be a good match for what I want to do (probably bringing it back and forth across campus several times a day). I've been looking at alternatives, and I can save some money by going with an Acer or Dell, so durability and "solidness of chassis" is going to be a big factor for me.

I guess the benchmark is the "pick it up by a corner test", or anything else you can come up with, but I'd like to hear any more that you can tell thanks!

 

Well aside from the minor modifications we had to do to make them ok for sale i would say its a very nice bargain. The battery life is stupendous here. Much better then expected. Its very solid. i can pick it up from any corner with one hand without any creaking or breaking. It plays a dvd fro 3 hours before warning low battery and thats on 100% brightness no undervolting and highest performance which i think is incredible. I can really find any flaws other then the obvious defect which was easily corrected by a dremel.

 

Great to hear about the excellent battery life, I am impressed! I'm still mourning the loss of the swappable optical drive, will ANY of the new ASUS notebooks have this feature? (Please say the Z35!)

 

no modular bay on the z35a i figure the same for the z35f

 

1. Which Atheros chip will fit inside the Z62F ? TY

By no modular bay, does that mean Unable to use a different Slim DVD (DVR-K06 will not fit)?
2. Any users actually feel slighted by NO modular bay after using Z62F ?
3. Any owners find any other dislikes?

 

the new intel 3945 chipset is PCIe Mini Card it is not compatable with older cards from atheros and other brands. Its going to be alittle bit before others come out with cards for this chip type.

 

Eddie when is the z35f coming out do you have any real dates yet since it got pushed back?

 

No eta. Not guaranteed to be here at all now but i imagine they will have a ultraportable

 

Z62F seems good, but why the PCmark05's Graphic scores is lower after flash BIOS? What the BIOS version is?

 

I wouldnt be concerned about the pcmark gpu score. Same happens a few times. May be a result of underclocked vga in the later bios. It seemed good but not a good seller. There are better fish in the sea like the z35 now.