Barebone W3J - Upgrade to the max?

The W3J saga continues.

I contacted several sites/resellers claiming to have the W3J. And what it comes down to is that the Dutch version is going to have a T2300 (1,6Ghz), 512 mem and a 80GB HDD. I was kinda disappointed cuz the US and UK version is going to have the T2400 (you bastards!).

But then I came across this site (=dutch) http://www.laptops4u.nl/info/w3j-h001p-barebone-stel-zelf-samen-916.html.



wtf? you can make your own W3J, they offer processors up to the T2600 (=2.13Ghz) and mem up to 2048mb 667Mhz ram. Obviously I was ecstatic by this discovery. So I phoned these guys up in unbelief, and it is actually true. They have permission from Asus to upgrade the processor to a T2600, without voiding the warranty (!), same with the mem.

The T2600 has some sketchy release dates, and the guy couldnt really tell when it would be available. But the upgraded W3J should be available around the 20th of april.

My only concern is warmth. Can there me a significant amount of heat gain due to the processor? And what about the memory? Will the 2048 (2*1024) be a ot warmer compared to the 512 it initially has? This all in relation to the 14" size.

I got oral guarantees from the guy that if something were to brakedown due to the T2600 it would be covered by the warranty.

What do you guys think is such an upgrade worth the 500 Euros (=US $)? I think this is a great offer, cuz the T2300 was kinda low-end compared to the X1600.

 

I dont know if I would actually take them at there word that they can upgrade the W3J and still retain the Asus global warranty. I would be sure to specifically ask them if they replace the global warranty with there own. More memory will not affect the heat, adding a faster processor and a faster hard drive would for sure though.

After looking at that site I would be very cautious. Under the W3J it looks like they have added the ZBD but we know for sure that ZBD does not apply to the W3J through Asus.

 

For 500 Euros I would say it isn't worth the extra $. Spend the money on upgrading RAM yourself. From 512 to at least 1GB or perhaps 2. Then buy a faster HD, like a 7200RPM one. The heat difference between the two CPU's isn't anything noticeable. There will be little or no difference between having 512RAM or 2GB's of RAM. For 500 Euros you could do the upgrade yourself, and have a CPU and RAM to sell.

 

While voiding the warranty... RAM can be upgraded on your own, CPU cannot. Having that coverage might be worth it, but I would be cautious. I guess I'm just reiterating what they've been saying above, but make sure they aren't replacing the Asus warranty with their own, or you'll have to deal with them and only them to get it repaired. If you're willing to take that risk... that's your call.

Jay

 

The only thing that has a warranty seal is the cpu. Which basically means you can upgrade the ram, the hdd, the wifi without voiding your warranty AS LONG AS YOU KEPT THE ORIGINAL PARTS.....

 

That's not really a barebone. It looks like they are just offering the ability to upgrade the upgradeable parts (which you can do by yourself too and probablyf or cheaper price)

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that by taking those upgrades through them, especially the CPU, you're definitely giving up your global warranty with ASUS, in place for whatever warranty this retailer is offering you THROUGH THEM.

Like other's have said, If you really want better specs, buy the laptop from a reputable dealer with the ASUS global warranty intact...and then upgrade the RAM and Hard drive with whatever you desire on your own.

If you really, really want the CPU upgrade, then you must be willing to give up your global warranty direct through ASUS for whatever the retailer is offering through them. If anything goes wrong, you'll be dealing with them and them alone...keep that in mind and you're all good.

Good luck with whatever you decide on doing