Buying an ASUS...need some advice

I've finally decided to get an ASUS and can't decide on which model. I'll be in college next year and would look a reasonably portable machine. However, I really want to be able to play high-end games. I've narrowed it down to the W3J or A8JM. Is one superior to the other? Are the any other models I should consider?

Also, I've read about a W3J+ being released? Should I wait for this? WHAT IS IT?

Thanks for the help guys, I know I'm new to ASUS and I did read some newbie guides, but I need some real feedback. Seriously, the way ASUS names their lappies is **** confusing.

 

I believe the W3J+ is the refresh model of the original W3J. The original W3J had a 1.83ghz CPU and 2x512mb memory sticks. The refresh comes with a 2ghz proc and 1x1024mb memory stick. The W3J refersh is available now.


From what I read, the A8JM is a beast of a machine but I wouldn't exactly call it portable.

 

Well, here are the major differences in a nutshell:

W3J
- x1600 256Mb dedicated mem, 256 Hyper threading
- Extra Modular bay for extra battery, optical drive etc
- Better materials & looks
- 1280 x 768
- 3 USB ports

A8Jm
- Nvidia Go 7600 512 MB dedicated mem
- DVI
- Webcam
- 1280 x 800
- 5 USB ports
- No Bluetooth in North American versions

Other than than, they're pretty comparable and are great machines.

 

Yeah, the W3 has better material construction and looks, but the A8 had DVI out and more usb ports. Plus, the A8 is a fair bit less expensive.

 

How much ya got? =P

 

Man, this is tough. I won't lie--I really prefer the look of the w3j. So much so that it would be hard not to buy it. However, the 512 dedicated graphics would be incredible.

Money is not really of concern, so I still don't know. How noticeable will the graphics upgrade be?

 

Xtopia: In realworld performance, you probably won't notice any difference, they're pretty comparable. x1600 wins in 3dMark05, while Go7600 wins in 3dMark06.

If money is no concern, I'd suggest going with the W3J.

 

^ ditto Darrick.

Comparable performance, and no financial restrictions to stay within -- always go with the better quality piece. Plus, the brushed aluminum cover with the black inside looks so much nicer IMO. Very sweet.

 

Yea but I think that functionality is what matters most here. A typical college student probably has an MP3 player, scanner, printer, etc. in his/her dorm room which requires the use of alot of USB ports. In addition, he wants a gaming machine so the 512MB graphics card would be ideal in addition to the a small addition of the resolution (A8Jm's 800 vs. W3V's 768 rows of pixels).

I think the A8jm would be more suitable for him.

 

I wonder whether they also solved the heat issues, or this this a problem of which no solution exists?

 

Like the others have said, if money isn't of concern here, go with the W3J+, you won't be disappointed.

Heat issue? There is no heat issue with the W3, never really has been.

It does get warm, but that's normal for a laptop packing that much power into such a small package.

Also, if you run the laptop in power saving mode and turn everything down then it will ALWAYS run cool.

Those that complain of heat problems usually have their laptop running at full steam just for web browsing and your everyday computer tasks.

Only run it in full performance mode for games or cpu intensive tasks.

If you leave your laptop in dynamic switching mode then you don't even have to think about changing performance modes because the cpu will throttle up whenever it needs the extra power.

Heat problem solved.