Everything seems backwards

Hi guys, I have been coming to this site for months....reading every thread and absorbing and participating in discussion related to both ASUS and Sony products. Can anyone explain to me why the stock configurations like the W3V come with a dedicated GPU....yet the customizable version (Z63A) where you could potentially crank the performance as high as you can afford would only offer integrated GMA900 graphics? I understand that gaming performance has largely been reserved for larger screen models such as 15.4-17" screens. But I'm looking for something in the 13-14" range. It just seems to me that it should be reversed....the W3V should have dedicated graphics and the Z63A should be customizable with the ability to add the X600 card. Please comment.

 

I'm guessing and I could be way of base but with the W3V being such a small unit, it could be spec'ed for maximum quality and performance.

I mean if you were to increase ram, harddrive speeds it could push the cooling
ability on the notebook to it's uppper limits and it would probably minimize battery life. This may not be the quality product that Asus intended to market.

If the above were true, customers who did purchase these customized units could end up complaining in forums of poor battery life or the unit running hot, thus customized units would have a negative impact on the originally intended uncustomizable unit.

 

There are resellers who do customize the W3V. I know of 2.
You do give up the Asus warranty and instead get the dealer warranty.
Sounds good...if they are still in business a year from the time of your purchase.

 

From what I have read here, Asus is trying to differentiate their Ensemble brand and the Built On brand. Why have a W3V if the Z63A is identical?

My personal guess is that as Asus becomes more of a U.S. player, they will have to offer the Ensemble lines as customizable. Then what will happen to the Built On line? I hope they don’t abandon the fine small shops that have been selling Asus for so long.

 

Yeah.. it's not backwards, the configurable models are also looked at as the models that could be configured lower........ as well as higher and if one model is going to be an ensemble.. and yet a barebone is going to come out based on the system model.. it will be different enough as not to compete.

 

But you've said yourself that the treatment of a customizable model is just that.....it's yours and nobody elses....you can't return it if you've made a custom request.......why not offer the ability to add the dedicated GPU in the mix if you truly can configure up and down from the ensemble?

 

Why not offer? I just want this comment in another thread...... The ensemble models come over from taiwan complete and configured. If we touch them in any way, we not only void Asus' warranty for that customer but must find a use for the parts removed from that system, which means using them in another customers computer who is expecting one brand new, unused parts. That's not fair for them. Also, we must be expected to offer some sort of warranty to replace Asus' that is being voided. Asus makes their money on their warranty, then we void it....... there is nothing there for us to make inorder to insure the warranty down the road.

Not to mention Asus looks down on any company who continues to alter their ensemble models. Asus' biggest fault is they only look at the bottom line and when they tell a company that they will void their warranty if they touch those systems... if they are still dumb enough to do it... asus makes the same amount of money and never has to perform warranty work......... it's a win win for them, but they aren't setting a good example.

We're not in control of what ensemble and what barebone comes into the States... but the whole idea is that they don't compete directly with each other. If you had a W3v ensemble and a W3v barebone that looked alike and had the same parts...... you'd never sell an emsemble model... it's that simple.

 

Either you misunderstood me or didn't make myself clear....I didn't mean that the W3V should be modifiable.....I meant the Z63A.....why not off the capability of upgrading the GPU there? Sorry.....didn't mean to raise any ire.

 

Oh, no.. I think I understood, maybe I didn't explain it right..

Ok.. the W3v is a highend system.. MOST people looking for a 14" widescreen don't need dedicated graphics......... these systems have two different motherboards, it's not a matter of just throwing in the graphics board........ so integrated graphics makes this system much cheaper and puts in into contention with other notebooks of it's size.... that's all.

 

I realize that the W3V is a pretty nice high performance configuration....but obviously if you wanted to upgrade to a 2.0 GHz process or change hard drives you can't. It would just seem to make sense that since the case form factor accepts the motherboard with the graphics port and there is space for the card.....why not be able to put that board in the barebones Z63A case and customize the whole package how ever you want. I agree that most people who want to go down to a 14" screen have other priorities than including a dedicated GPU.....but why offer one in an ensemble if that's really true? It seems that the W3V is pretty popular. I think that many people would love the idea of a completely customizable version up or down using either motherboard.....unless the Z63A case is not the same as the W3V's.

 

Sorry for the last post.....I understand where you're going with this.....it's about ASUS' positioning of the products. If you ask me...segregating a market by a dedicated GPU is dumb idea. It is the only thing that differentiates it from the Z63A.....but makes the Z63A inferior....while providing no upgrade path for the so called high end product. Either offer a completely customizable product or more choices on an ensemble....why do both while simultaneously restricting what would be a potentially ideal configuration for someone who has the bucks to make the highest end system possible? Doesn't make sense.

 

It's not about you........ it's about what will sell best. If Asus didn't have their "ensemble" line in the US....... all of the systems would be configurable. Honestly if you want an ensemble model that bad but with better specs you can always buy one and change out the parts and ebaying the parts or use them somewhere else or whatever........ It's not like it's impossible, but it's what has to be done so that someplace like my company will sell both our custom systems and Asus' preconfigured systems and there is no worry of competition on either side...... It's not a perfect world, but it's set up like it is for a reason........... we've already had many threads about this in the past and it's something you can search on if you'd like more information about it...... but it's just how it is and it's not worth going into it any more because nothing would come of it... we've already proved that previously...

 

What I would like to see is the ensemble models be made available direct from Asus. This way you could customise your machine to have a better processor, more RAM etc and still get the two-year international warranty because it is built by Asus.

In reality this may be too much to ask because it would mean that Asus would need to put in place facilities around the world to customise the machines. This compared to churning out a few different configurations for different countries at the same factory somewhere in Taiwan. Probably their sales are not enough to justify the outlay. This is why this model is most common with very large manufacturers such as Dell and IBM or very small brands capitalising on niche markets.

‘Built on Asus’ products will never be able to match the ensemble model because it does not make economic sense for Asus to offer the same quality product for a lesser price only rebadged. This would only serve to degrade their brand name. The only option is thus to remove something (components, warranty) or to make the barebones dearer. Increasing price is not done because this ignores their largest market – the customer who wants a good quality laptop but doesn’t need particularly high specifications.

What this all adds up to is that I believe that Asus’ current sales model is going to remain for some time. It will only be if and when they start selling a lot more notebooks that we will start to see the ability to customise that a lot of us would love to see.

 

The entire reason the "built on Asus" line exists is because the first time Asus brought in their notebooks starting 5 years ago......... they basically only had 2-3 models a year for the first 2 1/2 years........ They brought over these configured notebooks and could only offer one configuration...... That limited the number they could bring in and warehouse becasue prices changed and if they had to hold onto a system for more than a quarter, then cpu prices dropped and they'd lose money....... So just about when they decided to completely pull out of North America, I know I was one who went to them and complained as we had just started really selling their stuff and we had found customers for it....... I mentioned what intel was doing with the whitebooks and at the time it was something they were very familiar with anyway and from there the "built on Asus" line was born................. that way they could house 2-3 times as many models for the same cost to them and they could have them for a year if need be because the barebone cost isn't going to change.


They came up with this so that it would be easier to get their notebooks into this country and allow people to order and customize them and have them built to order. Asus doesn't want to get into that......... Asus is an ODM and really doesn't even want to be doing what they're doing now... they'd rather have their tech support and repair facility sourced out....... with the custom lines they don't have to worry about warranty directly........ The other thing is, 1-2 configurations of a notebook works very well overseas, but in the US everyone basically wants custom, even if just becasue they don't want to be told they are limited. Asus CAN'T do this...... Their ensemble line was brought back into the US slowly as an ultra high end line... not everyone in the world might want the configuration, but it's close enough for them and the line doesn't need to be perfect for everyone........ they aren't bringing in 100's of thousands of these....... they're selling more than they can bring in and on the custom side they're doing the same where you have the option... you're not going to get the same thing.

Like I've said before if all of the ensemble models were offered as a barebone.... the SAME exact models.. there would be no reason for us to sell the ensemble models and there would be no reason for people to buy them... unles of course you run into someone who needs it tomorrow and that one configuration is perfect for them......... So that means Asus' own brand would not sell in the US at all and it would be impossible for them to get into the market unless they tried to go to best buy and compusa or places like that with the ensemble line......... but then, honestly they would face direct competition from crappy computer companies....... Asus is huge, but say someone never heard of them..... and they were reviewed in a magazine next to some no name, tiny little company........ for people who don't know.. they'd be like.. these two companies are buying from the same place.... not something the people who are actually making them would really like to have happen.

There's one giant plan and Asus and most people think it's working as best it can.... Sometimes I don't like that the ensemble models are limited.......... but when I look back to how it was... that was the ONLY way we could get any of the models a little more than 2 years ago........ so if I want more ram, a bigger hard drive and a faster cpu in my own unit.... i'll put it in....... it's no big deal. For instance the people who always want to go with the top end cpu.... they're throwing their money away anyway, so why not just upgrade an enemble and then use those parts in another system or something......... ebay them.... or buy from someone who will customize it for you and you'll lose your warranty with Asus.

Either way, anything you want is possible... you're just not going to get everything you want, cheap and you may want or with all the frills and warranty as you may want.