F81Se-X1 information?

I've never owned an Asus computer - only HPs, Dells, and Macs - but I'm seriously considering one for my next laptop. The specs really seem like they can't be beat for the price. I'm looking at the F81Se-X1 - $799 after a $100 mail in rebate on Newegg - but I really can't find any reviews about it nor have I been able to locate it at a brick and mortar store. My main concerns about buying it without having talked to anybody or seen one are durability and usability. I've seen a few other Asus laptops at stores (eg, the G50Vt-X5 and the X83Vm-X2) and while they seemed sturdy enough from what I could tell (not very much, since I couldn't really pick them up, examine the hinges, or test pliancy), I found the trackpads on both particularly irritating (they seemed a bit jumpy) and the buttons on them loud and stiff. Are these issues common to all Asus laptops, or might the F81Se be different? Do you quickly get used to them and not notice them? How is build quality, anyway?

The specs on the F81Se-X1:
Screen 14.1"
Memory Size 4GB
Hard Disk 320GB
Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
Video Memory 512MB
CPU Speed P8400(2.26GHz)
CPU FSB 1066MHz
CPU L2 Cache 3MB
Screen Size 14.1"
LCD Features LED backlight
Resolution 1366 x 768

Thank you for any help.

-John

 

Hey there,

I purchased a F81SE-VX067 with very similar specs to the -X1 except for having less RAM (2Gb) and a faster CPU (P8600). I'm fairly satisfied with it thus far:

- the keyboard is okay, although flexier than my Dell Inspiron 6400
- the construction seems to be quite solid and the hinges seem okay, although only time will tell
- I'm not gushing over the SIS chipset (low memory bandwidth scores compared to my Intel spec'd Inspiron) and felt misled by the shop I purchased it from regarding memory frequency (included 'DDR2-800' RAM but runs it at 667MHz!)
- can get a bit hot at the bottom left corner of the keyboard and to the left of the touchpad but not alarmingly so
- battery life is not so great, about 1hr 50mins on power saving mode (Windows 7), but not awful considering the GPU
- 64-bit driver support is excellent, and the F81SE runs Windows 7 x64 flawlessly
- built in speakers are very quiet and have fairly poor sound - not a big deal for me as I rarely use them

As for the touchpad - it works fine for me, no jumpiness, even without installing the Synaptics drivers. A good deal for the money overall, considering the specs!

 

Thanks very much for writing back. I've had a devil of a time finding anything out about these. I've been trying to decide between the F81se and the N81vg. Both sound pretty sturdy and people seem reasonably happy in each case. The former is two hundred dollars cheaper (after a mail in rebate) on Newegg, and a good battery life really would have clinched it. The SiS chipset sounds genuinely crappy.

I'll probably dither a bit more and then flip a coin, unless anyone else has anything to offer.

 

Yep,

I think the chipset is the deciding factor - if it was Intel I could recommend the laptop

 

After using the F81SE for two months, I thought it'd be helpful to give updated feedback about it:

- yes, the built-in speakers are still crappy (I just use externals)
- hinges are solid and working well
- SiS chipset is not impacting 'real-world' performance, it's doing it's job well
- battery life is not great (2h on 'balanced' profile)
- Windows 7 x64 running well, no problems so far
- memory hole problem fixed with release of 209 BIOS firmware update

All in all, for the money this is a great laptop despite the crappy speakers and so-so battery life.

Cheers,
_sP_