Future A6JA buyer, please help!

I am about to buy an ASUS A6JA in the next two months and i have some questions:

1) Is there any warranty extension program above 2 years?

2) What exactly can be upgraded, CPU, HDD, memory, VGA? Changing your HDD or memory voids your warranty?

3) Is there any option for a second battery? If so, how much does it cost?

4) Is there a 3.5" Floppy present or i have to buy an external one?

3) V6J is not an option where i live (Greece), is there any other ASUS model i should look for at 15.4"?

Many thanks in advance for your answers

 

Hi emperor.

1) I believe there is an option in which you can incerase the warranty by 2 more years, just curious where are you buying this? What country?

2) You can change the HDD and RAM without voiding the warranty. But if you were to claim your warranty when ur laptop malfunction you must change ur HDD and Ram back to the original ones.

The CPU can be changed, but will void the warranty, there's a sticker on the cpu in which ASUS would see it's ripped.

THe Graphics Card, NO not user changeable, nor will be it manufacturer changeable. (don't count on GPU changing, it is pretty non existence right now)

3) sorry don't have an answer for this.

4) No floppy drive in the chasis, you will havta get an external one, costs 25$-50$.

Just a suggestion: If you need to use a floppy or even a CD, put it in a computer near you, like a school one, and take ur USB key (flash drive) transfer it to USB Key, then quickly transfer it to your laptop. Therefore you don't need floppy drives or even a CD drive (if it is modular).

5) Yes there are other 15.4" ASUS laptops coming out, you can wait roughly 3 months and you will see the W1J, <- which is for multimedia uses, very nice looking too.

Also the V1J which is going to be totaly brand new, hopefully thin and light, and packs some nice power. <- more of a business notebook

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

I'm not sure, but I believe the extra warrany only covers one more year above those two which are the default (in Europe).

Is this for sure? Isn't there some sort of seal-paint that is applied on the screws as well? I've seen a kind of green
marker when I opened my (old) ASUS laptop.

So, better check thoroughly before opening any part of the laptop. Do the upgrades through the store where you buy if from, perhaps that's the safest way.

 

Thanks for your answers, i have asked and there is an option to extend warranty up to 3 years for 160 euro (+1 year). I have noticed that the price of A6Ja has dropped (~ -100 euro), i hope by end of June to have further drop of price... Unfortunaly i cannot wait until September to get probably new models with Core 2 Duo.

 

News update: Finally i ordered today my new ASUS A6JA.. The good news is that its price has dropped around 250 Euros, compared with last week prices, final price (including VAT), around 1520 Euro, there were lowest prices around 1400 Euro, but from uknonwn online shops...

 

wow kool, thanks for the update, gj on the purchase, i hope to see some pics or a review . Also when will it arrive to your home?

Is is possible to give a link to were you bought it?

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

What are the specifications? And I would also like to know where you bought it, since it's strange that the price has dropped about 250 euros. I bought mine more than a month ago and the price has even increased! Anyway, I'm sure you'll be happy with your new lappy. Give it a nice name and have fun with it!

Joost

 

Thanks for your comments, here is a link that shows the latest available prices of A6JA in Greece. All prices include 19% VAT and probably an additional cost for shipment. The lappy costed around ~1750 Euro (final price) and now has dropped at ~1480 Euro (final price), i bought it somewhat higher cause i bought it not from an online shop but from retailer (offered me good payment methods).

There is a free carrying bag and a logitech optical mouse included + 2 years of warranty.

Hopefully i will have tomorrow my laptop so i can play around and write my impressions/thoughts about it. I have been searching a LOT and after a long time decided to buy the A6JA for many reasons. Too bad i couldn't find the V6J (isn't being sold here ) or A8JM (14.1"). I had restriction of 15"+ so my choices were limited.

The specs as far i know are:
Core Duo 1.66
1GB RAM
100GB 5400RPM HDD
ATI x1600 256 (512 Hypermemory)
15.4" 1280x800
3kg weight
2 years warranty

Ask me more questions, i will try to answer them

 

Just a quick update, the laptop arrived today! I have already opened it, build quality seems nice, didn't have the time to power it up and play around. I am downloading new bios/drivers from ASUS.

For SVGA should i use Omega 6.3 or Omega 6.5? Why ATI doesn't support at their latest mobility x1600 cards? Are there any alternative solutions? For OC, ATI Tool or ATI Tray Tools?

Lastly, ASUS doesn't include a normal XP CD, so if i find all drivers i can format the HDD and install a fresh XP installation (without norton!)?

 

More updates: I have updated bios to v207. No issues here. However i cannot make BT works, the installer goes and asks to plug-in the module(?), i press OK and asks the same thing... I am downloading the latest BT driver pack from ASUS, any ideas why does this happen? (update: i figured out that you have to turn on BT with the WLAN icon, so everything now work ok)

The included HDD is a FUJITSU MHV2100AT PL (100GB 4200RPM)...I am not very satisfied from its rotation speed, but the laptop is really silent (!). I think an upgrade is on its way to 5400RPM HDD...

The optical drive comes from Matsushita DVD-RAM UJ-841S, not the best choice since there are no firmware updates available...Maybe another upgrade here with a NEC 6650/7750

 

Can anyone tell me if it would be worth getting a notebook cooler thing with an A6Ja, wether or not I would have fans working against each other?

 

I'm thinking of getting a cooler for my A6J as well, anyone has opinions on this?

 

I have an A6ja and I dont think I need a laptop cooler for it. I usually use the notebook in room temperature. Although the unit gets a bit hot in the keyboard/palmrest area, its still bearable for me. If you feel its too hot for comfort, then probably you can get a cooler.

 

Are there any fans underneath and if so do they push air out or suck it in?

 

No fans underneath, the heat gets out on the back side... When you use the laptop for intensive gaming, you won't put it on your lap anyway. And yes, the table underneath and the laptop itself can get hot, but it is not too hot, it's a temperature the laptop's probably actually built for... Don't worry about the temps!

 

I would like to know your opinion at my question. How can someone measure TFT leakage? Should I place brightness to zero/max, at which place (angle) the TFT should be looked at to see it, correctly? Attached two pictures of the same TFT, am I have a problem here?