Got my V2JE... Short review and pics inside.

I think I am the first person on NBR to get a V2JE.. Picked it up in Taiwan for aprox $1500.

The specs are lower then the US version

T5600 (1.83 GHz)
120 GB Hard Drive
ATI x1450
3.5g
6 cell battery
micro dvi converter
wireless mouse
messanger bag

I haven't had much time to play around with it but i'll write a quick review.

I have to say you are all going to love this laptop. I am a ex A8Js and Macbook Pro owner (sold both). I actualy was going to wait for a santa rosa macbook pro but I decided to take advantage of visting Taiwan

The quality and looks on the V2je blow the A8Js completly away. It feels and looks better then my old macbook pro. the LED and button placements are really nice. The different LEDS on the palm rest looks awesome (the white glow reminds me of the MBP)

The touch pad is much better quality then the A8JS. it feels alot more accurate.. kinda hard to explain. keyboard is solid (havent really noticed a flex)

Also the Ctrl/Fn key is in the right spot and vent on the left side. (which i prefer)

I think those of you waiting for the V2J will be happy. it is one of the best looking/high quality notebooks i have ever handled.

However, I am still not 100% on the screen. It has slightly better vertical angles A8Js. I do have backlight bleeding at the bottom of the screen. However, I feel the color is alot more accurate/balanced then the A8Js.

I tried to use everest to find out what type of LCD is has but just had generic MS_0000.

Anyway, here are the pics (no order):

 

cool so many stickers you got there

 

How about some battery life/wear info? I'm worried that the V2 is going to succumb to the same wear issues as the V1.

 

yeah, i will take them off soon

one thing that is bothering me is the right side of the keyboard/palm wrist is warm when idle

 

how should I test the battery life?

battery life on the 6 cell is less then 2 hours. (same as a8js)

i will probably pick up the modular battery in the future.

 

Thanks for the pictures. Have you had the chance to run any games?

 

Game/3dmark benchmarks?

 

No I don't have any games with me.

Came here to visit family so I don't have anything with me.

 

download 3dmark off internet?

 

Looks good demenion, thanks for posting pics. Not sure If I asked you this allready, but did the $1500 include 5% tax? It's a shame the battery life appears to be so poor. But is that with full brigtness and everything, that it got >2hrs?

 

She's a beaut Reminds me of the W3J ..

Cheers.

 

Yes it was 50,000 nt final price.

Yeah battery life seems to be about the same as my A8JS.. haven't really tested it realistically so it could be lower/heigher.

As I am typing this message it currently saids 1 hr 51 min (92%) remaining. Power4Gear Quiet office. (max brightness)

I will try 3D Mark later.

Also, I have no idea if I can remove the CDRom.. I thought it was modular so i could put the extra battery or hard drive in.. but i dont know if it is possible to remove it.. i have never used any modular devices so it could be just something dumb, i dont see any type of latch/switch or something to unlock it.

the wireless mouse it comes with is pretty bad... the usb reciever is huge and the mouse itself takes 2 batteries.

also, included was a screen wipe cloth and cable ties (dont remember those coming with my a8js)

 

If there is a modular bay, then there should be a button underneath the notebook with a "CD" and "Unlock" glyphs near it. It should be pulled to the side, then it releases the optical drive and it can be removed.

I'd be interested to know if the V2 really has a modular bay or not, since people on the "W3J vs. V2 thread" were quite sure it has one, but I don't see one in the ASUS specs on the main website.

For how to check/test for battery wear, check this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=104497

 

I do not see anything at the bottom of the laptop that resembles what you said.

I took a quick pic

 

Maybe it's the "CD" screw though a screw doesn't make sense for a hotswappable component.

Also, you can check if it appears as a removable device under Windows system tray. If not then (presuming everything is installed correctly) it's clearly not hotswappable

 

Can we get side/back pictures to see the ports layout? Or maybe you can list them for us?

 

I took another look at the pictures and I think I like this computer. If it does indeed have a hotswappable modular bay, and it doesn't suffer from the battery issues of the V1, it's a worthy successor of the W3J. (though it's a bit bigger).

 

I think you might be able to squeeze out more battery life if you lower the brightness a lot. It might not be as pleasurable to look at but if you're need to run on batter for a while its worth it.

 

I'm still not sure, but that dock and potentially hot swappable battery would be sweet. My battery warranty is up now (the rest has 2 years to go). Maybe I will convince Asus to give me one of these (assuming no battery troubles).

 

Whats the Windows Experience Index of the X1450 like?

 

It should squeak out a 3.5-4, I believe.

 

Regarding the modular bay, Proportable lists it as having it, so maybe he can give some insight into this?

 

Congrats on the buy Demenion, and thank you for your early impressions.

Will you be writing up a more detailed report or a full blown review of the laptop after you've had more time to play with it?

After your vacation of course.

 

left side:

VGA
S-Video
Micro-DVI
x2 SB

right side:

audio/mic jacks
card reader
express card slot
ethernet and phoneline port
1 usb
1 firewire

back just has power port, and the keylock cable

I am installing 3D Mark now.

I still havent figured out the removable cdrom unless you really have to remove a screw... (windows does not show it as a removable device)

 

OK, my first inclination is to say that it's Windows Vista that's influencing performance here. Some have reported use time down as much as 30 minutes.

I also know that high-res screens suck more power, so that explains why it's comparable to the A8Js in terms of battery use.

What worries me, though, is that he can't find the latch to remove the CD drive. That should be relatively easy to find, if you know it's there. He knows it's there and only sees a screw?

 

I ran 3dmark 06 and here are my results

3DMark Score 1098 3DMarks

SM 2.0 Score 364 Marks

SM 3.0 Score 417 Marks

CPU Score 1515 Marks



Detailed Test Results


Graphics Tests
1 - Return to Proxycon 2.451 FPS

2 - Firefly Forest 3.615 FPS



CPU Tests
CPU1 - Red Valley 0.479 FPS

CPU2 - Red Valley 0.767 FPS



HDR Tests
1 - Canyon Flight (SM 3.0) 3.719 FPS

2 - Deep Freeze (SM 3.0) 4.616 FPS

I am running catalyst control center version 1220.2127.2546.38319

 

is that a matte screen?

 

Honestly It's hard to tell if its matte/glossy... it does not seem reflective to me and i dont have another monitor to test if its overally saturated or not.. personally it looks like a matte screen to me but i can't tell for sure.

There is a screw beneath the CD-drive that does have CD on it, i dont have a screw driver with me, but if it was a removable drive seems silly to have to remove a screw to access it =/



also my vista results if anyone was interested

Processor 4.8
Memory 4.5
Graphics 3.5
Gamng graphics 3.7
Primary hard disk 4.3

 

Hm, can't tell if it's glossy or matte? Now that's unusual. Glossy screens have been the norm for a while now, so going to matte is quite unusual. And that CD screw is only for techs. Notebooks with modular drives have a large lever that you need to pull to eject the drive, so that's not too difficult to miss, if it's there.

 

According to ProPortable, its a Glaretype LCD, so thats glossy in normalspeak.

Thats a pretty low 3DMark06 score, perhaps Vista is a culprit in the lower score?

 

Nope, the x1450 in the V2 just isn't a performance-level graphic card. 3DMark06 scores are around 200 points higher than ones for my Z71V with an Nvidia 6600, 3DMark05 scores (according to numbers posted on NBF) are about 200 points higher also. 3DMark03 scores are around 700 points lower than my Z71v, and that's all at stock clock speed. (overclocking my Z71v vid card narrows the gap to 100 points in 3DMark06 and gives the Z71v a slight 50 point edge in 3DMark05)

 

It seems pretty clear to me that your V2 doesn't have the hotswappable bay.

Perhaps the US model has and that;s why Proportable lists it as such. Although it would be quite a difference between the physical architectures of the notebooks, more than say a different screen.

 

I would think it would be a matter of switching the bottom casing, and maybe a single connector on the motherboard, then give the proper drive with it. I could be wrong about that. If it doesn't have the multi-bay, though, the V6j is still my favorite.

 

From the pics, the screen looks matte to me. Not even a slight indication of reflection or gloss.

Maybe this model has the matte lcd?

 

Thanks for posting benchmarks , looks like a solid performer

(i take into account vista and drivers)

Whats the windows experience score like?

 

It looks like a matte screen to me.

 

The North American version has a glossy type screen, the OP bought his in Taiwan.

 

I am like 99.9% sure it is a matte screen, which i prefer...

i find it distracting to use a glossy laptop screen with a matte external monitor.

build quality/functionality > then performance... i love the look and feel of this laptop.. however, I'm not sure if I am going to keep it when I go back home. I won't be able to take advantage of 3.5g yet so it would be a waste.

 

I'm glad you prefer matte screens but you should know that glossy displays provide superior color saturation, which is the driving force behind this technology. It may also explain why you thought your V2JE screen quality was sub-par.