Help With Asus Notebook Info/Choice

I've been browsing around the Asus forums for a while this week, looking at the specs/info on the new core duos. I'd really like to buy one, seeing as Asus laptops seem to be very reputable and have some questions:

Does a great graphics card only influence gaming or does it effect other things such as power, speed?

If I'd like to have a nice 2.0ghz dual core on my new laptops, when will laptops such as the W3J and others allow that option to be avaliable?

What is the difference in the chassis - which one is the best/worse given I"m looking in the 14-17inch range?

What about choosing between an ensemble vs a barebones built and is it hard to buy the barebones and build one myself?

Thanks!

 

A dedicated graphics card affects overall heat, and sometimes (usually) battery life... and of course gaming.

As for the W3J, you can expect it within the next month and a half I'd say...

For chassis quality, you'll definitely want an Ensemble model if you want the best. The Built-On models are great too, but Ensemble models are definitely top notch - my personal favourite being the V6 series

 

As for the processor, you won't see a difference from 1.66 to 2.00 unless you do something really cpu intensive.

 

So, if I'm not going to be gaming too much, there's no point to having a powerful graphics card...in fact, it would be a negative?

What makes an ensemble chassis better than a barebones - I thought it was basically the same except you are configuring the inside components?

 

It is, but the ENSEMBLE lineup often costs more, as ASUS put their heart into designing, creating and mastering the piece of art

From the brushed aluminum lid of the W3 series, the weight factor of the V6 series, the 'total package' of the W2 series, not to mention all the physical looks, brushed aluminum and carbon fibre build, it's not surprising ASUS has gotten rave reviews and awards.

Note that there are also the more budget friendly A-series ENSEMBLE.

 

w3j going to have the brushed aluminum? If so my decision got easier.

How's the screen size for gaming or word processing?

 

W3j is the same as the W3v, in terms of build and chassis, though the color scheme is not finalized(though it should be the exact same)

It will have a Brushed Aluminim lid, the rest will be carbon fibre composite.

 

Not anymore. Before, a lot of barebones and ensembles shared similar chassis. With the new offerings, the really top-end stuff will be ensemble, and good stuff (awesome compared to Dell) will be barebones. Totally seperated now, though.

I've been drooling over the V6, so I'd suggetst that!

 

You and me both! Man I love the V6...

 

Yea, a widescreen V6 is just what we need, the V6 is perfect is every way already

That extra room in the chassis can be used in so many different ways...

larger heatsink, more fans(which is needed, this guy only has 1 fan, and 1 big vent!)

 

Doesn't changing the ensemble void the warranty?
Is it hard to add extra features - with the extra space in the chassis?

And question about wide screens, why are they preffered so much over just a regular non-wide screen?

 

Yes, changing it will void the warranty on ENSEMBLE units, though RAM/Wireless Card/HD can be easily switched out if the laptop needs to be send back.

The resolution is larger, thus more real estate. 1400x1050 is the SXGA+ resolution, 1680x1050 is for WSXGA+, and that extra 280~ resolution can mean alot!

I'm not quite sure what the extra features is being referred to

 

I just mean in reference to your comments on the "add in a heatsink/extra fan..."

Will they ever add a widescreen?

The V6J looks very good to me; I think I'm going to get it

I noticed in the other thread on the V6J, there's a big importance in the IPS screen vs colorshine screen --- can I get some more details on that?

On another note, maybe I should just wait and get a W3J ?

 

Acutally Asus puts warranty stickers on the wireless cards... always have, always will..... It's got more to do with the whole centrino label thing..... back in the day, when centrino was new.... dell got in a lot of trouble for using their own wifi cards and calling the systems centrino's and using the sticker...... after intel put them in their place, it became very clear that someone could just take the wifi card out... call intel... and say.. well i've got a centrino sticker on my system, but i've got some generic wifi card. So, by putting the warranty sticker on there they hope to keep down on that sort of thing....... but it's there... just like on the cpu. but ram and hard drives are pretty much ok to swap and the reason they want the original hardware in the system when it goes back is because they don't want to get the system and find out the problem is in your own added parts.

 

Uh Oh...

I mean....err...nevermind

As for my comment, I was just saying, if in the future, the V6 series was to be widescreen, that extra space could be used for something good

As for the screen, I'd tell you to search for it, but IPS is under 4 letters, can't search for it heh.

Basically, ColorShine = glare/glossy screen with backlighting, CrystalShine = enchanced colour and contrast. IPS is a one of a kind screen which enchances the screen by eliminating vieweing angles and overall, with CS^2(the above details), makes a screen awesome, just like a CRT.

 

Anyway I can get a V6J-like laptop with a nice IPS screen?
or the V6Va with core duo?

 

have you read these forums at all. or even looked at the model numbers and what they mean. V6Va is not core duo never was never will be. IPS Screen is only on the v6va north american some outside north america though. If you are outside north america LG has some models with IPS and so do the thinkpads with the flex view screen. but thats about it for any laptop.

 

Yeap, SRD is right.

You can't have those, its one, or the other.

You can buy both, and switch em around but hey, theres 4 grand right there

 

... I've already had at least two customers that I know personally who bought the V6va's back in December..... and they just bought V6j's now.. Although I've gotten a lot of emails asking if people should upgrade and this and that... these two purposely got them inorder to swap the screens out and then sell their V6va's with out the IPS screen.... I think one on Ebay and one to a friend.... That's ONE way you can make it happen, although not ideal, I know.

 

Actually I have been reading the forums and was just lamenting that such a possibility didn't exist (such a question couldn't have been asked unless I had known enough info about the models to realize what each model lacked)...unless I want to go an extra 2k out of my way it seems.

But it doesn't hurt to ask.

And another note, the z96j is going to be a completely different chassis or on the z70s?
I don't see much info for that one. thanks

 

Z96 will be a different chassis...because Z96 is not the same as Z70.

 

For the record:

Z96 is based off an entirely new chassis
Z92 would have been based off the A6 chassis
Z70 is based off the M6 chassis

 

And the M6 series is, unfortunately, End of Line.

R.I.P. beautiful chassis