Help me UL30VT & preorder U35JC

I'm really trying to find a laptop that will last me for a few years and these have hit my short list. Forgive the formatting in this post, but I wasn't sure how else to do it.

My questions are:
1 - is the custom one well done or have I added too much or too little?
2 - is the custom one worth roughly twice the others?
3 - I need to have the laptop on 1 September, does ASUS usually get these out pretty well on time?

My budget will cover the more expensive one, but obviously if I can free up $500+ then that's always a good thing! I use my laptop daily for email, web browsing, light photo work (heavy photo lifting is done by my desktop but while I'm out and about I'll do the basics & resize for web etc) and basic office stuff like Word. I usually have Skype, Firefox and Lightroom or Photoshop open (it's unusual to have both LR and PS open, but it can happen). I had an old Toshiba that died a sudden death and it was an off the shelf cheapo processor from Best Buy and it could do those things (a little slowly, but it didn't freak it out). Weight is an issue and I want it under 4lbs.

On the ASUS site I custom built a U35JC that came to $1336
- FREE!! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout - US Only)
- 13.3" HD LED "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1366x768)
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee
- -Intel® Core™ i5-430M, 2.26-2.53GHz, (3MB L3 cache)-
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia G310M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX10 with Optimus™ Technology
- No Video Adapter
- 6GB (2 SODIMM) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (1x4GB, 1x2GB)
- Standard Finish
- External USB Slim DVD±R/RW Drive
- - 500GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/ xD-P)
- None Standard--
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless A/B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- Windows 7 Professional - 64-Bit
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's from ASUS System Recovery
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty, 24/7 Support, 1 Year Accidental Coverage & 2-Way Pre-Paid Shipping for Repairs (N.A. Accidental Requires Registration w/ ASUS)
- No Xotic PC Gear

But I've also been looking on Amazon (I didn't see any way to do it on the ASUS site) at the
UL30VT-X1K $700
Product Features
* 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor; Kindle for PC pre-loaded
* 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 2 slots, 4GB Max
* 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM); No optical drive
* NVidia G210M Graphics with 512MB DDR3 + Intel GMA 4500MHD (Switchable VGA); 13.3" HD LED Display
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth; .3mp webcam; Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64 bit); up to 11 hours of battery life
Processor, Memory, and Motherboard
* Processor: 1.3 hertz
* Memory Slots: 2
Hard Drive
* Size: 500 GB
* Speed: 5400.0 rpm
Graphics and Display
* Graphics RAM: 512.0 MB
Cases and Expandability
* Size (LWH): 12.9 inches, 9.28 inches, 0.98 inches
* Weight: 3.74 pounds

and the
UL30VT-A1 $730
Product Features
* 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor
* 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 2 slots, 4GB Max
* 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn; Bluetooth; 0.3M Webcam
* 13.3-Inch Widescreen HD LED LCD Display; NVidia G210M Graphics with 512MB DDR3 + Intel GMA 4500MHD (Switchable VGA)
* Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System; 8 Cell 5600mAh Battery
Processor, Memory, and Motherboard
* Hardware Platform: PC
* Processor: 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* Number of Processors: 2
* RAM: 4000 MB
* RAM Type: DDR2 SDRAM
* Memory Slots: 2
Hard Drive
* Size: 500 GB
* Type: Serial ATA
* Speed: 5400.0 rpm
Graphics and Display
* Graphics RAM: 512.0 MB
Ports and Connectivity
* USB Ports: 3
Cases and Expandability
* Size (LWH): 12.9 inches, 9.28 inches, 0.98 inches
* Weight: 3.74 pounds

and the
UL30VT-X1 $690
Product Features
* Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo 1.3GHz Processor
* 4GB of DDR3 RAM
* 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM), No Optical Drive
* NVidia G210M Graphics with 512MB DDR3 + Intel GMA 4500MHD (Switchable VGA); Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
* 13.3-Inch Widescreen HD LED LCD Display; Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn; Bluetooth; 0.3M Webcam
Processor, Memory, and Motherboard
* Processor: 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* RAM: 4 GB
* RAM Type: DDR3 SDRAM
* Memory Slots: 2
Hard Drive
* Size: 500 GB
* Type: Serial ATA
* Speed: 5400.0 rpm
Cases and Expandability
* Size (LWH): 12.9 inches, 9.28 inches, 0.98 inches
* Weight: 3.74 pounds

Am I correct that the UL30VTs don't have optical drives either?

Thank you for your help, it's between these and the Sony Y, Toshiba Protege R705 and Acer TimelineX 3820 but the Asus models seem to get better user reviews and they have a good warranty.

 

personally i would just get the i3-370M 2.4ghz and save yourself the $219 it took to upgrade. For the price, The i5-430M has no real world advantage over the i3-370M. Maybe for 50$, but $200+ is too much to ask for such a negligible increase in performance, since if the i3-370M cant fit your needs, certainly the i5-430M wouldn't either.

none of the current 13 in ASUS UL/U laptops have optical drives except for the U30JC

 

I must agree with p0int here and say that the processor upgrade is incredibly overpriced. The U35JC seems to hover around ~$800 (before shipping) right now for pre-order which is a very modest increase of only about ~$100 over the U30VT. For the applications you listed, the memory upgrade also seems unnecessary. I plan on light gaming and all of the forementioned activites you mentioned and I believe the U35JC will more than meet my needs.

 

OK, so ditch the i5 $1336 - $219 = $1117

Is the RAM overpriced? Should I just get the basic set up and add my own? I do need at least 4GB, I've set 6 in the build above.

Oh and do I need Widows Pro 7 64? or is the home 64 version just fine?

I am not seeing the U35JC for around $800, can you point me in the right direction?