Help me pick my Asus Notebook!

ASUS notebooks really appeal to me--I don't know why, but I want to get one.

I'll be starting college this fall, and that's what this laptop is for. I want to play games, of course, but I know getting a great video card today pays off--I built my desktop Jan 2002 with the newest vid card available(ati 9500 pro) and I still run everything great. This desktop has lasted me 4 years, save for 1 ram upgrade, and that's what I need this laptop to do--last 4 years of college. I want to get a "performance" video card comparable to an ATI X1600/X1700 or an nVidia 7600(I prefer ATI fyi).

I love XP, and hear a lot of bad news about Vista, but like I said I want the laptop to last four years so I need to adopt Vista now.

The first ASUS I was attracted to was the W3J( http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2995&review=Asus+W3J) but alas, it runs XP, and I don't want to purchase an XP model and upgrade.

Then I found this F3Jp! The specs look great on it, and it runs Vista. It has an empty ram slot left for upgrade(great!). However, damn near everyone that reviewed it on newegg axed Vista and installed XP instead. But it really looks like a steal at ~$1200. It's really the best retail model I've found this cheap that has my x1600/1700 vid card. Can someone please assure me that this retail is 64bit vista home premium(I think there's a 32bit version, isn't there?), and that the specs support all the features of vista.. I'd hate to not be able to use aero or any of the few features people actually like about Vista... Here's the link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220142
Also, someone in the reviews on newegg said it was heavy, too. Is 6.5lbs heavy for a laptop/for a 15.4" monitor? As far as the style--I loved the style of the W3J, but this F3Jp is entirely plastic. hopefully I'll love it anyway.
There are some other cons that worry me, too. Apparently the screen is difficult to close--you have to squeeze it shut. Someone also mentioned a 1200x800 max resolution--is that normal? I use a 1152x864 resolution on a 17' CRT monitor right now... will it be awkward for me?

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone is aware of any other asus models that might appeal to me... I gotta have the ati x1600/1700 gfx card, and Vista. And I want specs that can run 64bit vista(min 1gb ram, whatever.). And if anyone has the F3Jp and can comment on it, that'd be great too.

Lastly! Someone referred to a new AMD cpu coming out soon? What chip is this, and is it worth waiting for--especially for Vista platform for the next 4 years?

 

F3Jp is not nearly comprable to the W3J. The W3J is in a class of its own...I personally think its the best Asus laptop made.
The F3Jp is from the least expensive and lowest quality line of Asus laptops (the hierarchy of Asus goes from highest to lowest in this order: V, W, S, R, G, A, F). It will have build quality similar to Dell or Gateway.
A better alternative to this would be the Asus A8Jp (still on XP though) and the Asus A8Js (same as the Jp, except it has Vista and a better graphics card). Currently, the closest thing to the W3 is the V2Je, but that only has an ATI X1450 graphics card that is not as fast as the X1600 in the W3, or the ones in the A8 laptops. Also, the V2 is quite expensive at $1800.

The 1280x800 resolution is the standard resolution for widescreen displays. You should have no problems adjusting. I went from 1280x1024 to the 1280x800 res without any problems.

No AMD chip being released in the next 18 months is worth waiting for, especially in the mobile market. Intel's got the performance crown for a long while.

 

@Vista Question: I would assume it is 32-Bit, just because that is currently the most the common version used. You do not need the 64-Bit version to run aero.

 

F3JP: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220142
A8JS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220137

The F3Jp is ~$1200 and the A8JS is ~$1500.

If you look, the specs are entirely similar. Is a price jump of $300 worth the quality jump I can expect?

 

Hey, I went from 1024x768 (matte display) on a 15" desktop LCD to 1680x1050 (glossy display) on a 15.4" notebook LCD. That's a difference, but it's a pleasant one to me.

As for Vista having issues, no major ones I've seen so far, but a lot of what I hear is overblown, so yeah. If you have XP and want to use that, you could dual-boot and have both Windows versions. Vista will improve, though.

 

I wouldn't recommend an F to someone that wants a durable notebook that should last for 4 years while being carried to and from school and used for many hours on a daily basis. It just isn't likely to last that long.

Therefore, if affordable, I would go for a high-end notebook. The V1J is a viable option with similar characteristics, although more expensive (mind the battery issues though).

 

What exactly is wrong with the F series, I happen to own a F3JP and bring it back and forth to work everyday?

 

Just like I said, I have doubts it will last for 4 years in this regime. Unless it's an exceptionally good budget notebook (which might be the case, it's an ASUS ).

There's nothing "wrong" with it, each notebook has its pluses and minuses. A budget notebook isn't usually made to last for 4 years while being carried around every day; that's what business notebooks are for.

 

I would wait, we're so close to centrino pro and dx10 video cards arent we?

 

It may be best to wait near the fall season, since that is near the time when you go to school. However if you want a notebook now, you still have the option to wait for Centrino Pro (Santa Rosa).

The general rule of thumb, is that if you can wait, then wait, but if you need the notebook now, then buy it and don't look back.

However, think things through, you "may" want a notebook now, but if you wait you will benefit from a wider selection of notebooks and new technology available. Once again this is pending if you can wait, and your circumstances for getting a notebook.

You will also want to consider portability, 15.4" or a 14 notebook. V1 series, V2 series, even the G1 series. You may want too look at the A8 series aswell.

 

OK. I think I'm convinced to go with a higher quality line from ASUS than the F line. I also stopped into BreastBuy today and took a look at laptops just to observe the different monitor sizes--and I think I may actually prefer a 14.1" laptop. 15.4 seems pretty huge, actually! Although, I plan on gaming too, so if I have my X1700 in the smaller 14.1 chassis--is it going to get very hot?

I guess what model I'd love right now is the W3J, but I want Vista. How soon could I expect a refresh from that line with Vista? I also really want to get the 64bit Home Premium edition versus the common 32bit home premium--is that as simple as calling the reseller and seeing if they have that in stock instead when I order? Although, if Asus did manufacture a new W3 line laptop with vista, it'd probably be out of my price range. Right now I'd really like to go with something around $1200, but I'll go as high as $1500 I guess.

 

The W3J is EOL (end of life) and no longer in production. There was never a Vista refresh for it; it was only offered through the Vista upgrade program from October 06 through the beginning of March 07. As far as replacements for the W3J, there is the V2 and the A8J (if you want more powerful graphics). Also, at the moment, all OEMs ship their computers with Vista 32-bit, that may change in the future as drivers and software support becomes more widely available.

You may consider looking at the computers your university offers since you can sometimes get a great deal on a good system. Maybe take a look at other brands as well (Lenovo, Dell Latitudes, HP business line, etc), though I'd stay away from the consumer grade notebooks if you are concerned about build-quality. Also, think hard about how much gaming you would really want to do that would warrant a mid-range GPU. If you don't plan to play games, get something with integrated graphics or a very low-end dedicated card (and even this can kill battery life a lot over integrated), since you can get much better battery life, and a cooler running machine without a strong GPU in the machine.

 

Can anyone confirm this?

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/04/22/32-bit-or-64-bit-x64-windows-vista/

Also, does anyone know how much that fee is to get a 64bit version when you turn in your 32bit oem packaged one?

 

the newegg users are right..vista is still very new at this point..and since u want to game..theres that problem with hardware sound too..as far as the W3J goes there's still a few retailers that carry it..newegg included..the modular bay is very useful but for college I'd recommend picking up an external monitor to make typing those essays and term papers a bit easier...otherwise i'd look at one of the x1600 notebooks with 15.4 and wsxga+ for a decent compromise in size and weight

 

Despite the W3J being EOL, we do have some in stock, also just like jterp7 mentioned, the multi-bay is very usefull, the X1600 is still no slouch, it can game decently. I'm sure you've seen the benchmarks and comparison of these GPUs.

Many do find the W3J's 14" screen to be good for gaming and doing essays, but of course if you feel the need to get a external monitor, go for it.

The only other laptop that can perform as good is the A8JP and A8js, but there's no multi-bay.

If you want to reconsider the 15.4" the V1JP with a X1700 and Multi-bay will be nice for your tasks. You will feel that 15.4" screen to be a good size to game and do essays on. So no worries there. Plus it has a high resolution screen.

The other thing to factor in, is if you go for a laptop that comes with a Windows Vista pre-installed, you may want to switch back to XP...sure Vista has a nice new Interface, but XP Pro will perform much better all round and for gaming.

 

Okay, so I am looking at high-end ASUS models now... I'm looking at vista home premium, a santa rosa cpu, and a dx10 gpu(nvidia 8000 series), just because I think it makes sense to adopt all the new technology I can if I hope to use this for 4 years. I also think I would prefer the 14" monitor now, although I imagine dx10 gpus will be scarce in anything smaller than 15". I have been looking at the A8Sc, G1 refreshes(both 14" w/ dx10 gpu)--and they look very appealing,-- but I would like a fingerprint reader, too.

V series laptops have the fingerprint reader(and are the only asus models with it, no?), but they ship with vista business and with lesser gfx cards currently(lesser than the g1/a8). I prefer the 14.1" V2, but the larger V1 has the better gfx card currently. Is a V series santa rosa refresh forthcoming?--and what kind of gfx card can I expect? Price?

I guess I should also ask whether it is at all possible to install a fingerprint reader on the G1/A8 models... I understand 'ensemble' means all the hardware is fixed, but I come from desktops where anything can be changed No, I wouldn't be interested in an external fingerprint reader.

edit: It looks like C90S would be another option for me... Upgradeability(I just coined a word, maybe?) would be great--but I have to believe an upgradeable laptop could not be portable...