Help...which ASUS to buy?

Ok here is what I want..

1.) Either 13.3 or 14", preferably wide screen
2.) want core 2 duo 2.0
3.) don't do a lot of gaming, but don't mind having too much video card just in case
4.) Lighter the better
5.) I've heard most of the ASUS get 2.5-3 hours of strong use, if any get a little more that would also be nice.
6.) I was looking at the portable one models...they also look good because I do a lot of work outdoors and would like the transreflective display.
7.) I was looking most strongly at the w7j or the a8j any others?

THanks for the help.

 

W7J - If you really want to push it, A8Js or W3J... but the W7J seems perfect.

~ Brett

 

W7J with a 9 cell option. the core 2 duo model is now showing up in stores, better act fast before the first shipment is sold out.
another model is the Z62j, it has a lower end video card, but I'm assuming it isn't as battery consuming as the other card (there isn't a detailed 62j review yet).

 

I think the z62j is not core 2 duo compatible, Id stay away.

 

W7J for the win. I wish I had one.

 

is the w7j lighter than the rest? Also, is portable one going to upgrade the current series to the core 2 duo. How durable are the w7j's? There is a high probability it will be dropped in the future as well as have heavy stuff put on top of it (up to 20lbs)...I work on a race car team and our (my) computer usually get beat up pretty good. Does ASUS and/or portable one offer a accidental warranty protection?

 

ttt please

 

The W7J has already been updated to C2D by Asus - the normal resellers should have some stock. I don't knoe about PortableOne since they tend to do more customization - personally I would just get the normal Ensemble.

As for the durability, I can't comment in that respect, never banged my Z33 around a lot. You might want to start thinking of something which is actually ruggedized or semi-ruggedized like a Toughbook to take that type of abuse, to be honest.

 

The W7 is going to be lighter than the W3 and A8, but you could make the W as light if needed....... if the W7 has the 9 cell battery installed and you took out th e W3's optical drive and replaced it with the blank drawer - you'd be looking at a similiar weight.... but under normal conditions, the W7 is going to be lighter.

 

I think I would rather get an ASUS if it had a good accidental warranty. The toughbooks are neat, light, and expensive with good battery life...but the components in the ASUS are way way superior. Anyone disagree?

 

I don't know that Asus offers any accidental damage protection on Ensemble models. I don't think they they do, anyway. Just a regular warrenty that covers normal failures of parts.

Toughbooks are the industry standard for ruggedized notebooks. If your racing team is going to depend on it on race day, and it's going to be banged around/have tons of heavy stuff put on it, I'd get a Toughbook. That's just personal opinion. None of the Asus models are specifically ruggedized, although they are well built and durable for the price points and markets for which they are intended. We used some of the semi-rugged Toughbook models in the lab where I worked this summer, since they were exposed to dust/dirt/rocks a lot; they were good machines for that purpose.

Toughbook is Panasonic, and they seem to take great pride in that model line, so I wouldn't be concerned about the quality of componants there.

 

I am not so much concerned with the quality as speed/performance of the toughbook models. Before, that was what I was trying to decide on...a toughbook y5 or an ASUS. I felt the ASUS would give me better performance and I would just have to be a little more careful with it and watch who might possibly knock it over or put stuff on top of it.