I want a W3J Merom, how long should i wait?

The prices for the merom are ridiculous right now, i am looking at a W3J with the X1600 and a Merom, it is like $300 to go from a Duo to the Duo2...i realize this is probably because of a shortage due to it being just released in the past day. How long until i can expect the merom's to be a fair price so i can order my W3J ? If all i am using the laptop for is gaming and school work, would it be better to wait for Duo prices to drop and just go for that? I do want to stay within my budget. Also does anyone know of places that finance Asus laptops ? thanks

 

Purchase the W3J now, and upgrade your CPU later on down the road when prices for Merom plummit (6 Months to a year). If you absolutely need the 64 bit compatibility then wait till October when ASUS will most likely be shipping W3J's with Merom. Personally, I would just buy now and wait till a really good merom cpu is out there for cheap.

 

Asus never really changes the pricing on their models, just the specs; so the W3j with C2D will likely be 1799. Release date is very rough, but isn't generally projected until mid-Fall at best - probably looking at Oct-Nov. None of the resellers (at least the major ones) finance.

Just to point out for you, being new to Asus - taking out the CDuo proc and upgrading the cpu after purchase voids your unit's warranty. By the time that Merom chips get cheap, we'll probably be on the verge of SantaRosa.... buy what you need when you need it - waiting for something just gets you closer to the next big thing, etc, etc.

 

Santa Rosa will not work on the yonah platform.

 

The way it looks now, I think the people who put off Yonah for Merom are going to put off Merom for Santa Rosa.... Asus said no earlier than October for Merom models..... Personally, I feel they may actually make that ETA, but others aren't as optimistic and I should honestly be the most pesimistic of them all based on the past. I think if you can't wait until sometime in November, you better try to get a current yonah model when you can... supply of those is still super tight and doesn't expect get any better any time soon. In all honesty, Intel hasn't hit their mark in at least the last three years on new releases. On top of that, it's always been months later that a decent supply was given to OEM's to actually build out systems with. So Santa Rosa which is currently set for a Q1 release should be expected at the end of Q1, with systems coming in about the same time the Yonah models came in this year... and the Dothan models came in last year..... So I wouldn't expect an update for the W3 to that next gen platform until May of next year.


The best advice I could ever give someone is buy something when you need it..... that goes for anything and really helps clear up your mind. The Merom model W3 will be the same price as the current one, the only matter you've got to consider is time and compare that with the value of the difference, which would be 64bit. For most people, I see them getting a new computer in 2-3 years before 64bit software really actually effects them..... so for a large majority (probably 98%) of people are not going to actually be able to enjoy the benefits which would be a result of your waiting.

Now, HD optical drives aren't going to be going into Asus systems for probably 7-8 months at the earliest, but I have seen reports that 64bit cpus are going to be needed to play HD DVDs.... Consider its relavance as it may, but even in todays age, can we see the need to watch HD on a little 14" screen? I've seen the difference and it is awesome, even on a 14" - but I see this being integrated into 17"er's at first and due to the unbelievable cost (about 40% of the cost of the notebook at this point).... this may very well not even be a consideration.

 

Yup i too just bought a w3j with core duo, going to upgrade it around march/april. If you need it now, then get it. Otherwise wait, for me I dont have a notebook for school so this will be it.

 

Well, I will wait for merom. Otherwise I would feel like i missed something.
I think and I hope ASUS will launch soon notebooks w/ merom.
Dell already did it:
http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
Alienware too:
http://www.alienware.com/product_de...Code=PC-LT-AREA51M5550-R3&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
So, I'll wait.

 

Well at least ASUS has updated their site to add Core 2 Duo support into the spec sheets of some models. Funny thing is that people were calling the W3J refresh the W3J+ and ASUS is marking all Core 2 Duo supporting models with a "-" on their website. So here is the W3J-:

http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=1072&l1=5&l2=26&l3=0

Interestingly, the new V1J didn't get a "-" and still lacks Merom support.

 

j-: not thats not a happy face lol

 

you should wait until you can't wait any longer....

the rule of thumb always is and has been

buy when you really need to buy.

asus will probably discontinue its current line of Core Duo laptops when the C2D's come along

 

Don't expect Yonahs prices to drop when Merom comes out. Intel has alread anounced that $Yonah=$Merom. That means a T2500=T7200 in price point.

I don't think you'll be able to find a Yonah based W3J when the merom refresh comes out anyways. Not unless you buy it off one of the people who is probaly going to sell their current W3J for the W3J-.

 

Wait so you guys are saying that Asus doesn't have a Duo 2 notebook out? I checked a few sites and they offered them in the CPU customize list, that's how i knew it was around $300 to upgrade.

 

Correct - Asus has not announced hard availability dates for any of the Ensemble models as yet, just which models are scheduled to get the upgrade. The W3 is probably set for late Fall, as discussed earlier, as it is late in the line of Ensemble models for the chip upgrade.

The sites you're looking at will pull the CDuo chip and replace it with Merom (if they can even get their hands on product; reports have been that the availability of these chips is scarce in the retail channel), install the new bios (assuming it works right away with a simple flash), and voiding your Asus warranty in the process. All of your warranty issues then have to go directly through your reseller, which may/not have issues depending on who it is.

 

I really don't think it will be to long until Asus releases the W3j with Merom. And my reason for this would be, if they don't come out with them soon, they will be left in the dust by dell, alienware, acer, sony etc. Although I have no evidence what so ever, I'd like to guess and hope that the W3j with merom would show up in the next month or two.

 

Asus is never going to "announce" availability of the Core 2 Duo models until they're been out for a month or so and at least two shipments have arrived. The latest word was that it would be October before any model with them came in. It does not mean that the cpu's themselves aren't available. As an ODM, Asus needs a LOT of cpu's to fulfill production needs....... and their needs start with companies they build for. So Sony and Apple and others will get Core 2 Duo's first, with Asus building their own afterwards. Supply from Intel is also tight as well, so that doesn't bode well for getting them here any sooner.

So, left in the dust or whatever... that's a chance they'll have to take.

 

Merom or not, Asus cannot be "left" behind, they have superior industrial design, and they build laptops for everyone else.

 

When I called Asus sales, I was told that laptops (specifically the W3J) with Merom would be on the shelves by October. That's straight from Asus themselves so I'm really hoping they can stick to that.

~ Brett

 

The preorder thread has ensured its delay.