In the market for a laptop...need some advice

Hello...I'm going to be buying a laptop sometime in the next couple of months. I'm leaning towards either Asus or Fujitsu based on their reputations. I live where I can't easily get my hands on anything but the crud at BestBuy (a small BestBuy at that). I've completed the survey below and any feedback you guys can give me I'll appreciate.

Thanks,
Erik

1) What is your budget?
~$2,500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
Most likely a Thin and light but Ultraportable is tempting due to the form factor.

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Typical stuff: browsing/emailing/MSOfficing (mostly excel, some word/powerpoint)/occasional light image processing

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Must be easy to take along.

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
The only game I get into with any regularity requires:
* nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better
* OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I'm leaning towards Asus or Fujitsu...but no decision is made yet.

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
I would like 4hrs...more is better...the modular batteries that slot in place of the cd drive look attractive.

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not a problem with a trend of good reviews.

9) What country are you buying this in?
USA

Screen Specifics

10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

a. XGA = eXtended Graphics Array; 1024x768; This resolution will give you the largest viewable text and images while offering the least amount of screen real estate.

b. SXGA = Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1400x1050; This resolution offers a middle ground between XGA and UXGA.
I think SXGA will work...UXGA ok too?.

c. UXGA = Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1600x1200; This resolution will give you the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.

d. WXGA = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array; 1280x768 or 1280x800; This resolution offers the same as XGA except that there is more horizontal real estate; 1280 versus 1024. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

e. WXGA+ = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array+; 1440x900; This resolution is offered on 17" widescreen notebooks and is comparable to WXGA in terms of text and icon size versus available screen real estate. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

f. WSXGA+ = Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1680x1050; This resolution is comparable to SXGA in that it offers a middle ground between WXGA/WXGA+ and WUXGA. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

g. WUXGA = Widescreen Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1920x1200; This resolution offers the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.

11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I'm open to suggestions here.

Build Quality and Design

12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not so much.

13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
1100 days (~3 yrs)

Notebook Components

14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
minimum of 60gb...prefer 80gb+

15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
CD/DVD playback and CD burning = must have; DVD burning = icing on the cake.

 

Well not possitive somone else chime in here. But i would recommend the asus build on z35 which is a 13.3 in screen 4.4 lbs. or z62f which is a 14.1 in widescreen 5.5 lbs intergrated graphics. and finally the best of them all the w3j which is a 14.1in widescreen with X1600 graphics. aim not possitive but im pretty sure the z35 and z62 with intergrated graphics will play games that can run on a geforce 2 i would bet anything on it even games that require a radeom 8500. Someone else chime in here though. If you are happy with the intergrated graphics i would get the z35 very portable and can be configured any way you like Dvd burner bluetooth large HD.


And you will spend a hell of alot less than 2500 on either of those three pcs.

 

all thse systems will get about 3-4 hours batter life. the z35 should be available with a large battery that will stick out the back alittle that will give 5-6 hours battery life. the z62 wont have that option i dont think. and the w3j will havre a modular bay so you can put two batterys. i still say for you the z35 with extended battery when needed is the best bet.

 

Is the Z35 the same thing as the Z33?

 

No... the Z35f is more like the W6a (which never came to the US).... It's going to be the "replacement" for the Z33ae, but it's not directly related to it.

 

Sorry to be dense...but if I use the ProPortable.com website as a reference point, I see a Z33 but not Z35. Is the Z35 available? And if so, what is it called?

 

No, the Z35f is in the "yet to be released" category. I am one of those who are anxiously awaiting it. I'm sure Justin will let us know when it's date is looming on the horizon.

 

Ok unfortunately i will have to make this short and sweet. The test unit we had was a z35a. I was expecting the z35f. The difference is the chipset is not 945 which means it will not support the new dual cores and most probably the new color of the z35f will be dark or blackish. I did take a few pics and picked it apart thoroughly. No benchmarks as this is pointless until the dual core model arrives. Here are my main picks.

* Awesome build. This thing is still small enough to be large ultra portable. A few pics will show how exactly it compares to a 14" standard notebook. Its very solid no weak spots that i can see. Judging by its size I would say this one will take some abuse and still keep ticking just like my favorite m5n 12" which I have had almost 1.5 years (its been through war in terms of care). Its very compact for what it is...A full sized notebook and keyboard.
* Keyboard appeared clunky at first. This may have something to do with the fact that it was hand build by asus. Hopefully they revise the kb with the new color. After applying a bit of double sided tape the kb is very solid. There is no memory under it so no reason to ever open it up again. I must caution once tape is applied it will be very hard to get it open without bending the kb tray.
* The screen is awesome. Its a glossy 13.3". Wide views ****py highs (dont worry every single 14" glossy i have ever touched had ****py highs) and very bright too. Cant say i have seen too many varying forms of brightness in recent years. It seems to me all laptops i touch have above sufficient brightness levels. No complaints here.
* This notebook measures in @ 12.4 x 8.9 x 1.35 in (wxdxh) and weighs @ 4.1lbs. Thats a measure taken from the asus website. I can confirm the wxdxh but not the weight. Once the z35f arrives I will weight it to make sure but I feel this is accurate @4.1lb
* Big surprise it has laptop speakers. Don't expect much here
* The battery sticks out. I don't know if the new z35f will have the same but the 6 cel does stick out a bit from the back. The good news is that all the batteries from the asus 12" series are the same form factor which means nine cell and 3 cell batteries may be made available in matching color.
* Strange to find only one open memory bay. I guess that means there is no option for dual channel and max is 1gb
* This notebook stays pretty cool and almost SILENT. In terms of fan noice this notebook really exceeds all my expectations.
* it does not have a modular bay. That means no second batteries or second internal hard drives.
Here are some pics sorry they were not very great looking but i didnt try to hard






z35f on top of a z62f (14")

z35f on top of a z62f (14")