Link to Asus W2 review

Hello!

I've been reading this forum for a while and I know that lots of people are expecting for an user's review of the new Asus W2. I know that it's not available yet in the US but in Portugal I've been using it for 3 weeks (and it's also available in Germany).

Here is the link for my in-depth review of Asus W2:
http://www.hardware.com.pt/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19780

It's in portuguese but when I have some time I will translate it. If you don't know portuguese, at least you can see the benchmark results and the photos!

But I can already tell you that it's a FANTASTIC laptop, regarding both the looks and the performance!

--
Apollo

 

Now THATS a media center!

That's about $200 worth in accessories right there

 

I don't think the US model will have the larger remote (although that's only a $30 media center remote that you could pick up anywhere).. only the credit card remote for the pcmcia slot ........ and obviously the wl-hhd2.5 wireless hard drive kit it's coming with the US version.... I seem to doubt it came with the one above as it's a $100 unit by itself... seems like something they just picked up when they bought the laptop.

Other than that, all that extra little stuff should be in the US version.

 

With that thin factor, please tell us about the noise level and the heat that is produced.

Also, how is the battery life.

I have the Gateway m680 and it is pretty thin. But with the video card ati x700, it gets pretty hot after hours of using and the fan goes at high speed for about 10 seconds every 2-4 minutes while just surfing the internet.

 

For those who cant read Portuguese you can use Babel Fish Translation
http://world.altavista.com. This will allow you to translate into English or French.
Nice review by the way and thanks for the post
a

 

Thanks for the review mate

 

The wl-hdd 2.5 actually came with the "standard" W2, as well as a 2.5" 80GB 5400 rpm (FUJITSU) hard disk to use with it.

Concerning noise levels, it's not the quietest of the laptops, but it's ok: the fan is always on, but when doing some web surfing or using office app it only runs at ~2000 rpm. Only when you put the system in "full load", the fan goes to ~4000-4400 rpm. About heat, I think you don't need to worry, because it runs at ~50ºC with soft applications (web, office, music...) and stabilizes around 78-80ºC, even after 4 hours of intense 3DS rendering. I think these are normal temps for a centrino based laptop.
About battery life, I get around 3 hours with web, office and music.

--
Apollo

 

that is a lame optical mouse.... i like the one that came with my W3V.

 

It looks pretty good, but if you use it.

Oh god, you're hand will be so uncomfortable...

It's dimensions are horrible...

Good try Logitech(I believe)

 

If you want to see some more benchmark results about W2V, check this site that has a review of this computer:
http://www.tcmagazine.info/articles.php?action=show&id=165&perpage=1&pagenum=1

Best regards,
--
Apollo

 

Is there any word on a US release date for this laptop? I need a laptop in my hands by Aug. 29 and am thinking of buying either the Acer Ferrari or the W2V. Although some Euro review sites mentioned that the W2V weighs about 3.3kg, that's huge! The W2V looks so neat though...

 

But for a 17" its quite light...

Well, ASUS keeps lots of secrets about their release dates(in terms of pushing them back ), so until it arrives, we must patiently wait...

 

The US model will be slightly under 7 1/2 lbs, but I don't know why 7 1/4 would be all that heavy. The Apple Powerbook is just a hair under 7 and considered pretty light. The W2 has the tv tuner card, a pcmcia slot remote control, A/V in's, Consumer IR, a slot loading dvd burner (which is slightly heavier than a traditional tray load).... and a subwoofer. Scrap those things and you've actually got closer to 7 pounds. The thing is, this is considered a media center and in that regard, this is light.

If you need to know any more info on the US release, you're more than welcome to check our our page for them. Mid August is still the current ETA and about half of the initial shipment is spoken for at this point. I can't tell the future (wish I could), but I couldn't promise anything be in your hands before the 29th of the month. Until they hit the port, Asus can't even guarentee us anything, so we're be stupid to try to do any more than that. Once they hit port, things change very quickly. At this point, I'd tell you to get up on all of the info about the US model and hold out as long as you can before you have to make a decision.

Hope that helps.

 

I'm assuming you've seen/used the W2V. Is it big (read wide)? I usually make a 2.5 hour flight 1-2 times per month, and I need a laptop that I can comfortably use on a plane. Is the W2V too big/heavy to lug about an airport?

 

Yes definitely too big. You won´t have 2,5 hours power as well

 

I don't know what you mean by "read wide"...... It's a big unit, take a look at the dimensions. It's not any bigger than any other 17", that's for sure...... but why you could want to take this on a flight would be beyond me. My current power / flight notebook is the W3. That's about as big as you're going to get and still fit it on an airline tray.

7.5 pounds is light to a LOT of people coming from 10 pound 17" notebooks, but extremely heavy for those coming from sub 3 pound 12" notebooks. It's all relative. I wouldn't want to be carrying that along with all of my luggage, but you may need all that size and power, so I can't speak for you. But the dimensions and everything are on our site and you can mock something up to figure that out yourself.

2.5 hours is probably going to be doable. I only used the notebook a handful of times in the couple weeks we had it.... battery life wasn't something I had a chance to really get into. But this much I can tell you. It's got the same 8 cell battery that the W1n/W3v/V6v/Z70v has..... Comparing it with the later three, the W2 has a bigger graphics card and is going with what is the top end cpu right now. Not to mention the larger screen, subwoofer, tv tuner, and other small things that love to such power. Realistically, 2.5 hours should be at least some what normal. Some people will probably get less if they are really heavy on the unit and most people will get more if they are just doing light work. For just dvd watching, I'd easily expect to get through an average movie at least (that's about 2 hours).

 

By wide, I meant the length of the notebook (I refer to wide in the sense that the screen is wide). I'd take the W2 to the airport because it would be the only notebook I have, and I usually do work and/or watch a movie on the flight. I've seen the Powerbook G4s, and the size of those seems airport manageable. If the W2V is the same size/weight, then I might still buy it.

I agree with you, the W3V is the best power/airport notebook, and I would buy it in a heartbeat if it had an ATI X700. I don't usually play a lot of games, but when I do, I like to fire up CS: Source and play 1024x768 high settings and get at least 55+ FPS. It seems like the W3V might stagger in this capacity. Also, I'm not a media guy by any means, so it seems like the W2V comes with more than I need. Perhaps the Acer Ferrari then...

I appreciate your comments regarding the W2V.

 

The W2 is about 1/2 pound more than the 17" powerbooks, but the phsyical dimensions are going to be roughly very close as they have the same size screen..... Being in an "airport" is one thing...... being on an "airplane" is another.

About counterstrike, you've also got to consider the smaller size screen and res. I find that visually the difference in most of these games --- just say between mid to high settings, aren't going to effect you that much if at all on the smaller system........ on a larger 17" - 23" size screen.... you're going to see more of a difference between the two settings. It's my view that trying to run any game on full settings on a 14" widescreen is just over doing it. I don't game a lot any more, but my eyes and my tastes certainly crave every little detail. However, smaller screen, lower resolution.... not using those super high settings isn't going to make you feel like you're missing out........ If anything it'll make you wish you had a bigger screen, but that's another story.

 

Mommy mommy i want one~~~~~~~!!! >_<~~

 

when it opens up it looks like apple 17".. no wonder, cos ASUS is the maker

 

do we have a price target yet? i remember you saying around 2600usd

has anything been confirmed or has the price been narrowed down yet?

 

yep... i believe it's $2700

 

You may want to consider the Z70V refresh model. It comes with a x700 and is around 6.5 pounds with cd drive and bat... its a 15.4" screen, so would be more portable than the w2v and bat life is also much better. With underclocking and having lcd on one notch above the lowest I get about 4hrs and watched 2 movies on it... which is pretty decent. On flights it fits OK on the tray, it pushes it a bit but its managable, it would be much better than the w2v though. Anyway just food for thought.... it doesnt come with all that media stuff though and if you dont need it then this may be what you need. Also you may consider the z71v depending on your budget/ preference it comes with a nvidia 6600... and is a dif build (z70-carbon fiber, z71 plastic).. it also has als... and has some other features like a dipswitch which could be useful if you plan on ocing any... hope this helps! Cheers!