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    My $1000 Home-built S96j

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by sir waffle, Jun 10, 2006.

  1. sir waffle

    sir waffle Notebook Enthusiast

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    Here's the configuration:

    S96j +DVD burner (brackets included)+ Intel 3945 = $655 at Mwave
    T2300 for $170 ebay
    1 gig 667 ram from Newegg $75
    60 gig 5400 rpm Hitachi from forum member $50
    XP Pro from craigslist $50
    Arctic Silver
    = $1000

    This was very easy to put together. I realized after several problems installing XP that SP2 is required because of the PCI-e graphics card.

    My Impressions:
    -Better looks than I thought
    -The keyboard is quite nice, though the keys have more lateral wiggle than my iBook.
    - My Samsung dvd burner sounds like a jet turbine.
    -No one else has mentioned light leakage, mine has it. Its not terrible but can be quite visible at times.
    -The right palmrest under the hard drive is warmer than in my Ibook. However, after a few hours of installing, I have yet to hear the fan turn on.
    -This is my first dual core computer and I love it. In fact, I'm typing this while installing HL2.

    Overall, I'm quite happy and think I got a pretty good deal.

    Update:

    I've installed Half-Life 2 and it plays beautifully on mostly high settings. Initially, I was having problems with freezing but I turned down the HDR settings and now it plays great. The only thing that bothers me is the load times for new areas.

    More to come as I begin testing battery life
     
    sir waffle, Jun 10, 2006
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  2. Isotope12

    Isotope12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    That seems pretty cool... Let us know how the battery consumption is and how it handles gaming. Seems to be alot of computer for the money.. Enjoy!
     
    Isotope12, Jun 10, 2006
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  3. kguo7

    kguo7 Notebook Consultant

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    Amazing price for a great laptop. The S96j is loaded with the x1600. Was it hard to assemble?

    The laptop's battery life is going to be crap due to the videocard. Also, the battery is 6-cell. If you want a 9-cell or higher you have to go to a third party seller, I think.
     
    kguo7, Jun 10, 2006
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  4. smt

    smt Notebook Consultant

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    Good deal. It's not hard to assemble, although I only put in the HD and memory in mine. The CPU didn't look too hard to take in/out.

    The battery life in the s96j isn't great because of the x1600.
     
    smt, Jun 10, 2006
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  5. Cassandra022

    Cassandra022 Notebook Consultant

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    Mine has no leakage I can see at all...

    hope ya enjoy it^^
     
    Cassandra022, Jun 10, 2006
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  6. Bhatman

    Bhatman Notebook Evangelist

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    I cant believe you got XP pro so cheap! Is it pretty legit on craigslist and is it actual copy or no?
     
    Bhatman, Jun 11, 2006
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  7. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    Wow!! Way to go man, you got a great deal! Hope you enjoy your killer notebook :)
     
    Jason, Jun 11, 2006
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  8. kierkegaard

    kierkegaard Notebook Evangelist

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    Congrats and hope you enjoy it.
     
    kierkegaard, Jun 11, 2006
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  9. sir waffle

    sir waffle Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well, I'm not sure what type of license my XP Pro was, but I'm glad it worked. It's certainly not a completely legit retail version, but the supplied key worked.
     
    sir waffle, Jun 11, 2006
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  10. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    So it looked pirated? I would contact the guy who sold it to you and get your money back or something. Thats just not right...
     
    Jason, Jun 11, 2006
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  11. SaferSephiroth

    SaferSephiroth The calamity from within

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    If you are a student or know a student you can get Windows for free through MSDN...
     
    SaferSephiroth, Jun 11, 2006
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  12. ejl

    ejl fudge

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    would you mind explaining how?
     
    ejl, Jun 11, 2006
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  13. SaferSephiroth

    SaferSephiroth The calamity from within

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    MSDN has an academic alliance with your school. See following link:

    http://msdnaa.ece.gatech.edu/

    Ofcourse, you have to be an ECE student enrolled in an ECE course to get a login. This particular link is for my school only.
     
    SaferSephiroth, Jun 11, 2006
    #13