My Z63A has arrived!!! It is beautiful!!!

Thanks for the input. ) I'm glad I found the information on Asus before I wound up getting an HP (either the DV4000 or L2000). This machine looks like a lot higher quality for a very comparable price.

 

..... another one saved.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I guarantee it is much higher quality. I have been nothing but pleased with the build of my Z63A. The only, and so far I mean ONLY thing I was disappointed in was the speakers. However, I bought a Kensington USB powered speaker (for DVD watching) that works wonders (<$30).

At Sam’s Club I have been checking out the HP offerings and the right side of the keyboard seems to be a trampoline replica. Keyboard flex all over! Maybe it was just the demo, but that totally turned me off. I just wanted a notebook that was going to be solid and last me the 2 years of grad school. I definitely believe I have found it.

Hallelujah – Thanks goodness I have been saved![ ]


<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

The speakers are tiny, but they're there..... must better sound than the smaller M5 or the larger M3 could ever produce...

It's a small pacakge and doesn't pretend to be a media center notebook..... when you look at it like that, they're decent for the size.....

But any true audiophile is going to have an external set up at home anyway.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

GregM,

Can you comment a little more on the screen? If I understand correctly the Z63a has both a glossy screen and high brightness(Color Shine and Crystal Shine, I think?). The Sony S Series with XBrite stands out as simply amazing to me. The viewing angles are incredible, both horizontal and vertical (It's just that searing hot underbelly that concerns me!). If you've had the chance to see the Sony, could you compare the two a little, basically if the Asus holds its own, or perhaps a little nicer??? Thanks, your review and continued comments have really helped push me closer to the Asus!

-Jason

 

Can somebody compare z63a and z70v? I am looking for a laptop mainly for grad. student work (physics/astronomy) and I won't be playing lots of games. My dell laptop crashed last week so I need to order a new laptop in a hurry, tomorrow at the latest. I've never owned an asus before, but my brother recommended it. Thanks a lot!!

 

Corbin - The Asus holds it’s own against the Sony. However, one thing to note, some W3V owners have complained of poor vertical viewing angles. You might want to read the reviews on the W3V here or on notebookforums.com (same screen, I believe). I don’t have a lot of history with different notebooks, so I wouldn’t know good from bad – I don’t want to steer you wrong. I have seen the Sony’s in the stores, and the displays are brilliant, like the Asus’.

NMR – If you’re not playing games, the Z63 would be fine. It is smaller/lighter than the Z70. In fact, the 14” wide screen seems to be perfect for school. However, the Z70V will have a wonderful screen, but matte. The Z70V comes from the M6 line, which is one heck of a solid and proven design. I don’t think you’d go wrong with either, unless you will play games in the future. If you think that might be the case, get the Z70V. If not, and you want more portability, get the Z63.

You’re going to pee your pants with excitement when you compare the quality of the Asus to the Dell (if you buy the Asus).[ ]


<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

You're looking at two systems that are very different...... if you were looking at a Z70a.. then you're basically looking at the same internals and then just different screen sizes....


If you need dedicated graphics, the z70v would be good, but in that case, you could look at the W3v which is the dedicated graphics model of the Z63a..... so if you want smaller (z63a/w3v) if you want bigger (z70a/v)


Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Thanks a lot! If I place an order in your site tomorrow, how long will it take to get the laptop?

 

There's a 5 business day build period...... that's to give us a little room when we're busy.... On average I'd say they ship in about 3.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Thanks GregM for the reply! I've read about the limited vertical viewing angles on the W3V, and because the Z63a is its little brother, I was wondering if those genes carryover with the sibling? I'm glad to see it can hold its own against the sony!

Everytime I see the Sony S Series I always gravitate toward them, the screen is so crystal clear. But the last time I looked at BestBuy, I happened to feel the bottom right corner, and was shocked that it was "searing" hot. Not just warm, or hot, but so darn hot you could not keep your hand on it for very long. Not to mention having it on your lap next to your boys, no thanks! The salesperson said the fan was dead, and that I should try the S360 across the aisle, which was warm and tolerable, to get a feel for how hot it would get. Gosh, if I bought one I sure hope my fan would not die in the first two weeks! :O) After reading a lot of the posts here regarding heat with the new units, I think there was a little "salesman" talk going on.

Regarding bios/driver updates, if a new BIOS comes out how can I get this? Although the reseller supports the unit, I don't expect them to notify me of a new BIOS update (unless absolutely critical!). So I was wondering if they can be downloaded from the Asus site. Somewhere, I read the W3A = Z63a, and according to Asus, the W3A = W3000A. Gotta love number schemes! They really need to clear that up :O)

 

Corbin,

The simple answer is... it's the same darn screen..... you don't have anything different and the viewing angles although aren't 180 degrees both ways are way more than anyone could humanly need.

About 170+ degrees horizontally
About 60+ degrees vertically.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Corbin - Yes, you can download pretty much any Asus utility/drivers from the Asus website. Get the W3A stuff (maybe only on the "global" site). It's all there.

About the heat - I think it is really no big deal. However, my wife was copying some letters onto the notebook and told me later that after a half hour she quit because the right palm rest was too warm for her. So, I guess it all boils down to the person. For me, it's a non-issue. For others, it might be. I have found it to be no different than other notebooks that size. When we go to BestBuy, or any other electronics store, I love checking out the notebooks and comparing with mine. Nothing yet has made me regret my purchase.


<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

Greg - she might not have been using the powergear settings... if she was running that full blast it certainly is different than running it as it should have been run for what she was doing.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Probably right. She's not big into gadgets, so I've been showing her the features litle by little. I'm a 28 year old guy, so gadgets and features are cool. I guess women typically aren't like that.

<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

No no.. that is surely typical... I wouldn't even expect you to realize it unless it was pointed out as it's probably not something that you'd just connect in your head.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by GregM

 

Nope, BYU.

Which reminds me of my favorite U of U joke:

Q: Why doesn't the U have a nativity scene display at Christmas?

A: They can't find 3 wise men or a virgin.

[ ]


<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

Justin - Off color? No way!

Anyway, rivalries are fun, yet, pointless. BYU and the U of U have a strong one.

mbdriver - you go to the U? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine school - Plus they kicked trash in football last year.

I'll now mention the Z63A to make this thread on-topic.


<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

Haha, yeah I have heard that one before too... not aimed at the U of U though.

So you will be down on the happy hunting grounds, huh? Too bad you are already married! [ ]

Thanks!

mbdriver

 

That's totally off color... and shouldn't condoned in this forum. At the same time, I've heard that joke used univerally so you can't say that was directed to one group over the other....

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Couldn't help you there.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

do any of you know if they have display models of the w3v, z33a and/or z63a in Toronto?

I wanna feel the 'heat problem' for myself.

Rixo out!

 

I did. I got my MBA up there. I later co-founded a tech company operating out of the SLC area. My wife went to BYU which makes it kinda hard for me to trash the place. [ ] Not that I want to though, it is a fine school too.

 

Cool. It sounds like the MBA has treated you well. I am nervous about quitting my job to go back to school, but hopefully it will pay off down the road. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy not having homework…[xx(]

<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

I have had a W3A for over two months. The right palm rest gets warm, but never uncomfortable. However, the underside of the computer, under the HDD, gets very hot and I wouldn't want it sitting on bare skin.

I am currently working where the daytime room temperature reaches around 30°C. As a result, when the HDD has been running for a few hours it reaches the maximum rated temperature of 55°C under normal use. The CPU (undervolted) stays below 50°C unless heavily loaded.

The W3 could do with better air cooling of the HDD but, so far, the relatively high HDD temperature does not seem to be fatal. (I should note that I have removed the perforated plastic that sits behind the small ventilation slots on the front of the W3 in an attempt to improve the air flow. This might have helped a little. I would also note that undervolting the CPU means that the fan speed rarely rises above the inaudible 1200 RPM).

John

 

You hard drive is well within normal range..... For the most part you'll never see even as much as vent holes for a hard drive like you do on the W3. That's a 5400rpm drive in a very tight space though. This "warmth" is something I can now surely describe as the same feeling I'd get on my M5 when using a faster hard drive...

If you want to let your system sit on one of those cooling pads they make for notebooks, you're not going to hurt it... it's not really going to help the life of the system or the performance, but they do have fans that constantly push air against the bottom of the system.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

PRPortable, or anyone else. I am aware that the Z63A has different lid and palm rest than the w3v. However does this imply that the overall structural sturdiness of the z63 was weakened? Or does it have the same study, quality feel of the W3V?

 

No, actually it might even be slightly stronger if that's possible.... the palmrest on both W3v and Z63a are both carbon fiber... the z63a is just a different color.. so nothing different there.

The lid on the W3v is brushed aluminum while the z63a is carbon fiber..... technically the aluminum isn't as structurally sound as carbonfiber and is also technically heavier..... the degree of which is minute, but even if by a hair.. the carbon fiber is going to be stronger and lighter...... but the rest of the shell is the same.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Well i think im sold on the Z63A. I was going to get a Sony S- series but i think this ASUS will be a better, higher quality machine. Thanks to everyone on this forum, its helped me very much with my research.[ ]

 

You will love it![ ]

<CENTER>Asus Z63A<CENTER>
<CENTER>Intel Pentium-M 750 - 1 GB PC4200 - Seagate 5400.2 60 GB - DVD/CDRW - Intel Pro/Wireless 2200<CENTER>

 

^ and that's coming from a z63a owner... lol

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Ok i give in. I cant take it anymore. Can someone please post a link where one can download a undervolting utility. I would like to try it.

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Geared2play.com

 

I have a few questions regading the Z63A.

What is the W3A? Is it the same as the Z63A? I cannot find any mention of either on the ASUS website.
I saw someone mention the first shipment is different in appearance then the ones that will follow. What are the differences?

What are the differenes between the W3V and the Z63A, I see a significant difference in price.

The Z63A I want (1.8, 2 GB DDR2, Dual Layer DVDR, 60 GB, Intel 2915) is going to cost me $1700 CA (base is $1385 CA) while the base W3V (1.8, 512 DDR, Dual Layer DVDR, 40 GB, Intel 2915) costs $2350 CA.. WTH!?
Other than the integrated graphics and different housing it is the same machine, the screen, the motherboard, etc.. are all the same, are they not? Why the big difference in price? Is the W3V an "ensemble" and the Z63A "built-on asus", does this have anything to do with the price difference?

I really like the Z63A but I really don't like the white part of the housing, does it look any better in person?

 

No OS?

Same 3 year warranty?

Ummm, the free mouse + bag?

 

W3v has dedicated graphics

W3a and Z63a are essentially the same systems, the Z series is just want the barebone models are called in the states.... W3a as a preconfigured unit is not available in the US.

 

Do both W3A and Z63A use an identical housing? Trying to avoid the white at all costs..

Is internal bluetooth possible on the Z63A? (in place of wifi mPCI?)
I have a choice between Apacer and Kingmax memory, which is better?

Is there a car adapter and optical bay battery available for the Z63A?

Thanks!

 

The W3a and Z63a have the same casing. I also wish the Z63a was black/silver instead of white/silver, while it looks nice it still isn't as good as the W3v/W3n. Though I understand it looks awesome in person. Not to mention it's cheap for what you get anyway.

Kingmax is a bigger (better) brand for memory.

The Z63a can use the same accesories as the W3. Yes, there is a car changer and optional modular bay battery for it.

 

Hello lucky Z63a owners. I'm jealous, but hopefully not for long.

I'd like some objective info on the heat of the Z63a. I want to get one soon, but need to know about the heat. Some have reported temps of 50 degress under moderate load. What about temps at idle to light work, i.e. surfing and word processing?

What are the hard disk temps?

Is the fan always on? I like the fan in my ASUS desknote, it's seems to have more variable speeds than some notebooks with only 2 or 3 speeds. How is the Z63a fan? Is there a way to control it, either using an ASUS utility or using something like "speedfan?"

thanks

 

Try Centrino Hardware Control. http://www.pbus-167.com/chc.htm. Very nice.. lets you undervolt, manage power profiles, change options for S.M.A.R.T. drives, and control settings for ATI graphics cards.

 

I can help out a little here. I just received my Z63 yesterday. I haven't had too much time to play around with it but from what I've noticed so far the fan is always running, usually it's at the lowest speed and isnt annoying but it is audible. Right now after surfing for 30 min my temps according to mobmeter are 40c for the CPU and 41c for the HD. I have a 1.6 PM running at 800mhz right now. I did notice a few min ago that the fan kicked in a little louder this was just during normal surfing. It's not really blowing any warm air out or anything though.
The hard drive of course got quite hot when I was loading windows onto the system, undeneath the unit was pretty hot for a few minutes. I would expect this though since it was writing to the drive for 25 minutes straight. It's a 7200rpm drive too. The right palmrest (above the hard drive) was only a little bit warmer during this time though which is a good sign I guess.

The fan has been running on medium setting for about 10 minutes now, I may try undervolting or messing around with settings to see if that helps at all. Still it's not too loud. Any ambient noise at all would probably drown it out.

 

The fan in my W3A comes on at 40°C and, once on, never goes off while the computer is running (it might do so in a very cold room). I have seen two speeds, slow = 1200 RPM and fast = 1600 (it was 1500 in previous BIOS version) RPM. In my experience the fan switches to the higher speed at 60°C and switches back to the lower speed at 50°C.

Asus recently posted an updated BIOS version 0503A for which the release notes mention some changes to the thermal settings (among other changes), although I have not noticed any difference. I see there is the equivalent 0503G for the Z63A.

Undervolting will massively reduce the fan needing to use the faster speed - I now have to run the CPU at 100% utilisation to get it hot enough to trigger the speed increasee.

John

 

Thanks bdomz.

That's just what I was hoping to hear. When people say something is warm, that just is not enough info. What you just told me sounds very cool.

And you haven't even undervolted yet? You'll be pleased when you do.

Can anyone give idle and max temps for those that have undervolted?

Btw, where did you guys get your Z63a's at? Got any recommendations?

 

John, thanks for the fan info. Very helpful.. stuff that I haven't read yet in any reviews.

Any last comments, recommendations... before I pull the trigger on this?

 

On low load and with a room temperature of 29°C, my CPU (operating voltage 0.7V to 1.084V) is currently 49°C and the HDD is 54°C. These move up and down depending on the room temperature and would be about 4°C at a room temperature of 25°C. The CPU temperature doesn't worry me (sustained heavy CPU usage will get the CPU temperature up to about 62°C (it was about 10°C higher before undervolting)), but I would prefer if there was better cooling for the HDD.

John

 

I got mine at ISTNC.com

They were the cheapest I could find plus they have great service and are located near me. I got a 1.6ghz 512ram, Intel wireless and DVD burner for less than $1200 shipped. But I ordered without a hard drive or OS so that made a big difference.

Also check out Proportable.com

Good luck, if you do decide to order you won't be dissapointed, lthis thing really is beautiful!

 

Yeah, that HDD temp seems a little toasty. I'll have a 5400rpm HDD so hopefully it will be cooler.

Have you tried changing your s.m.a.r.t drive settings? It might help decrease the HDD temp 1-2 degrees? forgot the exact settings, but this will give you some idea of what to try:
-acoustic management: default is for higher db (and maybe lower temp?)
-power management: allow spin down

 

Your HDD runs nice and cool, can you please give me the make and model?

Also, just curious.. How's the WIFI range?

 

I have a Hitachi 7K60. It's a 7200 rpm drive but it runs pretty cool from what I can tell. Right now it's at 43c I don't think I've seen it get above 47c yet but I haven't really been paying too much attention to it. I'm sure it gets hotter than that at times.

My wireless range is good. I'm picking up 7 signals right now. I live in a townhouse though and my neighbors are fairly close. Not too close though. All of them must have wireless networks or something. I'd say the range is just as good as any my Dell 700m and better than my older thinkpad.