Not trolling, but ... why buy an ASUS when ...

Not trolling, but ... why buy an ASUS when the HP Pavillion line looks so promising? I have wanted to buy an ASUS laptop for some time, but the whole ASUS sales strategy bothers me (apologies in advance to Justin at Proportable). To Justins's credit, he has done a phenomenal job of answering questions and serving as the ASUS rep to this forum. It may not be enough for me, though.

Before I plunk ~$1,700 down I want some assurances that the company offers robust tech support and will stand behind their product. Maybe it's just me, but I just don't feel that with ASUS (it's just a feeling -- I may be all wrong).

I have been researching a laptop for my wife for some time. If it were for me, I'd buy the ASUS system in a heartbeat. But for her, I have reservations based upon her tech ability. I wandered across reviews of both the Pavillion dv4000 and dv1000t (dual core) that have impressed me.

My question is this .... for the AVERAGE user, is the risk of going with a "white box" manufacturer worth it versus going with a tried and true name like HP.

I'm not tying to start a flame war -- I just want to know what people think about when they are considering purchasing a notebook.

Thanks in advance,

David

 

The simple answer is HP is no Asus. If you want great - go with Asus, if you want average go with HP.

... this has nothing to do with support, it has to do with the product itself and the quality of the product --- performance is secondary but Asus is certainly on top of things there as well.... but if you want to compare anything to the dv4000 - you should be looking at the V6 or the W1.... and in either case we're talking a mustang vs an db9........ both will get you by, but those with finer taste (and those who could afford the finer taste), will buy the better product.

If you're looking at an Ensemble- you're going with Asus - tried and true more so than HP is.... I mean if you really want to get into custom work and want to try to compare a company like ours to someone like dell or hp... go to someplace like reseller ratings and compare that "tried and true" customer service ranking against us. It's not as true as you may want to believe....... you believe it because they pay dearly to make you think that. If you're a sucker for marketing then there really is no hope.

.... honestly if you can't understand that concept, having an HP isn't going to kill you...... but if you do understand it, touching an hp after you've touched an asus should feel rather repulsive...

.... try not to be offended because most of what I said really stands for everyone as your comment really one that a lot of people want to ask and never do....... and I feel my answer is really the best way to put so that people can truly understand.

 

Justin,

No offense taken at all. It's the whole "white box" black hole question for me. Like I said, if I were buying a laptop for me, I'd get the ASUS.

Thanks for entertaining the question.

David

 

I dont feel like writing alot but unless you get dell or hp support for say a corporation its good. but for the home user you might as well fix it yourself its that bad i have dealt with them many times HP is by far the worst support ever. next to alienware that is.

 

I am assuming you are talking about an Ensemble model and not a "Built On" one.

I have owned an Asus w3v since June and have needed to call Asus customer support three separate times. Each time the tech support person was able to diagnose the issue and walk me through the fix and I am not the most tech savy person. The first and second time there was hardly any wait to reach a live person, the second call I was on hold about 15 minutes before they were able to take the call. I do believe that there was an option to have someone call you back rather than wait on hold but I just stuck it out.

When I first received my computer, I opened it up and it had a bad screen. I called up Justin at ProPortable (who I purchased my laptop from) and explained that I had justed started law school, had already sold my other computer and couldn't wait to mail it in, be repaired and returned to me (Not smart, I agree.). Since I live in the Northern California, Justin thought there might be a chance to go to Asus' Fremont, CA location and have it fixed. He hooked me up with a contact at Asus and they said no problem. I took it down and they switched out the screen while I waited. Now I don't think I could have gotten better customer from anybody else.

The quality on these things are top notch and they look amazing. If I had it to do all over again I would buy another Asus without hesiitation. Maybe a V6va this time, but an Asus for sure. :asus:

But it's up to you, it's your money. I prefer to have the higher quality product rather than one that is just more common.

 

Asus Support (for ensembles) is sometimes a hit or miss. For the most part they do their job on time and mostly as expected.
If you are comparing hp home support to asus dealer support for whitebooks they are not in the same class. you can compare asus dealer support (cant speak for all dealers but i can name a few that i would) to dell business support. The only difference is that we dont offer it as an upgrade. Standard warranty will do. I am sure you know but asus policy for whitebooks is dealer warranty. If your dealer tells you to go to asus then they never heard of this policy or you have a very special reason to do so.

 

If you're going with the whitebox, I would say Asus all the way. I believe Justin mentioned it earlier, but you should check out resellerratings of ISTNC, ProPortable, StarTech, Geared2Play, etc., then compare with HP, Dell, etc. A world of difference.

I bought from ISTNC. Rick (the owner) said they can typically turn a repair around in 24 hours. I doubt HP could do that. Not to mention the odds of having a problem are higher with HP than Asus.

It’s like buying an Ellsworth mountain bike vs. Mongoose. Not only is the product better, but the people behind the product are real.

 

Really and all this time i was under impression they send rma to asus and needed rma aproval for almost everything. Must be same day shipping they are using. Hp can do that for business clients who buy for business account. Most vendors who tell you they can do that usually dont.

 

Soon, ASUS will make HP/Compaq notebooks, so either way, it's probrably gonna be an ASUS anyways

 

Greg -- that's another great analogy....

 

I should have been clearer - that was for a Built-On, where Rick was repairing it.

And Justin, thanks!

 

I've messed with Dell laptops and came away feeling that something was missing. There was nothing that seemed to set it apart from anyone of a hundred other laptops.

But with an ASUS like my Z70va, I can just feel the quality that makes this notebook stand out from the rest! After having used it for over a month now, I can honestly say that with a Dell I would be less likely to protect it as I would my ASUS because I just don't feel the value in the Dell! I like quality and that's what my ASUS notebook gives me!

 

You were very clear. I didnt misunderstand. If you read on these parts their customers posts speak volumes. I am sure every dealer around these parts can have 24 hour turn around. COnsistently offering a fast turn around,,,,,, Well thats all based on what you believe or experience

 

..... considering a computer can physically be built and shipping in a day... it's really not all that impressive.... To some it may be, but to others...... they'll realize that's not enough time to make and test most repairs...... and it's really not fair because those times have to also be based on the work load the company has..... it could be a one time thing, it could be a personal thing just for you so you'd mention it on the forum, but we also don't know what was wrong with it.. if you needed a new dvd drive that's easy enough to swap and get back on the same fedex trunk that just dropped the bad one off....... but we're not talking god-like behavior...

 

LOL! ANYTHING you guys do when compared to Dell or HP is "God-like" behavior!

 

Compared to home support from the giants yes.!
I ve had recently the pleasure of dealing with dell express overnight gold warranty. Ofcourse purchased under a biz account. Incredible. 0 hassle xept the long wait. The part that people dont get is that this incredible service from dell you only get when you pay through your nostils for their optional warranties.

 

I totally get where you're coming from fisherdmin.

I would say if you are concerned about being left in the dark and all alone with your purchase then go with the HP.

If you can find a reputable reseller in your area where you can walk in and look at the models and have it serviced without mailing it somewhere then go for Asus.

Simple as that. Asus as others have said is GREAT, while HP is GOOD. Also, Asus' whitebox models are fully customizable, while HP's only offer upgrades from them which will cost more.

Also with Asus' models you get goodies in the package. Not stuff you don't need, but nice bags and mice in some cases.

Cheers and goodluck with your decision,
Mike

 

Heres my two cents as a current HP user that is likely to get into the ASUS market with Merom:

HP isn't as good as most think. They have lost both of the laptops I have sent into them. The first they never found - I lost everything (and I couldn't back up because it was a dead CD Burnder). They gave me a new computer, but then the vido card fried on it. No big deal I though, I bought an express warranty, guaranteed 3 day turn around time, one week maxium to get it back (with shipping time both ways included). It took them over 6 weeks to get it to me. I had direct numbers to specific case workers, these people are the highest you can go in support, and they were virtually worthless. I don't really want to buy an HP again because I haven't liked dealing with the problems. I like my laptop, but when something messes up, it is bad. But, this might be considered an extreme circumstance.

 

Well I was chilling with my new Z33ae and talking laptops with some people tonight.

One guy was like 'yeah, I bought the cheapest laptop Dell makes, upgraded the processor one step to a P-M, and bought a $60 stick of RAM off Newegg.' Of course, he didn't get an extended warrenty, so if anything goes wrong in the future, he's SOL.

The guy down the hall from me had a problem with his Dell desktop (consumer support) and it took the whole first month of the semester to get it fixed. They couldn't diagnose the problem, so they ended up replacing virtually every componant in the system. Funny thing was they gave him 'refurbished' componants and it took a few days to get a tech out to deal with the problem. He didn't seem too stressed about it, but I would have considered it unacceptable downtime and thrown a fit if it has been me.

I build my own desktops because I know that if anything goes wrong, all my parts have manufacturer warrenties or at the very least Newegg warrenties for a year. Once it's depreciated for a couple of years, I can replace any part (and maybe even get a nice upgrade) for a fraction of the cost of some of the 'extended warrenties' that the big names offer.

Laptops, however, is a different ballgame. I have no experience there. I really wanted a ThinkPad going into my purchase, but their ultraportables are very expensive. The X40 series uses 1.8" HDs that aren't available in higher speeds, as well as only ULV P-Ms on the older Centrino chipset. The X32 uses full size HDs but on an even older chipset. Neither come with optical drives - not even an external like the S5 series or even Acer's $1200 'bargin basement' ultraportable - so add $199 for a dock and $150 for a drive if you want to actually install things on your laptop. Battery life about the same as the Z33Ae.

So why did I buy Asus? Build quality, styling, customizability, and support, in the correct proportions.

I'll be honest, I'm in love with this little laptop. I wish I had bought it before the Athlon X2 rig that I built this summer - I probably would have stuck with my old desktop. It's a pleasure to use and has exceeded my expectations in every respect.

 

I'm a little bewildered ... and disappointed with much that I am hearing about the state of technology these days. Many people have expressed that "when they have had to ship the unit back" that the experience has been good with Asus or bad with Dell or HP.

I am NOT a gamer, but instead use my PCs for fairly simply but serious stuff. I need good performance but don't feel inclined to need the latest or the greatest - just solid. I have used a variety of desktops and notebooks for many years and for me, the sure sign of build quality is never having to contact tech support. If I have to send a notebook back and my business files are on that machine, I suffer a work stoppage until that machine gets back.

I have most recently had two Dell laptops, and though they were disappointing to me in terms of performance and battery life (ah, the marketing myth that is Centrino), I have never even come close to thinking about shipping them back.

I guess it's this. If performance comes at the price of reliability, I'm willing to suffer slower performance if I have a more stable machine that I don't have to send back.

I'm being honest here - I would love to hear about the expectations that most users of this forum have regarding the amount of tech support and shipping they consider to be the norm.

Thanks ...

 

fisherdmin, I totally agree, I'd rather have something solid and not as fast than have a machine that is killer fast, but isn't always up and running.

This is why after doing more than half a years worth of reading on laptops on these forums and reading elsewhere I decided on Asus. I also looked at other brands in store at Future Shop and they just didn't do it for me. Toshiba was okay, but Fujitsu was excellent, only thing is that it didn't have the videocard I wanted so I chose Asus.

Cheers,
Mike

 

I have went thourgh HP in the past and I needed to buy a new notebook after my HP(compaq) that gave me 6 years of service broke down on me. I wanted to go thorugh HP again to buy a new notebook but, I could not find a notebook that would suit all of my needs such as CAD, gamming(Important), 3D rendering, and video editing.

The reason why i did not go with HP is because, of their sucky choice of video cards in their systems and they seem to like the Xpress 200M in all of their systems. The only good Video card i was able to find was the X700 that's in the dv4000.

I was trying to decide between the dv4000 and the zd8000 for weeks. The zd8000 was the only system that would suit my needs for my CAD work but I did not like that the zd 8000 had a X600 video card (aka overclocked x300) Then I discovered that ASUS have been making great quality notebooks.

ASUS is a name that caught my eye right away since I have owned many great quality ASUS mobos in the past. I did my homework on the forums here and the model that I happened to get was the ASUS z81sp. The Z81sp is a desktop replacment and it had all of the features that i was looking for in a notebook. The video card driving my 15.4" z81sp which is a Go6800 256MB GDDR3 shocked me the most and the only other model that had a 6800 on it was a discontiuned Sager model and i knew that finding that model on the used market was going to be impossible.

I have had my Z81sp for almost 2 weeks now and I must say I could not be happier with my new notebook. The build quality on it is a hell of a lot better then my old HP notebook which had some screen flaws(dead pixels on arrival and major backlight bleeding), video card issues, and major keyborad flexing that really drived me nuts. My z81sp arrived to me with no flaws at all except for a little bit of backlight bleeding but compaired to my old HP, I can live with it.

Finally what I want to say that this beast is built solid and furture upgradability to a 7800 GTX and a Dual core CPU looks very promising.

 

I am fairly new to the forum but have decided to get an Asus, before making this decision I went to round shops to get a feel for the other laptops available including the HP dv4277 which comes with the X700. I picked it up and it felt pretty flimsy, with minimal pressure it bent over a centimeter (1/2") from end to end while making an interesting creaking noise. You could say this was one abused example but none of the other laptops seemed to be so crappily put together..
Ed

 

I just joined the forums today after stumbling upon this great laptop/notebook sanctuary from some google searches. I have been in the market for a laptop and had almost given up hope and purchased a compaq z2000 model when i read that asus makes notebooks!? so yeah, after hours of reading and research, I know I want an asus made laptop. the fact that there are so many owners of asus laptops along with reputable dealers right here on the forum makes the choice that much easier. now i have to decide if i want to give up the chance of having a turion 64, and get a centrino based processor and whether a 15" widescreen laptop is too big compared to the perfectly sized 14" widescreen compaq. Anyway, good luck to you fisher with your choices, I am reading yours and everyone elses responses in the hopes that my decision will become that much clearer. So far i'm thinking it is Asus for the win.

-defsquad

 

asus makes some turion based notebooks. But the centrino really is a better rounded cpu. Get the w3v if you need a 14in widescreen. Also that model will be getting a turion as well i believe.

 

SRD,

Awesome, thanks for the information. The w3v was the one i was indeed looking at getting. Do you guys go through laptops like a lot of hardcore desktop pc junkies go through parts on their desktops? Meaning, even though you may buy a laptop this month, and it may not be a 64bit based laptop, will you turn around and buy a new laptop supporting 64bit operating systems when vista comes out? I ask this because I want to plan for the future. I know Vista still has a bit of time left before it is released, but I wouldn't mind running 64bit ubuntu as a vmware session from time to time on the laptop if i had a 64bit version.

Anyway thanks again for the info and for this great community. Sorry Fisher for hi-jacking

 

I almost bought this laptop just because I really wanted an Asus but even the Asus resellers dogged it out so I was too scared to give it a try. Most of the people I talked with that sold the Asus laptops were very helpful and most of them friendly which still makes me want to buy one.

 

Well a w3v will run vista fine. There will be a 32 bit version of vista so dont worry about that. If you can wait i would suggest waiting till summer for the new 64bit chips but even the new 32 bit dual cores are great. its all what you need though but dont worry about vista a 1.8 pentium M would run vista fine all you need is a dedicated GPU.

And yes i do buy laptops often maybe every year or less.