Official Waiting for the ASUS K-Series Thread

lol sorry for my ignorance, what is quarter2? or when q2 is finishing?

Nevermind, found it.

So you mean by the end fo june...

So if its one month ahead, Asus should give us specs and price or they will loose their customers: I need a laptop, I could wait for somethng I don't realy know about exept for the gfx card for an unknow price somewhere in the summer or I could go for a g50vt or a MSi...

 

Asus, like all the big notebook vendors, play the long game.

If they read our few comments, then they might smile and nod, but it probably won't make a jot of difference to their strategy.

If they decide to can the K51 altogether in anticipation of the Tigris platform, then so be it. The K50 and K40 will still sell to their intended market and they'll make their money just the same.

The W90Vp was a rare aberration, and would, if ASUS had realised sooner, have been a G90 instead. Still, I'm sure they're not that bothered since demand is so high.

If the K51 on paper (with or without Tigris) looks too attractive to the mobile gaming community, I'm betting they'll ditch it to keep current interest in the G50Vt and hold out until the next G-Series refresh...

 

With that GFX, of course it attractive! Anyways, 1$ CND is almost 0.90$ USD = More choice of laptop US Model + Clevo

 

Well Asus usually sells to Canadian vendors and usually the price is similar to the US counterparts so unless it was like those Best Buy outlet items, usually you can get Asus laptops at similar prices in Canad(and save yourself the duty taxes). That's what's neat about Asus notebooks

But yeah, the HD4860 is basically the most attractive thing about the K51. I mean, if it really can rival(or even if it simply came close) to a 256bit GPU, then that's just wow

But yeah, releasing something with such GPU power might compete with their other lines, but the G51 is already announced(there's a thread somewhere about it) and it has a GTX260M in it, so I don't think that in brute power Asus plans on matching the K51 and the new G series.

 

which would be extremely stupid because not everyone is willing to go for that "gamer look" to get gamer performance. The k51 looks NORMAL and although i do consider myself a gamer, the last i want is people looking at me like i'm some nerd who games 24/7.

Not releasing the k51 for the g51 would be a wise choice though seeing as a 4860 performs better than a gtx 280m while giving off less heat.

 

I thought it was only the g71vx.

And it would be great to have this laptop because not everyone likes the style of the G series. Its just too much...too much lights.

And some competition from ATI/AMD

 

lol. and the orange screams "i'm a hardcore gamer, please lan with me"

 

The G series has a "republic of gamers" logo on it so yeah, they kind of do advertize the gaming power of the machine lol

Well if appearances weren't so important in today's society we'd all be happy right? lol

Regardless, the G series I always found too big and the K series looks smaller so that may fit my needs better. I personally find both looks ok(the G series would be better without the darn logo).

 

the G's appearance is one of the big reasons i sold it after 2 months. the K series look great! but because i'm so picky, the domino texture bothers me a little.

 

Forever Melody.. you can actually stand the orange? the closest im willing to accept is red like in the msi.. but the keyboard layout is so bad that i am repelled altogether by the notebooks they offer.

IKilledYourHamster, its undoubtedly better looking that the g series though.

 

IMHO, the only gaming notebook that gets it right is the NP8662. It's sleek, refined, ticks all the boxes and delivers the goods.

The problem for me is that I can't get it in Oz without either spending over US$3,000 (!) over here, or taking a chance on shipping it from the States and fretting about out-of-region warranties and shipping costs.

Asus's amazing global warranty is a huge draw for me, so unless the K51AB is as good as we all hope, I guess I'm just going to have to get used to Gamer Republic day-glo styling

 

Well it's not my preference honestly, but I've seen uglier laptops *cough* Toshiba X305 *cough*

The G series at Best Buy are pretty decent. A bit tacky and flashy, but not overwhelmingly ugly either. Really the worse part for me is the logo lol

And yes, I find the K series far prettier although once again, not the prettiest laptops I've seen, but for the [possible] performance, it's probably the nicest laptop I've seen

 

Not only is the K series better looking it's more mainstream like most of us prefer.
Possibly more powerful than the G series without all the fancy lights and much better color combo.
Still waiting for any news

 

if the 4860 is anything close to the 4850 in the gt 725... then ati's cards are light years ahead in terms of graphical performance vs mobile nvidia solutions.. the gtx 280m has a hard time beating the 4850 which has a tdp of 25w... so even if the 4860 is about 30/35 tdp.. its still far lower than the tdp found in the the gtx260m or 280m...ATI's graphics cards are really monsters... with a decent processor, it surely overruns the g-series no problem.. probably even the future g-series refresh.

 

The thing that sucks is that when ASUS announced this laptop it got every one drooling but since then not a peep about it.
What's up with that, I just don't get it unless they are re-thinking this laptop and using different specs which to me would be a disaster.

 

It sucks because this is currently the only laptop with a 4860.. Worse, is the fact that the next closest offering is the 4850 found in the gt 725 which is too big at 17 inches. I guess many people are waiting for ANY laptop that's 15.4 inches and offers the monstrous graphical performance of the 4860. Low TDP graphical best + good processor + 15.4 = GG instant hot item. Imagine a sager 8662 with the 8-cell, a 4860, and p9600... battery life.... and performance? Only in my dreams though.

The biggest possibilities atm are the current theories though:
1. Intel is at work...enough said.
2. Asus doesn't want to release a laptop thats potentially more powerful than their "gaming series" notebooks. Having a versatile performance outperforming their gaming series is a no no.
3. Asus is reluctant to release the k51 because they want consider adding in the new tigris chips and raise the price of the item above or near the price of a g50vt... in which then it wouldn't matter if both products were out due to the increase in price.

Personally i want to believe #3 myself... #1 would be a big move (albeit common) of intel... #2 is realistic.
Actually the nearly impossible #4 actually exists which is that it will come out the end of may with the exact same specs as in the news released. Even though this is what i've been told from a coowner of a computer store, i haven't received notification from my friend and its already May 26/2009... so its highly unlikely.

 

Scary thing is I'm actually looking at the MSI EX625 as it's potential re-placement, it's cheap, still has a very good GPU + you can upgrade the CPU yourself.
But I really want the K51 AB and not the next best thing closest to it.
It just seems it's taking way to long without hearing any news.
C'mon ASUS at least announce something, anything for a potential release date or even just say it will not be available so we can move ahead.

 

I've been following this thread since the start and it pains me to say that I've already done yesterday what IKAS V mentioned in the prev post, namely, ordered the EX625 I've been waiting for the K51AB ever since my old laptop died a couple months ago, but with the dearth of news from Asus, I had to get a replacement. So ends the waiting for me, but I wish you all the best of luck at getting a K51AB soon. (And post reviews/pics plz )

 

I think we should keep in mind that there is currently no notebook with a 4860 in it. Remember that the K51AB on display at CeBIT in Hanover didn't actually have the HD 4860 in it.

It's entirely possible that Asus hasn't released the K51AB because the HD4860 is causing them some serious problems, or even worse, ATi haven't begun shipping the chips.

 

Now i realized why you didn't like the ROG symbol.. its cause you're a chick, n for the longest time i thought you were a dude. Anyways, all that aside. the K is better suited for sure...

IKAS-V i guess that will have to do then, you're not going to be playing crysis on this lappy, but then again its probably cheaper than the k51ab so i would say you should go for it.

And to Ozo, I have no idea of whether that's true or not, but we gotta keep optimistic right?

 

I don't think the K51 will compete with the G series since Asus is also planning to release a G51 with a GTX260M in it so really, it's a different market.

The K series is supposed to be a "budget gaming laptop" which is why they chose AMD CPUs, a 128bit GPU(albeit with GDDR5 ) and lower resolution screens so it's not meant to compete on the same market as the G series.

@bacon: how did you figure and how does that have to do with anything? O_O

 

not supposed to see this

 

Lol.. its funny how the AMD GPU utterly rocks the gtx260m though. This is why i'm thinking the delays may be used toward moving the k51 into the tigris platform because the 4860 with such a low end AMD cpu would be such a mismatch. Heck the screen res would be a mis-match too in this case xD. And who says having a 128 bit GPU means anything? The 4850 ties the 280m.. and its 128 bit.. and the 4860 rocks the 280m gtx while being lower for TDP :O

Well.. i told you.. post a picture thread, besides that.. i can hardly see any girl wanting to carry an orange laptop saying "republic of gamers" on it. It just doesn't fit.

 

The HD4850 is 256bit O_O The HD4860 can compete with the 256bit because of the change in memory interface(GDDR3 to GDDR5).

And yeah, the lower AMD CPU would kind of bottleneck the HD4860. However, the lower screen resolution is to keep the price lower IMO. If they just keep adding more and more stuff, the price will rock up fast.

Btw I agree, I don't want an orange laptop with the logo on it lol But appearances are secondary to me to performance >.> I want a balance of both which is why the K series is appealing to me(and others as well)

 

guess i didn't read the specs right.. the 4850 is 256 bit.. but the 4860 is 128 bit as said by notebookcheck and it outperforms the 280m gtx ;P

And honestly, i think i wouldn't mind forking out the extra 5 bills if it included a new cpu, better screen res, and esata, HDMI, and bluetooth. Who cares if they called it a "no frills laptop." Its possible the high end version are fully equipped pieces of machinery because its the "top end" and therefore they can stick the high price tag to it ;O.

I don't think the CPU would necessarily bottleneck the GPU but its definitely a negative since games like empire total war, gta v, and even crysis use the CPU extensively. The cpu & screen res are definitely whats repelling away most people from this laptop though.

This is a first though.. All the girls that i know of... actually make that the guys too would die to have an apple itouch or macbook pro. They certainly look good... But don't perform very well. I guess we have an anomaly here xD. J/k you play games alot?

 

guess i didn't read the specs right.. the 4850 is 256 bit.. but the 4860 is 128 bit as said by notebookcheck and it outperforms the 280m gtx ;P

And honestly, i think i wouldn't mind forking out the extra 5 bills if it included a new cpu, better screen res, and esata, HDMI, and bluetooth. Who cares if they called it a "no frills laptop." Its possible the high end version are fully equipped pieces of machinery because its the "top end" and therefore they can stick the high price tag to it ;O.

I don't think the CPU would necessarily bottleneck the GPU but its definitely a negative since games like empire total war, gta v, and even crysis use the CPU extensively. The cpu & screen res are definitely whats repelling away most people from this laptop though.

This is a first though.. All the girls that i know of... actually make that the guys too would die to have an apple itouch or macbook pro. They certainly look good... But don't perform very well. I guess we have an anomaly here xD. J/k you play games alot?

 

Well full [real life user] benchmarks for the HD4860 aren't out yet so it's still uncertain as to how they perform in contrast to the other 256bit bus GPUs. The hype is mostly due to ATI releasing the desktop HD4770 which is still 128bit, but has GDDR5 as well and can preform on par with the HD4850. Therefore, we see plenty well how GDDR5 affects the performance If anything though, I'd expect a similar if not slightly better performance than the HD4850 from the HD4860, but I don't think it'll become the king so fast. Wait till the mobile HD4870 comes with GDDR5 as well

It would likely bottleneck since it's in a different ballpark than the GPU. Games that are half CPU dependent would get stuck at the lower AMD CPU before they get stuck on the mighty HD4860 IMO.

Honestly I don't mind either CPU or lower res and lots of people are still waiting for the K51 regardless of those 2 factors as that nice HD4860 seems to make up for it lol

lol I'm not exactly mainstream >.> I don't have an iPhone/iTouch and the Macbook Pro isn't appealing to me(both in looks and in practically since I live where it gets -40C in winter and well, metal also absorbs cold ). I do have an iMac, but that was a gift and I certainly didn't want it at first >_<

And yes, I do play games from time to time lol. My brother has lots of games so I play with him or my guy friends every now and then

 

Respectttttt girlllll, chick gamers are hard to find nowadays. At any rate i hope we get to see the release of the k51ab soon.. if the specs are as the site mentioned before though, it should be releasing on saturday or sunday according to my friend.

 

That would be awesome but I doubt it

 

I wasn't expecting the K51 until somewhere in June(mid or late) and if they intend to put Tigris, even later than that

Random comment: this is my 1337 post

 

Yea no kidding prepseb, the k51ab still hasn't been finalized on the asus website yet.. so this means June release.

Lol! 1337 posts. congrats i officially take your challenge to DoTa.

 

Really hope it's a June release with the MSI GT628 being pushed back to August supposedly. Is June confirmed?

 

Unfortunately no! just speculation.
I'm hoping for some actual release date as well.
This is so frustrating

 

Considering all the other models of the K series are already out, the K51 hopefully shouldn't drag too far behind either >.>

 

Um... The K40IN/IJ and K50IN/IJ are only 4 of the 10 models in the advertised line-up. I've seen no sign of the K40AB, K50AB, K51IO, K70IO, K51AB or K70AB yet. Or did I miss something?

 

Not all of the K series will make it to the US/Canada market.

 

Yes sorry I've forgotten about the K7x models. Well regardless, it's mostly a waiting game at this point lol

 

So it seems to me that the 4860 will go to waste with a low resolution of 1366x768. I guess bumping up AA and Anisotropic helps but I'd think a 9800M GS could handle games just as well if you're never hitting resolutions of 1680x1050.

Maybe this has been discussed before but 39 pages is a lot to go through...

 

resolution does not matter to me, as long as i get high framerates with high textures, AA plus FSAA at 1366x768 so no waste. if it has hdmi out i can connect it to a 1080p screen so no problem for me.

 

I've yet to see anyone contradict GentechPC.

The K51AB and K70AB will probably not see light in American Retailers...

With Computex and E3 coming around, I am hoping for a better incarnation involving 45nm and some kind of new GPU.. like the 4890 or something?

 

Usually when the US say "American" they don't include Canada(even though Canada, Mexico and Brazil are technically part of "America") ssoooooo there may be hope for us lol

But yeah, there's rumors that Intel has been pushing against the K series that don't have an Intel CPU in them, which include the K51.

We'll see I guess.

 

i've received email from my friend that the k51 has not been shipped or received yet. Shame.

 

I guess we're screwed. No news and its june first in a couple of hours.

 

it can only mean something better for us. just need to wait a little more. i know that's a problem for some people who need a laptop asap. like me D:

 

It's July!? Wow, June went by quick....lol

Time will tell. Patience is a game >.> Anyways, I'm waiting for the U80v as well so patience Mimi, patience... >.>

 

Wow really? I had not thought of the possibility of the K51AB not being available in North America, more specifically the USA....
That will definitely suck. I guess i'll have to settle for an ATI 4670 if so.

 

I guess the dream is over, got the same message from Gentech.PC, guess it's G51 now, just wish it came other than White.

 

Youre too fast on reply! We should wait for the official info from Asus.

 

Fact is, the K51 hasn't appeared anywhere, not just in the US/America. Therefore, it's a big quick to jump to conclusions on such. I mean, if several versions were out in say Europe or Asia, but America got nothing, then I'd be prone to say it won't be released, but I'd wait for an official word from Asus or some type of confirmation when the model sees light somewhere.

Fact is, the model is just not available currently for anyone, not just North America.

 

Ya, still no word about the K51AB, not even in the latest news from 29th May which only covers K40,K50,K70... (again)

Maybe Asus is waiting for the Tigris Platform? It wouldn't make much sense if they release the K51AB only 1-2 month before Tigris... because people would feel cheated.
OR they trashed the K51 completely and suggest that people buy the Asus G51, G60VX instead...