Oppinions on the Asus Z81SP?

Hey, this is my first time posting here. Ive always had a huge desktop PC (an aging gaming machine, 22" NEC monitar, nVidia Ti4400, 1 GB ram...etc).
Im looking to get a laptop that can play Doom3, Quake4, HL2, etc.. and that I can carry around on a day to day basis. Ill be using it for probably 5 hours a day minumim, so a nice screen is preferred.
Im probably not going to be gaming on the go, or away from an external power source, so battery life isnt that much of an issue, just as long as I can get online and stuff on the battery power and not worry that the laptop is going to shut off after 1 - 2 hours of use.

Ive been looking at the Asus Z81SP ( http://geared2play.com/products/laptops/z81sp/z81sp.htm), with this config:
P4 3.0ghz, 1024mb kingston ram (single stick), 60GB WD HDD, and the rest of the normal included stuff (no OS).
The price comes in at $1518.00

Im basically trying to find a desktop replacement that will still be able to play the newer games for another 2 years or so, and I can carry it around and not be strapped down to a desk. I figure with the nVidia Go 6800 that should be able to handle the task. (is there a better mobile graphics card out now?)

Is there any other laptop that I should rather consider? (im looking at a budget not to exceed $1,500 or so) Any major woes or problems anyone here has experianced with this laptop?

Thanks for any suggestions/comments!

Dan

 

Check out my review of it a month ago, its not bad but nothing I'd consider lugging around with me.

The i9300 is larger in dimensions but lighter, try looking at that, after coupons of course!

 

Thanks for the reply. I checked out the review, and the only thing that worries me is the 9lbs weight and size. I checked out the i9300, and at around the same price with rebates its making me doubble think my choice. The specs though are a bit lower (ie. 512 vs. 1024 ram, Pentium M 1.86 vs. P4 3.0). Would those make a big difference as far as performance, and future gaming use?

( http://forum.notebookreview.com/printthread.php?t=22534)

Dan

 

PM 1.8 would be something around a 3.4~ ghz P4, just without HyperThreading(Which is the only reason P4 still exists, that and that the P4 chip is much cheaper)

 

oooh ok, cool. thanks for the tip. Where the best place to find rebates on the i9300, and to customize it? is dell.com the only place to go?

Dan

 

It's a big heavy notebook... but even though I like small, light stuff...... there's just nothing more powerful than this system....

 

What about the i9300 config'd with the same specs, just did it on the dell.com website and it came out to be $1,498.00 (with the Pentium M740). The 17" screen makes it pretty attractive. Is performance between the 2 about the same?

The reviewer on this site ( http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2550&review=Dell+Inspiron+9300) paid only $1280, with a $750 rebate. pretty cheap...

 

Well you can't compare apples to oranges... that's a pentium-m unit.... all you can compare are the graphics cards.

 

Isnt the Pentium M at 1.7 considered as fast as the P4 3.2?

 

Yea, but the price/heat/build/size/etc. makes a difference

 

Right the multiplier is 1.8x so... that's about right performance wise... but you can't compare a P4 to a PM system........ you just can't, there are too many other variables, like price, weight, heat, etc that seperate them.

 

Not to mention different CPU instructions... Hyperthreading.. etc.

 

In multithreading z81sp beats z70va almost 3 fold. Its a great system for die hard gamers who dont really need a mobile, programmers or any other power user uncluding cad and marketing guys. Other then sheer performance and being extremely well priced it has nothing else going for it except good slid build and good cooling. Not for me but i have a 12" mobile and will not give it up for anything.

 

What applications would that be? Got any benchmarks?

 

The purpose of the Z81sp is really strictly a portable workstation / gaming rig........ not everyone needs it, but those who want it and don't need the mobility (low weight / great battery life), but do need the best performance they can get outside of a desktop..... they'll know they want this system.

On the other hand.... anyone who is still debating a dell, has their own personal demons to handle before considering an Asus based system.

 

Being as unbiased as I can, I have to say the 9300 isn't such a bad laptop.

For such a price, you have to understand you are sacrificing things(CService, Build, etc.).

 

...... service and build...... those are the two biggest reasons most people have gotten away from them......... they certainly don't make *expensive* computers.

 

it would be sweet if asus released barebones under 400$ with built in combodrives. We can give dell a run for their 599$ piece of junk.

 

...... and then the question would be "why the hell would you want to?"

 

Not too sure of the anwer there yet but i know i can find a use. If you build it they will come.

 

If you're about making money by any means necassary and have no pride.... you'll be proud to put your name on a $400-600 computer and feel good that those same customers are coming back in a year or two to buy another piece of junk. I guess I don't think on that level.... I'd be embarrassed to sell something like that and if my company ever got to that point, I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

 

By any means yes however selling laptop for 799$ doesnt mean you have no pride. I can imagine about 10% of our customers atleast wouldnt mind us offering lower end systems for them or relatives or presents or kids. Too much pride is never good. Only reason we dont have laptops that cheap is becuase asus dont offer them. I can get them elsewhere but i wouldnt trust it elsewhere besides asus. We may have started our biz in a different manner, but i got to this point starting from making 300$ towers in my boiler room 5 years ago. Cant crap on the little people once you make big time. I think we can offer way better service to the low end customers then most others with less headaches because low end customer will not be complaining about things like warm harddrives or flexing palmerest/keyboards. Without hurting your reputation you can attract whole new audience who will keep you in mind for when they want a hi end laptop.

 

Everything in z81sp is very good except the size and weight. Very powerful machine make me suprise about the video with 256MB nvida go 6800 and use a P4 desktop socket 775 cpu even 2MB L2 cache. If it comes with a 17" LCD crystal screen, then i will use it for a desktop replacement instead of protable machine. Due to the high temperature in cpu and video, the machine have 3 fans, then it makes noise.

 

Actually there is a problem with it...... other big companies started making good quality systems and then became all about money and make more money now on a sub $1,000 system than we could dream of on a $2-3,000 system. Pride isn't about money, but it is about a good quality product. There is a certain level that you can't get below and still provide a great system. For us, anything we wouldn't want to use, we're not going to sell. It may mean not attracting "cheaper" customers, but we're not going to sell something that we're not impressed with and we're not going to lower our standards to make more money. On a side note, it's been well documented in our company that the customers who spend the least, complain the most..... Whether about heat, or noise, or taking longer than an hour to get back to an email, etc.........