***Pros and Cons of Asus Z70v***

I'm looking at this laptop for university. For those who own one, what are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

 

Don't take this the wrong way but a lot of the pros and also be cons... it's just how you look at it and what you NEED.

PROS:
1. nice design
2. 64mb ati x600
3. port bar option
4. roughly 6 pounds
5. carbon fiber chassis
6. best 15.4" WSXGA+ matte type display in the world (same as W1n)

CONS:
1. 64mb ati x600 (only if you are going to be a HEAVY gamer)
2. 6 pounds (only if you compare to the V6v which is basically the same unit but much lighter)
3. no bluetooth (if you need it..... it's something the lighter V6v offers)
4. no serial ATA hard drive support (something the Z71v has but not a HUGE thing)
5. no light sensor (something the Z71v has but again, not a HUGE thing...... that adjusts your brightness on your screen so you don't have to... but the Z71v screen isn't as nice in comparison anyway)


We might sell them, but I've got plenty of experience with the M6 series (Z70v) and this is basically it.

 

Yeah, I'd say for university, none of the cons are really that big of a deal. When I was in school, I just needed something that wasn't a huge desktop with a big CRT, so a 6 pound notebook was perfect. I didn't take my computer to class, but the Z70V is a great size for just going to the library or something. Battery life is good too; I get about 4 hours (watching Divx, using Winamp, typing) when I undervolt. Plus, having a sexy ASUS will help you stand out amongst all the crappy Dells and Gateways that litter college dorm rooms these days.

 

the z70v is probably one of the best deals out there. from the reviews it is a great machine. for a college student the only problem i'd see is its size (not weight) as many people describe it as being bigger than they expected. but honestly, a 15.4" shouldnt be too big for college especially if its ur only computer. might wanna check out the desks at ur uni just to make sure a 15.4" lappy can fit on one, some of those desks are TINY.

 

The z70v is basically an all-around average-plus system, it has everything, the looks, the battery life, the screen, the sound(extra speakers), the price, the weight, etc.

 

hmmm Tech_Girl, don't you have a pretty large thread going on with the exact same topic already over @ notebookforums.com? This is like a 5th or more thread around the same topic.

 

Hhhmmm.... is that a background check? What's her favorite color and what time does she wake up? What does she have to breakfast?

 

Here's a link for a topic of the same nature. There weren't many complaints with the Z70V there either. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=20349

 

Thanks for all the info!

And yeah, I posted this topic @ notebook forums too...looking for as many opinons as possible!

 

Yeah I got the z70v for uni but in retrospect it might have been better to go for the w3v... smaller and lighter (slightly) and fairly similarly speced... (hd and ram dif..) and price is a bit higher especially if you want to upgrade to 1gb ram / better hd... but price / performance is great on z70v... the screen is AMAZING, and the resolution (1680x1050) is great unless you have eye problems... (plus u can always change font sizes etc...) but I like it the way it is... it makes most desktop's screen realestate look tiny... (unless they have a 24" lcd....) hope that helps.... all in all a good laptop (perhaps a bit big to take to class for notes as i had intented... but ill c when i start...). Beats most of the dell / gateway / other crap out there... as far as I c... ibm might be a good option though if you have the $... I think they have a deal on now... but the looks suck in my opinion... but still and all a very good laptop aswell... hope this helps...

cheers!

 

I think the best option(s) for university notebooks right now (from ASUS) are the W3v/Z63a, or the Z33a. The S5a would be okay too... but the W5a would be a bit small.

The Z70v(a) is undoubtedly a great notebook... but after having gone through my first year of university with my M6Ne (same size as Z70v), I would have to say that a smaller notebook woud have been ideal. Sure, the M6/Z70v looks awesome, performs great, and is at a very reasonable price... but the sheer size of it isn't ideal for a university setting. And, if you spend a lot of time walking around campus, the weight of it may get to you after a while.

So, if you can, get the W3v or the Z63a... if not, go even a bit smaller and get the Z33a

 

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the W3v and really liked it, but it's *way* beyond my price limit...it's around $2500 cdn if I remember right.

I wouldn't be taking my laptop to class with me...I'd be travelling w. it about 5 times a year going from Nova Scotia to Toronto. I'll use it unplugged often on my lap, but other than that it will stay on my desk.

 

hey thought i would chime in on my two cents since now im a proud owner of a z70v.

i love the notebook the size is perfect (screen size for long term use i.e. writing long papers watching movies etc....)

as for the gamming end....it works fine (for me) i run games such as Joint Ops and World of Warcraft. I am planning on trying some more games but with the 2 mentioned above I dont believe i'll have to much of a problem.

As for the difference between the w3 .....not really anything big like everyone else stated.....size blue tooth and i believe thats it.


Other then that im really pleased with my purchase of the z70v....no regrets.

 

Thanks for the response!

I have a few questions...do you know if CAD (newer versions) will run well on the Z70v? Also, how are the speakers?

 

I owned a z70v and really liked the 4-speaker system. It was noticeably better than any other laptop speakers I've ever heard. I don't know about CAD on the z70v, though. Apps like CAD typically run better on Nvidia cards, because of OpenGL, but I suspect the X600 will be okay.

I think the z70v/z70va series is probably the best "bang for the buck" laptop on the market, besides the much larger/heavier Dell Inspiron 9300.

 

Yeah if ur not carying it to class on a regular basis then it should be fine... and if you do it would be a kinda workout... neway sounds like z70v/a would be great 4 u...

 

How is the heat and noise on the Z70v? I heard it can warm up quite a bit, and the fan is a tad noisy...

 

All laptops will warm up after extended use and/or heavy usage.

It's tolerable, but you do hear it humming if you listen really well.

 

heat when i first got mine wasnt the greatest... it would stay round 60's when idle... with underclocking with CHC (centrino hardware control) it stays idle at around 40-50... max 69... before max was 80 some... so CHC is great! Plus it increased bat life alot... i cant recomend undervolting more highly... also the fans on the z70v start up @ 55c so if it stays below that there is only the gpu fan... which is nice... the w3v and all the others generally have the same temps actually as with dedicated gfx and everything so crammed in heat does build up... but its not soo bad... especially if you undervolt. if you are really worried bout temps... you could go for the z63a which has integrated gfx... but i dont believe u had wanted to do that...

 

thanks for the info! Is undervolting dangerous to do for your laptop?

 

No, but if you undervolt it too low, you may have a lock up or a restart. Just adjust it a bit higher and you'll be fine.