S96J Graininess Issue Thread

omg Hardocp just got a review of Z96j up, i'm gonna email them about the grainess issue hopefully they can included in the review!

 

Hmm ok
Way to kill asus brand for a general issue with a video card manufactured by ati implemented by all manufacturers.

 

ATI states that they don't support their GPUs in Asus notebooks because Asus, like most manufacturers, are at liberty to customize the hardware and software configuration.

 

I can understand eddie's concern of just ripping at ASUS. But I also believe that someone is going to have to take responsabilty for this issue, whether that be ASUS, Intel or ATI. We cant have them pointing fingers at each other hoping that this will ago away. The fact is that bad press is bad for all these companies and it will ensure that SOMEONE does something. Im hoping this gets resolved as quickly as possible so we all can get on with our lives. In the meantime we have to keep up the pressure.

 

Do they understand that this is ubiquitous across all laptops using their GPU? Talk about passing the buck.

Krista

 

Exactly. And once they've fixed it they can give the computers a new model name and voila... they'll get happy reviews and lots of customers again.

Krista

 

I was paraphrasing the comment they have on their Mobility Cats page.

 

Ken updated a bit o info in the other forum, the tech guy at Asus and Ken agreed a VGA Bios update may fix the problem.

 

usapatriot you live in miami?! i saw lots of your posts around here, this is the first time i noticed that you live down here in S FL! haha, just want to make a comment, company i work for is right next to MIA.

 

Hey guys the A8jM (Nvidia Geforce GO7600) also has the graininess problem.

I have even had the LCD screen replaced, still there. Something tells me it is not just an ATI problem.

I really hope there is a fix. Just supplied an A3FC (onboard graphics) to a customer and the screen and display are purfect, no graininess problems and only AUD$1100 laptop.

Regards,

BelowAverageIQ

 

Are you sure?

 

usapatriot,

Absolutely, at first I thought it was dust on the screen, but wouldnt wipe off. Whites are not white more of a speckled motlly grey, very noticeable.

Been a few posts in the A8JM owners page. Like I said Asus Tech replaced the screen with a new one of the same type and the problem is still there. Maybe it is the screen? I hope we find an answer, it is the only thing wrong with my laptop.

 

Oh well that's just great. I was all set to buy the F3Jm once a Core 2 Duo version came out but now I'll have to wait and see about this. It just never ends.

/sigh

 

Ok. Please don't think that im an a$$ in this forum but I just want to express want I am thinking right now.

I just want to ask everybody why they always believe that that Geared2play.com guy. I mean, have you really seen him replaced the LCD to prove that the problem is not the "ASUS" but the ATI Video Card? Don't you all wonder that he puts us all in a difficult situation because most of us are incaplable of replacing LCDs and we can't do anything but to believe him. I actually do not care if the issue is also present to other makes of laptops that has an ATI X1600 but can't you all think, at least for now, that this is an isolated issue among the others? Of all the X1600s ATI manufactured, do you all think that this issue is present? How many have you seen? Have you seen all of the laptops that has this ATI x1600 card and saw this issue? If yes, ARE YOU SURE?

To tell you frankly, I DO NOT believe him. So how will I believe him? I don't know? It is up to him on how will he do it. I "MIGHT" still believe on what he is saying if many other people in this community will do what he did and get the same results like his.

I may be biased about this but don't you think he is also bias because of the fact that he sells "ASUS" products. I am really tired and pissed of him putting all the bad points of all the "ASUS" products to other direction. In this GRAININESS issue, he is pointing another Manufacturer instead of Asus. GET THE POINT!?

What made me fired up like this is because of this -

"Hmm ok
Way to kill asus brand for a general issue with a video card manufactured by ati implemented by all manufacturers."

Why the h3ll he keeps pointing to another component of the laptop. No matter what products are inside, it is still Asus and it is Asus who put that video card in that laptop. This may be in a different situation if the problem is about a processor, ram, etc. but the people who bought this laptop don't have the choice about the video card.

If he can't help in resolving the issue, why can't he just shut up and stop bragging the components of the laptop. Do you really think that help the community by exchanging the LCDs of the laptop? NO. He just want to divert the problem to another component and say that it is not ASUS'. H3LL, "ASUS" is not a perfect manufacturer. if you really want to help, just help the people and stop saying that it is not ASUS that has the problem. I really do not think he has the values that makes a good customer service if he keeps on doing this.

You can cuss on me now, say that I'm wrong and I do not care. I've already said what is in my mind.

 

BelowAverage, you'd be the first to see it...ever. Can you capture it with a camera just so we can confirm this is the same thing?

Please, Eddie may not take our concerns as seriously as we'd like, but I have no doubts he's not lying to us. Point in fact, other notebooks with different panels and the X1600 also have the problem. He just put all doubts to rest.

 

Well if you want to be frank. I will be eddie not the geared2play guy. And if you want to be thought of as anything but an ass you should read through all of my 2000+ posts here. Then read through my 2000+ posts on my own forums. Then you should also keep in mind. And i am not trying to make you look like a complete moron for not doing your own homework even though that is exactly what i am about to do. See...btotech.com is the only (in all of united states) THE ONLY vendor to offer a screen option for the z96j and bluetooth option for all models that dont currently have bluetooth. We have done the same last year as well with the z70v, z71v, z63a..... you get the point. And if you were wondering what exactly makes me so qualified to be the sole vendor in the states that was able to rule out the screen. Well again you should do your homework. Anyone that knows me here and anyone that reads me here knows that we were the first and as far as i know the only to replace over 100 ghosted z70va screens last year. We did not ship them to asus and we did not divert customers who abide by warranty to asus. We did it all in house at our expense. And if that does not impress you then i will remind you that i was the first and only to diagnose the ghosting as a manufacturer defect and a problem with the actual screen, long before asus turned around and said ok we will replace the screen. By that time we had already replaced all our customers screens while everyone else waited for asus to give the ok. Now as for your consiprisacy theory. Take your pills on time. Please! If you are going to challenge my credibility i suggest you make your own first.

Amazing. If i can ban you here with extreme prejudice i would.

 

Had a return for this issue just the other day on the a8jm. When i get a chance i will compare. Did not notice any such thing on my review but i did not notice it on the s96j and z96j and w3j until i had to look for it

 

Eddie, thanks, if you can confirm that it would jostle things up quite bit.

 

Read my reply to the a$$ that acused me of lying. I ve been around. If you are looking for the someone more qualified then the rest in this product i am him. I say that without a doubt in my mind. I ll also say that none of the other vendors or users have ever come close to developing the things that we have over the years with the products we sell (asus). Every major defect and inherent issues was solved by me. Everything from a70va ghosting, to z70va audio dj, to z71v screen grainyness as people reffered to it (coincidently that was the actual screen made by lite-on) to many other things i cant even recall anymore. While everyone else sitts around and waits for asus i bring the answers. I have never really got many thank you's from the fanboys in this forum or any other aside from our customers most of who'm were amazed that we can repair a screen or motherboard 24-48 hours after we receive it while most other dealers deal with asus or intel to get any rma done. After all the crap i did for complete strangers, after all help i ve provided this joker "please" comes and bashes my credibility. I am so mad i would choke him if this was an assembly hall.

 

Ye its on the way back from cali so it will be a few days more. I have a z63a screen i can swap it for.....I think in this case though the way customers described and the way below average described it it seems like the same thing some people didnt like about the z71v screen which was a lit-on panel. Nothing do do with the vga card in that case. But time will tell

 

Eddie,
I think people don't have a problem with what you say but rather a problem with how you say it. Some might see it as cocky and you being a jerk. However those that have been here for a while know that you are the man when it comes to those laptops. (I was lurking but just recently decided to start posting). So first of thanks for all you did for this community. Second I can understand that people see it as that because it can be really hard to understand the tone of what someone is saying on a message board.

Otto.

 

Cocky? I think i am fairly modest. Just becuase i exploded and told everyone i am the self declared king of asus notebook hardware doesnt mean i am cocky. I cant help the truth. Just becuase i say it once on a blue moon doesn't make me cocky. Its not like i have it written in my sig. You can all call me what you want. The fact is. if there is a problem i am the man that finds a cause and solution before anyone else. In this case i got the cause but the solution is out of my reach

 

My biggest concern is that people say that the issue doesn't exist when an external monitor is used. I don't have an external LCD. Can everyone who does, and who has the speckles, try this and see what happens?

I wonder which motherboard the acer that has this problem, uses.

Krista

 

Pretty sure i tested for this and found no issue on external display. I believe i posted about this somewhere someday. I guess i ll try again. if i dont follow up then there is no problems with external display. I dont think this is such a big concern as much as its just plain strange. The strange part is that yes i would expect it to show up on ext display as well.

 

Yep, me too, which is why I'm wondering just how the GPU signal runs, what sort of interference might take place between it and the LCD... how the motherboard handles things... that's a bunch of stuff I don't know, and I am very curious. ATI has some explaining to do if it's actually the GPU causing this, 'cause it's just weird.

Krista

 

Thats your problem Eddie, compared to other resellers you sound "unprofessional" and frequently take up the fight again other members.

Dude, chill.

 

I think your answer is hillarious lol.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cocky

Fits right in!

And yes I do agree with the technical things you said. However you would greatly benefit from reading Dale Carnegie.

Otto.

 

Well I can tell you that I don't have the problem when the notebook first boots up. I can draw a large dark blue square in Microsoft Paint and it's beatiful and crystal clear. So it can't be the screen. After launching Photoshop or City Of Heroes, even if I close them right after they open, I now have the problem everywhere.

I just think the signal gets processed differently when it goes through the VGA port. I actually haven't even tested myself. In fact, it may be the "refresh rate" nature of an analog signal that prevents it form happening.

 

External display has no such issues. However it has a whole different issue present on the same comcastn.net bg color. Not grainy but wavy for lack of a better term. Its alot harder to spot then grainy but it is there on both my sony and acer 17" external monitors. I feel both grainy and wavy are related and stem from the same issue. I had to look alot closer to spot the wavy effect. Personally i didnt see it. My coworker did.

 

I'm pretty sure my screen has the problem all the time. But, I have mine boot up to a plain blue background. Do you?

Krista

 

Oh Boy! More fun *sigh*.
I'm going to get a cable and hook it to my 32" lcd TV and see what happens.

Krista

 

If you want another site that makes it very easy to see the issue try here. It's a site I made myself and it definitely has the issue worst I've seen anywhere on the web. I've had it the wait it is now in terms of design and colours for years now so it isn't that I changed it to make it worse, it's just really really bad there.

Cat

 

Weird...I don't have it on a pure background like on that link...but I have it on the Steam window...but only when I lean in reallllly close. So I have no problem with it

 

I will wait to buy until resolved.

Or I will buy a laptop with a GO7600.

 

I noticed it when playing WoW, the most. Things were powdery instead of smooth. I didn't have to lean close either. So.. if it doesn't bother you, I'm happy for you but for those of us who see it, it does bother us and we want it fixed.

Krista

 

hey guys,

i have had the z96j for almost 2 weeks. i stumbled upon this thread looking for what the other owners had to say about this machine. Personally i think its a powerhouse in terms of performance. Spectacular graphics, gaming capabilities with mobility makes it a competition killer. There's always a trade off between build quality and performance. To be honest i did try fiddling with the colour correction settings the very 2nd day coz something didnt seem right. But ignored the whole issue since i was still getting over the awesome capabilities this mean machine posesses. Well no doubt, it is an issue and has to be resolved but there are bigger issues ahead. I mean its a barebone, you cant expect a solution for it anytime soon coz its got components from different manufacturers , and no one is gonna claim the responsibility for it or assure you a solution.

Its good in a way for potential buyers to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether they or they cant live with this issue. But for owners like me we just have to wait around and see what unfolds. I have read through the whole thread and personally i dont see this forum going anywhere since its become more of a battleground for personal vendetta. I know resellers like ken and eddie have taken a lot of slack over this issue and they are doing their best to help us out. I personally am from australia and never dealt with these gentlemen but from what i make out they are the best out there. They werent aware of this issue themselves and its an irony for them to deal with a problem which is not a problem at all with the manufacturers.

 

Conclusion. The a8j has no such grainy issue. its the type of screen. I can see why some people dont like it. For those who dont i would say they would not liek the z71v screen either. They have a similar effect to them. Unrelated completely tot he ati x1600.

 

You keep saying its the screen but no, its not because someone had the same model LCD on a 7600 Go laptop and no grainy issue.

 

huh? and what?

 

the latest Toshiba BIOS fixed it for the A100, let's hope ASUS can write a fix soon

 

Im hoping asus releases a bios fix for all its x1600 laptops.

 

Hey eddie, ive been looking at the A8j and am curious as to what exactly is different about the screen? Perhaps you could go into detail into the differences?

Thanks in advance

 

If you look at the z71v last years model and read the reviews this is basically the same. The obvious difference is the size, res and glossyness but the similarity is how users who are fairly picky when it comes to lcds would describe it. You can basically call it "a sheen". Kind of a sparkly sheen. Not a huge deal but the z71v got neg reps for it months after it came out after some people noticed. Just like the s96j nobody noticed for months then one person pointed it out and it snowballed from there. Most people didnt care. Some 3d specialists didnt mind some returned it. Point being i think manufacturers should stay away from screens that produce effects people are not familiar with unless they are targeting less experienced home users. This being a mid-hi end model should have got a mainstrwam screen. I cant say its cheaper or more expensive then any other but it can make someone picky very uneasy. In case someone missed it. The screen on the a8j actually produces this effect while the z96j issue at hand is caused by drivers not the screen

 

What you said doesn't really make sense. I think I understand the "sheen" you were talking about, but that is a completely separate issue from the "graininess". The graininess is what looks like a dithering issue.
Take a 24-bit color image, and then convert it to a 4-bit color image. See how the colors look blocky? That's what everything looks like on X1600 based models. Obviously not that severe, but you get the idea.

I noticed it on my Z96J the day I got it. As soon as I started using it. I'm sure many other people did too.

Eh, let's wait for a fix. If one doesn't come... I know atleast I can leave with it relatively comfortable.

Last I heard it was just Intel looking for a fix. If it stays that way, intel will release a fix applicable to the S96J, which will most likely work on the Z96J. Unless Asus takes up the issue, the fix will be only for the S/Z96J.

Don't know much about the A8j or it's screen. But in regards to this issue, images will look sort of "speckled" or grainy. Think of what a computer running in 8-bit color mode looks like compared to a computer running in 32-bit mode. Again, not as severe, but the effect is quite similar.

 

It doesnt? Probably becuase you have never held a z71v or an a8j?

Everything? Everything is a very loose term now a days.

 

Currently running Ubuntu and still see graininess.

 

wooo!

look at this!

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread173555.html

By: GentechPC over at NBF. ="Yes that's what they are doing right now, all X1600 will be fix by new BIOS.

In fact, they just email me the BETA BIOS Version 204T for W2JB, if anyone who owns W2JB please email me for the Beta BIOS and let us know what you think if it fix it.

Also when request for BETA BIOS make sure you own a W2JB as the BIOS is only for W2JB.

Z96J/S96J BIOS is on it's way soon."

 

Yep lead support from asus been working on it for a little while. Main tech overthere said it will be ready tomorow for the z96j. Hopefull this will be a final fix and will support merom otherwise there will be many people here who are anhappy that now their t5600 and t7400 arent posting. It wont post on their support site but they will relese it to resellers and any inquiring minds. if you have a merom cpu i suggest you wait for a confirmation that it does indeed work with it.

 

whoo whoo were are getting there . this could be so good if they fixed it .thumbs up for asus

 

Very nice. I'm starting to get excited. I can't wait to see how beatiful the picture will look on this laptop once the graininess is gone.