S96J or wait?

Mmm, well I've been looking into a laptop recently. Basically a gaming laptop that's 8lbs or less that I can take with me to college. I've decided after asking on this forum and looking around that I want an Asus.

The S96J looks very appealing in that it seems to be very cheap for the costumizations it offers -- actually the best deal I can find for my price range $2000. Also nice is the fact that it's already available. I don't actually NEED a laptop until July/August, but it'd be nice not to have to wait till then for one.

On the other hand, some of the upcoming ones make me pause. the Z96J has integrated Bluetooth, which while again not something I necessarily NEED, would certainly be nice, especially since I don't really liek touchpads and mouses with cords. Most people seem to think the display will be better too, though I'm not sure how much I care about displays.

Both of those seem around 6-6.6lbs, which I think is a quite decent weight and something I can manage to carry around with me. The W3J looks really exciting too though. The display is slightly smaller then I was looking for, but again, display not so much an issue. The overall look of it is nicer, and it's lighter. Thing is, barebones it's barely in my budget ($2000), it's mostly an Ensemble so I can't costumize it exactly how I want at many resellers, and where I can it has worse features then the S96J for a greater price. Plus it gets getting pushed back and waitlists at many sites and I dislike waiting for things where the manufacturers take their sweet time releasing them. But it's very sexy-looking.

A8JM seems like a cheaper alternative to the W3J, though and the NVidea graphics card is comparable. But I'm not sure how it would be better then the S96J, and whether it's worth waiting for.

So yeah, my question is out of those laptops, do yall think there is a good reason for me to wait for one of the other notebooks besides the S96J, and if so which one and why? Should I just go ahead and order the S96J? Considering getting it from Geared2Play if I do; they seem reliable, plus in the same city as I live, I believe, so shipping is fast or depending whether it's allowed and whether father would drive me, I could maybe see about picking it up myself. But yes. Very undecided. Advice pretty please?

 

It really depends on what screen resolution and screen size you want. I did not want WSXGA so the S96J was perfect for me at 1280x800. The only difference between the S96j and Z96j is screen res and bluetooth. As for the W3J it is a very nice computer and smaller and lighter than the S96j but it only comes with a 1.83 GHz Duo and a 5400 rpm drive. For the price the W3J cost you could get a S96j with a 2.16 GHz Duo and 7200 rpm drive. It is a hard call, the W3J is a very nice notebook and oh so sexy.

 

Haha, young grasshopper, you are in the position all of us have been in (or still are). From what I can tell, youve basically done all the research you possibly could and know everything about the models you are interested in. Good work. Knowing this you still arent any closer to a decision. That doesnt make you a bad person, I would be in the same **** boat if my money was not already spent waiting for my w3j (anyday now hopefully).

So you come in here desparate, looking for us to make the decision for you. Sigh... It is nothing I or anyone else hasnt done. You must look within thyself to find the answer you seek. If you are too weak or need a little guidance there are those here who can help you.

Let me lend some words of advice, or rather, some questions that may lead you in the right direction. Are you very concerned with aesthetics? Would a pound make a big difference in portability? Youve already distinguished between what you need and want - is what you want worth waiting for?

The built on route is the cheaper route to go and they are still quality notebooks. I dont think you can go wrong either way. I think the s96 and you sound like a good match.

*I apologize for the lack of apostraphes, for some stupid reason firefox always opens up the search function whenever I try to use one and keeps me from typing...its sooooo not cool and bugs the hell out of me*

 

holy ****, is that happening to you too?? i think it might have something to do with the firefox updates and the european keyboard settings. i think this b/c i sometimes i get an accent on top of my vowels...

 

I think so too. Wait...I'm not European. Well, there goes that theory

 

Cassandra, I was in the EXACT same dilemma as you were. I REALLY, REALLY, I mean REALLY wanted the W3J. It's too sexy! In the end, I ordered a S96J. Let me tell you why I personally chose the s96j over the z96j or the w3j:

1) I like WXGA resolution. I have no need for multiple windows for photoshop or anything of that nature, so WSXGA (z96j) is a waste of eye strain. that ruled out z96j.

2) I have no practical need for integrated bluetooth, It was just a perk, and I really would only use it for a bluetooth mouse, which after months of researching all have mediocre reviews at best. I would rather use the logitech v400. This rules out the z96j and the w3j.

3) Value. s96j has better components than a w3j for a cheaper price. 2 Gigabytes of DDR2 667 RAM and a 100 gb Hitachi Travelstar 7200 RPM HD all for a much cheaper price than the w3j. About $300 less.

4) Availability. The s96j is available now. w3j available june.

5) Upgradability. The s96j is VBI, which means certain things can be changed like the processor or the LCD.

6) New pictures surfaced that showed what the s96j really looks like, and it doesn't look bad at all. Not as nice as the w3j, but at least it doesn't have the black strip on the cover that the z96j pictures show. Just a simple looking laptop. It's a sleeper.

the s96j also has a better cooling system than the w3j, in my opinion. vents in the back, not on the right side.
Hope all this helps you make your decision. If you wait till Friday I will have the notebook in my hands and I can tell you more about the details.
On a side note: if you order from a reseller in the same state as you, I'm pretty sure you have to pay sales tax, but I could be wrong. Try to order from a neighboring state. I'm in Vegas and I ordered from Southern Cali, and the delivery is supposedly going to be 2 days.

All said and done, if you can wait for the W3J. Wait. it's a laptop buyer's wetdream.

 

You should get the S62J, the 14" version of S96J, but then again you like a bigger laptop, it's just me.

 

if you want bluetooth, you can easily just get a bluetooth usb adapter.

 

Personally, I'd get the smaller, lighter model if possible (in this case the A8 series).. and get a seperate large flat screen LCD for home use.. that way you got something nice and big for home use.. and something lighter and portable to go. You can probably get both for under $2000 depending on how the A8 ensemble is priced (or if it comes as barebones, how you configure it).

 

I have personally decided to wait, as newer models keep surfacing. Even though this S96J does look nice, the august release date for the new chips is about 2 months away (optimistically). Other companies might throw promotions for "back to school" sales or get cheaper (I'm optimistically waiting for the Fujitsu Lifebook N3530 to drop another 100-200 dollars).

I mean since this model is built on demand, the price won't change in a month or two. I mean if you want to use this machine for a good 3 years like I plan to, then waiting for a fully compatible 64 bit process might be better. Worse comes to worse just buy this laptop before you head off to college like I'm planning to do.

 

Thanks for the advice guys...

I guess it does depend on what I want/need and whatnot...

I guess I do sort of feel that despite looking very sexy, the W3J isn't really any better then the S96J except for weight, and since the S9 is still under 7lbs and I was considering a few days ago getting a Sager for almost 8lbs, it's still a decent weight to have. And I didn't even think of the sales tax thing...good point though. NY sales tax is like 8.6% or something icky like that >.<

And you have a point about the Bluetooth adapter...though question: what's the difference betweem a bluetooth USB adaptor and a bluetooth module?

Mmm, thanks for the suggestion Goren but I think I could deal with a 15" display overall, so no point in buying a larger screen for home, esepcially since home will be a quite very small dorm, eh.

And yeah, I guess there is a benefit possibly to waiting, and I could....I guess I sort of just don't really want to. Like, I know it might be beneficial, and a good idea, and I have nothing to lose by waiting until June or July or August...but I'm impatient and it's like gah, waiting. Plus there's always new technology coming out and whatnot...like, I'm sort of annoyed Microsoft is taking so long with Vista, since I'm gonna be forced to but XP now and then Vista when it comes out, but at the same time...no way am I waiting until December or whatever. But yeah, we'll see...

sort of leaning towards the S96J though. I mean, it's not totally fugly by any means, and seems a better deal then the W3J. Can't realyl find anything about the A that would make it a more appealing choice either. But yeah. Looking foward to seeing what you think when you get yours Symetrikal^^