Some personal feelings about the Vx2

Well, I've been using the carbon fiber edition Vx2 for a few days now and I've got to say, the expectations were high on this one and they far exceed even what I had expected out of the final build and package. In terms of performance, for TODAY, it's awesome and truly a hardcore performance system (we won't see a santa rosa update until late July at the earliest it looks like).....

A few things that are notable:
1. The carrying case is fantastic... probably the best case Asus has included with anything, which says a lot.
2. There is a very nice Lamborghini branded sleeve which is included inside the carrying case... really, really nice and how I've been carrying this around in my car all week.
3. It has the new 802.11n wireless - very nice
4. Everything about this package screams exotic... Similiar to the S6 and R1, the Vx2 comes in a "gift box", which honestly would be a great place to store this gem if you wanted to really stow it away. Then, instead of a foam envelope which protects most of the systems in their retail box, this units is stored inside a nice velvet bag... again, it's a shame most people will never use this after after they start using their system, but it's really a beautiful package.
5. The carbon fiber came out better than the older W1 carbon edition which I thought was done quite well.. this is just even nicer.
6. Anyone who thinks the yellow stitching is "ugly", you don't need to own a Gallardo to appreciate how the subtle yellow stitching in the leather really accent the black.
7. The leather palmrest, just like the S6 (and the upcoming U1), should hold up quiet nicely. In terms of texture, you can certainly feel it's not just plastic, but it's not something that gets sticky or grimmy after a while...
8. The rotating webcam is something that I really love about the W5, and although most people will never need to use it that way, it is a nice improvement over the V1.
9. I'm using it with my V1 docking station... which I know a lot people people questioned if it really was going to include the docking port.
10. Although small, there is a neat little feature under the system which most can see in pictures as a gallardo wheel which covers the fan housing... You can't see it in the picture, but behind the wheel is a clear plexiglass window into the fan housing..... Anyone who questioned how valuable this really would be.... you can seee how much dust and lint is built up in the fan without opening up the system.... this is a MUST for any notebook user, and espeically on a system like this which is geared to the top end of performance users... small detail, but really a very good idea.

I'm not sure how many we have left, but I know we've got more coming in with a shipment on Monday...

 

It really does seem like an exquisite notebook, and I'm sure that its worth the considerable sum that it costs.

Its a pity that its priced so high, makes it so that I can't buy one....

 

Yeah, well Lambo made it that way... For obvious reasons it's basically maxed out, so the performance is very high, but that also translates into high cost for the parts, which in turn made the system more expensive.... and into that "exotic" level that Lambo wanted the notebook at anyway.. Worth every cent, but for those that want the look and not the performance... just like a real Lambo, you can't a cheaper one with a little V6...

... It's for the guy (or gal) who wants all out power and quality, along with exclusivity it provides... as long as you have the money to afford it

 

Anything that you din like?

 

The only problem I can foresee with the VX2 is that there will always be a thought of how much better the Santa Rosa model is going to be.

And that price, but like PROPortable said, its worth every cent.

I would like to state that they do make a cheaper version of the Gallardo with a V8 engine, but they called it the Audi R8.... I guess thats what the V1J is...

 

Yeah, well... let's see... no, not really. With everything in the world nothing can be "perfect"... there is always something... Either you want a high configuration and you're going to pay for that w/ $$$ or you want some high end gpu and therefore the system isn't as thin and light as you want...... etc.. Personally, 15.4" notebooks are too big for me on a whole because I travel a lot, but at the same time, the new U1 is going to be the travel notebook of choice in my car (because I've got a 3.5g network in the car)... on business trips I need to fly to, it may be a V2 w/ 3.5g... but for home, I've gotten big into the V1 and it's docking station.... really big.. I love it because now I'm hooking these notebooks into my 60" hdtv and computing from across the room.... so, I really love the docking station. If the Vx2 didn't use it (given that it's built off the V1's mobo), that would be a HUGE disadvantage compared to the V1. Now, don't get me wrong, the V1 is great, the Vx2 is just better.... the few things anyone has or could say about the V1 are certainly not going to be complained about on the Vx2... but all that is great about the V1 is also great about the Vx2... It'll also use all of the other V1 accessories like the modular bay battery and 2nd hard drive kit..

So.. with this notebook the disadvantage is in the price and the price alone... and it's big for my usual tastes, but small for a 15.4" and as a gaming notebook I really don't think you can ask for anything smaller and still have a good platform (and screen size) to work from.


.... Now, don't go throwing the R8 in there ... I had the absolute privilege to sit in one and although I'll be trading in my S4 for an S5/RS5, the R8 is AWESOME and it actually has etched in the passenger door window "no panties beyond this point" ok, j/k.. I knew someone may say that when I wrote what I did... But hey, 250 coming in September as V8's and 2,000 the following year w/ V10's.....

 

Dont think there is a review here for the VX1. May be u can do a review for this high-end's ASUS VX2? Please? By the time Santa Rose came in, I think I got enough $ to buy one

 

Send it to me for a review LOL!

No vx1 review, since its simply the V6...

 

but wait .... aren'yt you teh guy that told us you just couldn't see why anyone would need a docking station??


just giving you a hard time .... glad you've seen the light

 

Personally, I wish they would drop the go7700 into a V1J and I will be happy to pay a little more. I bet a LOT of people would.

 

Love your suggestion But I doubt ASUS will bring down the cost of VX2

 

The sign of the Lambo, it's worth $300.... the bling bling wheel rim, it cost $100.. basically their only charging it for the brand.

 

it seems Justin isn't alone in his positivity-

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39030093,49288174,00.htm
http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2007/02/26/Asus-Lamborghini-VX2/p4

 

Yeah, I was the one saying the docking station was dead... and that's basically because until the V1/V2/Vx2 PowerStation was made, nothing out on the market was EVER nicely built OR came was really 100% functional.... So, this turned my beliefs on the subject around 180 degrees and regardless of if you need it (I mean it is optional).. since it uses a V1 motherboard, if they left off that extra bit of functionality, it would have made it a worse selection...since they didn't, it just adds to why the notebook is so good.

Now, let's get into something really important.... the logo... some of you may think that the logo is just some stick on bubble logo... NO WAY.. It's metal and it's the real deal... it's a minature of what's on a real Lamborghini, the bull is physically a 3d shape and all the letters are raised... that alone is one of the first things people noticed when I was out with it last week, just wanting to feel it. It's small, but it's all in the details.

The Vx2 is a limited edition model and no matter if it's a notebook or a car, or anything else, limited means more money... that's as simple as it gets... people will pay more for something that is only going to 2,000 rather than 200,000..... you can't say that for a dell... you can't even say that for a V1.

Why did they go with the higher end cpu and more ram and vista ultimate.... hum... yes, they add to the price, but there are people who want a V1 with those higher specs... and there's no way to do it aftermarket without voiding the warranty and if the V1 came in that way, it would bring the price up and less people would buy that. All these little things do add to the cost of the notebook, but they add much more value than they actually cost. The Vx2 is meant to be the "Ultimate" notebook and I can't imagine doing that without Vista ulimate, haha.... but still, for $3k, it's all about the overall package and experience.... Not everyone will be able to afford this... not everone will need such a system... but then again, there aren't going to be that many of them available either, so it really doesn't matter.

 

So, Justin, are you getting about two-and-a-half hours on a battery charge? Do you have the optional nine-cell? I'm curious to know how long I could keep this lappy going.

Needs to be able to do New York to San Francisco on one charge (6 hours; no more than two batts).

 

I haven't kept track of that all that well, but I'm getting more than 2 1/2 hours on the main 8 cell. This notebook doesn't have an optional 9 cell..... you may be thinking of the 14" V2 (which comes with both a 6 and 9 cell main battery)... The Vx2 uses the same batteries as the V1, so it has the 8 cell main and then you can get the optional 6 cell for the optical drive - both of these can be used at the same time.

My general guideline has been 30 minutes per cell... this has really held true over the years no matter what system Asus has made (based on them using different powered cells or different powered systems).... The only one that doesn't live up to that right now is the G1... The Vx2 is maybe getting 10-15% less than that, but it can all be attributed to the bump in graphics card and the cpu... so it's really not bad.

 

So, you're saying seven hours with brightness cranked all the way down, I presume, with both batteries?

Then again, ff you and reviewers are only getting 2.5 now with the eight cell, that's more like 19 minutes per cell or 4.7 hours on both batteries, per my calculation, which is nothing to write home about. I guess that's progress for you!

 

Justin,

Is the Vx2 basically a super stylish G1? Does anyone know how the gaming performance of the Nvidia 7700 is? I'm looking into this and the G1, I know I should probably wait but I don't know that I can wait till the end of Q2 for new Santa Rosa notebooks. Also, what is the upgradability of the Vx2? WOuld I be able to put a DX10 card in it when they appear on the market? I'm looking at this because the cpu is 2.16 compared to the 2.00 in the G1. Price of this is within my budget and I do like style, I have an Alienware right now. I would like something in the 15.4" range with good power and gaming ability also the portability of it. I've looked at the Alienware m5550, but it seems that they are having a lot of trouble with them now with DOA's, heat, and other various things.

 

The VX2 is an upscale version of the V1J, new lid, small design changes to the chassis, and nice big changes to the specs. Basically we can state it the VX2 pleases everyone's needs because it has the internal components of the G1, Go 7700 and 2GB Ram, with the V1J chassis, with lambo styling.

Unfortunately Justin your battery life per cell does not hold true.
I wish it were the case...but look at the V1JP for example 8 cell at 30 mins each = 4 hours. The V1JP only gets 3 hours, which mean each cells provides roughly 22 minutes.

G1 also the same, or similar...little bit less.

V2JE, gets 2 hours off battery life, on a 6 cell, and 3 hours and a little bit on the 9 cell, which translates to 20 minutes per cell.

I personaly don't calculate by cells, prefer to use whr to calculate battery life...for example the battery hax 75 watts and if your discharge rate is 25 whr, this means you will get 3 hours of battery life. Kinda like the V1JP.

Honestly if you have the money for the VX2...go for it, no doubt anyone would buy it, because it offers pretty much what everyone wants in one amazing package.

 

I agreed

 

thirded.

 

I disagree. If e.g., you don't want a 15.4" -- then clearly you don't want the Vx2. If you don't want a flashy, kitschy computer -- then clearly you don't want the Vx2.

Also, after my experience with the V6J, I'm "cured" of buying the latest/best computer that left the factory gates. And I wouldn't ever advise anyone to do that -- although I'm perfectly aware that at least 50% of the people, and 90% of those that come to these forums to ask, will do just that. Latest/best technology is always buggy and costs twice as much as it would in a few months down the road.

I'm not saying I wouldn't buy the V6J again -- it's still the best notebook I've ever seen, with all the problems it had/has -- but I won't buy a new computer using the same criteria.

 

I'm surprised that no one here has bought one of these. Is the $3000 price tag perhaps too prohibitive?

 

Fourtheth!

I placed my order.

 

Very nice laptop, much better than the original one. If you own a Lambo and are computer literate, then you need to get yourself the Vx2.

EDIT: After looking at some pictures, I've decided that if you're going to carry this around in public, you better get this.

 

He,he, I will only show it in public in airports, so I don't have to worry about a Lo-Jack. But, you're right, it's a damn flashy computer, so I better keep a close eye on my yellow lappy and my blonde GF.

 

Actually, now that I see how it works, I don't think it's such a bad idea. Thanks, Gator!