Too many choices! Why so many models?

Hey all,

I consider myself fairly computer savvy but I am having a great deal of difficulty choosing the right model laptop for my needs. I had originally narrowed it down to the ASUS brand due to NVIDIA Optimus ability to switch on and off the video card to preserve battery life but I no longer know if they are the only ones to offer it.

My essential issue is that I want it all, power, long battery life, light weight and portable and as cheap as possible. Once I start making a sacrifice in any of these categories it makes life even more difficult as there are so many models out there.

Essentials I need before even considering purchasing:
Must be able to play 1080p Bluray rips and output them via HDMI.
Must be able to play Starcraft 2. Atleast moderate sized 2v2 games at lowest possible settings.
Screen Size must be between 10 - 14. 13.3 preferred
Weight must be under 4 and a half pounds.
Battery life must be over 6 hours with wifi and some Standard Def video watching.
Price hopefully will be under $800
Prefer black

I was eagerly awaiting the 1015PN but it sounds to me like the system is gimped. Coming with Win7 Starter and only 1gig of memory jumps the starting price from $430 to over $550 once you are done doing the necessary upgrades.

Once I consider spending that much money on a netbook I feel sort of foolish so I was looking at the UL30VT for $650 but that model is nearly a year old and not sure if it is being upgraded soon? I know there are constantly upgrades and it is difficult to buy technology like that.

Then I was looking at the U35 and while it is more money it is more powerful but do I need that power at the cost of battery life? I will essentially be using the laptop while traveling as a way to check the internet and watch videos while on trips.

I don't know if I am being too picky but I can't see how they expect consumers to be able to figure out all of these models. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Sounds like you need the U/UL series. Here's the spec breakdown

U series:
Intel i3 370m
Nvidia 310m
Cheapest model: U35JC-A1 @ $800

UL series:
Intel C2D SU7300/i3 330UM (both are low voltage, and not "full powered" cpus)
Nvidia 210m
Cheapest model: UL30VT-X1 @ $650

The most direct upgrade to the UL30VT is the UL30JT, which doesn't even seem to be in stock anywhere (it wasn't that much of an upgrade anyway). The U35 lasts me between 5-6 hours on "quiet office" mode with the brightness at about 75% while listening to music, surfing the internet, and using remote desktop (admittedly, I haven't tried the "battery saving" mode yet). When playing games I can get about 2 hours out of the battery.

The UL series is certainly capable of playing games and HD video

I'd watch out for the black models (usually have an X suffix), since they have a slightly smaller capacity battery and a shorter (1 year as opposed to 2 years+1 year accidental) warranty. But they are always cheaper, with the price differences ranging from $20 (U35 models) to almost $200 (UL30 models, I assume it's because they are being phased out and there are still a lot of the black models left).

If you have any more questions, I'm sure the users in specific model threads will be able to help you out.

 

Here are a few observations for you on the U30/U35 differences

Keep in mind (if you don' know already) the U35 laptops will not have a ODD, so if you want to rip movies you will have to use an external drive for that. Also the U35 has the CPU soldered on the board so you will not have any upgrade options.

The U30JC has a built in ODD, that can be upgraded to blue ray by some of the resellers like XoticPC or GenTech. Also the U30 has a socket based mother board so upgraded CPU's is a future option.

The run time of both series appears to be 7 hours or better.

Reports on the Nvidia 310 suggest that you could run SC2 on low settings okay. I say suggest as people have stated medium settings can be a struggle at times.

 

i played SC2 on my UL30vt, medium-ish setting, only tried singleplayer, for the most part no major lags, played it plugged in tho, so donno how much batt life i'd get. G210M is pretty much identical to G320M

 

Thank you so much everybody for your assistance.

I think, unless somebody has a good reason to talk me out of it the
UL30VT-X1 fits my needs and my price range.

I don't need an ODD or to upgrade the processor. I don't really need to play SC2 very often it was just my game of choice and anytime I play it I will certainly be plugged in and never playing too seriously.

I think I prefer the long battery life and cost savings of the UL30 compared to the power of the U35.

Any reasons not to buy from amazon? I don't see it in stock at J&R or Bestbuy.

 

The UL30VT seems to be in it's last stages of retail availability...probably why the A1 models are selling for MSRP! Amazon seems like your best bet.

 

If you want a silver UL30VT-A1 with a 2 year warranty and a free external ASUS 320 hard drive check out B&H, only $50 more than Amazon

ASUS UL30Vt-A1 13.3" Notebook Computer (Silver) UL30VT-A1 -