U30JC discussion thread

It's been a while, but I finally replaced my DVD drive for the 500GB HDD in the caddy. I've used the one you'll find with "New Laptop 12.7mm SATA TO SATA 2ND HDD HARD DRIVE caddy" on ebay, which is costing about 20 dollars instead of the 40+ bucks for the newmodeus (at least thats the name i rememer).

I dont have pics, but it is replaced very nice. It took me about 10 minutes. That was after drinking several beers and at about 1:30AM . Faceplate from the old DVD drive is also removed and attached easily. I'm very satisfied with it. Works great and ive got my mass storage back

 

Very weird. Like you said, I run HL2 & HL2:E2 with no problems on the nV GPU. But I don't play deathmatch so I've no idea about that.

Hey GENETEX, nice to see you here. I'm very glad you've done this as it will probably pave the way for me in the future. My ODD already has times it can't read a disc that my slim external blu-ray DVD drive does read easily. So I may dump it in the future and put a smallish SDD in as the main OS drive and the present HDD in the ODD slot.

So I'm grateful you've done it successfully!

 

I am having trouble getting HDMI output to my Vizio HDTV. When I plug the hdmi cable into the laptop nothing happens and the TV is not recognized in Win7 Screen Resolution. Intel Graphics Options says Monitor/TV settings are not supported.

How do you specify output from HDMI?

 

Try going into your Intel Graphics properties and going to multiple displays...the Monitor/TV settings said mine wasn't supported either but I was able to clone the display and use my TV as the primary display.

 

with windows 7 hold the WIN key and hit P (for projector)

This should popup a simple box that has a few options.. Computer only, duplicate, extend, or projector only

Select whichever one you prefer (I usually switch between computer only and projector only due to resolution differences)

 

Hey guys, the reason this was doing this was because the Intel side wasn't working correctly and the Nvidia side was glitching because of it. It settled itself down after closing the lid and re-opening and re-installing the Intel graphics driver.

I would personally try uninstalling the graphics drivers and re-installing the latest drivers to fix it.

 

DId you do this in safe mode? I tried uninstalling it and the screen blacked out, I went into safe mode and it reinstalled fine after that. The problem is still there though, on top of the sleep/not waking thing thats going on.

Also did you just do the driver re-install through device manager or did you download a different driver?

 

What problem are you guys having? Is the intel gfx driver locking up/slowing down on you after going out of hibernation? Then GfxUI crashes when you try to access the video card options? It seems to be a standing issue with the intel gfx driver, I'm also getting it, check intel's support forum:
GfxUI crashes..

I tried everything he tried save for formatting, didn't get anywhere. Really stuck on this one, anyone have any solution for this? Its infuriating, takes me 2 minutes to take control of my pc after waking it up.

 

I don't know if its related, but whenever I sleep and try to wake it up, the fans will spin and it'll turn on but the screen will be black. Maybe this is related?

EDIT: Did a driver uninstall and reinstall. Now I have a different problem. The computer keeps switching between the integrated and discrete graphics. Its just literally flicking back and forth between the 2 cards. GPU-Z and the optimus tool confirms this.

 

If I install the latest nvidia driver (258.96) do I need to install the optimus driver found on the nvidia website as well? I'm referring to this one Optimus Technology

 

Uh, well I've been using the regular 310M Geforce driver with no problem. Is that driver required? Seems to be a different version, 189.79
NVIDIA DRIVERS 189.79

 

I tried this but it didn't work. After switching to Projector Only I get a message saying a projector isn't plugged in. I uninstalled Nvidia driver and reinstalled the 189.79 but problem persists.

I'm not sure if it's a laptop problem or a tv problem. The TV shows "No Input" when I try the Clone Projector option. I don't think the laptop is outputting anything out the HDMI port. Are there new Intel drivers?

Thanks,
splttingatms

 

8.15.10.2182 are the ones I have for the Intel card

 

And...? do they work fine for you?

I updated to .2112 via windows update and I still have problems. I even tried other versions, I still get lockups/slowdowns coming out of hibernation because of the IGP driver.

 

Yes mine work without a problem - hibernation works just fine (btw was windows thinking by removing the progress bar for hibernation), my system resumes without a problem and I can connect to my TV through HDMI. It was however a pain to get the right resolution on my TV and to play with the settings. Overall the process wasn't nearly as easy as it was with my X1600 on my old laptop but it's manageable.

I think Quatro has the 2182 drivers as well and they're working for him/her too.

 

No.They are the same drivers, but different versions. Installing the 258.96 (and the Intel driver) will be all you need for Optimus to work properly.

Yes, I'm using the Intel 8.15.10.2182 drivers and the nVidia 258.96 drivers with no problems . . . and I'm definitely a him. :wink:

 

Don't know if this was already posted so sorry if this is a repost

Did you guys notice that amazon is now selling a BLACK U30JC? Link here: Amazon.com: ASUS U30JC-X3K 13.3-Inch Laptop: Computer & Accessories

It says up to 9 hours of battery life, is this more, less or the same?

-edit-

Ah just saw on amazon that this listing was posted months ago. This is old new guys, sorry. I just discovered it today.

 

Well crap, I was still getting the lock up problem after coming out of hibernation with those versions.

In what order did you install them? I might just go ahead and do a clean install.

 

I did my Intel graphics first I think, then the Nvidia ones

Sorry if you already described this, but what happens when you try to resume from hibernation? Does your system just completely freeze? If so, where? Resume windows screen...log on? Before both? Have you applied all of the windows 7 critical updates from microsoft?

 

Early on, I began to have a glitch where my U30, when I put it to sleep, would blink and then just come right back on, even if I closed the lid.

To fix it, I ended up having to restore back to my OS state two days before.

I'm fairly certain these sleep/hibernation issues (& Intel driver problems) are just software corruptions or registry problems. If restore doesn't work (too far back) nor a clean removal & reinstalling of the two graphics drivers, then a fresh install of the OS may be in order.

 

Apparently Amazon is selling a black version of the U30JC that has the same specs as the first version (i3 350m rather than 370m), a shorter warranty (1 year), and a bigger hard drive (500GB) for $849.

So if you want a black U30JC, you're in luck...but only if you can live with the 1 year warranty.

 

>>> I'm looking for an Asus laptops. But I can't decide U30JC or U45JC. I often use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, PES10, Starcraft2, minigames and of course, other office work like surfing, presentation, word, excel etc.
Can anybody recommend me one? Which one is better when their prices seem to be the same? (I found it 889$ on some online retail store)
Can anybody make a comparison between them? (as specific and soon as possible)
Thanks in advance!!!

 

Did a fresh install and installed the latest versions of the vga drivers right after the chipset, MEI, LAN and wifi drivers, I haven't had the problem coming out of hibernation again! Fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.

The issue was: system became very unresponsive when coming out of hibernation, and trying to access the intel Gfx panel made it crash and restart the driver with an error message.

Btw for anyone curious about fresh installs, you can use any W7 home premium x64 disc to install, I used a retail disc that was modded to appear as an OEM disc but it should work with it unmodded as well. Choose "activate online later" during installation and leave the field for your key blank, later on you'll need to right click my pc>properties and input the key on the bottom of your laptop. Online activation failed for me, so I had to use the automated telephone activation service(toll free number that is given to you in the window depending on your country), no biggie at all.

 

Great to hear that the clean install sorted out your hibernation issues.

In your driver installs, don't forget to install "Intel Management Engine" (some have) as it helps Intel, Optimus & nVidia run smoothly together. It is separate from the IGP & GPU graphic installs.

 

Yeah I installed that, its what I meant by MEI. Did it in this order: chipset drivers, intel management engine, LAN driver, wifi driver, latest intel VGA, latest nvidia VGA, touchpad, then most of the essential ASUS software for keyboard control, everything except power4gear, controldeck, smartlogon, fancy start, wireless console 3, and the intel WiMax software. After that I updated Windows. Everything runs great now.

Strangely I didn't need to install the webcam driver, windows recognized it automatically and it works fine with lifeframe.

 

Just received my U30JC-B1 and had a couple of questions. I downloaded the NVIDIA test tools, but I can't seem to to get the discrete card to come on, even when I use the right-click menu to try to force it. I updated the drivers on the NVIDIA side, but it didn't make difference. I've sought out 1080p files on the internet, and they run perfectly, but the Test Tool doesn't say the discrete card is running. Tips?

 

Why do you want to run the discreet card with video files? Just use the IGP, less power draw. The discreet graphics will come on automatically for apps that actually need it, like demanding 3D apps like newer games and google earth, unless you specify otherwise.

 

I don't necessarily want it to run, however in my time lurking here before I received my computer, people seemed to indicate that it did run when viewing HD video.

I want to make sure my new laptop is doing what it is supposed to.

 

FYI I fixed the HDMI output problems by updating my Intel Graphics Drivers to 8.15.10.2182 from the following place Intel® Driver Update Utility. Thanks for your help guys.

 

wow. that black one is dead sexy.

 

should i get the black one or the silver one on amazon guys? the difference is 40 dollars. But the silver one has i3 2.4ghz vs i3 2.26 ghz. but my main concern is the warranty. Black one has only 1 year global warranty but the silver one has 2. Is the 40 bucks worth the upgrade??

 

As to those apps and games, both the U45 & U30 now have the same CPU & GPU so it doesn't matter. The U45's GPU is slightly underclocked compared to the U30 (3400 vs 3700 in 3DMark06), but it isn't a big deal and easy to clock back up.

Screen panel quality (viewing angles, light bleed/contrast ratio, color) is likely similar if not identical.

Same battery. Battery life is probably quite similar too.

Weight is similar (U30: 4.8 lbs/U45: 4.63 lbs.) So internally, they appear to be the same.)

Price is the same.

The U45 appears to be thinner, but that needs to be seen once it is actually released. ASUS has released wrong figures before. Oddly, their width & depth appear to be nearly identical (U30's 13.1" x 9.5" vs U45's 13" x 9.45")!

It (to me) would come down to 13.3" vs 14" (which is about 1/2" wider & 1/4" higher compared to the 13.3"). Personal preference.

Also, body construction and perceived differences in materials (U45's plastic housing vs U30's aluminum palm rest & trackpad).

The HDD is bigger in the U45 as well (500 GB) vs the U30 (320 GB).

The U30-B1 has a WiDi-compatible wireless card (Intel wireless-N 1000) and 512MB VRAM compared to the U45's 1GB VRAM. But many agree that the bottleneck of the 310M isn't the VRAM amount, but the GPU core itself, so the extra VRAM isn't helpful.

So in summary, they are very similar notebooks internally, but the differences are:
U30Jc vs U45Jc
1) 512MB VRAM vs 1GB VRAM
2) 4.8 lbs vs 4.63 lbs
3) WiDi wireless card vs no WiDi (likely an Atheros card)
4) 320GB vs 500GB HDD
5) 1.2" thick vs 1.06" thick (if that's accurate)
6) Standard clocked 310M vs underclocked 310M
7) aluminum palm rest & touchpad vs plastic palm rest & touchpad
8) 13.3" screen vs 14" screen

I hope that helps.

For a better processor and double the warranty, I'd get the silver.

 

whats the difference between u30jc a1 and b1 ? a1 sells for 999 while b1 sells for 889 here

 

a1 seems to be temporarily out of stock at a lot of places until 2011 (potentially). The B1 has a better CPU. The A2B comes with Bluetooth and Windows 7 Professional.

 

The B1 is:
1) much cheaper!
2) 2.4 GHz processor (vs 2.26)
3) WiDi-capable Intel wireless-N 1000 card (vs. Atheros non-WiDi card)

So the B1 is better in every way. The A1 is a dead model now. Forget it.

 

why would amazon sell it for more? -.- trying to make us consumers all confused

 

Hey guys, I'm having a problem where before it wasn't doing this. When I close the lid, the computer turns off like it's going to hibernation mode but when I wake it, I'm greeted by an error screen instead of a successful waking up from hibernation. It started acting up a week or two ago, the only thing I can recall that might have something to do with it is updating via Windows Update... Any solutions?

 

georgeju:

Just wanted to chime in on the "silver one vs. black one" issue. Just for clarification, I believe the models you're asking about are the ASUS U30JC-B1 (aka silver one) and the ASUS U30JC-X3K (aka black one).

I recently purchased the black one. Very happy with it. I was like you, wrestling back and forth between the features. Quatro is right on most of the differences.

However, the one detail you both missed is the X3K (black) model has more storage - 500GB. That's what tilted me towards the X3K in the end. Also, I've heard time and time again that if any issues crop up, it tends to be within the first year of usage. 1 year warranty is enough for me, though I'm not arguing that 2 isn't better.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your new lappy when it arrives.

 

thank you ! i did notice the 500gb storage vs the 320gb in the silver. But since i have a desktop + external hdd, the storage wasnt a concern for me. It was the processor and the warranty that had me thinking backand fforth.

Thanks so much

 

hi guys, my laptop is coming in today, im so excited=D

but i have a question, due to the design of this laptop the vent is on the side instead on bottom. So would a laptop cooler make a difference here ? or it doesn't really do anything?

thank you

 

If you mean you ordered and got in a U30Jc, then, no, you won't need a laptop cooler. This is the coolest-running notebook I've ever owned. The bottom absolutely never gets hot and there are NO air vents to accidentally cover up if you sit it on your legs.

 

The U30Jc is indeed one of the coolest-running laptops I've used. Kudos to ASUS for designing such a practical cooling system.

 

Doesnt even get more than lukewarm while using it in bed, on my big duvet that kinda covers the vent.

 

okay guys so i have played around with the setting, 25% brightness with battery saving mode on battery. No wifi on,
the windows give me an estimate of 5 hour and 15 minutes? is that accurate? i thought i could get up to 7 hours easily?

Also, i tried to mess around with the nvidia setting but not sure if i did it right? By default, u30jc has the intel graphic then it will switch to nvidia when its something gpu intensive like gaming right?

how can i manually do that? i went to nivida control panel and didnt figure it out

do i need to register my products for the accidental warranty ? or is automatic?

thank you all

 

georgeju, what size (mAh) of battery do you have?

 

georgeju, what size (mAh) of battery do you have?

And, yes, according to my accidental warranty booklet that came with my U30Jc, you must mail in the ADW page within the first 30 or 60 days (I forget which) to have the ADW coverage activated. It's not automatic.

 

8 cell 5600mAh battery. like everyone else. and thank you ! i will go try to activate my adw now. =)

 

25% brightness only? No wifi? Battery saving mode and it reads only 5 hrs 15 min? That isn't right.

Yes, you should get at least 7 hrs with wifi (but with NO flash pages, music, or movie watching).

I would suspect you need to use the laptop for some hours in that config and see if it stays at that rate of discharge. You could download and then install BatteryBar and watch your rate of discharge. To get 7-8hrs, your discharge needs to hover around 8,500-9,500 mW. It will spike at times (on Battery Saving mode, mine will spike up to 13,000-17,000 mW, but it doesn't stay there). That's okay and normal on mine. But it shouldn't stay high like 15,000-17,000 mW or something is keeping it busy in the background. Try to keep your open tabs & apps to a minimum.

Right now, I'm online (on this forum ONLY) so my wireless card is active. One tab open in Firefox. Brightness at about 30%. No AV running a scan in the background and no music playing.

Though it fluctuates quite a bit, BatteryBar shows my discharge rate averaging about 9,300 mW.

My battery reads 8 hrs 28 min (98%) and my own tests have shown these aveages given by the battery icon to be fairly accurate.

 

Thanks so much for the response Quatro, you have been much help but
here is some some of my issues/concern

i am currently at 90% with about 25% brightness. Windows give me an estimate of 4 hour and 42 minutes, while battery bar...well its jumping all over the place. it went from 4 hours to 8 then to 10 :O then down to 7 right now. my battery is 84k mWh but the capacity reads only 81765? is that normal?

also, i have 2.7% wear of 84k mWh. What does that mean? my battery has been only charged 3 times since i bought it. and it is dying? i did notice it doesnt charge to 100% it stops at 99%. Did i get a bad u30jc?

thank you all

 

Georgeju, bear in mind that if you just got the laptop, you'll need to go through a couple discharge/charge cycles in order for your battery to work at its specified rating, initially mine was also reporting abnormally low battery life, so don't worry, it'll work at its full capacity after you fully discharge and recharge it a few times, over the course of a week or 2. This aside, you'll get a huge boost if you do the following:

• Disable system restore on all your partitions
• Disable Windows Search service.
• Disable Desktop Window manager service
• Disable Themes service(and set your taskbar to use small icons and never combine windows, so it looks like win xp with the classic theme)
• In the advanced power options for the "battery saving" setting, set Intel HD Graphics options to "Balanced".
• Hard disk power option to "turn off after 3 mins".
• Screen dimming and shutting off to taste.

That will DRAMATICALLY increase your battery life, I'm getting between 4hrs50min and 5hrs15min using the 6-cell 4400mAh battery with wifi ON! Doing nothing but viewing word or PDF documents, not browsing the internet intensely, maybe an email check every hour. Turning the wifi switch off reports over 6 hours of battery life on a 99% charge, and it sounds quite right, I've gotten over 5 hours of continual use like this.

You're using BatteryMon to determine powerdraw yes? With the configuration I described above, I'm getting around 7500-8000mAh power draw continuously, I suspect you could easily get above 9 hours if you tried my config!