UL series

Hello. I am looking for a new computer that I will bring to college. At first I was hoping to get a state of the art machine, with new core i and everything. But then I had an epiphany, where I realized the computer may not even last that long, so buying top of the line, when I will need to again so soon is worthless and expensive.

So I took another hard look at the ul series. But at that point I become confused. Are the different model numbers (20, 30, 50, 80) different sizes. Are there other hardware differences? Which model is best suited for me? Im going off to college, but probably won't use my laptop in class, but I would like to work unplugged, such as the library, quad, study area's, etc.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=454198

 

imo for schoolwork a 14" thin and light is perfect. there isn't much of a hardware difference.

 

im on a 14 now, but its old, loud, and almost no battery life. I was just thinking, if there is a nice difference between this and a 15, would that be worth it. As I am not taking it to classes often, and everywhere I will take it I will not need to focus on something else.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the UL series was planned to be re-released with Core i5/i7 CPU's though I'm not sure how long till we would see some of these.

Well there's the obvious 1.3"/1.5" size difference (depending if it is a 15.4" or 15.6" monitor). If the price were the same, I personally would go with the UL80Vt-A1 due to it being the ideal size and having a discrete GPU.

 

If you're going to be using the numeric keypad a lot, then the UL50 series is better since it has a separate keypad just like on a standard keyboard although the keypad size isn't standard. The slightly bigger screen is also a plus compared to the UL80 series. However, the UL80 is better when you need to carry it around a lot. I find the UL50 just a tad bit too big for carrying around in my backpack. The UL80 also lasts just a tad bit longer on battery power than the UL50 because of the smaller screen. If you're not going to miss the separate numeric keypad, the UL80 is the best compromise between mobility and usability IMHO.

 

Well, if you read my thread on the 'what computer to get', you will see I realized I don't think i will need core i, if the su7300 can get me through my tasks. And I don't think core i ulv is released, at least not in computers yet. There was a discussion on the alienware m11x thread.

They are all about the same price, and the only real difference is size. But since I am fine with the number row on top, I would probably get the 14", just so the keyboard lines up with the screen, and it isint pushed over to the left, to make room for the unnused number pad.

 

30 = 13"
50 = 15"
80 = 14"

You can have these with a core i7 and still have the 12 hrs of battery life, if you wait a few weeks. They'll be releasing the UL30JT and UL80JT with core i7, Nvidia 310m/Intel switchable graphics, (as seen as CES 2010), etc...

 

The other upside is price would probably go down on these models when their replacements are released. The Core i5-520UM, Core i7-620UM, and Core i7-640UM are Intel's already released ULV CPU's though I'm not sure if any notebook carries them yet.

Any idea if there's USB 3.0 support?

 

AFAIK, that's a no. (based on lack of chipset support)

If you go to Youtube and do a search for UL30JT or UL80JT, you'll find videos by a guy named Zedomax from CES2010. That seems to be as much info as has been released on these so far.

Myself, I'm waiting for the release of the Asus K42JR - it's heavier and has less battery life, but it's core i5 and an ATI 5470 (DX11 capable) video card for <$900.

 

the K42JR actually sounds nice. I realized I wont be bringing my laptop to classes, and thus I dont really need to have 12 hour battery. I would rather have a core i processor, or at least a not ulv

 

same here, pre-ordered it thru gentech last week and the release date is february 2, i had 2-3 days shipping.
can't wait.

 

Good to know - hopefully it'll show up on Newegg tomorrow too. I have to order through my business account.

 

Well a google search of K42JR shows many results of places where they sell, or will sell as soon as they get stock. So does that mean it may ship soon, unlike the alienware which came out today, but only ships in march?

and how would this compare to a sony cw?

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
1GB gpu ram vs 512mb
i5-430M (2.26GHz) vs i5-520M (2.93GHz)
DDR3-1066 4gb for both systems
500GB 7200rpm vs 500GB 5400rpm
1366x768 vs 1600x900

So the sony looks more powerful, and has a better screen, but the asus has more graphics ram, and I think a better graphics card in general?

 

what's the price difference?
if sony has the same warranty as asus, i'll take the sony.

 

Sony is 899, and the asus its hard to say, but I think its 869. every website has a different price it seems. but the 869 was for the one the had the specs best laid out for me to copy.

and im pretty sure asus has 2 year warrenty while sony only has 1. but im not sure.

 

sony and asus are known for high quality products, they are like honda and toyota. you can't go wrong with either one.

 

Exactly. Which is why they have constantly been my top choices. I guess it is a matter of really specific parts, such as asus' built in overclock, fan control, and multitouch features.

But the better screen is very tempting. That is if I get those exact models I will want to go to best buy to see what else works for me (if I dont need such fast processors, if they have core i3 available as well).

 

I looked at the CW too. For me the deciding factor was the ATI DX11 card. I'm not trusting Nvidia again until I see a product that can last 4-5years.

 

well, i come from a happy intel gma-x3100. so I really have no idea what the specs are and how current gen graphics cards work.

I just know I want something that will make streaming movies and light games playable.

But all in all, I only expect this laptop to last 2-3 years. 4 maximum. By then i will be graduating college and in need of a new laptop anyway.