W3V Owners: How bad is the heat - really

Dudes,
I am on the verge of picking up a W3V.
Heat dispersion is a concern, though.
I have heard that on 1.86 ghz models or lower, it isn't a big deal.
Is this true?
I work with my laptop on my lap quite often (crazy, isn't it), so it is a concern (moreso for "the boyz" than for my legs, if you know what I mean).

I've tried the Sony S Series and felt it was too hot.
Also tried the Fujitsu s7020 and it was much better, but has no dedicated graphics card.
Portable One MX is the other option, but I don't like mail in warranties.

Any thoughts? verheat:

 

Baumer - curious - what exactly do you consider a "mail-in warranty" ? You've got to sent a W3 back to Asus' Fremont California office if you have a problem... technically that's "mail-in" ... I don't want you steered in the wrong direction.

 

I think that if you use the laptop on your lap often the w3v will not be good for you. The bottom of the notebook gets very hot, especially when plugged in, and is uncomfortable to use on the lap.

 

I was under the impression that there was an Asus drop off location about 20 minutes from Toronto, where I live. I may be wrong.

As for the heat, Ray, do you actually own an Asus? How would you compare it to other laptops that you have used.

Baumer

 

I am sitting right now with the laptop on my lap. I have been in this position for over 30 minutes. It is warm on my right thigh. Not hot. Not uncomfortable. Just warm. I am wearing mesh gym shorts so its not like my legs are being insulated or protected by thick cloth.

I have seen complaints of excessive heat and I can say with 100% certainty that they don't apply to my W3V. I don't know if mine is just different or what.

The only "heat issue" I could imagine on my W3V is that it blows warm, bordiline hot air out of the rear right area so that if you had your mouse located towards the rear end of the laptop you might experience some discomfort on your hand. This is easily avoided by keeping the mousepad located more towards the front of the laptop.

I have been 100% satisfied with my laptop and with ASUS. When I went to register my laptop for the Xtra 3rd year warranty the ASUS cust. service rep I dealt with was very helpful, even to the point of calling me back after I left out my S/N in the email for the warranty.

Originally I would have given this laptop a 8.5 or 9 out of 10. Now that I have been in law school for a few days and have seen all of the "mainstream" alternatives (my law school requires laptops so I've seen a few hundred, mostly DELLs, go figure...) I would give mine a 10/10. It is a Ferrari amongst Fords.

 

The sony S series gets MUCH hotter than the asus w3v.

 

The right side of the keyboard gets pretty warm. It'll feel like as if you've been typing for hours kind of feeling.

Also had the screen closed while the machine is on, then the whole keyboard gets pretty warm.

 

Yeah I have a w3v. MobileMeter reads my harddrive at 56 C right now which is above the suggested operating temperature, albeit it was a hot day today. With the laptop just on the table and typing the heat is not a problem at all and even when gaming it doesnt bother me much. However, I cant stand to keep the laptop on my lap. I've tried using a thick pillow as insulation and it still gets warm, without the pillow it would be unbearable.

Normally if you just want to keep it on the table heat is not a problem at all, but laptop use is out of the question, in my opinion. Also keep in mind, most other laptops this small and this powerful are going to be just as hot.

 

For anyone who has used both the P1 MX and the W3V or simply has an opinion on the matter, how much do the Arctic Silver 5 and other heat-reducing measures help? If it's a significant amount, then if I were to get a W3V, what similar additions could I add to it to help cool the machine?

Edit: After further research, I believe that the main cooling addition in the P1 is graphite thermal foils for the hdd. And I guess since those are custom made, it would be very difficult to make something similar for the W3V.

 

I've measured the external temp.'s of my W3v many times. I have never found any part of it hotter than 101.7, the metal cover of the hard drive on the bottom right of the notebook being the hottest (there is a rubber cover of much of this).
It's warm but not hot, at least by my standards.

 

I love that u did that, I remember asking a guy who was complaining alot about his to do this, boy did that tick him off....lol
Anyways there is an easy solution for your lap, buy a laptop cooler, even just a cheap thin plastic one such as the targus one will be good for providing a bit of insulation and cooling allowing u to work on your lap all day long.
a

 

I've got my w3v on my lap right now, I've been here for only 20 minutes but I can't tell the heat difference from the left or the right. After an hour + it gets slightly warm on my leg but thats about it. When it's plugged in it gets much hotter. I will still tend to use it on my lap plugged in for short periods of time. But if I know I'm going to be on it for awhile plugged in, I get a hardcover book to set it on, problem solved.

I'll agree that plugged in it's not ment to be on the lap, but otherwise it's not very bothersome by my standards, everyone reacts to the heat issue a little differently though.

 

I believe that complaints about the heat will reduce as winter approaches. I've just returned to UK after a couple of months in somewhere hotter. What I have seen with my W3A is that the HDD (Seagate 5400.2 100GB) temperature is around 22°C to 24°C hotter than the ambient temperature. So at 33°C ambient the HDD temperature is 55°C or more. Now I am back at 24°C ambient then the HDD is only 46°C. The hotter the HDD then the hotter the right hand palm rest and the underside of the HDD area.

Asus probably developed the W3 during winter, or have a well-airconditioned laboratory!

And I can also confirm that there is some airflow through the HDD compartment. I have just upgraded to the Seagate 5400.2 120GB and there was a layer of dirt on top of the old HDD.

In my opinion the heat is an acceptable trade-off for a relatively quiet fan.

John