W7J - Original 512MB Ram needed for Asus Warranty?

If I upgraded my W7J from the reseller and didnt receive the original stick of 512MG RAM, would I be voiding the Global Warranty?

 

On paper, yes.

However, it seems ASUS being being lenient about user upgrading.

 

My understanding is that the original 512MB of RAM in the W7J is integrated into the motherboard so it cannot be removed. There is only one SO-DIMM slot and assuming you put a GB in there you've reached the 1.5GB maximum that ASUS's spec lists.

Also, the integrated 512MB is DDR2 533, so adding DDR2 667 in the SO-DIMM slot is of little benefit since it'll fall back to DDR2 533 anyways. I have no idea if dual channel can work between the integrated RAM and the slot, but it probably wouldn't be very effective anyways if the sizes are different. However, the limited 667MHz FSB means that dual channel doesn't reach it's full potential anyways.

 

It's these stupid little things that bug me about the W7J. Maybe I'll just go for the W3J... It's a little more money to eliminate the pet peeves on this machine

 

It's best to change everything back to factory specs so they can't blame you (user) for breaking the notebook.

 

Well, I wouldn't not get a W7 over this reason..... It's an ok reason, but over the course of your ownership the difference between the W3 and W7 will feel like night and day. Both are great systems, but I can take you from experience that you'll do different things with both of them... Since starting to use a W7, I find I take it more places and I pull it out more often... it's footprint and overall weight really change things on a different level.... Some people may read this and think I'm crazy, but you have to understand the situation and the differences between the two to really get why I do that.

Now, yes, if you upgrade that ram, get the original stuff back. That means you're going to pay for that full stick of 1gb and not get some sort of credit for the 512mb stick...... but that 512mb stick is worth like $30, max..... so when you're considering the genuine warranty on your system, keep that extra stick of ram and store it in the original box for safe keeping.

But as Nas said, they're not looking to "blame you"...... a majority of times, ram or a hard drive lets say is the cause of the problem..... Asus was getting sick of finding out the problem was in a user upgraded part and basically couldn't exchange the part that didn't go with the system, so they had to send it back. Now, since that's basically a waste of Asus' time, they don't want to pay to send it back to the customer, but they were..... and it was a waste of time and money. So therefore, they just made it required that the original parts were in the system first. If it won't boot with the original ram and hard drive - then they'll take care of it. If it does, they'll tell you to take a look at your other parts. This is a no brainer for most of us, but someone who would find themselves in the situation where they can't check those things for themselves - you can imagine how difficult that would be for them.

 

Justin... This made everything very bright and clear... (REP!) I don't think you're crazy... in fact, I think I would be the same. It's just so much easier to pop out a tiny 4lb notebook.

What you're saying about the RAM is definitely cool... The global warranty is worth much more than a $30 memory module. On the other hand.. I'm thinking about upgrading the T5500 to a T7200. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it's difficult to swap the chip without breaking the warranty seal! Not only that, but I would also have to keep a $200 CPU just in case of a problem.

I'm not very familiar with how reseller warranties work and I'm not really sure how much I want to depend on one with a notebook I intend to keep for a long time.

 

At the risk of being embarassed, what is "REP"?

Ok, it's my professional opinion on ALL ensemble models..... if you don't like the cpu, don't get that model.. whether it be changed at the dealer and voids your warranty there, or you buy a yonah and swap to a merom very, very soon..... the cost of the cpu plus the loss of the warranty is super dumb.... but if money is no object, be my guest is always what I say.

Here's the thing with warranties... Asus isn't backing the dealer warranty that they then give to a customer that they allow to modify an ensemble........ PLUS Asus gets the warranty money as part of the original cost to the dealer..... So, that means the dealer has to back the item with no compensation. Legally, it has to be sold with some sort of warranty, so they have to create their own, but basically at no cost because that was already built into what Asus has taken..... Some think that's heroic, on the other hand, I know the turn over rate when it comes to Asus dealers is rather pathetic... and practices like these are only going to make it worse because when it comes to repairs, there's no money there to physically pay for the parts or labor on the dealer side - and if even if a stick of ram failed, that would push the dealer into the negative to make that repair. You can look at that however you want, but if you actually do the numbers and know more about what's going on say on this side... The dealer isn't going to be forced to do the repair if they're no longer in business.... and Asus isn't doing anything to make sure they stay there....

This aside, we're working on something ourselves..... we've already been through the hard times, so we're hoping our relative longevity in this particular business helps us create a warranty/support package that makes your concern a non issue..... but that'll come a little bit down the road.

 

Hmmmmm.... Now... suppose I had to choose between the T5500 and the T2300... which would be the better choice?