WTB-Z70V (refresh) vs. W3V/Z63A

Ok, so I'm going to law school, and looking to get one of the computers listed above. I will be carrying it to class all the time, so portability is somewhat of an issue, but I'm not sure that the slightly larger size will be much of an issue. A couple of questions I do have (and if these have already been answered, sorry, just direct me to the threads), are these:

1. How distracting will the glare screen on the w3v be in the classroom? Anyone had one of these in class, and if so, how was it?

2. Anyone in shool carrying these around and have any comments about the size?

3. Any significant differences between the w3v and z63a that I should be concerned about? I know the z63a has integrated graphics, and will not be doing very much gaming, so not really sure how important this is. I would probably just get the w3v and upgrade later as needed (wanted, really).

4. I will be hooking this computer up to a desktop monitor while it is at home (probably a dell 20.1 inch widescreen). Does the w3v or z63a support the wsxga resolution? Has anyone tried this and how well does it work.

5. How are the ASUS port replicators, and is there a big difference between the II and III?

6. Are there any other laptops coming out soon that might fit my needs better yet? When will the refresh for the Z70v actually ship?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions as I get answers. Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

adrian

 

1. I used to think the glaretype screens would be an issue for people who work under underhead lighting..... Over the past few days I've been spending a lot of my working day outside soaking up up some sun and working on my W3v. The high level of brightness on these screens allows you to better counteract the effects of high ambient light. I could use the system out side on a very sunny day and for instance read posts in this forum.... As a test I turned the notebook in a way that I could get the sun to reflect right in the middle of the screen. It's not usable in that situation, but I could still see what's on the screen (outside of the direct white circle of the sun) ...... This is something you wouldn't dare do with a mattetype display....... you'd still get the same type of reflection in that situation, but you would just see a black screen....

2. Size is subjective.... I like my 2.8 lbs S5..... but it doesn't do everything my W3v will do.... To get that performance I would be looking at a Z70v... so losing almost a pound is a lot....

3. The W3v is going to add bluetooth and dedicated graphics and a brushed aluminum lid..... structurally and performance wise, nothing is different.

4. Both of these notebooks actually support above UXGA and WUXGA.... I forget what resolution is next, but I certainly haven't even had a need for anything higher.

5. Asus' port bars are only to be used on the M3 (soon to be refreshed Z61a); M6's (refreshed Z70 series) ...... that's it... Between Port Bar 2 and 3... 2 had PS2 connectors and 2 usb1.0 ... 3 loses the PS2's in favor of 4 usb2.0 ports...... just a handy dandy fact for you.

6. The future Z70 "high end workstation" as I'll call it.... I wouldn't call it a Z70v refresh because it's going to be a higher end model that should have it's one identifing letter and the current, new Z70v isn't going anywhere itself... it's still going to be marketed in the same upper class level it is now... The thing is, they haven't even gone into build stages yet..... If some how they went into build in the next week, we'd be looking at say August 1st as the earliest ETA..... the problem is, that build time doesn't have an ETA yet, so there are many things that *could* compound that time. The early August time frame would be a generous one at this moment.

Hope that helps.

 

If the glossy screen is a problem.. I think the Z33 or W5 would be good alternatives.. :asus:

 

Well the W5 has a "glossy" screen......

 

Okay, so the monitor I'm looking at has a resolution of 1680x1050. I'm assuming that the Z70 will support that resolution since that is the native resolution of the screen. But will the w3v also support this resolution? This is sort of important just because I know that lcd's look a lot worse if run at anything other than their native resolution.

Also, I was trying to decipher the warranties for these two computers, and I'm wondering if either of them will be voided if I upgrade anything (RAM, CPU-if possible, HDD). Will they just not cover the replaced parts, or will the whole computer no longer be under warranty.

Thanks again for all the help.

adrian

 

You can't export WSXGA+ on the W3v or Z63a... but can on the Z70v...... The W3v/Z63a go from 1600 x 1200 and then step up to 1792 x 1344 and go as high as 2048 x 1536.. all at 32 bit........ Now, that one little resolution is something I think can and will be fixed by the newest drivers that omega puts out... so I don't see that as being much of a problem.

With warranties, technically touching anything inside the system *could* void your warranties anywhere... where the *could* comes in is if you happen to break anything inside the system when you make these upgrades or if you short out the system...... otherwise you won't have a problem with warranties. But obviously the parts you replace aren't going to be covered.. but that's really not your concern, I know.