Warranty questions

Hello all. First, I'd really like to thank all of the thoughtful posters on here for answering many of the questions I had before I write this post. I'd especially like to thank 6times7 for his very thorough and review of the ASUS G1, which has favorably influenced my decision to buy a G1 pretty strongly. Before I go ahead and buy one, I have some questions for which I can't find a clear answer when searching the forums.

My chief questions are in regards to the manufacturer warranty from ASUS. It seems that the G1, and all new ASUS laptops, come with a standard 2 year warranty, as well as their thirty-day Zero Bright Dot policy (a policy which all but convinced me to buy ASUS). The G1 and G2 are not mantioned on the ASUS US web site, so my only confirmation of this warranty coverage is from retailers and hearsay. Can a G1 owner confirm this warranty coverage please?

Several retailers offer an extended manufacturer warranty for about $130, give or take. Is this a legitimate extension of the ASUS warranty? If ASUS offers this, why wouldn't every retailer offer it as well?

Several retailers offer upgrades or customization in processor or hard drive to the G1. How do these upgrades affect the manufacturer warranty? Do they void it, so the only coverage is through the retailer? This thread mentions that such upgrades are still covered if the retailer is an "authorized asus dealer," and mentions looking for an ASUS sticker to verify this. Of course, I can't see this sticker on the specific notebook I'm looking into when ordering online, so I have no way of knowing whether the upgrade I'm buying voids the warranty, which wouldn't be worth it. I called ASUS notebook service to ask this question, and the representative I spoke with gave an unequivocal answer that post-ASUS changes to hardware void the warranty, yet the possibility that an "authorized asus dealer" could make those changes while preserving coverage is tempting. Would there be some division of coverage where the retailer covers whatever part is upgraded and ASUS covers the rest?

My other questions are less ASUS-specific and more related to never having owned a laptop before.

I intend this laptop to be a replacement for my old desktop. The G1 would be vast strides beyond my current computer, on which I've been doggedly gaming for years. However, I am considering a laptop for portability as well. How heavy is the 6.8 pounds that the G1 is advertised at? Can I happily stick it in the backpack and carry it around, or will it mess with my already tender shoulders? If portability is important, but not quite as important as performance, can I safely sacrifice in graphics card and memory to look at other models of notebook, or is that not necessary with the G1? Is the 6.8 pounds weighed with the battery?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and consider my questions.

 

All unmodified ensemble ASUS notebooks have 2yrs international manufacturer warranty. Heavily modified ASUS notebooks (read CPU changes) lose their manufacturer's warranty but are covered by the retailer's warranty instead (not international). Memory & HD upgrades will not, at the manufacturer's discretion, void the international warranty.

ASUS has an office in the states and will repair your notebook free of charge under warranty.

Lastly 6.8 pounds is not that heavy for a 15.4". It's only as light as an anatomy book Seriously, if portability is your main issue, then you should look at a 14" form factor, e.g. the W3J or the W7J or wait for the V2J...

 

The G1 comes with 2 years global warranty, if you do have a problem, with it, you would call Asus, get your RMA number and then call your service center that is nearest to you. Arrange the shipping and discuss what is your problem.

If you want to upgrade the specs on the G1 then this would void the warranty, however upgrading the ram and hard drive will not as long as you keep the orgininals when you return it for warranty.

With regards to carrying it in a backpack, it really depends on your backpack, if it had good shoulder pads then you should be good. You will feel the weight if you have other books with it. If your carrying the G1 alone then the backpack would weigh just like most backpacks.

There are some G1 owners who bring it to work, I think the performance offered and price are well worth the weight of the laptop.
Just send an email regarding the extra year of warranty to the reseller.