What's the rationale behind purchasing a V1?

Aside from the aesthetic appeal, Vista Business (instead of Home Premium), and optional dock (which costs $200 anyway), it seems to me like the V1 is an overpriced version of the F3J.

ASUS V1JP - $2000
ASUS F3JP - $1500

Don't get me wrong - I love how the V1 looks and am really tempted to purchase it, but unless I'm mistaken, those above features don't merit the $500 price hike.

 

lighter by 1lb, thinner, spill proof keyboard, 8cell battery vs. 6cell, guessing the screen quality is also better.

 

No kidding? Well it's certainly more appealing now.

The screens are both 15.4" WSXGA+, made by CMO. I believe the G1 also has the same screen.

 

There is at least 1 screen made by someone else.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1808472&postcount=11



C.

 

The LG screen is from a European model - not US. As far as has been reported at this board, the G1/Z96/V1 all have the CMO1523.

The F3JP that is WSXGA+ is a mystery still as I have not seen anyone that has it mention the model number, even when I asked specifically here.

 

@cyber

the screen that is mentioned in the other thread is a matte screen on the v1jp from finnland.

 

well if the actual computer in almost identical then the price difference is entirely the chassis.

These two computers do have different ports as well and camera and a few other things.

But it is mostly about 400$ for the metal chassis.

 

Yah that's pretty much what people come up with, also people prefer to compare the V1JP to the G1, but in this case the F3J, well the F3 series is made for budget style, whereas the V1JP is geared to the business user.

The V1JP's chasis is made from a carbon fiber alloy, the lid is a magnesium alloy. There are many features in which the notebook has, that many have listed above. But also the optional features cost money to implement, such as the multi-bay and docking station.

As stamar pointed out there's port differences, the V1JP has a u-dvi which will output HDMI video (DVI) for those who want to connect it to HD TVs.

All in all your trying to compare a budget notebook which is good, compared to highend business notebook. It also has a fingerprint reader. So have a look at your needs and wants, and that should help you decide what you want.

 

Well, in all seriousness, unless the V1's metal chassis makes it more resistant to scratches, dents, etc. (which I hope it does), then it seems kinda crazy.

The F3JP has a DVI port, not a miniDVI. That's one less hassle, I guess. But since the V1JP comes with a miniDVI-DVI adapter it's not really a concern.

See that's my problem...I don't understand why this is classified as a "high end" notebook. I understand the business aspect (Vista Business, fingerprint reader) but the high-end part eludes me. I guess it stems from the metals used in the chassis and the sleeker look?

 

Well they both have a 1.3MP camera, and the ports are similar enough. The V1 has miniDVI while the F3J has a full DVI.

 

Asus V1Jp have a module battery (secondary battery). Thus, you have two batteries in your laptop, longer life.

 

Bona Fide I understand where your coming from, but just look at it this way the F3 series is targeted to the budget people, nothing wrong with that, but you get excellent performance for your money.

The V1JP gives you performance and a nice chasis with a lot of features.

Same goes for a comparison of the G2 vs W2, the W2 is a great notebook, roughly 500$ more because of the quality, and features it provides, yet the overall performance is roughly the same.

 

I don't know if you've seen one, but is the F3J's build quality truly a dealbreaker? I've heard reports that the A8 series' chassis is prone to scratches and flex due to the plastics used, and I think the F3J also uses plastic. If it's really going to get messed up like that, it's not worth my while to invest $1500 into it when I can put in $2000 and have the peace of mind that comes with a durable body.

 

Any laptop is prone to scrapes.
The selling point behind v1j besides appearance and quality are
1. weight
2. size
3. docking station
4. optional internal second battery
5. optional internal second hard drive
i think # 4 and # 5 are worth the extra money it costs by them selves. v1j being the only laptop asus currently offers that allow those. w3j did too but that is discontinued now (too bad actually was an awesome 14"er)

 

I can't speak to the F3J particularly, but having owned/own several heavily traveled Dell laptops, while I generally loved them, one thing they all had in common were plastic chassis that over time became more and more prone to creaks and groans and more imperatively, would be prone to cracks over time.

I chose the V1 over the G2 due to form factor, the modular bay, the chassis and to a lesser extent, the subdued aesthetics of the machine.

 

Well, after you factor in the battery and optical drive, the V1J is only 0.3 pounds lighter than the F3J, and dimensions are rather similar as well. I don't foresee buying the docking station anytime soon, and 4 and 5 are irrelevant to me because I plan on keeping the optical drive in there.

To be perfectly honest, the only reason I prefer the V1J is because it looks a hell of a lot better (matte black > grey), it has higher-quality materials, and just overall seems like a better-built notebook. Is that worth it?

 

That's something you really have to answer for yourself, IMO. Build quality to me is a very important factor and compared to my laptops I've owned in the past, my V1JP is certainly one of the best built laptops I've ever used.

 

I'm a mobile developer in many projects. I develop Asp.Net and Java applications in my job's projects. At home, I have a hobby developing a game engine in C++ using Ogre and Ageia.

1. Modular Battery (using two batteries at the same time for lasting power).
2. Better than average dedicated 3D graphics.
3. Screen Size (wide is a plus).

Bought my Asus V1Jp at GenTech Computers, http://1toppc.com, customized mine to
Intel Core 2 Due T7600 2.33Ghz
2GB Ram 667Mhz
Hitachi 100GB 7200rpm

FYI, I have a opinion about why all laptops should have their "disc drive" hot swappable with a modular battery. If you have a desktop computer and you are internet savvy, then you don't need the "disc drive" in your notebook. After you install all your applications into your hard drive, you hardly use the "disc drive" except to use your notebook as "desktop replacements."

Think about it... As a developer, the most unused and waste of space is the "disc drive" compartment.

 

I agree, the there is a rather large portion of the notebook and even desktop market who just don't use their optical drives after installing Windows and anything else they need to for their work, entertainment and even for backing up and transfering files, since this can be done via USB key or HD.

That's is why the V1JP is so versatile, the multi-bay allows the end user to take out the optical drive and put in a hard drive or a battery depending on the one's needs. Also you can just leave it all out, and consider it a weight decrease.

The V1JP is a great laptop and the points above you mentioned are exactly what some people are looking for.

 

oooops.... Sorry. I did not finish reading the whole thread.


C.

 

This was an issue that came up a lot with the older BuiltOn Asus series as well when they were around, compared to the then-smaller Ensemble offerings (before Asus expanded the Ensemble category in NA to include the F/A series). As with all things in life, quality of construction and materials used cost more when they're higher end than when you use cheaper things. With the high end Ensemble, you get what you pay for both in terms of components *and* materials/construction.

The question of whether it's "worth it" is one that only you can answer for yourself. The American public has always been focused more on the cheapest price for the component/unit - why Dell does #1 pc business in NA (other than their incessant marketing...) or WalMart is the #1 US retailer - and it is true that you can get the same or near-identical component arrangement in the A or F series as the high-end Ensemble line, but you get it in a cheaper package. If what's under the hood is most important to you, as long as the package is not objectionable, then the A/F Ensemble line may be the best option for some. However, if the package is also (or the most) important, then the high end Ensemble V/W series is the better option. The A/F series is what it is, a budget offering that others have noted is also targeted toward the Dell/HP/mainstream buyers who might want to step up to general Asus quality with similar configs, but aren't ready/able to jump all the way to the slick upper echelon Ensemble series units. For the market that they are targeted for, the A/F is perfect - a quality product that is a great price/value ratio .

 

Well, way to make us Americans feel cheap.

It's not that I don't care about build quality (which seems to be one of the only things the V/W series has over the others). Quite to the contrary, I am extremely concerned about durability, and all this talk about the A8J's getting scratched up so easily is what made me turn to the V1 in the first place.

I understand that build quality commands its own price, and that's why Apple can afford to "overprice" relative to Dell, HP, and the other major manufacturers. When you buy an Apple, you know you're getting a solid piece of work. Unfortunately, since I've never owned an Asus, I don't know that my money will be that well-spent.

I've heard Asus makes the Macbook and Macbook Pro for Apple...is this true?

 

Well, I can attest to that. It's been a long time since I opened my desktop's optical drive. But, I have two of them, so I need them half as frequently. I have a question - is the V1JP's modular bay hot-swappable, or do I need to turn it off, switch the drive in, reboot, and install the drivers again?

 

asus makes the macbook

not the macbook pro.

also Sony vaio fe, c

They are making upcoming toshiba sattelites and a dell lattitude.

 

1. Touch any plastic on any notebook with something sharp, it scratches and every notebook will *always* get a scratch or two along the way even if you're careful. Except the anodized aluminum cover on the W3 series, that is.

2. Buy an Apple and you're paying for their premium industrial product design, not so much the components inside or the build quality (the Powerbooks overheat, and the aluminum chassis will dent if you bump it right). Name, niche market and (relative) smaller production numbers = most of Apple's pricing. Dell and HP build using the lowest possible denominator and quality they can get away with in their consumer lines, at razor thin margins, using their sheer total production quantity to generate profits, and you get what you pay for there.

3. Buy an Asus and you're getting a quality product, regardless of what level you're at. Bounce around the forum here and you'll see that the opinion of the vast majority is that your money *will* be well spent. I was in the same position before starting to research notebooks in mid-05 and purchasing 6 months later (had never heard of Asus before that, and you can't see/touch them at any retailers), and I can tell you that I'm never going back to mainstream.

 

Hot-swappable. If you go to the windows "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in your system tray, your optical drive will be listed there.

 

Oh that is SO cool!

 

That's correct, but for the first few couple of tries you are going to want to turn off the notebook and flip it upside down to learn how to remove the optical drive and put something back. Like practise how to do it.

Then you can try it with Windows running and while having notebook on your lap and then remove it, safely, and put in a HD or battery or just a tray for weight saving.