What's your opinion on this Asus laptop?

I'd like to get some people's opinion on what they think about this Asus laptop i have seen at my local store. As i'm stuck between a HP and this Asus, the only difference between them is that the HP is 1.8Ghz, Harddrive is 160GB and it doesn't have that 1GB turbo charge thing.



I live in Australia btw.

 

It looks like a pretty decent machine. What will you be using it for? To be honest, it's a mid-level Asus machine... which puts it at the same level as HP notebooks (which have come a LONG way in recent years).

It probably isn't much help... but I'd flip a coin if I were you; they're both great machines that will serve you well. I think the HP will give you a bit more battery life... but other than that, they're the same.

 

It depends on what kind of HP he's talking about. For instance, if it's a HP Compaq business line notebook I would recommend it over this ASUS in an instant

The config on the ASUS machine is solid. I do not know the type identifier, which means probably that it's a budget machine -- which is not to say it's bad, but just that you need to be careful about the build quality.

Personally, what I would do is ask them to take it out so I can hold it, and then test for the following things:
- Bending when machine held from one corner (should be minimal)
- Poking back of the screen, see how hard it is
- Check for keyboard flex and keyboard travel & quality
- Check if the port layout is logical (E.g., not 4 USB ports all in one place at 1mm from each other, except if this is at the back)

If I'd come out satisfied from these tests, I'd get it.

Be aware that you're probably going to get 3hrs or (probably) less batt life from the ASUS machine.

 

Well i plan on using it mainly for study purposes on a university/college level, usual word processing, everyday internet browsing, what i'd use a desktop computer for and maybe some random (older, nothing recent) games.
You know i was thinking that, to 'flip a coin' as they're pretty much the same, i was just wondering whether the brand would make a difference. thanks!

Actually it's this HP laptop here It's a normal HP one and i'm after what people think about these both.

Hmm i wondered whether it was a budget type machine...i mean they cut down the price by quite a lot. That's a good idea! Next time i'm in i'll ask them if i can hold it, and i'll try those small tests you suggested, thanks for those i never thought of them From what i remember by checking it out where it was, the screen part seemed pretty 'hard' screwed on and the port layout seemed right.
Yeah i've heard that Asus' battery life is a bit lower, but i think most of the time i'll be near a power source. I'm still looking around, but i've narrowed it down to these two.

 

What about the warranty of the two, which is longer? Might help make the decision a little easier if one has more time than the other.

 

HP - 1 year
ASUS - 2 years

Internationally AFAIK.

The HP is also nice, pretty much in the same range of quality and features. You should choose whatever you like most. Maybe the quality tests I suggested will help you make a decision. Apriori, I'd say the ASUS is the one that's likely to be better-built.

Some other factors:
- HP bloatware is usually far less in quantity than ASUS bloatware.
- Seems the HP is glossy -- fingerprint magnet
- with the ASUS you'd probably get a case and a mouse (entry level, nothing special but at least you don't need to pay extra for them)
- HP will probably have (Slightly?) better batt life

 

Yeah i've heard that Asus' are more likely to be better built.
I'll definitely try out those tests when i go in next time, i never though of that. And about the warranty, well on the Asus advertisement it says 2 years, not sure about HP but like you said most probably 1.

So coz the HP is glossy, does that mean that there would be more fingerprints on it, that it would be prone to having fingerprints?
Yeah you're right, they do give you a case and mouse, the guy at the store said that...he also said that it was the best laptop they had in store and i hope he was telling the truth

But it seems like you guys all own an Asus, any major problems with them??

 

id say buy online, instore mockups are insane!

look at my specs (in sig) and tell me i didnt get a deal, it cost me around 1450 (usd), my specs are everything that has just upgraded

unless you need it right now, like you need to touch before you buy, go ahead and buy what you see instore, but if you got patience and trust, i'll advise you to look online for a computer, check out the reviews and such and you'll prolly save 300-400 dollars

and honestly, looking at that laptop, 2286 seems like a last year price, cutting it to 1799 is about right, but still a bit high IMHO

 

Asus used to make really solid, awesome notebooks a few years ago. Up until recently (maybe the last 6 months-1 year), ever since Asus has become more popular, the quality of their notebooks have gone down just slightly. They're still good machines, but a lot of them have suffered through problems such as battery wear and chassis flexing. Keep in mind that not ALL Asus notebooks suffered these problems, but several of them did for a while.
It seems as if Asus machines are slowly getting better though... the newer F series notebooks are decent mid-range notebooks. Their business class notebooks are okay... but still not near the level that they were a couple of years ago.

Again. to answer your question.. I think both HP and Asus make good laptops at the moment. Choose the one that you think looks better

 

The only problem with my ASUS V6J is the battery wear...
My M6BNe is running smoothly, no problems whatsoever.

AuroraS summarized very well the ASUS trend.

And yes, by fingerprint magnet I meant that the glossy surface will show a major amount of fingerprints.

I also agree that you should check online for that model or something close to it, you might get a better deal.

 

Yeah your specs area really impressive! Actually something i'd rather get...i've never thought about buying online, but the thing is i don't have the entire amount of money, because through the store(s) i was looking at, they offer a type of credit or loan payment where you can pay it off, i've probably saved up a quater of the price of the Asus. I'll have a look around though online, maybe they offer this too.

Oh alright i see, well i guess it's just minor things like any other laptop would go through. But you're right, both are good laptops, just a matter of flipping a coin!

Yeah i guess that wouldn't bother me, i don't really go out on any far away excursions/outings where i need a portable computer or something. I'll just go in store these coming days and do those tests, thanks a lot guys for your input!

 

Actually guys...what do you think about waiting for the quad core? Isn't it coming out next year some time? Although i'd have to wait...would it be worth it?

 

In all honesty... it's best to buy things whenever you need them. If you want to go for the quad core (whenever that comes out), there will probably be something else just over the horizon... technology is constantly changing.

I can't make your decision for you... but I say just buy it now.

 

hay thanks

I bought my laptop on credit (off my card, the second purchase ive made so far for 2007). And those instore credit lines are far far worse than any credit card out because not only do they partner up with credit cards to get the funds, they add interest to them to pay off them selves (i think they team up with other credit cards or banks, one or the other)

N-e ways, i previously had an hp, and the reason i went with asus is because ive heard about their quality build, and i havent been let down with my purchase, my hp was crickety and noisy now that i think about it, all types of squeaky sounds, maybe its cause i wore that thing out, either way, my new lappy feels like its worth every cent i spent if not more

I say look for a purchasing plan on line, many resellers have also teamed up with credit companies like the big stores, atleast than you'll save a couple hundred off top if not for interest.

As far as quad cores go, id say its not worth the wait, todays generation of programs arent built for them, maybe in a two years+ will you see real quad core utilization, one of them will probably be in gaming, think one core being used as a physics card, but right now, a theoretical 2ghz quad core shouldnt out perform a 2ghz dual core in basic computing, dual cores are just being coded for.

 

Yeah you're right, after that something else will be announced, an 8 core or whatever heh

Yeah i know it's not the best option, but the store offers 12 months of interest free and i'm gonna pay up a quarter of it. But i'll definitely look around on the internet and see if there is something better.

I didn't look at it that way...the rate they release all these new things, it would be hard for everyone else to keep up, but yeah i was just thinking about it. Better to get it now than wait, then see something else new come out

thanks guys!

 

I agree you should get it now. There's some use for dual-core in real-life, but only for some people; there's little use for quad-core.

Until software is able to make use of multicore machines to run faster, it's not much point to wait for these machines.

 

Well thanks a lot then guys for your input

 

For what it is worth, the ASUS machines with models starting with "PRO3" seem to be retail shop versions of F3xx machines. In this case, it looks like an F3Sc. This F3Sc is the closest I can find.

 

You're most probably right...why they do that i don't know, but most likely the case, thanks.