Whats the Catch??? S96J

Ok my dear NBR members,

Stupid question but whats the catch of this amazing machine for so little mula, I mean come on check this out:

S96J Intel VBI Asus S96J Core Duo Barebone 15.4 Inch WXGA/ATI X1600 256MB/Built-in Webcam/Combo
CPU: Intel® Yonah Core-Duo T2400 1.83GHz 2M 667 FSB
RAM: 1GB DDR-2 667 SODIMM (1X1024)
HD: 80GB 5400rpm S-ATA
Internal Wireless Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Tri-mode 802.11a/b/g Display: 15.4" WXGA 1280 x 800 Color Shine (Glare)
VGA: ATI Mobility X1600 256MB PCI Express
Optical Drive: 8 x DVD-RW Dual Layer Super Multi
Camera: Built-in Camera


Total: $1,175.00

Believe it or not I think I could get this much for my 18 month old Asus M6BNe, I'm in south america where notebooks in general are more expensive and there is a decent second hand market

I also just bought a W3V cause I thought it was an amazing deal (guess what it was this much). Now I am thinking of going through the hassel of selling my M6BNe to get this puppy, even though I was happy leaving it as my home computer.

Can you imagine going from a relatively old computer to owning a W3V (which I am still soked about since its for grad school and 15.4" is just too much) and an S96J!! now that is christmas coming early

 

I don't think there's a catch to this... it's just a great deal for such performance

 

Not much of a catch, the S96f isn't the best built nor the best looking but you sure get alot for what you spend!

 

they require you to give up one of your family members in order to receive the notebook. on the plus side, you can finally give up that bratty younger sibling and you get a shiny new notebook out of it!

but actually, it is just a great deal.

 

Yeah, the only real drawback I can think of is that it's not as sexy-looking as other Asus models. Awesome performance, solid built (plastic and not fancy materials, but from what most reviews say, solid plastic build nonetheless) and great value. And personally I think the fact that it looks less fancy might actually discourage theives etc. So yeah, no catch, the S96J is just plain awesome^^

 

This is suppose to be the Z71 replacement right? which in turn has the M6BNe chasis, waht I would plan on trding to get the S96J

I think the M6BNe chasis is quite sexy, did they actually make it so much uglyer, can't really tell from pictures I have seen.

LMAO about the giving up a family sibbling, definetly have a couple of cousins that would pay an extra couple hubdred for that feature. In my case I would have to give up my wife, son or yet to be born daughter. Would choose the wife but she still has the daughter still. LOL. Thank god gadgets are still kept in perspective, close second to family, even though my wife might disagree.

 

i don't believe the s96j chassis is similar to any other former asus model b/c it's vbi...

and i'm telling your wife!!! you're in trouble now, bud...

 

might have to erase that evidence.....

 

I don't know, When I looked to customize one, XP wasn't icluded in the price, but it only cost like $90 more for XP Pro, so it was no big deal. I'd just check to make sure you have it included man.

 

yeah configures it sans software

 

WXGA would be the only downside that I see.

 

This laptop keeps looking better and better everytime I hear about it. What would be the better deal for this laptop? Going with 512 and then getting a 1GB from newegg.com or just going with 1GB? And to add in to whats the catch, I say average looks, but I like whats under the hood though.

 

i would just get 1 gb dimm from the reseller.

by the time you are done with the notebook you will get 2 gb for it. so if you had a 512 mb dimm you would end up throwing it away eventually.

ya i dont really like its wxga screen is its failing for me.

this machine was priced very aggressively definitely

 

It was actually a huge positive for me. I have fighter pilot eyes, 20-15 in both, but I found WXGA at 15.4" to be perfect. Barely any lost space and I like being able to read things at a glance and sit a few feet away while using a keyboard or mixer or another computer and read everything easily.

 

WXGA is a positive for me as well. It's a perfect resolution for 15.4" imho. Good balance of readability and screen estate.

The build quality is excellent.. it just uses plastic instead of more expensive build materials. However, nothing in it is flimsy by any stretch of the imagination.

It's not a sexy looking machine.. if they had replaced the silver of the palmrests with black, it would be a lot better looking. After saving the money, who cares though, right?

 

ok, i've have been discussing WXGA vs WSXGA+ for gamers for a while now.

1) If you like WXGA then you got no problems. (go for the S96j)

2) if you want/like a WSXGA+ then you gotta worry about gaming.

LCDS are not the best at scaling images to a lower res. So if your native res is WSXGA+ and you want to game at WXGA, supposedly the game would look really blurry that it would make it unplayable. (this is not always true)

So what needs to be done, is an LCD test on the Z96j, the better the quality of the LCD, the better it can scale games without blurr. Since it's not out yet we cannot test.

Ok if you really want to look at the notebook as a whole (S96j) there is a CATCH, it weighs around 6.6lbs, it is 1.5" thick in the back, and its dimensions are ok, looks are not that great. I would rather have a ugly notebook with good weight and dimensions than a not so good looking laptop with bigger dimensions.

With that being said, i'm not sure about the specifics on the Z96j.

Other than that, yes its very true, what's under the hood is what really counts in the end. For about 1400 USD (1600 CAD) you can get an amazing performing machine! (S96j). Well i think you can configure the laptop to even cheaper hehe.

The Z96j which has a WSXGA+ and BT i think, retailers said would cost roughly 200$ more.

Also there's a factor of how long do you wanna wait to get a laptop. For me no matter what im most likely gonna wait till august/sept. because i wanna see the V1J and Merom's specifics.

By all means get the S96 or Z96j, who knows what will happen in a few months, i may end up going with the Z96j because it has almost everything i want and at the best possible price

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

The S96j is a great buy from powernotebooks.com For under $1100 it even comes with a FREE 3 year warranty! Powernotebooks upgrades are also really cheap. They are the same price or less than It would cost you to uprade yourself. Not only is the S96j quite a well built notebook, it is one heck of a deal for the price! Go for it!

And I think places like geared2play.com and powernotebooks.com can put in a WSXGA+

 

The WSXGA+ resolution offered is the Z96J (backordered till 6/19/2006 at powernotebooks) and that's why geared2play doesnt have an ETA on it yet....though it should be out within the next couple of weeks!!

As for the catch....BELEIVE ME everyone that saw this notebook for the first time asked the same question (myself included ) but then realized asus did a kick ass job!!!

One CATCH i must add to be totally fair, is the sound quality, i have heard from alot of S96J owners that the sound quality and volume (using the laptop speakers) is kindda poor but it's gr8 using headphones.

Enjoy!!

 

I guess it is backordered... Last time I checked a couple weeks ago it was an option. But a couple of weeks is nothing... well worth the wait if you want a WSXGA+

 

Mmm, speakers dont bother me at all because like, in most places using your laptop speakers is rude anyway. So as long as headphones work nice, joy.

 

back to a previous question, how would you guys compare looks and build quality to the Z70Va and M6BNe, which is also 1.5" thick @ tha back and is also plastic, actually restate that for me the latter is pretty sexy

just trying to find the catch and not sure looks is it

A little off topic but can you easyly install windows and all the other software from an other lappy, like the W3V I just got or even the M6BNe I might sell to get this one or does asus lappys come like dell ones that the sofware is not easyly transferable??

 

Ok i've seen the ASUS Z70va, and read a lot about it.

Firstly the Z70va is 1.4" in the back, it is also constructed from carbon fibre allow and plastic.

The ASUS S96j is all plastic. I personaly don't know how good the build quality is, especially compared to the Z70va.

Yes the Z70va is a decent looking notebook.

I have still yet to see nice pictures of the S96j...so i will hold my comment on that.

As for transfersing software..well they are 2 different laptops, the drivers and such. So just put windows on the new one, using the old windows from the M6bne, and then install the appropriate drivers for the S96j, don't forget the synaptic drivers and you should be good.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Eddie has some decent pictures posted at his web site after his review on the S96J

http://geared2play.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=627&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

thanks for the help, the S96J also seems to be heavier by over half a pound

 

If I don't get an Asus (right now, it's a toss up with a Sony. I've been offered a nice little deal that would get me an ATI 1900 for about half price!), Can I still hang out here? You guys are the best, none of the others come close. If you don't want me, it's cool, I just like it here.

 

ati x1900? i have never heard of any notebook with that inside....

 

That's because there aren't any, especially Sony...
Sony is made by ASUS and the best video cards put in Sony laptops, as i recall are X1600s and 7600s. But an X1600 Sony goes for over 3000$ USD.

 

I would have it installed by a local computer maker, it dosn't come standard. I can get anyone I want, I think the x1900 is the best you can get now, right?

 

You can't install new graphic cards on Sony or ASUS laptops. They're souldered into the motherboard. The best you can get now is Mobility X1800, but it's not compatible with any ASUS/Sony models to my knowledge so far.

 

actually, sony doesn't have a single notebook (at least in the states) that has the x1600 or 7600go (not including the upcoming dtr with the 7600gtx). you cannot install either the x1800 or the x1900 (definitely not out in notebooks....highest ati gpu is the 1800xt). the cooling systems for 15.4" notebooks can't really handle anything greater than the x1600 and 7600go.

 

O.k., I don't think I made the Notebook model clear, to the guy helping me.

 

Wait, Can't you customize a Sony on their website, putting a Nividia card in, and dosn't the 13.3 have one too?

 

I'm debating between getting an S96J or Z96J. I like the Z96J over the S96 because it has built-in bluetooth, which is a big bonus if you have peripherals that can transmit data via bluetooth. A USB dongle is a bit of a drag to use, in my opinion, because it sticks out of the laptop, and you have to always disconnect and connect it when you put the laptop into its case and take it out. On the other hand, some are saying that if you do gaming on lower resolutions than the Z96J's native, the images will be blurry. How often does this hold true, and would a game like Battlefield 2 still be decently playable at 1024x768 on the Z96J? I know no one can tell for sure because the Z96 isn't out yet, but has anyone done so on another WSXGA laptop?

 

you can customize on the sony website, but the best gpu they have is the 7400go. and you cannot upgrade the gpu.

 

arjun1024, i have been searching for that answer for several weeks now...one thing i did find out is that if the LCD is high quality, you will only see VERY LITTLE fuzziness or blurr...if not none at all to your eyes.

I hope someone can truely answer this question with pics or something.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

do you have any machine to play games now, desktop or laptop? b/c what you could do is run a game on your rig and reduce the resolution to see how it looks. i realize that this isn't necessarily going to show you how the game will look on the z96j, but it would give you a rough estimate...

 

I thought I saw somewhere that you could configure bluetooth as an option on the S96J, am I mistaken?

About the 1900 upgrade, man that will be the day, from what I have read GPUs will not be upgradable until 2008. Also Crocco if you are considering springing for a Sony I would recomend some other choices from Asus for a bit more you can get same inerds with even sexier chasis than sony

Sony = waist of money
Dell = /&%#$%"%//)/&/#$/&
Toshiba = You never now
HP = Unreliable
IBM = awesome build quality (not for gaming)
Sager = Awesome but seeing less and less resellers with it

just my 2 cents on brands even though its going a bit off topic. Not really a surprise I am in the Asus forum LOL

 

actually, some notebooks can upgrade gpus now. for example, dells have been able to upgrade gpus for awhile now. also, some notebooks come with axiom or mxm that supposedly have upgradeability.

 

well yes but not freely, what I understand is that dell models normally offer 1 or 2 GPU in ther configuration and you can upgrade from one to the other but no further.

Architecture is normally pretty different between GPU's so changing in between freely will need standarition of GPU, correct me if I´m wrong though

 

yes

however the 9300 through the e1705 and xps m170 -1710 used from the x300-512 mb 7900 gtx, 2 generations of cards and many models.

It would really be the only upgradeable gpu laptop I would feel is fair to call upgradeable. you can purcahse the cards and with basic level computer assembly install them.

if dell makes the next laptop on the same chassis, say the dell 2705 or something with the dx 10 card that would really be something.

 

Ha last 2 times I went to get my eyes checked the optometrist asked me if I had any trouble reading the bottom line, I said no and he told me that I had "Fighter pilot eyes"
Next time I went I guess he tested me differently, he said my vision was better than he thought so I'm closer to 20/10 vision =)

The point of my story is to sound cool, and also to say that I prefer the WUXGA and WSXGA+ while another person with excellent vision prefers another resolution.

 

Yeah, well I have -357/-4975 vision, beat that!

>.>;

I'm happy with WXGA, I use XGA on a 14" 4:3 notebook and like it a lot, and seeing as, with my notebook's dimensions, it'll only be a bit taller and a couple inches longer, it'll be fine for me.

 

Okay, I'm going with the Asus.

 

Oh, and now that I have looked at the site more, I realize I was looking at te wrng model, meaning it would be even less money. Obviously I need to upgrade the RAM, Hard drive (why is it oly 40? don't the budget computers like Gateway use those? Who would want that), and get an XP pro, but still it will be well under my budget.

 

^ Just a quick fact seeing you have a Sony Laptop in your avatar.

Did you know ASUS makes Sony laptops?

 

When I get the Asus, learn to spell, learn what the hell these letters and numbers mean on the model names, and post more than twice a day, will I be qualified to run for MVP of the Month? I know I won't win, but it would be cool to get like two votes so I can say "I was the 23rd runner up in the Asus MVP of the month contest"

 

Well great to have yet another convert. Welcome to club and the forum

 

Yes, actualy. I just have alot of friends who use the sony, so I feel like if I have a problem, they might have the answers. They also have really liked them, and have been trying to get me to buy one. But now I know that you guys will help me if i ever have trouble, and that we can just talk about what we use them for or whatever we want. Asus Wins the four month notebook battle!!!

 

For me the battle within which laptop brand to buy took under a fraction of a millisecond. As soon as i found out ASUS makes laptops, i knew their amazing build quality and fame on their motherboards, and hearing ASUS has laptops was like love at first sight, only in this case, it exists (with women, its more like hard on @ first sight).

Then with more i read about each model, the more i began to fall absolutely in love with them.

 

Oh, another reason I was looking at the Sony/ Dell was that I was mostly reading reviews on sites like this one aswell as NBR, and the sony and he Dell seemed to be reviewed well. I didn't know much about the different asus models, or good places to get them.

 

I'm looking into buying the S96J...I hope there isn't a catch. I won't be able to have the funds for the configuration that I want until mid-July though, so I have to sit back and watch the prices bounce around and everything else. I'm jealous of all of those who are getting the laptop now though... I shun you all. I'll probably be hanging out in the S96J lounge a bit more now though now that I have decided to buy this model for sure.