Where online to buy Asus laptop

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, though I have been reading a lot of posts that have been helpful in making a buying decision.

I'm leaning towards the Asus N50VN-D1. Seems like a pretty good package, though there are not a lot of reviews.

The only laptops I've purchased online were from HP and I'm getting away from them.....way too noisy and run way too hot!

Would you all mind telling me who you feel comfortable purchasing from online? I saw the N50VN-D1 model at Amazon, Newegg, GenTech and XoticPC. Any preferences among those dealers? I'm in CA so Newegg and GenTech would involve paying sales tax :-(

Thanks so much....I appreciate any feedback.
C

 

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I'd personally recommend GenTechPC as they've been extremely helpful and reliable for my last 10 purchases I made throughout the past couple years. But like you said, you'll need to pay sales tax since you're located in the California.... On the positive side, you'll most likely get your laptop in 1 business day after you placed your order.

XoticPC is also one of the better resellers, however, they specialize in Sager/Clevo brand notebooks and their lack of participation in the Asus forum makes me feel that their knowledge may not be as strong in comparison to other resellers specializing in only Asus units. They are, however, still a very reliable reseller. You can also check out the Asus Info Booth sticky for a list of other Asus resellers.

If you're not quite the computer savvy type of person, I'd suggest purchasing it from GenTech. The extra amount you're paying for in taxes will pay out when and if you run into issues with your notebook.

 

Thanks for the welcome David!

I just read some very strong negative posts about the Asus laptops. Seems there are several consumers in here that think they are "problematic" (being polite) and will not purchase again.

Does anyone know if the problems have been corrected in the newer models such as the N50VN-D1 that I am considering? I don't want to buy a laptop that isn't reliable. Any suggestions for another brand laptop that runs cool, quiet and is reliable?

Again, thanks!
C

 

i second Gentech ...

As for those "problems" all of those people who complained were complaining about older models that were like 2 years old. You will hardly see people having probablems with there current lineup.

Stick with Asus and look at the N81, good luck!

 

It really depends on the specific model. For example, HP, Dell, and Lenovo, makes great business machines such as the T series and Latitude series, but are sub-par in the consumer line systems (ie Inspiron, Pavillion, etc)

I'd recommend you fill out the faq and post it on the "What notebook should i buy" section so we can better understand your needs and preferences.

 

I think Asus are no better worse than any other decent manufacture, I believe most of people in the N50vn forum tend to agree it's fairly decent and are quite happy. I'm still very happy i chose Asus.

Keyboard Lag is an issue i think Asus should of sorted out with the Synaptics touchpad driver as it seems to of carried to every Asus model and some Acer models too, But Asus should of contacted Synaptics to fix the issue. (there are workarounds)

I purchased N50 in early November and it's been used daily in Development with Visual Studio, 3D Rendering, Music production and games, internet and video etc... 2 Year International warranty with reportedly good service and support is decent as standard.

You will find just as many issues or reports with Dell, Acer, HP or anyone else if not more so. Are you referring to any particular N50 issue?

 

Hey, thanks for the tip re the N81Vp-C1. I took a look and now I'm leaning towards it more so than the N50VN-D1. It has a slightly higher screen resolution. I think that would be a better choice vs the 1280x800.

Do you know what the battery life is on the N81? And, do you know if it runs cool and quiet? It has a fast processor and HD.....could get pretty warm....possibly??

Thanks again....I LIKE it!
C

 

gentechpc my friend is great

 

The N50 has absolutely no problems (other than the keyboard lag, which takes about 20 seconds to fix) I bought mine in Late November, and loving every single moment of using it.

 

Just a note, N81 = <s>16:10</s> 16:9 screen, which is the main reason why I went with the older N80.

Also Ken from Gentech was very helpful with my inquiries, even though I wound up buying a used N80 cheap.

PS: I screwed up baking a quiche.

 

Afaik the upset owners all have the G1, and most of the problems come from excessive heat and the problems with the nVidia 8600GT being defective.

 

the cheapest one is always amazon, if they have it in stock

 

The N81 spec sheet says the screen is: 14" 16:9 1366X768 LED backlight.

 

Do the math.
1366/16 = 85.375
768/9 = 85.3333

1366/16=85.375
768/10= 76.8

 

Huh? 1366x768 = 16:9 aspect ratio, not 16:10

1366/768 = 1.78:1 = 16:9

 

Yeah the N81 has a 16:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the N80/N50's 16:10 ratio.

Cheyenne, head out to best buy and take a look at some of the laptops with 16:9 aspect ratio screens to see if you like them or not. Some common screen sizes for the 16:9 ratio are: 15.6", 16", 16.4", and 18.4".

 

yeah have a look at vaio FW/Vaio AW they are in most store that will give you an impression of what its like.

 

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I think I'll order the N81VP-C1. I like the fact that it is smaller and can be easily toted around.....and it's fast!

 

Doh. My bad
Just realized that I wrote 16:10 in my earlier post. lol

I meant 16:9.

I really dislike 16:9.

And I even went and calculated that the 1366 :768 was 16:9... DOH

But yes, you should really check out the 16:9 in person.

 

What about the 16:9 don't you like? Mind elaborating a bit?

Thanks,
C

 

Unfortunately, 16:9 is really the future - screen manufacturers have already stopped manufacturing 16:10 panels and any 16:10 you see right now in new laptops are the left over units. Whether we like it or not, the change is inevitable

 

I find the screens too stretched out, particularly when working on documents.Vertical height is valuable when it comes to viewing documents. 1366 pixels doesn't give you enough room to view two documents side by side, and 768 pixels just means you'll be able to view even less of your document than before.

Yep, it's cheaper for LCD manufacturers to make, so laptop companies don't have a choice either. Also why I got a used N80 instead of a N81.

 

I'm going to miss the 16:10 aspect ratio. More vertical pixels ftw. As for resellers, I recommend Gentech.