Z70va notebooks are being received

Eddie,

Making fun of my slow computer....now that's just not right. Besides I have been saving up for a new laptop for a few months now. So hopefully soon I will have a lappy that makes people drool!

P.S. If Geared2Play is still going to sell the z70va's, drop me line when they are in and I will definately take a look (I would like to wait till the Dual-Core Pentium M's, but January is a long way off).

 

LOL.

At least it can run a program

I have less then 2 weeks to pick out a new laptop from the crop.

Still hanging with my 800mhz Pentium III Thinkpad! w00t!

 

Geared2Play has their own forum and there's a thread for notification when it'll be available. Here's the link: http://ynot2k.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=267

 

Thanks,

Sorry to post something that is off topic.

 

Quanta and Compal are considered worldwide to manufacture laptop computers equal to or better than Asus. They are much larger laptop manufacturers than Asus, and have been doing it for years longer than Asus. They both manufacture for the major national brands as well as whitebox custom builders like the Asus resellers represented here.

Asus certainly does not have a lock on quality and technological features.

As resellers our goal is to provide the best and most technologically advanced laptop computers available in the market, while providing personalized DOMESTIC customer service both before and after the sale.

To be able to accomplish this reliably and long term, we as resellers must be careful to deal only with companies with the highest integrity, and not just interested in their own best interests. This means doing what is right because it is right, and not doing what is expedient or deceptive. In additon to this thread Kyle, please read the threads found Here and Here.

While Asus continues to promise that they will publicly take responsibility and be accountabe for these incidents, they have yet to do so. The only thing they have done so far is tell their employee to quit selling Asus laptops on eBay (for below distributor cost).

I am sorry, but this kind of behavior by a large international company only shows that they are only concerned with their own interests and not worthy of loyalty. They are not being loyal to their customers, their distributors, or their resellers.

You can only be burned so many times before you start flinching, and waiting for the next "bomb".

As for PowerNotebooks.com, we feel we serve our customers better by not surrendering to the expedient, but rather by maintaining the highest integrity which includes dealing only with laptop Original Design Manufacturers that demonstrate that same level of integrity.

 

I think many are fond of Asus because they tend to use some kind of Carbon fiber alloy on the build, and have such good looking designs. But since we're at it, how do you rate Arima, Uniwill and MSI?

 

Paladin I am going to have to disagree that Compal and Quanta make laptops that are equal to ASUS in quality and technology. The quality aspect I will give you, because you have dealt with Compal and Quanta; however, the technology part I think you are wrong. Laptops are meant to be "mobile" computers. ASUS makes lappys that are more mobile than most other vendors. They do not try to just stuff a bunch of high-end parts into a boring box and let the "parts" sell the machine. ASUS seems to fit the parts into the machine and this way customers are buying an "ASUS laptop", not a "widescreen laptop" or a "laptop with a 6800 Go in it". I looked at the Quanta and Compal notebooks on your site and I must say, they do not seem to be as well built as ASUS lappys and on top of that they are very heavy (6.5 lbs is not light, like they claim).

The only other laptop company other than ASUS that I have come across that is able to fit very high-end components into a truly thin and light laptop is Samsung (the X50 WVM 2130 or WVM 1730) and they do not sell in the US.

So, Paladin, while I can understand your statements and why you feel like ASUS should right this wrong; I am going to have to disagree with you on the fact that there is not another laptop company out there right now that can compete with ASUS when it comes to build quality, technology, and true portability.

 

Not sure about Quanta (since their Taiwanese site isn't very informative), but Compal does have lighter models available.. they have 2 14' wxga models out, both 5 lbs. Although I dont think either have line ups that are as extensive as Asus, at the moment the closest from Taiwan seems to be MSI, Clevo and Arima.

 

there's gigabyte too! unfortunately i cant find anyone in the US who sells them.

 

I've seen a few Gigabyte laptops here - The GMax N411 is quite nice looking

 

hmm i thought Gigabyte is an OEM? I saw some models that were definitely rebadged Compals.

 

Quanta and Compal do not compare to ASUS. They have ugly laptops and they do not seem to be able to make a model as well put together as the z70va.

Arima has a few laptops that peaked my interest the M623-DCX (Pentium) and the W622-DK8X (Turion). The Turion model I really like, but unfortunately I do not know how Arima's build quality is.

MSI doesn't have any widescreen notebooks with a very good GPU (X700 or faster) that are around or under 6 lbs (when I say 6 lbs, I mean literally 6 lbs, no more than that).

 

While their whitebox version are ugly, these guys have been around in the notebooks business before Asus could spell notebook.

Don't forget that Quanta used to make the Apple Powerbook. Armia makes some of the NEC models etc. They were mostly focusing in the ODM Retail business making laptops for major companese such as HP, Toshiba, Sony, IBM, NEC, etc.

 

there are very few widescreen notebooks that are 6lbs and have a very good gpu, infact just the Asus Z70va, not sure if its 6lbs flat either. the MSI 1029 and 1032 (with the x700 and Go 6600 respectively) are 6.4.

 

Thank you, that pretty much proves my point. But I can see that MSI, Compal, Quanta, Arima, and Clevo are good companies. I just like the way ASUS approaches their laptop design and the way they are able to put together a really good package.

 

The Gigabyte GMax N411 is built by Quanta. Gigabyte does not ODM any laptops, the simply brand them as GMax.

 

Oh - well, I learned something new today

 

I find it amazing that you can judge how well put together a Z70Va is when you have never seen one in person, and how can you compare how they are put together when you haven't held them or even seen them side by side.

As for ugly, I think anyone reading your post will realize that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It also speaks to the fact that you have not seen any of them in person side by side, and can only be relying on pictures, and other people's opinions.

 

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, even if it is not shared by the major players in this industry, and by most laptop users.

Now that statement IS objective, and not just opinion...but it is provably wrong. If you are talking about weight, let me caution you that most manufacturer's claimed weights are generally about a half a pound light. We got so disgusted with this practice that we bought a precise (and expensive) digital scale to weigh them. Our specifications pages quote the accurate weights as opposed to the claimed weights you see elsewhere.

So, you will find that virtually all of the Quanta and Compal (and Asus) 15" and 15.4" models weigh in the 6.1 to 6.6 pound range when weighed with the Optical drive and battery in place. When you compare them all you will find the Quanta MW1 (PowerPro G 3:11) is the lightest of them all. (notice the claimed 5.6 pounds of the Z70Va is without the approximate 0.4 pound Optical drive).

That comment is so way out there it just needs to stand on its own...

While your comments seem to be generally very opinionated, and not backed by any real experience or objective standards, you are certainly entitled to hold and express them. Like I said earlier, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

still choosing coriolis? i thought you had your heart set on the z70va?

 

So Paladin seems to like proving his point on many occasions. While I completely understand that he may be in the thick of everything and thus he is a little cocky when it comes to knowledge.

Yes, I am entitled to my opinion and Paladin you are also entitled to your opinion. I want to know where you got off saying that I have never touched or used an ASUS z70v(a). How do you know that. I personally have played around with my friends z70v, which is exactly the same as the z70va except for the Bluetooth and the X700.

One more thing, if you have weighed everything on your precise digital scale, then why don't you enlighted us to how much each of the notebooks weigh that are comparable to the z70va (be sure to include the z70v in there too, just for comparison). I would really like to know the actual weights of all these different laptops. Who knows, one of the PowerPro's might be lighter than the z70va (even if I do think they are ugly).

 

Some context to the discussion:

Greater China: Top nine notebook makers
Rank	1Q03	2Q03	3Q03	4Q03	1Q04	2Q04	3Q04	4Q04e	1Q05e
1	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta	Quanta
2	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal	Compal
3	Wistron	Wistron	Wistron	Asustek	Wistron	Asustek	Wistron	Wistron	Wistron
4	Inventec	Inventec	Asustek	Wistron	Asustek	Wistron	Inventec	Asustek	Inventec
5	Arima	FIC	Inventec	Inventec	Inventec	Inventec	Asustek	Inventec	Asustek
6	FIC	Arima	FIC	Uniwill	FIC	Mitac	Mitac	Mitac	Uniwill
7	Asustek	Asustek	Mitac	FIC	Mitac	FIC	Uniwill	Uniwill	Mitac
8	ECS	ECS	Uniwill	Mitac	Uniwill	Uniwill	Arima	Arima	Arima
9	Mitac	Mitac	Arima	Arima	Arima	Arima	FIC	FIC	FIC

Code:

Estimated 2004 Notebook Shipments (tot)
-------------------------------------------
		Mil.Units	Marketshare
-------------------------------------------
Quanta		  12.6		  25.5%
Compal		  8.25		  16.7%
Wistron		  3.5		   7.1%
Asustek		  3.5		   7.1%
Inventec	  3.3 		   6.7%
FIC		  2.0		   4.0%
Arima		  1.8		   3.6%
Uniwill		  1.6		   3.2%
ECS		  1.0		   2.0%
Clevo		  0.7		   1.4%
Mitac		 ??		   ??%

Code:

Monthly Asus Shipments Q1 2004 (own brand)
------------------------------------------
Europe					30
US, Middle East, SE Asia		20
Taiwan					15
China					10
Other					 5
------------------------------------------
Total (thousand units):			80

Source: Digitimes.

Edit: Numbers are around 1/2 years old, but I don't have premium access anymore, so I can't update them.

 

Thx for the numbers they are indeed interesting.

 

so... there are compal or quanta notebooks out there with wsxga 14-15.4in, dedicated graphics, excellent reviews for <$1500?

because though i enjoy personality and reading all your opinions, that's really what it comes down to for me... concrete details.

 

and I have no idea how those charts are measuring "top." because if it's only in sales or market share, then I suppose Dell is one of the "top" companies too... sorry that doesn't cut it.

 

several..

depends on what kind of config you're looking for, but in general, they're similar in price than their Asus counterpart, some are a bit cheaper

Quanta:

KN1-PM: 15.4' wxga, Nvidia MXM 6600 can be had for under that. I've seen it in person at a So Cal store. Very sturdy build, little flex on keyboard, nice screen. Some one on NBF owned one and had a review, basically said its only flaw was its heat problems.

MW1: this is a new one 15 sxga+, same video card.. its new so no reviews yet.. although one guy on NBF ordered one and will get one next week.

Compal: They're more common than Quanta..

EFL30: 14 wxga, 5lbs, Nvidia Go 6400. built in web cam. Very good price for what it offers. 3d benchmarks comparable to W3V. There's a review of it on our very own forum! look for Chembook 2030, chembook is an OEM. Reviews positive, some are a bit disappointed with the battery life (2h30m), but its with a 6 cell battery (versus the 8 cell on the w3v). it has a 9 cell option.

DL70: 15.4 wsxga, 6.2lbs, ATI x600. Saw it in person, very nice screen and little flex, pretty thin. There's 2 reviews of it, all positive except for the battery life. It is pretty cheap though.

CL56: 15 sxga.. ATI 9700.. this was a popular gaming notebook from last year, comparable in popularity to the Asus Z71v. Alot of places still sell it.

:decision:

 

Hmmm, that seems to be the pot calling the kettle black...how many posts have you made trying to prove your point?

There is no need to use this kind of inflamatory language. Please remember your manners.

Because you said so in your earlier post.

So, you admit that you have never held or seen them side by side, and therefore have no personal knowledge for comparison.

I have already told you that all of the PowerPro and Crown models have been weighed by us and those weights are on their respective Specifications pages on our website.

You will not find the Z70V there because we chose not to carry that model because the video card did not fit with the rest of our line up. We did carry its predecessor, the M6BNe, and it weighed 6.5 pounds. You should be able to find a quality scale to weigh your friend's Z70V. You may be surprised to see that it too actually weighs about 6.5 pounds.

You may find the PowerPro G 3:11 (Quanta MW1) ugly, but it weighs 6.1 pounds. It also uses the user upgradeable MXM PCI-e nVIDIA GeForce Go 6600 w/128MB GDDR2. You won't find that on any Asus model!

Bye the way, does anyone else find the PowerPro G 3:11 ugly, or do you find it rather nice looking?

 

Lots. Most will not be branded as such, though. They'll be Dell, Toshiba, Acer and so on. Both also do sell (or via regional distributors) some models to smaller systems integrators (whitebook builders). Quanta KN1 and Compal DL70 to name two. Both targeted at the same market segment as the Asus Z71V.

Edit: Way too slow...

 

Interesting indeed..
I've never even heard of "Wistron"

:decision:

 

Previously the manufacturing and systems design part of Acer. Got to be Wistron about three years ago when Acer restructured into a financial holding group running a non-manufacturing brand, namely Acer. Same with what used to be Acer Periphials, now BenQ Corp. Throw AOpen and a couple other into the mix and you have most of the 'old Acer'. The most well known Wistron notebook in the US would be the Dell Inspiron 700m, I guess.

 

Dell doesn't make notebooks. They sell them. Current Dell notebooks are made by Compal, Quanta, Samsung, and Wistron.

 

Yeap, bugmenot is on the dot.


Bruce - Honestly, I need to choose quick and I can't look back LOL! I'm like a 6 year old when I buy laptops

 

I read somewhere (about a year ago, I think) that 1 out of 7 laptops in the world is made by Quanta. I dont know what the figure is now, but that's what I read. What made them excel was DELL. My junkie, piece of crap Dell 5150 is a Quanta. Doesn't work, of course- planning on ripping out the insides and dropping it into a Z81L.

 

Those MSI's look pretty nice. Too bad, their line up of laptops are only XGA and WXGA. Yuck.

 

wow, so what happened to the original intent of this thread? went from resellers at each others throat's to ODM notebook manufactuers.

I personally didn't buy from any of the top resellers, so I would say i'm unbiased, but I would like to know/see what happened/happens with the whole Z70v issue.

Not to say I'm not interested in the other discussion, can anyone list all of the current notebooks that are rebranded quanta's, compals, winstron, asus, etc? I'll be interested to know who does which models.

 

Patients my young child. The dark side will grown within you as greed and anger will overcome the force...yes....

 

"you will pay the price for your lack of vision"

 

Okay, so I had some time and I went over to my friends house. We could only find a bathroom scale to weigh the z70v on and guess what, I WAS WRONG!!! The total weight came out to right around 6.5 lbs just like Paladin said.

So this thread is my apology thread. I wanted to put it on the forum publically so that everyone could get the same information that I found out. The z70v with optical drive and battery weighs right around 6.5 lbs.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I was looking at the wrong notebook on PowerNotebooks website. I think it was the 15.4" model and not the 15" model that Paladin was talking about. Anyway, yes the 15" model does look quite nice and has some good features. I just wish Quanta could make a widescreen version that was near the same weight and had the same look to it.

So in conclusion, Paladin I'm sorry for being a pain. Thank you for all your input and who knows I might just get me a Quanta instead of an ASUS.

 

I personally think the quality of a particular manufacturer is only as good as the support offered. Asus just happens to have some good names to ride on. So does compal and clevo which is my second favorite but their corporate site needs a tune up.,

 

Compal's site is horrible! they haven't updated the info on their laptop line up for years! Clevo at least has that.

 

ASUS needs to hire a few more webmasters - their site is always so slow to update

I guess better then Compal's website, but try looking at Arima's website. Looks like a 12 year old did it

 

Are there any Arima retailers in the US. Some of their notebook look pretty impressive.

 

The Taiwanese ODMs have increased their share of the global notebook market to about 70% (and it's still rising). Given that Quanta has an about 25% share of that, they make approximately 1 in every 5.7 notebooks these days.

 

Nope - They are rebranded, most of the time by Gateway

 

Gateway (eMachines) have been/are an Arima OEM. VoodooPC have used several Athlon 64 Arima models in the past. I believe Toshiba may have Arima built model(s) as well. I haven't seen any Pentium-M Arima based whitebooks in the US, and browsing old news it appers that their sales go mostly to the Asia-Pacific region.

 

same here, I would really like to see these two models being available in the states


(I believe there might be a widescreen version)

and especially


i'm a fan of 14' widescreens