decision time

Well, it looks like I'll finally be able to join the ASUS notebook club this weekend - only problem is I can't make up my mind!

I'm torn between the Z70va and V6Va. I know all the technical comparisons, but now I'm stuck on the actual looks + screen size.

There are no retailers near me that carry ASUS, so I have to rely solely on online pics

Anyway, what I'm mainly concerned with is the 15.4" of the Z70va (not sure how I feel about widescreens yet) vs. the normal 15" of the V6Va. Does anyone know how these laptops compare in size to a 15" powerbook with the lid open? Silly, I know, but it matters to me.

Or maybe I should get a W3v? The only thing lacking on the W3V for me is the gpu. I play a lot of WoW and BF2 - could the W3V handle that (running at native resolution but with all the effects turned to the lowest setting - that's how I play it on my desktop ATM)?

Ahh...it's so hard to make a decision with $2k sitting on the line....:asus:

 

I don't know what you'll be using your laptop for and I don't have an answer to your question about size comparison but my vote is for the V6Va. That thing is beautiful!!

 

I'll tell you right now - I have had my choice of what notebooks to use for the last 5+ years...... they've all obviously been Asus..... Now I use everything we sell before it ever goes up for sale and try to give every model a workout for a good month to get used to and really get the feel for it.

With that said - in the last 26 months, I've used a handful of them for a long period of time. I used an M6 (Z70) for close to a year (at the same time I was also using an S5 for the lighter duty - more travel type stuff. In the last year I turned to the W3 and used it up until the V6va came out (that's about 9 months) and since that point I've been using the V6va as my main system. If anyone can really tell you the benefits of each, I can...

1. The Z70 is a great system...... you can't beat it's price for everything you get - performance, design, etc...... However the 6-6.5 pounds grows tiresome and although you can travel with it - you won't be traveling with it after you've seen a smaller system..... that's why I carrying an S5 with me on an trip.

2. The W3 was my holy grail.... small, powerful, sexy..... the old V6v was right up there, but I don't like the matte screens anymore and thought I'd give the widescreens a shot.

3. The V6va has the greatest screen ever.... I say that with all seriousness as I praised this screen for years when it was on the L5ga (limited edition of 50 in all of north america)..... they brought it back and although expensive and limited..... it's really a huge part of why the V6va is now more appealing to me...... it's a glaretype display with amazing color reproduction and viewing angles. Add the 128mb x700 to match that on the Z70va and W2v..... and the newest super slim drive - the 4x super multi -- and it's an unreal package. It's thinner than the W3 which is really nice....... it has an aluminum palmrest instead of lid (like the w3), and I've found it's more important to have it on the palmrest because that is more likely to wear and the aluminum wears excellent (I've proven that with my W1 and W2).... Lastly... the regular ratio... basically I'm not all for it in all situations, but a 14" widescreen and a 15.1" regular ratio have the same width (so same size movies no matter what..... but you get an extra 1.5" of height. I also talk about this in the other way..... that the 14" only loses that much height. But for office apps and internet - I've found that I prefer that extra height.

The only thing I'd suggest to anyone to make it the ultimate would be to replace the stock drive with say a 100gb /7200rpm Seagate (~$300)........ so if you figured on a total of $2,300 ---- you will have the ultimate notebook, hands down.

Hope that helps.... and I really don't want to sound bad, but I don't think you're going to find a better answer.

 

i'm pretty sure the w3v can handle it. I personally would opt for the Z70va simply because you get more performance for your money.. but then again, it is the bulkier of the 3 and will have more height with the lid open as the speaker is below the screen.

 

I guess I forgot to comment on the screen height, but if you look in this picture you'll see the W3 in the middle and the V6 to the right. Just for comparison, the Z70va is will stand taller than the V6 because it has a normal hinge design and the unit is thicker....... and the chassis was design for regular and widescreen ratios..... so the physical height would be the same as any 15" regular ratio -- even though a 15.4" screen itself is not as tall.

The screen on the V6va basically sits almost flush with the height of the keybord - becasue of it's thin bezel and the hinge design... the screen on the Z70va sits almost two inchs above the keyboard.

 

if u're willing to spend 2000, get the v6va. the v6va (13x10.7x1) is roughly the same size as the powerbook(13.7x9.5x1). if u dont wanna spend that much, get the z70va. it's weight isnt much of an issue unless u're carrying like 2-3 other big textbooks with u. the w3v i would really consider since its graphics power is a bit lacking. although it will play the games u mentioned, but probably wont handle tomorrow's games. its size is it's only real advantage and even then its just as wide as the v6va.

 

I'd get the V6. All are great systems, but the Z70 is a funky design (in my opinion). The screen frame is built to fit both the widescreen AND regular aspect-ratio screens, so you will have excess on the top and the bottom, or excess on the sides. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful, but I prefer machines that were built specifically for a particular setup, not an interchangeable one.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think I'm going to go with the V6VA - just need to convince the wife that the screen is worth the extra cash.

 

Good choice... the V6Va is definitely Asus's sexiest offering.
Good luck with convincing your wife

 

thanks for asking jleyba! i needed the same advice!

and thanks to the rest of you guys!
im gonna get the v6va!!
:asus:

 

Yeah, if you're fond of the Apple notebooks and used to the normal ratio screen, the V6Va would be a perfect choice for you. If you want to test or check out a widescreen before dipping your toes into buying one, I'd go to your nearest retailer test drive one. Some people aren't used to or can't adapt to widescreen and the high resolution of the Z70VA.

 

Honestly you only have one problem...... and I've seen these at least a half dozen times in the past few months myself........ make sure your wife doesn't steal it! It's so sexy that it'll make her jealous and she was take it on you, I swear.... I know I've heard the same from at least two forum members via IM and email.... so you guys should chime in.

 

Well, looks like i can get the v6va after all (wohoo). But now I'm really thinking long and hard about that 4200 hdd since I won't be able to afford an upgrade.

I'm only worried about if for gaming (WoW and BF2). Will it affect my actual FPs and lag, or just loading times? If it's just the latter, I can deal with it.

 

It iwll not effect your FPS it will only have alittle longer loading times.

 

Sweet. I'll place my order either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys, you rock!

 

Just keep in mind that for $300 you can get the best drive out there... and it's much more than you need..... so consider it a 6 or 8 month upgrade.... so down the road this system can blow your mind again.

 

So we CAN order the V6va with a 5400rpm HD? I'm trying to decide between that, the Z70va, and maybe the Z91ja later this month with the x1600. As g1na said, a $2k decision can be exhausting, especially with such great choices.

 

No, you have to order the V6Va with the 4200 RPM drive and then upgrade the hard drive yourself (or get something else to upgrade it for you)

 

Cygnus, you'd have to upgrade it yourself. It really is easy enough, just unscrew, remove old, and pop in the new. The only downside is you'd have to have a copy of your OS to reinstall. Not sure if the V6Va comes with one or just a recovery disc.

 

The recovery disc is just an automated xp pro install disk w/ the drivers......... they come with every ensemble system and turns what is normally a two hour process that needs to be monitored into about a 45 minute process that can be left alone........ so SUPER easy.

 

But doesn't that disc require a partition to already exist on the HDD with some backup info? Or would it work with a brand new HDD?

Granted things have changed in the last few years, but my old compaq's recovery disc stopped working after I wiped out the backup partition (yeah, it was intentional, and I expected it to stop working).

 

No....... on the stock harddrive there is a hidden partition with that recovery disk already on it... so you could do a format of your original drive without the disks..... but the recovery disc itself can be put into the system and format a brand new drive very easily....