disappointed with a8jm

i just got my laptop 2day and i am really disappointed. this laptop basically has everything but falls short on 2 important aspects. ITS TOO HEAVY FOR ITS SIZE and not meant for a college student to carrry around (that what bought it for). also, if u plan on listening to music, then this laptop is not for you. my phone can play music louder than this laptop and that is a big disappointment. i really wanted a 14.1 screen but i think i will be returning this and getting a w7j so i can carry it around atleast. other than that.... its the best build laptop i have seen even though its the lower end of the asus line.

 

True, its in the heavy side of 14" notebooks, but you have to understand, there IS a video card, aka the 7600 in there...

Notebook speakers = always crappy, its a fact.

 

make sure you look for a setting in bios

now if you blow out your speakers you might not be able to return it.

also look on control panel. notebooks come set with things set down.

 

I don't know what field of study you're in, but over here in arcchitecture school, we've got folks carrying around 17" workstations, and I don't hear them complaining. The A8J is just fine. Is the extra pound or two really going to break your back?

I agree with the speaker thing. I cannot for the life of me get the speakers to be as loud as my old Toshiba's.

 

Don't you guys worry about the sound being so unbalanced towards the high end? Just awful, I wouldn't even want more of that tweeting out of this thing.

Headphones on the go & external system on the stay definitely required.

 

is there a way to make the volume a little louder wid some bios setting?

 

The only laptop I used that had a more than decent sound was Compaq Presario 2820EA with JBL speakers. There are couple of more laptops (Toshiba Qosmio with bass speaker, etc) that are good but they all are desktop replacements. Forget about great internal speakers in "thin and light" class...

 

Mine seems loud enough when at max volume, then again I'm not really that picky about sound....

But yeah, as mentioned, notebook speakers in small form factors generally are just OK at best.. you might wanna get some external speakers or headphones to get better quality sound.

It is a bit weighty, as is the W3J... because as Coriolis mentioned, the GPU's are some of the most powerful available in the market.

 

I'd first say that one of the above comments is true... When I was in grad school, little 5' /100lbs girls were carrying around 17" Hp's going about 12lbs themselves...... and they thought that was light.

You should have had access to the weight of all of the model you may have chosen between, so if you feel it's too heavy to carry around, it's sort of your own fault. Everyone has a different idea of what is too big to carry around a campus all day..... If you're someplace like Penn State or Ohio State with city size campuses, carrying anything for a couple miles gets to be more than you want to do every day. It really depends on you. If you think the A8 is too heavy to carry around all the time, the W7 is certainly going to be easier, but the weight difference will be significant, but will it be enough for you?

 

LOL, you know, I think my university is more evolved. I have yet to see a 17 incher on campus. However, I have seen plenty thick 15.4". I can understand asusfan's situation, but everyone is different need/wants/preferences in a laptop.

 

Architecture schools are another animal altogher... I'm not talking about the law students or med students...... I'm talking about the kids who need the big screens, but also want to take their system between school and their studio space in the school.

 

Perhaps backpack plays a part? With weight distribution and such. I started off the year only carrying the a8jm, bottle of coke and a clipboard, then a added the power brick, pencil case, and a couple of light books and I don't feel a difference.

I remember when I used to walk/take bus to high school, I'd carry two textbooks that weigh 10+ lbs. So carrying 7 pounds around isn't a hassle. Like right now I'm beside a girl half my size with a Gucci bag carrying a 17 incher

 

not true, my 4 year old toshiba satellite has subwoofers with harmon kardon speakers

 

True, but that only makes what, 2-5% of all notebooks? I know the W2 series has awesome speakers and a subwoofer, but you can't compare any, no matter if its HK/JBL/etc. to any Kilpsh, Bose or even Logitech speakers.

 

u guys are saying that laptop speakers are usually weak but mostly they arent that bad. i have used dells, hp, toshiba and theire speakers went pretty loud. the a8jm is pretty much an exception to normal laptop speakers. what would u guys recomment as a good carry case for this laptop? also what are some good external speakers?

 

external speakers; z2300s by Logitech. A cheap and decent 2.1 system. BTW, if you cant carry a 14 in notebook, how did you survive lugging around books?(Basically carrying a notebook isnt that bad).

 

you know what?

I have a 4 year old sony laptop with really excellent speakers that I could vulture. Id like to see pictures of where the a8jms speakers are hooked up while im thinking about it.

Im not sure why this is even a potential complaint at all. I do believe you can install your own speakers so easily but i could be wrong on this model.

The ones in my 4 year old sony are amazing really although im sure there are better.

 

We handed down my wife's old Inspiron 2200 to my 3 year old and really really wish your statement was true. I can hear Dora and Boots across the entire house.

 

heavy? i thought the notebook was bloody light lol.

 

same for 14.1 with its specs 5.5lbs is NOT heavy... get a notebook backpack and it wont feel heavy

 

im weak =[

 

Look at it as a chance to develop some muscle then.
Go around campus while lifting your backpack up and down.

 

Dude.

I'm 5'9" and 125 pounds. To say I'm weak would be understatement of the year, but I can tell you that having hefted: an 8 pound Toshiba, a 3 pound Sony, an 8 pound Gateway, and my 5 pound A8Jm...I can feel the A8Jm in my backpack for sure, but honestly, it's pretty frigging light, especially given what's inside it.

There are other things you can complain about with the A8Jm, but weight isn't one.

And I've listened to my share of generic laptop speakers. I won't defend the ones on the A8Jm, but honestly, like many people here have already said, speakers on laptops are like tits on a bull. Once in a great while they may serve a purpose, but by and large you should be using either headphones or external speakers.

 

I know how you feel Asusfan. I went through high school lugging around like textbooks all over the place and built up a pretty strong back. I have no intention to do that over nearly x10 the distance in college!

I agree with the other people though, 5.5 lbs isn't much by itself. But if you're carrying a textbook or two I can understand how you want the -1.3 lbs decrease going to the W7J.

If you don't want to game you can get a X60s which I think is...2.7 lbs? Or, if you want to put in the extra cash(alot of extra cash actually) you can get a SZ premium which should be able to game as well as the W7J, but weighs 3.7 lbs instead of the W7J's 4.2lbs.

 

I have trouble understanding how you can find an A8Jm to be heavy. I'd pick my A8Jm over a textbook any day weight wise (and entertainment wise =D) and with nothing but it in a backpack I barely feel it. It's not an ultralight-you'll feel it on your back, but you've got to be reasonable with the amount of power you're packing.

Also, for most people, if you're at all picky about sound you need a proper sound card and speakers/headphones. Even headphones on integrated sound won't cut it. I hooked an SBlive 5.1 external up to logitech z-560s and I'm the envy of my hallway (and possibly the bane of some, depending on whether or not I push it past 10%).

But if you're really set on settling on laptop speakers it's worth pointing out that the ones on the A8Jm are awful and at noticeably worse than, say, a MBP.

 

Haha, are you my clone? I only slightly heavier, maybe 130-135.

 

... or Diego and Baby Jaguar ?

:rofl: ... dunnno why.. that is just so funny

 

One of the main factors I considered when looking for a new laptop was decent sound. I didn't expect concert hall sound, but I wanted something really good for a laptop since I was spoiled by my 5 year old Toshiba's Harmon-Kardons w/ subwoofer. The sound on my W2JB is pretty frigging awesome for a laptop but I wouldn't want to schlep it around a campus all day either. One cannot compare apples with oranges and in the laptop realm, one will always be forced to compromise on something. I wanted a more powerful video card too, but any machine with a 7900 in it is going to be thick as a brick. My W2JB might be almost 8 pounds, but it is a sleek and well balanced beauty.

 

Sony in-canal earbuds FTW. I just bought a pair to replace the earbuds for my Zen Xtra... They were only $30, block out most external sounds as well as earplugs, and the frequency response seems pretty balanced for the price. Plenty of bass. Good in either the laptop (I use Pandora a lot to find new music, great free personal internet radio site) or the MP3 player. Weight - well they don't weigh much.

You might look at the mass distribution of your backpack. Try to put the heavier stuff closer to your back and the ligher stuff farther away. Reduce the moment on your back that way. Tighten the straps up until it sits right.

I need a sleeve for my Z33.. I've been putting it in the Asus case in my backpack, but that's really overkill.

 

btw.. i wus kidding when i said i was weak... i am 6'2" 200 lbs. its just that since i hadn't really seen the laptop before, i was expecting it too be lighter. i am hesitating on getting the w7j cuz 13.3 feels too small even though its only .7 inch difference.
also, isnt it awkward playing first person shoooters on laptops? i tried playing counter strike and even thought it wus 99 fps, it dint feel rite

 

yesterday, at work, I took my friend's 13.3" macbook and compared it to a 14" Dell D620. While the Dell is obviously slightly wider, screenwise, it is almost the same, both height and width (particularly the height).

however when comparing to some one eless Dell XPS M1210 scren (a 12"), you can definitely see the difference in screen size.

like Eddie has said before.. with a 13" you get about the same screen real estate, but a pound less to carry. although the reverse is true.. for pound more, you can get something with a more powerful gpu and you get the same screen real estate.,,

 

OK, pop quiz time. I'm issuing you with ONE comma. Where would you put it in the above sentence for maximum comedic effect?

Don't mind me, Fridayitis strikes again...

 

Right after bag, just before carrying ... although... dunno about 17 incher 7 maybe.. but 17....

 

You speak the truth.

 

isnt 5.25lbs a low weight?? if you consider it heavy.... well DAMNIT lol i have to restart all my shopping again, i need a really low laptop and i fixed myself on alptop less than 5.5lbs, i thought that was really light....... argggggg

 

the speakers are getting really annoying...whats the point of having a 100gb hard drive if cant listen to music...is there ANY way to bring up da volume?? can t really use external speakers since im using the laptop on teh couch most of the time

 

Ouch. You could try one of the wifi-music stations, or buy a pair of USB/notebook speakers.

If I use a pre-amp in iTunes mine get pretty loud, you could try that as well, of course taking care not to blow out your speakers.

 

i have another problem. all of a sudden the light latch stopped locking any more. when i close the lid, only the left latch goes in and the right one just sits on top till i push in the button.....any one else having the same probleM?? how can i fix this?

 

Personally, I don't know anyone that uses their laptop speakers. We all use speakers at home and headphones when we're out.

Like right now I'm beside a girl half my size with a Gucci bag, carrying a 17 incher

 

I use my laptops speakers.

But not really to rock out with. I mean I use them for mp3s too but just to test the quality. If I were listening to rock out Id use headphones, the $20 variety.

I mean so its not a big deal to me as I already said but laptop speakers have a use.

 

ur 6'2" and 200lbs and u are complaining about 5lbs.....tsk tsk...i carry my a8jm around as much as i can around campus and im 5'7", 130lbs.......along with my calculus textbook, economics textbooks(3 of em) and 2 binders with calculators and pens, pencils....

 

Most probably have the ability to carry that much. But, I'm pretty sure most of us would prefer to carry way less.

 

yep he can but doesnt want to. I carry my s96j around campus 3 days a week for the whole day. I dont have a backpack ( to poor to get one ) so i have my laptop bag that my mom got me. I carry my c++ book and my chem course reader too. The lappy is approx 7 lbs. and its a pain in the ass.

This is comming from a guy that can bench a super massive 60lbs!!!

I could have gone smaller, but playing games on any screen less than 15.4 in during class is unacceptable!

 

do you guys think that a w3v at a similar price is a better deal considering the lower quality gpu doesnt really matter to me

 

I would not invest in a w3v for more than like 1000$

I would definitely look at the w7j, and the sony sz as smaller with a similar price. both have the 7400 gpu.