help a newbie: A8Js or W3j?

Hi guys,
I did some research on these two laptops and still cannot seem to decide

what do you think would be a better choice?
**is a 7700 with 512mb better than an x1600 with 256mb??

what are the other major differences i need to take into account? (like a 2nd battery slot- do both of them have it?)

i do not mind paying 100-200 dollars extra for a slightly better product.

 

Is the 7700 w/ 512mb better than the x1600 w/ 256mb - yes of course... is it better for you? That's a question we can't answer without know what you want to use it for and your basis "needs".

The W3 is a better quality laptop, from it's design, to it's build, to it's materials and details.... it's a system that I know will look and perform like new two years down the road. The modular bay is a huge part of why it's so flexible... optical drive - 2nd battery - 2nd hard drive - travelers drawer... you can have more life, more storage, or a lighter system, depending on the day. The W3 also has a main battery which is 8 cells.

The A8 is cheaper.... in price, in build, in design, in materials, in features. The newest A8 model now offers bluetooth, so that is no longer an issue between the two. The A8 comes with a faster cpu, which most people would never notice the difference in over the life of the system anyway...The A8 has DVI out, but unless you're outputting to a WUXGA 23" display or larger - it's not going to be much benefit to you. The A8 stakes it's claim in all out gaming performance on the cheap... I know $1,600 for a notebook isn't considered "cheap" by many people, but the W3 with the same exact configuration and graphics card would go for about $2,100 or more... which is $500 more than the A8 --- that's all in the quality of the system itself.

The A8 is a great bang for your buck, but it's not meant for the long term... and it's not meant for someone that can appreciate the finer things - like design, build, functionality, etc.

The real question right now if you can get a W3j. It's gone EOL (end of life) by Asus.... I know we've run out, Asus doesn't have any more.. There are a handful floating around, but we don't think will be refreshed into the market when Vista comes out... It has a chance to be refreshed when the next generation Santa Rosa chipset models start rolling out in April, but that may be a long shot as well since the V2 and Vx2 will be coming out and bring similiar quality and functionality to the 14" lineup.... but in new designs with more features......... so if you don't have a time limit, but want a better system, I may suggest one of those two.

 

Wow.. so that's the end of the w3 series eh? For some reason, i thought I saw somewhere on these forums that they werent' discontinuing the w3 anytime soon... then again, it could've just been a horribly outdated post and the post was spot on in the fact that the w3 hasn't been discontinued till now.. haha anyways, i'm glad i got mine before they're out. Quick question. Is it very difficult to upgrade the cpu in the w3? I'm asking in terms of accessibility and pop out and in and away you go? or... hard to reach, and requires changing settings in the bios and drivers and things like that. Thanks!

 

Thank you very much for your detailed input proportable!
I appreciate it.

I am currently sick and tired of my vaio s150, with its cracked 13" screen and broken AC jack (not to mention filled HD and weird fan noises), so im planning to order one of these laptops tomorrow.

I have found some w3's through resellers i saw in this forum.

I definitely want my laptop to last. However the $500 difference for the same config for just the quality?! - thats absurd. I do not always take care of my laptops properly, but I guess i will have to learn if i go with the A8J.
for that $500 difference I could probably buy an extra main battery for A8J and use my old laptop's HD as an extra HD with those USB cable thingies.

I am guessing i most probably go with the A8J because of the extra features as well - integrated webcam and the 7700.. I have stopped gaming since i got into college but i have to check out the new FPSs sometime i guess

Anybody else with helpful input? please ?

 

I did upgrade the processor in my W3J myself (the stock processor was a Yonah T2400 1.83 GHz, I upgraded to a Merom T7600 2.33 GHz) and I can say that it is not difficult at all. Some things to do/check are listed as follows:
1. Check your BIOS version. If it's not 2.10, then upgrade it to ver. 2.10. The latest BIOS supports processors up to Merom.
2. If you worry about warranty, then wait until your warranty period ends (since upgrading processor by yourself voids the warranty).
3. To reach the processor, you need to open the bottom compartment cover, remove the vga module, and remove the cooling fan (after unplug the fan cable). Then there's the thermal paste business.
You see, it's easy.

 

Since when? The resellers I was looking at only have the non BT version. Except for milestonepc.com, but it's always had the BT. Do you know which other resellers sell the BT factory installed? I just ask 'cause milestonepc still claims that it's BT version is an "exclusive offer in north america"

 

It was exclusive for a bout 1 month or less. It is not now. There is a version of the a8js in the states that has bt. A8JS-4S024P BT.
Asus has it in stock. We dont sell it becuase we integrate our own bluetooth, always have. The non bt version is 80$ cheaper.

 

I would take a serious look at the W3J. If you are traveling with your notebook or are hard on it at all, from what I have read, the A8JS could give you problems. Things like hinges/lcd,palmrest.

The W3J is more expensive, but the looks, and amazing build quality are worth it to some people.

 

I thought it wasn't possible to upgrade from core duo to core 2 duo? Thanks

 

No, it IS possible. AFAIK some ASUS Core Duo notebook models can be upgraded to Core 2 Duo.