some advice before i purchase asus a8js

hello,
i had my mind set on a dell xps m1210 for awhile but now i think the screen will be too small for me and the video card is not powerful enough. so after some more researching, im going for the asus a8js--it has a bigger screen and video card. but i have never purchased any laptops from any other brand besides dell.
i just want know is there a site where i can customize my asus with a faster harddrive and more ram ... and what about their customer service and build quality-- are they any good?
give me as much info as possible on this particular notebook because i dont want to regret my purchase.thanks

 

Asus is one of the most trusted notebook brands in the business, that I have seen. If you are a North American or Asian customer you can definitely expect great customer service. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the XPS line, I find most Asus lappies to be far above Dell notebooks. If you look in the "Asus Information Booth" thread you will find almost all the information you are looking for and probably more. I would also check out the forum search function for the A8JS discussions. I have heard many nice comments about the A8 series and do not think you would be disappointed. Again though, that thread should have all the company bio information as well as a link to an FAQ with the best resellers and other commonly asked questions by first time buyers. Congratulations to you though on venturing outside of the megacompany zone for a PC though, many consumers nowadays are too reluctant to do that. Also, of course, you will find many nice, knowledgeable people in this forum to help (I know I did about 2 years ago when I bought mine!). Good Luck!

 

Just to signal the flipside of the coin, there are many people complaining about A8 build quality and screen quality (the latter more in some versions than others).

Just search for A8Js in the forum to find some threads on the good and bad of the computer.

 

thanks guys...i'll be doing some more research

 

Look at the G1S coming out ;-D. I love that laptop!

 

the g1s looks awesome and would definately get it but im looking for a notebook around 5lbs and the g1s is around 7lbs !!! i really need a portable gaming notebook cause its going to be in my backpack all the time
im still thinking about getting the g1s

 

my current notebook is over 8 pounds and I am able to carry it with me with no problems. You will find that books and binders will far outweigh any notebook lighter than 9 pounds. At least my physics books do =P

 

I have used both the A8js and XPS m1210 (my father owns the xps) and I think the xps has superior build quality. Only slightly though. I hope asus comes out with another notebook similar to the w3jp.

 

yeap the w3j was perfect for ppl that wanted power and quality...you can probably still find some @ newegg or milestonepc.
But if looks and quality doesnt bother you that much, the a8js looks like a fit for you.

And yes ASUS customer support is good and their RMA service great also.

 

The A8 is the budget model though, they are known for having lesser build quality. Saying the XPS is only slightly better means something is wrong at dell (As if we didn't know that =P)

 

ok, ever since since alexonfyre told me about g1, i've been confused... which should i get a8js or g1.... oh and is the 8600mgt better than the 7700go in the current g1, cuz im also cotemplating whether i should wait for the refresh or just buy it now

 

the 8600M GT will be quicker, but overall performance remains to be seen. I definitely won't be WORSE, but whether it will be a big step or just a small boost we don't know.

 

I'm expecting a small boost with DX 10 and hardware decoding being the bigger improvements.

 

I have been researching a lot in the last couple of days, and the asus a8js has everything i ask for. However, i still do not know how it looks, the pics that I have found do not say much of it. Can someone upload a video or better pictures? also, is 2 gigs the maximum memory for this laptop or it can be upgraded to 4? thank you

 

I beleive it's a 2GB max for the A8JS

 

i knew that there had to be something wrong with it..thanks anyways.

 

snoori10, you had asked of a place where you can customize an Asus. Not sure if you found one, but if not have a look here:
http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

They seem to have good prices too.

 

awesome link! it also answered me the memory limit question. There is an option to get 3 gigs.

 

Do you think it is better to wait for the upcoming santa rosa options rather than buy this laptop? I have narrow my options to three laptops, the 8js, the HP Pavilion dv2500t (only because of the tv tuner option and santa rosa platform) and the vaio VGN-FZ190. I am comparing them using only two criterias, the processor and the graphic card. The hp and viao both have the santa rosa platform ( Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz ) and the vaio one comes with an NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT graphic card. Please do not compare prices, I just want to know what outcome would be better off for gaming and all. Is the 8js still better? Thank you.

 

Personally I am waiting for Santa Rosa for a few reasons:
1) Power saving features
2) 802.11N wireless
3) Slightly faster processor

And also for nVidia 8M GPU's (8600M GT) for a few reasons:
1) power saving features (or so they claim, we'll see)
2) Slightly faster
3) DX 10
4) Better for watching movies since it decodes on the hardware

For me also price is not as much of a deal. So yes, I would recommend waiting for what you want in Santa Rosa if you can. I just ordered an Asus G1S, looks like it will ship today, I am very excited

 

If you are concerned about build quality, also look into a W3J, which also has a 14" screen, but has better build quality compared to the A8JS. Another option would be the W7J, which has similar specs to the XPS M1210, but has a larger screen at 13.3".

There are also upcoming Santa Rosa models, but it would depend on the time frame of your purchase. You still can't go wrong by buying the current Napa platform notebooks at now reduced prices.

 

those are great notebooks but i want one that can handle games like call of duty, battlefield, and ghost recon pretty decently without having to break my back from carryin it around all the time

EDIT: oh and crysis as well

 

here's a great review i found

http://techgage.com/article/asus_a8js_14inch_widescreen_notebook/8