z96j 15.4 WXSGA+... take 2

Ironically, one of the few posts that was actually on topic in the first thread dealing with this subject got lost somehow.

I just wanted to know how the new 15.4" screen on the z96j compares with the z70va in terms of brightness, sharpness and colours.

And, please, if you're very sensitive about owning a notebook with WXGA, don't post to this thread.

 

I have a question about this screen... is it possible to game on a resolution other than native? I want to buy this laptop but I prefer to play games on lower resolutions (1024x768 max probably).

 

I believe that it should be more in comparison to the Z71 screen from what I've heard. The Z70va had a gorgeous matte screen (prob the best I've ever seen), so if it is the same screen as that, then congratulations to future owners of this.

 

i thought the Z96J's screen was glossy?

 

it is glossy. Actually better then the z70va screen. z70va had a low brightness samsung screen that was prone to an inherent defect known as ghosting. worst exprience in sales i ever dealt with asus. Hope they dont do that again.

 

Oh wow.. that's gotta be a beautiful screen.. How are the viewing angles in comparison to the Z70va as well?

 

Yes it is possible. The Nvidia driver gives several options for scaling. Preferrably you want choose one of the options that lets the display adapter do the scaling instead of the monitor, if monitor scaling is even an option. Display adapter scaling usually has better quality from what I've seen.

 

Haha, Justin, that must've been hell for you and all other resellers.

I don't think the Z70Va screen is poor, but I definitely don't think it's great anymore. It's just that the colours are too washed out and isn't as bright as it should be I guess? Still a great laptop though, of course.

I wonder how nice the Z96j will really be. I'd love to get my hands on one to review. Hope my store gets them in.

 

UHhh... Doesnt z96j have an ATI x1600... not an Nvidia in it?

 

The Z96J isn't in anyone's hands yet (the samples had the WXGA screen so we can't use that for comparison) so there is no way to answer these questions about the screen yet.

The video card is indeed the X1600 w/256MB dedicated and 512MB with HyperMemory (at least 1,024MB system memory is required for HyperMemory to work).

 

You're right, my mistake. The ATI driver should have a similar option.

 

I answered this for you. It's a good screen, but it's not really comparable to the Z70va or the Z71v..... or I might put it in the Z71v comparison.... It's not the same type of screen, which makes it difficult, but I know from seeming them, it's also not the same screen on the W1j, which would lead me to believe - there are better screens, but it is still a great screen for what it'll cost. Almost the way there was a difference between the Z71v and the Z70va...... both great screens with the same res and specs.. but the Z70va was better. Well the W1j and V1j will have a better 15.4" screen, but that doesn't mean the Z96j is bad.. it just means it's second best.... still excellent.

 

Justin, how can you compare the WSXGA+ screen on the Z96J when you haven't seen it yet?

 

I got one of the few demos.... it's got to be three months ago that had the higher resolution. I think 95% of them came with WXGA only. As I said before, I don't know if it's going to be the same screen, but based on pricing of the Z96j, it's not the same screen they put on the W1v that I saw........ however, both glaretype, WSXGA+ screens.

 

Justin.. out of all the Asus notebooks you've used, which do you believe has the best screen overall in terms of sharpness and viewing angles?

 

Nice try Justin.

Where is your integrity man...there has never been a WSXGA+ sample (or demo) of the Z96J in the US before...three months ago or otherwise. The first samples that came in a couple of weeks ago were all WXGA. The new production models that arrived on Monday were the first to have the WSXGA+ screens, and of course those don't have optical drives.

I am really disappointed that you would try to offer this kind of product comparison sight unseen, and then try to defend such deceipt with some cockeyed story about having "...one of the few demos...that had the higher resolution." some three months ago...it is simply not true.

 

Thats weird. Frank repeteadly told me they dont have a sample of the wsxga screen. He had to go ask his "superior" just to make sure. The 2 sample (1 got one by accident) turned out to be wxga back in march

 

Well the Z96j reviews with WSXGA+ screens should be coming out in the most of the computer magazines any time.... Considering production units didn't come in until the other day, it's going to be interesting to see them and we'll have to question how they got the reviews out so fast.

 

Come on guys, stop spoiling stimp's enthusiasm...


Z96j!Z96j!Z96j!Z96j!Z96j!Z96j!


edit: Whoa, the Z96j text links to the S96j.

 

Justin, why can't you just be honest and tell everyone that you have never seen the production WSXGA+ screen, so you can't really answer questions about it?

You have preached to all of us that samples (or demos) very often don't have the same specs, or screens, that the production models do. So even if you did see this mythical WSXGA+ screen 4 months ago there is no reason to expect that the mythical screen you saw will look anything like the Z96J screen that the user will get, and that is what they were asking about.

Even when we read your answers carefully we notice that you slip and make it clear that you are just guessing...so just say so. That is what integrity is all about.

 

umm caught?

 

This is a waste of time and has ruined another otherwise decent thread. Don, you don't have all the same resources I do and I don't have all same resources you do. I've had a relationship with Asus which goes back further than you and we've always done business directly with them and build our own systems. What do you want to call me on? Seriously...... what is there for me to defend or prove? Absolutely nothing.

 

Looks like im not the only one who has problems with this person

 

peace guys, I've post some photos of Z96J WSXGA+ at NBF, enjoy.

Photos:
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread162886.html

Benchmark
http://www.notebookforums.com/post2279205.html#post2279205

 

hmm, so does the Z96J have the black stripes on the cover or not? I'm confused

 

No it does not, in fact it looks exactly like S96J.

 

Sigh... this seems sad. I'm sorry Donald, but sometimes you can anger me. I didn't notice Justin slipping anywhere. In fact, I'm about 99% that I believe Justin. I also believe he said 3 months...not 4. I'm also pretty sure the WSXGA+ screen is not mythical as Ken has posted some pictures of it, and it does look just like Justin described. It seems that Justin knew what he was talking about when he compared the two screens.

Thanks Justin for your info. It is appreciated.

 

With respect, I always like to point out incorrect information even if a post was to back me up in someway... it's just what I do and it's only for the benefit of the forum.

We've had many things that no one else has seen over the years and that really isn't the heart of it because I could care less about it. I wish someone could get down my throat over something I'd actually like to brag about having. The Z96 is a good system, but it's not one of the Asus toys that gets me going (like me getting a PW201 lcd before anyone...... or the P2525 ppc phone before anyone.... these are just what I've gotten in the last couple months).... The highend, unattainable things attract me and when we had the oppurtunity to see the Z96 originally, we were told it'd be out in a couple weeks anyway, so I looked, it was generic looking, pictures honestly tell as good a story as they need to...... then they never came out. Then, not to long ago Asus did want to pass demos to purchase and keep off on all of the dealers, but those were WXGA.....

Two different things.

Now, Ken is showing the production model which came in this past week. Asus did ship out some of them before they realized there were no drives in them, but they're the same drives that are in the S96, so anyone who got stock could certainly yank them from those boxes and start building them out.

 

^ That's what I call integrity.

 

I really don't need the back up, but it is appreciated, especially from someone else's customer.

 

And just to make a point of a few things... it isn't even whether or not that Justin has seen this that angers me. It was just the way that the situation was dealt with. I expect things like this to be dealt with in a more respectful manner than it was. And, my main point with saying Ken has seen this, is Donald made the claim that the Z96J was in no one's hands right now... I know I didn't quote that, but that was what was going on in my mind when I said that. I didn't make myself very clear.

 

This is not the attitude i look for from a vendor, especially the CEO of one. Im honestly disgusted.

 

Lol... okay, I am still going to be reading this thread to see how everything "sums" up, but I am refraining from further comments. Things are starting to get ugly around here, and I don't want to be a part of it more than I already am.

 

Ok, now I realize that some new people on this forum honestly don't have a leg to stand on. I look up above me here and see someone who quoted me four times saying real things that make me a real person and are the more vulnerable and honest things I could say. Let me recap and try to think why these comments would effect my company:

1. I have a love for Asus products and in my position, I can get to see things you never will because they'll never sell here..... I should be hung for having this oppurtunity.

2. There's a war in Iraq and Isreal is going going to suck us into World War 3... I'm a junkie when it comes to Asus gear and I get off on getting my sneak peeks, but just like any drug, it takes more and more to keep me going.... so if the new toy isn't something completely off the wall and better than the last, it's just another computer. It's like having a Lamborghini and then winning a honda in a store give-a-way... oh wow.... The world is going to hell in a handbasket and Ken Lay the tour guide...

Some people get so upset about being called "average" for owning a screen resolution screen and they won't leave you alone. I know your mother tell you that you're special, but I refuse to.

 

Yea... sooo.. how bout them local sports team?

 

A sports team? Cool! Justin can bring his fat head, don can bring his bible and i can bring my new hidef sony camera and review the match. Tennis player can bring his tennis raquet and invite ken and all his fanboys from nfb.

 

Sick.. I'll bring my guitar and we can all sing kumbaya while we smoke out of my peace pipe.

 

No doubt i ll hook it up with some brooklyn paraphanelia for your peace pipe. I hear Justin is a native american so maybee he will appreciate it

 

PROportable, i don't have anything against you. Nothing from previous threads has any significance here.

Im just getting the impression that you are conceited. This impression is coming solely off of the quotes. It looks to me like the Z96J is too lowly a computer for you to be bothered with. I feel that you are indirectly insulting everyone who intends to buy a Z96J. Your mannerism and the way you carry yourself isn't giving a very good impression of who you are and how you represent your business.

All i see from you is what you like, what your prefs are, how you feel. Is your business all about you?

Don't misunderstand me, i have no grudge against you because of an incident in the other thread.

EDIT: LoL, PROPortable just game me negative rep.

 

LOL!!

I'll bring my drum and play along

 

Awesome! we have a band ladies and gents... now for those groupies....

 

The reason I started importing Asus notebooks back in 2001 was because nothing else was good enough for me. With my background in design and just a general way of how I've always lives, performance wasn't enough. Although Asus' systems could be 10 pounds and justd a big grey cube and they'd still have Asus' quality in terms of their motherboard..... that's just not enough.

So, performance was big, but design and quality of build is equaly important to me and where this business started from. So, I expect certain things from Asus and nowadays as their US business expands based on the quality reviews of the past years, they're introducing more "mainstream" models which do no impress me. Now, I know you've only been hanging around this forum for a month now and certainly don't have time to look back and track all of my posts over the years, you're basising what your thought process on such a tiny little fragment of time and passing judgement on that when the rest is open for your research.

Now, one thing that people respect me for in this forum is my personal and honest touch. Yes this company is about me.... In my position, I still make the rules and what I say goes... What else would you expect? I mean, I'm generalizing here, but my opinion is what made the company a company and has gotten us to where we are today. My philosphy is simply put and something everyone either already knows or should.... If I won't won't use a product, I'm not going to have the company sell it. My word is behind everything we sell as a quality product that I'd personally use. With all my experience through the years with Asus and my degrees in design, in some people's minds, would qualify me to tell them what's good and bad based on previous models. I don't want to get ahead of anyone, so let's all pay attention.....

So if I refuse to sell something, does it mean it's not right for some people? Not at all.... but when someone goes and buys that and they're not happy with, I can sleep at night because I spoke the truth about it and although I don't like to see anyone upset with any Asus purchase, at least it's not our customer coming back saying we lied to them just to sell a product. That's one thing no one in the world that's ever contacted us could say.... We've never pushed anyone into a sale and We've nevered given opinions on something we haven't had experience with - unless of course they're general things - but my opinion isn't meant to piss someone off.

I don't like the S96j as the only thing it has going for is it's graphics card. That alone is not enough to make it good in my book and therefore we don't sell it. If anyone has problems with it down the road, I'm not going to sit here and say I told you so. This is a community and one in which I've been a part of pretty much longer than anyone and I was originally invited here for the expertese I have in this area. Certainly everyone out there won't want to hear me, but I have a certain "rep power" here in this forum and apparently have helped enough people in whatever they were looking at, to the point where only occasional posters and new members jump down my throat over a handful of comments.

The moral of the story is, I'm real, I'm honest, and I am the first one to stand respsonsible for my actions via the obvious full name and contact information in my signature. There are two things I refuse to do.....

1. being anyones' fanboy.... I love Asus' products on a whole, but everyone in this forum at the end of the day knows what products I'd use and why (and can take that information for what it's worth).

2. refuse to "sell" anything in this forum. I give information and when we get things in, they're there for people to buy of course. However, my goal is to inform and give my opinion for those who want it.... Not the best marketing plan and that doesn't bother me, but it lends validity to what I have to say because I don't push products I don't believe in. It's like crying wolf... but instead it would be me saying all Asus products are great and... please Asus can I have another?

This forum is a community where others may consider me a community leader.... I do a lot for the forum, I've been around a long time, I have a certain "rep power" and I guess I'm called a "notebook prophet" for what it's worth...... It's about the products and not the sales and that's one reason it doesn't bother me. Sales come in regardless, but if I can change someone's life by giving them what they don't expect (that would be the head of a company in a forum like this and not being straight laced and unapproachable).... then awesome... I'm going to be 26 years old and have acccomplished a lot in my young life, but being me is all I know and this forum is my online home...... I'm not saying don't come into me home and yell at me, but I will suggest that my motives are clear and I'm wanted here by the majority of members and mods and admins and even resellers.

I am who I am and although some people don't like it, it doesn't make me any less of a person or conceited, stuck up, yada, yada, yada..... Does that help get you on the same page?

 

Yes, that certainly helped. Thanks for your explanation and i apologise for coming out aggressively.

Although i don't agree with your business approach, i respect your contributions to this community.

 

There is no business approach to agree to though. That's where I want to be 100% clear because that's the basis of what I do here and really a big part of the company. Just so we're clear, the only thing I mentioned is how we decide on what we're selling. It kills me whenever someone decides not to agree with me when I say something is good - "well you sell it, of course you'll say that"..... So I counter with all that I don't like about Asus and for good and bad, I'm not a sales man.... I may be in "sales rep" if you consider my mere presence associated with the forum and the connection there being that my company sells these things... but other than that "saleman" has a hugely nagative conotation and one reason I like being an architect... They're hugely admired in the community and salesman are right above lawyers and pharm. reps.

In other words, the only way my approach hurts you or anyone is really if they take my words against the computer they bought or are buying as personal attacks and perhaps that would hurt more coming from someone who's got a lot of experience with these systems... I don't know, but at the same time they can take that information, along with everything else I say and use that to make an educated purchase for themselves. That's where I'd pride myself and most others do as well, in the fact that even if some person ends up not getting an Asus or not getting something from our company, they can tell me directly that they've learned a lot and appreciate what I do. I'm a horrible sales man and even though our sales team learned a lot from me in terms of how we operate as a company, I could be on the phone with someone for an hour and we so relaxed with them that the term "no pressure sale" almost seems like a lot of pressure. I would tell people that need something yesterday to hold on and research everything they're doing and make sure that what they're looking at is what they're really going to want and if they really want to get it from us. We're doing ok, and aren't pushing customers away, but do like them to be educated in their purchase and do want them to actually want to purchase from us, not buy because no one else has something or anything like that. If anything, my approach limits our sales because we won't just expand for the sake of expanding, especially if that means putting our reputation on the line as certain things don't stack up to what people have come to expect from us.

Another thing is, even if something doesn't impress me, doesn't mean we're not going to sell it. I may not own the thing because I have something else, but as long as it's still a good value for the dollar and still a good machine, we'll sell it as long as people don't confuse it with a super high end machine. The biggest problem we've seen this year is with these new barebones and lower end ensembles and people thinging for a grand they're going to get the same quality and performance and highend details that Asus has for two grand....... that would be shady and people would be very dissappointed.

As long as we're on the same page, I'm comfortable and although there is no apoligy needed, I thank you for that and hope by putting my words down in print, others have learned a bit more about myself and our company......... and finally, to those who already knew all that, I hope you didn't read through it all for nothing!

Later.

 

All we are saaaying... is give peace a chance....

Come on everybody now.. sing it!... lay the beats down Djembe!

 

A retailer, eps one who interacts daily MUST have the option of having a negative opinion of a laptop.
Also, an "average" computer user does NOT imply average intelligence.
An average computer user implies someone who has the average needs of the computer user population. The average would be the average over the M1710s, the T60ps, the M90s, the aleinwares, the macbook pros, the E1505s, the E1405s, the sony vaios, the HP pavilions... Dont know what is so offensive about being called an average computer user.
Also, we in general overrate ourselves - its a well established fact. Something like 90% of car drivers rate themselves as better than the median - and this cannot be for obvios reasons.
Here is a test:
http://www.tim-richardson.net/misc/estimation_quiz.html

And while Donald carries himself really well in general, he may have dropped the ball on this one by directly questioning proportables intergrity.

 

Let me end this completely off topic thread by simply saying I put in a lot of my free time here and when you get up to 5-6-7,000 posts, especially when there are posts like many above, that's a lot of time and effort and it's like living with someone for a while. You could date and see them a couple times a week and you could be happy and think they're the greatet thing on earth...... Move in with them and let the nit picking begin about leaving the toilet seat up and wasting saturdays away, sitting on the coutch in your underwear. It's not always going to be pretty, but the more time you put in and the more you get to know someone, the better you'll understand them on a whole and either love them or hate them.

...... It doesn't take much to pop your head in a couple times a week and make a couple friendly posts to keep your name current and then not come back for a while........ That's why all new companies can sound like the best thing earth because they've please a handful of customers and haven't had to fix anything yet or run into any other problems business wise... like lack of money. Sure buying cheap is what everyone wants, but don't expect new companies to be around after a year or two or three to support you because your cheap ass is exactly why they couldn't afford to be in business. That doesn't put anyone down, or at least it shouldn't...... It's common knowledge and just the facts of life, in a way.

 

Sounds like a grocery store selling Coke and not Pepsi because the owner doesn't like Pepsi. LOL.

Not that I'm not totally sure you can point to some substantive things beyond carbon fiber lids to base your judegment of the declining Asus quality with their BTO products, I've also heard the margins are higher on Ensemble notebooks too, so, heck why not marginalize everything else?

The S96J looks cheap and doesn't feel as sturdy as a Thinkpad, but it is still Asus inside. I assembled mine and got a nice look at the caps and the layout and the heatsink and fan and they're nicely designed. My boss is using a workstation I built. It looks like a cheap Antec SLK1600 case on the outside, but inside are industrial components. I could have used a blinged out aluminum enclosure with custom etching, but, can you grasp this freaking concept, some people use their computer and notebooks for something other than setting on their coffee table as a centerpeice. If I have nothing better to spend the money on, then, heck I'll glue a Rolex to the cover and outshine you, how's that? Now, if Asus, mystifyingly chose to produce the boards with lower quality than everything else they make, then, doh, they got me......building up a name for themselves for the past 10 years to dupe me outta a few hundred dollars.

And, aside from that, I freaking think the VBI program offers VALUE to the end user. Value you obviously don't perceive. If my notebook screen dims in a few years, I know the model number of four, right now, that will fit it. I don't need to go buy a whole new notebook, I don't need to pay you or anybody else some fee to service it for me....the VBI program gives me all the info I need.

Sure, you can claim that you're the Mercedes Benz dealer where people go to get only the highest quality cars. Well guess what, the guys who sold me my S96J could just as easily be my source for a Z96J or W2J. The fact is, all you're doing is being a notebook snob.

 

Another seemingly inteligent response based on absolutely zero fact.

The margins are better on the custom systems, and although there's more to be made on a notebook either prebuilt or custom that's 2 grand over 1 grand..... most of the custom systems are configured higher than the ensembles, and the custom systems are then warranted by the dealer, which means the built in cost of the warranty would go to us as well, making "more money" for us or anyone else. Z33 (M5) notebooks that people bought seemed to never sell under $2,000, even though as a base model it was cheaper than everything else.

Besides that, the comment about not selling coke or pepsi, or whatever that was isn't even close to something anyone would believe. You're suggesting pure favorites from an owner you don't know and don't take advice from..... If that owner refused to sell something because of shotty packaing construction or something like that and said, listen, we're not selling this because I'd be embarrassed to put my name behind it.... then you've got to respect that and if you don't or can even say you don't, then you're just arguing for arguing's sakes.

Not to rip the VIB program, but Intel had a good idea the only problem is that to make an idea really work on a large scale, everyone needs to be able to get into it and therefore the more generic things get...... The fact is, if Intel doesn't stay behind it, then the program will fizzle and your comment about parts really doesn't hold water either way. An LCD screen is an LCD screen and if you break it, you could still get a new one, almost as easy. What Intel is trying to create is a socialist society of notebook owners which puts all the makers on the same level and really makes them just suppliers of the same old junk.

The moral of your story doesn't end the same as mine and the childish bahavior in this forum has got to go. A few of you who have the faceless guts to make a post like this, also don't have a clue. That's great, where you got this you can get something else... holy cow... I'm amazed. Tell me if they'll still be in business when you need them years down the road or if they stock these notebooks that "you can so easily get from them".

Call me a snob and I'll call you a child. Your comments are actually unfounded, and should be seen that way by all that read them.

 

sorry guys, but after 3 pages of posts that are irrelevent to the Z96J, and more on one's credibility and decisions.. I'm going to have to close this thread as it's becoming the same as the last Z96J thread that was closed.