Are you satified with your zepto?

The title is pretty much self explanitory but this is more for the benifit of prospective zepto owners.
If you are not happy please explain why, and if you are happy there is no harm in fighting your case for recomending zepto.

Before i found his thread i had never heard of them either but after a bit of research they seemed far more promising and so far i am pretty pleased with my 6214. My only real gripe is the touch pad- which i find is too small- but im slowly getting used to it. Otherwise the laptop is amazing

 

I must be as I have been without a working dvd drive for a month now and im not that p*ssed off.

although I soon will be

 

Juan did you go for the slot in or the regular drive ? 'Cause I want to go for slot in but I don't want to be paying 14€ more to get problems...

 

I have had 2 slot drives, 1 locked and the other cant even be seen in the bios
my love affair with zepto is starting to founder

god knows where the 3rd is

 

I might as well order the normal DVD drive. Sounds alot less hassle.

 

I have voted option 2 but only because nothing is perfect .

I am very happy with my purchase, though I have only had it for a couple of weeks

I have the slot in drive with no issues, except it is a bit noisy. I can even move the laptop whilst it is spinning, but I do have to be a bit careful.

I have the glossy screen that I love, despite a little bit of light leakage at the bottom.

Zepto biggest problem is their UK customer service, sort that and they're laughing.

So far I am very happy with my purchase. I like its understated looks, the way it plays games and the way it does teh serious stuff. I was going to buy an Asus W3J. For the same money I got a 6214W with a faster processor, a bigger HDD (160Gb) a better graphics card and twice the memory (2Gb).

I think that's good value, now I just hope it stays reliable.

RB

 

Is it a hassle to download/find the necessary drivers if you purchase it without an OS? And the build quality, is it any good? I just found out about these and I... well, I can't believe it really. There must be *something* wrong with them.

 

No, you get a driver CD with all you need.

 

You can download the drivers from their website. I didn't even bother to load the CD. I bought it without an OS and installed everything myself. All is running smoothly. My only gripe is the poor keyboard quality. Not only did they deliver it with a french azerty (asked for a belgian one), it's not fitted properly either: it occasionally misses a key when I type and the lower right end is slightly elevated: it moves and clatters when I press the left or down arrows. They're currently in the process of getting belgian azertys and they're going to send me one as soon as they get them. Hopefully it will be better.

My standard quicklaunch buttons (for the browser and mail applications) don't work, only the programmable ones. I sent a mail to support but they didn't answer. Not a major problem though.

The touchpad is rather small and of the same material as the rest of the palm rest, so you frequently miss it. But I always use a mouse so that's not really a problem for me.

I've had it for a few weeks now and I'm quite happy with it.

 

There have been a few issues with my 6214W, only some of which I can blame Zepto for:

• The optical drive tray doesn't always spring open
• The harddrive is awfully noisy (it's 2006, much quieter ones exist)
• The placement of the Insert key is painfully stupid
• There's only one Control key (and three useless Windows keys)
• The shiny area above the keyboard reflects any overhead lights

Other than that, the most annoying thing has been the poor driver support under Linux (unstable graphics driver, poor sound quality, no suspend or Speedstep, etc.), which isn't their fault, and which will probably get fixed soon anyway.

All in all, though, it's a really nice OpenGL workstation, and the people at zepto.se were very nice and communicative.

 

I hate the insert key's location as well. Hit that accidentally all the time. Turns out to be more annoying than the placement of the Fn-key even.
Win keys aren't useless though. Especially not when you run software with which you can configure them for shortcuts, like BlackBox. But there's no need for the menu key.

 

Bump.

There must be some new zepto owners there. Tell us about the experiance so far.

Oh and it also to break up some of the bad publicity that going around at the moment about the zeptos. But look above, not one unhappy customer.

 

I think the problem is that happy users never come back to these forums atleast not until they will replace there pc's again...

I will be getting mine at the weekend so expect some first impressions etc. around sunday. I plan on extencive testing with UT2004, BF2, Doom 3 and if there is any time possibly NFS:U2 and MW

Famous Grouse, does your zepto outpace your desktop??

 

yeh quite easily. I love dual core. Now and again my virus scan will start and i dont even notice. And the extra gig of ram really does help in bf2.

Graphically though there pretty similar. Since ive had my zepto though i have barely used the desktop.

 

Resently found this for if its anoying in MS word:

 

I own a 6615 for one day now. And all is just perfect. Matte screen is great and with no ghost (I only tried CS:S so far on 1680 x 1050 with high details and game is just running smooth). Hard drive is nicely quiet, just as the slot in dvd drive and cpu fan ( definitvely good enough for closer environnement). By the way there's no problem with location of the insert key on it (remember it's 6615) nore kboard flex or things like that. Intel wireless card is very sensitive , I caught up to 6 signals on my place and 2 of them are not wep protected

 

oh well i forgot the only minor issue is ...there's no manual just the driver cd in the box. But as far as I read anything on 6615 (on the dk ftp, manual section) before i got it, it was pretty easy to go with...

 

As promised (though a week and a bit late ) my firt impressions:

that cd drive is a bit noisy...
WOW this thing runs Fast Doom 3 Ultimate graphics 1024x768 amazingly smooth...

loving transpanent windows under nView this is my first nVidia PC, I don't think i'll be going back to ATI anytime soon...

there must be a bug in the original (unpatched version) of UT2004 no way is that running at 4 million fps on max settings (though it is smooth enough...

I had to mess around with Users because my dad set he pc up (i told him not to ), My name was set as Phillip's instead of Philip..... GRRR, 8 hours of registry hacking and new account creating and it running awesome again

Also problems setting up Internet access in University of manchester halls

(Last to no fault of Zepto)

Now in WifI WiFi hotspot on campus > 12MBps Downloading mega pack for UT 2004

EDIT: Right side of keyboard feels like it goes lower than rest of board (makes clunck on keypress... ) though only affects very right of pc)

Very happy with it ... but not perfect for the drive and keyboard

Philip

 

This is good going. we are beating the asus satisfaction poll (though we have had a few less votes)

Conclusion: buy a zepto!

 

Well i just added mine so hopefully we will be beating them by even more

Had my 6214 about a week now, and so far all is good,

Had some issues with heat, or so i thought, but i ran oblivion for one and a half hours yesterday and it didn't cough or splutter

I agree with the key board comment as well, mine is a little squeeky, the space bar most of all.

The cd drive is a bit noisy and makes a sound rather like a tin can being prised open just as it reads the cd but its not that bad

Im very impressed with how it can handle games, oblivion mostly high settings smooth as butter, so that means NWN2 will be fine
Word prosessing and the intenet are great too.

Its a great laptop my first and hopefully my only for quite some time

 

Got my 6615 last week. So far i am very happy with it.

Screen is very nice, good with games, and playing dvd's.
The high resolution is really good for normal windows work. Can have allot of thing going at the same time without it getting messy.

Game wise its great, games run like a charm. BF2 max settings and no problems. WoW can run smooth at the display's maximum res with all settings maxed.

I just got "Company of Heroes" Running it at 1280x800, and it looks great. Its a bit choppy and laggy at 1680x1050.

The webcam is good even though you have to manually adjust it to fit the lighting conditions.
The onboard mic works, but it picks up all keyboard hits, mouse clicks ect.

Harddrive.. hmm, some would say its noise, but im not bothered by it.
The normal tray dvd burner works well. (only made one dvd so far) but no problems there.

No crashing or reboot problems to speak of. But i did have one episode where it wouldnt start. The blue power button light came on, but nothing happended. Had to take out the batt, and plug in the powercord.
That was a one time thing so far, and Zepto support hadnt heard of the problem.

The fan is making a slight noise, like its not completly 100%, might talk to zepto about it if it gets worse.

Keyboard its lovely to type on.
Mousepad is nice also, but i prefere using a normal mouse.
Mousepad buttons, are not as reponsive as i would like, sometimes when clicking, they dont register the click.

Encoding dvd's is fast. Core2 due is a real improvment over my old 3.5ghz p4 single core.

I have made this laptop my primery computer. the only thing thats not better than my old system is the storage space and a 10k rpm raptor

Ohh, another note on the dvd drive. Ripping dvd's to hdd with say dvddecrypter is good. Ive had problems with some dvd burners that they only ripped dvd's at 2x unless you updated the firmware with a modyfied firmware.

Internal speakers, better than the average laptop speakers im used to.

FN keys and hardswitches.
The BT off/on FN key is nice.
The mousepad off/on FN key is nice
Not sure if i like the volume +/- hard switch, think i like the FN volume keys i have seen on other laptops better.

Wireless off/on hardswitch is nice.

The blue lights on the laptop are not too brigth, some hardware out there have had really bright blue led lights, but zepto has them nice and soft like.
Things i havent tryed yet that im planing on. Dual display's and gaming performance.

I think thats it for now.

Cheers all

 

Great initial review comments from Zombie. Any chance of weighing the 6615 laptop to determine the exact weight with the 6-cell battery? Is it portable or do you feel the weight?

Regards

 

I walked a couple of miles with mine in my backpack for the first time today. I had the power supply in there too, but nothing else. I could really feel I had it on my back the whole way. Noticeably heavy.

But good weight distribution so it was comfy, and probably do me some good!

Having had it for 48 hours, first impressions are very pleasing. The screen in particular makes me very happy: great matte finish (no reflections); the resolution is awesome - gives you so much room to work; and the horizontal viewing angles are 90 degrees. Excellent.

Quick question. And I'm sure I'm being totally dumb, but where is the hardwired wireless on/off button?????????? I can't for the life of me see it. (I don't have the manual, 'cos my driver wouldn't read when it arrived)

 

Wireless (wifi) button is a switch at the left of the media button, bluetooth is actived by hiting Fn+F3 keys.

 

Hmm i dont mind the weight, about 3kg i think. Its posted on another tread, but i dont have scale where i am at the moment.
But it is about 2.7-3.0kg's And its not heavy in my oppinion. But then again, its in the eye of the beholder.

I drive most places, and usually, i only have to lug it from 'car to building'
And i have a huge Dell carrying bag, fillied with all kinds of stuff (2 mice, mouse pad, 3 game cases, ethernet cable (5meter), power brick, cloth cd case with the essential system and utillity software.. = Very heavy bag. Guess would be 5-10kg. Plus i have my backpack with everything you need to camp out for a week. Minus cloths, but those are ussually to find in the back seat of the car... Ehh, where was i going with this... Ohh yeah.. I drive most places and dont need to commute by train or bus.

Another point, The added hardware specs more the justify the added weight compared to the 14" 6214.
I really love the high res screen, the webcam, the actual 15+ wide screen, better heat dissapation (the two are the same hardware wise... just about). I know none of these notebooks should overheat, but the smaller one will be a bit warmer... Hmm, what else.. I dunno.. get the 6615wd, or suck ass... lol sorry, im drunk. ) Cheers guys.. ill try and weigh it when i get the chance.

 

To answer your question, yes, i would say it is portable.
But it IS larger the the 6214!

Hick!

 

Thanks.

I think 2.7-3kg is not that bad. Really is the average for a well-equipped notebook. I checked out Rock's Pagasus 665 which weighed in at 3.4Kg and not 3.1kg as advertised on their website. Yes Sir! I think the 6615w (or 6214?) will be my next laptop. Although I am a bit worried about the battery life. 6-cell is a bit stingy on a lapttop with such hardware specs. A 9-cell as installed by other manufacturers would be ideal.

Once again great basic review from the 'WALKING DEAD'. Look forward to more detalied reviews in the near future.

Regards

 

I'm still waiting for my 6214w, it was sent to me this week, hope to get it today^^

 

Okay, just checked the weight of the 6615wd. The mail room has a heavy duty letter/package scale.

The 6615WD with the 6 cell batt. weighs in at 2.95kg
Add about 200-300grams if you use the 12 cell. (I guy from zepto told me the exact weight once, but i forgot)

Just for good messure, my carrying case with all my stuff in it, including laptop afcourse weighs 7.65kg.

Cheers all

 

Just a quick (altogether rather specific) warning about size of the 6615 - Don't get a 15.4"wide version of the crumpler 'gimp' sleeve. I did. It doesn't fit. It fit's very snugly inside the 17" version thought.

That is all.

 

Just a quick.... Im f**ing drunk and WoW is still going strong. No crashes. So all good. Cheers

 

Globally satisfied, it's fast small and powerfull. Howewer the keyboard looks strangely on the right side and i really hate the glossy screen.

 

Globally satisfied just as others the keyboard looks strange on some areas and the CD which make a fu****g noise.

Beside of this, is there some linux user with this lappy?
From my side just one thing is bothering me, cpu frequency scaling doesn't work, is there any issue for this?

I tried to contact my Zepto dealer because on arch wiki someone said it was the result from the bios not really compliant, and I am still waiting for an answer.

Just hope this will be soled soon.

 

Happy! Even the slot in dvd behaves... Ordered in Germany. The Windows menu key is not right... seems elevated on the left side about 2mm. German Zepto dealer sends me a new keyboard.
Battlefield 2 in native resolution runs smooth, no temperature trouble. VMware is fast as never before. Ubuntu works fine, but I have trouble with normal Debian finding no network interface.
6615WD, T7200, 2GB, 80GB 7200, SlotIn, German keyboard layout, no TV.

 

SramSram, do you have the frequency scaling working on your zepto?

Sorry for asking this but i really want to have this.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

 

If scaling is enough when the CPU switches between 1 and 2 GHz - yes. No steps in between. CPU idle - 1GHz, gaming etc. - 2 GHz. And of course I can set those values hard (with NHC and/or Windows XP built in energy schemes).

I hope I answered your question - if not, ask again. I'm not that good in Englisch...

 

SramSram,

Thank you for your answer, but this works that way under Windows with patched NHC and what about this feature under Linux, did you try it?

 

Well im happy with my 6214W, though the keyboard is a bit anoying sometimes, and the DVD/RW slot in operates like a terminator, im quite happy with it...

just had some problems with zepto and the delivery, but thats the firm.. and theyr really nice to talk to... thumbs up DK...

 

I will be satisfied when it works.

 

@JoeT, Zepto does offer windows preinstalled for people who don't want to do it themselves, or doesn't already have a licensed version of the windows. That you decide to do it yourself and the non-original versions you got doesn't work, is not really their problem.
Personally I run a Mandriva(Linux) on it. Works great, with the exception of the wireless which I haven't gotten to work yet, and I am uncertain whether the cardreader fully works with the current drivers. And there was a few other quircks along the way, but my decision and my problem.

 

I know full well it's not their problem/fault - I wasn't blaming them. Though the errors I get when installing are often linked with hardware problems according to some sources. Tommorow I will be able to tell for sure, as a genuine windows xp copy is being delivered to me in the morning which I purchased yesterday. If it still doesn't work with a guarenteed genuine xp copy, then it will be their problem.

I can't wait to get it working, i love it so far (how it looks,feels,etc). So fingers crossed it all goes smoothly tommorow !

 

My Zepto-satisfaction went way down recently, as despite the fact that several members on this forum have told of getting replacement keyboards sent to them, they refuse to send me one. They're saying that if I were to replace it myself, instead of sending the laptop away for goodness knows how many weeks, they will void my warranty. Nor will they sell me on-site service.

Well, sorry, but I need this laptop to get real work done, and cannot just send it away. I'll keep trying, but unless this is resolved, I won't be giving them another cent.

 

Today I saw on the ftp from Zepto a new bios which makes speedsteping working and correctly save the brightness.

Just wait now for a password option in Bios

What driver do you use for the nvidia graphics?

 

Yes, I can verify that this BIOS update now enables Linux (2.6.18.3) to use cpufreq-centrino with the Core Duo 6214W.

I use the proprietary nv9629 driver released recently, and either it or the 2.6.18.3 kernel seems to have fixed the Xv-related freezes I've been having.

...on the other hand, Quake 3 now kills the X server when started.

 

ok...first of all...I'm satisfied with my znote 6615..
I chose it above the 6214 because of it's wsxga screen...****...1680 is HUGE

Anyway..the notebook works like a charm..
I installed everything out of the box - the drivers it is...

My config btw is a t7200, 2gig ram, 100gig 7200rpm and a slot in dvd..

The slot in dvd...****...sooo nice..works like a charm..reads everything etc without a problem..

Everything works fine, but what driver for the 7600go should i install?
Because it seems to me that when i play a game like cs source, that my performance on 1280 widescreen isn't as good as it should be...i guess..

btw, i've read something about some updates etc about usb devices plugged in...that they lower the batterylife while not connected on ac/dc?

Anyway...zepto made a terrific notebook with this 6615wd

 

I am also extremely happy with my 6615WD, which i believe is almost the same spec as yours (2ghz t7200, 2 gig Ram, 1oogig 7,200 HD but a "Standard" DVD writer & not the Slot in).... I chose the standard one because i had read so many negative reports about the slot in one.

Anyway, yep.... works really well. Very fast, and currently Dual Booting XP & Ubuntu Edgy, which both work very well.

Yep, i have to agree...... i nearly bought a Rock Laptop, but they were still waiting for parts & i couldn't nail down a proper delivery date. So i chose the Zepto instead.

DJiNN

 

It depends on the type of USB device. If it's passive like a Mouse, it shouldn't affect your battery life. But if it's a keyboard with LEDs or a mouse battery charger, etc., it will draw power from your battery.

 

No problems whatsoever here. I was very cautious on ordering a laptop from a manufacturer I had never heard of before, but the flexible payment methods (heh, home deliver and pay on delivery) and the good reputation of the importer company threw in the ball for me.

Aside from some minor issues mostly windows-related (the sudden disappearance of the ethernet card, and so on), it's been a smooth journey. I also brought it empty off, which is a real great option that not many companies provide.

On 6615WD, the keyboard is rather nice (smooth, soft touch buttons, a nice feeling of hitting something softly, almost as nice as on my old HP, but getting it nicer is a matter of getting used to I suppose). The built is of plastic, no edgy shiny metal pieces, classy and sturdy. The viewscreen is attached very solid, although it suffers occasionally from minor bumps if you take it on travel. I managed to watch a DVD on pushed down settings on a train trip, and 15,4" isn't exaclty "ultraportable", so... While people are moaning C2D to be the new Prescott in terms of heat, and while the CPU occasionally DOES hit over 80 degrees, the heat generated gets spread around very nice (I suppose it's the huge chunk of copper inside), and the laptop doesn't get uncomfortable to use.

Rest aside, everything is mostly as good as I'd expect it to be.

The only grief is the CD/DVD-rom. It's tray-loader, yes, and it works perfect as it is (I haven't yet bumped into trouble not getting it spring out, or anything else), but it can get quite noisy.

 

The minor issue i have with my zepto is actually a huge issue. It simply overheats. Atm. i have it stacked up in 4 cigarrette packs to avoid overheating, but this morning it shut down for no other reason than overheating. The CPU is above 95 degrees hot. This may be a third party program, but when i feel with my hand below the laptop, it sure feels extremely hot.

 

I was extremely happy with my laptop, but am becoming increasingly less happy.

It had an overheating issue, and would overheat playing games like battlefield 2142 even on low settings. The company took it back and fixed it.

However, 1 week afterwards, although it plays 2142 now, it overheats on high settings, and to me, this shouldnt happen. Whats the point in having a machine that can run the high game specs no problem, and probably more, but overheats? I could buy a cheaper machine that plays the game on low settings and save myself £100's

Also, at the same time it overheated (before i got the chance to see if i could test out different settings, my slot in DVD packed in. The CD is currently stuck in the slot in drive.

I have complete faith that they will fix the laptop, however the fact that ive had to send it back to them 2 times in 3 1/2 months is not good. If i have to send it back once more in the near future, i will be asking for a refund, because it takes considerable time to get them repaired.