Hel80 or Asus S96j

both seem to be good laptops, so which 1 would you prefer

 

in my opinion , overall the hel80 is better than the s96j. however it seems to be the case that the s96j is a better 3D performer. that being said the s96j has a problem producing certain shades thus the infamous "graininess" (see asus forum).


if you are a picky person and you like neat, elegant, sturdy build alongside with great functionality and connectivity get the HEL80.
if you are a power freak and you want as much juice as you can squeeze for the buck, go with the s96j.

i promise you one thing, you will be really happy with either machine.

powernotebooks.com will give you 3 year warranty with paid shipping BOTH ways (no "ground" but NEXT business day). with 24/7 customers service that is so professional that you won't mind having something go wrong just to give them a call

 

I was considering this problem, and I went for the HEL80 (well, EL80 VBI, which is pretty much the same thing). Reasons:

(1) The HEL80 has quite a few extra features which could be handy later - like TPM and the fingerprint reader.

(2) Bluetooth is an option on the HEL80. It's not available on the S96J, only on the Z96J (which also means getting a higher-resolution screen).

(3) If you want a matte screen, the HEL80 offers one (S96J/Z96J don't).

(4) Arguably better build quality on the HEL80, although they should really be close enough that it doesn't matter.

(5) The issue of the S96J screen appearing 'grainy' is a bit annoying. If I'm spending $1000 on a laptop, I want it to look nice. It seems that the issue is related to the GPU, and there's no suggestion of a solution.

(6) If you're considering using Linux, Nvidia GPU = very good (much better drivers than ATI).


(1), (5), and (6) were the ones which really influenced my decision. I could save ~$60 by getting the S96J, and possibly get a tiny bit better gaming performance - but in return for that I'd lose some Linux support, some fancy new hardware (TPM/fingerprint reader), and I'd also end up with a fairly poor LCD.

 

The PowerPro warranty for the PowerPro L 8:15 (HEL80) is 3 Years Parts and Labor with NEXT Business Day shipping paid both ways, Lifetime 24/7 telephone customer service with a 15 Day no questions asked return policy.

 

corrected

 

Both are great systems. You really can't go wrong either way. It has been said that the Compal has a slightly better build quality. The HEL80 does have a more distinctive look than the VBI lid of the S96J. It also has more features.

The S96J will give you a bit more 3D gaming power though. I'm sure you'll be happy either way.

 

wow amazing, i didnt think cnets notebook division could be anymore incompetent than their mp3 player division, apparently they are. if not worse, at least other top quality mp3 players will get good reviews, they just mysteriously are always .1 below the ipoo, i guess cnet wont give anythign that doesnt say dell, hp or toshi anything higher then a 6 though

 

What are you referring to?

 

most likely this: http://reviews.cnet.com/Micro_Express_EL80/4505-3121_7-31974745-2.html?tag=nav

Sounds right on to me, give or take a little. I don't know what scale their numbers are on, but numbers are silly anyways. Glossy screen might be an issue if it's extra reflective (i duno -- i've got the matte)... the keyboard certainly does have that issue for anyone who's not especially unpicky, though that problem is easily addresable.