A8Js - Owner's Lounge

well only a few people showed us their screens. But of all the people that did exxi had the worst screen it had real problems not just whining.

mine leaks from the middle bottom but in reality it affects like a 1 inch square of the screen barely changing the shade.

I do see it though , on the bottom tabs on the task bar the middle two have a slightly light blue shade.


I havent actually seen any ghosting. I havent done the right kind of test though.

I have an external monitor with 12 ms response time and i actually see ghosting on that more Im not sure why. It might be because its 250 nits bright

I dont know a good ghosting test.

 

My lcd has light leakage on the whole lower part. All of the windows xp task bar is whiter than normal and leakage continues a bit over the vertical center of the screen.

I really thought that this was normal on A8Js, but looks like it shouldn't be like that :s

 

exxi,

Glad you did get a new leakage free screen with real blacks!

Laum,

Light leakage must be very common on the A8Js as there have been so many reports. I've had my A8Js for 2 weeks now and I must say that the leakage is worse than I thought it would be. Mine covers the bottom half of the screen as well, plus I see a little in both upper corners, including the cone effects that exxi mentions back several pages. When showing full screens of colorful objects it is not that distracting, but as stamar says, it is still noticable.

In a game that has many dark screens it is very annoying as many areas of the screen show grayed blacks where the leakage is most evident, again, even in the top corners. This is when looking straight on (no angle).

I don't think this should be considered normal at all on the A8Js even though the screen is very bright and clarity is good (except black).

I had said that I would post photos of my screen, and I will when I get a little more time - the holidays are busier than regular work weeks.

I will comment on some other characteristics of the A8Js that others have mentioned:

1) The fan noise is NOT an issue at all for me - very quiet.
2) It is the coolest laptop I have owned in respect to the top of the keyboard and palm rest areas.
3) Gaming performance is top notch for a 14-15 in laptop. I am going through Fear and the performance at 1024 x 768 is great with settings on high (no AA).
4) Build quality for the A8Js is on par or some better than the Dell (8600) I have owned and I did not have any issues with the Dell.
5) Performance with T7200 and 2 gig mem is better than anything I have ever used so far in my experience including desktops at work and home.

The light leakage is bad, in my opinion, and almost anybody will notice it on dark screens. I would also like to know the screen type and manufacturer that exxi ended up with.

Joe Martin

 

Alright guys, i pulled the trigger on an A8js today, my only concern right now is the build quality of the case coming from a history of owning thinkpads which are built like tanks...and they needed to be considering they have been stepped on, sat on, dropped from several feet countless times and always come away without a scratch on them. I'll have to open this puppy up when it gets here and see if theres any way to structurally reinforce the case a little, maybe carbon fiber or fiberglass, or a custom machined x-brace if theres room..who knows?

 

Monitor Properties:
Monitor Name Plug und Play-Monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID CMO1416
Manufacturer N141C1-L02
Manufacture Date Week 49 / 2005
Serial Number None
Max. Visible Display Size 30 cm x 19 cm (14.0")
Picture Aspect Ratio 5:3
Gamma 2.20
DPMS Mode Support None

 

NICEEEEE !!!! a CHEI MEI MONITOR! THE AUO I HAVE SUCKS SO MUCH.

 

Hmmm thats odd.. I looked for it and it says its a WXGA not WXGA+... can you please confirm your desktop resolution exxi?

 

Please let us know what you come up with. Heck you may even be able to setup a small side business custom refitting A8Js'es with reinforcements.. The only thing I did, (which is meager I know), is use the Bestskinsever kit for the Macbook, to apply a single sheet of skin to the top of my A8Js. (I didn't use the other skin parts for the bottom, or keyboard/touchpad. Just the single sheet top skin. You can see the detailed photo of the top of the Macbook with the skin applied, in the URL). It's not for looks, but it will keep most incidental scratches from happening..

 

How well does that skin fit considering the macbook is a 13" screen? I was looking into www.polygfx.com for a temporary solution until i find out the feasability of powder coat, i put an email into these guys: www.asf-powder.com tonight and hopefully they will reply soon.

 

that is as weird as it gets because that is the screen that goes on the w3j

its not even the same size it 14 inch and the a8js is 14.1

it does have 16 ms response time and better viewing angle
cmo is a good brand. Its the major supplier for viewsonic, asus monitors too. How should i describe it, almost as good as top line like a samsung but later to market and cheaper.



As for reinforcing the notebook,

The a8js is much more fragile than a thinkpad. I think the bottom of the chassis is very solid but the lcd lid has lots of flex. If you could somehow make it more rigid it would be better.

some of the a8jm owners cracked their lcd lid on the outside of the hinge so id say be careful to open it from the middle dont open it from one side

 

I basically just centered the main "lid" sheet over the outside lid of the laptop, and it came to about .25" of both sides, and I aligned it very close to the edge of the top, and it still covers all the way back to the hinge. Covers the top quite thoroughly. Didn't use the bottom, because it's cut for the Macbook, and would have covered vents, (and it's not that useful when you think about it), and didn't use the wrist-wrest or touchpad sheets. Just the top "lid" one, and I feel pretty confident that it will take an awful lot to scratch my laptop lid..

 

Thanks for the info jas; the $27 sounds like a good investment for the a8js lid. Why must it be so delicate =[. Does anyone know of other skins similar to the one jas has?

 

Ok, here is my screen info pasted from Everest:

Description Value
Monitor properties
Monitor Name Plug and Play-monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID CMO1416
Manufacturer N141C1-L02
Production Date Week 49 / 2005
Serial Number None
Max. Visible Display 30 cm x 19 cm (14.0")
Image Ratio 5:3
Gamma 2.20
DPMS Mode support None

 

Ok, I have this optical drive:

HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T10N

Does this support Lightscribe, I couldt find any info on google??

 

Mine from Everest 2.20

Monitor Properties:
Monitor Name Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID AUO1247
Manufacturer B141PW01 V2
Manufacture Date Week 1 / 2005
Serial Number None
Max. Visible Display Size 30 cm x 19 cm (14.0")
Picture Aspect Ratio 5:3
Gamma 2.20
DPMS Mode Support None

Weird! 2 versions being shipped?

Joe Martin

 

Tissie... Are you sure you got the A8Js??? the LCD you are describing is the one on the W3J.... this is very weird. Can you please check the resolution on your desktop?

 

Yes this is strange indeed. Could it be possible that Asus made some production mistakes with this computer and put wrong lcd panels to some computers?

My panel is the same as Joe Martin's.

 

Lol.. hehe.. I am pretty sure it is the A8Js as it is written on the box, on the pc, on every system info tool that i have had running.. sooo.. and it also looks like it, and the same specs.. lol..

and the res is 1440x900.. that's a match too.

 

Wow that is pretty cool. Well that would be a great screen the w3j screen in 1440 x 900.

And the viewing angle looks good to you?

also what is the size of the border? Heres the thing that screen is 14.0 inches

also when did you get yours?

 

Horizontal viewing angles are really great, but the vertical is not so good, u have to sit in center (vertically).

I got it 23th of dec. it was shipped from the dealer in denmark the 19th i think.

 

Does the keyboard flex? And for normal everyday use does the light leakage really that bad? Like open my browsers now and I can see my top bar is bright blue and my bottom one is lighter, but that really doesnt bother me. Now if It was like really light where its hard to see then I would be concerned.

 

keyboard has barely some flex in the top number area. But much less than the average notebook.

you would never notice the light leakage i have


Im wondering if all of the 120 gb models have a cmo screen.

 

What is a 'cmo' screen?

 

cmo is who makes your screen

http://www.cmo.com.tw/cmo/english/product/showproductn.jsp?size=14.1

it says its 1280 x 800 though.

most of had a screen made by auo

 

Hmm, thats odd, but my screen is a 1440x900

 

your dvd drive is also different than the ones most of the a8js owners have, you have an lg dvd drive and most of us have the matshita 850
it is very similar but one thing I noticed that is different is the 850 has 8 x write speed and the lg has 4x


http://www.meritline.com/lg-gsa-t10n-8x-slim-dvd-rw-super-multi-drive-2mb-black.html

not light scribe. I wonder if this is a noisy one or not?

Some people said the dvd drive was noisy but the matshita 850 is about the quietest one in this format.

I couldnt find the stats for your lcd. But i did find another laptop that uses it, the acer travelmate 3300

 

Okay, well - I like the screen and that is the most important It has good colors, resolution and horizontal viewing angles.

The optical drive is a bit noise, but otherwise ok, I havent tried to burn anything yet.

 

Well, I think I wait a while and send the laptop to warranty trip some time in next year. Maybe the lcd's get better then..

 

well tissie and exxi are both in europe.

It took me a minute to think about this but the a8js costs 500$ more in europe so it may come with the screen thats the same as the v2. it might be european only.

Wait til we can catch one of the new a8js 120 gb versions to see what screen they have. Im interested in this definitely
I wonder what screen the a8jp has I hope an owner comes in to tell us the stats of that one.

 

Stamar, I am certain that the quality of the A8js Europe is better. I just compared an U.S version and there is a noticeable difference. I guess you are out of luck

 

How do you check what kind of LCD you have?

 

I have the European version with 120GB hard disk and I have AUO lcd. This computer is ordered from Germany and might very well be one of the 1st ones that came there.

 

I am still confused. If you look up he screen they say they have, it says its WXGA (1280x800). Thats what i don't get.

 

yea, lol... that is a bit odd

 

Use everest to see what kind of screen you have

 

My Aj8S is on its way. I'm kind of bummed about all these reports of horrible terrible screens. I thought ASUS was supposed to be high quality.. thats why I bought the thing. Hope its not really that bad.

My question is- has anyone used 2 GB SD cards with the A8JS? Is it compatible with the 2 gig cards?

thanks.

 

I just received my A8Js today (from Milestone, thank you to Danny for being patient with me). The screen isn't terrible. Yes, there is light leakage on the bottom. It doesn't bother me so much. My flat panel for my desktop also had light leakage (at the top) so maybe I'm just used to it. But it doesn't strike me as being terribly bothersome. The viewing angles are also not that bad. They aren't good vertically, but horizontally the are perfectly adequate. So I'm satisfied so far.

Overall, everything seems to be working well. I converted it to NTFS easily, which was a relief because I was kind of nervous about it. I haven't changed the sizes of the partitions yet, which is something I do want to do. I'll probably asking for help with it later somewhere on these forums.

I noticed discussion somewhere about AsusDVD and Windows Media Player. What program do you guys suggest for viewing DVDs? And what one for burning them? (Sorry if this isn't exactly the right place for asking about this.) I've always used Dell Media Experience for watching on my desktop, and Sonic for burning CDs.

Also, many pages back people were posting links to sites that sell nice sleeves for notebooks. Does anyone know of any other places that sell similar items?

 

Hey another question for the A8Js owners (who owned the A8Js more than a few months), how is the Asus A8Js holding up? By that I mean like appearance wise, I'm worried about the finish on the A8J wearing down from wear and tear through normal usage to where it'll look older than it should be.

 

I have no good news for you there.

The a8js has a very nice apearance. It is silver as opposed to the grey of most notebooks.

The silver scratches extremely easily and to have it looking new for years would be an extreme challenge.

The black part on the other hand is mar proof.

this faux alumuminum finish is present in some toshibas you could see in best buy, like the aqua one I forget its model name p105 i think.

 

Thanks for the fast response stamar, I'm still debating between a few laptops now despite having an order for the A8Jp (Which I'm assuming is like most A8J laptops).

 

got my a8js yesterday from germany (120gb, bluetooth, 2gig ram), everest says:

 

It begins to look like that Asus wasn't very pleased of AUO lcd panels and they are now shipping A8Js with CMO panel.

 

i have had mine ~2 months

the space bar is noticeably faded

 

does anyone else's a8js often freeze when attempting to come out of standby?

sometimes not even standby...just a monitor-off state...

 

I just checked it out and my LCD is the AUO one. Oh, well.

It's possible that it's only the European ones that are getting CMO screens.

 

I get bluescreens pretty often when resuming from standby :/

I have thought that there is something wrong with my windows installation though.

 

Nope, I bought mine at end of november and I got AUO panel.
Other specs are the same like every other european A8Js model.

Now I'm wonderin is there any picture quality difference ? Has anyone seen A8Js in live with AUO and CMO panel ?

 

Alright Guys!

Here are some pictures of my A8Js:
http://www.titoo.dk/album/Asus%20A8Js Laptop/index.html

Now with some benchmarks!

 

Do you others have a bit "dirty" looking lcd? I mean at least in my AUO lcd you can see quite clearly all the subpixels. Colors like on this notebookreview forum (white, a bit greenish, gray etc.) are not as clear as I would like them to be..

 

Wow those are some great pictures. It really helps for me since I can't see an Asus A8J model in person.