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    A8jm owner's Lounge

    Discussion in 'ASUS Reviews and Owners' Lounges' started by gusto5, May 30, 2006.

  1. gusto5

    gusto5 Notebook Deity

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    I know this will start getting cliche, but i need to address a few things directly at the a8jm owners. and what better way to start than this?

    Firs of all, how are your keyboard keys handling? Im a heavy user on my keyboard, and though it has only been 14 days since acquiring the notebook, im already noticing wear on the keyboard, primarily the space bar (jump for all my games).

    Second, has anyone figured out how to clean the area above the quicklaunch buttions? There seems to be alot of stuff trapped in there, and i can't find anything to remove it.

    Lastly, for those of you who have tried the on-board mic, does yours pick up your typing as well?
     
  2. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    I think it would be a good idea to find all the previous A8Jm threads and ask the mods to merge them to here, so we have just one place for all the concerns, instead of having them spread around the place.

    ps. I'll find all the threads later on when I have some time.. but if anybody cares to do it before then... by all means :)
     
  3. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Well, here's a list of all the threads regarding A8J... I stopped after awhile... maybe too much...

    Would any mod be kind enough to merge these threads? Dunno if it's possible for the mods to merge multiple threads at once?

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56680
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56605
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55822
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56499
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56287
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54598
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56326
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55736
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=53758
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=56156
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55846
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55935
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55838
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55817
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55664
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55678
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54734
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55451
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55500
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55264
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54459
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55458
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55375
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55234
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=55069
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54881
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54863
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54892
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54838
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54290
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54683
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54638
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54667
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=52962
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54629
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54110
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54221
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=53729
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=53672
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=53313
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=47715
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=52842
     
  4. astor

    astor Notebook Guru

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    other places to buy the a8jm w/ bluetooth except portable one?
     
  5. Swatkins

    Swatkins Notebook Consultant

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    Just a suggestion... if the merge happens, also correct the spelling in the title?

    Sorry, it bugs me to see "onwer's"



    Edit: Darrick, that's some impressive footwork. Thanks for the effort.
     
  6. ejl

    ejl fudge

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    the a8jm is pretty much the only place to buy it in the states. milestonepc.com might allow the bluetooth add-on.
     
  7. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Swatkins : np ... I just did a search for A8Jm, and copy pasted the thread id's :) .. and yeah the 'onwer' spelling bugs me too :) Gusto.. I think u can change it because you started the thread...

    ejl : I don't think Milestonepc allows the BT right now. I asked him numerous times before buying... but it doesn't seem to be so easy to install it... requires disassembly of notebook. I think there's a thread somewhere saying if there's enough demand, he might do it. But for now... no BT for Canadian A8Jm...
     
  8. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    Infonec PC and NCIX seem to have the A8Jm for $1689 now, sucks :( but the machine is worth every penny :).

    Today i noticed that on the underside the plastic covering the hard drive sort of makes clicking noises if i press it, and has a little bit of flex i tried to open it to see if there were any problem, but there were none.

    I am sure its just a little issue which causes no problem.
     
  9. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    I actually emailed a couple of other Canadian resellers that had A8Jm in store. Infonec came back to me, saying they could install internal Bluetooth for $30 service charge. I emailed them back (their reply was from a sales rep) asking if they knew how hard it would be, and if their techs were capable of doing it.

    Never got a reply back...
     
  10. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    What kind of 3dmark05 scores are you guys getting? Anyone try any overclocking?
     
  11. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Never did the 05 version, but on the 3dMark06 version, I got 2365.
    For PcMark05, I got 4134.
     
  12. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    Wow 2365 and is that when overclocked or not? If so what is the core and memory frequency at? That’s a really good score for 3dmark06. ;)
     
  13. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Fixed title haha :D
     
  14. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    PCMark 05 - 4076. I didnt format the HDD after receiving the system, just converted to ntfs using the converter, i think i read somewhere that, that causes a slight loss in performance, dont know how that will affect PCMark. Also have a bunch of running processes. Is that Intel PROset Wireless tool useful? or is the built in windows good enough?

    3DMark05 i hit 3972.

    No overclocking nothing. Just set quality/performance in drivers to high performance.

    Oh and the machine was plugged into AC and pwr4gear was set to either Super performance or Game. Doesn't make a difference during benchmarking I dont think.
     
  15. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    yep... no OC or anything for me too... just set to High Performance in Image settings
     
  16. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    You guys should try overclocking a bit. Just download powerstrip or something. Raise the core and memory 10mhz at a time. Then run 3dmark05 and make sure there are no artifacts. Also monitor the temperature. It sounds like the X1600 in the W3j is slightly more powerful than the 7600. But it is a very close match. The X1600 gets around 4200 stock in the W3j. so 200 less. Hardly anything. I would think you should be able to get 4500 without too much of a problem.
     
  17. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    What i want to compare is battery life between the 7600 and 1600 cos i think nvidia has better power saving mechanisms in place. 200 3dmarks won't affect real world game play by a whole lot so I am not too worried about that.

    Besides it was expected that the 1600 will have higher 3dmark scores.
     
  18. DarrenF

    DarrenF Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just got my A8JM about an hour ago :D

    So far, i'm really liking it. Compared to all the other laptops that I've had, this one is great. Very high quality. VERY fast compared to my P4 1.8 ghz 768mb laptop.

    I'm like a little kid on Christmas today. I even waited outside for the delivery truck :D
     
  19. RogueMonk

    RogueMonk Notebook Deity

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    I'd really like to see some more battery tests.
     
  20. DarrenF

    DarrenF Notebook Enthusiast

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    Mine is only a few hours old, but i've been running on the battery for 15 or 20mins now, and I have 90% or 3 hours remaining. The battery wasn't fully charged though, so I won't know for sure how long it will go until the battery has been charged/discharged a few times. I'm happy that it looks to be at least 3.5 hours.
     
  21. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    What does the battery indicator say when It's 100% charged and the brightness is all the way down along with Wi-Fi. This will give us the maximum battery life.
     
  22. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    approx 3.5 hours
     
  23. DarrenF

    DarrenF Notebook Enthusiast

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    3.5 hours is about right. Closer to 4 with the wifi turned off
     
  24. nickg

    nickg Notebook Enthusiast

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    I did a couple of battery tests by charging to 100% using the computer until it was around 50% and extrapolating to find max time. (Also posted this on NBF.com)

    with my typical usage conditions.
    Results:
    P4G on Battery saver
    brightness on third lowest (17%)
    Wireless on (downloading files)
    Wireless USB mouse attached
    Using AutoCAD for the duration (I'm note sure if this affects Bat. life but I think its pretty processor intensive)

    86 minutes from 100% -> 56%
    Extrapolates to 3 hrs 15 mins with above conditions.
    Not bad if you ask me.

    Also... Just tested it on lowest brightess, wifi on, P4G on BS, no mouse, just surfing the net, and got 3hrs 35 mins.
     
  25. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Any of the mods care to merge some of the threads above ? :)
     
  26. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Holy Jeez, hold on.

    edit; Just so you know, it may get messy and its not reversable.
     
  27. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Ehehe... sorry... but might as well have it in one place right ;)

    It's gonna be fun.. like a maze.. trying to figure out which post answers which .... should rename the thread to A8Jm owner's needle in a haystack information search :)
     
  28. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Well, its gonna be 500+ posts long, in random order it seems.


    Still want it?
     
  29. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Dunno... what does everybody else think? I don't really mind.. but yeah thinking about it again, it's gonna get real messy.....
     
  30. Nixit

    Nixit Notebook Guru

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    Perhaps just links to the other relevant threads
     
  31. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    OK, I'll work on sorting out which threads are most relevant tomorrow....
     
  32. RogueMonk

    RogueMonk Notebook Deity

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    Ouch. Sounds like a waste of time to me. :)
     
  33. Nixit

    Nixit Notebook Guru

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    Anyone have any idea whether there are extra batteries for the A8jm available anywhere or perhaps even a higher capacity one?
     
  34. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I doubt it, and if there was, it would somehow stick out and all, since the battery is rectangular and fits on the bottom, not at any of the edges where it could stick out.
     
  35. Nixit

    Nixit Notebook Guru

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    ah, good point. Are you also saying that there won't be any ones available to purchase as just extra batteries?
     
  36. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Oh, if you mean the same 6 cell ones, probrably all dealers should have em.

    Just that, anything higher capacity probrably doesn't exist, which is a pity.
     
  37. Nixit

    Nixit Notebook Guru

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    It is a pity, but I'll take an extra 6 cell over nothing.

    Thanks
     
  38. gusto5

    gusto5 Notebook Deity

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    so no one has an answer to my keyboard question?
     
  39. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Gusto: Don't think I use my keyboard as much as you do, but mine's ok for now.
     
  40. pin

    pin Notebook Consultant

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    The A8Jm isn't available in the UK, but the A8Jc is. In terms of build quality, I'm guessing they are going to be the same. However the specs are slightly different: T2300, 80GB HD (4200 RPM), 1GB RAM, different graphics card (but not too bothered). The price in the UK is about £900, with 2 years international warranty. Does this sound like a decent buy? Thanks
     
  41. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    what was ur keyboard question?
     
  42. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    He mentioned how the keyboard is losing its texture and becoming 'shiny'. My keyboard is the same, but more on the letters since I type alot :p

    Theres really nothing you can do, thats wear and tear!
     
  43. zydus

    zydus Notebook Evangelist

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    i havent had that yet, but my mouse pad has definitely become a lot smoother and frankly easier to use than the first day. it seemed sticky almost. Now its really smooth.
     
  44. gusto5

    gusto5 Notebook Deity

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    but its only been 2 weeks.... how much is a replacement? no, the mousepad is not smoother for me.
     
  45. coriolis

    coriolis Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Replacement keyboards are about $60
     
  46. ejl

    ejl fudge

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  47. danielsjang

    danielsjang Notebook Guru

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    I hope this isn't much of a deal / not that noticable, b/c if i'm expecting to drop in $1.5k for a laptop it's keyboard--of all things--should last a long time and not show (extreme) wear so soon
     
  48. hox

    hox Notebook Consultant

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    My Portable 1 mx (a8jm) shipped yesterday it is very modified, and they installed the bluetooth module. Bummer is I am out of town until 11 Jun.
    My machine
    A8jm
    7200 rpm 100gb drive
    t2600 cpu
    1gb ram.
    I will post a review to see how my machine performs compared to stock. I think I changed the most common things.
     
  49. Darrick

    Darrick Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    I was thinking if something like this existed, apparently they did..very cool.. now I wonder if they can make it customized for A8Jm.

    Thanks Ejl

     
  50. Jason

    Jason Overclocker NBR Reviewer

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    Someone do some graphics card overclocking and get some benchmarks posted! ;) The W3j can do up to 4800 (overclocked) in 3dmark05 - 4200 stock. The A8jm ? (overclocked) and - just under 4k stock.
     
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