ASUS N71JQ Owners Lounge

Yes, you are definitely right. There are no N71JQ out there with resolution lower than 1600x900.

 

That was what I was expecting.
Your notebook has also this same jump to 3300rmp in fan speed.

As I also said before, during the day I experience less this ramping up and down problem. When the notebook is in use, it ramps up and down less often.

During those times when the notebook is sitting idle it does this. Also when the room temperature is low and the notebook is very lightly used then it shows this also.


Now what we should do is wait patiently for solution. ASUS will come up with a solution soon.
The results of my latest tests will be forwarded to ASUS soon.

 

I have some bad news to report about overclocking the CPU in the N71, as I personally worked with Abo-san of the utility SetFSB (Set Front Side Bus) yesterday for many hours, and we determined that the IC Controller in this computer does NOT support a changing FSB routine...it's a big negativo in that regard, so there will be no overclocking of the CPU in this computer by the FSB utility, which is a darn shame all around for those of us who wanted this to be reality.

I am very, very disappointed in this sad fact, so much so that I am weighing out the return of my N71 very carefully, with a heavy heart so to speak as I write these words. On the one hand I am very happy with the notebook, but on the other hand, its great potential in the CPU department is stymied, cannot be tapped legitimately as the G73JH and other series with that particular multiplier-controlled IC chip can do, thus benefiting from SetFSB Utility.

I have no idea why Asus did throttle this CPU so handily, because it's a deliberate act to have the IC Controller that they picked in the computer, and it does stop FSB manipulation 100% in this motherboard and CPU combination. Those of you with limited experience in overclocking perhaps will not consider this to be a big deal, and others the same for different reasons, but I think it's a positively terrible thing, and I regret its implementation very much by Asus.

I don't own a newer Intel CPU that can't be overclocked at this time, other than this notebook. All of my OEM desktops that I built are significantly (c.61%) overclocked, and I really enjoy being able to manipulate the multiplier, the QPI or FSB feature, and the voltage (within reason) for both CPU and RAM, in order to safely and effectively overclock a given CPU.

After so much work with Abo-san yesterday, and into the evening very late, it was a huge disappointment for both of us to finally discover the nature of the N71's IC Controller, as it is impossible to overclock this particular computer by normal FSB manipulation or means. We tried all kinds of experiments with the CPU in my own N71 to come to this conclusion, and I am not such a happy camper at this point. :rolleyes2:

Most owners will consider this fact a non-issue, but I've been looking forward to a nominal overclocking, at least, on this computer ever since I ordered it. Since it can't be done, at least by means that I am aware of anyway, I think my $1300+ investment is simply a waste of good merchandise, and for a mere $100 more I could own an Asus that *can* be easily overclocked, so I'm very seriously thinking that this is not the Core i7 notebook for me.

Have a nice evening, good luck and may God Bless!

 

I have found a solution to my difficulty in locating a carrying case for my Asus. A Chemistry Professor at the University where I work makes custom leather laptop cases on the side. He will line the case and include a neoprene padding. I just ordered one. It wasn't cheap, but as much as I travel I need some reliable way to carry this monster.

It's a very masculine look, but I'll deal. It reminds me of an old-west carrying satchel, including the three straps across the top.

He said it would take about 3 weeks to make. If anyone is interested, when I get it I'll post images and cost.

 

I'm not sure how many people know this, but if you purchase your computer with an American Express card, the warranty is automatically extended one year. So if you get a two year warranty, AmEx gives you an additional year of the same coverage. And Costco accepts AmEx.

Do a Google Search of American Express Extended Warranty, and you can find more than you ever wanted to know on the subject.

 

is there somebody out there with a x25-m postville 80gb?
can you run as ssd benchmark and run your results?
my access times and the 4k ratings are very slow.

i checked the windows power saving settings but i can't find the reason...
i'm using the latest intel 9.6.0.1014 drivers

 

You have nothing to worry about!

Please read here:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Mainstr...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272313799&sr=8-2

My review is under the amazon.com name 'Wavey Davey', it's one of the newer reviews if you'd care to read it. Of special note for you are the benchmarks that I published in the "Reader Views" at the top of the 1st page.

Please check out those benchmarks, and you will find that the Intel SSD, and all SSD's and HD's in general perform very poorly in the 4KB range, and this is because of many factors, but the No.1 reason is the small files like that are difficult to place in the SSD storage system as the filing system itself is based on 4096KB alignment of the cells in the SSD itself. :wink:

Your SSD is just fine, and it's probably performing quite well in the normal ranges of 16KB through 8192KB with a 256MB test file and 4 point depth, like the ATTO Tools Test that I posted in that review shows. The HD Tune Pro tests are just for show, for general information, as you probably already know that HD Tune Pro is not SSD Savvy when it comes to testing and benchmarks.

That I am using an Intel 160GB X25-M does not matter vs comparing with your 80GB SSD, they perform very similarly in the region you are asking about.
Don't worry, the SSD you have is fine! All SSD's perform poorly in that small file size range, so you are not alone nor are you the victim of some poor SSD performance. It will perform fast where it's most needed, and that is with larger file sizes that you use every day.

I am not using my SSD-equipped notebook right now or I'd run the benchmark you used on it for you to show how similarly they perform...perhaps later today I can do that for you, just to show you it's all the same with SSD's in general with a 4K file. :wub:

Have a nice day!

 

Aside from the fan issue that some of you are experiencing, the impression I get is that this laptop is a pretty issue-free and has great performance. Is that overall a good assessment?

I'm not looking for a true gaming machine, but want decent gaming capability (not top of the line) without spending a lot of extra cash on a true gaming machine. My uses are more along the lines of software development as well as photo work (Photoshop). Would this machine do me well in that capacity, and if so, what are (if any) the issues one would need to be cognizant of if buying this laptop?

Thanks!

 

Here you go, compare with my 160GB SSD, which will perform a bit better overall than an 80GB SSD anyway...just because bigger is better!

1) Did you use the Intel SSD Toolkit (latest) and optimize your SSD...do you repeat that weekly at least? Using the latest firmware?

2) Is your controller set in BIOS @ AHCI, not IDE or RAID?

3) Are you on a notebook on battery perchance? If so, plug it in then repeat the benchmark and it will perform better.

4) Is your SSD Aligned correctly? I use the Paragon PAT (Paragon Alignment Tool) to check my SSD installs, and mine are aligned 100% according to PAT.

My Read and Write speeds are also literally twice as fast as yours, which led me to believe that you are on a notebook on battery, is that the case?
If so, repeat the test plugged in, and you'll do much better.

Hope this helps.

 

Your assumptions are correct, this is a "best buy" type of notebook, and you pretty much cannot find one quite like it, especially with the Asus warranty provisions, and the free ADW warranty to boot.

My only complaint is that I cannot overclock the CPU using a popular utility called SetFSB, but that is incidental to your potential uses. I use mine for the same things you are asking about, and there are no issues at all...for Photoshop this is a great product, with fantastic resolution on the LCD screen...(Mine is an LG LCD...according to Everest Ultimate).

If there is any competition it is from Sony's similar offerings, but they don't have the Asus warranty do they? Just 1 year from Sony, and no ADW either...

Buy it, then come here and visit with us and have some fun!

 

thank you for benchmarking your ssd!
the ssd runs with the latest firmware and it is optimized with the latest ssd toolbox. the controller is set as ahci and the laptop is plugged in...
the alignment is well set, which you can see in the screenshot of my as ssd benchmark (the green numbers "1024" and the "ok")
i've asked some other guys in the german hardwareluxx.de forum about my low benchmark results. they think that some powersaving setting decrease the performance...???

here are some results of the 80gb version

Gigabyte GA P55-UD5
i5 750
4GB DDR3
Postville 80GB am Intel Treiber

by NoPainNoGain


intel mlc gen1 (50nm)

by _FLYto7x_

here you can find more results, including better performing systems http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/articles.php?article_id=2

 

ms960,
I am in the same boat as you! Thank you for this post so I can learn from you what and where to get it?

I work with graphics (movie/slide making) digital pictures and animations.
Not heavy gaming but figured this would be the machine to buy for my wants.
My only fear is that of the fan problem mentioned on this forum AND my being able to get on the Internet as it does not have the RJ11 dialup modem.
Was informed that there are USB Modems that would get me on the net but which one of those would work the best on this machine?
Also------ where is the best place to order this computer from?

My reason for wanting this is to take the place of my desktop to where I can do all my computering sitting comfortable in my recliner. I already bought a laptop table that has legs that straddle.

Regards,
Urlee

 

http://www.jr.com/asus/pe/ASU_N71JQA1/

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=asus+n71jq-a1&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

Those are two of the lowest prices on the net today for the N71JQ-A1 version, the retail version with BluRay optical drive...there is an "X1" version with 1HD and DVD+/-RW normal optical drive for about $1099 @ amazon.com, check that out if you don't need BluRay or twin optical drives.

Then CostCo is selling it, allegedly, for $1099 also, but you'll have to chase that where you will, I have no idea where to go to look for that CostCo ad or sale price, or whether it's for the non-BluRay model or what? :wub:

If you want BluRay and twin HD's (640GB total) stock, then a retail unit is the way to go, otherwise shop where you will.

I bought mine @ B&H and opted for UPS 3-Day Select Shipping for $7.25 instead of UPS Ground for free, as they fly the Select shipping while Ground is Ground, you know? I just wanted better treatment than Ground, and got it! :wink:

Other people will say "Gentech" for the computer, where you can customize your order with anything you want, ie delete the BluRay drive, put in a 920QM CPU for about $800, whatever you know?

I wanted BluRay, stock configuration, and I have dealt with B&H Photo Video & Computer for years and years, and they are solid gold as a company goes. Never had a problem with them, not once, and I've returned expensive things with them, mostly camera gear, but would not be afraid to return this computer within the 30-day window they allow...just don't fill out the warranty papers is all they ask, the rest is fine with returns...

That is my recommendation, so good luck, and happy shopping/shipping!

 

Install the Rapid Storage Drivers from here

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=2101&DwnldID=18859&lang=eng

 

as i said earlier, the newest drivers are already installed

 

I personally find the fan not that much annoying, especially during the day when in office use. It seems my ears are got adapted to it by now.

I don't know how sensitive you are to noise, but I personally believe it is not a deal breaker.

As mentioned before, hopefully in the next few weeks there will be solution to it. We have to give ASUS some time to investigate it.

If you want to have your notebook customized for example you want to have a better thermal compound or different WLAN etc. then the best way is to go to one of the three sellers:

xoticpc: http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-n71jqa1-p-2733.html
Power notebooks: http://www.powernotebooks.com/ASUS-N71JQ-gaming-laptops-notebooks-sys-3152.html
Gentech PC: http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchan...e=N71JQ-A1&Category_Code=AS17&Product_Count=2

For the USB modem as somebody mentioned before, look at the forums which discusses them to see which one would be suitable for working under Win7 64bit.
The best thing could be that you test it already with your current PC. Maybe order it from a shop which has a return policy and if it does not work then return it.

 

Risco, in his 1st post he said this:

"I checked the windows power saving settings but i can't find the reason...
i'm using the latest intel 9.6.0.1014 drivers..."

That numerical sequence ARE the latest Intel RSD's, from the Intel site, that you posted about. So good suggestion, but he's already running the RSD's, just like I am also. There are many reasons his scores are lower than others, and it could be any of these things here:

1) Battery or energy saver settings

2) More filled up SSD, ie has more GB filled with data, programs, than others

3) The controller in his notebook may be suspect, ie the electronics of his particular notebook's IC controller may not work as well as other notebooks

4) His particular SSD is just not made with perfect apportioning and internal alignment, even if his '1024 OK' setting says it's aok fine, or it may have some cells that are dead, not perfectly aligned, or damaged somehow...anything is possible in that regard

My best guess is either No.4 or No.3 above, could be all 4 reasons for all we know, yah? Every SSD is slightly different than the next, that is reality also, so maybe he just didn't get that great of an SSD by luck of the draw? I know that mine is particularly right on the $$$, and I am 100% pleased with its performance, and its speed in the GUI, but it's all subjective when it comes down to it, apart from so-called objective tests, of which there are actually none...they are all slightly imperfect, you know? :wub:

I think SSD's are incredible devices to use and have, but I also think that we attach too much importance to testing that which we have in our particular notebooks. If it's working fine for you, be happy with it...if it's broke, then get another one via Intel's very liberal warranty policies. :wink:

I just installed an 80GB Intel X25-M SSD in my UL30VT-X1 notebook, and it's just as good as my 160GB X25-M SSD is by testing, but I'm not going to post those scores and crow about it, because I think that is stuuupid, and it's 100% relative to how well it's actually working in the notebook for me...I am happy with it so far, it tests well, so lucky moi! :rolleyes2:

I hope that people realize that all these tests are very suspect, and each individual SSD is going to perform differently than the rest, it's just the way it is because products differ ever so slightly, even with the tightest and best Quality Control mechanisms in place, even at Intel's factories, to wit the variance in Intel CPU's for example!

Like I wrote above, if it's working great for you keep it, and let's move on to the next topic. If you are unhappy with it, exchange it for another via Intel's very liberal warranty policies on SSD's. Good luck to everybody!

 

I have noticed with the fan issue if my laptop is on all day as usual, I don't notice it ramping at all. but if i shut it down or hibernate it and then bring it back, it happens most of the time, coming out of sleep mode, it doesn't occur.

just something I have noticed. my laptop is usually on 24/7, only time I shut it down if I am not home, but if I am home, its on and being used, or if not, its in "sleep" mode.

not sure if this sheds any light on the issue or if this helps, but this is what I have observed.

 

Yeah. I haven't noticed any patterns but my fan isn't *always* ramping up and down. Just most of the time. There are hours here and there where the fan runs steadily, for whatever reason. It might have to do with the conditions and temperature of the current environment. I don't know.

Anyone who says that they've gotten used to the fan to the point where it doesn't really bother them... well, I wish I could say the same. The fan bugs the crap out of me as much as it did on day 1, if not more so. Honestly, if Asus doesn't come up with a fix eventually, I will have deep regrets about not returning this laptop when I had the chance. I'm very sensitive to noise in general and the thought of dealing with this for the lifespan of this machine is hard to swallow.

 

Thanks for the info. I will try and see if mine is also doing the same.

Can you check if your also jumps directly from somewhere near 100rmp to near 3300rmp?

Mine has no dynamic speed in the above mentioned range. The dynamic speed range is starting at 3300rmp.

 

During the day, it seems I am too busy to notice it.
In the evenig, it can be annoying.

Besides, what helps me also is that I have notebook cooler under the NB in the office which is running the whole day. This helps while it is producing it's own noise.

 

Here is the link to the Costco ad for the N71JQ-X2:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...ang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10590-Cat56670&topnav=

 

Thanks for the info and vote of confidence for ASUS, and this laptop in particular. I have never owned, nor used, an ASUS laptop, desktop, etc., so I don't know anything about them.

The other systems I'm considering are Dell's, in their business line. Their top of the line business laptop is a heckuva machine, but rather expensive (part of me says that if I'm going to spend the money, why not go all out?). (One has an i7-720 with a Geforce 330M card, and the other has an i5-520M with ATI FirePro M7740 card. )

I know Dell's very well. That's all my company uses (laptops and desktops), so they're a known quantity. ASUS's quite simply are not a known quantity to me, hence my hesitation and questions.

By the way, I'm upgrading from a consumer-grade HP laptop, which if the fan ISN'T running all the time, I'm wondering if the machine is broken. Not that I want a machine with a loud fan, but I am used to it, unfortunately.

 

The problem isn't that the fan is loud. The problem is that it cycles on and off constantly, most of the time.

On the other hand, I absolutely love everything else about this laptop, sooo... maybe your fan will act normal for whatever reason, and if it does act up, maybe it won't bother you. Who knows.

 

Hey guys, I have read over this thread and been impressed with the quality of informatio here. Good job to all.

I have been in research mode for buying a new laptop since last fall and had planned on purchasing an AW M17x this spring but my financial fortunes have changed somewhat over the last few months and now price has become very important which has landed me squarely here. I haven't been this impressed with a laptop's specs vs price since I bought my wife a new one for christmas (Acer 5738G-6335 for $750 canadian back when we were around 80c on the USD).

A question that I have that I haven't been able to find a concrete answer to either here, on Asus' website, or on a reseller's website is whether the 5730 is paried with DDR3 or GDDR3 ram. This probably isn't a make or break issue for me but its a curiosity when I'm comparing it to the G73 for $320 more and GDDR5.

I would love it if some one who owns one is able to confirm this one way or another for me, and thanks in advance.

 

whats a good program to check fan speed?

EDIT: just downloaded Everest Ultimate.

 

yes it is GDDR3.

 

I've had the machine for a bit over a month. I bought it for a desktop replacement. (I'm not a gamer, but my nephew gave me Diablo II....and I'll admit to playing it a few times.)

It is UNBELIEVABLY quick. I use MS Office regularly, various accounting softwares, Macromedia Studio, Photoshop and InDesign (to name a few). I shoot raw, so my digital images are huge; it handles them with no problem. For comparision: InDesign took about 3.25 MINUTES to load on my two year old Lenova Thinkcentre. On the Asus it takes 11 SECONDS.

I have not yet been able to overload this computer. I 've had InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Word, email, 20 IE windows open...while listening to Pandora, and it just keeps on trucking.

One other big plus for me: It plugs into my 42 HDTV.

The few problems I've had have been minor and easily fixed, and the fan noise is a non-issue on my machine.

 

Hy, all, guys!
I just became a new partner in the owner's club (got my "spaceship" a couple of days ago), although I've been keeping an eye on the forum for more than two weeks. I've just came from a HP pavilion DV9000, which got fried (the screen and the graphics board) after hooking it up via HDMI to an LCD TV. So far I'm happy with my machine (bought it from xoticpc), except the following aspects:
- ocasionally I hear a loud buzzing somewhere in the central area of the keyboard (I suspect that it's the primary hard drive giving some vibrations to the keyboard);
- the quality of the sound when I'm skyping is totally crappy. My interlocutors complain about some strange noises and loud hissing coming from the laptop's mic all the time. Same phenomenon applies to me with the received sound (I get a lot of static and kind of microphony in my headphones). Any idea how to fix it, or at least anyone else having this kind of problems? I also consider the possibility that these things are happening due to the quality of the signal, which is very poor where I am right now;
- I'm not so impressed with the quality and the loudness of the laptop's speakers. They are no match to the ones I was used on the HP (also Altec Lansing);
- I downgraded the Blue-ray player and went for the DVD player. This unit is not so sturdy and sometimes I'm getting problems to make it open (have to make more attempts in order to open the tray).
I'm still getting used with the Windows 7 operating system. Anyone have any idea or could provide me with a link related to Windows 7 tweaks? Thank you very much!

 

you should play around with the sound settings in the realtek HD Audio Manager.
I am rather pleased with the sound. my old dell was tinny and never got loud.


my settings, and I have environment set to none, equalizer set to 'powerful', SRS is on.

it works well for gaming and music, haven't watched any DVDs on it, yet.

the skype settings I know nothing about, i don't use it. but if I remember correctly there is a driver fix for the microphone or setting change mentioned early on in this forum.

 

Thanks, jbermi. I overlloked the Audio manager and focused only on the sound settings in Control Panel (and it's like a milion possible settings to be done there). I will test the settings tomorrow and see the outcome. As for the microphone fix, I also remember something, but if I recall corectly it was actually smth. to correct the CPU whine via some mic settings.

 

I received my laptop today and immediately ran into an issue. I ran AI Recovery Burner to create a recovery dvd but it does not allow me to.

The first message prompt that I get is from the User Account Control interface:
"Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer"

"Program name: Backup the hidden partition to make the recovery dvd
Verified publisher: Asustek Company Inc.
File Origin: Hard Drive on this computer"

After I click Yes, the AI Recovery interface is shown:
The "Start" button is greyed out and the status reads "Recovery Partion does not exist". Has anyone run into this same issue? How do I workaround this?

Btw, I ordered my N71JQ-A1 with a 80GB SSD as primary from xotic pc. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.
Sorry if im not too tech savy but i've never had to partition or create recovery cds with my old computers.

Thanks in advance.

 

It sound like there is no hidden partition on your SSD.
Maybe, xcotic pc did not clone it from the original drive. Maybe look under the Disk Management to see if there is a hidden partition or not.

 

I know the screen on this machine is glossy, but is it annoyingly glossy, or not too bad? My consumer-grade HP laptop (that I'm replacing) has a glossy screen, but it's tolerable.

Also, can't find much in the specs about this, but does it have a backlit keyboard?

Thanks again for your help!

 

i ordered the same config, there is no hidden partition. on either drive, i paid extra for xotic to burn the recovery disc. they put it all on one disc, not the 4-6 AI recovery will require.

I would give one of the justins or joseph a call and ask them.

 

It is rather glossy but tolerable during the daytime hours if I keep the blinds behind me shut, the sun blares in on this side of the house during the day, but otherwise I don't find any worse than my old dell with a glossy finish.

no backlit keyboard.
not a big deal since I always have a light on, somewhere nearby.

 

The new 10.4 ATI Catalyst driver has been released.

ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver

 

installed, seems to be doing fine. seems like it was just a month ago 10.3 came out....oh wait, it did. :laugh:

 

Yes, ATI releases it's drivers on monthly basis.
The name of the driver tells you from which month and year it is. 10.4 means it's the April 2010 driver.

 

Hey all,

I have Asus N71JA-TY004V (pretty much same machine except it has i5-430M). I bought it week after bying Packard Bell TJ75 which had cpu whine issue and it drove me crazy (no, I couldn't return it anymore). I've been balancing back and forth which one to keep as I'm planning to sell the the other one.

I would probably keep Asus but there is one major issue. When it's connected to AC, there is horrible interference coming from the headphone jacks. Using my Behringer active monitors is pretty much impossible, all the hum and whining and crackling is just unbearable. Anyone else had this issue and managed to find a solution? I've tried disabling the protective ground from the AC plug physically without any sign for better. It doesn't happen when running on battery or on my PB laptop. Another thing is that in my opinion the cooling solution on this lap is screwed (CPU and GPU temps are 5-15 degrees more than on PB with the same main hardware). I guess there is no perfect laptop for me

 

Your opinion worried me a lot as I'm buying good headphones and I dont' want to buy external soundcard.. Which could not help...

 

If you got worried by my opinion, this happens also with an external soundcard. Not with on-board speakers though. Weird stuff, though I'm quite sure this doesn't happen on many of these laptops as no one has complained

 

Same problem with sound on my Onkyo HTX-22HD External soundcard EDIROL UA-1EX doesn't solved the problem.

 

I have no sound issues when using my 10 buck sony earbuds...

right next to the built in microphone there is a faint microphone symbol, I keep thinking its a spot I missed while cleaning the screen. lol.

and to answer a question about the fans, I don't notice it but they do ramp from 100 to 3300 when it does do it, which is not all the time for me, my notebook cooler is just a tad louder and I don't notice.

 

That's quite a mouthful of issues...sorry you're having them.

Have you heard of Asus 24/7 notebook hotline?

Here it is in the USA: 1-888-678-3688

Call those nice people! :smile:

I have no idea why you haven't yet, it's pretty simple really, and that sounds like a hardware issue that needs tending to. :yes:

My headphones worked 100% when I had the notebook, so I don't know what to tell you other than to contact Tech Support and let them handle things. :GEEK:

I was very leery of Asus Tech Support, but they handled an issue with my UL30VT-X1 in just 5 business days from the time it left my hands at FedEx to getting it back FedEx Express Saver shipping...very impressive! Plus my notebook was cleaned up unbelievable, it was better than new, totally awesome tech support work.

I asked them to leave my HD alone, ie no "Recovery" of the HD, and they heeded my words and left everything as is, except to replace both RAM SODIMMs which were blown sky high, ie they just did NOT even function at all!

Call them, and get your issue fixed, it's not your problem if it's under warranty it's Asus's problem, right?

Good luck, and hope this helped.

 

rexrzer727: Yeah I might try Asus support here in Finland if I decide to keep the laptop. But I'll try this at some other place as I think it might work with properly working protective ground. My buddy moved next door to me and he had to physically disable the protective ground on his speakers AC plugs as he had interference too which he never had at his old apartment. Not sure if the electricity can be messed up in a house though but might give a try.

 

Yea, I emailed jospeh and he explained that the partition would consume 20GB more on the SSD which leaves me with no space. I'd have to order a recovery disc from xotic pc.

 

I thought the same thing. Tried to scrape it off with my fingernail the first time I opened it up.

This is my first laptop (X2 from CostCo) and first experiance w/ Win7.

Fan issue = yes
Headphone noise issue = No

HDD light wont stop blinking though. Very regular like a metranome.

 

Hey, guys! Me again, with my problems. I need your suggestions regarding the following issues, or at least know if I'm the only one experiencing them:
- still lots of interference with both the earphones and the embedded mic (I saw that someone also complained about it, maybe you got an answer from Asus);
- laptop keeps showing me that the Total Physical Memory is 3,93 GB, while the Available Physical memory is 2.61GB, despite the thing that I have no programs running (this is happening since day 1);
- still having the problem with the loud ocassional buzzing sound somewhere under the central part of the keyboard. Could it be the primary drive? Also, as of today, I started to get like a high pitch sound, from the same location. It only happens sometimes and it lasts for less than a second.
I must mention that I went for the IC Diamond Thermal Compound and the surface of the palmrest and the metallic grill just in the vicinity of the keyboard seem a little bumped. Right now, sending my laptop back to Asus is not an option, due to the location I'm in (it might take more than a month to have it sent, repaired, than sent back to me) and I'm not willing to spend that amount of time without a computing capability.
Thank you very much in advance for your help!

 

that is not an issue, mine has always read that. windows 7 is using that memory, at least its not a memory hog like vista was.