ASUS U Series Bamboo Collection Owners Thread (U33JC/U43JC/U53JC)

The US U33JC-A1 has widi. You can probably swap out the wifi card and get widi in the European version too. I ordered a newer wifi card to swap out myself because I didn't realized the current intel card in the U33JC-A1 cannot do 5Ghz! My building's 2.4Ghz is poor at every channel.

 

Has anyone found a good, fitting case for the U33?

 

Yep. GenTech has confirmed that (unlike the U35Jc) the U33Jc is thick enough that the wireless card is very easy to remove via the bottom panel. And it only takes putting in an Intel wireless-N 1000, 6200. 6250 or 6300 for your notebook to become WiDi-ready. Of course, then you'd still need to buy the Push2TV box so that your TV can receive the wireless WiDi signals to put your desktop onto your telly wirelessly.

 

could you point me in the direction of this offer w/ the widi adapter?
this is the only one i can find : http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-U33JC-A1...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286239706&sr=1-1

no free adapter here...
thanks,

Ethan

 

I have the U43JC-X1 from Amazon ($999 -- no tax) and was able to get both the $150 gift card and a western digital widi for free. I ordered in late august and can't even find that widi adapter on the amazon site anymore.

Anyway, I love the laptop. But does anyone have any advice on getting the fingerprints out or just cleaning the wood in general? Thanks

ETA: the $150 gift cards were available with any bamboo laptop, the WD WiDi was available with select i5 laptops, so you could only get both on the 43 and 53 models...

 

Seems the deal might've expired. It should have been right on that main page for the U33Jc that you linked to but sold by Amazon.

 

I got this one Zeroshock III 13-inch Widescreen Notebook Case for ~$33 shipped. It's nice and snug and the inside is like memory foam patterned like egg crate. There's a pouch in front but you probably wouldn't be able to fit much in there -- maybe cleaning cloths and CDs. You'd have to carry the power adapter separately but who needs to do that when the battery lasts all day?

 

Just a heads up for anyone else interested in getting a U33JC in the UK, Microanvika seems the best option.

 

Well I received my u43jc and so far I like it. I am having some difficulty trying to turn on the [SHE] Super Hybrid Engine. When I try to toggle it on nothing happens, I can't find the way to activate it. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Got mine from MicroAnvika as well! They have several shops around the UK.

 

Got my U43JC-A1 a few days ago and so far it has been great. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this computer atm. The track pad is easy to get used to despite what has been said, I do not hear any noise coming from the laptop, it does get a bit hotter on the left vent but it is not bad at all. The webcam/mic has been great, strong wireless, keyboard is easy to get use to as well.The screen is a bit on the shiny side, but I don't plan on using it with the sun glaring on it so it doesn't bug me. Like I said there are no real issues with this laptop unless you are a really nit-picky person or had bad luck.

 

On my U33JC-A1, I got to the wifi card today (two screws bottom middle panel, two hard drive screws, unplug black/white cables on wifi card, two screws on wifi card, quick and easy). I exchanged it with an Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 Advanced Wireless Card (model 622ANHMW) from ebay and it did NOT work. Windows recognize it but I get the Code 10 error even with latest drivers. For those of you upgrading, I recommend buying a different model. I am not sure if it is because of the model number, a fake, or what not (the seller had 100% rating). Other people with Asus/Acer laptops have had problems with model 622ANHMW too.

Second note, it may be a fake. I am ordering from a more reputable person in the forums now, and the images look slightly different.

 

Does anybody know where to buy an extra battery for the U33JC (largest capacity possible) in the UK? I tried searching this thread but couldn't find the parts number.

How about the power adaptor (power plug) for the U33JC? Where can I buy a spare one in the UK?

Cheers,

 

so i made a craigslist ad posting to see if i could have a custom made keyboard for the u33jc here is the response i got let me know if he is right he sounds liek he knows what he is talking about thanks:

For 10 years I worked for a company that made backlit (electroluminescent) instrument panels, keyboards...etc. for aircraft & military use.
I think that unless you can find an aftermarket company that makes backlit keyboards as aftermarket spares, I don't see how it would be possible.

Even if you could find an electroluminescent lamp or LED to fit under the keys, the keys themselves are solid (opaque) plastic.
It's cheaper for the manufacturers to make the keys a solid color plastic & then just apply the lettering on top.
The keys on a backlit keyboard are usually clear, with a painted surface. But the actual letters are see-through/clear, so that the light can shine through or at the most have a thin white paint over them, but the actual plastic for the keys would still be clear.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, but I hope this makes sense.
If I find a company that makes backlit spares, I'll let you know.

Thanks,

 

@ ethandissi regarding Backlit keyboard. I dont think you will have any luck, the explanation you received is plausible.

Why not save the hassle and get a small USB powered led lamp. Not as elegant, but it works and is cheap.

It is a shame asus missed this out, I certainly would prefer having one too!

 

This sounds interesting. Please let me know how it turns out for you because I wanted to change the wireless card myself too. I'm pretty sure it should work since both Xotic and Gentech offer to change the wireless card for you.

 

Hey,

It's pretty easy. Here's what you do:

Buy some EL-Wire, thread it through the keyboard, under the keys.

Hard wire it into the 4-volt USB. Done.

*********this is another reply i got ... do you guys think it would look clean... and actually like a backlit keyboard... or should i just forget the whole idea of a backlit keyboard... and love my laptop for who it is....

Thanks,

Ethan

 

Yes, but Ethan, this guy's answer is only thinking of the power issue. You'd have to have a backlit keyboard first that fits the U33 and then you have to find a way to make it fit under and through your U33 solid aluminum upper housing. You guys don't have a keyboard in a tray area like most of us. Your keyboard is form-fitted under your upper aluminum body.

I'm not sure just any ol' backlit keyboard will fit properly under there.

 

now that a number of you have played with your new babies for a while, i wanted to hear what you have to say about them.

does the battery life last as long as promised under "real life stress"? be honest now. what can one truly expect (without complex professional "tuning"--i am a newby at this)

is the i3 strong enough/fast enough to handle everything seamlessly? how about the wifi card?

how loud is it? does the fan, etc. kickin often or can it be used in a "silent" area? i am very audio-sensitive. i was looking at the ul30 because everyone said it was so quiet with a long battery life. hope that this is the next step up.

thank you for your input--follow the thread. disappointed that the German version appears to have less options.

 

I'm using the U43Jc-X1:

In Windows 7, with SHE active, I average about 6 hours typical use. That includes web browsing, watching an occasional flash video, medium brightness, nothing unexpected. Gaming cuts battery life down to probably 1.5-2 hours, haven't tested it extensively. Definitely not nearly as good as the UL series. On my old UL30Vt-A1, I used to get a solid 10 hours web browsing, 3 hours gaming.

In Arch Linux, after configuring some power saving tools (laptop-mode, cpu frequency scaling, etc.), it looks like about 4.5-5 hours typical usage.

 

Oh, also not quite as quiet or cool as the old UL series. You have to remember that the processors in those laptops were designed to be ultra low voltage. These are full-fledged processors, and are much, much more powerful. This is the reason that you have less good battery life, and greater heat production. The fan is still by no means loud, but it is not nearly as cool or quiet as the old UL laptops.

I have to say, overall I really like this laptop, because the bamboo is fantastic, but sometimes I do miss my old UL30Vt. This is chunkier, hotter, shorter battery life..... but it is damn sexy.

 

Hi all, I'm currently having this problem where my synaptics drivers are not recognizing the trackpad. Instead it is shown as "wheel mouse." I've googled this and apparently it's quite a common problem with linux based OS's. Anyone have any idea how to fix this? I've tried different versions of the drivers to no avail.

 

question where can i even buy the u33jc they are on backorder EVERYWHERE!

 

I'm going to assume you're in the US? Amazon is fulfilling orders from Mobile Advanced if you really, really want it ASAP, but it's a little overpriced. I know J&R had a couple in stock just at the beginning of this week, but looks like they just sold out so tough luck there.

Basing on the fact that J&R just sold out their last batch of U33's, they might be out for awhile. I'd say you're best getting a pre-order from GentechPC or XoticPC since they should be getting a new shipping sometimes soon.

 

Hey everyone, have been a little busy but am now ready to place my order and have a few questions:
u33jc

There are now two u33jc's available:
Asus U33JC-RX068V, i5-430M.
ASUS U33JC-RX126V, i5-460.

I've been unable to find any good information on the RX126V but what i have seen is that is comes WIDI ready and may have a different battery. It certainly has a different processor. So now that i am placing my order does anyone have any information on this new model at all or should i just risk it and hope for the best?

Hope everyone is happy with their purchases

 

Just got my U33. I don't have the time to do a clean install right now, so I'm trying to just remove all the bloatware. Does anybody know which ones I should keep and which ones I can remove? Maybe someone who has a clean install can just list all the programs they have would be great. Thanks!

---Edit---
Nevermind. I found the guide to Asus Utilities/Bloatware which was really useful. The only thing I don't get is why we have both the Realtek HD Audio Manager and the SRS Premium Sound Control Panel.

 

Something to be aware of that I think this guide fails to mention.

You DO need to install Intel Management Engine from your driver DVD to get Optimus & graphics to work properly. Also, ASUS Splendid Utility must be installed to activate the Fn+C hotkey. A nice utility, I think, that allows you to set the color bias on your screen. Do try it out.

Also ASUS LifeFrame must be installed to activate the Fn+V hotkey. LifeFrame allows you to set up your webcam default resolution, etc.

Power4Gear activates the Fn+Spacebar hotkey to toggle through various P4G power saving modes.

 

Thanks Quatro! I'll try out Splendid and keep Lifeframe on my computer. I haven't touched the drivers and utilities DVD and there's already a version of Intel Management Engine preinstalled on my computer. Do I still need to install from the DVD or should it be fine?

Also the camera seems pretty choppy. It's what I'd expect from a notebook camera though so it's fine. I'm just wondering if there are any enhancements/settings tweak I should do to the camera to make it not so slow.

 

If IME is installed, you won't need to install it again, though it doesn't hurt to be sure you have the approved version that ASUS includes with your notebook. I'm not sure if that makes any difference, but sometimes the generic drivers installed by Windows aren't the best, but do work (eg the touchpad, etc).

The choppiness of the webcam connection, I assume, is when you are using it online, not offline. Right? That can also be affected by your speed of connection or the speed of connection for the person at the other end. Either end can be a bottleneck. The 2MP webcam on the U33 does mean that the image transmitted with require more bandwidth or it will bog down.

Be sure your Intel & NVIDIA drivers are up to date and that you're in high performance mode (and preferably not on battery).

An easier test is to try a webchat with a friend in the same room over a solid upload/download connection.

 

Well. I ordered my U43JC-A1 from Xotic a few days ago, I cant wait for it to arrive

 

anyone ever purchased from california computer center? i am getting a lot of mixed reviews of them from the internet... they have the best price right now... ASUS U33JC-A1 13.3" LED Notebook - Core i3 i3-370M 2.40 GHz

 

I recently re-install Windows 7 from DVD (clean). Everything has been running great except when I was playing with SHE (super hybrid engine), I consistently get the BSOD 0x000000F4 when I turn SHE on/off. After reboot, it runs fine in that state. Any idea if I am missing some driver or what driver may be incompatible?

 

Guess no one knows anything about: ASUS U33JC-RX126V, i5-460.?

 

Sorry for this strange request. I just did a clean install on my U33JC but I lost the original wallpaper! I tried googling it but just couldn't find it. Can someone please upload it for me?

On the other hand, I love this laptop. When I first tried it, I wasn't too impressed because the mousepad was hard to use. Then I installed the new Synaptics driver (15.0.20), the multi-touch works perfectly! Now without all those bloatwares (I did re-installed some using the driver&utility disc), this laptop runs pretty fast and quiet.

 

I think I solved the problem. For those of you who upgraded to a SSD, do NOT install the intel rapid storage technology / sata controller on Asus's website (IRST_WIN7_64_z9561001). Not only does it decrease your SDD's speed by 20%, it causes the Super Hybrid Engine to crash. Well, for me at least on a Crucial C300 256GB.

 

I've decided to get this laptop, but am having trouble deciding which version (13", 14" or 15"). 13" is my favorite form factor, but I do get use out of the optical drive and the numpad, so it's a hard choice. What are all your takes?

Specifically, two questions about the U13 vs the other two: how much difference is there between the i3-370M and the i5-450M, and, isn't having an optical drive a huge plus, due to the fact that I could switch it out with a lowish capacity SSD, install the system itself onto that and keep my regular files on the regular HDD, and have all the joy and happiness that people with SSDs seem to have?

 

Which wallpaper is the "original wallpaper"? Can you describe it? I'm happy to upload it (if I can via PM) or email it. Just let me know (or PM me.)

You can look each one up on Intel's site ( i3-370M HERE & i5-540M HERE). Basically the i3-370M is a straight 2.4GHz. No faster.

The i5-540M is 2.53GHz with the ability to Turbo up to 3.066GHz when the system needs it. 2.4 vs 3.07. One is faster than the other and a better choice if the prices are similar. Perhaps not worth it if you're paying $300+ just to upgrade the CPU.

But if you meant the i5-450M HERE, then that is also 2.4GHz like the i3-370M, but can be Turbo'd up to 2.66GHz, which is still better then the i3-370M. (Are you sure you didn't mean the i5-450M?)

As for the ODD, it's your choice. Some prefer no ODD as it makes the notebook thinner and loses about a pound in weight. Others like an ODD because it is sometimes useful and you can swap out the ODD tray for an SSD drive (while keeping the old large drive) for faster performance. Then you can buy a cheap slim external ODD for the best of both worlds.

13" vs 14" on the 16:9 ratio adds about 1/2 inch to the width and about 1/4 inch to the height of the screen. With the change from 16:10 (like the Mac) to the now-popular 16:9 ratio, it means you lose needed height on the screen while gaining not-so-needed width, so some prefer the little bit extra a 14" screen gives you.

 

To my understanding, SHE should not only save battery life, but can also boost up the processor? I've heard that some people were having problems with SHE limiting their processor. I've had no problems, but I'm just wondering is it just in High Performance that the processor gains a speed boost?

 

Aye, I meant 450.

 

I just got my Asus U43JC-X1 from Amazon.

I tried to insert a DVD into the dvd drive, but I am unable to load it. The DVD just doesn't fit into the rom, the spindle is slightly larger than the hole of the DVD and it won't fit.

What could be the problem with it? Is it faulty?

Also, I did not get any Windows 7 or recovery disk with the laptop. How are we supposed to re-install Windows or restore the laptop when needed?

 

If the disc doesn't fit it is probably defective. You can use asus recovery preloaded to make the recovery dvds yourself.

 

Have you finally got your wireless card working?
Also anyone knows whether the Intel Ultimate-N 6300 wireless card with 3 antennas can be installed in the U33JC ?

 

Still waiting on the card for arrival... shoudl be today or tommorrow. It is very very easy to swap in/out. Don't know about the 6300. The U33JC has two wires, black and white only.

 

With SHE off, my U33JC with 370M runs at 2568.x MHz (as opposed to 2400 MHz). Anybody knows which Asus program is overclocking it?

 

Hey All...
So I have been following this thread and decided to buy a u43jc. I really like it so far but have a few questions. First, the webcam seems to be considerably slow....I have heard some people have this problem and others dont...is there any way to fix it? It happens all the time....whether using it online or on life frame. The video is very choppy and not smooth at all. Really hoping there is a way to improve it somehow. I looked at the drivers on the asus sight and found out my webcam is the azureware version. Does anyone that has this version have a smooth camera? Any suggestions?

The second thing I have been reading about is the synaptic drivers for the touchpad. I can't seem to find them anywhere...unless people on this site are only using them for the u33...I tried installing a few different versions but no luck...they work but there are no multigesturing enabled. The elan drivers seems to work decent...but I read that the synaptic drivers get rid of the choppy two finger scrolling that occurs occasionally. Maybe I read wrong. Anyone find synaptic drivers that work on the u43jc that support multigesturing? thanks everyone!

 

The U43 uses an Elan touchpad, so you have to use Elan drivers. The U33 uses a Synaptics touchpad, so for that you'd have to use Synaptics drivers. You can't interchange the two.

 

So should I just keep SHE off unless I want to save battery?

 

On my U33JC, with SHE off, cpuz reports 2568.x MHz max and with SHE on, cpuz reports 2300 MHz max. Now, I am assuming it is something in the bios (remember seeing some turbo setting) that gives the U33JC a speed bump from rated 2400 MHz and SHE actually does decrease the speed among other things, and may increase battery life.

 

Just ordered a ASUS U33JC-RX068V Notebook, Intel® Core? i5-430M from amazon and possibly made a mistake as I'm a linux user. Ubuntu generally. I've never had to check before as Asus kit has never been an issue with linux with my past three netbooks. This U33JC might be different though and I'm not finding anything out there about running linux on this machine. Has anybody installed and are there any issues with HW like the Display or anything. I've a long wait so I still have time to research and possibly cancel.

 

@andrewmatta

I was wondering what exactly do you mean by "the touchpad skipped". do you mean that the pointer disappears from one position in the screen and just appear somewhere else every once in a while? cause this is driving me crazy. im trying to find different drivers to fix the problem, but if i install the synaptic drivers, this problem will go away, but my mouse wont be recognized as a smartpad, but just as a regular ps/2 mouse and i loose much of its functionality. i really like the laptop but i dont know what to do with the mouse :-/