ASUS U80V-A1 Review

Flex it took about a week. I ordered it on a Wednesday and got it the following Wednesday

 

has anyone seen this laptop for sale in the US??

 

I'm pretty sure the T400's battery is superior to both that of the mac and the U80v, as with a 9 cell battery you can get 10 hours.

 

It was on amazon like 2 days ago saying that there was only one left in stock, but now it says that it hasn't been released yet. keep an eye out on amazon.

 

Hey there! I've been strongly considering this laptop for a while, and I have a few questions that you can hopefully answer.

When you special order this through Staples, do you get Staples' normal return policy (ie. 2 weeks or whatever if you're not satisfied)? Do you know if any restocking fees apply?

Do you get the proper Asus warantee with it? The 12 month accidental, and 24 month return to manufacturer? It should say on the bottom of the laptop near your serial number I believe.

Looking forward to your gaming reviews! Thanks so much for the order info as well. Now I know I can actually get the laptop here.

 

Dude. I have been checkin it everyday for the last 3 weeks. I did see it when it was on amazon but I want to see the prices of the higher-end CPUs before i buy. but classes are right around the corner so my patience is wearin thin. I even called amazon after it went to the "not yet released" message and asked them why is it sayin "not yet released?" the lady (b!tch!) i talked to was a nut.

 

Yes the asus warranty is still in tacked you get the two years and first year accidental.

There is no restocking fee.

you have 14 days from when you received the laptop to return it. Just make sure they mark your receipt when you picked it up. Or that you have documentaion of some sort of when you acutally got it, incase you need to return it.

Sorry no game review tonight, ended up working a bit late then a friend from out of town stooped by.

 

Man that's awesome! Thanks a lot! I'm fairly sure I will like this laptop, but now I have their great return policy just in case!

No worries about the game review, I'm just looking forward to it in general. Take your time.

 

I'm looking forward to the game review, especially the Sims trial.

Not shopping for myself, though (seeing as I have a beefy unit already). I'm like a consultant for this one girl.

No jokes please.

 

This would be perfect for me if it had a slightly bigger screen

 

How's the UX50V for you then?

 

UX50V is a really sexy machine. I mean a 15" thin & light...with slot load OD. But with a bit weaker gfx

Sorrix, how does Sims 3 run on it? I'd be very thrilled if it runs on max settings. Thanks.

 

The U50V is a much better candidate for a slightly larger version of the U80V than the UX50. Remember that the UX50 has a ULV processor as opposed to a standard full voltage processor and an 105M graphics card which makes it quite a bit slower than the U80 despite being larger and heavier - pretty much a dealbreaker for me.

Flexx: The source engine runs fine on this machine. I have one with a P8700 and I blew through a whole campaign on Left4Dead yesterday without any stutters or frame hiccups. Given that it was on default settings and I haven't really looked to see what those are, but source games are definitely playable. The 4570 on this machine can even handle Dawn of War 2 on Low - Medium graphics which is quite impressive for what is really a slim and light machine.

 

I will take a look at the u50v but... i really like the u80v

backlit keyboard,
sexy size,
decent battery life!


BTW where did you get your u80v disguise? Can you post your sepcs and some benchmarks?

 

anyone in US find this yet?

 

I'm wondering where you got your u80v from as well. I can't find any u80v configurations with the P8700 in Canada.

 

4 in stock at Amazon, US, right now!

 

Got mine! Woo! It'll be here on Friday.

 

thanks for the info....but how did you get a U80V with the P8700 processor?

 

I picked up my machine in China. It was a really strange configuration with a P8700, 2GB RAM (upgraded to 3GB), 500GB HDD, Vista Basic and (of course) a 4570. I've been a bit busy in the last few weeks but I'll try to run some benchmarks when I have time this weekend. If anyone's interested I paid around 8,000 RMB for my machine including RAM and two bags which amounts to around US$1,170.

 

I wonder if the CPU is swappable on this Asus model. Since the chipset is right a lower TPD CPU like the P8xxx or P9xxx series should theoretically work in this.

 

so is amazon playing the game that whenever they sell their stock they're just gonna label it as "this product has not been released yet?" that's what it says right now

 

Could be, I know it was like that for some of the MSI notebooks. Is Amazon currently the only US reseller that has the U80V?

This is odd to say the least lol Normally Canada is slightly behind in terms of laptops, yet many resellers in Canada have some U80Vs on hand. NCIX is out of them mind you.

 

that's what i initially pondered too. but it probably is soldered on and it'll be quite a pain to replace it.. not to mention buying p8xxx standalone processors are fairly pricey. but if it's possible, i'd be all for it..

 

Yeah the only thing which makes me think it's not swappable is because the U80V itself is really thin therefore maybe the CPU is really cramped and indeed soldered. Under normal circumstances, most Asus laptops are CPU swappable(just think of the bigger ones which can swap for a quad).

I'd honestly like a P8xxx or a P9xxx CPU not because I'd need more CPU power(I'll be honest I think people just think they need more than they do sometimes, a T6500 is fine for maybe 80% of consumer uses), but because it'd reduce overall heat and extend battery life if not just a bit.

Still looking forward to those game benchmarks and those temps

 

Hey Sorrix,

I just went to Staples today hoping to order the laptop. However, when I asked them about the restocking fee, they said they weren't sure how much (for whatever reason), but it's somewhere from 10-20%. I've never heard of Staples having a restocking fee before, so I'm going to go back another day and ask someone else; there weren't many people there, and the ones that were there didn't know how to make a special order anyway, except for manager who was busy.

I just wanted to make sure though, are you 100% sure there is no restocking fee for you? Did you ask the people at Staples yourself? If so, would you be able to tell me which Staples location. Maybe this can help me prove to them that there is no restocking fee.

Thanks in advance!

 

i wouldn't doubt sorrix. he works at staples LOL

 

Oh, really? I didn't know that lol. I wouldn't have doubted him if I knew.

Well, I'd like to know where he works as well, because the guys at the location nearest me are telling me there is a restocking fee. I notice that you live in Toronto Sorrix, so I might even be able to go at your specific location.

Hope you can help Sorrix!

 

There shouldn't be restocking fees. I also work at Staples and I confirm that lol

Odd that nobody can do a special order though. It really isn't hard considering the menu guides you through it. Only thing is to find the restocker through whom Staples buys the laptop(since it's not Asus directly).

I have a question for Sorrix. Through which restocker do you get the U80V? I think yours is different from ours since our warehouse is different in terms of the special order catalogue.

 

Wow really? I'm even kind of surprised there aren't any restocking fees since its a special order. Oh well, if there aren't, then that's great. If Sorrix is sure he can get the laptop for me with the normal 14 day return policy, then that would be great. I'd rather just go to his location then if it's not too far from me.

 

Just to double check, what do you mean by "restocking fees"? I work in Quebec so all our terms are in French so maybe you're referring to something I'm not familiar with(since the system actually varies depending on the region).

 

Well when you return a product you bought, some companies simply charge you a restocking fee for literally taking the product back. I don't really know how to explain it much better than that.

Basically though, you pay to return a product you don't like. In this case, if I don't like the laptop and want to return it, and a restocking fee applies. That basically means I will be paying Staples almost $200 to return a laptop I didn't like.

Probably not the best explanation, but does that help at all?

 

Hey, sorry i been mad busy this week.

There is no restocking fee for returns. The only fee that may apply is if you decided to cancel the order after it has been shipped.

I can't believe they couldn't special order it, the hard part is already done for them, which is finding the special order part# which i posted for you guys.

The vendor we use was EMJ (who is a sub part of synnex i think)

Yea i work part time at staples while i go to school.

 

Leetpyro where abouts do you live.

I live just outside of toronto in Mississauga.

*you shouldn't have any problems. Just use the Part# i gave earlier so they can special order it.

No restocking fee.

You will get 14 days after you have received it. (make sure they note it on the receiept or you have documentation.)

Alot of people are just lazy. Just go into a store be like i want to order this laptop give them the part number and dont let them be punks and say i dont know how lol.

 

Alright, that's good to know. I'll try to tell them and we'll see what they say. I hope they're not BSing me. If for whatever reason they don't agree with the restocking fee, would you be willing to tell me which location you work at? I live in Toronto as well, so it wouldn't be hard to go to your location anyway.

Thanks a lot.

 

Any news on gaming performance, friend?

 

I work at Store #2 which is located at Eglington and Dixie.

And sorry no word on gaming yet. I been really busy just havn't had time to really sit down and play with the it yet

*plus I've forgotten my steam log in LOL. So i am currently corresponding with steam support to retrieve my account.

 

Alright that's what I thought. Yeah I still confirm there aren't restocking fees then. Oh and yeah we use EMJ as well, just checking lol

Btw Sorriz, which store do you work at? Just curious lol. I think we're like 4 NBR members who work at Staples Canada

Edit: nvm lol

 

Alright cool. I'll try going back either tomorrow or over the weekend. I'll see what they say and I'll let you know.

I live right near Highway 427 and Finch, so not too far away from Mississauga. The Staples location I went to is the Rexdale location right near Woodbine Center.

Edit: Just saw the post you put up while I was typing this. Looks like your location is about 20 minutes away from me.

 

haah, my dad loves my laptop. I'm ordering another one for him today. He was already thinken of getting a new one since his dell is on the out. The sexy asus just sealed the deal

 

I was wondering, before I go and order the U80V-A1, is there a configuration of the U80V that has the P-series CPU? What is the model number, and is it available in Canada? Is the CPU easy to change in the notebook, or is it soldered on?

 

I'm not really sure, I have only seen the U80V-A1 available in north American no other versions of it. Also since the small size of the laptop i wouldn't be surprised if its soldered on.

 

Heres a minor update, I just got my steam account back.

I ran the stress test first time with everything on max. No AA got an average FPS of 162

Then 2xAA got and average FPS of 95

then 4xAA got an average FPS of 87.

All i could do for now. Hope that helps

 

Went to the nearest Staples location near me the other day (Hwy 7 & Yonge) about 10 minutes before closing.

Asked to special order the laptop. The sales associate initially said that they didn't do special orders for laptops. I insisted that it was possible, and gave her the vendor (EMJ) and part number. They said they would give me a call back if they could do it.

Got a call back the next day. I was informed that it was possible, however due to the recent release of the product, it would take about 5-6 days for EMJ to get it, and another two weeks to deliver to the store.

So 3 weeks total...not bad I guess. This is all for the additional security that I'll be able to return the product in the event of any defects...something I can't be guaranteed if I buy the laptop at Pacific Mall...

 

it should be faster then that, mine only took 7 business days. I just placed an order for my dads today and his ETA is the Aug 7th

 

I notice in the original post that you put 5470 instead of 4570

Any way, this thing looks so sweet. It's perfect for me; it just needs to come out in the US in more places!

 

I know Sorrix has already answered my question, but I'm curious as to what that location says about restocking fee. If you get a chance, would you be able to ask them if one applies? Thanks.

 

I just entered an order for my friend and it's set to arrive by next Tuesday so I'd say sinizter's ETA is pretty far as well

But then again, our supplier warehouse and his might be different(but he's in the same Province as Sorrix so they should have the same warehouse).

 

did you do this test under Vista or 7?

 

ZDNet AU has a quite favourable review of the U80V:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/laptops/soa/Asus-U80V/0,2000065761,339297553,00.htm

"Internally, the U80V includes an Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 @ 2.53GHz, 2GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 4570, all running on Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit. This lead to some moderate performance in the benchmark stakes, scoring 2615 in 3DMark06 and 2918 in PCMark05, making it suitable both for light gaming and productivity work."

Sigh, what a sexy notebook.