Asus M51Ta Owners' Lounge

As tshroom said, that's pretty horrible. When you did the battery test, was it switched to the integrated graphics chip or were you running it on the 3650? My 2 year old asus can still last 2 hours of internet surfing and spreadsheets. It has an x1450 and a t5500.

But then again, I'll be mostly plugged in... so not a deal breaker, but still... it couldn't even make the one and quarter hour mark...

 

My apologies, I meant it lasted until 5:23. My mistake.

Also, I will run this again tomorrow. I want to make sure the fan issue is worked out, as I'm sure that has an adverse effect on battery life.

 

Good news. Typical battery life. Now if I can just decide between this and the F8Va.

 

Sorry for double post and obsession with WEI, but i wonder why this machine is scoring higher than the F8Va? Maybe it has to do with windows 32 bit and the F8 having 4gb of memory and 1gb of vram. Probably can't utilize all of the video memory.

 

Maybe AMD optimized their GPUs and CPUs to work better together? I was thinking about the F8Va, too, but I much prefer this one because of the number pad. I know you can plug in a USB numpad, but the feel isn't the same. I end up working faster with a desktop keyboard.

The first thing that attracted me to the M50s were the numpad. But upon further reading, I read about the nVidia GPU issue. By then, I couldn't let go of the idea that my next laptop should have a numpad. Meh.

 

Nothing new to report, but I had a question and maybe someone can help. The built in camera has vanished from device manager and cannot be found. So, basically the hardware isn't being detected. I thought it was a driver issue at first and went to find out the type of camera (3 possibilities in this notebook), and it's not where it is supposed to be. The only system changes, were some games were installed. It was working yesterday afternoon.

Is there something I'm missing? Any thoughts?

 

Ugh. I had the worst time trying to get my camera and memory card readers working on my HP dv2000. It is so annoying, but not worth sending it in to get it fixed. I hope yours is just a software problem.

I found out that aim had killed it. So if you have installed aim check it out because aim is notorious for f-ing up Vista.

 

Alright, I took the plunge and ordered the M51ta.

Newegg preferred account with no interest for 12 months.

It should be here sometime this week, and I hopefully I can give you guys a mini review of sorts. I plan on optimizing it with the best drivers etc. and installing some of the games I own (Oblivion, Company of Heroes, Neverwinter Nights 2) to get an idea of the gaming performance. Might rip some dvds etc.

I am hoping it will be a decent desktop replacement because my socket 939 mobo died and it would cost more to replace it than to build a whole new system, haha.

At any rate I will add my impressions to the thread when it gets here. I wish we could take the "?" out of the title seeing as how we have a fair bit of info in the thread now.

On a side note, I ordered an EEE 1000h for my girlfriend so we will see how that performs as well.

 

Well, I would have really preferred to stick with Asus for my next purchase, but I've ordered an HP dv5z instead. The lack of a 1680x1050 15.4" display for AMD really bugged me with Asus...

 

I think 1440x900 is excellent resolution for a 15 inch screen. Anything more would make it too small. I considered the dv5z also, but for a cheaper price the Asus has the 3650 and the switching GPUs. HP has disabled the integrated GPU on the dv5z. The mirror finished touch pad is also a pain.

Maybe I am just tired of HP because my current laptop is HP and it has had a lot of minor problems that make me mad.

 

Suggestion #1, try restoring (System Restore) to a point where it was working. Uninstall any software you recently installed, to eliminate possible conflicts.

If that does not fix it, you can try a system recovery (From the partition or the DVD).

 

My current display is 1400x1050, no point in "upgrading" to something with less resolution. The 3650 isn't too important to me since I won't be gaming, just wanted a big screen I can have a lot of editors open on while writing/debugging code.

re: textured vs smooth surfaces - they all wear out smooth anyway over time. My M6Ne is on its 3rd keyboard, the keytops on the previous keyboards were all worn completely smooth by the time I replaced them. I think that's the least of the worries...

 

Here's an update on the camera situation. It is still gone even after a full system restore. ASUS, said that if a restore did not work then an RMA is the only option after that. I guess I have to determine if it's worth it. If I had it for 6 months I'd say no, but I've had this less than a week. I'll have to mull it over.

 

Yeah, in that case the camera hardware is probably faulty.

 

That sucks. I always wonder about the Asus swivel camera. It seems like a good idea, but it just looks so fragile. Asus could stand to upgrade the design and resolution of their laptop cameras. Most big names use 2MP cameras now.

I hope I don't have to send mine in for anything.. little annoyances always get me in the end though, and its better to get it fixed before you have your laptop decked out with software. Just in case they send you a new unit or wipe your drive.

 

Well my m51ta is out for delivery. It should be here anytime now. Hope I can clean it up and get some impressions posted.

 

Alright initial impressions.

It looks almost identical to the older M51 laptop, however I think the speakers are now Altec Lansing where as the older one wasn't. It looks very similar to my DV series HP, but it feels more solid. My HP creaked and flexed a lot while the Asus seems tightened up. It is still plastic, but constructed well.

The system had a bunch of useless Asus applications I had to uninstall, and the keyboard lag was an issue until I changed some settings on the synaptics touchpad.

The LCD is very nice (almost comparable to my HP w1907 monitor). The touchpad feels sticky, and the buttons are very loud and oldschool sounding, but the keyboard (after the lag is fixed) is awesome. It doesn't flex and it feels smooth.

The system processor idles around 45-50c and reaches 75-80c under full load (via coretemp). I couldn't find anything to monitor gpu temp, but NB probe from asus claims both components to be in the green.

I ran 3dmark05 (as I think it to still be the standard for laptops) and came up with a score of 7033 on 1024x768 no AA. That is without optimized drivers or tweaks. I am sure I could squeeze at least 7500 out of it. On a side not it informed me my CPU score was 8300.

If anyone has any questions I will be glad to answer. So far I am pleased with my first Asus and I hope for the best because right now I wouldn't mind being an Asus customer for life.

 

Could you detail on that please? It might help other people with keyboard lag problem on the M50 models. Namely, noone has discovered a link between the keyboard lag and the touchpad settings, AFAIK.

 

I just followed the first solution in this thread and it hasn't bothered me since.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=252283

Also check the newegg link at the beginning of the thread. One of the reviewers has some tips that worked for him.

Now the only problem I have is making the recovery partition hidden again. After I redid the factory partitions the Asus recovery partition shows up in explorer now where as before it wasn't there. Its just a minor annoyance. Any tips? Some people say delete the drive letter in disk manager, but I don't know if that would make it inaccessible later.

 

Oh sorry about that it seems I didn't read Emporiumboutique's thread with fixes carefully enough (I didn't know there was Synaptics-based fix).

I don't think deleting the letter does anything to the partition. But it may just be detected again under the same or another letter...
The correct way to do it is to use a partition manager such as PowerQuest PartitionMagic and set the partition as "Hidden".

Not sure if F9 (recovery from HDD) still works after you do that. But if it doesn't, you can always un-hide the partition later on, when you need to recover. There are ways to do that that do not require Windows to be booted (e.g., FreeDOS + the DOS version of PQMagic).

 

I didn't think partitionmagic worked on Vista.

 

I don't know Never used Vista myself, and sometimes I keep forgetting that some software may not be updated. There should be an equivalent.

There's always the files for PQMagic for DOS, but of course you need to install PQMagic to get those files.

 

Try Gparted. You can download the liveCD version, burn and boot into the CD. Should be able to hide/unhide partitions.

 

Sweet thanks.

 

I'm also about to purchase this laptop. How did you guys register for the Warranty? It says 1 year accidental and 2 years parts/labor. Pretty impressive warranty if you ask me. Usually there would be a $200 dollar charge for that.

 

I haven't registered for my warranty yet, but I hope it goes smoothly. Mine came with a card you can mail in, but I would rather do it online. Can some of the Asus pro's help us out and tell use how to register for warranty and accidental damage?

 

So, Tshroom, how you like it so far? Hows battery life for normal daily use? Is the mouse usable? I hate the sticky ones like on HP. How is it for gaming; just hope it can play most games, so it just plays them. I need a laptop for a year abroad. The one you purchased is M51TA-X2, correct?

 

Can you run CPUID on it CPU ID and post the images of all the tabs in the program? Shopping online for a laptop feels like being blindfolded.

 

I just ordered this one as well. Well, my cousin did. Should be with him by the end of the week. I told him to give it a spin before he air parcels it to me. So... I can maybe expect it around the 2nd week of September. I hope nothing happens to it on the way here. :fingers crossed:

Has anyone tried installing XP on this laptop? I want to know if hunting down drivers would be a problem. I have a mind to get rid of Vista as soon as it arrives.

EDIT: What advantages do you get when you register your laptop?

 

1 year accidental damage plan and easier processing if you ever use your 2 year standard warranty.

 

Ah, well, the accidental damage insurance won't be usable for me. It's only honored in the US and Canada. As for the 2 year warranty, they usually only ask for the receipt as proof of date purchased. Still, I suppose I should register mine when it arrives. I wonder if they already have it in their database. It seems this model isn't on their site yet.

 

I'm about to order this tonight as soon as I can see some CPU ID info. I hope this CPU has 2x1Mb of Ls cache like newegg states.

 

I've been trying to gather some info on the ACPI support for Puma notebooks in general. If you're willing to help, please read this post and PM me.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3839783&postcount=565

 

I'll soon have pics to post of the hardware information due to Tshrooms contribution.

Also, anyone know if the Warranty is International? I'm traveling to Germany and it will mostly be used there.

I just had to buy the most hardware stressing game too, Crysis, to check this laptop with.

 

ASUS Ensemble warranty is international, yes. Support in Europe tends to be worse than in the US, but feedback from the (2) users in Germany that did provide feedback, was good.

 

Registering for accidental damage still isn't working. I really hope they update that online database soon. I don't know if I should send in my warranty card and then send them the adw code when its available or wait and send it all together.

 

Now I'm considering this laptop M50Vm-X1

 

I suggest you call them, and register by phone. I think Ken from GenTechPC posted somewhere a phone number where you can do that. Google search should find it.

 

Alright I will give it a go.

I really do like this laptop, but at times I think I should have taken the hit to the wallet and got the f8va. I know they perform almost the same realistically, but I miss the small size of my old 14 inch. I am really enjoying the bang for the buck, but there is no way I am bringing this thing back to school with me again.

I am considering getting another cheap 13 inch or maybe a netbook. Acer Aspire One is pretty cheap.

 

You could have always bought this one F8Sp-X1

I ended up purchasing a M50Vm-X1 from NewEgg for $1,200 and was very happy with my decision until I checked back this morning and they had an Open Box of the same laptop for almost $375 less grrrrrr. Do you guys know if the 2 year warranty and 1 year accidental still applies to an Opex Box Item? NewEgg wouldn't have an Open Box item if it wasn't defective in the first place since they don't accept returns on good items. So this must be refurbished and might not come with a power cord etc. grrrrrrrr

 

Its sad that we don't have another m51 owner though.

I tweaked my settings a little and ended up getting 7262 in 3dmark05 and 3800 in 3dmark06. I wonder if I can squeeze 4k out of it.

 

I'm a proud new owner of an M51TA, my first notebook. I've been reading this thread for some time now. I appreciate all of the information that has been presented. I purchased this lower priced notebook based on some of what the members had posted about it.

I haven't had any problems with it really. The HD3650 seems more than capable of handling anything that I will be using this for, which is mostly school and light gaming.

The most demanding game I have used on it would be WoW. And I am able to use it at pretty much Max settings while maintaining 30-50 FPS on average. This is at 1280X1024 @ 75Hz too as I mostly use it on my old Desktop 17" LCD. BTW it handles an extra display flawlessly and I am eager to try out the HDMI jack on our 42" Plasma.

My main complaint would be the keyboard...I have tried some of the suggestions on improving its responsiveness, however, it just can't keep up and I am by no means a 90 wpm typer. And the "full size" keyboard isn't all that it is cracked up to be. The number pad is nice, but the layout is less efficient than a standard keyboard. Also, the high gloss finish is really a fingerprint magnet - over the entire casing and wrist/touchpad area.

I also would be afraid of long term use on my lap as the gpu vent really heats up. Which reminds me....how hot do the AC Power converters get? Mine is almost too hot to touch after several hours of use (and it is out in the open and not covered at all).

Well I wanted to say thanks for all of the info and joined to let the contributing members know that.

PS - I called ASUS about the ADW and the service rep told me to mail in the Warranty Card for ADW as their data base does not include machines with SN's ending in alpha characters. (mine ends in "E"). I was going to mail it in Certified with Return Receipt to ensure delivery. She did say that a confirmation e-mail would be sent with the claim code? after it was registered.

 

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for the information on the ADW! I will mail mine in as soon as this hurricane nonsense blows over.

Have you tried changing the touchpad settings and deleting the keyboard device filter in the device manager? I mainly use an external keyboard when I am at how so I haven't had too much trouble with the lag.

I am glad you are happy with your purchase though, and honestly you can't beat it for the price (as of now). I just hope it holds up for a couple of years. Feel free to share anything you might think is helpful too. I am always looking for tweaks and tips. Speaking of..

I made one of the DIY mesh laptop stands featured on "instructables" (made from a mesh document holder) and it dropped my temps from 85c on load to 75c on load. It only cost me $5.. I think its worth it for anyone looking to keep the heat under control.

Honestly I only have heat issues when its plugged in though. It doesn't get past 55c on battery saver. My power brick gets warm also, but not hot enough to burn anything. If yours is burning hot I would have it replaced. I would say on a heat scale mine gets heated blanket hot, but not stove on low hot.

 

Given this, I would say that a well-configured power profile for when the notebook is plugged in should get you close to the battery-saving temperatures. With your current power profiles, probably the CPU and possibly also GPU are pushed to their max frequencies when you are plugged in. That should change, they should dynamically switch frequencies on the basis of load. That should get you close to the idle temperatures, because in desktop work the computer is most of the times idle, actually -- desktop work puts a very small strain on today's hardware.

 

Good idea. I need to make a new power plan. I wonder if it wouldn't be such a bad idea to use the radeon 3200 all the time except when gaming.

 

I think it's not a bad idea at all. In my experience integrated GPUs handle even Vista Aero just fine.

 

I was about to get the m51 but got the m50vm instead. Running 3DMark 05 I got a score of 7730 and 3DMark 06 got a score of 4149 which makes it a faster computer than the m51. Still Asus!

 

That is as expected seeing as the m50vm has a more powerful processor. That was my first choice but the whole nvidia GPU fiasco made me wonder if the problems with the g84 and g86 aren't confined to those two GPU chips only. For the peace of mind, I opted to go with the M51Ta.

I also considered the F8Va, which has Intel and ATI, but it had no numpad.

 

I have a 2 year piece of mind and its a removable card. Crysis seems to be playable at Medium settings to I'll stick with that. My PC is AMD/ATi but for my laptop, I've always wanted the Intel.

 

Well said. However, I can get paranoid about these things. I know myself. Whenever something goes wrong, and with Vista a lot of things can go wrong, at the back of my head I'll be thinking, "Is that the GPU failing already?" The worse part is even when I know it isn't the GPU or couldn't possibly be the GPU, maybe a bug-infested game or a program poorly coded for vista, I'll still be thinking that.

I just realized I haven't owned a PC with Intel since the slot 1 Pentium 2s. It's all been AMD after that. Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP, Athlon64. Can it be that at the subconscious level I'm a...... fanboi? Ugh! My wife has a core2 duo, though, but that doesn't count.