Asus N20 Lounge

I placed an order for an N20A-A1 today. I thought to start this thread, the Asus N20 Lounge for owners, prospective buyers, anyone interested in this notebook. For me it's not too small and underpowered as a netbook, not too big to regret carrying all day, but just the perfect size. Maybe.

The N20 first appeared in Europe, Korea, and Australia.

The N20A-A1 is now trickling into the U.S. N20A-A1 at lagoom is the first U.S. site I saw with real stock.

Since Asus' N20 announcement in September there's been precious little else that didn't do more than parrot Asus' press release. There is a video of the N20 from Mobil Computer Magazine, Hands On With The Asus N20 - an N10 Netbook Teaser Unfortunately the announcer spends half the time talking about the N10. No close-ups, little detail. Be that as it may it is the N20.

nightfrost presents one of the earliest hands on impressions of the N20. He likes it.

nightfrost loaded linux on his N20. I plan to replace Vista x32 with Vista x64 Ultimate.

I hope this becomes a lively thread.

Harry

P.S. Last edited 12/23/08 to make live links.

 

GenTech has them in stock

 

Thanks for starting the owner's lounge. Hopefully it will catch on.

Added to the Info Booth and to the Reviews and Owners' Lounges Index. Thanks!

 

The N20A-A1 arrived yesterday from lagoom. I haven't done much with it as of this writing. I'm in New England, hit by the ice storm last Thursday, power restored yesterday evening after four days. But I digress. I will describe package and contents.

The notebook arrived well packaged, safely protected inside the shipping carton. The lagoom shipper was careful to shield the notebook box, tightly packed with 'air bags' on all sides, top, and bottom.

Opening the Asus box I found another box with carrying handle, a shoulder bag, and a foam lined notebook sleeve. The shoulder bag - a Targus with an Asus metal medallion on the outside - appears sized for 12" - 13" notebooks, fits the N20A well. It looks visibly smaller than the typical computer bag. The foam lined sleeve could contain a 14" notebook. The 12.1" N20A swims in it. I won't be using it for the N20A.

Unpacking the inner box I found:

N20-A1 notebook for the U.S. market, there being a sticker on the bottom displaying a U.S. phone number for technical support.

4800mAh Li-Ion battery rated at +11.1V. Curiously the N20A's input rating is +19V, 3.42A, 65W. The battery juts out 2cm from the rear.

Asus Model SADP-65NB BB 65W AC adapter by Delta Electronics. Input range is 100-240V, 50-60Hz. It's small at 9.5x4.5x2.6cm.

Logitech M-UV94 notebook wired optical mouse labelled for Asus

Quick Installation Guide multi-language

User Manual E4106 in English. Not presently in the downloads area of the AsusTek web site.

Express Gate Manual C3404 multi-language

Notebook Warranty Card with return address Fremont, California

Asus Global Business - Direct Service Centers - a wallet sized card

Asus S-Video cable - a curiosity since there's no port on the notebook for it

LCD Cleaning Cloth

Recovery DVD - Windows Vista N2819

N20 Driver & Utility DVD ver 1.0 for N20A N3038 for Windows Vista 32-bit only

Power2Go 6.0 N2782 bundle version from Cyberlink​

The ASUS N20Aseries label on the palmrest states CPU: Duo P8400 (not T5800). This is an exception to components listed elsewhere. I can't say more as I've not powered up the laptop.

The top cover of the N20A is metallic silver in color. There's a hairline crack almost invisible to the eye near the status lights. I won't quibble about this. The cover is a finger-print magnet.

Here are details of the N20A at Asus United States.

I'll write up more as I work with the laptop.

Harry

P.S. Edit 12/23/08 to create live links

 

Nightfrost's Initial Impressions

 

OK. I've done stuff with the N20A. While I'm waiting for software downloads to complete (not specfic to the N20A) here goes:

Battery performance:
The N20A was switched on for the first time on battery power (fully charged last night) about 10am this morning. As I write it's almost 2pm - run time so far almost 4 hours. Power status indicates 12% - 40 minutes remaining, default power scheme "Power4Gear Entertainment".

First Start:
The machine initialized Vista Home Premium 32bit, ASUS utilities, and stuff I think of as 'garbage ware'. I've left the machine disconnected from my school wired and wireless network for the time being.

Ah, the warning '37 min (11%) remaining' just popped up. I'll let it run down some more. It should scream 'Feed me!' shortly. We'll see......

Hard Disk factory partitions:
Vista Disk Management shows 3 partitions on the 232.88 GB disk:

9.77 GB Recovery (primary) the Asus Recovery DVD as a partition. To access the partition press [F9] during bootup. (Not the ExpressGate partition as I thought earlier - 12/23/08).

116.44 GB Vista OS (C) System, Boot, Page, Active, Crash Dump, Primary

106.68 GB DATA (D) logical partition. This is a first for me! A manufacturer that sets up a DATA partition separate from the OS partition. Unfortunately the default Vista profile does not re-locate user data to the DATA partition. The typical user may simply let this resource go to waste. It's not mentioned in the User Manual!​

What I consider 'garbage ware': That is, applications which I don't use or will use a preferred alternative

Norton Internet Security This being a school laptop I will install instead Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0.3001, the current download in process.

Google Desktop and Toolbar Some like it. I don't use it.

2007 Microsoft Office System I'll install the school's license.

Adobe Reader 8.1.2 ditto for the school's version 9​

Ah, the N20A turned itself off, doubtless to protect me from myself..... The scream was more of a whisper '10% remaining'. Run time about 2:20. Later I'll tune the Power schema to scream at 7% remaining and shut down at 3% remaining. Not bad for the smallest ASUS battery for this notebook.

Plugged in the AC adapter. The User Manual cautions to attach the adapter to the N20A before plugging the adapter into Mains. This to prevent the AC adapter from blowing itself out. Contrary to my opposite habit in order to prevent the surge from harming the notebook. However I shall follow ASUS' dictum.

ASUS provided applications I know nothing about but which may be truly useful so I haven't discarded them out of hand:

Personal Safe

ASUS CopyProtect

LifeFrame this appears to be camera control (12/26/2008)

Virtual Camera video conferencing according to Asus. Have not gotten to work. Looks for Setup.msi in c:\preload\VirtualCamera\ (not there). Downloaded Virtual_Camera_VT_080928 and tried that Setup.msi however app appears to shrug it off, returns to setup.msi request window. (12/26/2008)

Splendid Utility splendid inscrutable name!

SmartLogon Manager

NB Probe

CyberLink DVD Suite

Express Gate

Picasa2

Protector Suite QL fingerprint stuff?

ASUS Live Update​

What casual user would feel compelled to check all this stuff out? None of it is described in the User Manual. There is no multi-media presentation accompanied by fireworks beginning, "Sit back and we'll show you stuff you may find useful." I'm not a casual user and I may not check all this stuff out!

Stuff I haven't skimmed the surface yet:

On the taskbar there's a Wireless Console 2 What happened to 1?

On the taskbar the Lightscribe Control Panel is wasting CPU resource eagerly awaiting my every wish.​

Vista x64 drivers and applications
I intend to install Vista x64. It will make full use of the 4GB memory. To that end I downloaded x64 drivers and applications from the Asus download site. Notably absent from the list of Vista x64 drivers and applications:

Intel Graphics driver

ALCOR Media Card Reader driver

ASUS ATKOSD2 utility (whatever that is)

Inf updates

Multi utility ASUS' Swiss Army knife?

WinFlash BIOS Flash utility well, sure I could format a DOS diskette and use a USB diskette drive but I don't wannnaa......

Wireless Console Utility Asus suggests the wireless drivers for Bluetooth and WLAN should have this installed first.​

All the rest of the x32 drivers and applications have their x64 counterpart on the Asus download site. Some of these x64 drivers and apps I may live without. Others I'll retrieve from the manufacturer's site.

Well, that's it for now. Oh yes. There's a BIOS update dated 12/02/08. My N20A may have it as the time stamp of the file is 11/25/2008. The label on my machine states it was manufactured 11/28/2008.

Harry

P.S. Somewhere I'm told there's an ASUS app on the N20A which enables lots of hardware adjustments, notably CPU over-clocking. Sooner or later I'll find it......

 

I'm seriously considering the N20A as an alternative to a netbook. Just one thing, on Amazon, it seems like it can come in white ( http://www.amazon.com/N20A-A1-12-1-Inch-Laptop-Processor-Premium/dp/B001K7HYQU) but everywhere else it's that other gun-metal colour.

So...does it come in white?

 

Xiphias,

It looks to me the color of the N20A-A1 in that image is metallic silver. That is the color of the notebook I received through lagoom.com from ASUS USA.

Harry

 

ModusPonens,

I think the N20A is showing up in 2 colors: 'Onyx'; Asus' term for dark copper metallic, and Silver-metallic. The upper enclosure and the palmrest are molded with these colors. The bottom enclosure and LCD frame are black.

Regarding your Acer Aspire One I had a similar experience with netbooks. I appreciate small netbooks after years lugging behemoth 'desktop substitute' 15"+ notebook. I found I used a netbook - an eeePC 701 - in locations I seldom took the behemoth. Dell's Inspiron 12.1" netbook looked attractive. However the weak Atom-powered system was less capable than desired.

I searched for small inexpensive notebooks with features I wanted in a small notebook:

11" to 13" screen, 1280x800 resolution minimum

3 lbs to 4.5 lbs

Excellent full size keyboard

Intel G45 or P45 chipset for Intel Penryn CPU's

ExpressCard/54

HDMI v1.3 port - forward-looking compatibilty

eSATA port - forward-looking compatibility

$1,000 USD or less​

My short list became:

Asus F6A-X2 $800 at Newegg 13.3" G45 with GMA 4500MHD, T5800 CPU, 4GB DDR2 800, HDMI, eSATA, Firewire, ExpressCard/54, 3 cell battery.

Asus N20A-A1 12.1", G45 with GMA 4500MHD, T5800 CPU, 4GB DDR2 800, HDMI, eSATA, Express Card/54, 6 cell battery​

Several ' near misses' were too expensive:

HP Pavilion dv3510nr $1,100 USD (only at U.S. Best Buy) 13.3", P8400 CPU, P45 chipset, nVidia GeForce 9300MGS, HDMI, eSATA, ExpressCard/34 not /54.

Asus F6V-X2 $1,150 at Newegg P45 chipset and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470, P8400 CPU, 4GB DDR2 800, HDMI, eSATA, Express Card/54, Firewire​

I chose the N20A-A1 for the smaller screen. That it arrived with a P8400 CPU is something I'm not inclined to research.

Harry

 

So the N20a comes with an Intel T5800 OR P8400?

I'm inclined to upgrade my Asus F9s to the new N20a

 

I just couldn't wait but went to a local computer store to purchase the N20a...Luckily they had a demo which I could look @. Again, the model # is N20a-A1 and the box states it has an Intel T5800 CPU. However, the BIOS does show P8400!!

I'm just waiting for it to arrive on Monday...Hope it'll be the P8400

I also tried the Compaq 2230s yesterday from Staples. The spec is awesome (P8400, 3GB RAM, 250GB HD, WiFi ABGN, BT, 12.1" screen, DVDRW, finger scan, etc), and it was only selling for $899CDN...However, I had to return it because it didn't come with a built-in web-cam...




By the way, the Acer Travelmate 6293-6696 also looks good (spec wise)...

 

Whaaaa? The N20 exists up here (even as a demo)? Where please

 

I went to PCVillage (@ First Markham Place). Their web site shows 0 stock, but they do have a brand-new demo and 1 un-opened N20a @ their warehouse...$1190CDN+Txes

 

I haven't written about my experience with the N20A since last Friday. Mainly I've been using the laptop for work.

For work I use Microsoft Office 2007, Thunderbird emailer v2.18, SuperFlexible File Synchronizer, Internet Explorer v7.... Nothing out of the ordinary to report.

That is to say compared to my desktops and behemoth 15" notebook:

Excellent full size keyboard

Screen is wide enough and tall enough, though I wish it were taller so when I write I could see more of the printable 8-1/2x11 inch page. My work and home monitors are 1600x1200 and 1680x1050. 1280x800 is the appropriate widescreen layout for the 12.1" N20A. I wouldn't want it to be a finer resolution, to respect my ancient eyes.

CPU/memory/hard drive as an integrated system are fast enough. Certainly faster than I can type. Haven't as yet done heavy lifting graphics - still and video editing.

Portability of the N20A is significantly better than my behemoth 15" notebook. This includes merely walking about my home with the N20A notebook. The bottom of the notebook is warm, not unduly so, I'd say not breaking 105 degrees F. Cooler than the behemoth notebook doing the same work-a-day things.

Battery run time between 3 and 4 hours with my usage. That's an estimate as I forget to watch the clock. Which is to say I'm comfortable the N20A battery won't die on me. That was a concern with previous notebooks.​

Upgrading the Vista Operating System.

I installed Vista Ultimate with SP1 x32 over Vista Home Premium with SP1 x32. The remarkable thing is..... there was nothing remarkable about it. It's the first time I've done an upgrade of a Microsoft Operating System since prehistoric time. Having a cave-man mentality I learned early to never upgrade, always install fresh Microsoft OS's. This experience was truly ground-shaking for me. Nothing to adjust or compensate. Settings remained the same. I wouldn't know I was using Ultimate except when I queried the OS identity. Fabulous. Appearances could change. I've yet to use Windows Media Center. I've yet to play DVD and BD DVD's.

I plan to install fresh Vista Ultimate x64 when I procure the remaining x64 drivers (see previous post above).


Other items

I removed ASUS' LightScribe Control Panel having deemed it garbage ware on the N20A-A1. The delivered optical drive is not LightScribe capable.

I removed the touch pad icon from systray. Upon start up it repeatedly told me what a good citizen it was, disabling the touch pad in deference to the outboard mouse, a configuration which I set. So I made it shut up.

I replaced the ASUS supplied Logitech M-UV94 wired mouse with a Logitech VX Nano wireless. More freedom. I haven't loaded the Logitech SetPoint software so half the buttons festooned on the thing are lost to me. What I don't know I mostly don't care about till it's in my face.

Well, that's it for now. Oh yes. My N20A has the previous BIOS v204 time stamped 09/xx/08 not the BIOS v206 time stamped 11/25/08. I feel no compulsion to update the BIOS when nothing appears broke.

Harry

 

The dealers get their marketing materials from Asus. Likely the silver color had not been manufactured when the N20A had its photo shoot. (Note: Asus updated their product page for the N20A-A1. It now shows the notebook in brushed black. (12/26/2008))

I will speculate Asus does/did not have T5800 CPU's on hand. Rather than delay roll out to the U.S., they used on hand P8400's. That's fortunate for us early buyers. It's not guaranteed future buyers will receive the P8400 in their N20A-A1. Since Asus has not changed the spec for the N20A-A1 all anyone can expect is the T5800 CPU.

A search of the Asus Support FAQ for N20A turns up this nugget:

The function of ATKOSD2 is that the state of hot key can be shown in the median zone which effect seems Aero Glass.The state will be shown in the top left coner if you don't install it.​

It was clear as mud but it covered the ground
And the confusion made the brain go 'round. - Man Piaba


Regarding over-clocking, in the Asus Support FAQ for N20A I found this:

The Power4Gear Hybrid is enhanced by the following features:
– Turn Off Hardware Devices to Save More Power
– CPU Overclocking to Enhance the Notebook Performance
– CPU Underclocking to Save More Power​

I haven't played with overclocking.


Regarding the Recovery partition

At almost 10GB it represents a hefty piece of wasted real-estate. The argument, " Keep it for emergency!" doesn't hold water. Its value appears to be the convenience of pressing [F9] during boot up rather than the burden of inserting the Recovery DVD (identical content to the Recovery partition) and pressing [Esc] during boot up. For true recovery one needs applications and configuration as well as the OS.

Better, after all applications are installed and configured, to create an image of the VistaOS partition and save it to the DATA partition. That's my personal recovery image. I use a bootable USB key created with Acronis TrueImage Echo Workstation to back up and restore these images.

My personal recovery image saves time troubleshooting the machine. It's a known good configuration - I 'bullet-proof' the configuration with testing prior to saving. If something goes seriously wrong (e.g., fails to boot, connect wireless, repeatedly crashes, &etc.) I'll just restore my personal recovery image. If after that there's still something seriously wrong, likely it's hardware as the saved configuration was bullet-proofed. The human portion of the restoration takes but a few minutes to activate. The machine portion does all the rest.

Harry

 

I love how cute the N series looks. A friend has a notebook with a 9300M in it and it can play COD4 pretty darn well.

 

I just wanted to let you guys know. I just recieved my n20 and it infact does have a p8400 . So far I love this thing, light, good battery life and fast enough for most applications. So im looking at some of the settings and it looks like the FSB is actually 1066mhz can any of you guys confirm this. Does this mean we can run faster ram?

 

I picked up my N20a-A1 today and it does come with the P8400 CPU. It even states that in the box sticker Well I'm a happy camper!

.Eric

 

This page from Wikipedia, Intel GMA will expand what I write here: GMA is the acronym for Graphics Media Accelerator, Intel's several generations of recent Graphics Processor Units or GPU's designed for integration with Intel chipsets for motherboards. The series 945 chipsets and accompanying GMA 950 GPU's were introduced in 2005. The most recent series 4 chipsets and accompanying GMA4500 GPU's were introduced June, 2008. The Asus N20A-A1 employs the GM45 chipset and GMA X4500HD GPU. The GM in GM45 in Intel chipset parlance means the chipset's designed for integrated graphics and mobile operations. Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family is the name of the Intel driver designed to operate the entire series of GMA4500 GPU's.

Au contraire, it was dumb luck, rather than courage. I removed a lot of the crap prior to doing the Home Premium to Ultimate upgrade. I was ready to wipe the C partition and install fresh. I did not expect the upgrade to succeed. I was pleasantly surprised that it did.

I hope for your sake you gathered only the XP drivers. The Asus N20A Utility DVD has all the Vista x32 drivers.

Harry

 

Do any of you guys happen to know where I can pick up a 3cell battery for it?

 

The N20A appears too new for parts and accessories listings to have caught up.

You could try ASUS customer support 888-678-3688 opt 3 then 3.

Harry

 

I dunno. The bus clock specification is 800 MHz. If there's no means to up it to 1066 MHz then 1066 MHz RAM will run at 800 MHz. Where is the setting located you observed?

Harry

 

I asked Asus support

Is the content of the Recovery partition identical to the content of the Recovery DVD PN N2819 plus the content of the Driver & Utility v1.0 N20A PN N3038?​

to which I received the reply

Yes they are 100% identical​

Harry

 

Assuming that the N20 uses the same battery as the N10 then it will also be compatible with the batteries of the U2E, which has 3 cell battery available so you should be able to order one of those.

 

Any issue with fan noise / heat emission?
I'm seriously considering this for my next notebook.
Hopefully it runs cooler than my beloved G1S XD

 

Would someone please comment on the quality of the LCD? Any graininess? Is the brightness good? Is the contrast good? Even backlight?

Thanks!

 

No fan noise. Bottom of case becomes warm, not hot. I regularly work with a Dell D810 and various late model HP Compaq Presarios. This Asus is the coolest of the bunch.

Bottom of case has vent holes. Though I've used the notebook directly on my lap without it becoming hotter (so I cannot say my concern is warranted) I've become careful to avoid blocking vent holes. Best I think to sit the notebook on a flat surface. I've used a shoebox, a text book, a lap-board.

No graininess. Brightness and contrast are good and backlight is even. No bad pixels on my N20A. I've used the notebook in bright office lighting and next to a window on a sunny day. It's winter in Massachusetts. I've not used the notebook outdoors.

I calibrate my monitors in order to edit images. I have not calibrated the N20A LCD yet. However I've not witnessed behavior that would raise concern about potential problems with calibration.

Harry

 

The battery which came with my N20A-A1 is labelled

ASUS Li-Ion Battery Pack A32-U6
Rating: +11.1V 4800mAh​

The N20A-A1 Power Adapter SADP-65NB BB puts out 19V 3.42A. This suggests to me the N20A will accept a range of power adapter inputs.

I thought to try an HP 65W Smart AC Adapter (ED494AA), 18.5V 3.42A to power the N20A and re-charge the battery. ASUS would likely say such use voids the warranty. Use at your own peril.

Harry

P.S. Both the Asus and HP power adapters were manufactured by Delta Electronics. I did not find the ASUS SADP-65NB BB on the Delta site. That page shows Delta's other 65W power adapters.

 

Nah, only removing the void sticker on your CPU/GPU heatsink will void your warranty. As long as you don't tamper with that, you should be fine
As long as the adapter is 65watts or more, it should work, given you have the right connector plug. The worst case scenario I could see is having your system crash - 18.5V & 3.42A is not quite 65W (it's about 63.3W), so if your N20 draws more than 63.3W during load and you have your battery unplugged, then that would cause insufficient power and crash, just like the Asus C90S with the 90W power supply issue.

 

"Exclusions from Warranty Service:

(h) there is damage from use of parts not manufactured or sold by ASUSTeK;" - Asus Notebook Warranty Policy​

The Power Adapter connector plug is center positive, measures 5mm outside diameter and 2.5mm inside diameter.

The standard battery at 11.1V, 4800mAh supplies a maximum load of just 53.3W.

Harry

 

Yes, but unless you specifically tell Asus that you used another power supply, they can not prove that
And yes, batteries may supply slightly less wattage compared to its counterpart power supply, but that's also because all laptops nowadays will usually downclock the CPU and/or GPU to conserve power.

 

Hmmm. Where I bought mine about a month ago shows it today discontinued. N20A-A1

Harry

 

Indeed, here's an offering page for the N20A-B1.

The single difference between the N20A-A1 and N20A-B1 appears to be the CPU: T5800 in the N20A-A1, T6400 in the N20A-B1. A Google search for the T6400 does not show much. This Intel Comparision (page 5) merely states availability of the T6400 in Q1 2009. You'll notice on that page capability of the T5800 and T6400 appear identical. You'll see also the P8400 is superior to the T5800 and to the T6400.

I speculated the reason Asus populated our N20A-A1's with P8400 CPUs was the lack of T5800 inventory from Intel. Intel likely sold off their inventory of T5800s prior to the rollout of the T6400. Not very nice in the interim for ASUS - the P8400 must have severely constrained Asus' profit on the N20A-A1 (P8400 being more expensive than the T5800); a lucky turn for we who purchased the N20A-A1 with P8400 for the price of the T5800.

Harry

 

Intel's spec sheet lists the new T6400 as not being part of the new 45nm architecture but it should be. According to THIS article found by Ken (gentechpc), the T6500 uses the 45nm while the T5800 uses the 65nm. This wouldn't be the first time for Intel to release inaccurate specs.

 

First there was EXcaliber's for USD $969 (back ordered).

Now there's AllAsus for USD $1099 (back ordered).

The N20A-B1 case appears silver in Excaliber PC's ad. The N20A-B1 case appears black in AllAsus' ad.

T6400 CPU in the N20A-B1 a change from the T5800 in the N20A-A1. It may be the only change from the N20A-A1 to the N20A-B1

Maybe some differences in bloatware.

Nothing yet at Asus' English language sites.

Looks to me those who procured an N20A-A1 before it was pulled from the market lucked out in getting an N20A with the Intel P8400 CPU.

Harry

 

ModusPonens,

In the fall when I first researched the N20A, prior to its availability in NA (North America), I came across a bunch of Australian vendors who advertised all manner and variety of N20's. Asus' own Australian page for the N20 states availability for:

CPU: T9400/P8600/P7350, T5850. (1st Q 2009 we know in NA it will be available with Intel's newly announced CPUs starting with the T6400....)

OS: Vista Ultimate, Business, Home Premium, Home Basic (We've seen only Home Premium in NA)

Hard Drive: 320GB, 250GB, 160GB

Optical: DVDRW DL, Blu Ray Reader + DVDRW DL

Battery pack: 3/6/9 cells - 2600/4200/7800 mAh

Cellphone: 3G/3.5G Antenna support. Check it out: There's a SIM card slot in the battery compartment! No mention of it in North American literature.

Yes, if you are prepared to 'buy global'. Whether or not these varieties are available in a particular global market I suppose is up to the Asus Corporate office in that region.

Harry

 

Just order the B1 model from GENTECH, one of ASUS's largest reseller. Guy there told me that the ONLY different in the B1 is the 6400 processor instead of the 5800 which is in low supply because of demand. He also told me that the ONLY color it comes in is the SILVER in North America. I called ASUS USA and they told me the color is SILVER - BLUE .... should be available next week.

Rob

 

Inside the battery compartment of the N20A-A1. The notebook is upside down. Ethernet port on the right. You can clearly read the legend next to the slot: SIM CARD.

Harry

 

Don keep us in suspense! ;-) Can you get mobile broadband going? What does the hardware show as in device manager?

Damon.

 

I installed Vista Ultimate x64 on my N20A.

I used x64 drivers from the CD Driver & Utility Ver. 1.0 pn N3038 which accompanied the notebook. This notwithstanding the legend on the CD " supports 32 bit Vista only". Driver install was seamless; the setup routine understood to install x64 drivers from the CD.

There have been no problems from the Vista x64 drivers and utilities from the N20A Driver & Utility CD.

I installed in the order shown. If it's not on this list, I haven't used the driver or utility:

Inf update - G45 chipset driver
Intel Matrix Storage Manager v8.6.0.1007
ATKACPI v1043.2.15.66
AGFNEX (ATK Generic Function Service) v1.00.0008
Keyboard Device Filter Utility v1.0.0.0
ATK Hotkey Utility v1.0.0041
ATK OSD2 Utility v7.0.0001
Intel Cantiga Express Chipset Family driver v7.15.10.1527
Audio v6.0.1.5704
ASUS Wireless Switch (Wireless Console2) Utility v2.0.10
Alcor AU6371 Multi-Card Reader driver v1.01.0000.00
Camera Suyin USB2.0 UVC 1.3M WebCam driver v6.5801.77.6
Protector Suite QL v5.8.2.4547 with driver v1.9.2.118
Touchpad v10.1.8.0
LAN v6.208.0729.2008
Wireless LAN v12.1.0.14
ATKMedia
LifeFrame3
Mult
NB Probe
Power4Gear Hybrid
Splendid
Virtual Camera
BIOS Flash Utility (Windows)
​

There was a Windows update for the Realtek LAN hardware. Nothing else, which makes some sense as the Driver & Utility CD was pressed late October/early November, 2008.

I haven't clocked this; my perception is Vista x64 is noticeably faster than Vista x32 on the N20A. Vista x64 uses the entire memory. Vista x32 used about 3GB of memory.

Harry

 

Sorry to keep you in suspense. You'll have to dig this up yourself. The hardware doesn't show up in device manager. Neither is there evidence of the SIM Card in BIOS settings.

The U.S. User Manual E4106 cites the SIM Card Compartment (on selected models) and utility 3G Watcher (on selected models and in selected territories). Apparently N20A for the United States is not one of those models in one of those territories.

Regrets,
Harry

 

I'm satisfied my last week's installation on the N20A of Vista Ultimate x64 and apps are stable. Nothing left to do but make an image for future return to Vista Ultimate x64. If Windows 7 succeeds beyond my wildest dreams I must still wipe the Beta; the Beta expires August 1, 2009 according to Microsoft.

I then began the upgrade installation of Windows 7 x64 over Vista Ultimate x64.

The upgrade took several hours. Half the time spent the upgrade process examined and adapted existing apps and drivers, including apps and drivers for the N20A for Vista x64 I reported here.

Then it re-started and I logged in using the fingerprint reader. Things appears normal, which is to say no problems, so far. (ModusPonens, what happened to your post of installation of Windows 7 x32 Beta?)

The first thing I tried to do was prevent Gadgets from starting on log on. Didn't find how to do it. Settled for turning off all individual gadgets.

I know we're not in Kansas any longer.

I can't say more as I've put down the toy in order to do work.

As my neighbor's license plate put it, "HiDeHo".

More to follow.

Harry

 

Anyone have any input on the N20A-B1 vs. Dell M1330? The two seem pretty comparable on paper for features, size and weight.

The minimum EPP discount configuration on the M1330 plus Bluetooth is less than $100 more than the N20 after tax/shipping. The differences are more or less irrelevant to me, Dell gives T6600 vs. T6400 for N20A, 3 year in home warranty on Dell vs 2 year mail in +1 year accidental coverage on N20, 3GB memory on Dell vs. 4GB on N20, 320GB dell vs. 250GB N20, wireless N on the Asus, not on the Dell. I could even them out more, but again, these things aren't all that important.

What I am concerned about are-

Keyboard quality

Heat (hot enough to be annoying or a reliability concern)

Fan noise (too loud or constantly cycling speeds)

6-cell battery life

Customer support

Access to hard drive bay for swap/upgrade

I did read Nightfrost's comparison (thanks!). Any one else used both these and can offer some guidance or just general input on these issues?

The M1330 is highly regarded in most reviews. There are a lot of posts about issues with the nvidia graphics over the last year or two, though I'm hoping this isn't a major issue on new units with bottom end CPU and the standard intel graphics. On the flip side, comprehensive reviews on the N20 are sparse, mostly first looks and such that I can find.


Any comments greatly appreciated!

 

you know i dont understand this notebook could have been way more better it is an awesome notebook but why on earth does this ntoebook have an X4500 GPU when its smaller brother with a 10" screen(N10J) gets a 9300gs? This notebook is great but would have been better with a dedicated GPU.

 

I'm not so sure, most people i know are after the 4-5 hour battery life, generally on something like a 12" people are more concerned about battery and mobility, the Intel definitely allows for this over a dedicated Nvidia card. Options are never a bad thing though.

 

Thanks-

I didn't really understand about the stickers. Is this something likely to peel off quickly and leave you with no label on the keys? I'm not a 60 wpm touch typist or anything. It looks like the keyboard layout is normal, my main issue is that there is good feedback and it doesn't feel cheap like it is poorly made as some notebooks I've used seem to be.

Is there a PM system on this forum or is it just disabled for newbs? I was going to send nightfrost a PM to see if he has any more comparisons after a month and a half- I guess I'll try posting on the other thread.

 

Is the hard drive a separate cover on the bottom or side? Any issues with voiding the warranty like with some other brands?

Also, what does Asus include as far as media for re-installing the OS and drivers if I do swap in a new drive? I think it was one of the Toshibas I briefly considered apparently didn't even include anything to allow you to do a clean install to get rid of crapware and unnecessary frills:/

 

Do you get a Microsoft license if you choose to install from your own media?

Using your own media, is there a separate driver disk CD (assuming you use the same OS) or are they readily available at ASUS for download?

Any reason to want 64-bit Vista vs. 32-bit on something mostly for surfing, blogging, Office, email (aside from the 3GB limit of course)?

 

Yeah thats all im saying to have the OPTION would be hot. Also i have a feeling this notebook is gonna be updated really soon, because as you have seen on my thread about the N51 and N81 they are both getting some major updates with the mid range ATI GPU(4600 series) So if they can come out with an N21 i think that isnt a stretch

I hope they come out with the new ATI 4570 it uses less power then the 3470 AND has 2-2.5% performance of course we have to see it in action first but i dont see why there claims will be false. Then offer a switch to go to dedicated and you should be fine

 

Thanks again, I saw his post but missed the comment about the driver disk.

I wish I could actually see either one of these in person locally and not have to rely completely on reviews and forums and such lol. Are the key stickers a wear item, or is it more durable than it sounds?

Another minor difference I missed in comparing the M1330 and N20 is that the N20 has the newer GM45 chipset and x4500HD integrated graphics. Also not a big deal, but might be handy if I ever want to play HD video out through the HDMI port. Too bad it doesn't have a Blu Ray optical drive...