Asus N50 Owners/Buyers Thread

I would think so too. The difference is negligible.

 

Yeah, who knows.... Doesn't actually matter I'm just a curious fellow. But I will stick with my assumption that GPU-Z is wrong on this one and Notebook check is correct.. It makes me feel superior to those 65nm 9600GT users...

 

Haha I trust GPUz more than I trust Notebook Check. You should feel superior to the 9600GT users anyways. I mean, other than the 9650, NOTHING else has a 50 at the end!

 

I found on GPUZ forums, that others with similar cards have reported the same kind of issues http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=80024 Also for example GPUZ mentions the PCI-E Bus is @ x1 instead of the correct x16 as well.. But i believe this is an error on GPUz's behalf as well. I guess we will know for sure one day, maybe i will pull the videocard out...

Anyway me and my superior 55nm card are going to play Fallout3.....

PS... I notice the T9600 versions of the N50vn are in stock here now. (for those interested in purchasing)

 

To be sure, this is NO error. Your card is running @ 1x while in 2d mode. also very underclocked in these situations. Once in 3d you should see your card advance to 16x and higher clocks. Not unlike your cpu speedstepping.
These are 2 reasons this notebook runs cool.

rek

 

Yeah thanks, I'm aware of the downclocking, Just thought that GPUZ was wrong in it's report, but I'm still sticking to the GPUZ database error about the fab process. It appears it's currently getting plenty of 80, 90, 65 and 55nm, chips incorrectly reported. Other programs like Everest are meant to show that the 9650GT is 55nm, but it doesn't work correctly on the Asus mainboard.

Cheers!

 

are the n50 users experiencing keyboard lag?

or is that on the m50 series of the laptops?

 

there's no keyboard lag on mine but apparently for the ones that do you have to uninstall the touchpad driver to get rid of it

and is anyone having problems opening up the comp? I'm trying to upgrade the harddrive and it seems that no matter how much torque i apply to the screw the screw won't budge =/

 

the only issue i ever had with the keyboard was space bar that's about it

 

I don't experience any keyboard lag.

I have no experience in pulling notebooks to bits so can't help about the screws. Does anyone know if a second HDD can be placed in it?
Room enough for two?

 

No room for 2 where the primary is installed.

The very first thing I did was to remove the HD from this thing. Make sure you have a quality screwdriver that fits the screw head nice and snug.

The 2 screws are in there nice and tight, but no loctite or anything like that.
They'll come out.

rek

 

Whenever I took the bottom lids off of my N50, the screws were coated in what looked like some sort of blue plastic. They made it hard to take them out and even harder to put them back in. Just put a good amount of force on it, without stripping the head.

Only 1 hard drive is supported. It's a shame because I have a spare 250GB hard drive sitting in the box. I was planning on getting the G50, but I decided that it was too rich for my blood, and got the N50 instead.

 

Hello, there. Just thought i'd come in and say that i've now entered the world of the N50. Ordered one about 20 mins ago. After doing a little research I think and hope i've made the right choice.

 

Which one you get ??

 

This one Should fit the purpose that I will need it for.

 

Same one I have

 

That blue stuff is loctite, keeps the threads from slipping.

 

I did'nt see loctite on the HD cover fasteners. Either way, they will come out.

rek

 

ugh i guess i'll go get my electric screwdriver then >.>

 

Ah I see.



What Wifi card do you guys have? On the drivers CD, it has a driver for both the Atheros 928x and the Intel 5100.

In Device manager, it says I have the Atheros 928x. I tried to update the driver for the hell of it, and the wifi died. I had to reinstall the stock driver from the CD to get it working again. Something seems off here.

 

hi i just got the N50vn-C2s and installed the windows 7 beta. how do i get the media keys to work? i tried installng the drivers but it still doesnt work. i also updated the bios to 210. thanks

 

I have an Intel 5100, they are the only ones used in my model over here. I'm surprised you have an Atheros... My Intel can only connect @ 135Mbps to my WRT610n. (As do most apparently) Despite Intel claiming 300Mbps. So i don't think you missed out on much..

 

Make sure you download and install the latest version of "ATK Hotkey" and "ATKOSD2"

Also, I have found you really need to run every "setup" as administrator in 7.

Still having problems...............

You may also want to follow these steps.


If your having issues with software install or updates to software, here is a quick fix you can use for now:

1. Select and copy the following to your clipboard:
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\DisabledSessions /va /f
2. Click on “Start”, then “All Programs”, then “Accessories”
3. Right click on “Command Prompt”, then click on “Run as administrator”
4. In the UAC prompt, verify that the program’s name is “Windows Command Processor” and then click “Yes”
5. Right click on the “Administrator: Command Prompt” window’s black area, then select “Paste”
6. Press “Enter”, you should see “The operation completed successfully”.
If you see “ERROR: Access is denied”, please make sure you followed Step 3.
7. Close the “Administrator: Command Prompt window”


Drivers wont load? Turn off digital signing.
Fix:
Click on Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right click Command Prompt -> Run as administrator.
Paste the following line and hit enter afterwards.
bcdedit /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS


rek

 

according to my device manager it says i have the atheros928x driver as well i'll do a driver update on mine and see what happens

 

I wonder if they're both the same thing. do you think it would say which it is on the card itself?

 

Well I ordered mine on XoticPc and according to my order statement I have a "Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 510" so I'm guessing I have the intel card. And the atheros driver is my only wireless network driver aside from the Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0) Driver. So I wonder if i got shanked the intel card or not..oh well. I don't know if if would say which driver is on the card itself but I guess you can check the driver properties to see what they say

 

alright I took the Wifi card out to see what it is. It's actually neither Intel 5100 or Atheros 928x

It's an Atheros AR5B91. It's funny, I took the bottom panel off, and as I was taking the screws off of the wifi card, I looked at the bottom lid of the laptop. There's a small black rectangular sticker that says the model number of the wifi card

Now to the GPU. I took apart the cooling system. The GPU, CPU, and Northbridge all share 1 heatsink/fan/heatpipe. This wouldn't make sense if the GPU was a separate card. Guess what? It's not. It's built directly into the Motherboard. This means no MXM, hence no upgrading to the ATI 4670 on the N51. Sorry Freakish.

I also took a boatload of pics for a review that I've been planning on doing for the past 1.5 months... Expect it soon.

 

Thank you for diving in avanish11! I, for one, appreciate that information and look forward to the review.

rek

 

Oh that sucks, Asus should really know better these days. But much appreciated, I just haven't bothered to open her up and look myself. Look forward to seeing a review and some pictures.

 

+Rep for opening up...Everyone will be patiently waiting for your review. I for one am going to start working on a review on the N80VN-X1 once school quiets down a little bit.

 

That's exactly why I'm not doing the review yet. AP english and Honors Precalc suck. Alot of Homework every night

 

Ok this took for ever but yeah, So i've bin using the Creative sound blaster XFi 5.1 with my N50, and it is great with movies and music, i mean wonderful, watched "Flag of Our fathers" and it sounded great!

However,... with games the sound card sucks, the box actually show a low rating for use with games, wish i saw that before. In Need For Speed, Carbon, the sound lags, not sure about frame rates and all that but it did seem a lil slower, but i'm not sure if it just seemed that way because of the sound lag.

For gaming, the Creative Audigy cards seem to be the thing, bad part being, They are terribly expensive.

 

Quick question, I'm on the verge of getting the B-1B from either Gentech or XoticPC. Has anyone noticed a learning curve or frustrations since the keyboard isn't centered with the monitor due to the number pad?

 

No! I must admit that i find the keyboard on the N50, Unbelievably great...
I find my palms rest on either side of the touchpad (not touching it though) and my fingers rest over the top of most of the keys, So i can type around 160wpm on my N50. It's seriously the most comfortable hand/wrist position i can imagine.
And much better than i was expecting from any notebook.

I have been trying to recreate the lag issue, but since i loaded the Acer driver i cannot get the lag to show itself. This issue is the only issue i have with my N50 keyboard, and one i find it hard to recommend Asus to others until they officially fix it.

 

Agreed. I actually think that it's more comfortable than laptops without the numpad.

 

i look forward to your review =D
and i also tried taking mine apart but i can't get the effing screws off --;
hmm interesting...that's probably the wireless card i have as well...is there really a difference between the atheros and intel cards anyway?

lol lucky you i have AP English and Calc BC X_X

 

Hi guys, Ive recently bought an ASUS n50Vn-C2S from newegg.com... Ill be receiving this item from the UPS on january 27 2009. Im still not sure how well this new laptop will perform. but maybe it will definitely be the best laptop ive ever had in my life.

I used to be a hardcore gamer which was 3 years ago. not anymore though but ill give u guys the review about this laptop as soon as i get it. Just let me know what kind of reviews u guys want me to do and ill do it and post it ASAP.

Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53G
Screen 15.4" WSXGA+
Memory Size 4GB DDR2
Hard Disk 500GB
Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 9650M GT
Video Memory 1024MB

CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed T9400(2.53GHz)
CPU FSB 1066MHz
CPU L2 Cache 6MB

Display Type Wide SXGA+
Resolution 1680 x 1050

PRICE: $1599.99 + (-$200 off) = $1399.99
TOTAL (tax and shipping included): $1520

 

Hey has anyone used the N50 with a cooler pad?
I think the palm rest gets hotter when using the Bytecc cooler
(very low flow cooler, but i channeled it by taping paper on the inside, except in the areas where the laptop vents would be)

The cooler blows air up under the base of the laptop is this configuration right?
Not sure what direction air is supposed to be flowing at the laptop bottom vents.

 

Nope. I usually just prop the back of it it up on a couple of DVD cases when I'm using it to game or something.

The air is sucked in through the bottom and vented out the back of the laptop.

 

I have finally had the chance to try the SPDIF output...

And while i did manage to get 5.1 DTS and DD output, it can only happen if the program forces such a thing. For example games like Fallout3 which don't allow the option to be specified only give me 2 channel sound via SPDIF. Which really just sucks! My movies via VLC and SMPlayer work however.

It seems like Realtek suck, because in my options on my desktop machine the same driver has options for 5.1 sound in the driver, but only 2 channel on the laptop. If the 5.1 option would appear it would work without problems. I just think it's the driver preventing it... XP may not do this because from memory, you can set your speakers rather than Vista trying to be smart and detect it...

I wonder if there are any hacked Realtek Audio drivers, or Vista tweaks?

 

PS... GPU-Z has been updated to show the correct 55nm for the 9650GT.

 

Well that's weird. I have the same version of GPU-Z and mine still records it as 65. Tried to update and says it's the latest version. Manually downloaded it again and still the same.

What's your secret?

rek

 

Heheh, The current version of GPU-Z does indeed have a bug that reports it as 65nm, I contacted the author of GPU-Z and it was confirmed after our recent NBR discussions on it. So the latest build has the fix included, the link to the beta version which includes the fix is here: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=83299

I think the build number hasn't been updated yet, so it's still reporting the same version number. That will be fixed when it's out of testing no doubt.

So now i may continue to feel my smugness and show my complete superiority to those vastly inferior 65nm 512Mb 9600GT owners once again.... Bwhahahahah......

 

I suppose I'm gonna have to eat my words now, saying that NBC was wrong saying that the 9650m is 55nm

 

LOL, Yeah you can eat your words... You should really send a letter of apology to Notebook check for doubting them....

But thankfully after that you may rejoin the arrogant 55nm crowd and continue to poke fun and call names @ anybody in the 65nm process, once again!...

On a day like today (over 105 degrees) I kind of wish it was built on a 5nm process however..... Which reminds me what is the hottest temp people have recorded for the N50 so far? I believe i got 80 degrees Celsius on my GPU last night.

 

O_O That's not healthy. At exactly 76 degrees Celsius, the display driver throttles the GPU speed down to 400 core and 400 mem on mine (even when OCed)

I see that you're already flaunting around the 55nm
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=347196

 

Nice find Freakish! Thanks for sharing.

As for temps, I haven't done too much but my GPU has been as high as mid 60s while the cpu has barely touched 50.

Ambient temp here is upper 60s low 70s in the office.

rek

 

I haven't even bothered monitoring the CPU temps. I don't really push my CPU much, other than the occasional game or photoshop.

 

Hehehe, Nah i had already been touting the 55nm banner since i got my N50.
I have had a few people tell me Notebook check got it wrong on the 55nm GT130. But i believe they got it right, So lucky... And looking today it seems they added some stuff on the the rebadged 9650GT.

"PhysX is only supported when two GeForce GT 130M are used in SLI mode (one GPU dedicated for PhysX) as the 130M is not powerful enough to calculate both graphics and PhysX. "

I wonder if this applies to us using the 9650GT? I know i have PhysX in the modded drivers, but now i have loaded the official drivers it's absent.

I also noticed this: "7.1 Sound over HDMI"

I'm going to take a guess and say this will only be on Nvidia based motherboards, rather than Intel based ones... I figured you would only see the GT130 used on Nvidia based Sli based boards with the GT105 or GT110. It would be nice if we could hack the GT130 driver to work with 7.1 HDMI on the 9650GT. Dagnabbit...

Thanks for the GPU temp reports, i will continue to monitor them... It's meant to be 40+ degrees Celcius for the next week here, so this would be about as hot as it should ever get i guess...

 

I'm wondering, how good is the SXGA+ display? I've heard the the WXGA is lacking in brightness and contrast.