Asus N50 Owners/Buyers Thread

are u using a coolpad? or something like a cooler

 

Hi all,

I'm currently trying to decide between the MSI GX630, GX620, and the Asus N50Vn-A1B.

The GX630 has good all around specs and a great price/performance ratio, but the thing that concerns me is that it uses an older processor, the Athlon X2 QL-62.

How does the AMD QL-62 compare to the T5800 on the A1B? They're both 2Ghz....

If I get the 630, can I upgrade it to a ZM-86?

I like the GX620 because it uses an Intel chipset with a P8400 2.26Gzh processor, so I could more easily upgrade in the future if I wanted to.

I'm looking at the A1B as kind of a base model, from which I could hopefully upgrade in the future to a P8600, 500Gb HDD and hopefully Win7.

Can I do that on the A1B?

In terms of sound I'm not concerned since most laptops don't have great speakers anyway from what I've heard, I'll just use my headset. Battery life doesn't concern me either since it will be plugged in most of the time when in use.

So which of the 3 would you recommend?



Thanks


LC

 

Hi y'all N50 C3s owner here.
I didn't bother using the useless BD Windvd software since it doesn't work.
What are you guys using to play Blu Ray?

 

C2D is a better architecture, while any dual core CPU above 2Ghz will be fine for most things, the C2D does outperform the AMD quite a bit.

CPU should be swappable, not sure the expense is worth the effort however. Many people also report the ZM-86 as running quite hot.

I Believe they both use the same Nvidia 9600GT so i would tend to take the 620 because of the C2D as well. For gaming specifically the MSI is likely the better option, price/performance ratio. Better speakers etc, as well..

The 9650GT DDR2 and 9600GT DDR3 should get similar performance, the 9650GT would likely score almost the same when both overclocked.

I would keep it between the GX620 and the A1B, the A1B has a better and brighter LED based screen albeit with a smaller 1200x800 resolution, compared to the GX620's 1680x1050. GX620 has the nice speakers, and some overclock ability built in. Asus support and warranty is likely going to be better.

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=N50VN-A1B&Category_Code=

PS i notice on the picture for the N50vn on Gentechs site it mentions "4 Dolby Speakers included" Obviously this is wrong?

You only have two choices for Bluray playback under Windows.. (No options for Mac or Linux) WinDVD is one of them (you will need the full version 9 license) or CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra 8, which both work fine. They are both expensive and neither company impresses me with support etc.

Because of this lame attempt to rip laptop/Bluray owners off, I suggest you "obtain" a full copy of WinDVD as i believe Asus and Corel should have honored there Bluray agreement, rather than stuffing in a WinDVD disc, that is guaranteed not to be working due to revoked keys.

 

Hey Freaky thanks for the info.

 

If the GX620 truly has GDDR3, then I would get that. The GDDR3 9600m GT is slightly faster than the GDDR2 9650m GT, which is what the N50 uses.

Also, yes the CPU is upgradable. I plan on upgrading to a P9500 after a year or so.

Whenever I bought my N50, I had narrowed it down to these 3 laptops:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220432

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152073

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220393

All 3 were priced between 900 and 950 dollars. The Gx620 hadn't been released then, otherwise I would have gotten it.

I eliminated the Gx630 because it has an AMD processor, and a weak one at that.

So it was down to the M50 with the P8400/9600GS and the N50 with the T5800/9650GT. I decided that the GPU is never going to be upgradable, while the CPU CAN be upgraded to the CPU's offered for that particular model. so I pulled the trigger on hte N50.

Then about a month ago, the G50 at bestbuy dropped to $950, and I was kicking myself about it. Oh well. this happens all the time in technology.

 

How much faster is the 9600 DDR3 vs 9650 DDR2?

Will it be noticeable?

If its not noticeable I don't think it really matters.

Also how is the keyboard?


EDIT: Hmm, I wouldn't buy from BestBuy cause they have that sneaky deal with Asus that negates the Asus warranty and makes you have to buy another $300 of warranty.

I think I will perhaps go for the A1B in that case.

 

Has anyone noticed when setting the brightness up and down on the N50, sometimes it will say the auto-light-adjust feature is on, and other times it won't mention it at all?

I can't find anywhere where you can even turn the auto-light-adjust feature on or off. Anyone know where this is?

 

Function + A will give "Ambient Light Sensor" Enable/Disable

 

Hi all i'm looking for a good coolpad for the n50 but it's quite impossible to find a good one...i have tried two models Aeolus from Enermax..too small for our 15" and the tiny belkin made of plastic...i hate plastic :S
Anyone using a coolpad?

 

ZOMG!!!!

I just found the G50Vt-X5 at best buy for $999, and it has a 9800M GS!!!!!

Specs:

Intel C2D P7450
GPU: 9800M GS 512MB GDDR3!!!!
HDD: 320GB 7200rpm

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9173262&type=product&id=1218044029168

I'm no expert but it looks like I just found myself an extreme gaming laptop for $1G?

WOWWOWOW

 

Yeah that is a great deal. If you don't care about the great warranty that the other Asus laptops offer, then just get that.

I don't think that a cooling pad is needed for the N50. It's one of the coolest running notebooks I've ever seen. If you do want a nice cooler, then get this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997340

 

The only other thing I need to know is how do I find out if I can upgrade to Windows 7 later on or downgrade to XP if need be? Am I stuck with Vista?

I just read a thread on another forum that said that.


Thanks

LC

 

Windows 7 will be extremely easy to dual boot. Just split the 2nd "data" partition into 2 parts, 1 for data, and the other for Windows 7, using Vista's disk management. Then install windows 7 as you would normally to that third partition. After you install, every time you boot up, it'll ask you which OS you want to boot to. Use Vista's drivers for anything that W7 can't automatically make work.

XP, on the other hand is a bit more involved.

 

I am pretty sure XP can be installed on the notebook, like it has been on every new ASUS notebook. It just takes someone to compile a list of all the drivers (like we have for many other models, see Info Booth / XP Downgrade).

Not sure about Windows 7.

 

Well guys, I think I have made my decision.

I just got back from Best Buy and had a good long look at the G50Vt-X5.

Its VERY stylish and it has an amazing price/performance ratio.

Good enough for me anyways.

And the 15.6" is pretty awesome too, a little bit bigger than a 15.4" and therefore slightly more difficult to carry around, a 14.1" would be more portable, but I'm looking for portable power, and this is where its at.

And the back panel styling is just awesome, though I didn't have a chance to look at it thoroughly since it was locked down behind a security thing which made it difficult to look at.

Oh, I wasn't thinking about dual booting, I meant wiping Vista and installing a full version retail when Win 7 comes out....provided it solves the issues with Vista and is better than XP.

If it lives up to all that, then I may just buy the retail, eventually of course, not right away, but that would mark the first time I have bought an OS separately based on its merits and not because I just got a new computer.

I really do hope MS does make some that makes it worth it to upgrade.

Thanks.



LC

 

so how's the new laptop working out for you?

 

Has anyone tried installing Ubuntu or another Linux distribution on their N50? Since I'm going to have to replace the OS with a 64-bit version, I'd like to try Linux before going through the hassle of getting a 64-bit Vista or the risk (and expiration) of 64-bit Windows 7 Beta. I was thinking of going with Ubuntu... can anyone think of issues I might encounter?

 

Hi guys,

I just join this forum and this is my first post

I just got N50Vn, dunno bout the variant code, but it comes with this:

CPU: P8600 2.4GHz, 1066MHz
GPU: GF 9650GT 1GB DDR2
RAM: 4GB DDR2
HDD: 250GB
Optical: DVD-RW
OS: Vista Home 32bit

So far I'm pretty ecstatic about this gear of war, if you will The lid is scratch resistant, the LCD is crystal-clear and the power is awesome.

Using standard stock I get 4968 for 3DMark06 and 117247 for CrystalMark09. Pretty impressive.

But just now I succeed in overclocking the GPU to 650MHz core clock and 500MHz memory clock.

And the updated 3Dmark06 score is 5760. Sweet 792 points boost

I believe it can hold up a few more MHz, but I think I will stay in this state.

A very happy owner indeed.

 

Congrats, I hope you have fun with it. Good luck

 

Thanks Hualsay

I am currently playing NFS Undercover and NWN2: Storm of Zehir. And so far this laptop eats both of them alive

Only 1 question: I can't seem to find place where I can buy keyboard skin for it. The emboss skin, that is.

Any of you have got keyboard skin for N50 ?

 

Does ASUS Splendid from CD will work on XP?

If not then I need help to find application to correct the gamma.

I will plan to reformat into XP in next week and wait for XP CD from delivery.

I'm really can't stand Vista.

 

I've managed to get 64-bit windows 7 beta dual booting with the stock Vista 32 bit on my N50. It was extremely easy, all you had to do was cut in half the 2nd "data" partition, then install windows on the third partition. I doubt that you'll have any problems with Linux.

Nvidia control panel can adjust the gamma, brightness, contrast, etc.

 

Hi everyone. I bought an N50VN back in December but only now I bothered to try 3DMark 06.

I'm getting scores lower than 4000 which is way lower than some people are reporting with default settings.
It's the same T9400 processor, Geforce 9650m gt 1GB, etc.
Using process explorer i don't seem to find any applications that may be bottlenecking the performance.

I'm an noob when it come to optimizing the system. Any idea how i can improve the score?

 

Make sure you run recent GPU drivers, and also make sure the drivers are not buggy and cap the clocks of the card (e.g., by preventing it to go into the High-Performance 3D power profile).

Also make sure your CPU is upclocking properly when under load.

Use CPU-Z to check CPU clocks, and RivaTuner for GPU clocks.

Moreover, preferably have less than a bazillion system tray applications running while you are benchmarking the computer .

 

Apart from what E.B.E mentioned above... Make sure "Performance" mode is selected in Vista's PowerManagement. And even possibly check the CPU min/max set for that setting in the advanced settings of the same place. Often PowerSaver and Balanced limit the Max CPU, possibly Performance is doing it too in this case.

Are you using Power4Gear?

 

Can anyone help me figure out the differences in these models?

N50Vn-B1B - CCFL screen, 1440x900 2.4ghz
N50Vn-X2B - CCFL screen, 1440x900 2.4ghz

To me, the B1B and X2B are exactly the same?! Yet, the X2B is heavier and thicker on its dimensions. Anyone have any ideas on these?

I'm looking for an LED model, which seems to be the A1B, but I'd like to get the 2.4ghz CPU without having to pay separately.

 

I have no idea on the difference on the between the B1B and X2B, seems to have exact same specs apart from price.. I would of expected a 7200rpm 320Gb drive. The more likely choice which would seem to coincide with the dimension differences you noted and maybe the X2B has the LED Backlit screen.

But it means Newegg have a misprint regardless, either it is 1200x800 WLED, 1440x990 WLED (only Dell have used them so far) or 1440x990 CCFL, which means the price and dimensions seem incorrect, So either way i would be calling or going in and having a look.

It would seem to solve your problem if the X2B is LED. Otherwise a newer Asus N50Vn-D1 has a T9550 2.66Ghz CPU + LED, and 320Gb 7200RPM.

 

I've used New egg's pictures of the A1B and X2B and if you look at the stickers on the palm rest area you can see the A1B has "15.4WGALED" with an "HD Vision" sticker and the X2B has "15.4 WGA+" with no "HD Vision" sticker. Looks like I'm buying the A1B and a CPU.

Ugh. Another model?? ASUS doesn't know when to quit. I'd prefer the 2.4ghz because it's 25W TDP instead of 35W like that 2.66ghz. So a A1B + 2.4ghz + Seagate 7200.4 (when it comes in next month) is as much as a D1.

Thanks for the help.

Oh, if I was to buy one I'd be refunding the Windows tax. Anyone successful with ASUS and that? It'd be running Linux.

 

I got Ubuntu 8.10 x64 installed without issue. I do have one problem though: the automatic backlight brightness is enabled again and I don't know how to disable it. Fn+A doesn't do anything now, and I have LCD power saving turned off in the BIOS but that didn't work. Anyone have ideas on how to disable it?

Update: figured it out. If anyone is curious, here's how in Ubuntu: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=973403

All I have left is to get the touchpad tap-zones working like in Windows an I'll be all set!

 

Hey guys, I've managed to Undervolt my processor using the new program CPUgenie!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=354551

The stock voltage of the T5800 in my N50 was 1.250v. Stressed, it would reach 73 degrees C. It can undervolt to 1.0V, and it maxes out at 58 degrees C under load. That's a 15 degree difference people!! I think that it should be able to go even lower, but 1 volt is the lowest that the program allows you to go O_O
I've stressed it for 5 minutes at 1 volt, and I'm going to stress it for 8 hours tonight.

There's no adverse effects to undervolting. No performance decrease and it doesn't harm your hardware at all.
The benefits are great though. It keeps your CPU cooler, so the fan doesn't have to spin up as often, it lengthens the life of your CPU, and it gives you better battery life.

 

I'd be installing Fedora, but my question was about getting a refund on the Windows tax.

Does the BIOS allow voltage adjustments? I noticed on an old Core 1 duo ASUS laptop that the BIOS is extremely limited and doesn't allow any adjustments. Is that still true today?

edit: Now that I've thought about it more, the N80Vn-X5 may be a better fit. It already has the CPU and LED screen. I could probably live with 14.1" instead of 15.4".

 

Nope. Laptop BIOS's are extremely limited, unless you have an extremely high end laptop that uses Desktop parts.
This is why software like RMclock, CPUgenie, and setFSB are so popular with notebook users.

 

is there any of you who use keyboard cover for n50 ?

 

I doubt it. People generally don't use keyboard covers with laptops.

 

maybe the terminology is wrong. what i mean is keyboard skin. i searched the embossed one that fits perfectly for each keypad. not the universal one which is only a straight sheet.

it can protect our keyboards from spillage or wear.

 

Ok well I called up asus tech support and was like wow...These people sound so Unprofessional.. I just get a "hey what do you need" and I tell the guy that I think I have a defective keyboard and he is like sure ill send you a new one...can you do it yourself. I am like sure can I get the service manual so I can do it....no response...I say hello and hes like ya i am still here...can I get your infomation for i can send you the replacement...I spend 20 mins. because he can barely understand generic english...after that I asked to make sure...am I going to get the service manual...he was like no joke his exact words..."well....um....Try to figure it out yourself and if you can not um....call us back and we will send you the manual" I am like NO I do not want to pry off the wrong thing and he was like pish...fine ill email it too you.... I was like thank you and the call was over...then waiting for 2 hrs for a simple email I went online to asus 24 hour chat line because I did not feel like calling back up someone to explain the issue well after waiting like 1 hr to get to chat with some one...I start to explain my issue about a guide and guess what...I get the same answer...well um...I don't know that we have one let me check.....and 30 mins go by still waiting for a reply......all he is saying is i am looking for you.....call that customer support.....HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FIND A SERVICE GUIDE....the guy was like Ill walk you though it over the phone... and I said that well if your walking though it with me over a phone there must be SOMETHING your looking at because I don't think you guys memorize everything.... I am still on hold while I am writing this post......


If I ever get the guide I will be posting it somewhere for the rest of the world does not have to go though this same crap that I am......


Edit:

After a little while I got this answer

John> thank you!
John> I am thinking that if someone was to walk it with me over the phone you would think that they have something in front of them to look at while they are telling me
NBTSD - Joshua01> im looking for you
NBTSD - Joshua01> we do not have such liturature availble for customers, i would suggest just call in and ask for some over the phone assistance, you can call and ask for me and ill go through it with you
NBTSD - Joshua01> ive swapped the keyboard before
NBTSD - Joshua01> like many many times
NBTSD - Joshua01> its really easy to do
John> ok I guess...But isn't it a little weird that the customer can not know how to fix his machine with out calling you guys up...?
NBTSD - Joshua01> well, we are told by managment not to give it out really
John> Why though
John> Is there someone in managment I could talk to
NBTSD - Joshua01> not at this hour
John> I understand that
John> is there someway I could contact management to ask them for the guide directly
NBTSD - Joshua01> basically, if you want to talk to a supervisor about this, call in tomorrow and ask to speak with a supervisor
John> ok Thank you... I still think its a little screwy though but thank you

 

Woah that's screwed up. I'd be willing to help you with it (my warranty is almost certainly void at this point ), but I've never really replaced a keyboard before, other than a desktop keyboard haha.

 

I will be calling sometime to day to talk to a manager....Thats just stupid how they dont give you access the the instructions

 

Yeah it would be like selling a model ship's parts, but not giving you the diagram O_O


On a side note, Put wax on your laptops guys! I had a bottle of ArmorAll Automotive wax laying around, and I put it on my N50. Dear god it looks amazing.

 

Whew, made it through this thread finally!

I am going to bite the bullet on a N50VN-???, but wow, what's with all the variations at Newegg?

-D1
-X2B
-B1B
-C3S
-X5A
-C1S

Not interested in gaming, this will be a desktop replacement, home office use, web browsing, word-processing, etc.

Which has the best screen of these?

How about LED, there seems to be a lot of conflicting info on this.

I started a thread on my dilemma before I found the Asus specific area here;

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=357199

Thanks for any help/suggestions.

Cheers from Sunny Vermont!

 

It depends on your definition of "best" is..... Resolution the "C" series has the higher resolution. This will allow more to fit on screen and multitask a little easier.

I personally wanted LED backlighting, they are thinner, lighter, brighter and more vivid, while battery life is also a little better. The viewing angles on my N50vn's LED backlit display is okay horizontally, and quite poor vertically. But really i just wish i had the choice of 1440x990 LED backlit display. I did some Nvidia calibration the other day and got a much nicer (less blue) looking screen. 1200x800 is enough to cover the 1280x720 (720p) HD resolution and text and documents, websites are easily readable. So i would stick to the LED screen.

If you can afford it the D1 is newest and is awfully nice spec wise....


PS... Has anyone tried SDHC cards or MicroSDHC cards in the N50's card reader, are they supported?

 

Yeah Asus kills you by making you choose between a higher resolution and an LED backlight. I chose the LED light, and I must say, I'm satisfied with that decision. Games can be maxed out at 1280x800, but I'm not sure if the video card is strong enough for the 1440x900 screen. That doesn't matter to you though, since you just want to use it as a desktop replacement.

The LED screen is BRIGHT. I usually have to keep it a few notches below the highest setting, or else my eyes start to water and hurt. This is under about 12 florescent tube lights too, so I'm not using it in a dark cave or something.

I haven't tried any SDHC cards in it. An old lexar 1GB SD card is supported though

 

Hey, thanks so much for your suggestions you two! I really appreciate it.

I am leaning toward the LED as I research a bit more. Not sure I would like things smaller on the higher res screens....

What about Vista 32 versus 64? Is it worth going to the 64 for a couple hundred more? Not really sure what that gets me, maybe not worth it for the non-gamer....

And while I've got you here ; ) is the car cable at Gentech worth the $80, or can an equal-quality one be had for considerably cheaper?

Again, I really appreciate your time,

Cheers!

 

Heheh, Thanks...... my 2Gb SD card, and 512Mb MicroSD works no problems, I have heard of people using their Asus Notebooks with SDHC 4Gb cards, despite the manual not mentioning it. But before buying a 16GB Mini, and 32Gb SDHC, i want to be sure...

Vista 32 will be fine, Games really see very little benefit, i use a lot of intensive 3D and development tools, and this tend to use as much ram as they can, so it's benefits them... Otherwise Vista64 is usually a touch slower.

The Vista32 ultimate key-code found underneath the laptop, should allow you to upgrade to Vistax64 without being charged, borrowing a DVD of x64 at some stage could see you register the key on the bottom used for registering Vista x64. So it's really not worth paying extra $$$ for IMO.

 

Gotcha, thx.

 

Don't pay extra for it!! You can download a legal copy of Vista X64 from MSDN, but they don't give you a serial for it. Just use the one on the bottom of your laptop, and it will install without a problem. You may have to call microsoft to activate it though.

Now if it's worth it or not depends on usage. Since you're just using it for basic office duties, don't bother. Vista 32 works great for them.

The car cable... Is that just an adapter that allows you to plug in your charger to a car's cigarette lighter? For $80, don't do it. Go to your local Sam's Club and look for a Car power converter for around $20. It converts a cigarette lighter's DC power to the standard 3 prong 120V AC power.

 

avanish11, Did you get the 8 hour torture test to work with CPUGenie?

 

Has that been confirmed? That Vista x64 will install using the serial on the bottom of our laptop? I thought I read a post earlier in this thread that said a x32 serial will not work on an x64 version of Windows

If this is true, I might make the switch. The 1gb of RAM not getting any use kind of depresses me, and I am more of a production user than a gamer so the extra RAM is important to me.

 

From all reports it can be done, However you will need to ring Microsoft to achieve it. You cannot register the number online, but apparently if you ring Microsoft and do it on the phone you can use that registration number.