* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

Just wondering, doesn't the computer come with a recovery partition and recovery disk? Why are you burning 4 DVDs worth for it?

 

yep, this seems to be great news. i have personally seen many people turning down ATI gpus because of lack of driver updates. This should bring ATI back on track.

Plus, i am more confident of the N61JQ-A1 now!

 

>For anyone buying from Dixons or PC World, a heads up is they only offer 1 years warranty.

Are you sure ? - it says 'Manufacturer's Warranty', which for Asus in the UK is the 2yr global warranty.

BTW - I've tried quizzing Asus UK on differences between that and the N61JQ, and all I got was
"Yes, it is based on N61. The CPU speed should be 2GHz. "

but the i7 720QM doesn't come in that flavour - also the quoted cache size on the Dixons/PCW/Currys websites doesn't look correct at 8MB, not 6MB

 

Well I rang up dixons to confirm. The reason for concern is that the x1 in USA comes with 1yr and the a1 comes with 2 yrs. So it worried me this was same case with the dixons version vs the one on morecomputers. Maybe you could ring asus again and see what they say?

 

Interesting that that's what Dixons said..
The support link on Asus uk redirects to the US site:
http://support.asus.com/repair/repair.aspx?no=201&SLanguage=en-us

- so looks like the default US warranty is 1 year, 2 years elsewhere.
There *is* something funny about some of the warranty handling with PCW etc - I noticed on some Acers (I think) from there that the warranty was handled though the retailer, not Acer - not normally the case with their warranties.
Tho' I *do* wonder if Dixons have given you the correct information...to be cynical they also like to sell warranties

BTW - I'd previously mailed Asus UK (as I have PCW, and received no reply !) - I've just sent off another mail to them to see if I get any more joy re the spec. I suspect I'm going to have to ring them anyway...

I could just order one and return it under the Distance Selling regs if the warranty/spec isn't what I expect, but it's a bit of a PITA, and a bit bloomin' stupid when I'm looking to spend 1K on the damn thing

 

Yeah, this is why I am hesitent! I don't want to order one and find it has 1yrs warranty with shed load of hassle if I want it fixed. Keep me update, btw don't know if you saw my post but there is 3% voucher + 3.2% quidco which makes it £938!

 

How do i check if mine comes with 1333 ????
cpuz doesn't mention 1066 or 1333

 

The Memory tab of CPU-Z will show the speed as "DRAM Frequency." This value will be half of the memory speed (hence Double Data Rate), or ~533 MHz for 1066 DDR3 or 667 MHz for 1333 DDR3. For all practical purposes, the performance difference will be negligible.

 

And you can look at the model # if the memory.

 

thanks for the info.
mine is unfortunately the slower 1066MHz.....
what annoys me is that the windows experience index for memory (RAM) is 5.9 , but according to the earlier posts it could just be windows 7 being dumb

 

Sorry to sound stupid, but how is the performance negligible ?

 

I definitely think there is something fishy about the Win7 memory index. My desktop has the same score of 5.9, except with 3 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 RAM! I ran the CPUID PC Wizard Memory and Cache benchmark ( http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php) and got the following scores:

CPUIDMark Memory:
N61JQ-A1: 37191
Desktop: 18504

So this particular memory benchmark shows a factor of 2 improvement for the 1066 MHz DDR3 vs the 667 MHz DDR2, but somehow they get the same WEI score

 

You won't be able to see a difference on a day-to-day basis. The difference between 1066 and 1333 is so small you probably wouldn't be able to perceive it unless someone told you that you had 1066 ram.

 

I don't really know other than that seems to be the consensus that I've found online

 

Here's an article to look at if you're curious:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-870-1156,2482.html

Note the chart in the conclusion page.

 

You actually care about the WEI?

 

I just wanted to add that I haven't changed any of the settings from factory and I am getting at best a hour and a half on battery while just surfing the web. I really don't see myself being away from power longer than that so it's really not a big deal right now.

 

yes i do....

 

capeta if you dont mind me asking...why do you have two i7 laptops

 

well i brought the HP about 2 months ago, but a week ago my 4yr old toshiba lappy died, so i brought the ASUS a few days ago. And i need 2 laptops for two houses because my parents are divorced.

My HP has pretty much the same specs as the ASUS, so i'm surprised that its memory (RAM) rating is 7.4 whilst the ASUS is 5.9

 

Are you using Power4Gear to change the power plan when you unplug (i.e. does the screen dim etc. when you unplug the laptop)?

 

How the hell is this possible?

Someone is pulling figures out of their *ahem*

But based on Xoticpc battery claim of 2+ hours and their battery claims seem to be based on high performance, I'll consider the battery life promising enough.

 

Can someone please post any good deals on getting this model laptop, I reviewed the bing bucks listed earlier but no luck. Definitely getting the A1. Also to all great thread and appreciate all the positive feedback given over the weeks Thx!

 

heyy i´m thinking to buy an X1 in amazon, any complain or suggestion?
i really think i made the right choice with the n61jq
does it came with 1333 or 1066 from amazon?
anyone knows something about warranty in latin america?
ok thanks for all the post, you really help me decide for asus

 

I'm about to buy the X1 on Amazon, 2 weeks is just too long to wait for the A1! GAAHHHH! Someone stop me

 

Ask yourself, is 2 weeks worth the extra year of FREE warranty?

 

I'm considering buying the X1 on amazon, and I'm wondering what kind of battery life you guys are able to squeeze out on these doing minimal tasks (web surfing, word processing) on power saver mode and what not. Thanks.

 

Plus an extra $67. Personally when given a choice I usually never extend a warranty. But $67 is not much to gain an extra year. Provided you actually do get it in 2 weeks. I know plus the larger HDD ! All I know is I'm loving my X1 and given the option of returning it for an A1 I didn't want to go without it for that long.
PULL THE TRIGGER!!

 

Hey leave my *ahem* out of this!

 

It is supposed to come with 1066. Sometimes it will come with 1333 though. But as others have posted you probobally won't notice the difference anyway.
I can't help you with the warrranty, maybe you should call Asus.
I do think you made the right choice with the N61JQ, and I have NO!! complaints.
Let us know when you get yours.

 

The list price for the A1 is $1099 and Asus will not let the re sellers go more than 3% below that. They are in short supply and mostly the same price everywhere so every deal is a good deal on this laptop. Just go with who you trust and hurry up and get one of theese!

 

No I was always just using the "stock" settings up until two seconds ago when I pushed the toggle switch and went through the power modes. When I had it unplugged the screen never dimmed, so I'm guessing it was either on high performance or entrainment mode. But I never did anything else except surf the web while it was unplugged.

 

Why would I make this up??? It's probably because like I said it was set to the original factory settings which had to of been high performance or entertainment mode. Xotic can blow me, Their videos suck just like their customer service did when I called to inquire about this laptop before I purchased it.

Anyways, good luck to you and yours!

 

I'll sleep on it.

This would be my first Asus product. Honestly, the warranty is really the reason i have yet to pull the trigger, the hardrive size doesnt bother me at all. Most of my previous Laptops had 1 year standard warranties which none of them i used. I take care of my stuff Still, the 2 year limited warranties, i think, is worth it... i think... or maybe not... hmmm...

I wonder if the warranty will be extended if i use my visa debit card? Is that possible?

 

Here's what I did: change the "plugged in" version of the Quiet Office profile in Power4Gear to mimic the "High Performance" profile. This way, the laptop automatically switches when you unplug it. If you happen to need performance, you can always switch to "High Performance." You will definitely not want to use high performance for web browsing because:

1) Processor is locked into the maximum multiplier. I'm not sure how much this matters though, because CPUID HWMonitor shows the same ~15 W power draw at idle as other profiles where processor throttles down to the minimum speed. The draw jumps up to 45 W under heavy processor load.

2) Maximum screen brightness uses more power.

3) The ATI graphics card has two "modes" ("PowerPlay feature): one for performance, and one for battery.

4) Various features like screen blanking and sleep modes activate much sooner in the power saving profiles.

 

Call Visa services you can find it on Visa.com, be sure to speak with a rep and the will pull you card up and tell you what if any benefits you have on it. Good luck, BTW I'm glad I canceled my X1 order and went with the A1.

 

Thanks for the tips! +1 Rep!

 

Hey guys im having a few problems.
Asus virtual camera is not working. When i click on the program, it does not load up. It will just go straight to the task bar on the bottom right, and nothing else.
Also, Express Gate program does not work either?!

 

Hi all...new guy here. Looking at the N61JQ-X1 seriously. I have been a NVidia guy but have had ATI cards as well so that's a no issue with me. I was wondering if anyone has played COD Modern Warfare 2 on this laptop yet and if so, how did it play?

 

Would I see any benefit in installing an Intel Turbo Memory module? I have a 1gb minipci-e from my old Dell that I want to install.

Would I just be wasting my time?

@asus_nc: this machine plays COD MW2 beautifully

 

Thx man. I thought it might.

 

I'm thinking of buying the ASUS N61JQ-X1 and I would like to know about the following things:
1. Is there a cpu whine sound like the Sony F series?
2. Are the fans quiet most of the time?
3. Does it get hot?
4. Is the screen quality good?
5. Does the keyboard flex?

 

@Risco

- just got quite a helpful reply from Asus UK, I'd asked for the X64JQ spec - they still didn't provide me with one, but :
"They are identical specs, the main difference is on the warranty…

X series = 1 year
N series = 2 year"

(I wonder if there's a reduced pricing to retailers that want to sell their own warranty extensions...)

So *if* you can get an X64 discounted, as you've mentioned (I found a voucher code for about 4 or 5% somewhere for one of those 3 retailers) and an extended warranty for less the the cost of the N61, it might be worth it.

Ah.
Just checked on asuslaptop.co.uk, 1 yr warranty extension is £89 inc vat (so gets you back to near the price of the 'N') two year extension is £156 inc vat - BUT I'm not how those work in practice - eg whether an existing 2yrs warranty can be extended out to 4 years.

I suspect I'll wait for an 'N' (tho' a discounted 'X' extended out to 3 yrs warranty might be worth considering)

HTH

Edit:
http://support.asus.com/service/service.aspx?no=328&SLanguage=en-us
Looks like the maximum extension *might* be 3 years - ie you can add 2 to a 1 yr warranty, or 1 to a 2 yr warranty. And you've got to buy it within 30 days of the notebook purchase.
Edit - looks like it may be 90 days in the UK
I guess I may need to mail Asus again !

Edit2:
slightly cheaper, dunno why there's two differently priced 1 yr extensions, the basic price is the same for both:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Asus_Laptop_Warranty_Packs/prod.asp

A few 1 yr warranty codes:
90R-N00WR2600T
90R-N00WR2000 (dunno the difference)
a 2 yr:
90R-N00WR1300T
- cheapest at around £128 inc vat from:
http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?prodID=1687326&viewOverview=y&showold=

 

Buy from XoticPC/GenTechPC (min $1032), but its costlier at PowerNoteBooks (min $1065), assuming all 3 are have same service.

 

Use your 2 years global warranty and pray to God

 

To answer your questions

1. There is no CPU whine
2. Fans are very quiet, all together this is a very quiet machine
3. It gets hot by the exhaust vent on the side but the bottom and
palm rest get a little warm but not hot.
4. I believe the screen quality is good. People have complained the resolution
should be higher, but for the price of the machine it's a fair trade off. I
don't really mind it because for the most part I have it connected to a 24"
LCD, but even when it's not connected the screen is very crisp and clear
as long as you adjust the colors.
5.The keyboard flexes a little, but it's not anything you really notice.

 

I also agree with everything he said for my A1...

 

I agree with Sm0k3d 0uT with most what he said except:
The Bad: I can hear cpu whine time to time. It's not yet a big annoyance to me. The screen has blue-ish feel to it, though fixed with gamma setting. The hard drive sound is audiable (probably due to quiet fans lol ). No opinion on athero's wireless yet work good so far. The toupad is little too sensitive when typing. Comes with bunch of bloatwares.

The Good: I really like the matte finish on interior and semi-gloss on exterior, looks quite nice and professional. The screen is not as bad as what I thought to be, the horizontal view is good, while vertical view suffers wash-out brightness above 15 degrees or so, but only reaching 45 degrees and above the color becomes wash-out. The keyboard is nice to type on.

More thoughts coming when I finish burning recovery disks =)

 

When you say you fixed with gamma setting, where did you adjust it? Secondly does it stay right even after reboot?

 

You can adjust the Gamma settings in the ATI Catalyst Control Panel.
So far settings have stayed after I've rebooted.