* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

Here is the link Donald. I'm not vouching for its acurracy or recomending it's resellers. Like I said no disrespect to you donald. I don't think your customers would roll the dice to save a few bucks.
http://www.bing.com/shopping/N61Jq-...ack="1"]&wf=Commerce&scope=cashback&FORM=CPCA

OOPS! Nevermind, Out of Stock!!!!!

 

Never mind Donald! All thoose links list out of stock! Sorry

 

Greeting.

I am debating between buying a N61JQ-X1 (couldn't find a N61JQ-A1 in Canada) and N71JQ-A1, which is $400 CAD difference now. By checking out 16" and 17" HP models, screen sizes do look different.

Just wondering, what's the major reason that made you guys choose the N61JQ over N71JQ, other than mobility? Thanks.

 

For me it was the $300+ price difference. Besides that I was worried about Mobility and if the bigger and better screen would affect the battery life.

 

Price being one of the factor, but the most obvious reason sway me from n71jq is lower resolution on n61jq. I was afraid ati 5730 mobility won't run games as good as higher resolution on n71jq.

 

Well I don't have a router that will do 5.0 Ghz, but I'll look at the device manager info and report back. I'll have some time tomorrow night to do the install.

 

If you haven't noticed already, there's new ati 10.3 beta driver leaked now.
For more information go
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=461001

I've installed the new driver without problem. Going to see what the difference it made.

 

Please inform us back after you intall it so that we can know how is the stability of this beta driver.

I think in three weeks or so we will get the final version of 10.3 mobility driver that will support our ATI card and after that each month there will be new catalyst for us.

 

I purchased mine in Vancouver. Just go to ASUS' webiste where they list all the Canadian resellers. Most are out of stock (although NCIX had some last week), but distributirs are getting another shipment in a week or so.

I have a 17" now and it is too big & heavy. When in office I just have it connected to display anyway; the resolution between the N61 & N71 are basically the same. I don't need a 2nd HDD (not doing RAID or planning a SSD, etc.), so for me the $400 was significant (that's about 1/3 more). I would have been more interested in the G51 than the N71, however the G series is just not suited to a professional (work) environment + it's more $'s. Personally I go more for performance than display size (use monitor), so for me N61 was best bang for $.

Good question; hope this helps.

 

Finally got chance to check the resolution on a similar sized laptop. Alas the resolution is definitely too low, the start menu takes up 3/4 of the screen in height!

Therefore it is sadly going to be the waiting game ( jeez like nearly 8 months I have been waiting for i5/i7 configs with DX11 to come out ) once more until the N71JQ starts shipping in the UK.

 

I had chance to look at ASUS PRO64JQ (N61JQ), before I decided for N71JQ.
For me also the resolution of the screen was the main reason to pick N71JQ over N61JQ.
My M50VM has 1680x1050 resolution and going down to 1366 x 768 was what I did not want to do.
I use the notebook for work and I thought that 1366 x 768 has too less space for me to work with.

I think the biggest concern I have with my N71JQ would the portability.

 

Alright I have a problem with mine. When I plug in my external monitor I get these faint horizontal lines that sort of flickr and move up and down, they also respond to the mouse movement and clicks. I had the same thing happen to me on my previous laptop but only if the vga cable wasn't plugged in all the way. Here it is and I still get the lines, which makes me think that it must the vga connector on the notebook. Anybody has a similar problem or a solution?

 

Since you have had similar results with a different laptop it is more likely your VGA cable, or your monitor itself. It is highly unlikely it has anything to do with your laptop.

 

But on the previous laptop it would only happen if the cable wasn't plugged in all the way. Plus I had it running on a different laptop just yesterday and everything was running fine.

 

Though I cannot comment on the performance of games I tried (Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect, Guild War), they are running smooth and very stable so far.

This driver is keeper until official one arrives =)

 

I have the same issue as I ride a motorbike, and have no car. Still this is a desktop replacement for me, so I will deal with it.

 

I have car, but I carry my notebook every morning to work and bring it back in the evening, but I will deal with it also.

I still have to find a good bag for it. I have currently three but all are for 15.4" notebook.
I have to pick one until mid of next week, and I hope the notebook would arrive by then. It is now in Germany and being processed by customs office.

 

Turbo, one bag you should look at are the Kensington 'Contour' series. Excellent features and lifetime warranty. In NA they go on sale so price can be very attractive. Good luck!

 

I love my laptop so far but as I am a first time Windows 7 user, I noticed this weird crap happening as did others when I googled the problem but no solution was to be found.

Upon every reboot, my desktop icons want to relocate themselves. At first it was when I did my extended desktop with my lcd tv and the icons actually moved to that monitor and its setup as my secondary. Every time after that they have moved around on my laptop. They all move together and are either in the middle far left or right. Anyone else have this issue? I disconnected my secondary but it still does it.

 

Thanks for the tip. I will look if I can find them here in Germany.

Actually, I saw many bags today, but most of them were from the type where one side opens completely and you lay the notebook in and you lay the supply nearby.

I prefer the type with slide-in notebook compartment which is similar to back packs.

Furthermore, I want the bag to be light weight.

I like Swiss Gear bags from Wenger . They are very robust and keep the notebook very safe, but they are usually quite heavy. I have one 15.4” Swiss Gear back-pack from Wenger.

With my M50VM I was using the original ASUS bag. It is from this notebook slide-in type. I found it very practical. It is very light and it has lot of space for all the accessories.

I would like to buy ASUS 17.3” bag for N71JQ, but I cannot find it offered for sale anywhere in Germany.

Even the ASUS original part shops here is europe seems not to sell them.

 

Have you performed a virus scan yet? Long time ago when I had similar abnormal icon behavior was caused by virus.
Or simply use restore function to restore back to normal windows again. If all fails recovery disk will come handy.

 

I orderd my n61jq-a1 from amazon a few days ago on pre order. I can't wait. I have only used desktops most of my life, because laptops never have the preformance I need. My main pc is my i7 920 desktop I built. I do have a laptop now but the laptop Im using now to post this, literally came out of the trash, the guy who used it was sick of it. I saved it.

I love the free shipping, and the no tax, and good price, but I just have to wait for the pre order... atleast I have 87 pages of posts to read in the mean time.

 

I know how you feel, I have been putting off getting a laptop for so long, I have been waiting for USB 3.0, i7 & DX11 in a laptop.... for about $1250 or less...

I still want esata 6.0, blu-ray, 1080p & Backlit keyboard... but I had to get it, or else I would be waiting forever.

 

I have not used the laptop much and I have ran several virus scans and nothing comes up. I just downloaded Registry Mechanic and that is running now so we will see.

 

The G51 is pretty close to that, except for the lack of DX11, USB 3.0, and I'm pretty sure Blu-Ray. Oh and also the price is a couple hundred over your budget. If you're really looking for a laptop with every one of those features for $1250 or less, I think you should be shopping for laptops again next year when these features age a little bit.

 

I gotta say..I love this thing! I spent all day playing MW2, Unreal Tournament 3, Red Alert 3, Left 4 Dead and Wings of Prey. Every single game ran smoothly with high detail settings.

Now all that I want is to somehow install a backlit keyboard

 

I wouldn't get too worked up over the backlit keyboard superjojo, according to Donald it isn't possible.

 

Like I said I dont want to be waiting forever. DX11 and USB 3.0 is a big deal to me. I know the 5730 is not as powerfull as a 360 from nvidia, but what I have seen DX11 is really cool. I have always been a fan of AMD though. But I love Nvidia also (or did, they got too pricey, my 285 GTX was an arm and a leg for my desktop.)

Im using a 6 year old 1.6ghz celeron m lapotp... I need something new! just basic web browinsg on this thing is slow. And its a compleatly fresh install of xp from 3 months ago, I was hoping a os reinstall would speed things up. And I stuffed the most ram I could inside of it (2gb)...

 

$400 for me in terms of these 2 notebooks is significant, too, and I don't need the second HDD, either. On the other hand, my notebook would most likely stay at my home, and become my main pc since my desktop has been 4 year old. (Opteron 146. ) I would only use it for surfing, and WOW gaming. My main concern is the WOW. Will 5730 be able to run WOW at 1600*900 smoothly for LichKing? Furthermore, I heard that Cataclysm would be a hardware hog...

I wish I'd be in States so to get the N71-JQ X1 model (1.2K) from Amazon.com. Considering current greenback value, that would be a sweet deal.

Oh yea, just curious, why did you go with the A1 over the X1?

 

Just order this laptop from Amazon, and it's in transit.

Questions:
- Will it void the warranty if I apply thermal paste to the processor & gpu ?
- It has one USB 3.0 port. Which one is that ? I've download the manual, and it doesn't even say USB 3.0 port anywhere, just USB 2.0 port
- Where can I see the official spec for N61JQ ? I visit Asus and they haven't even listed, but I've seen an official flyer for N61JQ several days ago, but forgot where I got it.

 

Yes, applying thermal paste to the proccy and GPu yourself will void the warranty.

The USB port is on the left side of the laptop as you face the screen, with the blue coloured joint (or whatever it is called).

You can see the official specs for the machine at any of our resellers page - gentech, PNB, xoticpc. Here's one for your reference http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-n61jqa1-order-p-2734.html

Cheers!

 

^^ef;b

1. I'm pretty sure it does.
2. It's this port.

3. - 16" HD WXGA LED 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1366x768)
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee
- - Intel® Core™ i7-720QM, 1.60-2.80GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5730 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3
- 4GB (2 SODIMM) DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory - Default
- Standard Finish
- - Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti 8X DVDRW Drive w/ Software-
- - 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default
- Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless A/B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit with System Recovery DVD
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty, 24/7 Support, 1 Year Accidental Coverage & 2-Way Pre-Paid Air Shipping for Repairs (N.A. Accidental Requires Registration w/ ASUS)

Also in other news, the N61JQ-A1 is now sold out at Gentech PC.

 

-The USB 3.0 port is actually blue, so it will be easily distinguishable from the other two when you first get it out of the box.

-Go here for the specs.
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-n61jqa1-order-p-2734.html

Edit: Damn you guys are fast.

 

Ahahah man that guy's getting help overload.

 

Yes, it will void the warranty unless an authorized ASUS reseller applies thermal paste.

 

Thanks to those who impatiently tried to help me . LOLL. Appreciate it.

Anyway, I finally got the URL for the flyer after 2-hour seaching my history.
http://promos.asus.com/US/eblast/N61Jq/index.html

Now, I know you guys do not believe that it has Switchable Graphics, although one guy (somewhere in another forum) has proved it wrong. He did actually mention the button for the switchable graphic and get around 3 hour something during battery-test.

Look at the Asus's Eblast for N61JQ, and near the bottom section titled "ATI GRAPHICS WITH ASUS GRAPHIX BOOST". Read that part.


Quote :
- Asus Graphix Boost instantly SWITCHES between discrete and onboard graphics at a push of a button
- Switchable new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 Graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM and Intel Embedded Graphics ...bla bla bla

It even has the reseller link which points to Amazon & Newegg's N61JQ-X1 or N61JQ-A1 currently being sold.

So, what do you say? Switchable or not ?
Does Asus present the wrong spec for N61JQ ?

 

http://go.notebookreview.com/?id=52...?P_ID=ZfpnPRZ5UxVOtrHJ&content=specifications
Here is a better Asus link for the N61JQ specs. It was the on the first post on this forum. Don't even go there with the switchable graphics. Don't show supporting evidence or ask why not. The final answer is NO it does not.
Now we will all pretend that you did not ask this question and hopefully you have not opened up this can of worms again. Just kidding!
And No it does NOT!!!!!!

 

Is there an echo in here?

No, it does not have switchable graphics. Any suggestion otherwise is a misprint.

 

ic. Well, just to make sure.
Don't need it too much anyway. I always have power outlet on my side anyway. Thanks for the conclusion.

 

You guys are killing me! It's a $1000 computer! why don't you just throw in a 256GB HDD and an external 30" monitor on your wish list.
And Risco Why would you care how big the start menu is?

 

Serville, I must confess I pushed the switchable graphics debate for a few days on multiple forums. I was sure that everyone was wrong until I got mine and found out they were right.
I am doing 1 battery life test on a different power setting each night. I will post them if you are interested. Tonight I got 2hrs 12 min. on the Balanced performance setting. This was on factory screen settings,surfing, and using a USB mouse.

 

Tonights result added.

 

I like what I'm seeing here so far. These tests are most appreciated allyw. Expect a rep once completed

 

I said I would be waiting forever I can have high expectations ,

Can't people take a joke?

------------------------------------

The i7 on this laptop does not have a graphics controller on it, so no matter what is said a laptop with this cpu cant have switchable graphics. I'm not trying to grind that fact to a pulp... I'm saying why, and its because of the cpu used.

-----------------------------------

On a side note... looking at the photos on amazon.com of this laptop, the keyboard is not a US keyboard. I hope that is just the wrong pictures, and not what I'm getting.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0034GXNYM/ref=dp_otherviews_z_6?ie=UTF8&s=pc&img=6

Zooming in on that photo shows a non us keyboard...

------------------------------------


And does anyone know when amazon is expecting to get them in stock? someone said early/mid march as an estimate? Or is this something no one knows?


Thanks for the replies to earlier posts

 

@ justin/ donald/ paladin44- when will you stock up again on these machines?

 

A very few are coming in around the 4th of March, and then a very tiny shipment on the 24th.

ASUS did not expect this model to be so popular, so it will take them a while to beef up production to meet the demand. Hopefully by April they will be flowing nicely though.

 

Ok it looks like my device manager is also reading it as a AR9285. Which it is not, don't trust the device manager.

 

Can you show how to tell AR9285? Mine also AR9285 on device manager and unable to connect to 5G network. I opened up the panel but couldn't recongnize the numbers of network card. They don't resemble anything to AR9285 or anything that has AR in it.
I would like to be able to use 5G network also.

EDIT: I took a look in ASUS website, and to my surprise there is no athero driver under wireless section. But I'm happy with the wireless performance so far

 

I got my A1 from Amazon; during the entire order/shipment process, the website said "pre-order." Maybe they only had a small stock or something and didn't bother to update the website. I ordered on Feb. 4 and it shipped Feb. 6. The keyboard is a regular keyboard (not the one pictured in that link). It looks like this:

Newegg photos

 

The driver is on ASUS' website as "Azurewave Wireless Lan Driver and Application."

Edit:

Ok I snooped a little more into this; the Azurewave driver from ASUS' website supports the AR9285 model AND the AR5B95 confirmed by this post by waqas1988. When you install the driver, it looks at the hardware ID of the device to decide which capabilities it has. You can find the hardware ID from device manager (Properties -> Details -> hardware Ids). Looking in the INF file, the hardware ID for my card is PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_002B&SUBSYS_10891A3B and has the device descriptor ATHR.DeviceDesc.30A1, with description "Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter." The INF file shows the AR5B95 model as having descriptor ATHR.DeviceDesc.663111AD and hardware ID PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_002B&SUBSYS_A5023485. I guess it is possible that the laptop really has an AR9285 card with an incorrect hardware ID (e.g. if you verified the model by removing the card, as waqas1988 did). If that were the case, you could probably get the driver to install correctly by replacing the associated descriptor of your hardware ID with the one corresponding to the AR9285 model.