* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

I haven't received it yet, but my N61JQ-A1 is on order from powernotebooks (hopefully shipped this week!)

The specs on the XPS16 look great, for only $28 more you get a better screen.

The warranty is where the dell falls short. A two year warranty costs an extra $199, and I doubt that includes spilling/dropping.

If you're going to do a lot of print stuff with photoshop and the like, it might be worth the extra screen. I do all of my graphic/photo editing on my external monitor, so it's not that big a deal.

 

Sorry for my hostile tone, I suppose, I just don't enjoy reading a review who gives all the cons and no pros.

Anyways, still waiting on my A1 to even ship! I ordered from Powernotebooks.com as well and I think I have to wait until the 11th or so before they ship the next bunch out. It's a long wait!

 

The XPS also has a slightly slower graphics card (Mobility Radeon HD 4670 vs. 5730 for the X1/A1). It supposedly scores just under 7000 3DMark06, compared to 8000 for the 5730.

 

i put my N61JQ-A1 into sleep, after a while, it automatically wakes up. is that normal? or some bios setting wasn't correct? (ethernet network card is not set to wake up machine)

 

Ethernet, wireless, USB, Bluetooth and any software timer can wake your machine from sleep. Check your system log first thing after it comes out of sleep if you can. That should help pinpoint the issue. Search google to find out what specific log entries to look for.

 

Thank you for your input!



That is my dilemma.
The Dell XPS16 has a better screen but a worse card. The N61JQ has a better card but worse screen.
I terribly wonder what will be better for my uses! (Uses> heavy photoshop, gaming, second life, after effects, 3d modelling)



What do you think???


All your advice is, as always, very appreciated! (I have only a simple HPvs17 external monitor, by the way)

 

I just want to see you get one of these wishmaster. Don't let your relative come without one.
I have not had one problem with mine. It works like a dream!

 

Judging by 3DMark scores, the 4670 is only 15% slower than the 5730. However, it is driving 37% more real estate due to the higher resolution, so you might notice more than a 15% drop in FPS. You probably won't see the combined percentage drop in FPS (46%) since it depends on other factors than the graphics card, but it should be a noticeable drop in performance. Also, the 5730 supports DX11, whereas the 4670 is a DX10 card. If you are mainly doing graphics, 3D modeling, or entertainment, I'd go with the Dell. For gaming, the ASUS.

 

Tough call Testador, That's a good deal on the Dell. It always comes down to the screen with the N61 otherwise there would be no question. But you mentioned the " Mixed Reviews" with the Dell. Some like me are pretty picky about finding the right Laptop to pull the trigger on. I must have spent a couple hundread hours in owners lounges. And I did not choose a HP, Dell, or Sony because of the " Mixed Reviews".

 

are you sure software timer(or virus) could wake up the system from sleep? i assume cpu is not working in sleep status, hence no software could be functioning in sleep.

 

What Framerate do you get on Bad Company 2 with those settings? Do you have Fraps installed?

 

So, I have looked here and it seems folks find little flex in the N61 keyboards.

How does this compare to the G60? I ask because I have hands on with the G60 at Best Buy. To me, it flexes a lot. So, is flex fairly consistent across models? I know the feel is a very individual thing, but I do not know where to see the N61 in person (if possible) and would hate to order a system that I did not like the feel of

Thanks
Tony

 

Can someone who has N61Ja make a full notebook review? I see that there are people who owns N61Ja, but there is no "Asus N61Ja Owners Lounge"

 

Look in the upper left of the video.

 

I don't know about the G60, but it has way less flex than the G1S, but a bit more than the G50VT. If I hadn't read posts about the keyboard flex I wouldn't even have noticed it.

 

It's a close call for sure. I think either choice would be good. The Dell has better color gamut with any configuration you pick. The main issues I have read about seem to be poor customer support and heat issues.

The Asus has a better graphics card and more USB ports(no firewire though). If you buy it online from one of the recommended retailers you are also get better customer service and a better warranty.

 

Yeah, it's the heat thing that has me decided on the N61JQ over the XPS 16. I like the screen on the Dell, but there are a number of people in its lounge with pretty strong concerns about the way the rear fan outlet dumps the heat right onto the monitor. Some of them even claim to have seen yellowing in that area of the screen after prolonged use. The better monitor on the Dell would be great, right up to the point where it cooks it's self. This Asus has , on the other hand, seems to get pretty consistently high marks from it's owners on it's cooling.

Now if I could just get my damned school to issue my damned financial Aid check I could finally place my order. Mid-terms and I haven't got my refund yet. Gotta love college bureaucracy.

 

If you do a lot of photo/video editing why would you use a laptop monitor anyways, except when you have to.

 

Yeah I need to stop posting while at work on the phone. Thanks. That's more than acceptable. I get 30-60 on my 8800GTX card (using Medium settings) for my desktop so this will make a good replacement.

 

And if someone posts a review I can add it to the review links on the first page. But I would suggest that they start a new Lounge for that model as it would be easier for Ja owners to get information there.

 

I used to have a real hangup with this but it just seems so common now that I got over it. I returned an HP DV8T because of this and the next one was worse. If you go into a store and try the keyboards you will see alot of this. It doesn't effect the performance and I really like the keyboard otherwise.

 

Sort of my point, if you have the need for it, you probably already have an external monitor to compensate for the one in your notebook. I know professional photographers that do a lot of work on just their notebooks, it can work in a pinch, especially if you do your own printing.

I got into photography a while ago and only after buying an external monitor realized how limited and distorted the editing I did on my notebook was. Many of my original edits are over-saturated as a result of compensating for the poor color gamut on my notebook display. I highly recommend the monitor calibration image here http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php it picks out brightness and contrast issues that many other multi-part tests miss out on.

 

Does anyone have pictures of the screen? i cant find any of the thread, but i didnt look through every page. I really want to order this laptop, but with all the talk of the screen being so crapy im just not sure.

 

dragon age origins with fraps on, my upload.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Hg8KAoHe8

 

I am not expecting a brick (I have a T400 with very minimal flex now). I want something with a bit more screen and power. But, the ones I tried at Best Buy, the keyboard felt like a spring board. I was literally concerned that normal typing would have me tapping the top of internal components. Quite a bit of travel.

The specs and prices on N61s seem very much to my liking...

 

Thanks for posting that, perfect for a quick calibration check.

 

Just installed everest and it seems my N61JQ comes with DDR3 1333 instead of the advertised 1066, result! Only thing is the windows index score is still crappy @ 5.9. Seems it is either a bug or the ram timings are too loose with this laptop.

What are Asus like for supporting bios upgrades and giving performance boosts? Also where can I get a 9 cell battery that is compatible?

 

Just to let y'all know, I ordered an X1 (I couldn't wait) from amazon about 3 weeks ago with a 1 year warranty and, just for shiggles, decided to email Asus support about it. To my surprise, Asus said they would honor the 2 year warranty. You should definitely try sending Asus an email if you bought an X1.

 

same here, 6G RAM will get WEI better.

 

Hey, I'm new here, but I'm having a problem with my N61.
It seems when I look at my pixels closely they are constantly changing colour eventhough my background image is static, the same applies to moving pictures though. I'm jus't asking cuz if none of you have the same problem, it's obvious my laptop is at fault here.

 

Grrr that makes me mad. Amazon should give us A1 owners a partial refund. I paid almost $100 more thinking I was getting an extra year warranty in addition to the slightly larger HDD (this was after ordering and returning an X1)! I'm tired of all this misinformation on these resellers' sites!

 

http://cid-f926da251f94bf2c.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Asus N61 Screen
http://go.notebookreview.com/?id=52...ts?search_query=+ASUS+N61JQ&search_type=&aq=f

Here is a link to some pictures I just took and another link to N61 gaming videos. It's hard to get a good picture of the screen because of the plastic coating over it.

 

Risco, We hashed this out extensivley and I can't quote you all the reasons but the consensus was the 5.9 score is just a flaw in the Windows index score.
And as someone brought up at the time why should one even care about the windows index score.

 

Stevedogg, Why do you think the A1 on Amazon only comes with a 1 year warranty? Did they tell you that because I just checked on Amazon and they list a 2 year warranty for the A1.

 

Ahh ok, just annoying that from a visual perspective! Totally loving this laptop, only thing is the bad battery life. Hopefully after a few charge cycles it will improve! Blu-ray look fantastic on this as well!

DO you by any chance know where the asus webstorage login is? Apparenrly I was supposed to get one but there was nothing in the box with a key?

 

The A1 has always said 2 yr warranty; that's why I bought it and returned my X1. But now people are beginning to find out that ASUS is honoring 2 year warranties for X1 purchases from Newegg and Amazon. If they had advertised 2 year warranty for the X1 in the first place (and not the typo fluke initially on Newegg), I would have bought that one.

Edit: in short, $100 for just 180 GB more hard drive space is a ripoff IMO.

 

I see where you're coming from. I only bought the A1 because I wanted to customize it from the reseller with IC Diamond thermal paste and the Intel advanced wireless card. For $1135, I don't mind the extra as long as I get what I ordered. 500 GB is going to be great considering Windows 7 takes up 74 GB (I think?) and I'm going to be loading over 200 GB of movies, games, and music onto my hard drive right off the bat.

But yes, I think this calls for Asus to give the A1's a 3 year warrenty!

 

Sorry, I see your point now. But I think the difference is that you have a real 2 year warranty, not a blowing smoke up your a#* warranty. We all know how these company's work now. They will tell you anything to get you off there back. But if you really believe 18 months from now they will honor that 1 year warrant because of a call or email. Well then I have a Bridge I can sell you!

 

Haha, that's true. But they also tend to give you what you want, if you get angry enough and have a legitimate case on your side. And I think these people have email proof; if I were them, I would feel confident that I am covered for 2 years, with that email in my hands.

In any case, I'm glad people are getting 2 years (especially from Newegg, who should have fronted the extra year anyway for false advertising and bait/switch). I'm very happy with my A1, so I'm not going to make a stink over a few $$.

 

This is true. I can't be entirely sure that I really do have the two year warranty, but I can at least try because I have the email. The weird part is that my email wasn't in the least bit confrontational. I just asked what the warranty was and Asus caved like they felt bad or something haha.

 

WEI is merely a loose indicator of system performance. Microsoft included it in Windows so that luddites would have an easier time of identifying system bottlenecks in case they decide to upgrade their systems as well as encourage those with ageing systems to purchase a new computer that can handle Vista's bloated hardware requirements.

As a two digit score, settings as trivial as ram timings aren't going to have much of an impact as opposed to swapping the physical hardware (ie. 4gb->8gb RAM). You know the serious number crunching your N61 can handle, if you still aren't happy with your WEI then go here http://www.tomstricks.com/how-to-hackchange-windows-vista-experience-index-wei-score/

As far as BIOS mods go, I don't think any manufacturer officially supports them and flashing a modified BIOS will invariably void your warranty. On the software side of things, ASUS routinely offers 'Performance Modes' in the software packages for their premium notebook lines that provide minor overclock. They are generally open to the idea but you'd do best to call up a company representative and hear their official word on the subject.

 

My Windows install with a careful collection of programs, some games, etc. clocks in at about 30gb and has been upgraded from several betas to the RTM. Most clock a standard install of 7 at around 16gb. My music, movies, and other documents practically fill up the rest of my 200gb HDD, but all these files could easily be moved off to an external drive.

 

Ah, so it's not that bad. I'll have to check over some review here (someone point it out?) that directs me what bloatware to kill and whatnot. I do have a 500GB (435GB of space with the software that comes with the external hard drive) to put a lot of my stuff on, but I'm sure the laptop will do just fine for most of my stuff.

Now with this laptop's USB 3.0, are there new mice out yet that are compadable with USB 3.0 and am I correct in thinking that they would be a quicker (high DPI) than other mice?

Which mouse do you use for gaming? This is my pick, what do you think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826161004

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=380681
This link might help you with the bloatware. In my humble opinion it's not worth worrying about the ASUS bloatware and one should be carefull what they uninstall as they might need aspects of it.

 

So after I installed the latest video drivers, I have not had a BSOD in 24 hours. I will see how long it last .
Thanks notebookreview members, for your help.

 

Yesterday I received my X1 and I would like to know where I can download the latest video card driver?

 

http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?model=VGA&os=30&SLanguage=en-us
There is one one this site, they said you have to download the latest.

I downloaded Version 8.680.0.0
from http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

 

Hey, I'm new here, but I'm having a problem with my N61.
It seems when I look at my pixels closely they are constantly changing colour eventhough my background image is static, the same applies to moving pictures though. I'm jus't asking cuz if none of you have the same problem, it's obvious my laptop is at fault here.

 

I don't have that problem, but sometime the media player does change color, I though it was just windows feature.

 

Did anybody who ordered from Powernotebooks or Xoticpc upgrade their wireless card to "Intel Advanced-N 6200 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module"? If so, could you please check Device Manager -> Network Adapters -> (Something about Intel 6200 adapter) -> Properties -> Power Management, and see if the option for allowing this device to wake the computer is checkable (not greyed out)? I'm interested in wirelessly waking up the laptop (WOWLAN) for RDC sessions. I'd like to upgrade my stock wifi card if that one supports WOWLAN (and if the BIOS allows it by default, since there is no option).