* OFFICIAL UL80VT and UL50VT / VS Owner's Lounge *

Sorry guys, I've been pretty busy lately and haven't been able to check these forums in about two weeks.

I sent my UL80VT to Asus RMA on 11/19. I was wrong that it was overnight shipping. It is Fedex Saver (4-5 day). Since Asus received the laptop, the laptop has been "Waiting for parts" the entire time and still remains waiting for parts as of today. It has now been 15 days since I sent it in. I believe it is taking so long because Asus is waiting on receiving parts from another country.

The good thing is that Asus is actually fixing the issue (or at least I hope so!), instead of ignoring the issue or choosing not to fix it. The bad thing is that it is taking a while for them to do it. I figure if enough people send in their UL80VT's for repair they will fix the build quality issues because they won't want everybody sending in their laptops for a repair.

I would say to anyone who is considering whether or not to buy the UL80VT, that the creaking palm rest issue isn't a big deal and (in my opinion) the benefits of this laptop still outweigh the costs.

I do think you could fix the issue yourself by placing a little guerrilla glue on the palm rest edge where it is squeaking. I just didn't want to do this because I was afraid that it would void the warranty, which it might or might not. It probably wouldn't just as long as you applied a small enough amount of glue so that you are able to cut/slice the glue away before you send it back to Asus for repairs. I kind of wish I did this instead of sending it to Asus because I didn't think it was going to take 3+ weeks get the repair done.

It will last in the area of 2.5 hours under full gaming load. Give or take 15 mins depending on brightness/wifi on/peripherals such as a USB mouse that's plugged in taking power.

Yeah, I slowed scroll speed down as well. I find it to be a little more precise that way.

Two finger scrolling works well. I haven't noticed any glitches or difficulties with it. It has simply naturally worked well for me. Maybe I just naturally scroll up and down straight since I was already used to two finger scrolling on a MBP I used to own.

Haha, I think I answered your question on Amazon.com as well. lol

The Hulu HD streams fine when in high performance mode (I believe is because it overclocks the processor, but don't quote me on that.). Streaming Hulu HD to your HDTV will work fine as long as you keep it at 720P, if you bump it up to 1080P, you will likely experience stuttering because 1920x1080 is a lot more pixels for the processor to process (though it might play smooth). It really doesn't matter though if your HDTV is only at 720P since Hulu HD is only 720P as it is so you won't notice any difference in picture anyway.

It would be great if someone could test it out. I would imagine once the new flash update occurs the UL80VT would be able to handle full screen 1080p video on 1920x1080 resolution for sure (it handles 1080p video on the 1366x768 resolution fine as it is, but that's not the same since 1920x1080 resolution takes a lot more processing power). If I ever get my UL80VT back in the mail, I'll be able to test it for you.

What programs do you have running? It sounds like your processor/video card is being taxed fairly heavily. You can open the Task Manager and see what programs are causing your computer to work hard. Also, is the 210M running or is it on integrated graphics? The computer won't switch off the 210M graphics unless you close all the programs that were using the video card (such as Steam or a browser that utilizing the video card for some reason). You can know if you have the 210M graphics card is running if the green Hybrid power icon in the system tray (next to the clock on the start bar) has two slashes in it. Two slashes = 210M is running, One slash = Intel x4500 is running.

 

Hi Quadron,

First off, wonderful review of the UL80Vt. I really appreciate the time and effort of the review and look forward to reading more on your site!

When you do get a chance to check out the HD video, do you mind reporting the bit-rate? There's a user in the UL30Vt forum that's interested to know whether or not high bitrate vids will play (eg. ~15Mbs).

}:^)~

 

You did, I posted here sometime after the Amazon post and before I went back to check if you responded to the Amazon post. BTW Nice Video Review. Thanks for the responses too.

I've had bad luck with computers these past 3 months, my 2 homebuilt rigs nick named Rageful beauty (4 yr old fan roar and lights) and Silent Rage (2year old silent liquid cooled via a car heater core) And my 2 laptops, Dell 610m and an Older Desktop replacement HP failed.... I was able to kind of get the HP running but the screen is dyeing which accounts for some of my typos as of late as I have A) given up on going back to proof my posts and B) Cant see what I’m typing that well. I have to constantly move the window to an area of the screen that doesn’t have so many dead pixels. I could hook them up to a monitor but the vga port is screwy…

Since all my rigs died fairly close together I cant afford to fix them right away and I’m not home a lot anymore so an ultra portable that can take up some htpc duties would be a dream. I'm hoping someone can confirm the Hulu/ HD streaming question to TV via HDMI for me, but based on your response and the response of others I’ve feeling comfortable. I might hold out another 2 weeks and see if I get any checks in the mail from relatives for Xmas.

 

I am considering getting either the UL30Vt or the UL80Vt, and have a slight concern about the CPU/processor.

I guess I'm looking for a laptop that can multitask reasonably. 90% of the time I just run Chrome/Firefox (with many tabs open in each) with OneNote and/or Word at the same time (usually for classwork or taking notes in class). The other 10% of the time I may use InDesign/Lightroom/Photoshop, watch movies on Hulu, or play some games such as The Sims 2, Sims 3, or SimCity 4.

What do you all think of the performance of the UL80Vt with the 1.3 GHz processor? I really like the battery life and portability of the ASUS UL laptops, but if necessary, will go with a different laptop if the ASUS's CPU is too weak.

Much appreciated!
David

 

Quadron, thanks for you answers. Right now the palmrest creak isnt that of an issue for me. It did bother me at first but I got used to it. So I'm thinking I might send it to Asus. I dont want to void the warranty so I wont put glue on it. Also, time isn't a big concern for me right now as work is kind of slow and I can manage without a laptop. Anyway, thanks for you input and let me know if its fixed once you get it back.

Cheers.

 

Where to buy Silver ASUS UL80VT in Canada?

All I can find is the black ones.

Please tell me where I can find the silver one?

Thanks.

 

hello guys! i just received my ul80vt hoping nothing is wrong with it. but i fail. the keyboard is driving me crazy.its like there are coins inside. its on the left side. should i worry about it? is there a way to fix this?

 

also i just wanna ask which software should i delete? theres a lot of it... free trial antivirus, microsoft office. what else? thank you.

 

Very good description of this problem. This is driving me crazy as well. I actually sent my laptop back into ASUS and complained about my laptop keyboard jingling. They sent it back very quickly and I kid you not my left side keyboard no longer jingles but now the right side does. What a crock! I may try and fix it myself one day with some double sided tape under the keyboard, if I get brave enough to try and pull the keyboard out. If anyone sees any really good instructions on removing the keyboard please let me know.

 

argh... hmm. maybe il just try to get used to it coz it seems like the jingling comes with the laptop when i ordered it.

 

any suggestion on security softwares? free ones. should i delete the trend micro internet security?

 

Multitasking the UL80VT will perform very admirably. I almost never noticed any slow downs, except when the laptop was accessing the Hard drive, but the only way to speed that up would be to install an SSD drive.

As far as running InDesign/Lightroom/Photoshop, you would notice a performance improvement if you had a more powerful processor (especially a powerful desktop processor) when you apply complicated effects to an image. The SU7300 + Turbo33 performs about 90% of a T6500 2.0 full fledge Core 2 Duo processor, so its no slouch and it can run all of those programs very well without too many hiccups.

I will be sure to let you know what happens.

ALSO, TO ALL ASUS LAPTOP OWNERS/BUYERS: Be sure to send in your warranty card within the first 60 days or you won't be eligible for your 1 year of accidental protection. I would imagine that a lot of people don't send in their cards. This is a tactic done by Asus to get off the hook for the 1 year accidental protection.

To my knowledge, a silver version of the UL80VT has not been released yet in the US/Canada (maybe in Asia/UK perhaps).

There have been other users who have sent their laptops back to Asus to get this fixed. One guy got his back from Asus and the problem with the keyboard was completely resolved. Mobilescruney said he got his back and then there was a problem with the right side. If you send it in, make sure you put in your note to fix the keyboard rattling across the entire body of the computer, not just the left side. I don't know if that would make a difference or not. But when you send in a laptop to Asus they require you to write out a description of the problem you are experiencing. I would describe it in such a way that they know to fix the left side and not mess up the right side at the same time. :-/ (Mobile... so sorry to hear that they messed up the right side of the keyboard! Bad asus.... I would send it back to them again.)

Be careful not to double post in the future. We'll get to your question. Don't worry.

I would remove the anti-virus and maybe the trial of Microsoft Office 2007 once the trial expires. Asus doesn't include much else for bloatware and nothing that significantly slows down your computer (if my memory serves me right... ).

----

Also! I purchased a Patriot Torx 128 GB SSD drive for my UL80VT. I'll post a review of the SSD vs HD performance difference once I get my UL80VT in the mail.

 

sorry for double posting.
about the keyboard. is sending the laptop to asus a hassle? how will i do it?

 

It's cool. Don't worry about the double posting. Just use your edit button next time!

Sending the laptop to Asus to fix a keyboard issue would likely take 1 1/2 weeks to 3 weeks to get it back from Asus. It's not too much of a hassle. Just give them a call and file an RMA, then follow the instructions in the email they send you. In my opinion, it's better than returning the laptop.

Also, I just ordered a UL30VT from Amazon. I'll be posting a detailed review similar to the UL80VT review I wrote. I'll also do a comparison to the UL80VT.

I'm thinking I'll keep the UL30VT in the long term and sell the UL80VT, but I'm not sure. It depends on how much of a difference there is between the size of the laptops. I think it will be marginal and I would like to be able to keep an optical drive with me if at all possible. As far as choosing between the UL30VT and UL80VT, it simply comes down to whether or not you want an optical drive or a slightly smaller/lighter laptop. I am also hoping that the inconsistency with the build quality is addressed in the UL30VT. Right now, the UL80VT is cheaper than the UL30VT with the $100 Amazon gift card since the UL30VT doesn't come with a gift card.

I don't want my decision to order a UL30VT discourage anyone from buying a UL80VT. They are both great laptops and one of the main reasons I watned to buy the UL30VT was because I wanted to write a review of it and compare it to the UL80VT because I think a lot of people will be interested in reading a comparison review.

I don't expect to get my UL80VT for another week or two. I am supposed to get the UL30VT on Saturday (if Amazon pulls through). I'm kinda doubting their ability to ship items on time right now since they delayed the shipment of my Ul80VT by two weeks after guaranteeing a delivery date that was like two days away, which was what swayed me to cancel my order at Amazon and order it through xoticpc.com.

 

nope, its definitely off...

 

Did you see my suggestions in my post on the last page?

 

unfortunately, I have very few programs running. Process explorer is showing only 2% to 5% CPU usage.

Also, it is definitely in power saving mode, using integrated graphics.

The heat is coming from the bottom of the laptop, around the area of the QWE keys (I don't have the laptop with me so I don't know what is contained in that compartment).

 

I would say that you probably have a defective unit then. I would send it back to Asus for repair/replacement.

 

i just called asus and the lady is very nice.
i told her the problem and she said that since my laptop is pretty new they can send me a new laptop to replace the one i have. i said im worried to get a worst problem on that new laptop theyre gonnna send because i think the laptop is great and i can live with the rattling sound somehow. then gave me another option. theyre going to send me a replacement keyboard and il do the fixing myself. she said its easy to do it. so i said ok.

is it really easy changing the keyboard myself?

 

I was planning to do so, as the unit also has several other frequently discussed minor defects... but it's always good to get others views first .

cheers

 

can i ask another question? hehehe
how do u know if its on discrete or integrated graphics?

 

as previously advised by Quadron, the icon in your tray will have one green tick or two green ticks. Two means it is using the nvidia card.

Alternatively you can view the hardware in device manager, whichever device is being utilised will show up in the list of hardware... the other will not be visible.

 

ohhh.. cool! thank you!!

 

I tried a HD hulu video while running on battery on the integrated graphics (and I'm on turbo). In the box on the web page it looks fine, but when going to full screen, the video becomes choppy. Hope this helps.

 

hmm... Maybe batt is screwed.

 

Yeah! That's great! Thanks for the test. Running in a window is fine on IGP. I assume with more flash enhancements, this performance will improve.

Thanks again!

}:^)~

 

I hate to repost this but I never saw any replies and really curious if I am the only one who has these issues.
When I try to make a call on Skype using Express Gate I get an error that says "Problem with Audio Capture".
Anyone have any ideas how to fix this?
Thanks!

 

Hey Quadron, I really was just going to deal with the issue but I thought about what you said and yeah I guess I am shipping it back again with very explicit detail about the problem. I just called ASUS and they said that this time my laptop is being sent to the main repair facility in California, last time it went to some place in Indianapolis. So hopefully the problem will be resolved, it is kind of a bummer to have a new laptop and not have access to it, good thing I kept my trusty ol Dell 700m!
Also I am going to have them look at the problem I am having with Express Gate, I doubt I use that much but when you pay for something you hate for it not to work. Thanks for all the time you take on the forums!

 

Does anyone know if the ul80vt is going to be sold in the UK ever?

 

hello! another question. everytime i turn on my laptop, it keeps asking me to make a backup cd, but asus provide me a windows 7 recovery media for windows 7 products. they are the same right, i dont have to make a back up cd?

 

Finally got the case logic sleeve today. Very pleased with the fit and the protection, the outside pocket is giant.

No buyer's remorse here, still loving the UL80VT btw.

 

The video stutters in full screen (I believe) because when using Power Saver mode (IGP) it also caps the processor at 50% max performance (in Windows Power settings) to conserve power. I think that's the reason that it doesn't play Hulu in fullscreen when in the power saver mode. I'm not sure though and I don't have my UL80VT here still. I am getting the UL30VT in the mail tomorrow and I should be able to test it on there.

Yes, you can just use the discs that came with the laptop instead of making your own. I made the mistake of burning all 5 DVDs (yes, it requires 5 dvds) and then finding the premade ones that came with the system. Boy did I feel stupid... lol Burning those five DVD's took like 2 hours (because several of the discs failed and I had to throw away 3 discs).

 

hehehehe. good thing i asked first. im lazy to do recovery disks thats why i asked. thank you for the response.

 

is there any way i can set the graphix boost button on the top left to have the option of changing the power profile to entertainment instead of just high performance and power saving?

 

I have a theory on the washed out screen for the ASUS UL80Vt. I noticed that my screen looks fine when it is running on the NVIDIA 210M chip, but that it looks horrendous on integrated graphics. As such, I think the problem isn't the screen but rather some driver issue - otherwise the screen would look bad all the time.

 

This is a fantastic theory ! and I believe it is 100% correct.

Over the past 2 weeks I have become increasingly frustrated by the default contrast settings (and there doesn't seem to be any way of adjusting them), but I have only been using battery saving mode. e.g. In google maps australia, plot boundaries are marked with thin grey lines over a lighter grey background... using integrated graphics the boundaries are very hard to see. With the nvidia, they are very clear. Similarly, when viewing photos with expansive light / white areas - now I can actually see some texture in there.

Nice one ElliotFladen !

 

I'm sure this has been posted before, but for ul80vt...

1. Max battery time watching a DVD (want to know for plane rides.)
2. Is the wt 4 lb 4 oz, 4.4lbs, 4.8 lbs or 4 lbs 8 oz? Anyone put it on the scale.
Want to know to fairly compare how much more wt this is compared to the ul30 and other competitors.

Thanks.

 

Did any of you find a way to output to HDMI from the integrated graphics card? It only works for the nVidia card. I'm sure it should work because UL30a has only integrated card and an HDMI port to output to.

 

How does the UL50Vt-X1 compare to the UL80 and UL30 laptops?
in terms of spec --> it seems the same
does it still have problems with the chasis and creekiness
im considering to buy it from new egg:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220633&cm_re=UL50-_-34-220-633-_-Product

and i'm not sure whether it has an hdmi port :S

also what's the difference between the UL50Vt-A1 and this?

 

I called up ASUS this morning to let them know about this.

 

Thanks! Let's hope they will do something about it.

 

hey guys!

Is the LCD on the Asus UL80Vt a LED LCD?

 

yes, the entire UL series features LED backlit displays

 

anybody know the difference between the UL50Vt-X1 and UL50Vt-A1?
which one's newer?

 

Anyone else worry about the 90c + temps of the gpu under load?

 

never mind figuered it out

 

I was thinking that HWMonitor was giving me a false temp of 75 - 80+ celsius when streaming hdtv to a 24" monitor ... all the reviews say ul80vt = "cool running".

Yep Im a little worried ...

 

The X1 has a 320gb hard drive vs 500gb in the A1. Otherwise the same.

 

Has anyone purchased a UL80VT with an SSD HD yet? If so, how did it perform? And how was your battery life effected? Thanks!

 

Yep, you're right, when I tried hulu hd on battery, it was not only IGP but also 60% processor.