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

Charles, what is the highest 3dmark06 score you've managed to get out of it? I'm curious about its overclocking capacity. Crysis FPS?

 

I will be running game benchmarks soon, I'll post them here tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm not sure if I will have time to overclock the card.

 

does the battery wiggles when slot in like the ul30a?

 

Thanks Charles, cant wait.

 

Does anyone know when Amazon will start shipping their UL80VT-A1s? I am debating about cancelling my order at xoticpc.com because Amazon offers 1-day shipping for $17--I just don't know when they will actually start shipping out the laptops. I would assume soon. Oh, and don't let xoticpc.com fool you. They really don't have any in stock, even though they make it look like they do... which was deceitful in my opinion... but they do still have a 100% return policy, so I'll probably just stick with them, unless Amazon starts shipping orders today.

 

Amazon page now says the ul80vt is in stock. Hopefully it will ship today!

 

Is it 2.something GHz at BOTH cores? Did you use setFSB? If so, which PLL ?

 

I just cancelled my order at xoticpc because I don't think I'm going to need to return the UL80VT and Amazon had 1-day shipping for only $17, and I couldn't pass up having it by tomorrow.

EDIT: I just got off the phone with Amazon.com.... garh... and it turns out that they will not actually be shipped out until the 29th. So I cancelled my order with Amazon, and I'm trying to get my Xoticpc.com order to go through again... lol

EDIT: Okay, so my xoticpc.com order should hopefully ship out today, but who knows... I certainly don't...

 

My Amazon order page has the delivery estimate for October 30. *sigh* I don't know what is taking them so long.

 

No one has it yet in Canada. Ul50VT is starting to appear though

 

Speaking of UL50Vt:

Notebookjournal.de did a review of the UL50Vg (the equivalent?). Anyway, there is 6 pages of german review for anyone that's up to reading it:
http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/test-review-asus-ul50vg-xx003v-nksj-nkas-1033/1

english translation:
http://translate.google.com/transla...-nksj-nkas-1033/1&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=

Enjoy!

}:^)~

 

Got my shipping confirmation from Amazon finally. Should be getting it tomorrow or the day after.

 

Mine is "shipping soon" according to Amazon. The past week has been torture.

 

Here is the tracking information for my ul80. It's being delivered from CA and I live in Jersey. I hope she has a nice trip!... and doesn't get cold

All shipment travel activity is displayed in local time for the location Date/Time Activity Location DetailsOct 24, 2009 6:58 AM
Departed FedEx location
BLOOMINGTON, CAOct 23, 2009 9:49 PMArrived at FedEx locationBLOOMINGTON, CAOct 23, 2009 12:40 PMShipment information sent to FedEx

 

I hate myself. lol (I canceled my Amazon order to go with Xoticpc.com). It's okay. I can wait a few extra days + then I can have the flexibility of returning it for a 100% if I don't think it meets my needs or I decide to wait for the UL30VT-A1.

 

I'd like to repeat my question to Charles
Is it 2.something GHz at BOTH cores? I read this CPU has something like TurboBoost, so it overclocks only one core when using single thread application. Did you use setFSB to OC it? If so, which PLL ?

 

Technically, Turbo33 should be only ONE core, and boosts performance signifigantly for single-thread applications. The 1.7Ghz overclock is both cores, (according to Anandtech), so that is probably going to be faster than 2.1Ghz on just one core versus most applications. (please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, any of you. )

 

Posted another video of the backlit keyboard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1ixYft7p0o

 

Turbo33 is "software" OC and it does 1.7GHz on both cores. ~2.1GHz on the other hand is one core and done by CPU itself by something like TurboBoost. I just want to be sure that Charles didn't use setFSB to get ~2.1GHz on BOTH cores because if he did, I'd be a happy man as I was thinking about the same thing

 

Only one review so far?

 

I know seriously!! With all the people running around on the forums, you'd expect someone to post their review! *Hint *Hint

EDIT: My UL80VT-A1 just got shipped out today from Xoticpc.com... already added it to my bookmarks bar in Chrome...

 

I got my UL80VT today and there are a lot of things I like about it but I think I might not keep it.

Well I can start with the positives. Battery life is fantastic. I have been using it on the web for the past 5 hours and battery life is still at 42%. I thought the glossyness of the palm rests would bother me but I actually think it looks pretty good and they don't fingerprint as badly as I thought they would. The touchpad is fantastic but the button underneath it is terrible. It's very stiff. I'd hope it improves over time. The size is good but I feel like the palm rests are a bit too big for comfortable typing. I weighed the laptop with a precision scale and it came out to 4.75lbs which is great.

Here are the negatives and the big one is the screen which is awful. As stated by Anandtech contrast is very poor. I lowered the gamma a bit which helped but not enough to offset the problem and the resolution really does need to be higher. The keyboard is okay, its my first time using a chiclet keyboard but I think I would get used to it over time. Overall build quality is a little disapointing too. The battery is loose and there is no mechanism to keep the lid closed which causes the screen to wiggle a bit and makes it feel a bit cheap.

I am gonna see how I go with it through the weekend to decide if I am going to keep it or not. I am thinking I might return it and get a Studio 14z with its higher resolution screen and of course backlit keyboard.

 

I'm writing this on my new Asus ul80vt. UPS came by tonight and delivered it, much to my surprise considering Amazon's order page hasn't even said it had been shipped yet. I'm totally stoked at the moment.

First impressions:

This thing is tiny. I honestly couldn't see myself wanting a ul30vt model right now seeing just how small and portable it is. The size is exactly what I wanted.

The keyboard is great, as is the touch pad. The touchpad button however kind of blows. Perhaps I just need time to adjust to it.

Windows 7 is...windows. I've never used Vista, but I have used XP before and honestly I'm not impressed by the polish of the os. It seems to have a lot of features and all, but the interface is too complicated and it does strange windows-type things like the screen going blank and notifications popping up everywhere. I must be really spoiled by my experience with Ubuntu. I'm going to download the 64 bit version of ubuntu now to see how well it runs on this machine. I'll keep you all updated on how well this machine runs linux.

 

Would one of you mind looping 3DMark and reporting the battery life? Even going until the battery life reaches 50% would be sufficient. This is of course, with the G210 enabled. Thanks in advance... ! !

 

So i know charles said hes going to be see how crysis runs on it.. anyone else do any reviews where you actually play games?? i dont want benchmarks.. just tel lme how it runs. thanks

 

I own a Dell Studio 14z, and I can't say I recommend it. It's battery also wiggles (which is fixable by rolling up a tiny piece of paper towel and inserting it into the battery groove--my guess is that you can do the same thing on the UL80VT-A1). In the first week of owning it, the plastic palm rests start getting ugly pock markings on it just from coming in contact with the screen as it rests on it. If you noticed on the Anandtech review, the Dell Studio 14z's screen is rated as significantly worse than the UL80VT-A1. I don't really mind it personally, but if you're looking for high contrast--the Studio 14z is not the place to look.

If you're really into a high priced machine that is portable and has an amazing screen, I'd take a look at the HP Envy 13. I personally hope that the UL80VT will meet all my needs just fine, and I think it will. If not, I'll just send it back and continue my search for the "Perfect laptop." lol, I know no such laptop exists, but I just need one that meets all of my diverse needs... I'm currently waiting for a dm3z and UL80VT to arrive and I'll compare them to the Studio 14z. Out of those three, I'll try to make a choice that I can stick with for (hopefully) a long time.

I am really looking forward to see Charles' review of the UL80VT-A1. It will probably sway me to either keeping it or not (I'm just so impressionable... lol). No, but seriously, I'll make up my own mind, but it always helps when others see things your way.

 

Is the screen better than the Acer Timeline models at least?

 

I don't think I could notice a difference between the Acer and the 14z. I am personally satisfied with the screen on the 14z, but if you're not satisfied with the UL80VT, then I don't see how you could be okay with downgrading. Know what I mean? Maybe you should just lower your expectations so they don't get shattered... Maybe that's what I need to do to get a girlfriend!!

I personally think I'll be satisfied with the UL80VT's screen. I'm not particularly picky in that department. I'm more concerned with build quality and performance (especially touchpad performance).

 

I've been using the computer for the past few hours and honestly, I don't understand the outcry over the screen quality. Comparing it to my 24 inch asus monitor, it is not as nice, but honestly this screen will be more than adequate for 90% of users. I would say that for an $800 laptop, the screen is quite nice. If you want a better quality screen get a Macbook Pro. It's pretty irrational to expect a MBP-caliber screen on an $800 laptop. Just my opinion, of course.

 

hey.. anyone know where you can get a silver ul80vt?

I wanna get a silver one but everywhere i went online, theres no silver one.

ie. gentech, xoticpc, amazon, newegg, buy.com



HELP!

 

Although I've seen pictures of a silver one online, I don't think they sell them in NA. They are probably for Asia only. You are stuck with black.

 

Oh, does anybody know how to access the bios or alternate boot options on the UL series? I'm tearing my hair out trying to figure out how (and the manual isn't helpful at all).

EDIT: Nevermind, I figured it out. You hit F2 at boot to enter the BIOS.

 

If the screen on the UL80VT is better than the 14Z then it must've be that. I'd seen the screens on a lot of Dells and though the contrast and sharpness are pretty terrible in general, they're still better than many Acers and some HP's.

 

Silver UL80s (both A and Vt) are going to be available in Europe as well (at least in Poland from 5th of november )

 

@phrizek: could you look at the BIOS and see if it is possible to deactivate the G210M from BIOS please? I'm also a linux user and I am afraid of the hybrid thing that is not compatible with Xwindow etc.. I guess if the GC could be manually deactivated from BIOS that would be a lot easier to deal. I'm actually waiting for your linux tests ...

 

People actually want the silver one? I personally would go for the black. In Australia, the silver will be made available first in retail shops, but available online in both flavours. (Silver = WX009X, Black = WX010X)

 

I have started to like the screen a bit more as I get used to it. I think I was spoiled by the fact I had been using my 11.6" Acer 1410 a lot lately which has the same resolution as this 14" model. I have tweaked a few settings which at least made the text better. I still am going to consider the Studio 14z with its 1600x900 display but I am a bit happier then I was before. Will have more time to run tests over the weekend.

 

BTW, Laptop Mag just posted a review today for the UL80VT

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/asus-ul80vt-a1.aspx

 

Great review. This notebook seems to offer the perfect combo of size, battery life, and power.

 

I agree, this sounds like the best notebook on the market (for the price), as far as having the best of both worlds (Thin & light and powerful graphics). I just hope that what Anandtech.com quoted on their review will come true, then it would be even better!

"...update: ASUS has informed us that the Best Buy model of the UL80Vt will have a rubberized palm rest. That's one complaint down..."
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3665&p=7

 

I just woke up and started downloading the 64-bit ubuntu 9.10 release. I have about 2 hours left in my download, so I'll know more in a few hours, but I was playing around with the 32-bit 9.10 RC livecd and I must that I am very impressed with how this laptop handled in linux out of the box.

-Intel graphics detected and set up automatically. Compiz "extra" (wobbly windows) works buttery smooth with no screen tearing or anything. No conflicts so far with the nvidia graphics since the drivers were not installed by default (they are proprietary).
-Sound works by default, and the quality is fantastic. I was listening to the example content on the CD ("In the circle" by Hungry Lucy) and the quality is really great, especially with headphones.
-Screen resolution automatically detected and set up out of the box.
-Wireless drivers automatically detected and set up out of the box.

The only problem I noticed was that I couldn't dim the screen with the hotkeys, but I'll check that out again when I install the full version. I haven't tried the webcam yet, but I will after I get everything up and running.

Anything you would like me to test in particular?

 

Woot. As a fellow Ubuntu user, I would love to see if you can get the G210M up and running and play a game in wine (any FPS would be great).

 

Glad to hear you linux fiends are going to happy with the UL80VT...

Yes, Crysis on Windows 7. lol

 

PassMark CPU Benchmark at +5% OC in Bios +33% Turbo pretty please

 

I'd also like to know if Hulu HD video works for you guys or not... Normal Hulu couldn't even work on the dm3z (AMD Neo X2, comparable to the SU7300). I am assuming that the Turbo33 really gives the UL80VT the edge to run Hulu and Hulu HD, but I'd like someone to verify that...

 

My review is coming, folks . . . I attached my 3DM06 benchmark.

Some thoughts on this notebook:
-The keyboard is awful. Mine sounds and feels cheap/loose. It is not seated well at all. The tactile feedback is meh and there is a lot of flex.
-Screen is bright but the contrast is low. If I have time I am going to calibrate the screen using my Spyder2Express to see if it helps.
-It is very quiet and runs cool for the most part
-The design looks awesome and I love the aluminum lid
-The build quality is unfortunately subpar. The chassis flexes a lot and the screen benzel below the lid is flimsy and loose, as is the plastic above the keyboard
-Battery life its nuts. I have been using it for three and a half hours and 65% is still left

Overall a mixed bag. I will be finalizing the review tonight. This notebook is not going to get my recommendation due to the keyboard and build quality issues.

Both cores are overclocked to 1.73GHz. Clarifying what I said earlier, the highest I have seen one core reach is 2.13GHz.

 

Charles' thoughts pretty much sum up my experience. I really like a lot about it, battery life and the size being at the top of the list but I still have some major concerns with it. I didn't have any keyboard flex on mine but I agree that it feels a bit cheap. I had thought it was the contrast that bothered me but its actually the terrible vertical viewing angles. Ultimately its the flex in the case itself that might be the final deal breaker. I really want to like this laptop, mostly for the battery life but at the same time I can't think of when I would need more then 5-6 hours of battery life at a time, let alone 10 hours.

 

That's too bad you don't like the keyboard/build quality. I wonder if you just got a lemon or if all of them are that way. I suppose most likely they are all like that, but so far you are one of the few I've heard complain about the keyboard being terrible. Most people at least think it's "good" while several people I've heard said that it was "great." You are probably just spoiled from that dv5t keyboard! It has such a great keyboard... I guess I'll just have to see if the build quality on mine as bad, and if it is, I'll probably have to say goodbye to the UL80VT... I guess we'll see! **Quadron crosses his fingers...

 

Hi guys, new here and somewhat of a computer novice. Hopefully you can answer some of my questions about these notebooks.

1.) Is the reason most people here seem more interested in the UL80 over the UL50 because of the how the screen resolution for the screen size or is there something else I'm missing.

2.) I'm confused about all this overclocking stuff, does the turbo and overclocking come equipped out of the box or do I have to know how to do it? Does Asus include tools to do this or do I have to download something?

3.) If I buy one customized at xoticpc is there any point to getting a thermal compound or are these cool enough to make that a waste of money?

4.) One of the things I'd like is to be able to take my new laptop on a 5 hour plane ride and play Civ4 for the ride, do you think these machines are right for that or should I be looking at something else?

Hope this is in the right place and I'm not missing obvious answers earlier in the thread, thanks for any input.

 

Thanks for having organized questions!!

1/2> Asus includes software that makes it so you can automatically overclock the UL80.
3> Thermal compound would be a waste of money. Just get the basic config form xoticpc, except maybe a hard drive upgrade or blu-ray drive upgrade. Those might be the only 2 exceptions if you want those things.
4> Yeah, I think you could probably game on this thing for 5-6 hours, especailly Civ 4 I don't think that game is particularly CPU/GPU intensive. I could be wrong though... Certainly this is probably the most power efficient gaming system money can buy in terms of length of play while away from the wall.