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

New member here and first reply or post. I have been anxiously awaiting UPS today to drop off my UL80VT-A1, it is 4:20 here and nothing yet - bummer lol. I am really wanting to like this laptop, a little concerned over the remarks on the screen and the keyboard here, a good keyboard is definitely important to me. Not going to be gaming with the laptop (not that I know of anyway), just general computing and multimedia stuff such as streaming video and music and such. I hope I made the right choice, we shall see. The contrast remarks about the screen have not bothered me too much, though the viewing angles are of some concern as when traveling with the wife we might want to watch a movie. Typing this email on my trusty but aging Dell 700m.

My UL80VT-A1 from xoticpc

4GB Memory
80 GB SSD (X25 - G1 only ones in stock, maybe I should have waited for G2?)
IC Diamond Compund
Extra AC adapter
Windows 7 Pro, I wanted the OEM install disk

 

Okay, so I've installed the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 9.10 and I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news isn't that terrible, so I'll get it out of the way first.

For some reason, Ubuntu automatically detects and enables both video cards when it is installed to the hard drive. So while using the computer, it does get noticable warmer and kills your battery life significantly. There is no option in the BIOS to disable the discrete graphics, which is a bummer. Also, while using the dimming hotkeys shows an animation of the screen getting dimmer or brighter, nothing changes on the screen. So when you are on battery, the screen is always at full brightness. I also wasn't able to enable an external display, but I'm sure I can probably get it done with a little tinkering. These issues should be pretty trivial to fix and I am hopeful that fixes will be forthcoming with future revisions to the linux kernel. Also, with both graphics cards enabled and the screen at maximum brightness, the battery still runs for three and a half to four hours, which is pretty amazing.

The good news is that everything else works really well out of the box. That includes sound, wireless, webcam, screen resolution, graphical effects, suspend, hibernate, etc. The touchpad and multitouch gestures work BETTER in Ubuntu than the do in Windows 7. It's really a joy to use. It boots up super quick and shuts down in seconds. It feels a lot snappier to use than windows. This thing is so close to becoming the perfect ultraportable linux laptop. Even if I can't find quick fixes for the aforementioned problems, I am still extremely happy with it. I'm going to go investigate how to fix these issues, and if I figure anything out, I'll let you guys know.

 

Your computer is going to scream with that SSD. I'm still waiting until the prices come down to earth before I throw one in my machine.

And regarding the keyboard, I too was worried about it before it arrived. I needed a good keyboard because I really need to use this machine for a lot of word processing (I'm writing a book). I have to say, now that it is here, it is wonderful to use. I'm not having any of the troubles that others are reporting, so maybe they got a bad unit? Mine works great.

 

I don't know what Hulu HD is, but I have the Hulu desktop player and, aside from my internet connection being painstakingly slow, the videos play fine.

 

Thanks for the reply Phrizek, that definitely makes me feel better about the keyboard. As for the SSD, yeah it cost some cash but I have had my 700m for 5 years so I figured what the heck, I am due! Man it is 5:10 and it is still not here. Bumming big time!

 

OK, so my UL80 arrived 5 minutes after my last post saying that it was not here yet. Now I am in quite the quandry, although I like typing on the keyboard, mine too makes noise when you type on it, alsmot like a shaking, loose key kind of noise. It is actually fairly annoying, everything else so far is great, including for me the screen. So Phrizek, your keyboard is not making a rattling noise when you type on it? If it is not, then I will have to assume mine is defective.

 

My keyboard does make noise but not to the point where it is annoying. The sound is made by my fingertips touching the keytops. It's the same type of shuffling sound my fingers make on any other keyboard. When I press a key down it makes very little noise. Some of the bigger keys rattle a bit though, so maybe that is what is bothering you.

 

Yes, defintely agree, no noise when pressing the actually key down. It is like if you lightly tap the bigger keys like you said. Especially the caps lock key and shift key, etc. While I am typing this now I defintely hear rattling keys. Man, everything else I love about this laptop so far, I will probably live with the keyboard issue. Also, I guess it is from having the SSD installed but some or at least one of the ASUS included programs are not working. The one I am talking about is the backup program, it told me it could not find the hidden partition. I assume that is because there is no longer a hidden partition after they put in the SSD. Mind you I really dont know much about this stuff. I was suprised to see that of the 80 GB SSD, I only have 55GB left. I guess that is no biggie as I also bought a 500GB portable drive and a 16GB SDHC card. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

 

This is my third post on this forum. I really appreciate all the input I've read on here!! I'm considering buying a UL80vt, but I'm concerned about the touchpad, kind of one of my picky areas. Can anyone who has their UL80vt tell me their experience with the touchpad? Specifically does the surface have too much resistance when sliding your finger over it? Better or worse when the finger is a bit sweaty? So much of the reviews for this Asus and the DM3 have some negatives about the touchpads, just wanted to see what you all think of yours. I actually read on the DM3 forum that some of the folks decided to put a skin on their touchpads to help make their finger slide easier. Any input would be appreciated.

 

The touchpad itself, is good IMO. However, I feel that the default settings it came with are terrible and it definitely needs adjusting for it to feel right (and not sluggish). I know the touchpad quality is fantastic because I have tried it as it was configured under linux and it blew away the default windows configuration in terms of usability, so it is just a matter of getting the settings correctly set up under windows. Mousing on the pad feel really satisfying to the touch because of the tiny grooves, but I do occasionally find my finger wandering beyond the touch sensitive region. That does get annoying, but you eventually get used to the bounds that constrain your movements. There really isn't a lot of resistance to the pad, but I have noticed that its behavior does change based on how slick your fingers are. This is really one of those things where you have to go to a shop and try out to really make up your mind (if you're picky about such things).

 

I do not own a UL80VT, but from what I have heard the touchpad on the UL80VT is better than the one on the dm3. I should have both of the laptops at least by Tuesday and then I'll be able to compare them...

 

As someone still not sure about keeping it I can say the touchpad is one of the parts of the UL80VT that I have no trouble with. The button itself is terrible but the pad is really nice once you have tweaked it.

 

I got mine today...and it's a beauty!! my wife wants to take it from me...and I told her to go get a Mac! this is so much more beautiful!

 

What? Save some money and buy another UL80Vt!!

 

My review is finished and will be published on the main page within a few days. Keep an eye out.

 

Thank you a lot phrizek from a linux enthusiast ...
I was almost sure of that behaviour (see my previous posts). I searched for a solution on the net but did not find anything. I found a solution but that should work only for hybrid ATI if I'm not wrong (saw that on an ubuntu forum ACER discussion).
Did you try to boot into 7, switch off a GC (say the G210M) then boot into linux? Would it work for switching off the GC for use in linux?
I'm happy to see that almost everything works OOTB.

 

phrizek :
could you try to blacklist the nvidia module (or the intel video module) and reboot ubuntu? Maybe if the module is not loaded that keeps the corresponding GC off .. ?

 

I look forward to it. I'm not entirely committed to the UL80VT, so I won't mind some honest criticism.

 

I really want to try this, but I can't figure out what the module's name is. I've created a thread on the ubuntu forums with all of the relevant information (from lsmod and lspci). Would you mind taking a look and point me in the right direction?

Here is the thread.

Thanks.

 

So I have now had a day to play with my UL80VT-A1, definitely going to keep it. I will say that the keyboard is still driving me a tad crazy. I have googled the issue and instead of searching on this specific keyboard I searched on Asus keyboard rattling left side (as that is where mine is so pronounced as was someone elses on this forum). I do see that this is an issue on other Asus keyboards as well. Many peoples solution to this was to pull up the keyboard and apply some double sided tape in more areas. They did say that fixed their problem but I dont know that I am willing to try that as I have never yanked out a laptop keyboard. I do notice that if I keep more pressure applied to the keys that they do not rattle quite as badly.
All in all a great laptop, for me just this one minor issue. By the way I have been using this thing today for hours, mostly just surfing and such and I still have over 46% battery life remaining.

 

While I'm not about to try it on my loaner UL80Vt review unit, I think removing the keyboard and putting some double-sided tape under it would fix the rattling and help the flex.

 

Thanks for the reply Charles, will definitely think about it. I guess if I found a step by step how to on this I would be more willing. I do think others are having the same issue so I am sure this will pop up somewhere. Looking forward to reading your review!

 

It looks like the keyboard is held down by four clips along the top edge; it seems like it would come out rather easily. You might find this thread interesting:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=428960

I really wanted to like and recommend the UL80Vt but its keyboard, build quality, and touchpad prevented me from doing so.

 

What was your issue with the trackpad? I've only heard good things about it.

 

The trackpad is one of the things I find works the best and my keyboard has zero flex so I am not sure either. My only issue with either of those is the clickyness of the keys as well as the button under the trackpad. It really sounds like you might have received a bad one.

 

The surface is tough to track on since it is slippery, and also the single button is difficult to use; only by pressing at the very left or right side of the button could i get clicks to register. Lastly, it was somewhat noisy.

 

Not sure I understand "...tough to track on...", you mean that the pointer is hard to control, like your finger was on slippery ice?

 

My fingers, if anything less than bone dry, would be difficult to move across the surface. It is a common issue with glossy touchpads.

 

I'll give the double sided tape trick a try. My keyboard definitely flexes in the lower left corner. Pressing the left ctrl key results in a second click. I have no issues with the trackpad buttons though, both work file without having to click on the far edge.

Also, I would recommend against removing the keyboard. Asus has decided to go cheap and is using a plastic material for the keyboard hinges instead of the spring loaded metal ones on the G2/U6. Removing my keyboard once was enough to warp the plactic hinges and I had to shape them back with a screw driver before my keyboard would lock again.

Can another owner chime in on the model of their wireless card? Mine came with the Intel WiFi Link 1000.

 

My UL80Vt-A1 has an Atheros AR9285 802.11n card. Do you mean yours has a 5100 Intel wireless card?

 

Nope, it's an Intel WiFi Link 1000. New series from Intel that's suppose to be low powered. My unit is from Taiwan, so hardware wise, it's a little different from the US models.

2gb ram, single sodimm instead of 4gb
500gb seagate hdd instead of 320gb hitachi hdd
intel 1000 wifi instead of atheros wifi
bluetooth

 

I have the same card as Charles on my UL80, an Atheros AR9285.

 

Just got my UL80VT yesterday and I'm already having issues. My fan is making a very loud clicking noise. I think it is rubbing against the chassis. If i put pressure under the fan region it gets louder. Should I ask Amazon for an exchange or is this normal. I'm pretty disappointed with this new Asus coming from a U6S.

Also, for altec branded speakers they are pretty poor quality. The bass is lacking a lot on these speakers. My U6S has a single mono speaker I believe and it plays music louder, clearer, and more bass. This is sad, but I guess that's why it's half the price of the U6.

 

After a few more days with my UL80VT I think I am starting to change my mind about returning it (sadly no matter what I do I will have to exchange it due to a dead pixel on the upper left size of the screen). I have spent a lot of time tweaking the brightness and contrast settings as well as the gamma settings and I think I finally am happy with the LCD picture. Viewing angles still aren't great but I don't think many laptops under $1000 are going to be much better. Thankfully my keyboard seems to be one of the better ones as there is no flex, my only issues with it are it is noisy when you type and the half sized right shift key. I even kinda like the glossy inside, sure it shows fingerprints but they wipe off very easily and of course battery life is amazing.

I think at this point the only other model I would consider would be smaller UL30VT when it is released in December. Looking at the specs though it doesn't look like it's much smaller footprint wise, 13.3x9.5 vs 12.7x9.2. I don't really need the optical drive but at the same time it is nice to have. I guess in many ways it just comes down to weight 3.95lbs vs 4.75lbs, they are both thin enough that the difference there doesn't mean much to me. Is there anyone with their UL80 that also has or had a UL30 that can give a better comparison on the size difference?

 

Your UL80vt should be free of any technical issues, so I would just return it and get another one. Experiencing issues after buying electronics online is common, so don't get disappointed!

I would also like to comment on the following point. I think what's great about this laptop is the fact that it's so unique. I do hate the track pad button, which I can't even click sometimes with ease, but this and anything else that can be considered a shortcoming (such as the fingerprint prone surface) is what to me make it even more special. It's like a wild animal, once you handle it the right way, then it truly becomes yours!

 

The fan issue sounds like a manufacturer defect. You should call Amazon/Asus and get it fixed. You shouldn't expect too much from the speakers, but they should be average...

I'm glad to hear you are changing your mind. Yeah, the size/weight difference between the UL80 and the UL30 seem negligible, and I'd rather have an optical drive if I need it to watch a movie/install program.

ROFL

EDIT: There's a new review on Amazon's website over at: http://www.amazon.com/UL80Vt-A1-14-...sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

 

Good question about the comparison. I also would like to know the answer.

 

Would you mind sharing your brightness and contrast settings? Thanks!
The fan noise seems to be gone. If it comes back I will ask Amazon for an exchange.

 

I ran the color calibration and lowered the gamma a few notches. For Nvidia I raised the contrast to 75%. Sadly for Intel the contrast option is way too sensitive so I couldn't raise it. I lowered the brightness in the driver settings to -5 which helped a bit. Overall due to the limits of the Intel driver the image quality is way better in the Nvidia mode. I keep the panel brightness at 67% unless I am trying to save battery in which case I find it very usable all the way down to 30% unless it's a really bright room.

 

EDIT: Nevermind about the voltage, i was able to retrieve the model number from Anandtech's pictures and get the information. Cas Latency 7 even! Very nice memory indeed, at 1.5v aswell.

 

Anyone noticed two finger scrolling oversensitive in some apps? In my case I found that in case of Opera and Adobe PDF Reader one short swipe does wat too much scroll. No problem in case of Firefox, IE, notepad. Latest drivers from UL80Vt Asus download site, Win7 64bit.

 

Wow! The battery life on the ul80vt is amazing. I had the computer on for aproximatelly 18 hours! Even though I didn't use it continuously for entire range of hours I managed to get about 6 to 7 hours of work time and about 10 hours of sleep time. He is how it went for me: I turned it on at 8 AM and showed it to some coworkers, went back and forth between high performance, quiet office and power off and on a few times. Between 9 and 10 AM I watched a movie on high performance settings. At 10:30 AM installed office 2007 and browsed the Internet for about 2 hours on quiet office mode. Now, between 12 and 5 PM I kept it mainly on sleep mode, but I woke it up once in a while. Then between 6 and 9 PM I played around with Win 7 in quiet office mode, just twicking the O.S and costumizing things a bit. Between 9 and 2 Am I put it down a few times but then would pick it up once in a while to show it to family memebers. Let me note that at 3 Am I still had about 10% of battery power left but by then I was tired turned it off and went to bed.

 

Would Heroes Of Newerth be able to run on medium/high settings with the UL80VT?

Minimum:
Processor - 2.2GHz Pentium 4 / AMD 2400+ or faster
RAM - 1GB of RAM
Video Card - GeForce 5 and ATI 9800 w/ 128 MB VRAM

Recommended:
Processor - 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo / AMD 3500+ or faster
RAM - 1.5GB or higher
Video Card - 256MB Geforce 7800+ or Radeon X1900+

 

Review is up folks:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5346

 

UL50Vt-A1 in the mail from GentechPC. Then I have to have it shipped out here to me in Japan.

Can't wait!! Probably looking at 2 weeks wait though.

 

Has anyone else noticed poor build quality like the kind described by Charles's review? Or did he happen to get a bad one? :x

 

I noticed a few things in the article that I think should be changed... Why did you quote 10 hours of battery life? The sticker says 12 hours, and people can have it running, when overclocked to 1.7Ghz, at idle, with 100% screen for 12+ hours...

Also, you quoted an "overclocked processor" when it doesn't come stock at 1.7Ghz... This might confuse a few people.

 

PC Mag Review - 4.5/5 stars Editor's Choice,
no mention of keyboard/build issues

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355055,00.asp

 

im not gonna lie.. after reading charles review, there are certain things that you just completely screwed up on. Why would you test crysis on HIGH on the ul80vt? Any person could tell you you are gonna get TERRIBLE fps running crysis on HIGH on a CULV 1.3 GHZ and G210M.

Furthermore, I dont understand how you can say that the UL80vt cannot run "new gen" games when you decide to run them on high. REALITY CHECK: it is not a gaming laptop. I think you should definitely add something in there saying that it IS capable of running "new gen" games on low. Because quite frankly, those that care about graphics THAT much wouldn't get the UL80vt, they would be buying the g51j or the g series for that matter.

However, I do believe you gave your full honest review on it. I just think there are certain things that although the scores show (best graphics in its class) that you underemphasize while you OVERemphasize the cons.

 

Charles, I'm beginning to think that you just got a poorly constructed UL80VT, that, or the other websites just don't care at all about build quality. So far none of three main reviews had any complaints about build quality or keyboard flex whatsoever. The laptopmag.com review didn't like the keyboard as much, but they didn't complain about flex or noisy keys or anything.

I think to be fair you might want to edit the article to mention that it is possible that you got a poorly constructed UL80VT and that the issues you experienced may not affect all UL80VT's.

I'll post a detailed review when I get my UL80VT in the mail tomorrow (hopefully).

He makes a good point about the Crysis benchmark (if you really did run it on high. I couldn't tell from your screenshot.) We all know that it would never run on high, and most of us are content just running it on low with laptop, especially since "low" Crysis still looks gorgeous and certainly doesn't effect game play much. I was shocked at how low the FPS were in Crysis. I easily got double that FPS on my dv4t P8600 with G105M (on low settings).