*Official UL30VT-X1 Owners Lounge*

what are your first impressions on the build quality? do u notice any flex?

edit: looks like you already posted when i was typing this haha.

 

Pics look GREAT! Thank you so much! (pics are on the first page of this thread, for those that don't know)

Looking forward to first impressions! keep it coming!

}:^)~

 

There is a little bit of flex. Hard drive is kind of noisy.

How do I get this thing to 1.6 or 2.1ghz?

 

did it come with any freebies?

 

It comes with an Asus cable tie and that's it

 

haha, i guess that's okay. thanks so much.

does the palm rest/keyboard creak as reported in some of the UL80vts?q

 

No sleeve. I can confirm that the hard drive is a little noisy, but I assume that's because of all the bloatware setting up and intializing. I'm about to do a re-install. I can't STAND all the bloatware.

 

No creaking here, and I'm pressing down on it as much as I can

 

Same. Thinking about slapping win7 ultimate on here

 

cool. thanks again guys.


let me know if either of you do a clean install of windows. i'd like to figure out how to do that too w/ no optical drive.

 

the click that i heard on my a2 when picking it up one handed on the bottom right seems to be gone

 

I'm actually installing 7 ultimate right now. There are a ton of articles out there, just google "boot windows 7 from usb"

 

What are your impressions of the black brushed surface? What about the size and weight? How does it feel overall?

}:^)~

 

The laptop lid is a nice brushed aluminum surface. Doesn't pick up fingerprints as well as the palm rests. It feels like a solid machine in hand. Size and weights seem accurate from Amazon.

 

Centrino sticker = Intel wireless?

 

I cant wait till tomorrow when mine arrives!

Please answer the following questions at your discretion:

1. What kind of bloatware are on there?
2. If I want to do a fresh install of windows 7, what are the essential drivers that it needs?
3. Can the turbo33 function be switched on/off when the computer is turned on? Or does it require a reboot? How is it switched on and off?

thanks,

 

would u guys say that overall, they've made improvements on this model compared to the other UL series such as the UL80VT, based off first impressions? Im debating whether to get the UL80VT or the UL30VT, and if the UL30VT seems to have less issues compared to the UL80VT, i think i'm ready to pull the trigger on the UL30VT.

Also, how long does the battery last under a full charge? if the 4400mAh battery is able to deliver close to 10 hours with battery saving mode + dedicated graphics off, i see no point in spending more money to get the better battery, well, at least for me. i think 10 hours is good enough for me. .

 

This is the FIRST ASUS product I have owned. I can't say much about comparing other ASUS models. I'll run battery tests after my installation of my Intel SSD and Windows 7 Ultimate. Drivers come on a CD or can be downloaded from ASUS.

 

2. The only thing missing after installing Win7 Ultimate was the VGA, Wireless and some weird driver that didn't explain itself. I already downloaded everything last night from the Asus website so I just let Windows 7 scan the entire directory and it picked up the last driver.

The software is probably what is crucial though...like the touchpad and controldeck? I know there was a bunch of fancy UI stuff when adjusting the screen brightness and volumn, I don't know what utilities I'm missing but now it's all bland and ugly.

3. I still haven't figured out how to overclock the damn thing. I don't see anything in the BIOS for that 5% overclock I've read about either...

 

Although they are different price points, I'm deciding between the UL30tz and the Sony Z. I handled the Z at Fry's yesterday, and it seems amazing (love the keyboard and the weight.) It made the 4 lb Sony SR next to it feel like a brick...

Once you have used the UL30tz for a bit please post a comparison. Particularly interested in terms of weight, build, ergonomics, screen and zippiness. The Z has a much faster processor, but the UL30tz has a better IGP (and price.) Curious why you purchased the UL30tz when you already have a Sony Z?

Thanks.

 

Any owner willing to run 3dmark06 and how r the temps?

 

Close up and size comparison pics pls!!

 

I'm downloading it now. I'll try and post the results before my afternoon meetings.

 

Hey there. The UL30VT has similar build quality as the Sony. That being said, the materials on the Sony Z750D are much better contributing to the added cost. Both machines feel about the same to me but the Z is technically lighter. The physical size is also a bit different. The 16:9 screen of the Z is a bit more elongated vs. the UL30VT. Also the Z has a much higher resolution which can be difficult to read on a small screen for some. The UL30 has a lower resolution screen but works nicely in terms of readability. You can always change DPI settings on any machine to suit your taste.

Ergonomics are about the same on both. Both have chicklet style keyboards. The UL30 has the HOME key where I normally see the Backspace/Del key. It will take a little getting used to but isn't something that will bother me for too long. The mouse pad on the Z has a better texture and fingers glide more easily on it as opposed to the UL30VT which needs a bit of finger oils to make it usable. The multi-touch pad of the UL30 is definitely a lot better in terms of functionality however.

I purchased this machine because I am not the primary user of the Z. My fiance uses it. I wanted something that didn't break the bank since I already bought the Z. Both are wonderful machines and I don't feel as nervous carrying my UL30 around like I did with the Z.

 

According the specs, the Asus has a 16:9 display ratio as well. 1366x768.

 

Ah, you're right. For some reason, the bezel on the ASUS makes it look taller. The dimensions also confirm this.

 

Could you also test the webcam? Someone on amazon discussion boards just posted this :

Hi Asus,

My friend and I got our ul30vt shipped yesterday (12/1). We notice that her laptop webcam image is upside down. Is there a setting that could change this or is it a defect?

Thanks

 

Thanks for the rapid response. Sounds like you have 2 great laptops. I travel a lot, so am thinking the DVD would come in handy. Also feel like the the faster processor (but less battery) on the Z could let me use it an extra year or two, helping to justify the cost if I can find a deal.

Interesting to hear about the touchpads. Does the multitouch on the ASUS work well? Did not realize the Z lacked that feature. Also glad to here the keyboards are comparable. I was really impress by the typeablilty on the Z, and we all have read about the flex issues with the UL80.

I wonder if the 9300 GS and 210M(overclocked) are all that different in terms of playing a basic game like Civ4.

Thanks again, and hope you get great use out of your new toy... I mean laptop.

 

Just finished running 3dmark06 and got a 3435.

 

Sounds in line with the UL80vt, as we'd expect.

I assume turbo33 overclocking was enabled? I think that overclocks both the processor and the IGP. Wonder how much that improves the g210?

 

I just got mine and while I haven't had much time to play with it I can give a few observations compared to the UL80VT which I had a few weeks ago but returned.

Build quality is definitely better as the thinner frame makes it much more solid.

Weight is great, with the battery on a precision scale it comes out to 3.92lbs.

Touchpad button is much less stiff then on the UL80VT so despite it being a single button I don't think you will have as much trouble using it as on the UL80VT

AC adapter is the same 65w one from the UL80VT so thankfully it won't have the slow charging 40w one from the nonVT models.

I am sure I will figure out some other things but thought I would post my initial impressions before going back to work. So far I am very happy I waited for this.

 

sweet the Studio XPS 13 with a better processor and Geforce 9500 SLI GPU scored 3442, its great to know this low voltage setup is right up there with the XPS 13!

 

FYI, per http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-G-210M.17638.0.html

They report 3394 fro the g210m. So maybe the overclocking is not making a difference. Still a good result, and plenty of positive reviews regarding being able to play games (within reasonable limits) on the ul80vt with the same basic specs.

And btw, the 9500 is supposed to be in the same ballpark as the g210m.

 

just got mine, it has 4400mAh 63Wh battery, altec speakers, 1-year accidental damage warranty, but security lock doesn't work with my existing lock.

still doing initial boot..

 

did anyone see the post about gentech to recieve a1 model?s

 

Wow! This is great! Keep it up guys! I'm loving the information!

}:^0~

 

mine has ST9500325AS disk, G210M video (so it's UL30V), Intel Wifi 1000 BGN, Atheros AR8131 gigabit, try to see what software to uninstall now.
amazon got 300 of these, shipped from NV.

 

I'm surprised the weight is 3.92lbs for the X1, I wonder how much heavier the A1 will be. In any case, it's still light.

}:^)~

 

Thanks for the run, + rep for u.

Btw 2 questions,
1) Was the 3dmark06 run with turbo33
2) What temps did you saw, incase you had a monitor runnin

Thanks again for the test.

 

hah, that is actually a bit better than the 8600 GT in my desktop. That's impressive for a sub 4 lb (10 hr) laptop. Also blows away the sony Im considering (9300g scores only 2200.)

Another point for the ASUS.

 

i hope the A1 if release doesn't get anymore then a warranty boost + battery. if it get's other hardware upgrades, i'd tbe pissed

 

So I finished my installation of the Intel SSD G2 80GB. After Windows 7 installation and various driver updates and virus software, I'm at 58GB now. So it's a pretty lean machine now and boot times are ridiculous. In the sub 30 sec. range. I'll have to do a timed test soon.

p.s. the machine is absolutely silent w/ the SSD. Compared to my this, my Z is a jet engine.

 

A 12 month Warranty is still a 24 month warranty if you buy it with an eligiable credit card. Many credit cards will double the warranty of anything 12months or less. Just makes it a bit of a pain to cash in on it.. you have to send it in charge it and then send a copy of the bill to the credit card company and wait 3 weeks for a check.

 

Yes I was (I think). I was in performance mode, which set the cpu to 1.7 (or was it 1.6, whichever) and the 210m was on.

No monitoring software. I only touched the laptop to see if it got warm or hot anywhere while I was running it and it barely got any warmer. The fan kicked in so I'm sure that helped out.

My old Sager 3790 used to get crazy hot under regular use so that's why I just used my hand to test the temperature. Not a good test by any means but good enough for me. Hope that helps

 

A1 ? Forgive my ignorance, but how does asus lable these X1, A1 etc... what does it stand for and what is the ranking?

 

damn the SSD should boost your battery performance too...
can you go into settings and set the WIFI settings to use battery saving mode (maximum). see if that interferes with range. Also check if it boost battery life.

i suggest batterybar program (search google) for the prog. it's perfect program for monitoring charge/discharge and amount of time left before you need to charge again

 

Again, 3425 seems just about what you would expect after reading the UL -80vt reviews.


Well the ul80vt (same components) tested:

PCMAG 3810 (XGA), 3141 (native) : http://www.pcmag.com/image_popup/0,1871,iid=246378,00.asp

Notebookreview 3461 : http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5346&p=2

Laptop mag: 3463 : http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/asus-ul80vt-a1.aspx?mode=benchmarks

The laptop mag review really highlights the differences with the turbo on and off regarding the processor, but maybe it has no effect on the IGP?

 

I might have to do that. This hard drive sounds scary with the constant amount of noise it makes, even when it's just sitting idle.

 

Let us know if that goes away with time. Some HD's are constantly running initially because of all the initial install crap. Also, does win7 use indexing, that can get the HD clacking.

 

Can anyone confirm that their machine runs at 2.13Ghz? I just ran CPUz and this is what it shows...