Unofficial review of X83VP-A1

Specs are as follow in the picture.... sorry some of the pic is in Chinese since that is my native language. But you guys shall be able to understand

Its X83VP-A1, but nothig in this box or the computer said its an X83VP-A1 , the mother board is flash said N81VG/N81VP/N81Ve anyway here istheoutside box (boxes?) Excalibar PC sure pack it tight , used like half an hour to cut open all the tapes on the outside......







3 DVDs( recover/driver/power 2 go) warranty card manual



Computer and AC adaptr



sorry for the crappy picture, but only way i can take this is with a flash since the room was so dark and no other way of light source .



W90 8800 mah 63 wh, X83 4800 mah 53 wh , both are 11.1v ...too bad I can't use the W90 battery , otherwise this computer would have like almost 6-8 hrs of battery life ..lol



ac adapter , W90 and X83



hmmm 18.4" against 14.1" ?? ...don't see too much of differentce, but 12lbs vs 5 lbs? ...lol




mother board




Ram


CPU。。P8700 ~~


Don't know why everywhere else listed it have a 4850 but it's a 4870, ah well I guess because its built on top of the base of N81s





3D Vantag.... entry lvl , clearly the GPU is capable of some medium gamings but cpu is a bit lagging behind. This will demonstrate the power of the GPU in later MW2 testing.





Ok, 1st of all I hate 16:9 (it just doesn't look right...maybe because I am from the old CRT times ...but 16:10 looks way better even when it's 1280 x 800 vs 1920 x 1080) anyway here are the screen shots. screen res is @ 1280 X 800 , I forgot to click the check mark on fraps ...so yeah ..hehehe. But during gaming it never dips below 30 FPS , average above 40s . So I guess maybe I shall've tested it @ a higher setting....






















Temps @ idle ..




So to speak the computer's cooling is not really that bad , and the build quality is pretty solid. although i don't like the keys (just personal ...I am used to 17" above big keys like W90 P7811-FX XPS 1710 ..) The mouse pad is like W90 so I have no problem dealing with it yet. Wish it had BT and finger print reader . Also the palm rest area..is a finger print magnet . On the plus side it have 2 USB , HDMI , esata , LAN in the back , 2 usb on the right side . 1 USB , 1 FW ,headphone/mic jacks , DVD-R , express card , SD card reader on the left. So total of 5 USBs on 1 laptop which is amazing to me . The laptop runns quiet until you put a DVD in ...it's not that loud but noticeable. I didn't really notice the fans spin up during gaming . If it's on idle I can't even hear the fans running.

 

bought it when bing have 15% cash back @ ebay ... cost me 915 X 0.85-100(rebate)+39 = $717.95

 

Great pics.
This is a great laptop, was thinking of getting one until I got my G60 from BestBuy.
Only thing going against is it's pretty big for a 14 inch laptop, my G60 is only slightly bigger and thicker.
14.52x10.52 X83VP-A1
14.6 x10.3 G60VX
Am I missing something but I thought the X83 had a ATI 4650HD yours says ATI 4670HD?
Congratulations!

 

Nice review. Can you provide any numbers for battery life?

 

I wish I can ..but don't intend to test it out yet .... and for those who don't know ..just found out it's real model number is N81E87Vp-SL Rihanna edition.
more pic to do the screen justice... well it's still small and light for me ..since I am used to lug around w90 7811-FX 1710 ...lol





the laptop itself is base on the song theme of 《Umbrella》 MV

 

well just messaured it out ....

35.6cm x 26cm x 3.6cm

14.2 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches.

 

Does yours really have a ATI 4670 HD?
Everywere else I seen them they had 4650.

 

It's in the picture ,4670 ~~ 4650 and 4670 is not that much different...and also looks like the screen is LED back lit ...it looks way brighter than some of my other friends ccfl back lit..

 

Could you try and turn up the quality and see how it runs? and maybe AA too?

 

I love unboxing's for some reason. you almost get that I just bought a new computer rush. I dont care for the lid design on this machine but the specs otherwise are decent. I think I like it better then the N81 because this has the normal 1280x800 resolution I believe. not that "true HD" crap.

 

Yeah ...personally I love 16:10 than 16:9 .....16:9 is just looks .....bad in my eyes , I think the 1920 X 1200 is the better than 1920X1080 ...hence my 1280X 800 looks better than my W90's 1920x 1080 for some reason...

 

From the other thread on overclock.net:

"In any case, the timer while idling under "Entertainment" mode showed 4 hours, and now 30 mins later it's reading 3:30 remaining. And I'm notoriously impatient so I don't think i'm gonna wait three-and-a-half hours just to verify

But I do know how long it drains its battery running full bore, running 3dmark06 on continuous looping.
Everything set to "High Performance" and, as far as I'm aware, the GPU at stock clocks the entire time.
About 2 hours before it went into 5% charge remaining standby mode"

and:

"Well, I tested the X83VP-A1 battery life and they are just about comparable to the N81. At high mode, with everything on high, you get about 2 hours. But I was able to squeeze 3-3.5 hours on the things listening to music and streaming music videos. Brightness was at 30-40% and using Power4gears (yes keep this software) and I was using youtube and streaming video off muchmusic for almost 3 hours. Ultimately, the battery on the first charge lasted 3 hrs, but can be push to 3.5-4 even. The reason for keeping the Power4Gear program from Asus is that it allows you to configure how much processor power you want to allocate. Mine was running at min 5% and max 60%, but this is a 2.53GHz C2D, so even at 30% max. it would still run great."

Pretty consistent.

After days of agonizing research, I finally narrowed my choice down to the UL80Vt and the X83VP-A1. I ordered the UL80Vt last night because I was willing to give up some speed in order to gain a lot of battery life as I will mainly be using the laptop for web browsing and maybe occasional light gaming. I plan to put the UL80Vt through the paces after I get it; if it disappoints in terms speed or build quality then I'm going to buy the X83VP-A1 from eBay before the 31st so I can get the $100 rebate which makes it a heck of a deal over the N81Vp when combined with Bing cashback.

 

Great find! Well, I narrowed my search down to the ul80vt, x83vp-a1 and the n81vp-d2. Can't decide yet. I'm waiting on Bing cashback to increase. Tell us how the ul80 seems. I only assume that the x83 has a few more minutes of battery life than the n81vp... Does anyone know a moderate estimate for the battery difference?

 

Hey, great write-up. The X83's a nice platform

Anyway, I have my own pseudo-review on it over at Overclock.net (oi, someone's actually quoted it here!)

I was wondering if you would allow me to refer to and link to this one.

This particular model is severely lacking in good reviews and yours has a 3dmark Vantage test which mine lacks (I don't have a copy hahaha) and a recent game to boot.

 

Sure no problem ..and also make note on the notebook design and Asus model number ...yeah even excaliberpc and gentechpc don't even know it's real model number , I think what happen is that they try to avoid some copyright fees or something .
N81E87Vp-SL Limited Rihanna edition. Because there is a regular N81e87Vp-SL for sale in Asia countries with the same spec but different screen (the same as N81VP-D1/D2 16:9 not 16:10) . And I just noticed that there are a lot of models out in Asia country we never get , some of them are pretty good laptops like F83VF-VX026V

ASUS 83VF-VX026V
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Pre 64 bit
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8800 (2.66GHz)
Main Memory: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Disk Drive: 500 GB
Video Graphics & Memory: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 220M, 1 GB GDDR3 SDRAM

linky

It have a better finish (The ASUS F83Vf is tastefully decked out in satin-brushed aluminum) which is like my W90 ...but this will cost you about $1150 USD ..and the model just came out around Nov 23rd.

 

Thank you
If I've used any of your review in a manner you don't like, please let me know and I'll change it at the soonest possibility. I will be heading out on a weeklong vacation so I may not be able to immediately update it

Also, I didn't know about the discrepancy with the model numbers
I was wondering what that umbrella/web design was about.

I've noticed the number of well-spec'd models available outside the US as well. Actually, if the MSI GX623 had been more readily available (or available in the US at all) I would likely not have purchased the Asus.

 

That was a review of the N81VP-C1.
Specs:


* Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz, 1066MHz, 6MB Cache)
* 4GB DDR2 memory
* Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit, SP1)
* ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4650 (1GB GDDR3)
* 14.1 WXGA LED Glossy Display (16:9, 1366X768)
* DVDRW-SuperMulti
* 320GB hard drive (7200rpm)
* AzureWave AR5891 (Atheros AR928x) 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN with Bluetooth
* 90W (19V) Power Supply
* Battery: 6-cell
* Weight: 5.2lbs with 6 cell battery
* Size: 13.5"(L) x 10.24 "(D) x 1.40" (varies) (H)
* Warranty: 2-year parts/labor + 1-year Accidental Damage + 30 days Zero Bright Dots
* MSRP: $1,299

Which is almost similar to the n81...So comparing to what you guys said, it seems like a huge difference. I thought it would be like 10-20 minutes... however, he was running at 70% brightness. Can you test it at 70%? I don't know what he was doing under light usage but whatever.

 

I have no desire to test it unless I really need to ..sorry..... jthey are about the same specs , and since the most power hungry is the screen and 4670/4650 , I am sure the run time will be similar.

 

Wow, that thing is sexy. Great specs, and I love the aluminum. I would totally purchase that if it were available here!

 

I know ..but after looking at the price difference ..I went with X83....

 

It wasn't much more for me to get the N81VP-D2 over the X83.

I figure the faster CPU (I do video encoding) and more traditional design are worth the extra $.

 

does it come with a briefcase or backpack? what kind? isit good?

 

Hmm. I didn't think the N81VP qualified for the $100 mail in rebate like the X83VP does, but sure enough it does. I was thinking there would be a large price difference between them, but with this in mind they are within $25 of each other.

For that much, I would say it's VERY much worth it to get the N81VP. You get a faster CPU, faster (but smaller) hard drive, optical mouse, laptop bag, and honestly I prefer the brushed black aluminum over the umbrella design of the X83VP.

I'm thinking the X83VP might get slightly better battery life though, due to the slightly more efficent CPU and slower HDD. It would be interesting to do a side by side test.

 

N81VP have no rushed black aluminum ...the one have it it's F83VF ...N81 have same plastic as X83 ....X83 is base on the N81 ....read the entire post ..X83 is a N81 variant. Also N81VP-D2 does qualify for the $100 rebate. But no it's not within $25 range it's around 50-75 range if you buy from a Asus reseller. I don't know how Asus do it if you don't buy from one of their resellers , but Canon USA and Nikon USA won't service (note: service means even if you pay them , they still won't do it) any thing that is not their US reseller.


Here is copy from Asus website N81VP-D2.

Boasting a streamlined exterior with shiny metal-like inlaid patterns inspired by modernist art-deco, N Series notebooks N81Vp deliver performance with style.

 

SAINCTEYE

when you got your n83vp, did it come with a backpack (shown in your pic, but not mentioned) or did it come with the standard briefcase?

I know all the new G51 laptops give you a gaming laptop, but wasn't sure about the n83

 

nope no back packs no nothing the back pack you see in the back ground is my W90's back pack .... not a big fan of free back packs since the one come with W90 only used once and both of its shoulder strap almost broke , I also have way too many computer back pack will fit this laptop (1 targus 17" bag...1 Oakley Icon 2.0 ....1 Crumpler Brazillion)

 

Back packs that you get with laptops are mostly junk.
I always tell them to NOT ship one when it's offered.

 

Thanks for the review!
I have added it to the Info Booth and to the Reviews and Owners' Lounges Index.

E.B.E.

 

unfortunately the laptop i got was defective but i dont feel like paying to send it back and waiting for a new one so i took it upon myself to find out what the problem was. im still not 100% sure what is going on but i narrowed it down. the keyboard is very flimsy and pressing on the top left corner of the touchpad causes a squealing noise and causes the computer to lockup. right now i have most of the screws out and the keyboard partially separated and a piece of paper jammed between the bottom of the touchpad and the motherboard. this seems to fix the problem for the most part but its not very attractive and just not a very good permanent solution. id like to take the keyboard completely off to get a better look at what is going on so i can fix it but there are some hidden screws or something keeping me from getting the cover off. has anyone else taken off the keyboard and/or possibly have some pictures of where all the screws are located? any help would be greatly appreciated

found some disassembly videos on youtube, couldnt quite get the case off still, but it just led to more confusion.. now it seems like the problem is coming from the bottom side of the motherboard. so i guess its grounding out on the metal heat shielding they put on all the plastic casing.. good idea surrounding all the circuit boards with a conductive material asus.. ive spent a few days on it now so im just going to try to rma and hopefully i didnt void my warranty.. its too bad.. laptop has some great potential

 

I got a bad keyboard that had bad flex on left side, plus pressing any of those keys would make a loud clatter.

I tried to remove the keyboard by myself but was unsuccessful.

I ended up getting it fixed by the Asus service center in Markham, Ontario in less than a day. I live not too far away so I didn't have any delays with shipping times by dropping off and picking up myself.

 

I'm on the exact same boat. I just got my rma number and they'll be picking it up and bringing it to Markham tomorrow. So everything works good now? I don't suppose you are aware of what changes they made?

the keyboard was a bit of a pain to remove.. the release tabs were really hard to push and the keyboard still needed to be slid out towards the monitor once the clips were off.. ive gotten pretty efficient at disassembling that laptop after having it for a weekend.. the only problem was i couldnt get the case completely off because the monitor anchors were holding it in place and i couldnt remove the one side because the wires were too short and i didnt feel like pulling the plug out cause i would have had to open the screen to plug it back in.

hopefully i didnt void my warranty and they can get it working.. that thing is a little beast.. improved the fps on all the games i played by at least double with high settings and i usually have to play with everything on low.

 

Mine was perfect , no issues with the keyboard at all I am sorry that yours do , but when I opened mine I noticed that there were 2 of those yellow warranty stickers on my CPU ....one was broken already now that got me thinking if this was a N81VP/N81VB (older generation) and re-done to the newer generation.

 

yeah that sticker makes me sorta nervous.. like theyll see it and think i did that to it... im sure there is some better way they could do the warranty stickers.. so if you press hard on teh left sound around the top of the touchpad you have no problems? its really strange.. i swear the motherboard is grounding.. i just dont know what else could have been causing it.. touching the touchpad would make my screen flicker.. just strange..

 

Hey guys, so I was thinking of gettting this laptop but it is out of stock. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220635

Do you know if newegg will still have the above laptop, and if not should Is this much better http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220634

BTW: Both laptop's are N81 type, the last one just has better processor.

 

You may want to consider the N81VP-D2 (T9600 2.8 Ghz) for not much more, after $100 rebate.

 

I am in stupid Canada, the price for D2 is like 1,2449. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220603&Tpk=N81VP-D2

I checked the price on Tuesday and I was going to buy it today(I had to wait because we are moving on Monday, so I did not want the laptop to be delivered to wrong house).

I spoke to Newegg and they said they are not sure about ETA date. So, I am thinking of getting this one instead http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220634

 

...I really wonder ...how much faster a T9600 is to P8700 ...

 

I`m from Canada too. Check out:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=46542&vpn=N81VP-D2&manufacture=ASUS

+ if you live outside B.C. you don`t pay P.S.T.

Price match with Direct Canada at NCIX:

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530AC5250&vpn=N81VP-D2&manufacture=ASUS

 

11% clock speed difference, plus double the L2 cache (6MB) can be noticeable in CPU intensive applications, particularly video encoding/decoding.

 

So you won't really notice anything @ all during real world usage except encode/decode (and it won't be too fast ....). sometimes I really wonder if that is important why not wait 1-2 months now and get the K42 / A42.... that is coming out .

 

i was happy with the x83vp-a1 when it worked.. i put the drive in that comes with the d2. cost me like $70.. bought everything on boxing day so it was $999 without the mir.. with everything on high.. dont think i used aa.. on the cs:s benchmark i was hitting about 440 fps.. dont think i ever saw over 300 with my current desktop from 2005.. played oblivion and cod4 nice and smooth with everything on high no aa. didnt check the fps but it felt good.. in a few years ill stick in a new cpu, ssd, saw somewhere (here?) that it can use 8gb of ram.. thing is a little beast

 

Thanks a lot mystery!!!

I have a couple of quick questions.
1. I still get the asus 2 year warranty for parts and labor right??

2. Is direct Canada reliable?? Most of the reviews I read on the net had been +ve, but occasional ones have not been as good.

BTW: I am from Ontario, so not tax!!

 

Yes, 2 year warranty + 1 accidental if you register.

I ordered mine from NCIX and they are reliable.

Just buy from there online, and do an online price match with the Direct Canada link.

 

I think this lappy will last me for another 2 yr ...then switch again ...but the K42 and A42 are looking really good right now ...

 

mine was doa from ncix just for the record. im in bc though..

 

Ok, I ordered my D2 today. I just have a couple of more question:

I did the price match with DC(direct canada), will NCIX give me the price before or after the rebate???

Also, Asus rebate ends on Jan 31, I figured I should get my laptop around Jan 20-Jan 25. What if they don't recieve my mail in rebate form by Jan 31, will I still get the rebate?

Thank you in advance, cant wait for the laptop

 

you provide them with a copy of the invoice showing the day you made the purchase was within the timeframe for the rebate, they allow for several days after the rebate has expired for mailing time.

you pricematch with ncix as you make your order and as they go through the order process of verifying stock etc they will check if the match is valid or not and they will put it on the invoice automatically so dont pay until they accept or reject it. check the order status on ncix. im sure it will be matched before the rebate.

 

hey guys,
I just read over everything about the X83 and I'm trying to decide between the N81 and the X83 before I buy it with blu-ray from Xoticpc.

I know someone here was asking the same thing. I'm just a little concerned about the X83 because of the problems with it some of you are having that you posted here. I don't want to really take any chances because $1k is pretty expensive and I want it to last me for at least 5 years...

Also, will there be any technical problems with using the X83 where I live? I live in USA and I heard this lappy was mostly sold in Asia...I mean I know it comes with the 2 year warranty and stuff but some of u are having some issues with it already (left corner keyboard, warranty sticker torn, etc)

As for the N81 I hate that the battery life on it had to be so low but is there anything that stands out about it besides the processor (2.8 vs 2.53). Is it more reliable?

please help!!

 

Mine have no problem and also need to correct you that just because it's mostly a Asian market product doesn't mean it's inferior in fact Asus have way nicer products in Asia than states, sometimes this just make me mad that some Americans thinking that they are have better products /food/ imports etc..... anyway , if you want good battery life please go look for the UL series ...also the warraty stickers are reapply on top of another torn sticker (in my case there are 2 stickers , one is an older one that was torn , the other is a new whole one ). Both N81-D2 and X83-A1/X1 have almost the same battery life , it won't change that much ( +/- half an hour) . Like I said , if you really want battery life ..go for the UL series they are way better @ battery life ....\


Also how long it will last depends on what you do with the laptop , how you use it , etc . If you are a heavy gamer like me this laptop won't even last me a year , but if it's just for daily basis , it will run most apps for at least 3 years without any lag .

 

Slightly offtopic, I will attest to the fact that the Asian market sometimes gets nicer ASUS models than the rest of the world... I bought my W7Sg there, after waiting for it to appear here in Western Europe (which it never did).

Then I went to Hong Kong, and there were over five different variants of W7Sg in one store alone! I bought it there...