Well, I don't monitor my temps. I only monitored them for the review I did, for which purpose I used the latest NHC at the time. I used rmclock for controlling the multiplier and voltage of my processor at all times. I have intel's speed step disabled; I find that it gets in my way. Unless I have it disabled, I do not have "full" control over my processor. I prefer to be able to force max clock speed on battery for playing something like oblivion, and to be able to lock it at minimum while writing code or things like that. Without speedstep disabled, I could only "suggest" what I wanted mt processor to run at, while speedstep could take over and screw with my settings at any moment. I also have the option of letting rmclock monitor my cpu useage and vary the clock speed based on that; however, I also have full control over this. I can say that instead of varying my processor from 1ghz to 1.83ghz(on my t2400), I can have it vary from 1ghz to 1.66ghz, etc. And I can control the voltages for every single different performance level.
If you choose to undervolt, I recommend using Prime95 to test system stability and find your lower stable voltage at every clock speed you intend to undervolt.
I will go and dig up my review to find my actual temps at the time. Keep in mind that mine were taking in a 72F room, with optimal air flow(laptop on a flat wooden table, not on my lap).
-
As quoted from my review:
"CPU idle temp is 53*C. Load temp is 73*C. With undervolting, the load temp drops to 65*C."
So, apparently mine are slightly lower than yours. My cpu load(undervolted) is lower than your idle. I do not know how the t2400 compares to the t5600, but I would imagine them to be very, very similar. However, if you are in a room warmer than 72F, and you are using the notebook on your lap, then that could explain everything. -
Yeah that's the part I was concerned about with my temps since even your load temps were under my idle temps, granted yours were undervolted. That's where I wanted to get either your opinion or someone else who has a S96J before I talked to Ken. He seems pretty busy, because I e-mailed a few times with no response. I never use my notebook on my lap, and my room temps are in the mid 70's. Gotta love central AC.
-
Still, 65 idle is not that high for a laptop. What are your load temps? If your idle temps are still the same as they were when your Z96J was new, I wouldn't worry about it at all.
Have you had any trouble with anything other than that one program? -
I used to do Folding@home as you said you also do, but my core temps ran about 90C, which would then shut down the computer. Even when I run a game such as Medal of Honor, a fairly old game it reaches 85C-95C easy. This was during winter months when room temps were around 65F.
-
Have you had this problem since you got it? I'm assuming you bought the notebook new, and it has not been previously used? 90C is definately pushing it.
If this has come about recently, then perhaps it is infact dust buildup. All you have to do is remove the three screws holding the bottom panel on, remove the panel, and blow through the heatsink while holding the fan in place so that it doesn't spin. Be sure to do this outside or where you do not mind the existance of a dust cloud. -
Hi guys, I have two things I'd like to ask everyone for input on...
1) Has anyone else noticed an audible hum when you plug the notebook into your stereo via the headphone jack? I'm using a std stereo/headphone jack to stereo RCA cable. The thing is, when the laptop is plugged into my amp I hear a hum. (Of course the music has to be off or you don't notice it.)
This is not related to the sound volume of the notebook, rather it is related to the power brick. The hum is there even if the notebook is not running. And, if I unplug the laptop from A/C and just use batteries, no hum. But reattach the power brick (or plug the power brick back into the wall outlet) and you guessed it, the hum is back. I've tested using two different power bricks, no difference. And of course none of the other laptops I've had over the past 10 years ever did this. Your thoughts?
2) I ordered a new 802.11 Intel Wireless 4965 Draft N mini PCI-E card the other day. I just couldn't resist. It should play really nicely with my ASUS WL-500W AP/router. But, it uses three mini PCI antennas, if you have three, so since the Z96 has just two, I also ordered myself a third. Cost maybe 5 bucks, I don't remember.
Now comes the decision on where to place the third antenna. I'm debating whether to take the LCD apart enough to get to the back panel and mount it in there -- maybe stick it along the side or centered beneath the camera. Or, another option is to tuck it under the keyboard and be done with it. But I can't imagine it'll add much value tucked down there.
FWIW, I chose this one, which appears to have integrated the actual antenna within a PCB, so in other words the antenna end is more than a bare piece of metal with a bracket attached. It's really a 4.5cm rectangular PCB. Any thoughts? Stop me before I mod the back case panel and do something nutty possibly involving drilling a small hole and mounting it externally (using epoxy) and a Plexiglas cover! -
I have taken my lcd assembly apart to install a custom painted lid, courtesy of G2P(BTO Tech). It was a while ago, but I think you should be able to run another antenna there with relative ease, as long as you can manage to run a wire from the card through the LCD brackets and into the assembly. I do not think modding your case is necessary, nor do I think it would be very beneficial. -
hey JPZ,
im thinking of upgrading the memory to 2GB.
i know il get 2 1GB DDR2 667.
but is it a 200 pin? -
I'm not sure. That sounds right, off hand.
Do you have 2 512mB modules in right now, or one 1gB module? If you have a 1gB module, you should be able to just buy one more similar/identical module and add it.
I bought a 1gB module of Corsair 667 ram back when I built mine because first of all it was cheaper, but also because of future upgradeability. I probably will not add more ram; I have 1gB of ram in all of my computers and I have found that I really do not need more. But who knows what will happen in six months. -
i have 2 512MBs.
yeah i noticed that 1GB isnt enough for me.
and i also heard that upgrading from 1gb to 2gb will make a difference.
i noticed in big games it reads off the hdd during gameplay.and every time it does, the game lags.its a pain in 1st person shotting games like fear. -
I have fear installed in my Z96J as well as my desktop. I only play it on my desktop because an x1600 is not powerful enough to run it at acceptable quality with acceptable framerates. My desktop has two Corsair XMS 512 modules, at 2-3-2-6. Fear runs just fine. On occasion while turning corners my computer might drop 5-10 frames while it loads, but it is hardly noticeable, especially when it is something like a drop from 75 frames to 65 frames per second.
Fear and possibly Oblivion at times are the only things I have used which appear to desire more than 1gb of system ram, however the performance difference is not worth the money to me at the moment. I will probably put 2gb of ram in the next desktop I build. DDR1 memory was still expensive the last time I checked, and I would rather invest in newer technology. -
i can set the quality to medium and get average around 40fps. which is ok with me. but it stuters when i move around. it reads from my hdd. i really would have to close my programs in the background so itl run better.
-
Planning to get this laptop with these same specs as royski007:
::ASUS Z96Js::
::2GHz T2500 Core Duo::
::WSXGA+ Glossy 1680x1050::
::ATI X1600 445/370::
::1GB DDR2::
::100GB HDD 5.4k::
How well does it play Company of Heroes at a highest settings? Will it also play Battlefield 2 and Medieval Total War well? -
Santa Rosa and DirectX10 barebones are out, in fact the Z96J is replaced by the S96S AFAIK and you can also consider the IFL-90 laptop.
-
I was about to get C90S but it is delayed again until mid July and I'm so tired of waiting that I'll just get what's available locally. BTW, can Z96JS be used for 3,5G HSDPA connection with Sierra Wireless Aircard 875?
-
jpz, you familiar with operating shock?
i dont quite under stand that.
does it have something to do with shock resistance?
mine has 300G operating and 1000G non operating shock. -
Hmm? Those sound like hard drive specs. I'm not certain, but I believe most(if not all) modern hard disks have built in shock protection(incase you drop your laptop or anything like that happens). According to those specs, it sounds like your hard drive should not be damaged if you drop it or it bumps into something, as long as the force of impact is less than 300g(if your laptop is on), or is less than 1000g if your laptop/harddisk is turned off.
Is this what you wanted to know? -
Hi,
another Z96 user! Bought it a week ago and I'm very happy with it although there are some problems. You can see the specs in my sig and more information here http://www.gerakaina.lt/new/product_info.php?cPath=86_165_292&products_id=10084373 It's a local brand, the company buys Asus barebones, adds all the components and sells normal notebooks The platform is an Asus Z96S, with the new Santa Rosa procesor and nVidia Geforce 8600 GS 256 MB graphics card.
Overall I'm satisfied with my NB; however, I would really love it if it had WSXGA (now it's WXGA) and 8600 GT The keyboard also has much flex and rattles a lot when typing. I heard that you can take it out and put some material underneath it.. As already mentioned many times in this topic, the speakers are bad, but the sound quality is very good. Everything else is OK
Since I've never had a NB before, I have some questions:
1. Power 4 Gear. I cannot find any info about this utility, and as I understood from other topics, there should be some kind of icon in the system tray that you could click and adjust the settings. Well, I don't have the icon and I can just switch power plans (High Performance, Game, Quiet Office and Battery Saving) with the push of the P4G button, and adjust the settings from the Control Panel of Windows Power plans. By the way, I'm running Vista Home Premium. So, is this normal with P4G or am I missing sth?
2. Bluetooth. I haven't used it before, so I was expecting it to act similar to an USB Flash drive - you connect it and the mobile phone memory pops up in My Computer. Now I can only send and receive individual files using the Bluetooth program. Is it supposed to work like this?
3. TPM. Haven't used this before also. Installed the drivers, enabled it in the BIOS, but device manager shows a problem with it. It says that the service could not start. How to fix this?
4. Integrated webcam. I also installed the drivers and I can use it with Skype or MSN Messenger, but cannot set the quality of the camera (it's set to best quality by default). I saw that Win XP has some program so you oculd use the webcam without any other program, is this not present in Vista? When I go to Control Panel > Scanners and Cameras it's not listed there
That's all the questions for now, thanks for the answers in advance -
For the keyboard... This might void your warranty, so you should check with that company first. If it really bothers you, you could remove the keyboard, and either put some tissues or some double stick tape between the bottom of the keyboard and the chassis. I have not tried this; the keyboard does not bother me at all.
1. Sounds like P4G is working. The lack of a tray icon could be related to vista; I do not know.
2. I haven't used my bluetooth.
3. I don't know why that happened. You could check windows log files to see if you can find more details.
4. There should be a program on the driver cd. When you insert the cd, do not use the autoplay utility. Instead, browse through the folders on the cd. Look for anything related to your camera. In one of the folders, there should be a program with the name camera in it. If you can find the right one, it will allow you to record videos, and also change the quality and the format. -
Thanks for the replys. I'll have to think about the keyboard.
1. P4G icon is probably related with Vista, because I tried running it with administrator rights and Win Xp compitability with no success. Does P4G have some webpage or sth or te only way is downloading it from Asus?
4. I've found the program, Azurewave or sth, taking pictures doesn't work and I still cannot adjust the quality. Probably also related to Vista
One more question: my 8600 GS uses Turbocache, can I adjust the amount of RAM it could use somewhere? Didn't find that on nVidia Control Panel. -
yeah that makes sence. -
man, i just got 1 bad cluster on the hdd.
any thoughts? -
-
One bad cluster is nothing to worry about; however if it is a sign of your impending hard drive failure getting closer, you may have to keep an eye on it.
Just run windows check disk as stated in the above post, and that will keep windows from trying to use that bad cluster again.
I would recommend checking your hard disk regularly, and if more clusters continue to fail, then you should back up your data(which should be backed up regardless) and get a drive replacement. -
yeah i ran check disk, it found one.
i noticed this when my torrent client did a hash check.
it gave a crc error. so i thought its the hdd. then i ran checkdisk which took 1 1/2 hour... it found one right over the torrent file. -
jpz i got another question,
i got 2 512 mb ddr2.
is it ok to to replace one of them with a 1gb?
will the dual channel still work?
or should i have both mem sticks the same size... -
I'm not sure if dual channel will still work. I'll have to check on that.
Honestly, though, dual channel doesn't affect performance much at all. I am currently using one 1GB module in my Z96, and it is just as fast as anyone else's dual channel Z96. Actually, the RAM that you put in there has a greater effect on performance than dual channel. The speed, latency, and timings of your specific RAM have a greater effect on RAM performance than dual channel being enabled or not. Also, you will probably not notice the difference between any of this outside of RAM benchmarks. RAM speed makes a very little difference in performance now; really all that matters is that you have enough of it. As long as you have enough RAM and a good enough processor/graphics card/hard disk, you won't notice any difference at all. -
ok, well basically i just need to know if there will be any problems having one stick 512 and the other 1gb.
is there a way to lower timings to increase performance? -
There shouldn't be any problems. Keep in mind that if you use two different types of memory, both will run at the specs of the slower one. Not that it really matters much.
There really isn't really a good way or even a way to access RAM timings for a laptop. I was able to adjust the timings on my Uniwill n258KA, but that is because of AMD's built in memory controller and such. I can even overclock that notebook(2ghz desktop AMD 3200+ overclocked to 2.5ghz). Yes, that's a 90W desktop processor, overclocked, in a 15.4 inch laptop. Load temp is 65C. I don't understand how people could worry or even have trouble with a conroe in a laptop... -
alright tnx.
do you have a link for the latest VGA driver? mine is the march 29 , 06 update..
the one on the asus website is even older.... -
alright tnx.
do you have a link for the latest VGA driver? mine is the march 29 , 06 update..
the one on the asus website is even older.... -
cool. tnx.
are you using the same driver? or an earlier one? -
I am using the latest(7.7) on my z96j. I am using an older version on my Uniwill laptop, because I do not use that one as often and I rarely update the graphics drivers. I have 7.6 on my desktop because I never bothered to update it. I have no trouble with my current drivers, and ATI hardly ever releases performance improvements for the X850 series any more(I was able to flash my X800xl to an X850XT PE because it has the X850 core and memory).
I have experienced no issues with these latest drivers. -
JPZ, is your lcd back cover blank too? on the z96j..
-
You mean the vbi(vbi... lol) image panel?
Well...
I actually have two lcd cases. One, my original, is blank as it came from the factory. The other one, however, is custom painted. I do not remember the company that painted it; it was a free sample courtesy of Eddie from G2P(Bto Tech). If you look on his website, you will notice that you can have your laptop custom painted if you order from him. Before he added this option, he sent a number of S96/Z96 lids and cases to the company to see the quality of their work. He offered to send me one of the samples for free(he even paid the shipping... Eddie is a great guy). He even let me take apart my Z96J to install it without voiding my 3 year warranty.
The lid is painted dark green(it was supposed to be black, but there was a misunderstanding at the company) and in the vbi panel I have a picture that is actually painted on the lid; it is not a sticker.
Does this answer your question? -
yup.
do you have any idea how to paint it? would using those can spray do? the one they use for cars...
wanna make it black or yellow... -
I have painted the Uniwill in my sig twice. You can see in my user picture that it is blue. That was the first paint job. That one did not come out well. It is currently mirror black with blue highlights.
I don't know if I would recommend painting it. You really need about a month of dedicated time to do it properly, and if you don't do it properly, you WILL regret it. I suppose you could do a basic matte finish paint job in about a week, but I still don't know if I would recommend it.
Also, keep your warranty in mind. Also, you will need to completely take apart the laptop. Yes, people paint their laptops without taking them apart all the time, but it definately does not come out as well as when you take it apart. Plus, it is VERY difficult and incredibly risky to wetsand or even dry sand a laptop that is fully assembled.
To answer your question about paint... I used Krylon Fusion both times. The paint is great. Nothing fancy and not the best color selection, but it works as advertised; it bonds to plastic abnormally well, no primers are needed, and you don't HAVE to do prep work. But I would recommend sanding down your laptop anyway, as it was designed to bond to bare plastic. Even if you have a laptop that doesn't have a factory paint job, it is still a good idea to sand it down to remove all the oils, dirt, etc. not to mention the surface scratches. Even if you can't see them now, they ARE there, unless of course your laptop is brand new and hasn't been used. However, as soon as you try to paint over them, every tiny imperfection will be magnified.
My advice towards a paint job for a laptop would be think twice, then after that, do a LOT of research, then think it over for a third time and even a fourth if your decision is not clear at that point. A simple paint job can turn into a very large project very quickly.
I have been thinking that if I paint another laptop, I wouldn't do mirror black because unless it has just been polished, it looks horrible. I also think I'd like to try one of those special kinds of paints that look like different colors depending on the viewing angle.
Also, I must say that painting one piece of plastic more than one color is a bad idea unless you are very experienced. If you want to paint the lid one color and the main chassis another, that will work out fine. But painting a lid one color and masking over parts of it and painting over the lid with another color doesn't always come out how you would think.
Oh, and keep in mind all the non-flat surfacts and small edges of your laptop; it can take hours and hours to sand all those edges. I would not recommend a mirror finish on those types of surfaces. Even the prep work for that sort of thing can be very tedious.
I hope this helps. -
thanks that helped a lot.
now im thinking of making a big sticker with a nice image that i could stick inside that blank rectangular frame.
what do you think of that? -
I'm not much of a sticker person.
I believe you could have a sticker with a custom image made at fedex-kinkos back in the days of the vbi program. Perhaps you still can.
I think there are two(really one) main concern with stickers. That would be peeling/removal. You don't want the sticker the peel or get marked up, and you most certainly don't want it to look like some cheap 50 cent sticker you put on your $1500 computer. Those raised edges on the panel should make it more difficult for the sticker to peel on its own. However, you also should think about a sticker that can be easily removed if you decide you don't want it, or you want a different sticker. If you can't get it off, or it leaves a horrid residue, you might end up ruining your laptop when you try to remove it.
Other than that, I don't see any reasons not to use a sticker vs. painting your laptop unless you want a mirror finish, which I suppose is possible with a sticker. -
well i could stick up a blank sticker inside the frame part, so that i can stick another one on top of it, so in case i dont like the top layer with the image on it, i could remove it easily and stick up another one.
the frame on the lcd cover bulges up a bit so it would cover the edge of the sticker.
im thinking of making my own image with adobe then bring it to a photoshop that can print it on a mirror like sticker.
think that will do. -
That could work, but you should make sure that the blank sticker will not leave a residue and will come off when you try to remove it rather than tearing and and making it impossible to remove. I would also clean down the screen before applying the sticker so that it adheres properly.
Good luck. If you end up destroying the case in another 6 months, you can just take the case apart, sand it down, and paint over it. -
hahaha
thanks -
Where can I download the ATI driver update? I try to download the mobility version and it says my card isnt compatible.
-
Check the sticky in the gaming section on drivers. They have a direct download link there. This will only work on xp. If you have vista, the only vista drivers I know of for the Z96J are on Asus' site.
-
It's been a while since I last logged on here but I have a question about upgrading my memory on my Z96j and only trust you guys for the right answer. I currently have one gig in one of my two slots and am wondering if I should fill the other open slot with one gig or a two gig stick? Would there be an advantage to the 2 gig stick? This would put me at 3 gigs.
Thanks for the help. -
BPHusker, try this:
http://www.driverheaven.net/modtool/ -
Another question for ya'll
I have a Z96Js that originally had 1 gig pc5300 667 DDR2 Cosair Value Select ram. Just bought a 2 gig stick of the same thing. Opened up my laptop and placed the new 2gig stick on the right had memory slot leaving the 1 gig on the left. Won't boot.....
Pulled the 1 gig and left the 2 gig in the right slot. Won't boot......
Moved the 2 gig to the left slot. Booted ok.
Left the 2 gig in the left and put the 1 gig in the right. Won't boot.....
Any idea of what is going on? Possible bad slot? I'm ok with having 2 gig as that was my goal but if I can had 3 that would be great.
thanks for any help,
Jeff -
ClearSkies Well no, I'm still here..
Well, both RAM sticks work in the left slot so it's not a bad stick. Either you're not completely seating the RAM in the right slot all the way, or it's a bad slot as you suspect when one is inserted there and the system attempts to query it.
Functionally, for nearly every use that you're going to put the machine through, the difference between 2 & 3 GB RAM is something you will *never* be able to tell except on some benchmarks. 3GB is overkill in XP for 99+% of users anyway. I'm not sure that the Z96 has been sold in NA for a while (replaced by VBI S96) and is probably out of warranty too, I would guess - it would probably take a MB replacement to solve what you're seeing. As long as you've got 2GB (ain't it great how cheap RAM is these days??) that works fine, take it and run.
Z96 Owners Lounge!
Discussion in 'ASUS Reviews and Owners' Lounges' started by JPZ, Jul 22, 2006.