~ Asus U6 Owners' Lounge ~

TNT called, they will pick up the laptop in a few hours.

 

I would just send a clean notebook, without all options. So remove all options that can be lost.

 

Thanks. It will take 5 minutes to pack it .

 

Definitely make a backup of your data!!

 

Yeah, the Asus RMA instructions are all but clear. I especially love the fact that you have to send the notebook in its original packaging, but they return it to you in a very basic brown box. Where should I store all the driver cds, manuals etc. that came with the notebook now?

I'd say the "extra battery" only means that they don't want you to send them any two batteries (unless specifically asked to). Either one will do.

 

Send it in a generic box, they will not complain. Make sure you pack it properly.

 

The guy from TNT should knock on my door any minute now. I checked the delivery method. On thursday the laptop is in EMMEN. So 4 days on the road, 6 days to fix it, that is 10 working days. I packed it properly and wrote FRAGILE!! HANDLE with care! I know it won't make any difference. I checked the laptop, it has no scratches nothing. I left a nice note between the lid and keyboard describing the situation and what I did in order to avoid the "get laptop, update bios, put new drivers, send it back" solution. I tried every available driver on laptop2go website, I even borrowed a third LCD screen. If you guys seen the small shaky video I filmed, you will see how badly it flickers and how it stops. I bought Asus because they are competent and professionals. I hope I did not waste my money and that I am just an isolated case. I really like this U6 but if I cannot do my job with it....gotta go .

 

You know, that thought had occurred to me the first time when I re-installed Vista to get rid of the bloatware. The second, third,fourth, etc...I had nothing to back up. Left all the data on my other pcs . For the moment, the U6 does not carry any vital data. It needs to pass the reliability test...and it hasn't .

 

Emmen is something like a central sorting location for TNT Nederland. From there, it's at ASUS within 24hrs.

If things haven't changed since I last fixed my laptop, you needn't worry about scratches.

 

The luck I have, they will probably give me a dell instead of my U6 .

 

If this pattern continues, another few months and the U6 will have you on your knees like a dominatrix begging for an XPS 1330.

 

It's pretty much a done deal. As soon as I get back from the celebratory dinner upon the launch of my new, professional, and further debt-absorbing career choice. The order shall be in the works to purchase my very own U6Sg-1A.

It's a big moment. I last got a notebook in 2001, and ran that ThinkPad into the ground. I've been desktop bound ever since (this old HP hoss has served me well.), but it will be nice to be back up and mobile again, no longer dependant on nice people on the road, and places where computers are anchored for me to get work done.

The good news is, I don't think I need my VGA-out, but given what Wishmaker has gone through (Other than being located in the Benelux region, of course ) I think I'll test out the VGA, and HDMI-out ports once I receive this machine.

almost $2100 as configured. I think I'm now an ASUS customer for life.

 

Congrats. Hope you make your first billion next year .

The only difference between mine and yours is the processor. I have the slower one but I doubt there is a 450$ difference in price. Am I wrong? Are you sure you don't have 4 Gigs of RAM in it and a free massage from Angelina Jolie?

 

LOL

Actually, just a $299 upgrade at BTOtech for the T9300. The other money comes in with the added warranty items, and for them to install both the XP pro and all the drivers needed for the ASUS. All this came to about $2050.

Is it worth the extra $400 for a better CPU and sticking with an OS that I'm a master of? Indeed. Which is why I also didn't get the 4 MB RAM. XP wouldn't recognize it, so why not save 50 bucks, right? right.

Besides, I have a few suits that I can match with that notebook color. It shall be lovely.

I went out to a retail store earlier today, and I was looking over some of the 15.4" machines? They're HUGE. No way could those things be portable for me.

Once I receive it (It ships from Plainview, NY. That's just six hours away from my ice shanty near the Canadian border) I'll benchmark it, photograph it, and display my feelings for all to share.

I believe I made the right decision here. It only took the better part of a month, and I was STILL going over to the Dell and Apple websites

 

If it comes like mine, you won't be able to take proper photos. It is going to be wrapped in plastic everywhere . I did not touch the plastic on the palm rest and on the lid. I would have left the plastic cover on the screen too but the annoying Asus 360 sticker forces you to take it off . Plastic off, easy scratches .

 

My laptop is in EMMEN. Form what I understand, it will arrive tomorrow at the repair center. They won't work on it cos its friday and everyone wants to go home, so I will probably get it next friday or monday .

 

I just got a call this morning to confirm that I am actually making this purchase on my credit card.

Then I got the SAME call from Visa's fraud department.

God Bless the institution of American Lending.

 

Last time I paid for something online, in the US, using my card, I got e-mails and faxes demanding I send proof that it is my card. Luxembourg still has the bank secrecy agreement so if an online shop wants to check my card, they are **** out of luck. Oh, and even if someone has my card with all the details, they cannot finalize the transaction. I need to sign it and confirm it with a password on my e-banking account . In order to get in the e-banking account you need a client number, personal password and a 24 character tan card. I explained this several times to american shops and they don't understand that some countries have different systems.

 

I've asked this in the comparison forums, but I really should ask here:

How is the power brick? I've heard the 90W? adapter is a monster. Does anyone have any specs for it? (Size/Weight?) (This is important as I will be traveling with it)

How about the 9 Cell Battery? How much weight does this add? How much battery life is seen with it?

TIA!

 

It's bigger than I thought it would be for a 12" notebook - but I'll measure it when I get home if that's helpful. Not sure if you couldn't replace it with something smaller that has the same specs?

Can't comment on the 9 cell battery unfortunately, as I've only got the 3 and 6 cell ones.

Petrov.

 

roughly..

L=13cm
l=5.5cm
w=3cm

It weighs around 300-400 g.

 

Yeah, the 90W ASUS adapter is pretty big. It's less heavy than one would expect from the size, though (I don't think it's as heavy as 400g, rather 300 or perhaps somewhat less -- but this is just guesswork, I never weighed it )

 

My Amilo has such a tiny one . The ASUS charger is twice the size !

 

OK, so roughly 5.1"x2.1"x1.1" and about .75 lbs. (Sorry needed to convert)

That is just a hair bigger than the one with my T4110, so that's a relief. (We use M90's and Area51's at work so when people say "Brick" that's what I think of!)

 

UPDATE:

The U6Sg-1A is slightly back ordered at American vendors of Asus products, apparently, according to Justin at XoticPC it's undergoing some kind of re-design or change back in Taiwan before release back into the states.

Wonder what's being upgraded? (Guess: 3-cell battery performance issues)

Neat. My turn to wait.

 

Yeah, my office manager told me when she ordered it from CDW, it would be 2-3 weeks.

If the 3-cell Battery Performance issues are resolved that would be a great plus! (Maybe a CPU upgrade as well while they are in there?)

Let's get crazy: Montevina! (Yeah, I doubt it as well!)

 

That's interesting news. I'm still deciding between the U6 and the Dell XPS M1330. I can get my money's worth though my university's program with Dell. It's essentially the near best configuration of the M1330 you can get at the same price of the U6Sg-a1 after taxes and discounts. However, I'd like to see your benchmarks with the U6 coupled with the T9300. Plus I'm weary with all the heating issues I see in the Dell forums particularly for the M1330.

It would be interesting to see what else the re-design of the U6 entails. Any estimate on the re-release?

 

OK, to clear this up once and for all, in case anyone is confusing the terms ......

There is no physical redesign of the U6 upcoming, it will only be REFRESHED/updated to the Montevina platform with the rest of the Asus product line. This re-release might be the battery ACPI control for the 3 cell, but nothing else will likely be touched until the Montevina refresh.

The U6's turn will probably be later in the cycle (i.e. Sept-Oct) because the -sg update just came out. Besides the cpu/gpu upgrades as part of the new platform (and the wifi switch), we might see a bump in HDD size; I doubt more RAM since the -sg is already at 3GB I believe.

 

I'm sure it's not the Montevina refresh right now. But ASUS is holding all U6's right now for another week or two before releasing them back (to the US that is). That's just the word I got.

It's why my best guess is just checking the common problem found from U6 owners world-wide in regards to the performance with the 3-cell. Probably just tired of all the calls, e-mails, and service requests

Sadly I need to have this notebook by Mid-August at the latest, so I'll miss the Montevina. However, I believe this current config should get me through the next three years.

Don't worry U6 fans. Once I get this lappy I'll post pictures (better ones than available), benchmarks, and opinions.

 

i'm waiting for this !! thanks man !!

 

Eddie over at BTOTech's forums has a video review of the -sg (and many other Asus) models, if you would rather see it in moving pictures

 

Do Asus notify you when they have your laptop?

 

Well, I wanted a smaller adapter than the u6sg bohemeth.
I had an asus m6 and used the adapter from there before I sold it.
It was a little smaller and quite a bit lighter.

So I bought the 65w from excalibur.
The web site clearly says it is an ASUS- very clearly I might add. Even an ASUS partnumber
They sent me this crap Liteon thing that, although being a little smaller
than the 90w is actually heavier!! False advertising

Now I'm having all kinds of problems getting any response at all from them.
2 emails unanswered, they never answer their phone.

So I filled out their rma form.
They seem to think I'm going to pay a 15% restocking fee and shipping. They only offer exchange or credit-
no money back. In this situation I shouldn't have to pay one dime.

I know several people here are looking to buy the 65w. I will let you know if someone at Excalibur takes responsibiliy for this and if they actually have the real asus one or not.

 

Sorry to hear you have probs with ExcaliberPC .

 

My brand new U6 ships tomorrow. I am quite excited about it.

Sadly for those of you waiting for my review with the T9300 with some gaming benchmarks, you're going to have to settle for 3DMark06 numbers, since I do not believe I have any demanding games to test. But I will give it a shot.

Remember expect the product to be similar to that of the Dell m1330, since the 9300 card is just a slightly updated version.

 

I miss my U6 already . Wonder if Asus got their hands on it yet. It arrived in EMMEN on Thursday so ....I have no confirmation nothing .

 

Nice one. Hope it has no issues . Will post some pics with mine when I get it back .

 

The Danish website pcworld.dk recently did a review of the Asus Lamborghini VX3. They also did a brief performance comparison vs the Dell XPS M1330, Asus Deluxe U2E, and the T9300 version of the Asus U6Sg using pcmark 2005 and 3dmark06.

Here's a link to the article page with the performance graph at the top (click to enlarge):
pcworld.dk Lamborghini VX3 review (page 5)

Not surprisingly, the U6Sg matches the performance of the VX3. The very minor differences are well within reasonable error margin for the two benchmarks.

 

You could call and ask about the status.

 

Hey cool! I think I must be just about as excited as you are

Could please please I ask you to download the C&C3 demo and figure out with which settings one can play on the native resolution at a decent framerate?

Im really looking forward to your review!! Cant wait!!
-COW

 

I have a mate with the full game. If mine arrives first, I will give it a go .

 

Just posted this in the other forum channel:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=262438&page=7

_____________________
Ok, installed C&C 3 on my U6Sg and updated the game to ver 1.09. Used latest Nvidia drivers from Asus website (dated Jan 2008).

At 1280x800 using lowest setting, the game ran at the frame rate cap of 30fps (can't go higher in C&C3). So it's perfectly playable at low quality settings at native resolution. I then upped the sliders to test where I could still get to at a playable level. I could get around 25fps (I consider anything above low-20's as playable in an RTS - below that is tough) at the starting position on the map when I:
- Kept AA off
- Terrain detail medium
- Water detail medium
- Model detail low
- Texture quality medium
- Shader detail low
- Shadows off
- VFX detail medium
- Animation detail medium
- Decal detail low

Hope this helps - seems that C&C is very playable at native with low quality settings, and you can bump quite a few settings to medium and still get mid-20s fps based on my testing. If you have a specifc map or something you want me to load, happy to do that - PM me.

This may help too: http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6168067/p-1.html

Petrov.

 

I just called Asus. 6 days to receive a new MOBO from Taiwan, apparently it had a problem. So, Asus will have my laptop 3 weeks instead of 2 .

I can only laugh about this whole thing .

 

Told you 10 days were overly optimistic ASUS Nederland always have to order from Taiwan, it seems they never stock anything...

 

I would like to try experimenting with the ACPI DSDT tables for the Asus U6Sg laptop. Ideally, I'd like to see if it might be a DSDT bug that prevents the 3-cell battery from working correctly, but other problems might also appear.

If you have an Asus U6Sg with linux on, I'd like to ask you to run the following command and send the resulting dsdt.dat file to EDIT mail address removed:

Code:

cat /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/DSDT > dsdt.dat

Thanks in advance.

 

You would think after you give detailed info on their website, before you get the RMA, that they would actually check to see if they have parts. If they don't, they order it asap and by the time my laptop arrives, 3 days out of those six are gone. That is just me, a bit more organized .

 

That wouldn't be feasible. If they really don't want to stock parts, then they can't rely on the user to determine the faulty part, they have to wait for the engineers to give their diagnostic. Otherwise, they'd accumulate useless parts in storage, which were actually not faulty and did not have to be exchanged...

 

Cow, I have C&C 3. I'll try to find the discs when my U6 arrives on Thursday (but won't be posting till Friday as I am off on a business trip through lower New England for the next two days)

I expect to post a full review of the machine sometime this weekend with pictures and benchmarks.

 

hey thanks Affirmative Inaction!

But Petrov has already done it I still look forward to your review and pictures!

I think I have decided to buy the LG though, even though it breaks my ASUS loving heart...

-COW

 

This world has two kinds of people. People who anticipate and are always prepared and people who react according to what happens. The latter are seldom successful and they live from day to day. If everyone would wait for the engineer to make the diagnostic then nothing will be fixed on time. I phoned BMW, I told them my SMG gearbox has a problem in auto mode, they did not wait for the engineer to make the diagnostic, they already had a replacement waiting in case the gearbox is broken beyond repair. Turning now back to Asus, they react rather than anticipate. Just because an engineer has to make a diagnostic it does not mean you need to avoid having repair parts. I do not want to offend anyone, this is my opinion and because of my way of doing things everyone in the bank is happy. We always have replacements and it does not take longer than a day to fix a broken laptop/pc/printer.