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    Asus M51VA

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by Jarasloft, Aug 17, 2008.

  1. Jarasloft

    Jarasloft Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey there.

    I recently bought a M50SV which I was very happy about, but the store ended up not able to get anymore stock. I was searching around for a replacement and came accross the M51VA, which has, what looks to me, great specs. Also, its an ATI GPU, which is something I would prefer with the whole nVidia fiasco still unclear. The thing is though - I can find hardly any infomation on the lappy, even on the Asus site. Is there a reason for that? The specs are listed as:

    Asus M51VA
    http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-M51VA.10266.0.html

    PROCESSOR & CACHE MEMORY: INTEL T9400 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache)
    OPERATING SYSTEM: VISTA ULTIMATE
    CHIPSET: MOBILE INTEL PM45v
    MAIN MEMORY: DDR2 800MHZ 2G X 2 (4GB)
    DISPLAY: 15.4" WXGA+ COLOURSHINE
    VIDEO & GRAPHICS MEMORY: ATI HD3650 / 512M
    HARD DRIVE: SATA HDD 320GB (5400 RPM)
    OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD SUPER-MULTI DRIVE
    CAMERA: 1.3MP
    FAX/MODEM/LAN/WLAN: 802.11AGN, 10/100/1000 LAN+BT
    SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES: OPTICAL MOUSE AND CARRY BAG
    INTERFACE:
    4 x USB 2.0
    1 x ESATA
    1 x HDMI
    1 x TV-IN
    1 x IEEE 1394
    DVI-D
    VGA PORT
    EXPRESS CARD
    POWER: 90W ADAPTER, LI-ION 4800MAH(6 CELL)
    DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT: 365X269.5X40.5MM(MAX), 2.95KG (WITH 6CELL BATTERY)
    VISTA ULTIMATE

    Can anyone provide some info on this mysterious lappy? Anyone own one?

    Also, would people recommend one as a desktop replacement? I know this question is probably best left to the What to Buy section, but I got no replies there.

    Any help is greatly appreciated.
     
    Jarasloft, Aug 17, 2008
    #1
  2. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Well, at least for build and usability issues, you can refer to the M51S review linked from the Info Booth. The outer appearance and build materials of the two notebooks are likely to be very similar.
     
    E.B.E., Aug 17, 2008
    #2
  3. Tshroom

    Tshroom Notebook Geek

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    This must be the Centrino 2 version of the M51ta. If it can match the price it is probably a better bet. I can't find it anywhere though.

    Just did some research and it is only out in australia right now, but at a whopping $1700-$2000 and almost the same features as the M51ta. I know intel is quick, but not quick enough for double the price. Sheesh.
     
    Tshroom, Aug 17, 2008
    #3
  4. 238

    238 Newbie

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    Been looking over that one myself, price might look a bit steep, but that's the price those of us in Aus have to deal with. Best I found for that one was about the $1700 mark as well.

    For example, this particular Pavilion from HP in Aus costs 2000AUD, while a similarly configured system using HP in the US appears to be around the 1550USD mark.
     
    238, Aug 30, 2008
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  5. jastormont

    jastormont Newbie

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    Hi all,

    1st post here so be kind! :)

    I just bought the Asus M51VA today and got a Laptop bag, mouse and 250gig ext hdd in a promo pack with the laptop for $1999.00 Aus.

    I have only just setup the machine but so far very happy with it. I was looking at Toshiba's and HP's but in the end went for the ASUS as it had a full size keyboard, better res screen (1440x900) a 2yr warranty and Vista Ultimate (but it is 32bit :( ).

    I would like to run 64bit Vista on it but there only seems to be 32Bit Vista Drivers available (not even XP drivers) on the Asus website. Would anyone know how to get Vista 64Bit running on this machine?

    So far I am very happy with the machine. It seems very quick and well made, but time will tell I guess.
     
    jastormont, Sep 3, 2008
    #5
  6. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Check your drivers CD, the cover as well as put it in and look into the driver folders. Many Montevina ASUS refreshes have dual 32/64 bit Vista driver CDs.
     
    E.B.E., Sep 3, 2008
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  7. jastormont

    jastormont Newbie

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    Thanks for the info.

    The CD says it is Vista 32bit only drivers but there does seem to be some 64bit drivers on there. I am not sure if I would have them all but there is some there!

    With regards to 64Bit media I have a OEM Vista Ult that I have for my desktop PC. Could I use this media and just use my ASUS Product key since it is the same?
     
    jastormont, Sep 3, 2008
    #7
  8. ClearSkies

    ClearSkies Well no, I'm still here..

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    To my knowledge OEM product keys are linked to the OS they install, they are not interchangeable. My inclination would be no, you cannot use your Asus Home Premium key to activate a VUltimate OS install on your notebook.
     
    ClearSkies, Sep 3, 2008
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  9. jastormont

    jastormont Newbie

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    Would ASUS or Microsoft supply 64Bit media for OEM product like this?

    I know that with the retail Vista you can pay a small amount and get the 64Bit software CD sent by post.
     
    jastormont, Sep 3, 2008
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  10. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    No, AFAIK they won't give you the 64bit version in the price of a 32bit OEM license, unfortunately.
     
    E.B.E., Sep 4, 2008
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  11. samov

    samov Notebook Consultant

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    Vista 32 and Vista 64 USE THE SAME LICENSE KEY.

    You can install Vista 64 and use the key, but you need to install the drivers yourself.
     
    samov, Nov 22, 2008
    #11
  12. Morientes

    Morientes Notebook Enthusiast

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    And how do you feel about this laptop? Is it running smoothly and quietly? Does it have Centrino2?
     
    Morientes, Dec 20, 2008
    #12