Gaming notebooks..

I have been looking at MSI because of the 64bit Turion + x1600... But lately I have been looking more at ASUS.. The one thing that seems to be changing my mind is the lack of 64bit.. I would be willing to go with an Intel CPU / ASUS notebook if the socket used for the current core cuo will be upgradable to 64bit versions in the future.

What are the current models for 15/15.4" Gaming ASUS notebooks? Nothing more than $2000.

 

Well for 15.4", prob the only one available right now is the WXGA S96J (the Z96J with WSXGA+ isn't out yet) with x1600. Nobody can say for sure that Merom will be able to replace the current Yonah chipset, but they are pin to pin compatible, so prob a good chance there. BIOS upgrade will be necessary methinks.

 

S96J and Z96J ARE Merom ready, but you will likely need a BIOS update. Honestly though, what do you truly need 64-Bit for? Vista won't be out for awhile... a long long while... and after even that 64 Bit wont be really required for two years at least..

 

Thanks for the info, I was looking at the S96J (awesome price!), but got turned off by the WXGA.. When is the Z96J suppose to come out? Will the price difference be more than $100 or so?

 

Certain resellers like geared2play can modify the S96J screen to WSXGA+ for additional $ if you really want. Not sure abt Z96J, prob end June/early July?

 

Not any more we only offered that for a few weeks. No more hi res screens that we can spare. Only had a few

 

ah .. ok.. sorry .. misinformation from me

 

Hi, if your still deciding on S96j or Z96j maybe this will help you.

ASUS Notebook S96J Barebone / X1600 256M... $699.00
1024M / SODIMM ( DDR2 / 667, Corsair, OCZ ) $119.00
Core Duo Processor T2400 ( 1.83GHz ) 667 2MB (Intel) $299.00
DVDRW (8x Dual Layer) Drive for VBI models $95.00
Hard Drive 80GB Internal 2.5-inch SATA 5400RPM 8MB, Seagate $129.00
Intel Wireless card WM3945AGM1GEN $45.00
GRAND TOTAL = $1386.00

Asus Z96J Barebone Dual Core Notebook, Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology, 15.4 WSXGA, ATI Radeon X1600 256MB Graphics, Bluetooth Built-in 1.3MP Camera, DVDRW ... $869.00
1024M / SODIMM ( DDR2 / 667, Corsair, OCZ ) $119.00
Core Duo Processor T2400 ( 1.83GHz ) 667 2MB (Intel) $299.00
Hard Drive 80GB Internal 2.5-inch SATA 5400RPM 8MB, Seagate $129.00
Intel Wireless card WM3945AGM1GEN $45.00
GRAND TOTAL = $1461.00

So for the Z96j, your roughly paying 80$ more and you get a high res screen, and internal bluetooth.

Also these prices are in Canadian dollars, of course in USD it will be close to 200-300 dollars less.

Also if you want 64bit, you may just want the 1.6 or 1.8ghz Yonah and then upgrade the CPU to Merom and you'll get a 20%+ boost in performance and may get 64bit processing.

So far everything is looking good for Merom and it being drop in compatible with Yonah and the NAPA platform.

This will also not void the warranty because it the reseller's warranty

Expect the laptop to be released anywhere from 1-3 weeks, unless someone post something that states otherwise.

Hope this helps, if you got any questions please ask.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Thanks MysticGolem... Nice info... The prices really attract me to this laptop, I checked fully built prices and added 1.83ghz, 2gb ram, 80gb HD and the price came out to under $1300 !!

Questions:

What are some of the best retailers/resellers that will have the Z96j when it's released? I can build it myself (as long as it's not too much different then building a desktop).

How does the 1.83Ghz Core Duo Compare to Turion 1.8? (in 32bit, since turion is a 64bit)... Performance, Heat and power consumption?

Merom will be 64bit and dual core right? Is there any official word on the *96j being upgradable to Merom?


Thanks