My final opinion of the ASUS V2JE.

It is the ONLY laptop with a WXGA+ (1440x900) GLOSSY screen with a strong metal and carbon fiber case. (We are still not 100%, but we think it has carbon fiber.) I normally do not care for web cams, but this one and the Dell M1210 have really nice ones. They rotate 180 (M1210) or 240 (V2JE) degrees so lectures can be taped. I know it is a business laptop, but I still like the X1600 video card. Here is my opinion on that issue. Switching to the X1450 should either reduce the cost or add battery life. If either of these were accomplished I would not care because it is a business laptop. However, the battery life is still low and the price is still high. I am also concerned about the amount of flex described in the keyboard, although that should not be important. I think this is a superior laptop compared to the Dell Latitude D620, but it is rather pricey. I can get a nicely equipped D620 with an Intel T7200 processor, NVIDIA NVS 110M video card and 2 GB of ram for about $1550. The V2JE is $1899 with 2 GB of ram. I do not think I can generate that much money even if it is a great price. I hope the price drops below $1750 with the 2 GB of ram option before July.

 

1899... 1750

it costs 150 bucks to go out for cocktails

 

It is pricey but as we saw from the vx1 series you pay more for build/style than you do for parts.

 

I could use that $150 for beer. No Crazy Eddy's Cave Chili beer. YUCK!!!

 

I think at that amount you would be happier with the v1j

 

The ASUS V2JE can't be beat by any other notebook on the market today in terms of feature set. I don't see the D620 equipped for that price on the Dell site, so I'm sure you're comparing it by including Dell coupons, which is not a fair comparison.

Besides, like I said in your other thread, comparing a Dull with the V2JE is like comparing a VW with a BMW.

The weaknesses you point out are the result of a hi-res screen and Vista. I'm curious to hear what the Dell's battery life is like.

 

I still like the Dell D620 even though it is the ugly duckling that has no chance at becoming a beautiful swan. It is a work truck that does not have any other features. Finding the best price on the Dell website is not easy and it is frustrating if you are not used to it. I do not bother with their home office side that uses coupons. I like the V2JE because it is set up like the D620 should be set up. The D620's video card is crap. The D620 should have the nVidia Quadro 300M. I do not like matte screens and it lacks the web cam that rotates 180 degrees. I think Dell was the first to have that feature and they should have put it on everything. In my mind everything else is the same. Both have bad tech/customer support just like HP and Gateway. I have not used Apple's, but I bet it is bad too. Both are over priced. If I could just get a couple of these features in the really cheap Dell Inspiron 640M, I would buy that. I know it has really crappy build quality and many other problems. But it has 2 GB of ram, double sided DVD burner and many other crappy features for $699 when on sale. However, because it lacks a video card, I will probably buy the V2JE.

 

By the way, I think luxury cars are over priced and less reliable than cheaper cars like Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys. Certain exceptions pop up because Honda and Toyota make some luxury brands that are still overpriced, but just as reliable. However, this is not the place for this discussion.

I would take the Honda Accord over the Acura any day.

 

Are you in the US? The US V2JE comes with two batteries, a carrying case, and a mouse... Did you put those into your "comparison" D620 as well?? What about the Bluetooth and the 120GB HD? 90W AC adapter?

I got $1668 for the Dell with the same configuration. Dell's carry case a& mouse options aren't exactly the same, and they can't get the fingerprint reader to work under Vista. Dell has no webcam, as far as I know the keyboard isn't spillproof, and the NVS 110M is probably a tad slower then the x1450.

So the prices are pretty evenly matched for what you get.

 

Certain features are add-ons that cost the company nothing, so they throw it into the package. I do not want to carry around 2 batteries. If it was a modular battery that is different. I already bought a really nice laptop backpack from eBags. I also bought a really nice wireless mouse made by Kensington. These extra features are nice, but they do not add any value to the laptop. It is like the free toy you get at the dentist when you were young. Do not chose which dentist you go to based on the free toy .
The nVidia Quadro NVS 110M is a piece of crap. I say this often.
Personally I do not need a large hard drive and 80 GB is more than big enough. I do not use bluetooth and I am not a big fan of fingerprint readers. I prefer the cheaper costs of not having them.
It is expensive and you have to get through their phone technical support, but Dell does offer NBD On-site warranty service for $99. I have used it and I can say it stinks, but ASUS's customer support is just as bad.
The D620's keyboard is spill proof keyboard just like ASUS. It also has a protected Hard drive, but I do not know what that is.
The $149 accidental coverage plan covers both the screen and frame is ok. But, their lack of customer and technical support void this plus.
I forgot, it has the feature that finds Hot spots. That is more of a novelty though.
I do not consider many useless extras, but the Dell has a 3 year standard warranty. This is useless in my opinion.
Dell has a Cheap Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade.

 

Great analysis, Jumper!

 

So you're going to compare prices of two different configurations just because you feel like it, and then call the Asus model "expensive"?

 

That is the Dell advantage. If you do not want Vista, you can still get Windows XP. I do not want XP, but some customers still like it. Dell's ability to customize is really nice and saves me some money.

 

Were you here before? I remember having this same discussion with a different user name about 6 months ago. You cannot make a fair price comparison without comparing identical, or at least very similar configurations. Why don't you go buy a Dell and stop trolling our forum with your unfair biased "comparisons".

I highly doubt the extra battery or anything else that goes into an Ensemble package cost Asus "nothing". We have seen price adjustments to models in the past in line with the addition/subtraction of these items.

Not true. You could sell them on eBay and get a few $$$ - clearly they have a value.

I would hardly call an extended battery or a Logitech V270 mouse a 'toy'.

Whatever you say.

So many bad things to say about Dell... It sucks not being able to make a coherent argument, doesn't it?

 

Nope. In that case add Windows Vista Ultimate to ASUS, because Dell Latitude series adds it in for $50.

 

The Asus has a *fixed* configuration from the factory , so the only way to properly compare the two is to configure the Dell as closely to the Asus configuration as possible....

It's not rocket science.

 

That is ASUS's problem. Dell makes the Vista Ultimate option cheap and affordable. Thus it is part of the fair comparison.

 

Dell also buys wholesale and sells 1000x more notebooks then ASUS. That's why its so cheap, and such options are available.

ASUS, at the moment, is for a niche market, mid high ends for enthusiasts, while their lower end....well I just don't like where the low end is going, cause they can hardly compare to low end machines from, lets say Dell, HP, Acer, etc. Going just mid-high end is more of a easier route.

 

By the way, some sites offer the Vista Ultimate option for ASUS laptops for about $230.

 

Which is a complete waste of Vista(as good/bad as that OS is), as Vista is included in the price of the ENSEMBLE.

 

I like it and it has a much higher CNET rating then the other versions.

 

I don't comprehend. Not just that post, but pretty much a majority of where this thread is going...

 

Hey if you don't like the v2je then don' get it and stop complaining about it...

 

ehhh....everyone needs to chill. :yes:
the dell 620 is a nice notebook. the asus v2je is a nice notebook.

let's end it at that.

oh, and fyi, quadro 300 = 7300go, so it would still lose in comparison to the x1450.

 

I thought nVidia Quadro 300M = nVidia 7600

 

you're right. i mixed up the 300m with the 350m.