Z70Va vs. Z71V - Real Difference

Can someone in plain english explain to a "non notebook-techie" what the difference is between these two Asus models? Only difference I see is the Z70Va has a more sleek chassis and appears to be lighter. The graphic cards are a different brand but? Does one have a better display? Thanks in advance.

P.S. If you were to buy one of these (leaning towards the Z70Va) which online etailer offers the best combination of support, service (prompt shipping and customer service) and price? I have perused many of these Asus reseller web sites and they are not impressive from a web site point of view.

 

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. They have different brands of graphics cards (my Linux buddies tell me that having an nVidia card will make life easier if running Linux) and slightly different builds. You might have a little bit of difficulty finding the z70va though. I just noticed Justin took it off his site ( www.proportable.com) and Eddie's site ( www.geared2play.com) seems to be MIA at the moment.

The z70va has cabon fiber embeded within the layers of plastic to make it a little sturdier which is part of what drew me to it (I swear I thought the screen res was lower on the z71v too, oh well, I'm happy). I'm not sure if the z71v has this too or not.

As far as etailers, check out the sticky ASUS FAQ in this category. Other than the two I've already mentioned, Canadays comes up often for those living in Canada. Speaking of the etailers, hopefully Justin and/or Eddie will see this and can offer more insight as they have more experience with the different models. And I'll try to be around for translations if need be

 

Here's an excellent thread that talks about the differences between those two models: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=30680

Regarding resellers, look in the FAQ for a complete list. There is no way to guarantee that you'll have a great experience with whichever reseller you go with, but if you ask about resellers in the forums I frequent, you will repeatedly hear some of the same names. Those names are ISTNC, PROPortable, Geared2Play, c9tech, & CanadaSys. If you take those as a short list, you can narrow it down from there based on whichever considerations you have.

 

The Z70VA has an x700 video card, slightly more powerful than the Z71V's nVidia go6600. I prefer the Z70Va's display, probably the best matte screen I've seen. Some have said that the Z71V's screen wasn't that great (sparkles).

 

the Z71v is just plastic, no carbon fiber. It's still very well built. And both notebooks have the same screen resolution (although some resellers are selling them with lower-res LCDs as an option)

p.s.: I love your screen name!

 

Very helpful. Thanks everyone. Now if Justin or Eddie will chime in and let us know why the Z70Va is off their sites.

 

Maybe because there's a slight shortage at the moment.

 

Yup. Keep checking site for updates on ETA...

 

Ahhh...that might explain what I saw...anyway.

Definately a shortage on the z70va's at the moment. The holiday rush really shortened supplies. Geared2Play appears to be back up as of now (see timestamp) with it listed. It's still off ProPortable's site.

djembe - Thanks! Same to you! I actually have two djembes sitting in my apartment. One is in need of a skin though. This name was something random for an AIM name (thus the missing e, 16 character limit) and it stuck. I've thought about using it for a site or something...Drummrsanonymous - For the drummer in all of us. Maybe, like I have the time to maintain a site.

 

well, if you decide to get it up and running, PM me a link