Asus N61 Owners Lounge

[Red_Dragon]

Well apparently it is coming out this month, so why not start one?

[David]

I'm not exactly sure when/if the N61 will be available in the US market, but I just saw one in Taiwan earlier today. From what the sales person told me, it came out in Taiwan just 3 days ago.

Here's some pictures I took from my iphone (apologies for the blurry images):











Other notes: One feature that struck me most is the smooth matte palm rest similar to the G51 series. It's a nice deviation from the typical glossy material found in other N series. Since Asus is currently marketing the N61 as a multimedia notebook that sports Altec Lansing stereo speakers and SRS Premium Sound, I specifically asked the sales person to play a couple mp3s so I could sample the quality of the speakers; unfortunately, the audio quality isn't anything to boost about. It's certainly above average, with clear crisp treble even on max volume, but like most notebook speakers, the lack of bass significantly hinders any audiophile's audio experience.

Despite the glossy screen, the screen quality is excellent. Still images and videos were sharp and vivid, less some reflection from the store's fluorescent lights. The screen doesn't suffer from distortions caused by pressure being applied from the back and the screen hinges are tight which limits the screen wobble to a minimum.

The chicklet-style keyboard is very pleasant to use and suffers less flex than other chicklet keyboards used in other Asus notebooks such as the G51 and the new U series.

Although I was not able to run any benchmarks, the combination of the P8700 CPU, the GT 240M and 4GB of DDR3 ram should be more than enough for any multimedia users and even casual gamers. The N61 is equipped with the PM45 Express Chipset +ICH9M which technically should be able to support 8GB of ram, however, when I asked if the unit can in fact support 8GB of ram, I was given a firm "no-way" answer from the sales man.

The touchpad on the N61 is quite user-friendly. Borrowing Apple's multi-gesture innovations, the gestures were pretty intuitive.

Like any ideal multimedia notebook, the N61 has good selection of ports. From your standard USB and audio ports, to eSATA and HDMI, the N61 has them all.

Price: NT $36000 or ~$1110 USD before bargaining (note that in Taiwan, bargaining for a notebook purchase is expected. Also note that Asus notebooks sold in Taiwan tend to be slightly more expensive than in the US).

[Red_Dragon]

WOW! That looks really nice. I love the way the speakers look. Very classy +Rep

Anyways, that is a good price for that side of the world. Its good to hear the keyboard was good, i was expecting it to be good and i was right.

Its also good to hear that the speakers are above average because the speakers in laptops now are worse then they were before. Something that i think needs to be fixed sooner then later.

[Red_Dragon]

HOORAY!! Video Via GentechPC is available. Looks good.

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[GTi]

Looks good. I am waiting to see some reviews of the N61VN!

Thinking of getting this one ASUS N61VN-JX039C

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 2,8Ghz (1066Mhz) 6MB
Mobile Intel® PM45 Express Chipset +ICH9M
4GB DDR3 1066MHz exp. a 8GB
16" 16:9 WXGA Color-Shine LED Glare-type (1366x768)
nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 240M 1024MB GDDR3 VRAM
500GB 5400rpm SATA
Webcam 1.3 MegaPixels
DVD Super Multi
6 cells: 4800 mAh

Too bad the HDD isn't 7200rpm, but my real fear is about all the complaints Asus is getting, almost seems all their laptops end up broken.

[Red_Dragon]

What?! Broken Asus's? From who? I haven't heard any complaints on there recent models.

The hard drive isn't much of a big deal, scoop up a good one on Newegg and then just install once you order it.

Its a pretty good value for the money

[GTi]

You are right, that on more recent models, there aren't that much people with problems... still it makes someone think before giving 1600$. Here in Portugal there are 3 guy with this laptop and they seem really happy..

[da13371ama]

that n61 in the video haves a diffrent keyboard.

and i thought the sceen is frameless.

which model haves the sony style keyboard and frameless display?

[Red_Dragon]

Originally Posted by GTi

You are right, that on more recent models, there aren't that much people with problems... still it makes someone think before giving 1600$. Here in Portugal there are 3 guy with this laptop and they seem really happy..

Hm, $1600 in you country eh? Are you sure its this model? I know there are more then one of these models available in other parts of the world if i am not mistaken.

Originally Posted by da13371ama

that n61 in the video haves a diffrent keyboard.

and i thought the sceen is frameless.

which model haves the sony style keyboard and frameless display?

^^^ I dont think the model you are talking about is coming to America, at this time(Or ever). That is the one with the Quad Core i believe.

[GTi]

If you don't believe me, http://informatica.hcosta.pt/product...oducts_id/4073

1099€ = 1618.5567$

Why? Is is that much more then in the USA?