* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

[NEX_SASIN]

So update, going to double check with mum. But i will probably be selling my N61JQ in the next couple of weeks... It will be a long slow goodbye.

What do you guys suggest? I'm looking at a Dell Inspiron 13 with an i5 2450m and 4GB of ram upgradable to 8GB. Without an SSD for $699 or with a 128GB one for $1000 (well $900 on that with the coupon). And a bit more off for education refund. Depends what deals i can get in the next few weeks!

Wow, selling a powerhouse for portability.

I wish to get a desktop next after N61, but i'm thinking to keep the N61 as a backup computer, really not sure if that's a wise to do as its value will go down to sink hole if i don't sell it in this couple years.

[arahman71]

...phew, crisis averted? I should be going for the 12.7mm, right?

Also, a bit bummed with the SSD- windows loads fine and fast, but little improvement with Sims 2/Age of Empires III load times. But then again, I am getting around 60FPS on S3 now, and lots load instantly. But then again, S3 still crashes. Wonder if there's a way to enable a command-line logger (a batch file, perhaps?). So, not a bad choice at all.

Also, keeping the previous HDD connected (USB enclosure) during linux install amusingly added all the OSes from the HDD into GRUB too. Should try to see how USB3.0 HDD windows works someday.

[NEX_SASIN]

Yeah N61 use 12.7mm caddy.

I was so close to get a SSD at the last moment and refrained myself from doing so, because i think it will be more worth it to get a SATA6 version and use it on desktop. The only game stresses HDD load is LA Noire which i have to slow down my driving speed sometimes to wait for the texture to load. And i don't play Sim 3, can't help ya there.

[arahman71]

Don't worry about that- it's just an anecdotal guideline for what one can expect with a SSD.

Again, time to get confused- this time about the shipping fees. It seems like there might be customs fees for shipping stuff from US- but how would I know exactly how much to expect to pay? HDE (the store I'm trying to get it from), ships via USPS, and they don't have any clear information. Also, would I be asked for any additional payment after ordering products from Amazon?

[Matt-Matt]

I'd go without the SSD, and put your own in. SSD is not an option at this point, but a necessity.

If you're not doing too much on the high power front, like gaming or rendering, I'd stick with 4GB RAM for now too.

I'd be considering an 15 inch with HD, i5, with a nice card to replace my N61. For now though, finances dictate that I wait. The N61 is doing just fine for now.

Yeah, well see the thing is. The i7 would be costing me nothing more, at the worst case $50 more..

I think the bluetooth is a separate piece of hardware. I'm not completely positive on this though.

I have an Intel 6200 (w/o bluetooth) but my bluetooth driver is still fully functional and I can still toggle it on and off. I never use bluetooth so I haven't confirmed it but it seems to be okay.

Seporate modules, i thought the same AFTER i bought my Intel 5100. The bluetooth module is cheap and crappy however. Seeing as we can't really replace that one you might be better off with the Intel Wifi card with Bluetooth/Wifi all in one!

I'm mainly worried about the reliablility of getting stuff from ebay. Also, I'm going to put the HDD on the caddy, so that shouldn't be an issue for me.

It shouldn't be an issue, worst case is you need to buy another caddy.

Wow, selling a powerhouse for portability.

I wish to get a desktop next after N61, but i'm thinking to keep the N61 as a backup computer, really not sure if that's a wise to do as its value will go down to sink hole if i don't sell it in this couple years.

Hence why I'm selling it now! I've got a much better desktop and rarely use the laptop anymore. I don't need the powerhouse anymore, i have my rig at home. I actually need the battery life for school nowadays.

Yeah N61 use 12.7mm caddy.

I was so close to get a SSD at the last moment and refrained myself from doing so, because i think it will be more worth it to get a SATA6 version and use it on desktop. The only game stresses HDD load is LA Noire which i have to slow down my driving speed sometimes to wait for the texture to load. And i don't play Sim 3, can't help ya there.

Woah, that's insane!
Also i'm on a desktop with a SSD with Sata II (Sata 3GBPS). And while it's a bottleneck it's still nice!

By the way, for anyone considering to go SSD you'll be happy with a Crucial M4. I got my 64GB for my desktop recently and I'm loving it!

You may want a 128GB though, I have multiple drives in this machine!

P.S good to hear from you all on the forums.

[arahman71]

It shouldn't be an issue, worst case is you need to buy another caddy.

Still, that's money wasted. However, I got an option through Amazon, only need to figure out customs.

By the way, for anyone considering to go SSD you'll be happy with a Crucial M4. I got my 64GB for my desktop recently and I'm loving it!

You may want a 128GB though, I have multiple drives in this machine!

P.S good to hear from you all on the forums.

Using a 128GB M4 right now, and have already posted my experience.

[Matt-Matt]

Still, that's money wasted. However, I got an option through Amazon, only need to figure out customs.


Using a 128GB M4 right now, and have already posted my experience.

Ah, depending on how much the caddy is.. If it's all of $6-10 i'd just grab it to be honest. Then again i'd prefer just to buy the good one from the start.

As for the SSD, good! It's good to hear that other M4 users are having a great experience like myself!

[Serville]

I have a very strange case.
I just found out that the product key I'm using right now is actually different from the one that Asus gave on the sticker.

I just found it out today (after 2 years) when I intend to back up my activation file using Advanced Tokens Manager, as provided here:
Advanced Tokens Manager - The Activation Backup Solution

The program shows a completely different Product Key from the one on the sticker on the back of my laptop. I tried Magical Bean Keyfinder , and it showed the same product key as detected by the Token Manager.
Note that I've never reinstalled. This is still the original copy on the hdd since the first time I bought this laptop. In fact, it still retais many of the original drivers & softwares from Asus.
I never have activation or genuine problem though.

Perhaps this is a returned product & Asus resealed the Win7 installation with a different copy of Windows ?

[Matt-Matt]

I have a very strange case.
I just found out that the product key I'm using right now is actually different from the one that Asus gave on the sticker.

I just found it out today (after 2 years) when I intend to back up my activation file using Advanced Tokens Manager, as provided here:
Advanced Tokens Manager - The Activation Backup Solution

The program shows a completely different Product Key from the one on the sticker on the back of my laptop. I tried Magical Bean Keyfinder , and it showed the same product key as detected by the Token Manager.
Note that I've never reinstalled. This is still the original copy on the hdd since the first time I bought this laptop. In fact, it still retais many of the original drivers & softwares from Asus.
I never have activation or genuine problem though.

Perhaps this is a returned product & Asus resealed the Win7 installation with a different copy of Windows ?

Could be, could just be an error. Oh well you now have 2 Windows 7 OEM serials

I don't know if mine came with it, because i formatted within 2 weeks..
Can anyone else with an original install confirm?

[haloistaken]

I've been wondering something similar as well. If I want to restore the laptop the way I got it when I bought it, how would I go about doing that? They never gave me a restore disc and I never backed everything up first time I got the laptop