U30JC discussion thread

[Nixit]

I did what I should have tried in the first place and updated the intel drivers and this fixed it.

Well hey that's twice as simple and it works

[Quatro]

I hear Quatro kept complaining about the screen on the ASUS U30JC but I opened it today just to test it form my cousin. I kinda think the screen look better than the one on my crappy G50VT-X5 lol.

Actually, I think the screen is sharp & the colors strong. The problem, for me, is when I watch movies or HULU full-screen. Blacks in the bottom 1/3 of the screen appear gray, not black, like a PC monitor with the brightness set too high. Limited vertical viewing is also part of the problem.

I suspect this is a common problem for 13" LED backlit screens in numerous notebooks.

This is NOT noticeable for me in normal work or normal Office apps or general browsing, so it's no deal breaker. My screen on my Dell Vostro has the same problem. ... my 10" ASUS 1000HA does not.

And I may be just being picky, though some others have found the same problem.

But this, in the larger picture, is a small matter. I like my U30Jc.

[Quatro]

Is there any possible way to get the UL30JC without an optical drive (Or perhaps even remove it DIY style) to help lower the weight?
The price for the JC is great, but the design of the JC seems to have moved away from the ultraportable form of the ul30VT's and apparently you have to double what you paid in order to get that back :/

Not sure any one has found a way to change out the DVD drive for an extra drive on this unit.

If you want the same basic specs but not the ODD, then why not think of the UL30Jt or the PL30Jt?

[hebron]

So there is stock?

Sorry but I cant call this stores, im outta USA on the moment.

[Quatro]

So there is stock?

Sorry but I cant call this stores, im outta USA on the moment.

GenTechPC doesn't say they DON'T have them, so they might be in stock. Someone may have to call. It's too late here. I can try tomorrow if you like, unless someone has already called them.

Anyone?

[Nixit]

GenTechPC doesn't say they DON'T have them, so they might be in stock. Someone may have to call. It's too late here. I can try tomorrow if you like, unless someone has already called them.

Anyone?

Well I had called Gentech around 530 central today and they told me thursday/friday for more stock.

Just sayin.

[youth]

Actually, I think the screen is sharp & the colors strong. The problem, for me, is when I watch movies or HULU full-screen. Blacks in the bottom 1/3 of the screen appear gray, not black, like a PC monitor with the brightness set too high. Limited vertical viewing is also part of the problem.

I suspect this is a common problem for 13" LED backlit screens in numerous notebooks.

Not sure if it's been mentioned here, but this isn't so much a problem as it is just a limitation of the type of LCD used in most laptops today that being a TN lcd. Your monitor is probably the same way unless you paid twice compared to what others of the same size are going for. I do notice that some are better then others in regards to viewing angle despite being TN. My dell 13" M1330 is pretty bad while my 10" samsung NC10 netbook is decent.

Here's a good primer.
TN Film, MVA, PVA and IPS - Panel Technologies

[GENETX]

Is there any possible way to get the UL30JC without an optical drive (Or perhaps even remove it DIY style) to help lower the weight?
The price for the JC is great, but the design of the JC seems to have moved away from the ultraportable form of the ul30VT's and apparently you have to double what you paid in order to get that back :/

Yes, you could add a HDD caddy but not place a drive in it:
Adding a CD-bay HDD to ASUS U30JC-A1

I'll probably will replace the optical drive with a nice SSD if I buy an U30Jc (which won't happen too soon, but it is on my wish list).

[Quatro]

Not sure if it's been mentioned here, but this isn't so much a problem as it is just a limitation of the type of LCD used in most laptops today that being a TN lcd. Your monitor is probably the same way unless you paid twice compared to what others of the same size are going for. I do notice that some are better then others in regards to viewing angle despite being TN. My dell 13" M1330 is pretty bad while my 10" samsung NC10 netbook is decent.

Here's a good primer.
TN Film, MVA, PVA and IPS - Panel Technologies

Well done, youth! I was just reading about TN LCD screens 2 days ago (I know nothing on that topic) trying to figure out why my 15" Dell Vostro & this 13" ASUS had this problem while my (much) cheaper 10" ASUS netbook did NOT display this problem.

You're right. It's not a problem as much as a limitation of the type of screen used. Perfect answer and very helpful. Thanks!

[Quatro]

Yes, you could add a HDD caddy but not place a drive in it:
Adding a CD-bay HDD to ASUS U30JC-A1

I'll probably will replace the optical drive with a nice SSD if I buy an U30Jc (which won't happen too soon, but it is on my wish list).

Yeah, I was following this thread last week. Rawrjar reported on the 16th that he managed the extra drive/SSD installation and both drives work.

Still, this leaves me with questions others commented on:

You should consider whether you'll see $215 drive + $45 caddy worth of improvement by doing this on your computer, or if it would make more sense to bump up to a N61 i5 or the upcoming N63 or N82. Not that I don't like the idea of an SSD supporting TRIM running my OS and some programs with the extra drive for data, but whether it is worth the investment of that amount of cash. Could you get by with another SSD drive that is a bit smaller, but still supports trim? There was a notebookcheck review a little while ago that explored the long term usage of SSD drives by patriot

Notebookcheck: Long-term test Patriot Memory Torqx 128 GB SSD

Another poster said:

Cosmetics... well, it won't look nice looked up close.
Most faceplates are custom for the model.

Photos I've seen of the mod (except in black boxes like IBM) show the outer caddy face-plate not looking very nice. Ugly, in fact.

And the extra cost... depending on the size of SSD one gets. $260 EXTRA for an 80GB SSD+caddy (plus the hand-work & desecration of the poor chassis appearance). That's a 30% increase in the purchase price.

The things we do for that extra bit of speed.

Mind you, I'd LOVE to have an SSD drive in mine ... with that instant snap of opening programs. Then I can say, "Take that, OSX!"