It arrived today, and it is brilliant. I took a photoshoot of it with my best friend's 13.3" Unibody Aluminum MacBook Pro. Asus UL30VT-A1 Screen Size: 13.3" Screen Resolution: 1366x768 CPU: 1.3GHz Intel CULV Core 2 Duo SU7300 RAM: 4GB DDR3-1066 GPU: Intel GMA4500MHD + nVidia GeForce 210M (switching) HDD: 500GB SATA II 5400RPM $699.99 MacBook Pro Screen Size: 13.3" Screen Resolution: 1280x800 CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 RAM: 4GB DDR3-1066 GPU: nVidia GeForce 320M HDD: 250GB SATA II 5400RPM $1,199.00 They're of different classes but similar physical stature. Sadly, there's something wrong with my HDD; it works just fine but makes a strange crackling noise and will be RMA'd shortly. Any advice on backing it up would be very helpful.
Thanks for the pictures! Both are great looking laptops, shame the Asus uses plastic. At least thats a rather low price though.
I really like those little macbook style keyboards. A mate of mine just got a new Vaio with similar keyboard and it is a real pleasure to type on.
The problem is there's SO MANY UL30s it's difficult to find the right one. I want the UL30Jc with Core i3 that was shown off at Computex Very lovely bit of kit! It maybe plastic but the textured surface is very nice. EDIT: This one, sort of.. it's thicker though. http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3381/asus_u30jc_13_3_inch_notebook/index2.html Asus needs to sort out its ****ing naming scheme
I have to admit that both look very nice ... I love my old XPS M1210 but its weight and its thickness are starting to get annoying... I really wish it will work for many more years however since I don't need more performance and/or comfort out of it
Thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback. Yeah. It took a buttload of research to figure out what I really wanted (at some point I was looking at 5 seemingly identical notebooks on Amazon for varying prices; turned out a few of them were discontinued, a few with varying batteries and warranties, and one that had the wrong photo). And yes, the fit and finish is quite lovely. The textured surface is very nice, and the metallic lid is pristinely sleek. I haven't used the laptop much though, since I'm waiting on the replacement HDD. If you have any questions (be as specific as you want), feel free to ask. I'm usually quick to reply.
UPDATE: So I received my replacement drive, which is a Western Digital instead of a Seagate. Installed a fresh copy of Win 7 x64, installed what I need to install, and I must say that the versatility of this thing is fantastic. Completely on battery, my parents just watched two films off Netflix.com's HD instant streaming via HDMI into their TV. Needless to say they enjoyed it quite a bit. If you're interested in getting one and want to know more, please check out the wiki. It's brand new but is growing very quickly.
They also need to sort out their fragmented as hell website. They have SO MANY laptops and comparing them is made nigh on impossible on their site. The almost arbitrary subcategories they put them in, combined with the fact that they list pretty much every product made in the last 24 months, just makes the site a recipe for rage.
