Asus A8Js Core 2 Duo laptop reviewed
By Peter Rojas 
posted August 30th 2006 10:47PM
posted August 30th 2006 10:47PM
Laptop mag fulfills its editorial mission with a review of the A8Js, that new laptop from Asus which rocks a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, a 14.1-inch, 1,440 by 900 pixel widescreen LCD, a dual-layer DVD+-R/RW drive, 2GB of RAM, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (still a rarity in a laptop), a built-in webcam, 100GB hard drive, and a 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7700 video card. The battery life on this thing isn't so hot (they managed to squeeze out a mere 2 hours and 36 minutes), but they give the A8Js high marks for its muscular graphics card and (relatively) powerful processor, saying that, "You're not likely to find a lower-priced notebook with this much 3D-graphics power."
Uh, is the link working for anyone else?
Hmmm...the link isn't working for me either =( Also, searching laptopmag for "Asus A8Js" comes up with notta.
No, the link doesn't work. By the way, can someone tell me why the "wide screen" lcd is so desired? You have significantly less real estate when it comes to working with documents.
Is it really all about using your latest and greatest for watching vids? Just curious.
crescentdave, I believe the reason that the shift to wider LCDs is happening with the increasing sales of HDTVs, it's just like asking why were they 4:3 in the first place.
Weird, the link was working when I wrote the post earlier today.
Not sure what's up, I'll try and see if I can find it again. Sorry about that!
Personally, though both of my screens are 4:3 I would prefer widescreens. Why?
The additional horizontal space is a godsend for spreadsheets/data manipulation, video, and pretty much ANY situation that requires more than one window.
Furthermore, usually when going to widescreens you don't lose much vertically in terms of pixels. Example: When Dell went from the D610 to the D620 the base screen option went from 1024x768 (4:3) to 1280x800 (wide), while the vertical size went from 14" to 14.1". As far as "screen real estate" goes, you have gained pixels.
This isn't always the case (the advanced option actually lost a small amount of pixels) but given the choice, I'd much rather scroll vertically than horizontally. It's just easier.
Maybe your needs differ, but I like widescreens.
wider keyboard.
The link is broke :( but having a webcam on the laptop is cool.
Man, if that thing had 4+ hours of battery life, I would be all over it! Sounds perfect otherwise. It's nice to see that it is 1440x900 instead of the usual 1280x800.
crescentdave "significantly less space"? What are you smoking? How is more space less space? I have used a widescreen and it is significantly more space. You have to compare resolutions at the same vertical dimension to judge between a standard and widescreen. I.e. XGA is 1024x768 vs. WXGA at 1280x768. Wide sure looks better if you know how to count.
Thanks for the comments on why widescreen appeals to folks. I'm not so sure about vertical real estate gained by increasing resolution- there's a point at which small is too small for these eyes ... but the spreadsheet example makes sense. Perhaps the same argument could be used for tools used in graphics progs etc. Then again, I have a pivot 19 inch monitor and use it to great effect on ebooks and pdf's of magazines.
Wider keyboard is worth restating.
I don't see what the big deal is with these laptops - aside from the Core Duo - I have a Sager NP-3880 that I bought just a little over a year ago for $1850, shipped, which has a Core Solo 2.0Ghz 760J CPU, nVidia 6600 128MB Dedicated PCI-x16 video, a 1920x1200 WUXGA screen (15.4"), 80GB HD, 1GB RAM (PC-4200/533), Bluetooth 2.0 module, Wifi A/B/G, Gigabit Ethernet (on PCI-x2), 3 USB 2.0 ports, I/R, Web Camera built-in, dual 12-cell battery packs (I can get up to 3.5-4 hours, if I am just doing "everyday" tasks (web, email, office apps). Performance-wise, this thing is as fast as my dual-processor desktop (2x 1GHz PIIIs). The 1920x1200 screen is great, plenty of real estate. All these other Gee-Whiz Dual-Core machines reviewed here seem like a waste of money - I paid LESS for my laptop over a year ago and I have more bang for my buck!
@ Frank Z. This is a gaming laptop, yours isn't. The Asus will play modern games at decent settings. Plus the dual core is still better than your solo at multiple applications. Also for more intensive uses like Photoshop or video encoding two cores is preferential
Your citing of office app is a little unfair and short sighted. After all, a Celeron could handle the internet
This notebook is a truely desired by anyone but low battery life and 14.1' TFT would certainly make consumer re-think before buying it.
Hey there is nothing wrong with a celeron... :( I need to buy a new computer, or atleast do some updating.
whats the pricepoint?
14.1" gives a sense of portability, in case if it's under 2.4kg. is it?
Low battery life wouldn't matter much, afterall no one would expect to play intensive 3D games on battery for a long time anyway.
And I love widescreen, wider keyboard is way nicer, the only thing you have to worry about for gaming is that some old games doesn't support widescreen very well, such as WarCraft. It stretches your screen instead of giving you more space.
Anyway, how much is this thing? Too lazy to check myself, I just got myself a lightweight laptop, for working.
I have one of these and I cannot get Windows Vista Beta to install. It just boots the DVD and black screens into a reboot, infinitely. Runs Ubuntu Linux very well.
its a wonderful laptop, hope the page gets back soon,
anyways, the price is USD1,499, imo, its an excellent investment...
http://www.i4u.com/article6428.html
You say Bluetooth 2.0 is a rarity, but is it not being shipped in at least 12 percent of all laptops sold these days? :P Of course, I haven't made use of my MacBook's bluetooth once yet...
If this computer with all those specs is going to cost 1499 thats quite a steal I think. I have been looking around to buy a core 2 duo laptop and so far this seems to be the best one for the price. If anyone knows any place that I could purchase this computer please let me know. Thanks
Alex, where did you happen to get yours? I'd love to have a portable multimedia laptop w. a 512 card rather than this 15 pound bohemiath in my carry on!
can anybody please tell me where can I get this Laptop.., either online or in store plzz...,want to buy one urgently..,
soo... when will this shits be for sale?
im waitin for a core 2 duo laptop but there arent that many decent ones out yet.
This laptop doesn't seem to exist anymore, if ever!
1. ASUS doesn't list A8Js as a product they carry.
2. The laptopmag.com review has been removed.
3. I can't find a store that sells A8Js.
Where did it go??? Please give us an update!!!
I don't think this notebook has been released in North America, hence not really available from the resellers yet.
what about noise of this laptop.
short battery life - high power consumption - much heat - very loud....?
I just bought a new Asus A8J, it's sweet. Got it from a store called Data Doctors in Boulder, Colorado. (303) 442-0778. Ask for 'Dr.' Justin, say Rich B sent you.
BEn, mine runs very quiet and way less hot than my last laptop a Dell. I've not tested battery life yet.
Hmm, does anyone know what the deal is with the casing? Some sites, like this one show brushed aluminum, while others like cnet (http://reviews.cnet.com/Asus_A8Js/4505-3121_7-32072095.html) show ugly plastic. Which one is the real A8JS I ask!