I got my Z70a just after labor day and here is my review:
Purpose
A notebook for business purposes. Word, internet, powerpoint, outlook and heavy excel usage - multiple apps and windows open at the same time. Never ever will I play a game and probably never watch a movie. I wanted something fast and with decent mobility (weight, battery). I looked at a ton of reviews and notebooks and always came across negative issues. Given I don't care about gaming, reviews were often unhelpful because they always addressed gaming and rarely serious business needs (like very large spreadsheets and databases). The Asus as the only one to have great reviews without any hitches (except for the battery problem on the 71v) so I decided on it.
Pre-purchase questions/decision issues
Which model? The 71 was out because of the potential battery issues and I don't care about its graphic performance since I don't play games
Screen resolution. I was concerned that 1600x1200 was too tiny so I opted for the 1200x800 and therefore the Z70A.
Hardrive. 7200 60GB vs 5400 100GB. I chose the 5400 and maybe I made a mistake. I looked into this a lot and everyone said to get the 5400. I then realized, though, that I care a great deal about burst speed because I work on large spreadsheets and saving takes 10-15 seconds (I save frequently due to fears of crashing/losing data). But, well, my other laptop took maybe 45 seconds to save the file and I'm hoping the diference between the 5400 and 7200 in saving time was no more then 2-3 seconds.
Specs
Z70a
2 Ghz
2 GB ram
CD/DVD burner
1200x800 screen resolution
No OS (I have it at work)
Wireless
Rush shipping
$1649!!!
Vendor
www.rjtech.com
Richard is great! The best price and great service, I highly recommend him. Very patient in answering questions by phone and email. The computer had a defective touchpad right button and he replaced it with a brand new computer without any hassle at all.
Screen
very good. Its not as nice as my boss' Fujitsu but his 17inch scren P4 computer weighs a ton. I prefer mine!
Keyboard
Awesome. I love this keyboard, just love it. Only 1 complaint. I hate where they put the control key. I think the FN and control key should be switched but I am getting used to it, kind of.
I wish the bottom part of the laptop was bevelled. I find it a bit uncomfortable because it kind of digs into my palm when i use the touchpad (my palm wrests on the bottom part of the computer) but I am getting used to it.
touchpad
great
CD/DVD drive
fast and quite for copying but I don't know about buring as I haven't done it yet. 1 little problem is the button to open the drive is a bit difficult to get at. not a big deal but it should have been put next to the play buttons on the left side.
Battery
wow, great. i think more then 4 hours. i don't find it too hot either and have literally put this on my lap while working (I was wearing pants, though).
Pros
silent
fast
great price
great wireless
beautiful looking machine
very light
very good sound (ok, its not my home systme but, hey, this is a laptop)
Cons
no bluetooth. right now its fine but i will probably want it when i am given a blackberry at work
poor placement of open button for optical drive
bottom part of computer - nice if it were bevelled
Conclusion
I would definitely buy this one again. I was also really happy with RJtech. I wish I could see a 1600x1200 screen because maybe I would have gotten it (and then had bluetooth) but I am happy with this resolution and computer...and saved $170.
Purpose
A notebook for business purposes. Word, internet, powerpoint, outlook and heavy excel usage - multiple apps and windows open at the same time. Never ever will I play a game and probably never watch a movie. I wanted something fast and with decent mobility (weight, battery). I looked at a ton of reviews and notebooks and always came across negative issues. Given I don't care about gaming, reviews were often unhelpful because they always addressed gaming and rarely serious business needs (like very large spreadsheets and databases). The Asus as the only one to have great reviews without any hitches (except for the battery problem on the 71v) so I decided on it.
Pre-purchase questions/decision issues
Which model? The 71 was out because of the potential battery issues and I don't care about its graphic performance since I don't play games
Screen resolution. I was concerned that 1600x1200 was too tiny so I opted for the 1200x800 and therefore the Z70A.
Hardrive. 7200 60GB vs 5400 100GB. I chose the 5400 and maybe I made a mistake. I looked into this a lot and everyone said to get the 5400. I then realized, though, that I care a great deal about burst speed because I work on large spreadsheets and saving takes 10-15 seconds (I save frequently due to fears of crashing/losing data). But, well, my other laptop took maybe 45 seconds to save the file and I'm hoping the diference between the 5400 and 7200 in saving time was no more then 2-3 seconds.
Specs
Z70a
2 Ghz
2 GB ram
CD/DVD burner
1200x800 screen resolution
No OS (I have it at work)
Wireless
Rush shipping
$1649!!!
Vendor
www.rjtech.com
Richard is great! The best price and great service, I highly recommend him. Very patient in answering questions by phone and email. The computer had a defective touchpad right button and he replaced it with a brand new computer without any hassle at all.
Screen
very good. Its not as nice as my boss' Fujitsu but his 17inch scren P4 computer weighs a ton. I prefer mine!
Keyboard
Awesome. I love this keyboard, just love it. Only 1 complaint. I hate where they put the control key. I think the FN and control key should be switched but I am getting used to it, kind of.
I wish the bottom part of the laptop was bevelled. I find it a bit uncomfortable because it kind of digs into my palm when i use the touchpad (my palm wrests on the bottom part of the computer) but I am getting used to it.
touchpad
great
CD/DVD drive
fast and quite for copying but I don't know about buring as I haven't done it yet. 1 little problem is the button to open the drive is a bit difficult to get at. not a big deal but it should have been put next to the play buttons on the left side.
Battery
wow, great. i think more then 4 hours. i don't find it too hot either and have literally put this on my lap while working (I was wearing pants, though).
Pros
silent
fast
great price
great wireless
beautiful looking machine
very light
very good sound (ok, its not my home systme but, hey, this is a laptop)
Cons
no bluetooth. right now its fine but i will probably want it when i am given a blackberry at work
poor placement of open button for optical drive
bottom part of computer - nice if it were bevelled
Conclusion
I would definitely buy this one again. I was also really happy with RJtech. I wish I could see a 1600x1200 screen because maybe I would have gotten it (and then had bluetooth) but I am happy with this resolution and computer...and saved $170.
