Today I just got my Asus Z83V.
Interestingly I thought the shipment would come in at 3PM...and it came in exactly at 3PM from FedEx Ground.
Anyway...
I bought it from ISTNC (Integrated System Technologies):
http://istnc.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=Z83V&cat=22
ISTNC has the cheapest prices amongst all the companies offering a customizable Z83V. I checked their price against 10-15 other companies...
What comes in the box:
ASUS Z83V Laptop, battery not hooked in.
ASUS Z83V Laptop 8 cell battery.
ASUS Laptop Bag designed for 17" Laptop.
ASUS Mini-Coaxial cable for TV Tuner module.
ASUS DTV/FM Antenna
1 power cord for Asus Z83V (2 parts)
1 coaxial-BNC converter (I think its BNC)
1 Windows MCE Compatable Remote with 2xAA Batteries.
1 ASUS Badge (ya know, one of those things you can hook onto your luggage which shows your name)
Software (each on separate CDs):
ASUSDVD v6.0 (I think this is a rebadged PowerDVD 6...i saw PDVD6 at one point in the install)
ASUS Home Theater V3.0
ASUS Z83V User's Manuals v1.0
ASUS Driver & Utility v1.0
Nero 6.6.0.15
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software v9.0.1
ASUS PowerDirector DE v3.0.1208
ASUS Medi@Show SE 2.0
(I chose the no OS option, so there are no OS cds).
When I bought the Laptop from ISTNC the website said it included an optical mouse. I didn't get an optical mouse so I pointed that out to the guys at ISTNC and they e-mailed me back that they removed that from their site, as its an error. ASUS doesn't offer it anymore. But because I ordered it when it said it they are going to send me the optical mouse on monday. Very very cool.
Some extra crap in the box:
Centrino sticker
ASUS logo sticker
Some warranty papers
Some manuals
Packaging:
The laptop came with the cloth that lays over the keyboard. I think I will hold on to this.
The screen came covered with a plastic.
The AudioDJ panel was covered with a plastic.
The Laptop came enclosed in a white cloth-like cover.
The Laptop came tighly packed in the box with the laptop back in parallel with it.
OK now to the laptop:
Screen:
The screen is beautiful. The angles are great. The colors are so vibrant. The screen is your standard awesome glossy screen.
As the specs say, its 1440x900.
Keyboard:
I read a couple reviews saying that there was some bending in the keyboard if you push in certain places...
First off I dont know what they are talking about, and second off I didnt notice any kind of bending, or depression of the keyboard as a whole.
Its a very nice keyboard. My old keyboard had the FN and CTRL keys reversed, so it will take some time getting used to.
They keyboard comes with some function keys at the top...
Mail - opens OE6 by default. Not sure if you can program this with any other client (not a problem for me, I use OE6). I dont know if this just defaults to your default client either.
Browser - opens IE6 by default. Again, not sure if you can program this with any other client (again, not a problem for me). I dont know if this just defaults to your default client either.
Disable touchpad - when pushed it will show a colorful graphic on the screen indicating whether the touchpad is enabled or disabled.
Some button with a picture of a little man - i have no idea what this does.
I find that there are two types of laptop keyboards. Soft and hard keys. Soft keys are ones that just seem smoother, thicker and less likely to fingers caught under them. Hard keys seem thinner, have quicker response, are more likely to have your fingers get caught under the keys and require some time to break in.
The Asus Z83V have hard keys. I have found my fingers getting caught under keys several times even though I very very very short fingernails.
I found this happened with my brand new Logitech Ultra DestopX keyboard. After about a year of usage I never get my fingers caught under the keys. So it will take some time to work this keyboard so I dont lift any keys.
When i say "caught under the keys" i mean that the keys depress far enough that when I press the key to far to the side of the key, the skin on the very edge of my finger will get caught under the key and scrape it.
TV Tuner:
If you have done your homework you will know that the TV tuner port is a mini-coaxial port and that you need the special ASUS cable. Some companies dont offer it, requiring you to call ASUS for it. ISTNC gave it to me, prepackaged. Its about 5 inches long.
I haven't hooked it up to the cable yet, but the quality of the antenna TV is great.
It comes with an FM Tuner, and it is VERY VERY sensitive, its wonderful.
The Remote:
Its a very nice remote. I have a LeadTek TV2000XP PCI TV tuner for my desktop, so I have a little experience in the field. Its a very nice remote. The buttons are a lot nicer than the LeadTek remote. The remote feels like a remote that could come with a TV. Its a quality product.
The receiver for the remote is on the front of the laptop. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. Its very subtle.
The remote has a lot of functions and it works very well with the ASUS Software (I'll get to this in a bit).
Its very responsive, and what is nice is that the system-tray icon for the remote becomes active when you click a button. So if you think your remote isn't working, there is concrete evidence on your screen to prove your theory.
The Sound:
I became a little scared that I would be spending a lot of time fixing the sound because the first driver failed to produce sound. What I later realized is that a Microsoft update for High Definition Audio is required before the sound starts working.
Once its working its wonderful.
I have a Sager 3790 and its sound is pretty bad.
This laptop has very loud sound that can handle very loud music. I didn't hear any defects from running loud Smashing Pumpkins music.
There are four speakers. Two next to the keyboard, two below the computer. Its quite nice.
The guy I spoke to at ISTNC said I would be disappointed with the sound and suggested I get the Sager 5320 as it comes with a built in subwoofer. I can tell you this, Im certainly not disappointed with the sound quality. Its really really good.
Driver Install:
There are a lot of drivers to install. Video, audio, modem, LAN, wireless, chipset, mediacard reader, etc.
Just pop in the driver CD, and run each of the setups. Pretty easy, pretty quick. All of them want a reboot...I only rebooted after the video driver so I could see better.
All the others I just ran and rebooted at the end.
Id say everything except the GameFace Live software is necessary. The GameFace Live software seems to be for the TV Tuner. Its a piece of junk and I could not get it to work. The ASUS Home Theater works fine for the TV Tuner.
Software:
If you REALLY want Windows Media Center Edition, then by all means install it. But you don't need it in my opinion. Of course you have softwares like MediaPortal and BeyondTV if you prefer those, but the ASUS Home Theater is top notch. Its not JUST for the TV.
It reads you "My Music" folder for music, your "My Videos" folder, your "My Pictures" folder, and it has functions for viewing TV and listening to radio. It makes Windows MCE all the less a necessity.
It makes the machine a very nice media center laptop.
I just need to figure out how to exit the software with the remote. I THINK the on/off button does it, but the last time I pushed that button on the remote it turned off the computer >
.
As I said the GameFace Live is worthless. Don't install it, unless you really want to get it working and see what its all about.
I think it lets you serve your TV as a video stream since there is a function to start a server in the software.
ASUS DVD is nice. It seems like PowerDVD, which is why I think its just a rebadged PowerDVD. Whatever, its just for DVD's anyway.
I havent tried Medi@Show or PowerDirector. Don't know what they do anyway.
The Ports:
I read a couple reviews where people compained about four of the five USB2.0 ports being bunched in the back of the computer.
Personally I like those ports back there, and the fact that they are bunched together doesn't mean I can't fit more than one USB cable in. I had no problems with it. With the Sager 3790 the USB ports are in the front of the machine. I like them in the back.
Parallel port...VGA port. Standard stuff here. Both on the back of the laptop.
No DVI port, but I don't mind. I have one LCD (DVI input) monitor. It is being used. Every other monitor I have is CRT, and every TV I have is not plasma or LCD. So it doesn't matter. The guy as ISTNC said I should go with the Sager 5320 since it has DVI. Its just something I dont really need. I prefer having a VGA since Im more likely to plug it into a CRT sooner than an LCD with DVI. Besides, I never use external monitors anyway.
5x USB2.0...four in the back, one on the left of the laptop.
1x Mic, 1x Speaker, 1x Line-out...all on the left.
1x Media Card reader...on the left.
1x MiniCoax port for TV tuner...on the left.
1x Firewire...on the left.
1x SVideo Out...on the back.
1x Lock port...on the back.
1x PCMCIA...on the left.
1x DC-in...on the right.
1x RJ11...on the left
1x RJ45...on the left.
I really like that all the ports are on the left and the back.
I don't like when laptops have ports in the front, or are scattered on all sides of the laptop. I know to look on the left or the back.
Optical Drive:
Its an 8xDVD+RW, 8xDVD-RW, with DL support. Its really nice. Its not slot loading like the W2V has, but its all good.
There was no option to upgrade or downgrade...not that I was going to anyway.
Touchpad:
Its VERY nice. It has the scroll function on the right side. The pad is very wide.
The buttons take some time getting used to. There are two buttons. They appear to look the same as the W2V's buttons. They have metallic finish.
I do have a problem with those buttons. It seems like these buttons are requiring of one to be pushing in the direct center of the button to actually register a good click. During casual usage I find myself hitting the buttons off to the sides. When that happens I dont get a push and I start pushing around in 3 or 4 different positions until I get a good click. It will take some getting used to...
AudioDJ Front panel:
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this in more recent laptops, its an addition to laptops that let you play audio cds without the laptop being powered on. Yes, the fan is on blowing out hot air as if it WAS on, but the HD and other components are left off.
The screen of the machine folds down on the laptop such that the AudioDJ is exposed. What is nice is that the panel is flat and facing up...as opposed to being on a slant facing out. I think the Sager 5320 is like that.
Unlike the Sager 5320, though, the Z83V has no digital LED showing CD progress.
But if AudioDJ function is what you are looking for then steer away from the Asus Z83V.
Compared to the Sager model, the AudioDJ is quite lacking.
It has no LED showing the time remaining on the song, or something similar. There is nothing indicating the current track number.
You just have the Power/Previous Track/Next Track/Stop/Play-Pause buttons and a blue light indicating the AudioDJ is on.
There is also no volume control...or at least I couldn't find one. So unless you have a volume control on your headphones you are S.O.L.
Built in Camera:
It seems like it has decent quality.
Resolution of the pictures are 640x480 (0.3072 MP). The specs say its 1.3MP, which would indicate that the pictures should be around 1320x990. I will have to figure out how to unlock the full potential of the camera.
On a good note, the camera works great with Windows XP Scanner and Camera wizard.
Located above the screen.
Built in Microphone:
Its very loud. Its VERY clear.
It works with Sound Recorder right off the bat. No setup required. Very nice.
Located above the screen.
Look of the laptop:
Its very sleek. Whats nice is that you really need to look at the sides to see the sides of the laptop. You can't see them from just peeking your head to the side. What I'm saying is that it seems like there is little visual evidence that the laptop is anymore than a keyboard and screen. Thats what laptops in cartoons look like anyway
.
The power button is blue lit. Very pretty.
Are lights are blue...power/wireless/mail/HD/etc.
The battery light is orange when charging.
Noise and Heat:
Ive had the machine on for a while now.
Its still nice and cool under my arms. I don't feel any excessive heat on the keyboard. I read that this machine dissipates heat very well and that is the truth. Nowhere on the laptop is it any warmer than what I would guess to be 24-25degC. This isn't the case with my Sager 3790 for sure. There are certain areas of my 3790 which are significantly warmer than others.
Sure its not isothermal over the entire surface, but the temperature differences are very minimal...VERY.
I can't even hear the fan. Its very quiet. Its quieter than my Sager 3790.
Its NOT one of those fans that switches off for a few minutes then turns off for a few seconds very loudly to blow out a lot of air.
Its continuously running. Its on the back-right of the laptop.
Other nicities:
There is a power switch for the wireless module on the left side of the laptop.
The PCMCIA slot and Media Card reader come with protective plastic inserts.
Almost everything comes covered with plastic to protect against fingerprints. Nothing says you can't leave them in place. I have removed some, left others .
There is a neat slot at the bottom of the computer that allowed ISTNC to put their business card in there. That is really nice if you are on the road and you have a problem with turning the machine on...REALLY nice. Hopefully if you, the reader, decide to buy the company will do this for you...or at least you should request it...
The laptop is completely flat with the desk.
Overall negatives:
AudioDJ is lacking when compared to the likes of the Sager 5320 (the major competition to this laptop).
The keyboard keys are hard-keys (see above for description under Keyboard section). Need time to work in.
No DVI...if you really need it.
No Serial Port...if you really need it.
If you are a stickler for minimizing the light coming through the connection between the screen and the base then the Z83V gets negative marks. Of course this isn't an Apple iBook. But this isn't one of my concens...so I'm fine with it.
If you don't push on the center of the touchpad buttons it won't register a good mouse click. Very tough to get used to.
Overall, if you are looking for a media center-ish Laptop PC, but is not as expensive as the ASUS W2V (which I might note can't be configured all that much) and not as expensive as the Sager 5720/5710, then the Z73V is a spectacular choice.
Interestingly I thought the shipment would come in at 3PM...and it came in exactly at 3PM from FedEx Ground.
Anyway...
I bought it from ISTNC (Integrated System Technologies):
http://istnc.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=Z83V&cat=22
ISTNC has the cheapest prices amongst all the companies offering a customizable Z83V. I checked their price against 10-15 other companies...
What comes in the box:
ASUS Z83V Laptop, battery not hooked in.
ASUS Z83V Laptop 8 cell battery.
ASUS Laptop Bag designed for 17" Laptop.
ASUS Mini-Coaxial cable for TV Tuner module.
ASUS DTV/FM Antenna
1 power cord for Asus Z83V (2 parts)
1 coaxial-BNC converter (I think its BNC)
1 Windows MCE Compatable Remote with 2xAA Batteries.
1 ASUS Badge (ya know, one of those things you can hook onto your luggage which shows your name)
Software (each on separate CDs):
ASUSDVD v6.0 (I think this is a rebadged PowerDVD 6...i saw PDVD6 at one point in the install)
ASUS Home Theater V3.0
ASUS Z83V User's Manuals v1.0
ASUS Driver & Utility v1.0
Nero 6.6.0.15
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software v9.0.1
ASUS PowerDirector DE v3.0.1208
ASUS Medi@Show SE 2.0
(I chose the no OS option, so there are no OS cds).
When I bought the Laptop from ISTNC the website said it included an optical mouse. I didn't get an optical mouse so I pointed that out to the guys at ISTNC and they e-mailed me back that they removed that from their site, as its an error. ASUS doesn't offer it anymore. But because I ordered it when it said it they are going to send me the optical mouse on monday. Very very cool.
Some extra crap in the box:
Centrino sticker
ASUS logo sticker
Some warranty papers
Some manuals
Packaging:
The laptop came with the cloth that lays over the keyboard. I think I will hold on to this.
The screen came covered with a plastic.
The AudioDJ panel was covered with a plastic.
The Laptop came enclosed in a white cloth-like cover.
The Laptop came tighly packed in the box with the laptop back in parallel with it.
OK now to the laptop:
Screen:
The screen is beautiful. The angles are great. The colors are so vibrant. The screen is your standard awesome glossy screen.
As the specs say, its 1440x900.
Keyboard:
I read a couple reviews saying that there was some bending in the keyboard if you push in certain places...
First off I dont know what they are talking about, and second off I didnt notice any kind of bending, or depression of the keyboard as a whole.
Its a very nice keyboard. My old keyboard had the FN and CTRL keys reversed, so it will take some time getting used to.
They keyboard comes with some function keys at the top...
Mail - opens OE6 by default. Not sure if you can program this with any other client (not a problem for me, I use OE6). I dont know if this just defaults to your default client either.
Browser - opens IE6 by default. Again, not sure if you can program this with any other client (again, not a problem for me). I dont know if this just defaults to your default client either.
Disable touchpad - when pushed it will show a colorful graphic on the screen indicating whether the touchpad is enabled or disabled.
Some button with a picture of a little man - i have no idea what this does.
I find that there are two types of laptop keyboards. Soft and hard keys. Soft keys are ones that just seem smoother, thicker and less likely to fingers caught under them. Hard keys seem thinner, have quicker response, are more likely to have your fingers get caught under the keys and require some time to break in.
The Asus Z83V have hard keys. I have found my fingers getting caught under keys several times even though I very very very short fingernails.
I found this happened with my brand new Logitech Ultra DestopX keyboard. After about a year of usage I never get my fingers caught under the keys. So it will take some time to work this keyboard so I dont lift any keys.
When i say "caught under the keys" i mean that the keys depress far enough that when I press the key to far to the side of the key, the skin on the very edge of my finger will get caught under the key and scrape it.
TV Tuner:
If you have done your homework you will know that the TV tuner port is a mini-coaxial port and that you need the special ASUS cable. Some companies dont offer it, requiring you to call ASUS for it. ISTNC gave it to me, prepackaged. Its about 5 inches long.
I haven't hooked it up to the cable yet, but the quality of the antenna TV is great.
It comes with an FM Tuner, and it is VERY VERY sensitive, its wonderful.
The Remote:
Its a very nice remote. I have a LeadTek TV2000XP PCI TV tuner for my desktop, so I have a little experience in the field. Its a very nice remote. The buttons are a lot nicer than the LeadTek remote. The remote feels like a remote that could come with a TV. Its a quality product.
The receiver for the remote is on the front of the laptop. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. Its very subtle.
The remote has a lot of functions and it works very well with the ASUS Software (I'll get to this in a bit).
Its very responsive, and what is nice is that the system-tray icon for the remote becomes active when you click a button. So if you think your remote isn't working, there is concrete evidence on your screen to prove your theory.
The Sound:
I became a little scared that I would be spending a lot of time fixing the sound because the first driver failed to produce sound. What I later realized is that a Microsoft update for High Definition Audio is required before the sound starts working.
Once its working its wonderful.
I have a Sager 3790 and its sound is pretty bad.
This laptop has very loud sound that can handle very loud music. I didn't hear any defects from running loud Smashing Pumpkins music.
There are four speakers. Two next to the keyboard, two below the computer. Its quite nice.
The guy I spoke to at ISTNC said I would be disappointed with the sound and suggested I get the Sager 5320 as it comes with a built in subwoofer. I can tell you this, Im certainly not disappointed with the sound quality. Its really really good.
Driver Install:
There are a lot of drivers to install. Video, audio, modem, LAN, wireless, chipset, mediacard reader, etc.
Just pop in the driver CD, and run each of the setups. Pretty easy, pretty quick. All of them want a reboot...I only rebooted after the video driver so I could see better.
All the others I just ran and rebooted at the end.
Id say everything except the GameFace Live software is necessary. The GameFace Live software seems to be for the TV Tuner. Its a piece of junk and I could not get it to work. The ASUS Home Theater works fine for the TV Tuner.
Software:
If you REALLY want Windows Media Center Edition, then by all means install it. But you don't need it in my opinion. Of course you have softwares like MediaPortal and BeyondTV if you prefer those, but the ASUS Home Theater is top notch. Its not JUST for the TV.
It reads you "My Music" folder for music, your "My Videos" folder, your "My Pictures" folder, and it has functions for viewing TV and listening to radio. It makes Windows MCE all the less a necessity.
It makes the machine a very nice media center laptop.
I just need to figure out how to exit the software with the remote. I THINK the on/off button does it, but the last time I pushed that button on the remote it turned off the computer >
.As I said the GameFace Live is worthless. Don't install it, unless you really want to get it working and see what its all about.
I think it lets you serve your TV as a video stream since there is a function to start a server in the software.
ASUS DVD is nice. It seems like PowerDVD, which is why I think its just a rebadged PowerDVD. Whatever, its just for DVD's anyway.
I havent tried Medi@Show or PowerDirector. Don't know what they do anyway.
The Ports:
I read a couple reviews where people compained about four of the five USB2.0 ports being bunched in the back of the computer.
Personally I like those ports back there, and the fact that they are bunched together doesn't mean I can't fit more than one USB cable in. I had no problems with it. With the Sager 3790 the USB ports are in the front of the machine. I like them in the back.
Parallel port...VGA port. Standard stuff here. Both on the back of the laptop.
No DVI port, but I don't mind. I have one LCD (DVI input) monitor. It is being used. Every other monitor I have is CRT, and every TV I have is not plasma or LCD. So it doesn't matter. The guy as ISTNC said I should go with the Sager 5320 since it has DVI. Its just something I dont really need. I prefer having a VGA since Im more likely to plug it into a CRT sooner than an LCD with DVI. Besides, I never use external monitors anyway.
5x USB2.0...four in the back, one on the left of the laptop.
1x Mic, 1x Speaker, 1x Line-out...all on the left.
1x Media Card reader...on the left.
1x MiniCoax port for TV tuner...on the left.
1x Firewire...on the left.
1x SVideo Out...on the back.
1x Lock port...on the back.
1x PCMCIA...on the left.
1x DC-in...on the right.
1x RJ11...on the left
1x RJ45...on the left.
I really like that all the ports are on the left and the back.
I don't like when laptops have ports in the front, or are scattered on all sides of the laptop. I know to look on the left or the back.
Optical Drive:
Its an 8xDVD+RW, 8xDVD-RW, with DL support. Its really nice. Its not slot loading like the W2V has, but its all good.
There was no option to upgrade or downgrade...not that I was going to anyway.
Touchpad:
Its VERY nice. It has the scroll function on the right side. The pad is very wide.
The buttons take some time getting used to. There are two buttons. They appear to look the same as the W2V's buttons. They have metallic finish.
I do have a problem with those buttons. It seems like these buttons are requiring of one to be pushing in the direct center of the button to actually register a good click. During casual usage I find myself hitting the buttons off to the sides. When that happens I dont get a push and I start pushing around in 3 or 4 different positions until I get a good click. It will take some getting used to...
AudioDJ Front panel:
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this in more recent laptops, its an addition to laptops that let you play audio cds without the laptop being powered on. Yes, the fan is on blowing out hot air as if it WAS on, but the HD and other components are left off.
The screen of the machine folds down on the laptop such that the AudioDJ is exposed. What is nice is that the panel is flat and facing up...as opposed to being on a slant facing out. I think the Sager 5320 is like that.
Unlike the Sager 5320, though, the Z83V has no digital LED showing CD progress.
But if AudioDJ function is what you are looking for then steer away from the Asus Z83V.
Compared to the Sager model, the AudioDJ is quite lacking.
It has no LED showing the time remaining on the song, or something similar. There is nothing indicating the current track number.
You just have the Power/Previous Track/Next Track/Stop/Play-Pause buttons and a blue light indicating the AudioDJ is on.
There is also no volume control...or at least I couldn't find one. So unless you have a volume control on your headphones you are S.O.L.
Built in Camera:
It seems like it has decent quality.
Resolution of the pictures are 640x480 (0.3072 MP). The specs say its 1.3MP, which would indicate that the pictures should be around 1320x990. I will have to figure out how to unlock the full potential of the camera.
On a good note, the camera works great with Windows XP Scanner and Camera wizard.
Located above the screen.
Built in Microphone:
Its very loud. Its VERY clear.
It works with Sound Recorder right off the bat. No setup required. Very nice.
Located above the screen.
Look of the laptop:
Its very sleek. Whats nice is that you really need to look at the sides to see the sides of the laptop. You can't see them from just peeking your head to the side. What I'm saying is that it seems like there is little visual evidence that the laptop is anymore than a keyboard and screen. Thats what laptops in cartoons look like anyway
.The power button is blue lit. Very pretty.
Are lights are blue...power/wireless/mail/HD/etc.
The battery light is orange when charging.
Noise and Heat:
Ive had the machine on for a while now.
Its still nice and cool under my arms. I don't feel any excessive heat on the keyboard. I read that this machine dissipates heat very well and that is the truth. Nowhere on the laptop is it any warmer than what I would guess to be 24-25degC. This isn't the case with my Sager 3790 for sure. There are certain areas of my 3790 which are significantly warmer than others.
Sure its not isothermal over the entire surface, but the temperature differences are very minimal...VERY.
I can't even hear the fan. Its very quiet. Its quieter than my Sager 3790.
Its NOT one of those fans that switches off for a few minutes then turns off for a few seconds very loudly to blow out a lot of air.
Its continuously running. Its on the back-right of the laptop.
Other nicities:
There is a power switch for the wireless module on the left side of the laptop.
The PCMCIA slot and Media Card reader come with protective plastic inserts.
Almost everything comes covered with plastic to protect against fingerprints. Nothing says you can't leave them in place
. I have removed some, left others .There is a neat slot at the bottom of the computer that allowed ISTNC to put their business card in there. That is really nice if you are on the road and you have a problem with turning the machine on...REALLY nice. Hopefully if you, the reader, decide to buy the company will do this for you...or at least you should request it...
The laptop is completely flat with the desk.
Overall negatives:
AudioDJ is lacking when compared to the likes of the Sager 5320 (the major competition to this laptop).
The keyboard keys are hard-keys (see above for description under Keyboard section). Need time to work in.
No DVI...if you really need it.
No Serial Port...if you really need it.
If you are a stickler for minimizing the light coming through the connection between the screen and the base then the Z83V gets negative marks. Of course this isn't an Apple iBook. But this isn't one of my concens...so I'm fine with it.
If you don't push on the center of the touchpad buttons it won't register a good mouse click. Very tough to get used to.
Overall, if you are looking for a media center-ish Laptop PC, but is not as expensive as the ASUS W2V (which I might note can't be configured all that much) and not as expensive as the Sager 5720/5710, then the Z73V is a spectacular choice.
