ASUS V1S - Any ideas

[LT Scunner]

I'm looking to replace my existing DTR notebook with something a bit lighter. I've been pointed towards the Asus V1S (soz - not allowed to post a link yet. I'll come back and update this when I can)

I had an Asus notebook years ago which was okay for the money but the build quality was only average and teh screen hinges ended up breaking through the rear cover.

Looking for a notebook to do some VS2005 & SQL Server development on.

V1S Spec:

15.4" WSXGA Screen (1680x1050)
NVidia 8600GT 512M
1GB RAM
Hot Swap Battery for DVD Writer
100+ GB HDD
etc etc

Hoping to get over 3 hours use with both batteries

I travel a lot in my job and so the notebook must be able to stand up to life on the road.

Just looking for any feedback on Asus notebooks in general. Reliability, support, screen quality , how they stand up to daily use and this type of stuff.

Thanks

[staffsMike]

Asus are a difficult brand to recommend for me.

Build quality is normally pretty good.
Performance is very good..shame this one doesn't come with 2gb as standard though.
Not sure on reliabilty of the new laptops only read a couple of reviews and not many user reviews.

The screen is supposed to be quite dull from what i've seen and the battery life even with the hot swap battery isn't that great.

Also..

Asus Support in Europe is quite horrendous whether it be laptops, desktops, parts.. I'm not sure exactly how long it takes them to fix laptops but I wouldn't expect it fixed under warranty in less than a few of weeks..and comminication during that time to be essentially non existant.

theres a good user review here
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3909

I havn't seen much else on it.

Alternatives I would strongly consider

You've got the mac book pro's
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObje...ily=MacBookPro

A little pricey but very light and thin for what they are.
Great support (with apple care)
Good battery life
great screens

Dell Vostro 1500
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...N0915003&s=bsd

Quite simply the best bang for bucks you can get imo.
2.0ghz
2gb RAM
256mb Gerfoce 8600GT
120gb Hard Drive
9 cell battery
The screen i used with the 1440 x 900 res was fantastic..one of the best i've seen.
etc..
for around £650 with free delivery at the moment.

I've used one of these and it's build quality is fantastic and looks great.
It's a little chunky but not very heavy and you get a great warranty with it.
The battery life even with the 6 cell is around 2.5 - 3 hours so with a 9 cell it will be more than you need.

what more could you want?

*long post ..didnt seem that long when i was writing it lol

[LT Scunner]

Thanks very much - very comprehensive.

It seems that everyone I speak to about Dell comes up with horror stories about failing notebooks and non-existent service which was why I hadn't looked at the Vostro. Now that you point out the obvious features - I'll hot foot it over there as soon as poss.

Thanks again for the speedy reply

[staffsMike]

Personally i've always found dells service very good.. especially using business warranties which the vostro does.

Hope you find what you are looking for.