ASUS Z71V REVIEW
Looks
It doesn't look as sleek as the flagship W or V series notebooks, but it's still nice. It meets my aesthetic requirements. It's thinner than most of the notebooks I've seen of the same screen size, and has an understated appeal to it.
edit: after using it for a while, it looks like I've worn some of the paint off the left palmrest. This paint in this area has worn off to some extent, which, although it is not a big deal to me, does somewhat mar the looks of the notebook. However, after seeing other notebooks with much more and more obvious wear on the palmrest, I'm more appreciative of the relatively small amount of wear on mine.
You may notice a little wear on the bottom from when I used the wrong sized screwdriver and ended up stripping the screw and needing to get it out with vice grips.
Rick from ISTNC was kind enough to send me some extra screws after I told him about it, but there's still some scratches remaining from the vice grips. There's also a small white section just below one of the USB ports that resulted from me accidentally dropping the computer about 3 feet. 
Everything still works fine, though. (see section on "durability" for more)
It doesn't look as sleek as the flagship W or V series notebooks, but it's still nice. It meets my aesthetic requirements. It's thinner than most of the notebooks I've seen of the same screen size, and has an understated appeal to it.
edit: after using it for a while, it looks like I've worn some of the paint off the left palmrest. This paint in this area has worn off to some extent, which, although it is not a big deal to me, does somewhat mar the looks of the notebook. However, after seeing other notebooks with much more and more obvious wear on the palmrest, I'm more appreciative of the relatively small amount of wear on mine.
You may notice a little wear on the bottom from when I used the wrong sized screwdriver and ended up stripping the screw and needing to get it out with vice grips.
Rick from ISTNC was kind enough to send me some extra screws after I told him about it, but there's still some scratches remaining from the vice grips. There's also a small white section just below one of the USB ports that resulted from me accidentally dropping the computer about 3 feet. Everything still works fine, though. (see section on "durability" for more)
Screen
The screen looks good. The high resolution widescreen display makes me feel like I’ve got a ton of space to work with. I was initially worried that the text would seem too small, but it’s perfectly readable. I’m taking advantage of the screen space to view multiple programs side-by-side, and it rocks! After looking carefully, I did find one stuck pixel (always blue), but it’s in the lower left corner of the notebook, and I don’t notice it very much. Regarding the sparkle complaint that has arisen for some, my computer does have a slight sheen when displaying some solid colors (mainly light green). However, it doesn’t really bother me, and since it only happens in certain circumstances, it’s not something that I notice. It is somewhat noticeable when I first change my screen to a solid light green background, but within a few moments, I don't notice it anymore. I’m writing this in Word, and I don’t have any problem with the white background. It’s not obtrusive or distracting at all. Regarding color production, all the colors just pop when I look at the screen. They are very vibrant! The screen is also brighter than most, if not all, matte screens I've seen in person and has very good horizontal viewing angles. The vertical angles aren't as good, but they're still fair.
Build and Durability
The machine seems to be built very well. There’s very little flex anywhere. The case feels very solid, and the plastic case seems very un-plasticy. I tested the screen shielding by poking the back and looking for discororations: there were none. MUCH better than my old Sony that would get a discoloration if you breathed on it wrong!
The screen stays at whatever angle I put it at, and although after 2 years it does have a very slight wobble if shaken back and forth, it still feels quite solid.
Regarding durablility, I'm not sure if I should be praising the notebook or the included bag that Asus provides, as that's what I transport it in, but in said bag, it's been dropped & thrown, hit a car door somewhat harder than I intended it to, and had several books piled on top of it. And of course it's also been unpacked & packed in said bag more times than I can think of in various different ways, and carried all over. And it runs perfectly. Always. I don't try to be rough on it, but sometimes accidents happen. It's never let me down yet.
Edit: okay, so I spoke too soon. After one of the aforementioned drops, the plastic hook that locks the notebook closed snapped off. However, the good folks at ISTNC fixed it for me and got it back to me about a week after I sent it to them. My reseller rocks!
Weight & Mobility
The notebook is easy to carry around the house by itself, and for travel or commuting, it came with a handy notebook case. It's light enough to easily carry under your arm, but heavy enough so you don't forget it's there. I've taken my Z71v with me to several classes, used it on planes, in my car, in hotels, and various other places. It's easy to pack up and easy to put away, although it's just barely small enough for airplane tray tables. If you're going to be using your notebook on the plane a lot and aren't going first class, I'd probably recommend a 14" model.
Sound
The sound is quite good for a notebook, and the built in speakers can pump out enough volume to make DVD audio clear and distinct, even from across the room. However, they are still laptop speakers and have their limits. Deep bass notes will often come out muddy and distorted, especially at maximum volume settings. And that's the time to plug in headphones or auxiliary speakers into the Audio out port, which outputs a powerful and clear signal. Sound is one of the Z71v's best features.
Keyboard
The keyboard feels great. Keys are nearly silent, and have adequate travel or “bounce”. Some have commented on the location of the Fn key as annoying, but I find it convenient for usage when I'm using the hotkeys. Also, the keyboard letters are still very clear and distinct after a year and a half's use. Keyboard wear is minimal.
Touchpad
The touchpad works well in general. It’s very sensitive, and sometimes I brush past it and inadvertently move the mouse or click on something. That’s not necessarily a negative for the computer, but just something that took some getting used to. The buttons work well, but are distinctly louder than the keyboard. The scrollbar is useful. The farther you move your finger on it, the faster it scrolls. It’s a pretty cool feature, especially on big documents and web pages. It also has a sidescroll feature you can access by sliding your finger along the bottom.
edit: the Ubuntu touchpad drivers are not quite as good as the Windows ones, and there is a noticeable sensitivity difference especially when I do quick click-drags of windows from one area of the screen to another. Also, the scroll settings are a bit different. In Windows, I can scroll down a large webpage (such as NBF) by quickly swiping my finger once down the scrollbar, after which the touchpad continues to scroll rapidly until it reaches the end of the page. In Ubuntu, it stops scrolling when I take my finger off the touchpad, which is a minor gripe, but it's a little less convenient.
Scrolling also varies in different versions of Ubuntu. the Feisty touchpad driver is much better than the Dapper one
Performance and Benchmarks
My computer currently dual-boots Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. Due to this, my boot time is best explained like this:
Time to post (power button pressed to boot menu): 5 seconds
Boot time for Windows (selection in boot menu to login): 34 seconds
Load time for Windows: (password entry until all startup programs are loaded): 160 seconds
Total Post + Boot + Load for Windows: 3 minutes, 19 seconds (hmmm... I may have to alter some of my startup programs to get that lower)
Boot time for Ubuntu (selection in boot menu to login): 55 seconds
Load time for Ubuntu (password entry until all startup programs are loaded): 29 seconds
Total Post + Boot + Load for Ubuntu: 1 minute, 29 seconds
Benchmarks on AC Power using Nvidia 97.92 driver, 250/500 clock (stock)
3DMark06: 864
3DMark05: 1806
3DMark03: 4624
Benchmarks on AC power using Nvidia 97.92 driver, 291/573 clock (overclocked)
3DMark06: 986
3DMark05: 2102
3DMark03: 5256
PCMark05: 2370
The only video benchmark in Linux that I know of is a testing program called GLX Gears, so I'll include the results from that as well.
GLX Gears: 5000 FPS
On a side note about video drivers, I've had a problem with virtually every Nvidia driver over 90.00 after a while, so I'm now back to the "latest" driver officially released for the Z71v by Asus (83.00), which has been totally solid.
Battery Life
The battery lasted 2.25 hours playing a DVD. Doing basic applications (word processing, surfing the internet, etc.), it lasts between 3.5 and 4 hours, enough to easily get through my 3.5 hour long classes. If you're going to be on a long flight or need more than 4 hours of battery life, I'd suggest getting the modular battery that swaps for the optical drive.
Battery life is between 30-45 minutes less in Ubuntu, compared to Windows. This is partly due to the lack to undervolting in Ubuntu and also due to the less efficient power management of my graphic card driver
Second Battery
And following my own advice, since my classes have recently been changed from 3.5 hours long to 4 hours long, I decided to purchase the modular battery. I received it while my main battery was being RMA'd (see "problem resolution 2" below), and so I found out that the modular battery lasts close to three hours by itself, which makes sense considering that it has about 3/4 of the capacity of the main battery. After recieving my new replacement main battery, I checked the battery life. It turns out that due to a difference in voltages, neither Windows nor NHC can correctly estimate the time remaining when both batteries are in the computer, so I did some real-life tests, and my average total battery life with both batteries while word processing & surfing the internet is around 6 hours. Changing from one battery to the other happens without a hiccup. There's a very smooth transfer. So I am quite satisfied with the modular battery. On a side note, I purchased the modular battery from the same place I bought my computer: Integrated System Technologies. They were prompt in shipping, with the modular battery even arriving 2 days earlier than expected! Again, my hat is off to these folks!
Battery Wear
Addressing battery wear on the Z71v is an interesting situation, as there is a marked difference between batteries manufactured in 2005 and ones made in 2006. With this in mind, and since I have one of each, I'll provide battery wear information separately for each one.
After replacing the first 3 main batteries I received due to the charging problem (see Problem Resolution), the 4th one I received was finally free of it, although still a part of the old design. After 11 months of use, the battery wear was 12%, equaling approximately 1 percent wear per month. About that time, I wondered if I could reduce that wear level by running the battery calibration utility found in BIOS. However, after repeated attempts, it just made the wear level worse! After running it a few times, that battery ended up at 42% wear.
And unfortunately, when I tried to get it replaced, it turns out that while Asus warrantees their notebook batteries for a year, they warrant their replacement notebook batteries for only 3 months, so I had to buy a new one to get the full battery life back. I ended up keeping the old battery as well, and decided to try getting the cells replaced by the folks at http://www.batteryrefill.com/ The process took about 10 days and cost $90 ($10 less than a new battery). However, now it works well again! They also used slightly higher capacity cells, giving a small boost in maximum capacity (66000 mWh vs 65000 mWh initially). If you've got a battery that's wearing out, they're worth a shot.
The modular bay battery that I have is now at 18% wear after 14 months, which is acceptable. It's just a bit over the 1% wear per month that I expected, but it's not bad.
My newer battery is now at 9% wear after 7 months of use.
Heat and Noise
The laptop stays wonderfully cool most of the time. According to Mobile Meter, the CPU has a temperature range of 37-66 degrees Celsius, averaging 40 degrees Celsius on battery and 58 degrees on AC power, before undervolting. And the only places it gets noticeably warm are on the strip of plastic between the touchpad & the keyboard, around the "Built on Asus" tab just below the screen, and on the bottom in the back. It’s not uncomfortably hot anywhere even after over 6 hours of use.
Edit: In Everest 2.0, under the "sensor" tab, it wil list the temperatures for the motherboard, CPU, Aux (still don't really know what this is), and hard drive. My motherboard has never gone above 53, even when gaming, benchmarking, video encoding, disc burning, etc. The hard drive did get up to 55 once, after defragmenting the drive a few times in a row, but it's normally about 5-10 degrees lower than the motherboard at any given time. ]This shows that the machine has an efficient cooling system that keeps the internal components at a stable & safe operating temperature.
In Ubuntu, my CPU is not currently undervolted, and I have seen it get as high as 65 Celsius during prolonged heavy usage, but it generally stays in the low to mid 50s.
Something I may have failed to mention earlier is that the fans are typically not loud at all, only ramping up to noticeable levels when the computer is running a processor-intensive application or game. The Z71V has 2 fans. The GPU/chipset fan is on constantly, but is typically near silent so it's only noticeable when in a very quiet room. The second fan is for the processor, and it is louder, but it only turns on when the CPU gets over 55 degrees Celsius which typically does not happen unless I'm running the aforementioned intensive programs. My hard drive is also very quiet in operation, making the computer near ideal for use in classes and libraries. The only distinctly loud part is the DVD drive, which is a bit noisy when it's running.
Something of note is that the GPU/chipset fan is typically a bit louder in Ubuntu than in Windows. I think that happens because there aren't any power-saving features for the linux graphics driver. However, perhaps due to that, graphics performance tends to be slightly better in Ubuntu than in Windows.
Undervolting
I used Centrino Hardware Control to lower the CPU voltages for each multiplier and I'm running the computer on "dynamic switching" now. The biggest difference in this is heat: running on AC power, the CPU now has an ABSOLUTE MAX temp of 63, and a functional max temp of 58. When I'm not gaming or running very CPU-intensive programs, the temp stays in the mid 40s, and when gaming, it goes into the mid to high 50s. I was actually able to undervolt the CPU further than I had previously thought. The voltages I'm using now are as follows:
6x: 0.700v
8x: 0.796v
9x: 0.828v
10x: 0.876v
11x: 0.924v
12x: 0.972v
13x: 1.004v
14x: 1.052v
ALS
The ambient light sensor works very well, and doesn’t darken the screen to a point where you can’t see it, just to a point where it doesn’t appear overly bright. You can adjust how much ALS will darken the screen in each setting. It's a whole lot easier than manually adjusting the brightness in various settings, and it saves battery life, too!
Audio DJ CD player
In my opinion, this feature would have been much more effective if it played DVDs. CD playback is only so-so. Music seems to play well, but vocal can easily be drowned out by instruments, and it’s sometimes hard to hear what the singers are singing.
Edit: you can control the volume via Fn+F11 or Fn+F12. I haven't had the "singer getting drowned out" problem again, so maybe I just played a bad test CD. It's actually not too bad, if you don't have a CD player handy and don't mind a lack in very low bass tones.
DVD+/-RW drive
The drive works well for me. Burn time for a 60-minute CD was 6 minutes. Read/load time takes a bit longer than I’m used to from my roommate’s desktop. Time to completely install Myst 3: Exile (4 CDs): 30-40 minutes. There is an occasional hiccup with the drive where there will be a slight pause in DVD movies for a split second, but this is the only issue I've had with it. Other than that, it works perfectly.
Reseller Experience
I bought mine from Integrated System Technologies. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is planning to buy a new computer. Rick, the owner, answered a string of questions that I had about the notebook when I first placed my order, and Gwen, the co-owner, sent me e-mails detailing the Z71v's process through pre-order, build, and shipping. They even set my name up in Windows! You can't do any better than that!
Problem Resolution
After just about 3 months of use, my battery would no longer charge to full. I told Rick at IST about my problem, and he replaced the battery with a working one. Plus, I didn't have to pay a cent for shipping either way. (IST provides free ground shipping both ways for any warrantee issues)
Problem Resolution, part 2
After about a month on my replacement battery, that one stopped charging to full also! I called Rick again, and he said that he was not allowed to ship Z71v battery replacements because Asus was looking into the issue and wanted to process everthing themselves, and also because Asus suspected that IST's spare batteries could be from the battery series affected. So instead, I had to go through Asus directly. This was my timeline with Asus:
Friday, September 2: I called Asus and they gave me a service number and told me they'd e-mail me return information.
Thursday, September 8th: I still had not recieved return instructions, so I called Asus again. The same day, I recieved an e-mail from Mila Chao saying that the initial report got lost in the system.
She apologized and wrote out the return instructions.
Friday, September 9th: I shipped the defective battery to Asus via USPS Priority Mail.
Friday, September 16th: Asus sent me an e-mail saying that my new battery had ben shipped.
Monday, September 19th: FedEx dropped the battery off at my door, and it's now charging in my computer.
I'm not as happy with Asus' own tech replacement service as I was with IST's service, because a had to wait a week for an RMA number and return instructions, and because I had to pay for shipping to Asus ($7.59 for Priority Mail), but they came through in the end, so I'm happy again.
edit: After a couple months and several charge/discharge cycles with the new battery, I'm happy to say that the battery charging issue seems to be gone for good! Go
Problem Resolution, Part 3
Aaaaand, take three: after 3 months, the battery Asus gave me stopped charging to full also (stuck at 50%). I talked to Rick about it, he dealt with the problem this time instead of having me talk to Asus, and a week later, I've got the new battery and it works fine. This time Rick used a cross-ship method where he sent me the battery first & then I send him the old one. All in all, a very quick & pleasant exchange process (although I wish I didn't have to keep exchanging batteries in the first place!!!) Basically,
for Rick & ISTNC, 
for Asus not fixing this earlier.
Overall
You can learn a lot about a computer in two years, and there have been times when I got very frustrated with mine. However, there have been many more positive points than negative, and I'm very glad I bought the model I did. The Z71v has treated me well even when I didn't treat it so well, and that's the mark of quality for me. I'm very happy with my Z71v, and I anticipate using it for a long while to come. Thanks for reading my review, and I hope it was helpful.
Source: Laptop Magazine
The screen looks good. The high resolution widescreen display makes me feel like I’ve got a ton of space to work with. I was initially worried that the text would seem too small, but it’s perfectly readable. I’m taking advantage of the screen space to view multiple programs side-by-side, and it rocks! After looking carefully, I did find one stuck pixel (always blue), but it’s in the lower left corner of the notebook, and I don’t notice it very much. Regarding the sparkle complaint that has arisen for some, my computer does have a slight sheen when displaying some solid colors (mainly light green). However, it doesn’t really bother me, and since it only happens in certain circumstances, it’s not something that I notice. It is somewhat noticeable when I first change my screen to a solid light green background, but within a few moments, I don't notice it anymore. I’m writing this in Word, and I don’t have any problem with the white background. It’s not obtrusive or distracting at all. Regarding color production, all the colors just pop when I look at the screen. They are very vibrant! The screen is also brighter than most, if not all, matte screens I've seen in person and has very good horizontal viewing angles. The vertical angles aren't as good, but they're still fair.
Build and Durability
The machine seems to be built very well. There’s very little flex anywhere. The case feels very solid, and the plastic case seems very un-plasticy. I tested the screen shielding by poking the back and looking for discororations: there were none. MUCH better than my old Sony that would get a discoloration if you breathed on it wrong!
The screen stays at whatever angle I put it at, and although after 2 years it does have a very slight wobble if shaken back and forth, it still feels quite solid.Regarding durablility, I'm not sure if I should be praising the notebook or the included bag that Asus provides, as that's what I transport it in, but in said bag, it's been dropped & thrown, hit a car door somewhat harder than I intended it to, and had several books piled on top of it. And of course it's also been unpacked & packed in said bag more times than I can think of in various different ways, and carried all over. And it runs perfectly. Always. I don't try to be rough on it, but sometimes accidents happen. It's never let me down yet.
Edit: okay, so I spoke too soon. After one of the aforementioned drops, the plastic hook that locks the notebook closed snapped off. However, the good folks at ISTNC fixed it for me and got it back to me about a week after I sent it to them. My reseller rocks!
Weight & Mobility
The notebook is easy to carry around the house by itself, and for travel or commuting, it came with a handy notebook case. It's light enough to easily carry under your arm, but heavy enough so you don't forget it's there. I've taken my Z71v with me to several classes, used it on planes, in my car, in hotels, and various other places. It's easy to pack up and easy to put away, although it's just barely small enough for airplane tray tables. If you're going to be using your notebook on the plane a lot and aren't going first class, I'd probably recommend a 14" model.
Sound
The sound is quite good for a notebook, and the built in speakers can pump out enough volume to make DVD audio clear and distinct, even from across the room. However, they are still laptop speakers and have their limits. Deep bass notes will often come out muddy and distorted, especially at maximum volume settings. And that's the time to plug in headphones or auxiliary speakers into the Audio out port, which outputs a powerful and clear signal. Sound is one of the Z71v's best features.
Keyboard
The keyboard feels great. Keys are nearly silent, and have adequate travel or “bounce”. Some have commented on the location of the Fn key as annoying, but I find it convenient for usage when I'm using the hotkeys. Also, the keyboard letters are still very clear and distinct after a year and a half's use. Keyboard wear is minimal.
Touchpad
The touchpad works well in general. It’s very sensitive, and sometimes I brush past it and inadvertently move the mouse or click on something. That’s not necessarily a negative for the computer, but just something that took some getting used to. The buttons work well, but are distinctly louder than the keyboard. The scrollbar is useful. The farther you move your finger on it, the faster it scrolls. It’s a pretty cool feature, especially on big documents and web pages. It also has a sidescroll feature you can access by sliding your finger along the bottom.
edit: the Ubuntu touchpad drivers are not quite as good as the Windows ones, and there is a noticeable sensitivity difference especially when I do quick click-drags of windows from one area of the screen to another. Also, the scroll settings are a bit different. In Windows, I can scroll down a large webpage (such as NBF) by quickly swiping my finger once down the scrollbar, after which the touchpad continues to scroll rapidly until it reaches the end of the page. In Ubuntu, it stops scrolling when I take my finger off the touchpad, which is a minor gripe, but it's a little less convenient.
Scrolling also varies in different versions of Ubuntu. the Feisty touchpad driver is much better than the Dapper one
Performance and Benchmarks
My computer currently dual-boots Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. Due to this, my boot time is best explained like this:
Time to post (power button pressed to boot menu): 5 seconds
Boot time for Windows (selection in boot menu to login): 34 seconds
Load time for Windows: (password entry until all startup programs are loaded): 160 seconds
Total Post + Boot + Load for Windows: 3 minutes, 19 seconds (hmmm... I may have to alter some of my startup programs to get that lower)
Boot time for Ubuntu (selection in boot menu to login): 55 seconds
Load time for Ubuntu (password entry until all startup programs are loaded): 29 seconds
Total Post + Boot + Load for Ubuntu: 1 minute, 29 seconds
Benchmarks on AC Power using Nvidia 97.92 driver, 250/500 clock (stock)
3DMark06: 864
3DMark05: 1806
3DMark03: 4624
Benchmarks on AC power using Nvidia 97.92 driver, 291/573 clock (overclocked)
3DMark06: 986
3DMark05: 2102
3DMark03: 5256
PCMark05: 2370
The only video benchmark in Linux that I know of is a testing program called GLX Gears, so I'll include the results from that as well.
GLX Gears: 5000 FPS
On a side note about video drivers, I've had a problem with virtually every Nvidia driver over 90.00 after a while, so I'm now back to the "latest" driver officially released for the Z71v by Asus (83.00), which has been totally solid.
Battery Life
The battery lasted 2.25 hours playing a DVD. Doing basic applications (word processing, surfing the internet, etc.), it lasts between 3.5 and 4 hours, enough to easily get through my 3.5 hour long classes.
If you're going to be on a long flight or need more than 4 hours of battery life, I'd suggest getting the modular battery that swaps for the optical drive.Battery life is between 30-45 minutes less in Ubuntu, compared to Windows. This is partly due to the lack to undervolting in Ubuntu and also due to the less efficient power management of my graphic card driver
Second Battery
And following my own advice, since my classes have recently been changed from 3.5 hours long to 4 hours long, I decided to purchase the modular battery. I received it while my main battery was being RMA'd (see "problem resolution 2" below), and so I found out that the modular battery lasts close to three hours by itself, which makes sense considering that it has about 3/4 of the capacity of the main battery. After recieving my new replacement main battery, I checked the battery life. It turns out that due to a difference in voltages, neither Windows nor NHC can correctly estimate the time remaining when both batteries are in the computer, so I did some real-life tests, and my average total battery life with both batteries while word processing & surfing the internet is around 6 hours. Changing from one battery to the other happens without a hiccup. There's a very smooth transfer. So I am quite satisfied with the modular battery. On a side note, I purchased the modular battery from the same place I bought my computer: Integrated System Technologies. They were prompt in shipping, with the modular battery even arriving 2 days earlier than expected! Again, my hat is off to these folks!
Battery Wear
Addressing battery wear on the Z71v is an interesting situation, as there is a marked difference between batteries manufactured in 2005 and ones made in 2006. With this in mind, and since I have one of each, I'll provide battery wear information separately for each one.
After replacing the first 3 main batteries I received due to the charging problem (see Problem Resolution), the 4th one I received was finally free of it, although still a part of the old design. After 11 months of use, the battery wear was 12%, equaling approximately 1 percent wear per month. About that time, I wondered if I could reduce that wear level by running the battery calibration utility found in BIOS. However, after repeated attempts, it just made the wear level worse! After running it a few times, that battery ended up at 42% wear.
And unfortunately, when I tried to get it replaced, it turns out that while Asus warrantees their notebook batteries for a year, they warrant their replacement notebook batteries for only 3 months, so I had to buy a new one to get the full battery life back. I ended up keeping the old battery as well, and decided to try getting the cells replaced by the folks at http://www.batteryrefill.com/ The process took about 10 days and cost $90 ($10 less than a new battery). However, now it works well again! They also used slightly higher capacity cells, giving a small boost in maximum capacity (66000 mWh vs 65000 mWh initially). If you've got a battery that's wearing out, they're worth a shot.The modular bay battery that I have is now at 18% wear after 14 months, which is acceptable. It's just a bit over the 1% wear per month that I expected, but it's not bad.
My newer battery is now at 9% wear after 7 months of use.
Heat and Noise
The laptop stays wonderfully cool most of the time. According to Mobile Meter, the CPU has a temperature range of 37-66 degrees Celsius, averaging 40 degrees Celsius on battery and 58 degrees on AC power, before undervolting. And the only places it gets noticeably warm are on the strip of plastic between the touchpad & the keyboard, around the "Built on Asus" tab just below the screen, and on the bottom in the back. It’s not uncomfortably hot anywhere even after over 6 hours of use.
Edit: In Everest 2.0, under the "sensor" tab, it wil list the temperatures for the motherboard, CPU, Aux (still don't really know what this is), and hard drive. My motherboard has never gone above 53, even when gaming, benchmarking, video encoding, disc burning, etc. The hard drive did get up to 55 once, after defragmenting the drive a few times in a row, but it's normally about 5-10 degrees lower than the motherboard at any given time. ]This shows that the machine has an efficient cooling system that keeps the internal components at a stable & safe operating temperature.
In Ubuntu, my CPU is not currently undervolted, and I have seen it get as high as 65 Celsius during prolonged heavy usage, but it generally stays in the low to mid 50s.
Something I may have failed to mention earlier is that the fans are typically not loud at all, only ramping up to noticeable levels when the computer is running a processor-intensive application or game. The Z71V has 2 fans. The GPU/chipset fan is on constantly, but is typically near silent so it's only noticeable when in a very quiet room. The second fan is for the processor, and it is louder, but it only turns on when the CPU gets over 55 degrees Celsius which typically does not happen unless I'm running the aforementioned intensive programs. My hard drive is also very quiet in operation, making the computer near ideal for use in classes and libraries. The only distinctly loud part is the DVD drive, which is a bit noisy when it's running.
Something of note is that the GPU/chipset fan is typically a bit louder in Ubuntu than in Windows. I think that happens because there aren't any power-saving features for the linux graphics driver. However, perhaps due to that, graphics performance tends to be slightly better in Ubuntu than in Windows.
Undervolting
I used Centrino Hardware Control to lower the CPU voltages for each multiplier and I'm running the computer on "dynamic switching" now. The biggest difference in this is heat: running on AC power, the CPU now has an ABSOLUTE MAX temp of 63, and a functional max temp of 58. When I'm not gaming or running very CPU-intensive programs, the temp stays in the mid 40s, and when gaming, it goes into the mid to high 50s. I was actually able to undervolt the CPU further than I had previously thought. The voltages I'm using now are as follows:
6x: 0.700v
8x: 0.796v
9x: 0.828v
10x: 0.876v
11x: 0.924v
12x: 0.972v
13x: 1.004v
14x: 1.052v
ALS
The ambient light sensor works very well, and doesn’t darken the screen to a point where you can’t see it, just to a point where it doesn’t appear overly bright. You can adjust how much ALS will darken the screen in each setting. It's a whole lot easier than manually adjusting the brightness in various settings, and it saves battery life, too!
Audio DJ CD player
In my opinion, this feature would have been much more effective if it played DVDs. CD playback is only so-so. Music seems to play well, but vocal can easily be drowned out by instruments, and it’s sometimes hard to hear what the singers are singing.
Edit: you can control the volume via Fn+F11 or Fn+F12. I haven't had the "singer getting drowned out" problem again, so maybe I just played a bad test CD. It's actually not too bad, if you don't have a CD player handy and don't mind a lack in very low bass tones.
DVD+/-RW drive
The drive works well for me. Burn time for a 60-minute CD was 6 minutes. Read/load time takes a bit longer than I’m used to from my roommate’s desktop. Time to completely install Myst 3: Exile (4 CDs): 30-40 minutes. There is an occasional hiccup with the drive where there will be a slight pause in DVD movies for a split second, but this is the only issue I've had with it. Other than that, it works perfectly.
Reseller Experience
I bought mine from Integrated System Technologies. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is planning to buy a new computer. Rick, the owner, answered a string of questions that I had about the notebook when I first placed my order, and Gwen, the co-owner, sent me e-mails detailing the Z71v's process through pre-order, build, and shipping. They even set my name up in Windows! You can't do any better than that!
Problem Resolution
After just about 3 months of use, my battery would no longer charge to full. I told Rick at IST about my problem, and he replaced the battery with a working one. Plus, I didn't have to pay a cent for shipping either way. (IST provides free ground shipping both ways for any warrantee issues)
Problem Resolution, part 2
After about a month on my replacement battery, that one stopped charging to full also! I called Rick again, and he said that he was not allowed to ship Z71v battery replacements because Asus was looking into the issue and wanted to process everthing themselves, and also because Asus suspected that IST's spare batteries could be from the battery series affected. So instead, I had to go through Asus directly. This was my timeline with Asus:
Friday, September 2: I called Asus and they gave me a service number and told me they'd e-mail me return information.
Thursday, September 8th: I still had not recieved return instructions, so I called Asus again. The same day, I recieved an e-mail from Mila Chao saying that the initial report got lost in the system.
She apologized and wrote out the return instructions.Friday, September 9th: I shipped the defective battery to Asus via USPS Priority Mail.
Friday, September 16th: Asus sent me an e-mail saying that my new battery had ben shipped.
Monday, September 19th: FedEx dropped the battery off at my door, and it's now charging in my computer.
I'm not as happy with Asus' own tech replacement service as I was with IST's service, because a had to wait a week for an RMA number and return instructions, and because I had to pay for shipping to Asus ($7.59 for Priority Mail), but they came through in the end, so I'm happy again.
edit: After a couple months and several charge/discharge cycles with the new battery, I'm happy to say that the battery charging issue seems to be gone for good! Go
Problem Resolution, Part 3
Aaaaand, take three: after 3 months, the battery Asus gave me stopped charging to full also (stuck at 50%). I talked to Rick about it, he dealt with the problem this time instead of having me talk to Asus, and a week later, I've got the new battery and it works fine. This time Rick used a cross-ship method where he sent me the battery first & then I send him the old one. All in all, a very quick & pleasant exchange process (although I wish I didn't have to keep exchanging batteries in the first place!!!) Basically,
for Rick & ISTNC, for Asus not fixing this earlier.Overall
You can learn a lot about a computer in two years, and there have been times when I got very frustrated with mine. However, there have been many more positive points than negative, and I'm very glad I bought the model I did. The Z71v has treated me well even when I didn't treat it so well, and that's the mark of quality for me. I'm very happy with my Z71v, and I anticipate using it for a long while to come. Thanks for reading my review, and I hope it was helpful.
Source: Laptop Magazine