Asus UL30A/UL30VT series

College Life
1

<p>Hello. I’m a high senior and I’m looking for a new laptop, which I will likely carry onto college. I have my eyes set on the following:
[Asus</a> UL30A-X5](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/UL30A-X5-Light-13-3-Inch-Black-Laptop/dp/B002P3KMVC/ref=pd_cp_pc_2]Asus”>http://www.amazon.com/UL30A-X5-Light-13-3-Inch-Black-Laptop/dp/B002P3KMVC/ref=pd_cp_pc_2) 13.3 in, Intel GMA only, no DVD drive, 3.5 lb
[Asus</a> UL30Vt-X1](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/UL30Vt-X1-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Windows-Premium/dp/B002XZLURC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258840587&sr=8-12]Asus”>http://www.amazon.com/UL30Vt-X1-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Windows-Premium/dp/B002XZLURC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258840587&sr=8-12) 13.3 in, switchable graphics (Nvidia GM210 & Intel GMA), no DVD drive, 3.5 lb
[Asus</a> UL80Vt-A1](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/UL80Vt-A1-14-Inch-Light-Black-Laptop/dp/B002Q8HK7K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258840587&sr=8-3]Asus”>http://www.amazon.com/UL80Vt-A1-14-Inch-Light-Black-Laptop/dp/B002Q8HK7K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258840587&sr=8-3) 14 in, switchable graphics, yes DVD drive, 4.5 lb</p>

<p>I want light weight and good graphics in case I feel like playing games. The thing I’m wondering about is how often do students use the optical drive while in college? I haven’t had much use for optical drives except for the occasional DVD movie, but I can buy an external DVD drive for that. I plan on majoring in either comp sci, biology, economics, or engineering in college. My top choice is the 2nd option, but it would kind of suck if I needed an optical drive while in class.</p>

<p>The only other thing I really like is a MacBook, but the extra $200 or $500 doesn’t is a premium that I don’t want to pay, especially when their specs aren’t necessarily better than the Asus with 12 hours.</p>

2

<p>Just basically, how necessary is an internal optical drive for college?</p>

3

<p>You won’t be able to play modern games on the first one, that’s for sure.</p>

<p>You’re not going to need an optical drive in class, that’s for sure. For other uses, it depends on your habits. See how much and what you use an optical drive for now, then extrapolate college habits based on that.</p>

4

<p>I’d go with the second one and get an external DVD drive</p>

5

<p>My only comment about graphics - if you go with the ultra-lightweight stuff with no specific games in mind, you’ll get a system that’s not so good in being efficient, nor is it that good in graphics.</p>

<p>What games do you plan on playing? A good, modern integrated chip (eg. Intel HD4500) is equivalent to an entry-level graphics card from two years ago (eg. nVIDIA 8400GS). If it’s flash games, don’t worry about the GFX card at all. If it’s up to UT2004, the integrated chip should run stuff at max settings. Doom3/Quake4 - will run on integrated on minimal settings.</p>

<p>If you want to play 3D games, I suggest you just plunk down $500 on another desktop – that is, if you really feel like it.</p>