Comments On Benq

[10years]

Has anyone had any recent experience with BenQ brand laptops, and with their X31 model in particular?

While making the rounds of Pantip, Fortune and Laksi to familiarize myself with what’s out there, it began to look to me like there are several price points where the major manufacturers all have key models. One level seems to be 27,XXX baht. For that you can get a fairly up-to-date, powerful PC. The latest technology seems to come in at a higher point.

But the models from the various makers seem very similar. Only Acer seems to try hard to distinguish its products by using fancy names for its features.

Then I looked at BenQ. Only that company stands out as offering unique features, primarily its screens. It claims 250 nits of brightness for some of its popular models, while the screens of other makers are 200 nits. BenQ also sells a line of LCD monitors so their specialty might be screens.

And their previous flagship model, the X31, was the only regular-sized notebook PC under 40,000 baht that I found that had features that other companies only put in products costing tens of thousands of baht more.

At 39,900, the X31 is about 12,000 baht above the 27,XXX price point, and that price doesn’t include Vista.

Are the X31’s features worth the price premium?

The special features are:

A 300-nit, "ultra vivid" 13" screen from using LED backlighting.

Low voltage processor – Intel L7500.

Light weight – 1.8 kilos.

Discrete graphics card – Geoforce 8600M-GT

The latest "Centrino 1" WiFi card – 4965AGN

It also has a fingerprint detector, HDMI port, touch controls for media, webcam (but only 0.3 megapixel) and the usual gamut of features.

The LED screen is the biggest differentiator. It is supposed to be the wave of the future. It is extremely vivid but actually lighter, thinner and thriftier on power than regular screens. Sony uses LED screens on a lot of its models and I was always impressed with their screens. The extra brightness should make the screen more readable outdoors.

Low and ultra-low processors are usually found in the lightweight models of other makers costing much more, but I’m not sure what its benefits are.

According to one salesman, the graphics card in this model is the most powerful in a lightweight notebook. He said the GT is also better than the GS, which other models have.

He also showed me the internal temperature, which was much lower than a regular BenQ.

He held the X31 up by its screen frame, to show how strong the frame was, even though the screen is really thin.

A Thai friend told me that BenQ PCs are known here to be strong and durable. Their advertising describes all the testing that BenQ puts its products through.

[onethailand]

BenQ is a spinoff from Acer. I wouldn't worry too much about problems.

[Jockstar]

I have a BENQ LCD screen that i bought about 3 years back in Bangers. Great screen and love it. Sorry it doesnt really answer your question. But just wanted to let you know that BENQ are a decent brand.