ASUS G73JH-A1 with ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5

I think it is important to have perspective for all potential buyers and this is why I am not upset with people that are posting good AND bad things. I have been buying gaming desktops and laptops for years now and have learned a few things. Most of this is basic but there are people that are buying for the first time so here are some of the considerations people should pay attention to.

1. 1600 bucks is a lot of money. There is not a set release date and it could get pushed back. This is a brand new card and the performance/issues that come with buying a first out product can be "trial and error." 1600 dollars for this IS a good value proposition even if it comes out in a few months. HOWEVER...
2. Don't expect this laptop to be "future proof." There are no future proof laptops. Buy this laptop if you want to play TODAY's games well. The DX11 is very misleading because, by the time DX11 games become common, this card will be way underpowered to play them. This card will actually struggle with some of today's DX10 games and games that come out by the end of the year. What you are buying today is not bleeding edge for a gamer.

IF you have a budget of 3k, this laptop is an OUTSTANDING option because you can buy this computer and spend the rest on a nice desktop that will be bleeding edge with good upgradability.

There is always something "new" around the corner. What is difficult right now is that mobile GPU's have not greatly advanced since the 2 year old 8800 mobile GTX. That card had outstanding life because, on the desktop front, the 8800 was king for about almost 2 years. Mobile cards are really the equivalent of cards that were out almost 4 years ago. It is only recently that the 5800 cards came from AMD that really are a step ahead with new technology.

In about 2 years we will see the new videogame consoles coming out which will surely usher in very powerful GPU's on both mobile and desktop fronts. It used to be that the PC would champion bleeding edge games and technology, but with the current trend of console gaming, developers are now making games geared around the console first and then porting to the PC. This has allowed the "graphics race" to slow down and people can get a lot of bang for their GPU/CPU buck. I used to upgrade GPU's every 6 months and now it has not been the case for me to upgrade in about 2 years.

So if you are a new buyer thinking that 1600 is going to future proof you and allow you to play "DX11 games of the future" be leary. It will probably not have the juice to play them because it is a very early card and it is a very gimped version of what is available on desktops today. Today's desktops will likely struggle with games coming out in a year or two. So only buy if you understand that this is a great all around computer that will play the MAJORITY of today's games well.

This is IMO of course.

 

I just had to jump in here and ask a question, when will ppl in sweden be able to get this laptop? like what places might i be able to order this beast from ^^

 

Just be a little bit more positive! You're always raining on the parade reminding people how bad your Asus experience was! haha

I have an unlucky G51J with the Bsod issue, but it's not pertinent to the current thread to keep reminding people about it.

 

Contact ken lee from gentechpc, he provides exellent service and will help you in alot of things.
XoticPc and powernotebooks provide great service also.

 

fair enoough.....

To add a bit of a positive spin here...there are some REALLY smart poepl over in the w90 forum and some the same people here, so, I am pretty sure that if there are issues, driver wise or OC'ing wise...people around here will be right on it....was pretty impressed to see some of the inovative fixes.

 

I would say the best fixes always come from the users themselves. Every company should have a representative who's only job is to mix with the users in forums etc. and find out the issues they are having. I think every company is guilty of ignoring their problems to some extent, and it's really annoying.

 

You're right. They do ignore it to such annoying extremes. But seriously, they should have a representative in all these forums or just running random google searches for fixes every now and again. I mean if you look at the linux forums, us users are pretty well adept at coming up with solutions. All the company has to do is have some guy look it up and go ' oh look, we came up with a solution, all by ourselves' and ATLEAST make sure everyone gets access to it.

On another note; does anyone actually know whether there are any advantages for an LED backlight? And what are normal LCD's lit with? A lightbulb....lol

 

Power saving advantages. Led's use hardly any power. Led based Lcd screens are also brighter and sharper than regular "back-lighting".

I have an LED based Samsung 56" Dlp tv and it is a lot sharper than the lamp based models.

 

This is the best bang for the buck gaming laptop i have seen period. Since I am jealous and i want to find something bad to say and believe me it is tough, I would like a 16" screen better to keep a reasonable size...

i know that's lame...

 

Sharper? Hm. Any increase in motion induced artifacts? Or something of that nature. And any idea whether there's a huge difference in contrast ratio?

 

You make some valid considerations, but at the same time, I think most folks realize that jumping on board right now, is an 'early adopter' position..... and most are capable of there own assessments, perspectives, and decisions.

It appears you are attempting to be helpful, but I am left wondering your opinion of the G73JH..... ??? Based on your post overall, I assume you will not be buying this notebook?

 

Nicely written.

Currently on the PC I have.... I can play everything with max settings at my native res, so I'm leaning towards a "wait and see" attitude.

What I have noticed in the mean time is that there are ALOT of G-Series and Alienware M15X & M17X lappy's for resale as of late. I've seen a few Sli 260m Alienware setups that I'm leaning towards because of price/performance and the awesome FX lighting. I'm still keeping my G71 because I have absolutely no problems and everything runs great.

I also can't stand Dell...lol

 

Talked to Asus rep at CES today and he doesn't think these will ship untill March...





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You can't say that, what i have learned is that every brand at one point in time will produce some blockbuster products and get some kickass reviews or some lemons and get destroyed on public forums.
It would be more beneficial to say, I cant' stand this specific dell or this specifc asus model...

 

Guys I'm posting this from a G73 at CES and this thing is sweet!

Will attatch the official wallpaper now.

What should I run on this thing - what about Furmark?

 

Yes! And 3dmark 2006!

See what the GPU scores on the Windows Experience Index just for kicks.

 

Also, please ask Asus about possible March release...

 

Also, senior rep I just spoke to said shipping in Feb and it is likely to be 128-bit but not confirmed.

 

March would work for me (just about), that makes me slightly more hopefully - although still wishing it was February

 

Well IMO/experience with Dell....I have been let down sooooo many times by hardware failure. Something always burns out or stops working with every Dell that I've ever owned.

The reason that I'm willing to give Alienware a try is because I've seen interviews with Alienware employees claiming Dell has very little input in what Alienware puts into their PC's as far as CPU/GPU and Bloatware.

 

ummmmm, anyone else see something wrong in that picture with the description of the G73JH?? It states supports up to 1TB of HDD Space... but a few lines down states its weight and stuff with the battery and SINGLE HDD... does this mean its going to have the 1 HDD and the open slot for a 2nd HDD???

 

No, that means that they calculated the weight with 1 HDD.

 

You may have just made my day - exactly the news I had been waiting for and here's hoping that senior rep knew enough to be correct on this

 

Oh and strangely I can't find any air intakes at the front. Only intakes on the bottom in the middle (I have pics which I can post later).

 

ok, I was starting to get a bit worried about it...

 

Hey guys.

Right now I dont have a gaming machine at all. And iv been looking at this one and following the thread since the beginning.

Im wondering from the gaming enthusiasts, what the real world differance is in the gaming experience with SLI or XF vs a single card solution. By no means am I a professional gamer, and would most likely be playing games recreationally mabye 10-15 hours a week. Games such as WoW, Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect 2, etc.

But 1 thing i absolutely hate, is playing on low settings, it makes the experience feel cheap to me. Once I buy, I also wont be upgrading for probably 3-4 years.

Is a single card solution with the Mobility 5870 a good purchase?

 

run GPU-Z, HWmonitor and furmark plz =P

 

Ok what settings should I use in Furmark?

 

Pardon my ignorance, but is the graphics card in this laptop going to be upgradable or is it soldered to the MB like at dell?

I really am more of a desktop guy, the laptop in my sig is the first one I've purchased.

 

the 5870 should be just fine for you. Crossfire/SLI solutions are imo, mainly for benching purposes as the price paid doesn't get you worthwhile performance.

 

1920x1080p, no AA, EXTREME BURN and Stability test.

 

Ummm. Ask the rep about that please! Demo showed air intake at the front, not the bottom, so ask him wth is up with that!

This leads me to believe those aren't final enclosures at the Demo booth...

 

it won't be soldered to the mobo, but won't be upgradeable most likely. it'll be easily replaceable tho

 

Cannot upgrade GPU's in Asus laptops.

 

May I be so bold as to ask why not? It seems to me, that it would greatly increase the longevity of a laptop for this....

Wait...I think I just answered my own question...

 

Ok GPU-Z screenie.

I feel so naughty doing this!

 

You did...

Asus reverses the Mxm3.0 slot that is used to replace Gpu's in laptops so that they cannot be upgraded.

Clevo, Sager, and Alienware offer laptops that are GPU upgradeable. I will say that Gpu upgrading can be inconsistent at best. Good luck!

 

What an impressive thread!!! This thread has come from speculation to full hands on at CES2010!!

Amazing!!

 

Go iaTa GO!!!!!

 

Legend! Looks like a lot of the info didn't come up though - well, other than confirming 128bit and GDDR5, anyone who knows more about laptops than me care to share their thoughts on this?

 

a comparison shot of my GDDR3 @1000mhz. Same bandwidth.

 

LOL iaTa!!

Hows the sub-woofer look?

 

Ok Furmark, burntest 1080p averages 15 fps.

 

TEMPS! we need TEMPS! Not FPS!

 

I would take away from this that the 128 bit bus does not cripple the memory bandwidth at all. And then memory bandwidth is only half the story. I hope we can get some game benchmarks at 1920.1080 soon!

 

Subwoofer is at the front left underside with a grill. It's pretty noisy in here so hard to tell but generally speakers sounds very good. No crackling at high volume and very clear.

 

Why do you want temps?

 

LOL! Very Cool iaTa!

Can you get me a really good video, to put in the lead post of the 'Owner's' thread? Do a video review with the Asus rep!

That would be really SUPER! You DO have a cam with you, right?

Thanks Dude!

 

because we want to see how effective Asus' new cooling system is with that high powered 5870? they are notorious for crap cooling systems in the G7x and G5x line

 

Thanks EIement. Any opinions on the real world differance in gaming between the i7 720 and the i7 820 for an extra $475?