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

+ rep)) i can't say better)

 

No doubt the M17x is a better overall package as far as cooling, quality, upgradability...ect but it comes at a slight premium. Some people just want the best bargain as possible. An i7 laptop with 1tb hdd, 8gb ram and a 5870 gpu for under $1700 is a bargain price spec vs spec. Each to his/her own.
The G73 is like a muscle car, its fast (hopefully) but doesnt have the bells and whistles of say a BMW (M17x).

 

So what's the Sager NP8760 then? 4gb ram, i7-820, 280m, two 500gb hdd's, upgraded compound, bdr, and the intel 5300 card. $2114.49 after cash discount

 

its a ricer.

 

I tend to focus only on the things I cannot upgrade myself easily, like screen, gpus, maybe CPU when comparing prices

I will always get the cheapest option on items like optical disk, hard drives, and ram since they are almost always cheaper to upgrade yourself and it also allows you to spread the cost out

 

better quality i don't know after all is made in china and if you look inside is a cheap plastic even worse than this asus g73. We must be happy now there is a little competition...now this laptop isn't so far from actual alienware m17x old version.

 

I'm pretty sure getting the G73 with 8GB of ram stock in 2x4GB sticks is cheaper than getting it anywhere else.

 

it is actually 4x 2GB sticks unless I am mistaken

 

Competition forces for better future products that's for sure. What is a bit surprising is the the W90 had dual GPU's in it. It would have been nice to the option for the G73. I guess it's part of there plan to help with heat issues.

 

I was trying to get that point across a few weeks ago. Between the Asus, Clevo and Alienware the prices were about the same when comparing what was important like the screen, proc and GPU. The G73 I bought comes with 8GB of memory while the M17x I bought comes with 4GB. I will be replacing both with the memory I prefer so it doesn't matter to me. Although for the average buyer it does make a difference because they don't plan on making those changes. To each their own...

 

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g73jha1-p-2731.html?wconfigure=yes
Looks like it's 2x 4GB.

 

There is not cheap plastic inside the M17x....Magnesium alloy for the most part, then some steel, very little plastic actually

 

GentechPC showed pictures of the TWO ram slots yesterday, confirming that it is indeed 4GBx2. take out those 4GB sticks, sell them, sell one of the HDDs, and you've got yourself a nice SSD+2x2GB of a nice low latency DDR3 ram.

 

Looks like you are right, I think I was thinking of the HP Envy 15" which has 4 slots for Ram

 

Will you be keeping both the M17x-R2 and the ASUS G73? Or are you gonna be riding of one after benchmarking tests?

It wouldn't have surprised me if was 4x 2GB actually. That would have explained how you could originally get 12GB for the G73. Actually, having more than 2 RAM slots would've been nice. Oh well...

 

The number of memory slots on the final production ASUS G73JH-A1 is all of a sudden an open question.

According to the ASUS specs given to resellers it has 4 memory slots. Then Ken showed a picture of the motherboard, purportedly for the G73 (and I am not doubting him), that only shows 2 memory slots.

I for one am waiting until we actually see the production model, or get confirmation from ASUS headquarters, to say for sure whether it will have 2 or 4 slots.

Now, consider this as well. We all know the price of this beast is pretty unbelievable, but when you consider using 2x 4GB vs. 4x 2GB the price becomes even more amazing...maybe too amazing.

We'll just have to wait a bit to get this information confirmed.

 

yes i know i would say around the keyboard...not very impressive...but still good for the sli.

 

Nothing is actually confirmed yet? I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait for confirmation. It's due for release in February isn't it?

 

The only plastic around the keyboard is the panel containing the touch buttons and the power button....the black border around the keyboard is powder coated magnesium alloy

the palmrest piece is plastic but high quality

 

just a quick question.
how much differences are there between 802.11 Wireless and Intel Pro/Wireless 5300?

 

Yes, the first shipments are due in the US in February.

However this is not so unusual for a new model release. A lot changes happen from original design to pre-production models to the final production model.

Just do the math yourself. Price all of the components, then discount a bit because the manufacturer always buys that stuff cheaper, but then add manufacturer margin, transportation, disti margin, reseller margin etc and you scratch your head and ask how can they do it with 2x 4GB.

 

the low price is alot of what had me thinking it was 4x2GB, remember the W90 had 3 slots in it (yet was dual channel)

 

YMMV but I have had better luck with consistency of my wireless connection with the 5300 vs the 5100.

 

Honestly I have no idea but if history proves anything I will be selling one of them within 3 months.

 

I was actually wondering about it after Scoop mentioned it. 4GB memory sticks are still expensive ((Even 1066 versions)). But, 2GB memory sticks are a dime a dozen. They would save alot of money if that is the final way they decide to do it.

 

Exactly. Two SODIMM slots are pretty cheap to add. Much cheaper than the difference between 2GB & 4GB pieces.

In addition, having 4 slots will certainly make it easier and cheaper to add more memory in the future. Can you imagine what 8GB pieces are going to cost once they come out?

 

I'll have to keep that in mind. Looking forward to opinion on those two laptops. Might help me decide which I personally would prefer.

Unless ASUS is getting a ridiculous discount on 4GB sticks it really does make alot of sense from a business stand point.

It wouldn't surprise me if 8GB sticks were close to $800 a piece when they come out. 4GB sticks were around half that when they were first released if my memory serves me correctly.

 

I have a bad feeling that the next little update we'll be getting will be that it comes with 4gb ram (2x2gb). Any guess's on whats the next downgrade/update? hmm maybe only 1 500gb hdd or maybe no blueray drive.

 

I for one am deciding not to go into panic mode until we get some official information. I can't believe the level of meltdown people are going into on speculation on a laptop that has not even been released yet. I doubt the guys in the AlienWare forum are going into critical mass because the Dell website hasnt updated the refresh with proper information and pricing yet.

Look, this thing is a laptop. I guarantee you it's not going to change your life. It's not going to make you a better person, and it's not going to ruin your life. Can we PLEASE just wait for some official information and not clog up 5 pages with complaining about what it may or may not have?

 

I don't think we'll have to worry so much about actual downgrades of the system but, I'd be more worried of more price increases on upgrade configurations or a base price increase. If they removed the blueray player though I think that would cause alot of people to not purchase this laptop. But, I don't think ASUS will do something that drastic. So far all the changes have been small. Just scary for anyone such as myself waiting for some hands on reviews before pulling the trigger.

 

actual the alienware site is fully updated.....

but agreed, even for the new M17x, I am waiting until it is out reviewed and tested before making any decisions

 

I was surprised that so many people dropped their M17x-R1 even before the M17x-R2 was officially announced. Especially since alot of people here have a QX9300 in them. Guess people just love new tech.

 

If money was not an object for me, I would have an R2 ordered as well, but it is, and I don't lol

I will probably load up my warranty and wait for this to die and get it replaced like all the M1730 owners did

 

I guess the fact you plan on getting an M11x doesn't help eh?

For me either is gonna be a good choice. I simply have to remain patient and see which is best for me.

Who knows I might go with the G73 in the end. Would be a ridiculous improvement over my gateway.

 

i did't. i still have a perfect and beauty machine for all my purposes

 

I originally got my M17x because it benchmarked better than the OCZ whitebook I had before (bad reason - I know lol, but I had a job at the time and extra cash). I do not regret it, as it is a beautiful machine, but with the new version coming out, I am not going to be setting any more laptop benchmark records lol

Guess now I have to just enjoy it and game on it like it is made for lol, and wait for the next thing to get me excited

 

You'd be one of the few it would seem. It's still a great laptop compared to the M17x-R2.

Though you have the G73 in mind too it would seem.

If I had pulled the trigger when I originally planned too I wouldn't have been all that upset. I'm just glad I did ultimately wait because it would have been the second time I bought a laptop right at the end of it's shining point before it was refreshed or out done.

Just a matter of which I'll go with...darn my human wants!

 

yeah its a first asus which i like

 

Actually, the only european reseller right now is selling them with only a DVD drive (and more expensive than the US versions).

So, any news when the big European resellers (Deviltech, Kobalt and the likes) will have this beasts available for order?

 

@Ievensen007 I totally agree there are too many people that complain and whine about something that isn't official, its only to post official things about this amazing machine not saying we can't speculate but not for like ten pages of something unrelevance.

 

Thank you!

Thank you!

 

It's a matter of age and wisdom

 

i think no matter when or who will start selling this Asus in Europe, it will still be cheaper to order it from USA and get it deliver here (worldwide warranty)

it sucks buying electronics/tech in Europe....

 

Lol, I was actually saying it was more expensive buying here even making a 1$ - 1€ conversion.
In the US you get the Blu-Ray for 1645$, and in Europe you get no Blu-Ray for 1700€.

If I get it in the US, after conversion I would only pay 1144€ plus shipment, wich Ken@GenTech already told me is only around 150$ (100€).

So, yeah, I'm really tempted to get this one over the w860cu.


Tell me more about this "global warranty". Does it mean if I have a problem with my laptop, I only need to contact Asus in my country, and not send the laptop back to the US?

 

Indeed. Hence the the reason i sent the funds to a buddy in USA to buy this thing and then ship it to me in Ireland.
Which brings me to a question. Are there any problems i should be aware of? I realize i will need an european electricity plug extention for the AC. Or should i buy a new european AC unit? Anything else i should know?

 

You'll get the US keyboard and you'll pay aditional taxes because of the customs office (don't know if Ireland has one).

I know here in Portugal you don't pay any aditional taxes at customs for informatic material, but you do pay aditional IVA (I think it's called VAT in the UK) over the original price.

Also, don't know if the Blu-Ray drive comes locked to the US BD region.

 

The power adapter should phase to your voltage with no problem, but you will need a wall plug adapter.

If you are buying from the U.S., I would contact one of the fine resellers here. They are well versed with international orders, should be able to answer all of your questions, and can possibly save you money.

 

I removed the Blu-ray option. If i had a choice i would remove any optical disc drive. I will have to pay some euros for the customs. When my friend sent me G13-gaming keyboard i had to pay customs 20 euros. The keyboard dont worry me that much. There is practically no difference. I was more worried about wireless incompatibility or AC unit frying my battery etc.

 

You do not need to buy a complete new adapter, just a plug, every notebook has universal adapter now which will switch to EU standards if you use it in the EU. You need to pay 19% EU VAT for the notebook. Unless your friend marks it for a low valued item, for example books (Important things is to ask him to send it with courier or USPS Express Mail International, so you can have tracking number....you don't wan't your precious to get lost, do you?)