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

Fair enough.

They're not bad.

Speaking as an ex-Clevo owner.

 

Does anyone know of a CANADIAN DEALER that allows:

CUSTOMIZATION???

I would love to switch to...

- an SSD
- apply the thermal paste upgrade
- change the mouse
- change the bag
- upgrade the warranty
- possibly change to the 5300 wireless - if that makes any difference


Thanks!

 

I dont believe any known resellers in the world who would allow you to change the mouse and bag as, correct if im wrong, a "gift" from ASUS, and therefore you could buy a secondary bag and mouse but you would still get the first ones.

 

I do not know of a dealer for you but I can say this. If you can or are willing....

> SSD get one yourself and install it, its super easy you will pay less, get a better SSD selection and get to keep the HDD.

> Thermal paste is not needed, the stock stuff is fine. I guess its the new fad to get ICD put on from your dealer because its "cool" (pun intended) if you ever did need it for some reason that means the machine is defective and valid for RMA, also installing it yourself will be again cheaper but not as easy and carefree like the SSD install and could void your warranty.

> Mouse, Bag, See below

> Warranty upgrade? You should be able to get a warranty upgrade if needed but Asus does have the best out of the box warranty already.

> 5300 can be better than the 5100 but only if you have a setup with specific hardware to take advantage of it, otherwise it wont be any better. Also it takes 3 antenna, no guarantee if you upgraded to this card that the installer would add the extra one, it works without it but wont work as good as it should.

Correct, they are standard items they cant just be changed out. Any customization of those items would just be a purchase of an additional item.

 

Ya, but doesn't windows come preinstalled?

Wouldn't changing the HDrive be more complicated then just switching it out?

Would that also void the warranty if done by the consumer?


I just hate the fact that there are a number of Canadian resellers (have found about 6-10), but all the customizers are in the USA.

 

Windows does come preinstalled but the system also comes with restore discs. So just install the SSD and run the restore. And no upgrading the hard drive does not void the warranty.

 

Dont have time to photoshop so will just have to say it lol.

"upgrade your hard drive, its so easy a caveman could do it"

- yep no void of the warranty
- you can just use the restore disk or make a backup image first to use
- + all the above benefits I mentioned

 

I was just wondering if anyone has any experience trying to get a windows tax refund from Asus, I already have a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that I'm waiting for a new computer to use it on, and don't really want home premium.

 

Unfortunately Windows 7 Premium comes pre-installed on the ASUS G73JH-A1 so there would be no discount for taking it off. It really couldn't be used anywhere else.

However there would be nothing to prevent you from installing your Ultimate once you receive it.

 

Its not an optional accessory its part of the laptop. They have a subsidized price so they are only charging you like $20 for it anyways.

 

The Sager laptops are the only ones I have noticed dont come with an OS stock and you have to add one if you want.

 

You can ask the price back from Asus USA, but you may have to use some keywords like "press", "sue" and "CFTC"

It's not easy, and it may take a lot of phone calls and e-mails and yelling, but, it is possible since legaly they can't force you to buy the OS too...

 

Does anyone plan on getting one of those laptop coolers? I'm thinking about getting one but I'm not sure if it's gonna help. Judging from the pictures, I don't see alot of opening on the bottom where the fans might help keep it cooler.

From what I can find on newegg, I don't really see anything that may help with cooling this laptop. The only thing I cna find that I think might be good is this but it's bit expensive at $70..... What do you guys and gals think? Is it worth it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997340

 

To be honest, I would stick with this. It's cheaper and it is a really effective cooler.

 

Well, as far as I can remember, I don't have any close friend in the US which I trust enough with 1700 dollars.. However why do I need a friend, Justin or Ken or any other reseller could send it to me as well right?

 

Did you check on import taxes etc for the Netherlands?
Where I live in Canada ,it's an additional 13% + the Brokerage fee from the shipping Carrier

Alex

 

I remember someone here mentioning that its 19% (VAT) of the price of the notebook, delivery and insurance for the notebook; but of course this is in addition to whatever duty they decide to charge which tends to vary from item to item.

The website bellow will have more information.


http://www.douane.nl/particulier/internetaankopen/en/internetaankopen.html#P3_12

 

I think they can, what kind of documentation do you have that says if its part of the laptop you dont have to buy it?

 

If you don't accept the EULA when you first boot up the computer, they cannot charge you for it. It's part of Microsoft's EULA agreement.

 

That would be if you bought the OS Boxed Retail, but if you buy a laptop from a manufacturer that pre-installs it, you can certainly not "Accept" it, and it won't boot any further, but that does not give you any avenue to get any money back from the laptop manufacturer.

Even if you could, exactly how much would you ask for? It is sold as a package, not an individual item.

 

There have been cases when laptop manufacturer gived back the price of the OS because the buyer did not accept the EULA. I don't remember how much did the user exactly got, around $100. But it was really hard to get it.

 

Ok maybe I am getting a little off-topic, but.. Isn't there any way I don't have to pay import taxes etc? Because I just checked, they ask 6% for customs and an additional 19% (over the whole price) VAT (or whatever it is called in english).. Which means 1700 becomes around 2150 easily (excluding shipping etc..

 

Count me in . Preordered on Xotic PC.

 

EULA - User End License Agreement not User End Purchase Agreement. You already agreed to buy it, nobody cares if you want to use it or not.

Its like buying a box of lucky charms and not eating the cereal only the marshmallows then saying you want some money back. You bought the whole thing, your not getting a refund for what you didnt use.

The EULA is just terms for using the OS between you and MS it has nothing to do with Asus or who you bought it from anyways. If somebody has gotten money back it was just a bad case, not because they were right. Just like the person that sued MC Donalds for spilling hot coffee in there lap, or the burglar that sued a home owner when he broke his leg trying to break into his house on the roof. Yes they won the cases, but just due to some stupid legality and a good lawyer. EULA terms are not legally binding though, it gives MS the rights to revoke your license if you do not agree to it but not to press any legal charges, and thus it would work the other way as well.

 

Hey guys I'm new with the computer stuff... did some research but still couldn't figure out if getting an SDD drive is worth the extra $ (if so, for primary or secondary? *mainly used for gaming*) and if not, should I keep the default settings with RAID off?

 

SSD's in my opinion make a noticeable difference. It is best to set it up as your primary drive and have your OS run on the faster SSD. You can then have a 2nd larger hard drive as your secondary drive to store your data.

 

Actually, I'm pretty sure they calculate VAT for shipping, insurance and duty, so you'll be looking at something more than USD2150. Just giving your heads up, because form experience it seems this is the general case. Also, discussing anything regarding 'how to not pay import' taxes will attract moderator attention as it is unfortunately against forum rules, I think..............Something similar happened a while back in this thread itself.

 

^^This...it's exactly what I'm going to be doing later today when my system arrives. I had an SSD in my previous laptop and it makes a huge difference.

 

Yes it's much faster. No it's not worth the upgrade since the performance/price doesn't make much sense. I would wait til the price of SDD drops to almost HD prices to consider it.

The huge advantage is faster loading on almost everything. You won't see any improvement on fps. Get raid 0 and backup whatever is important to you on a external HD.

Some people think it's worth it, for me it's just a waste at this point. How can you justifiy paying over $1 for a 500G SDD???? My Steam account alone requires over 400G for all my games on there. Yes I got over 130 games on it. You can pretty much buy another decnet laptop for that price. Go for it if you got money to burn.

Oh yeah it helps with battery life too, I forgot to mention it. This reminds me of the days when a 2G was consider very big and cost over $200, which was expensive back then....

 

Shanmau i sent you a message. Read it dude. Geez...

 

I was originally thinking that running the OS on a 500GB drive would be fine as long as game installs and the page file were located on the SSD. Would running the OS on the SSD as well make that big of a difference?

 

Yes putting the OS on the SSD makes a big difference it boot up time and snappy feel of your computer

I have been looking at this and have come to the conclusion to reduce the buildup of garbage and unnecessary write cycles on a SSD is to move the page file and the two types of temp files to the regular hardrive. Install your OS and your applications on the SSD to get the benefit of the speed.

 

But even if you have 12GB of RAM, Windows 7 is still going to be reaching for the page file from time to time. Wouldn't it therefore be best to just make the page file a static size and keep it on the SSD for faster read time?

 

Absolutely! I personally run a 160GB SSD as my primary drive and it makes a huge difference

 

Just sent an email asking if the SSD could be switched from secondary to primary.

 

Even if it cant be switched there, its pretty trivial to switch disks around yourself

 

Ah. Well then. Justin, please ignore my email and forgive my noobishness.

 

hi all

I was wondering if I decide to upgrade to intel 5300 how do i know if they put in a third antena and do you know if xoticpc or gentech will do that?
thanks

 

The consensus from researching around the net is that it’s best to let windows control the size of the page file. As far as putting the page file on the SSD, I think you would be hard pressed to notice any difference in windows performance versus on a regular hard drive. I have been researching the issues with SSD’s and have come to my own conclusion that if I could put the page file and temp files on something other than the SSD that it would be more of a benefit in the long term performance of the SSD, even with the trim feature enabled. And it would also reduce write cycles to the SSD, which reduce the lifespan (mind you calculations have shown the average user would take 10 years to approach the maximum write cycles allowed before the drive starts to fail).

There is no right or no wrong way of doing this, I am just putting out there the way I would do it.

 

If we don't select a raid config when we order can we select a raid config later on?

 

Yes the Raid Controller can be easily enabled and configured at a later time by the end user. Very easy to do.

 

How difficult is changing the cpu usually in an asus?

I'm coming from an HP that takes about 5-6 hours to change the cpu, and I plan on dropping an ES 920 in this once I'm sure there are no defects.

 

Hey guys, just a question. I know its almost an estimate when I ask this question, but how long do you think this laptop will last me? I do intend to game most current games and will continue to do so. Obviously I wouldn't mind even going for medium to low settings in say a year or two. But would it be safe to say that this thing can last 4-5 years? Thanks!

 

Mine ships next week! I should have it by next weekend!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

 

if I put an i5 or one of the i7s with integrated graphics in this thing how would I go about switching between integrated and dedicated?

 

XoticPC allows you to change the mouse and bag, right now GenTech and Power Notebooks do not - didn't check anyone else...

 

Is it a change though, the prices look pretty close to full price on those items (but then again I haven;t priced that kind of stuff out in a while).

 

hey justin, I was curious If you guys ship to canada ???

I was thinking of upgrading from the asus g71gx-rx05 to the asus g73jh-a2!

I just ordered the g71 and am expecting it in 1-2 days, but have doubts as to its potential longevity? No direct x11 and no i7 and lower rez ect.

FPS wise there will prob only be a differance of about 2-5fps diff in games like crysis and in other games it will be like 20fps but only for games that the 260m can run at well over 60fps anyways.

DO you think its worth the extra 500? and how much will the A2 version come to after taxes and shipping?

 

I noticed the same with the SSD upgrades and a couple other items. You lose the product you already paid for and you pay full price for the upgrade. Kinda lame.

That's why I'm just getting mine stock.

 

Incorrect entirely.

EULA terms ARE legally binding if you click "I accept" regardless if you have read it or not, just like any contract, according to ProCD v Zeidenberg, 86 F.3d 1447 (7th Cir, 1996).

However, it is unclear in the current American judicial system if after opening the product, you read the EULA and disagree with it, you can return it for your money back. Most States would rule in your favor for justice to be served, but it depends on your State and specific circumstances. Your example of Lucky Charms is flawed in that you are actually using part of the product before asking for a refund. It would be a stretch of the imagination to think you would purchase a copy of some kind of software to do something legal with it besides use it on your computer. Unless the example of Lucky Charms is referring to packaging a computer and OS together and forcing you to buy both or neither, in which case you are correct in that they can force you to buy both, but again part of it may be returnable. ASUS may have to give a refund to be consistent with traditional notions of fair play and justice. It is not fair to sell a product that requires it be opened and placed into your computer before you can use the product and encounter the terms of use, then to disallow a return of the product because you find that you will not accept the EULA.

Here's wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickwrap

If you don't think wikipedia is a good source (it isn't), look up the case citations.