Asus G53, the smaller version of the G73jh

Random question:
On backlit keyboards, do colored lights burn out quicker than the default/white lights? I'm going with blue (alas, I wanted rainbow, but there are no examples up yet and I feel my chance slipping away!) but I was wondering if the lifespan was different.
Anyone with experience on the issue?

 

They don't actually change the light scource, they put a colored film to change the colors on the keys, so I'd say the same as a reg backlit keyboard.

 

Thanks, Ikas! That explains a lot.

 

Thanks for that, I gotta say I had no idea there were so many different keyboard layouts other than the non english ones of course.

There does not seem to be an Aussie KB layout and looking at the US layout I think ours is the same.

Cheers
John

 

Look a little closer...

The manual on p.17 shows the card reader as item 1, and it's incorrectly labeled ExpressCard slot. If you look at the shape and size of it, there is no way that is even a 34 slot, let alone a 54. It's a memory card reader, and it's obvious if you look at a real pic of the front case.


The lack of firewire or an expresscard slot is keeping me from buying this machine.

Whatever logic they used to cut that, cost them a sale. I need 1394 for my pro audio gear. I'd have been fine with using an expresscard like I do in my ultraportable.

 

Omigosh you guys! The ETA is getting close!
What are you guys doing in the meantime? I'm resisting the urge to buy more gadgets that would only quench my thirst for a little bit, haha.

 

Why not USB? I mean a usb external dac should be good, not sure why the need of firewire?

 

Well, between the 10 year old desktop I'm using at home that randomly shuts off 2-3 times/per hour and my school's P3300 that locks up when using more than 1 application, the G53 will be a gift from the heavens. Sucks being @ school until 9-10PM daily (massive homework) b/c I'm pretty much computerless, but I browse the unit daily and get pretty excited lol

 

Just hoping mine gets here in time for me to do all the config work I want before my two week trip out of town (starts Oct 20th...yes I'll be cutting it close).

 

In a word: latency. Also, USB is an unreliable protocol compared to firewire, for the specific application of pro audio.

Firewire is the industry standard -- that's just the way it is. USB2 audio gear is not for pro audio, it's for consumer/prosumer hobby type stuff. Plus I already have all my money invested in actual firewire gear that is sitting here right now, that I use every day, that I'm extremely comfortable with. So no G53Jh for me unfortunately.

 

My netbook is absolutely killing me, Voodooi, so I know (kind of) what you're going through. It's getting to be the hot season in San Francisco (all two weeks of it, haha) and our office doesn't have an AC (genius!) so the poor thing is running slower than... well, other slow things. Like snails. Yeah, snails.

Sometimes I go to Best Buy to see the G73jh and try to imagine it smaller, lol. Ah, one day... after all the customizations are done. I figure I'll get it some time around the 16th of October. A girl can dream!

 

I am playing Two Worlds on my XPS (also in hot San Francisco - at least the last few days) and I can only play about 15 minutes before my laptop shuts down. I am hoping the G53 arrives the week of 10/11. I am trying to resist looking at any other laptops in case something else has come along already that would capture my wandering eyes....

 

I almost bought a netbook last week but after toying with the display model for 15 minutes I decided not to since I know it would only cause frustration LOL! You can keep your hot two weeks, btw - It's a perfect temp. here in Niagara Falls of 16c You'll probably get yours before mine since I live 3700~ km from where it's getting shipped (and standard UPS is 5~ days) lol

 

What do they take away in the BB machines vs the ones we can buy from xoticpc, etc.? Specs are generally the same, right? Only thing I can think of is bluetooth is taken away from BB models. The G73 here: Asus - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Black - G73JH-BST7, looks like a good deal. Too bad it's 17inch.

 

Its a good deal, but changes more than just bluetooth, screen is 1600x900 vs 1920x1080 (i think its also auo/lg vs hanns screen), 500gb drivers vs 320gb drives, blu ray vs dvdrom, 2 year warranty vs 1 year, bag/mouse vs nothing. Even with all those things down, i think both are good deals, just different versions and price points.

 

Man. I hope BB comes out with a G53 then. Dont need BT, don't need 1080p, dont need big HDD, dont need blueray drive. I DO need the warranty tho. Nonetheless, I'd rather pay 1month's worth of rent than 1.5months worth. Right?? Right??

 

I do wish there was a 1600x900 option on the G53, but I'm happy to be supporting some of the smaller retailers that communicate with us on the site. Also, as far as I know there hasn't been any announcements concerning a best buy G53 and/or the specs that system might have.

 

I wonder if anyone can help me here. I am going to have to purchase a UK spec machine as my company have deemed importing a little over board! From the ASUS ROG site there are two sets of RAM options;

DDR3 1333 MHz up to 8GB (Intel® i7-720QM / i7-740QM / i7-820QM platform)
DDR3 1066 MHz up to 4GB (Intel® Core™ i7-620M/ i5 / i3 platform)

The UK spec machine is;

i7-740M
4096MB RAM (2 x 2048MB) DDRIII 1066 RAM

From these options I can't figure out whether I can upgrade to more RAM (e.g. more slots rather than more RAM per stick) at a later stage, I believe I can but I'm not sure what the limitations are based on. I think I'm just getting the cheaper RAM and only 4gb of it, but the 740m can handle the 1333 and upto 8gb. Am I correct here or do I need to find out more?

Cheers

Rob

 

bah. now that I know of how mammoth that G53 is, maybe I should just go and deck out an optimus equipped NP5125...hey, it has eSATA and USB 3.0, and it can stuff in a 620M and a 330M. Not that bad, heh.

 

Hello All! I've been lurking these forums for a couple of months now and I want to thank you all for the lively and spirited discussions. I'm in the market for a new laptop and I've narrowed the decision down to the Asus G53 and the MSI Gx660r. I haven't heard alot about the MSI recently and I don't know if people are just incredibly happy with it, or if those seemingly few people are really that scarce...The G53 looks to be a big contender with similar features except Nvidia traditionally has had better CUDA support. And personally, I'm leaning torward the G53 becuase I believe it won't stand out too much at design meetings. (I know you can turn the MSI lights off.)

The problem is choice....

My only frame of reference with laptops is 10 years of institution-forced Dell XPS systems. (As a designer, I needed the descrete VRAM to aid with CAD, Photoshop and various 3D modelling programs; that's what I told them...) I am also a confessed game addict

I'm posting here instead of the MSI forus, because it appears (I could be wrong) that the ASUS pages get more traffic. Anyway, I apologize for the wall of text, and thank you for reading.

 

Both are great laptops but the MSI will out perform it for gaming but if your going to use It for CAD and such I would get the G53 just because as you stated CUDA support.
The MSI looks much better in person and really does not stand out at all with the lights turned off.
One huge + for the MSI is it's incredible speaker system(probably the best ever on a laptop) and if your a audiophile it's a no brainer as to which one to get.Both are really good laptops so you can't go wrong with either, but if you were going to use it mostly for gaming I would say get the MSI but if work is involved get the G53.Last point is the MSI is a much smaller laptop, the G53 will be huge in comparison.

 

Thanks IKAS, I followed your adventures with the MSI on the other forum. I think I am leaning toward the ASUS. Have you made up your mind yet?

 

Just waiting to see if the ASUS is worth the wait

 

I think it will.

STEALTH BOMBER, MAN!!!

 

Even for CAD, HD5870M should be fine. Install Stream SDK 2.1, that provides support for OpenCL and CAD and other 3D software. AMD's support for OpenGL 4.0 is ahead of Nvidia's atm. And some testing have shown that AMD's stream processors are faster with OpenGL in real time rendering than even the Tesla.
- You an also softmod the HD5870M into a FirePro card, which again as I said, is nearly on the heels of Quadro which literally cost 5X more.

Also for the speakers, I'm sure the MSI are great. But I wouldn't make a buying decision on that, they are laptop speakers. They are far far away from being audiophile. With laptops the only solution for good audio is to connect to external speakers or use a good pair of headphones.

Also FYI, the speakers on the G73 are the best I've heard on a laptop also. Very loud, clear, crisp, the subwoofer adds a bit of bass. But again, it pales in comparison to any decent audio gear.

Between G53 and the MSI, I would say more likely the G53 will remain much quieter than the MSI. The bottom of the G53 will remain cool like G73, so very awesome for working on the go, on your lap. And I would wait to find out what screen/LCD G53 uses.

But in the end, buy what you like!

 

Personally I dislike MSI's design...actually I dislike all of the gaming laptops' design because they are too flashy and "Gamers" type.
this G53 and G73 are the only one that I am fond of (I am a guy who is willing to pay more for the design alone)

 

Hey guys, been eagerly anticipating the release of the g53. Someone a few posts ago I believe asked, if they preorder it now will they receive the beast during the first batch or not.

I was in the same boat so 2 days ago I emailed customer support for Gentechpc and got a response from Ken lee (what I experienced with his customer support and also what I read here is that he's great!) and was told that I will be receiving it during the first shipment. He also told me that release date is the 9th and they will be shipping them out on the 12th, with roughly 1 week shipping so hopefully when I receive it I'll write back with my experiences with it!

I can't wait! Mostly gonna be using it for work (I'm a senior graphic designer at an interactive agency so most my work is done with Photoshop and very light 3D work) and gaming.

 

What are your needs? Needs being are you greedy or not greedy? 4gb is plenty for EVERYTHING. I have only 1gb and use Win7 ultimate, and have been fine for a while.

With regards to which speed ram, 1333 (supposedly) only works in 64-bit OS. So if you plan on running 64-bit Win7, get 1333 if you wish. Otherwise, not a big diff. Personally, I still don't know what the diff is between x86 and x64, so someone please advise on this matter

Oh, and Rob, save your cash, if possible. You really won't be needing anything beyond what the beast already offers in its stock config.

GL HF

Get the cheaper priced one. Also, you should wait a couple weeks, and check back as the 1st batch will ship then.

See you in two weeks

 

Hi Dookie,

Thanks for your reply, I am just wondering so I know in future I can add RAM and won't be restricted by dimm slots or another limiting factor. I won't be getting RAM straight away its just nice to know that I can. I will be using the machine for CAD and I use alot of memory, our new machines at work are specced with 12gb upto 48gb, so I just want to know what catergory the UK Spec G53 falls into.

Cheers

Rob

 

The problem you guys are forgetting with MSI is their warranty handling and support. I'm not sure if you read my story in the MSI forums but I'll retype just so you know what you'd be getting yourself into.

Technical Support:
45min-1.15hr wait. A guy would pick up, chew food and place me back at the start of the queue. During the hold times a message repeats ever 30 seconds: "A representitive will be with you momentarilly". She then proceeds to smash the phone as hard as humanly possible, over and over again.

Note that technical support is only open 5 days a week for half the day.

My keyboard fell off on the 5th week of owning the GX740. You know that 3 year warranty they brag about? Well ...it's trash. I had to pay almost 60$ to ship it to them out of my own pocket and they said I'd have it back in less than 2 weeks. Well, it took 5 weeks. When they shipped it back the top right of my screen was scratched and the double box I put it in originally was tossed out and they shipped it back in a box which looked like it had been thrown from a rooftop.

Sorry for the ranting, but I just wanted to give you an idea of the 'can of worms' per se that you'd be opening by going with MSI lol. Not a company that will ever see my money again, you can count on that.

Edit: I also registered my letter to qualify for the 3 year warranty (originally 2), sent it to California (it cost me 15$) and it magically disappeared. They would not give me the 3 years, even though I had signaure confirmed letter that was registered. They're a bunch of cheaters and crooks.

I sold my system b/c I just couldn't take the immense amount of crap it came with.

 

clevo/sager laptops aren't flashy.

 

$75 for a IC thermal job, worth it? Who's getting it done and who's applying it themselves? Or does it void the amazing warranty Asus give us?

 

Too subjective of a question - some people swear by it and like staff with experience to apply the paste, some like to do it themselves, and others think its a huge waste of money. Results are very conflicting, some see much lower temps others show no difference or worse performance compared to stock thermal compound.

 

Yeah that's why I was asking who would be getting it, because $75 is a lot..

 

Buy a tube for $10 bucks and do it yourself, but it will be a pain to get to the CPU and GPU if it's anything like the G73. It's a little hard for people that are not used to taking laptops apart but it can be done if you take a little extra time and care.

 

I'm alright at taking them apart, I just would fail the actual paste job !

 

seeing from the case of G73, i think it is worth it... apparently the paste job and the stock paste is badly done for G73.
some after applying dropped about 20 degrees..

I would totally recommend it since it is better to spent an extra $75 that benefits the whole laptop in terms of performance and durability.

 

I chose to pay the 75 bucks and just have it done. My thinking is that they will do a much better job than I could.

 

Good to know.
I don't do any CAD work or anything like that so thanks for clearing that up.
But like you said in the end "Buy what you like!"

 

Thanks guys, good info. I did some digging and modifying the 5870 to function as a FirePro is very doable. I'm just not sure I want to switch back and forth with drivers. (A guy has to take breaks while working on projects...)

I need to verify this, but the last couple of ASUS models have had pretty good screens (with the exception of the lower-res BB versions) and I see no indication that they would scimp now. And even the BB versions aren't terrible screens, I saw two of the models in person. I do believe I just talked myself into buying the G53

Now, onto calling some vendors!

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news the G53JW is now pushed out to October 18th in case some of you wanted to know.

 

Ouch. Asus must be having some serious problems with the G53 if they keep pushing back the release date like this.

 

Crap!
Hopefully it's a supply and demand delay.
WTH we waited this long what's a few more weeks.
I feel bad for people that preordered months ago.

 

Wow!!!!

....well at least this means I can quit worrying if it will be here in time for my trip.

 

Thanks Justin for the update. Delays happen. However, it does give me pause as I am wondering what issues they are having.

 

Lol same scenario as with the G51 debut.

 

Noooooo! that's another two weeks, probably... PLUS.... I'm getting so many changes done to it...
Oh, despair...
Thanks for keeping us up to date, Justin, we appreciate it. But do you think there is any chance at all that it might ship earlier than that? Is October 18th a 'worst case scenerio' date, or is October 18th the 'best case scenerio' date?

 

I hope ken will come on here and say his shipments are still on track for the 8th, but thats practically impossible if xotics initial shipment got delayed.... this sucks.

 

It wasn't per say our shipment we were providing the ETA, it was the ETA ASUS is telling us for their shipment. There is always possibilities of a earlier or later arrival date. As many of you know the G73, G51, G72, G50 etc etc... were all later then originally planned.

 

Sucks is right...but even the 18th is still an ETA with emphasis on the "E"...Estimated