Asus G73JW discussion thread

One quick question concerning the G73JW-3D edition:
- will it come with a standard Blu-Ray burner or reader?? Am asking this because I do not want my device to be fully disassembled.
In other words, does the Blu-Ray burner come installed from ASUS or is it installed by XOTICPC and GENTECH ??

Thanks

 

The Blu-ray burner is standard on the ASUS G73JW-3DE coming from ASUS...it is not installed by the reseller.

 

Hi
can some one comment this (amazon.com product comment):

it is true about XA1 1033Mhz memory ?

 

The Realtek HD Audio Manager provides environment settings along with additional sound massaging tools. The most significant function Realtek provides IMO is Stereo Mix. This function allows for recording of stream data. This functionality is unfortunately unavailable with the Microsoft driver.

 

okay i'll quote myself now for SC2 players; i can play on all ultra settings now and have average 65fps. I did not touch anything but i believe it was from the game. A friend of mine told me that SC2 made some upgrades to the patch yesterday. When i was playing today i noticed in settings all was turned on to ultra automatically. It seems like we will go thru these ups and downs as more patches and upgrades will come along.

By the way, G73JW ROCKS!!!

 

Don't know about the other questions, but I don't have Realtek's software running on my N80. I originally didn't install it at all, but reinstalling Windows on a new drive, the new Nvidia drivers seemed to disable my audio, the system thought everything was supposed to be going through HDMI (maybe I just missed a setting somewhere though).

At any rate, I installed the Realtek drivers, then removed them, and that seemed to get everything back to normal. Obviously your hardware's a lot newer and better, but still, it's Realtek audio, so...

Don't know if it's the fault of IDT, but the Dell M15x I had with IDT sound had very obvious hiss and crackle through the headphone ports. At least my Realtek stuff works!

 

If I've got the G73JW-XA1 from Amazon that doesn't come with the Blu-ray drive...is there a way to buy the Blu-ray drive separately and install it myself?

 

You can purchase your own Blu Ray if you would like. Just get a SATA slimline drive and you will need to transfer the bezel from the Stock Drive to your new drive. (Along with the mounting brackets)

 

Awesome, thanks. Is it hard to transfer bezels? My laptop comes tomorrow. My work bought it for me, I didn't see the one with the Blu-ray drive for only $50 more until after they ordered the XA1 from Amazon.

 

Sometimes they can be a little tricky. Be careful not to break the tabs. You will see a tab on each side that holds the bezel to the tray.

 

I bought the g73jw-3d and I am impressed with the 3d sample video. It works really well. Keyboard is smooth, way better than my last Acer. THe image is great, The battery life is quite short. I havent tried any games yet. I'll post review when I do.

 

Gratz
Hopefully, I get mine soon.
yes review please

 

Did any of you get a driver cd with your g73jw?

I burned the recovery discs, but there doesn't seem to be one with just the drivers.

 

Look carefully in your box, in the little side compartment...your drivers disk should be there.

However if you can't find it, the drivers are available by drilling down at ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-.

If you want the ASUS Blu-ray/DVD suite you can download it (about 650MB) by going to ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-. Under General Download drop the 1st menu down and select Notebook, then in the 2nd select Apps, and in the 3rd select ASUSDVD. Then hit Search. Select your OS, and then click the + to open and show the two software downloads. The full Suite is the 2nd one down.

 

Thanks Donald, I found it.

 

hi there,looking to buy G73JW...can the gpu be upgraded later on??

 

average 65fps?
have you tried using zerg?
I can get around 60+ after overclocking but for zerg if i turn on reflection, it drops to 30-40ish.

i just tried out some tower defense map to see if it would work in a big battle in 4v4.
but seems not too well, may drop to 25ish fps in some situations

 

Pretty much don't count on it with any notebook.

Luckily it already has close to the best GPU in there anyway, so it's about as good as you can do for a notebook.

 

with price being not an issue;
which will be a better buy in quality and performance?
msi gx740?
asus g73jw?
i would be playing games only like crysis metro..

 

As anyone tried the new BIOS (2.03)?

 

Linux warning.
I know I'm being a bit over zelous (as I just posted about it) and it is powerhouse portable gaming rig. But ATI has terrible Linux drivers. Nvidia has embraced Linux much more than ATI.

 

ATI fglrx drivers aren't terrible anymore, but they're still hard (or nearly impossible) to use with the latest kernel. They're not as good as the NVIDIA drivers, but the gap isn't as wide as it was. The kernel's radeon driver works fine for 2D if you want, and downclocks evergreen GPUs fine. I used it on my G73Jh and got ~1.5-2hrs battery life. AFAIK there's a flickering problem with the NVIDIA driver on the 460M when it changes clocks.

 

I get some faint noises (screeching or feedback) from my laptop when I'm on battery power. I thought it was from my speakers but the sound persists when I mute them. Anyone else have a noise from their laptop on battery power?

 

Cheers for the ATI update ALLurGroceries, not tried ATI cards in a while.
The NVIDIA flickering is anoying but can be removed by switching the card to high performance in the NVIDIA control panel. Goes up about 6 degrees in heat. There is 3 speeds on the card. But only two options for perofrmance. Variable and High. Probably a way to choose between the three speeds available in some config file. Not dug around to much on that one, yet.

 

hey is there any asus notebook model that can use sli/crossfire

does asus use mxm slots or reverse mxm slot?
which one would be easily upgradable(the gpu that is)in future?

 

After the W90Vp ASUS said it was not going to make another dual GPU notebook.

ASUS machines use a proprietary reverse MXM card that is not upgradable. Some upgrades have been possible in the past, but they are the exception.

 

I'm trying to run NFS Hot Pursuit and the game is crashing whenever I have the usb controller (older sidewinder) connected. Does anyone know what would cause this? I could not find any usb conflicts.

 

This message can be deleted because of my mistake.
Sorry.
Thanks alot.

 

I'm thinking about getting the Asus G73JW-A1 and i was wondering if there were any upgrades that I should get like SSD. I was also wondering if it comes with Microsoft office becasue i need that so if it doesnt come with that ill buy it.

Clarification on what this is would also help:

Thermal Compound
Stock OEM Thermal Compound
IC Diamond 24 on CPU/GPU: Free with CPU Upgrade!
IC Diamond 24 Carat Thermal Compound on both CPU/GPU : $75

and if i need any upgrades on the wireless cards Im new to computer specs and stuff but i'm looking for a good laptop that i can game and have up to 4+ years so i just want to make sure everything is optimized to its full potential any hel pwould be appreciated

 

Of course you should get an SSD! That is of course if you're willing to pay for it. They aren't cheap, but sure are fast. Nice thing about this laptop is you can run your SSD AND your hard drive for storage.

No, Microsoft Office doesn't come with it.

Looks like they're just giving you better thermal compound, the stock compound isn't that great and isn't applied with much care.

I got the Intel 6200 card, I'd suggest you get the 6200 or the 6300 if you want to utilize the 5 GHz band of your router, if you have that.

 

So for the thermal compund should i get the 2nd or 3rd option.

And for the SSD should it be on primary or secondary harddrive
80GB G2 Intel X25-M Multi-Cell SSD Serial-ATA II : $209
160GB G2 Intel X25-M Multi-Cell SSD Serial-ATA II : $439
128GB Crucial C300 Solid State Drive SATA III : $269
256GB Crucial C300 Solid State Drive SATA III : $609
90GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II : $205
120GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II : $245
180GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II : $425
240GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II : $476

^^ Which of these ssd upgrades would be best do you think the
90GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II would be ok ?

 

On the thermal compound, how much is the 2nd option for you? I personally would just do it myself and not pay them for it but not sure on your technical ability.

The Crucial's are my favorite because they are the only SSD's that run at 6Gb/s...BUT....this G73 only supports 3Gb/s so that would be a waste. I'd go with a Vertex 2 because it has the SandForce controller (like the Phoenix Pro SSD). As far as which one, you'd have to decide how much space you want. I have a 120 GB SSD and that's enough for me with the extra hard drives for storage. I think anything smaller isn't big enough. Go 180 or 240 GB if you have the cash. Those prices aren't that bad, not much of a premium charged by them as compared to buying one separately and installing yourself.

 

the 2nd thermal compund seems to be free

im checking something out right now so would the ssd be primary and hdd be secondary? and do you think bluray would be needed on this laptop?

 

Then I'd definitely get the 2nd one, not worth the extra $75 for the 3rd option. You'd want your SSD to be primary, meaning you'd want your OS to boot off of it. You could install a few games to it as well, depending on your space constraints. You can also install games to the secondary standard drive. Make sure when they customize it they include the regular drive as well.

I can't answer on Blu-ray, that'd too much of a personal preference. I put a Blu-ray burner in mine and I love it. The 1080p screen is really nice for Blu-ray's. All comes down to if your needs and wants.

 

The 2nd option is only free IF you upgrade your CPU. If you are not upgrading your CPU just stay with the standard ASUS thermal compound, or pay the $75 to upgrade to IC Diamond applied to CPU + GPU.

 

So to you both if it's not free should i stick with stock or get the $75 dollar upgrade and are there any links to can give me to optimize the perofrmance of my laptop once i get it?

Also how can i tell if i need to upgrade the wireless card i cant tell for sure how fast my router is would you guys recommend it?

This is the laptop I'm thinking about getting is it ok?

G73JW-A1 Asus G73JW-A1 17.3" FHD/NV GTX 460M 1.5GB GDDR5/i7-740QM/8GB DDR3/1TB 7200rpm/BD/ $1619 After Rebate $1,719.00 $1,719.00
Availability: In Stock
Optical Drive: 4X Blu-Ray Read/DVDRW Optical Drive
External USB HD: None
Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.0+EDR
Gaming Mouse: Included
Backpack: Included
Drivers DVD: Inclueded
30 days Zero Bright Dot Guaranteed: Yes through Asus
Packaging: Shipping with Double Box
Warranty: Asus 2 Year Limited Global Warranty
Asus Support & Service: 24/7 Toll-Free, Both Way Shipping
24/7 Support hotline: 1-888-678-3688 (except holidays)
Accidental Damage Warranty: ASUS Accidental Damage Warranty
Webcam: Built-in 2.0 MP Webcam
Additional Battery: No Additional Battery
Car Adapter: None
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Pre-installed
AC Adapter and Battery: Included
Screen: 17.3 inch 16:9 1920x1080 FHD LED glossy
Secondary Hard Drive: 500GB 7200rpm SATA II
Primary Hard Drive: 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 Solid State Drive SSD SATA II $229.00 $229.00
Dead Pixel Warranty: Standard Manufacturer Dead Pixel Warranty
Additional AC Adapter: No Additional AC Adapter
Windows Recovery Disk: Not included
Options for HDD in Optical Drive Bay: None
Thermal Compound: IC Diamond 24 on CPU/GPU free with CPU Upgrade
GPU: nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM DX11
CPU: i7-740QM, 1.73~2.93GHz, 2.5 GT/s, 45nm, 6MB, 45W
RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333 (2G X 4)
Keyboard backlight mod: Standard Bright White Backlit
ASWD Keys backlit modification: Same color on entire keyboard
Wireless HDMI: None
WiFi: Intel Advanced-N 6200 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless LAN
Total: $1,983.00

 

What model is the router?

Upgrades can provide double or more bandwidth, 5MHz band wireless N connections, better reliability, etc.

Not much need to upgrade if you do no home networking and only use internet, unless your internet connection is faster than 150Mbps, or if your router simply doesn't support any features your current adapter doesn't already have.

 

MY router is 2Wire At&T and its running at 100 Mbps right now thats all i can pick up from it

 

You won't get any benefit in upgrading.

 

should i pugrade the thermal compound

 

Man you're needy! That's been answered a couple times now.

 

Sorry just want to make sure this thing lasts big investment don;t want it to backfire on me

so the only upgrade im looking at is the 120gb ssd will that be fine?

 

This is my first time posting, and I'm not a PC newbie by any stretch, but I just wanted to shout out a special thanks to Ken, Quadzilla, i7.Asus, and all of the other people posting on these forums. Seriously great job.

 

In my opinion, upgrading the thermal compound is not worth for the G73JW. It runs cool anyways. The ssd is obviously good if you can afford it. The wireless upgrade is also good in general.

 

Time will tell if the paste will degrade or not. I hope not.

 

Chances are this


is your router. it's a G certified. Upgrading your wireless will not produce the results you're looking for.

 

yeah something similar to this can i upgrade my wireless card later i look to improve my router and service in the future

 

Hi,

I should want to know the maximum amount of RAM the G73JW's motherboard will accept, or the G73JW's chipset ?

Thanks alot.
@+

 

@9800xpv 16GB I think (4x4), until 8GB modules come out? Even then... who knows if it'll support that density.

 

Thanks alot.
My G73JW is coming with 8GB, I think that will be sufficient for some time

@+