Asus HELLO?!

Where the HELL were you at CES? Alienware, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, HP, Sager all of them gave us excited news about new laptops featuring Sandy Bridge and the new 500 series from Nvidia and the 6000 series from AMD.

All we have heard about from you is the "new" G73 with everything the old G53/G73 have except a Sandy Bridge CPU. Not even a new GPU. And news about this SB G73 came before CES. Yes shure there was news about N53SV with GT 540m, but that little announcement drown in all the other releases from manufacturers mentioned above. What about all you other models?

Must say i am deeply dissappointed in you Asus

 

They are there. They announced a new motherboards today and some new tablets and pads a few days ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJdZL_91JM&feature=player_embedded#!

ASUS Announces Eee Pad and Eee Slate Tablets - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

As much as i think it is good that they hop on the pad thingy, it doesn`t help us notebook buyers at all. Netbooks i couldnt care less about and motherboards, well thats an entire different field

This sucks

 

What surprised me is that Asus has made a tablet computer like iPad where it has i5 as its processor 0_o (EEE Slate EP121)

Considering they are making an effort to get some market share with tablet computers, have they ever thought of that if ever they would use Windows 7 as its OS, what is Windows 7 user interface and user experience compared to Mac's iPad OS?

For a price of $1000+, who would buy a tablet PC with an Core i5 processor with Windows7 OS just for PDF reading or internet browsing? I'd rather buy a laptop with a Core i5 processor or just buy an Apple iPad instead of that Asus tablet computer.

 

I guess ill take the bait -

The big issue people have right now is the Keyboard and Touchpad; a fix of these do not require a full new laptop model. Obviously, alot of design work went into the G73, so can you blame them for not ditching it right away?

Your real complaint seems to be lack of new things, but tell me... where are the new things? nVidia JUST announced the new, lower performance 5xx chips, and the 480m isn't widely available. ATI is even more behind, and also JUST announced the 6XXX line, with the 6870 sounding identical (in GPU performance) to our 5870s.

Frankly, I'm not sure what you were hoping for, but i am sorry people let you get your hopes up so much..

 

Notebook refresh is not about fixing problems, it is for staying ahead of the game and releasing new technology for their customers. And why should they ditch the design of the G-series? All i am asking for is a bigger update than "meh, lets just throw in a SB CPU and call it a day".

And there are many new GPUs from both Nvidia and AMD. Shure none of them show changes in architect, just rebranded with better clocks. Nvidia have released 5 new GPUs, with GT 555M that is a top midrange model and GTX 485 which is the best GPU out there.
AMD have the 6970 which is much better than GTX 460 and surpasses even the GTX 480. Nobody knows the power consumption of that card yet, but if it is better than 100 watt (GTX 480), i find no reason to why Asus can`t feature it on the G-series. It have the cooling capabilities for shure.

My point here is that why shouldnt Asus release new models with these new GPUs? There are many other occasions earlier where Nvidia/AMD released new discrete GPUs with slightly better clocks etc, and Asus have always been there to satisfy the crave of customers like me.
Asus could even release laptops without discrete GPUs, and use the IGP of Sandy Bridge because it is more than capable of competing against lots of GPUs. According to Anandtech and hothardware it will give the laptop awesome battery life.

All of the other big manufacturers is giving us brand new refreshes and feature some other things than SB: WiDi 2.0, 1080p 3D etc. Why stay behind the competition Asus? Lazy and dissappointing imo

 

Somehow, I'm quite relieved that Asus didn't introduce another batch of new ROG laptops. It's good for us (G73 owners) somehow that they didn't abandon their responsibility of handling every issues that are arising on our beast and just moved on with a new batch of new ROG laptops..

 

Except, until yesterday, that is ALL they had to work with. nVidia and ATi just released their stuff, but more importantly...

How is that itself not a "meh"? Now new changes but some clock speeds? Why should Asus waste time with that?

Yes, they JUST released them. Meaning, they are brand new - new being not ready for everyone yet. So, what was there for Asus to release??! Also, who cares about ANY of the released 5XXM chips? They are all lower than the GTX460, so we wouldn't care about them anyway.

Why do i have to keep saying it.. THEY JUST GOT RELEASED. I am sure Asus WILL do something, but we aren't arguing about that - you seem to think they should have released something the same day, which is silly.

I am sure when they have the ability to do so, they will. Them not announcing laptops the DAY the new chips comes out does not mean they wont release anything - it means they weren't fortune tellers, and didn't release a laptop with an unreleased card.

You know? Forget it.. i forgot that if a company didn't release things from the future, it meant they were Lazy.. thank you for reminding me...sheesh.

 

Get off your high horse Madcat. Why was all the other companies able to release new laptops if "ZOMG they JUST released the new GPUs".
Dell have the GT555m, HP have the 6860, Eurocom with 6970, Clevo with GTX 485m etc etc. ALL of these GPUs unreleased.
Don`t you think that these companies: Dell, Sony, Alienware, Nvidia communicate together and share news that is hidden from the public?

"I am sure when they have the ability to do so, they will. Them not announcing laptops the DAY the new chips comes out does not mean they wont release anything"

It is a enormous marketing fail if Asus can`t get any information about future technology in place on the biggest consumer event of the year, CES.

 

I think asus marketing is smart - wait until CES is over, then announce products with no other media competition.

... but I want a 6970m SO BAD. *sigh*

 

Yeah me too
But that marketing... Just think about it. Newspapers and sites that normally don`t cover notebooks and computer technology are all present at the CES and reporting for Average Joe who rarely reads about this stuff. All eyes are on CES.

Anyhow, maybe Asus was more focused on giving iPad and Galaxy pad competition and therefor chose to use their time to announce that sort of products. They are really popular so i cannot blame them. Allthough like i said, Asus notebook announcements was weak and dissapointing.

 

Asus is probably sick of ati after all the problems that they had with the 5870m. On the one hand the 5870m is one of the best cards ever for price to performance ratio. However, the power management and stability issues were absolutely pathetic. It seems like Asus has decided not to use Ati for awhile.

As far as Nvidia is concerned their new cards simply are not suited for the G73. The 485m is too power hungry and way too expensive while the 555m is not powerful enough.

So the fault lies with Nvidia and Ati as much as Asus. Neither company is aggressively marketing and developing products in the market segment that the G73 fits.

 

5870M was fine. It's Asus that dropped the ball on this one. Alienware and MSI both have functional 5870Ms.

And AMD does have have something for the G73jh. The successor to the HD5870M is more power efficient with a better power/performance than the 5870M...

 

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that shortly after launching the g73, asus said it was going for optimus/nvidia on all their performance laptops. I wish I could find that news post...

 

Asus' issue with the 5870M was one of their own design. They deviated from the reference design, and caught a timing bug.

 

I stand corrected.
It would be nice if they would put a new 6970 in there or something that gives a significant performance improvement.
Again I have to ask the question, what else is out there that Asus could use?
The 460m is still a relatively new part, but I have to say that Nvidia and Ati have never been very aggressive in bringing products in the 460m/5870m price range to market.

 

A 485m? I've seen one on a review of XMG P501 in notebookcheck.

 

It`s not just about G-series. It is about all the other Asus models as well. 5 new GPUs from Nvidia, 4-5 new GPUs from AMD. Notebooks with no discrete GPUs but use the IGP in Sandy Bridge for awesome battery life while still be able to play games with it.
There are WiDi 2.0, there are 3D notebooks for other models than G-series with the new GPUs from Nvidia. Tons of possibilities.

I bet one of the reasons they chose to abandon ATI because of Optimus.
And maybe they are waiting for GTX 560m before they release a brand new G54/74 with a new design?

 

What do you mean? Asus so far isn't offering a performance Sandy Bridge notebook with switchable graphics.

 

No but they haven`t announced many either. Now that all Sandy Bridge CPUs come with IGP they have no reason to not offer it.
But you are right about the step from JH to JW though. Don`t know why they discontinued ATI there. Maybe all the driver problems?

 

Ken confirmed that Asus is not releasing any switchable graphics in the G-Series for this year at least. And who cares about Optimus, AMD has switchable graphics for years now. Maybe it's not as fluid as Optimus, it works, I already know people who have AMD switchable graphics and their laptop are 2 years old.

The new version from AMD should be just as fluid.

 

Also don't forget the fact that the ROG notebook line just got refreshed merely two months ago. Compared to other notebook manufacturers, ASUS's notebook refresh rate is already much higher. Like others said, with the exception of GTX485M (which is an inferno), all the other GPUs Nvidia launched this year are mostly for mainstreams, so there's no point for ASUS to upgrade.

Outside of the ROG line, the multimedia N line, got GT540M, while the cheaper mainstream K line, got GT520M. So ASUS did refresh their lines with new GPUs from Nvidia.

 

Who cares about the refresh that was with GTX 460 and the quads and all the other models. It is old technology. What matters now is Sandy Bridge. The G-series could benefit from GTX 470, GTX 480, ATI 6950, 6970 and 6975.

Yeah i saw that N53 got the GT 540. I have not heard news about the K-notebooks from Asus though so i tried googling them up. No hits. I visited Nvidia and found something there. Is that where you found them? No news in CES about them, no hits on google.

Still would love for them to offer high end mid range notebooks with GT 550M and GT 555M. GT 540 is pure crap compared.

We could argue all night long, but the bottom line is that Asus showed NO new notebooks at CES which was dissapointing for me because i really want an Asus SB laptop.

Will see if i just hop on the GTX 460 which is a downer, but anything is better than what i currently have.

I care about Optimus.

 

The G series is getting a Sandy Bridge update within a month, so I think a little more patience would be more productive than spamming NBR with useless comments.

Furthermore, of course G series' performance would benefit from GTX470/480 and ATI 6950/6970, but ASUS would also need to redesign the notebook to cope with the thermal envelope. GTX460's TDP is less than 70W, while GTX480 is 100W. 6970M's TDP is also 100W, while 6950M's TDP is 75W. If you want a beefier laptop than the G series, perhaps you should look at Alienware or Eurocom. But for the rest of the G series audiences, not a lot of us would want to sacrifice the form factor and heat dissipation just for a little bit more performance.

Yes, I found them on Nvidia.com.

Read "sacrifices of form factor and heat dissipation above".

Google ASUS G73SW/G53SW, and N73SV/N53SV.

GTX460M is a really good mobile graphic card, and it can play most of the game on the market at the moment at max settings, while not burning my hands and legs when I'm at it. Like I said, if you fancy something much better than the GTX460M, perhaps you should look at Alienware or Eurocom, or even build a desktop yourself.

 

... or get a 5870m

 

And what about the 470m?? Way more powerful than the crappy 460m and not nearly as power-hungry and hot as the 480m.

 

Yes around 75 Watt actually, few more than GTX 460

Wow, a new CPU yay. No WiDi, No new GPU, no

Why? I just told you about these laptops, i know everything about them. And for the record, the were NOT shown at CES. They were announced in late December.

GTX 470M? Few more watts and you get better GPU. 6970 which is going to crush the GTX 460M will probably have less than 100W TDP. And if it did, the cooling of the G-series is more than capable to tackle the increased heat from 460M. That is 480M included. 6950 is better than 460M but same power consumption, why not include it in the G53/73? Atleast it would make a whole lot better notebook, if not on the paper, it would have been different and new compared to just throwing in a new CPU.

And Alienware? lol dude, im not a millionaire

I could be wrong but i hardly think that GT 550/555 will be that much more demanding than GT 540, atleast not so much that the N53 can`t handle it. According to notebookcheck it is suitable for both 15" and 17".

 

I cannot speculate on why ASUS did not use GTX470M for the G series, since according to rumors, GTX470M should only consume about 75W, just a bit more than the GTX460M. However, it is also interesting why Sager / Clevo is the only notebook manufacturer offering the GTX470M, while the rest offer GTX460M.

Cost, perhaps?

 

I think the cost from 460M to 470M is around $200

 

You specifically asked about the Sandy Bridge laptop.

So why are you complaining if they already released the details back in December?

First of all, only one notebook manufacturer features GTX470 in their lineup. Perhaps there is a reason why other manufacturers decided to stick with GTX460M instead.

Secondly, I'm willing to bet that GTX470 may have exceeded the thermal envelope of G53, therefore they only put the GTX460 in there. GTX480M and 6970M are 100W, so they are not going into the G series. 6950M is a new GPU that was silently launched couple days ago. Given the low profile launch, I think AMD is having some issues with fulfilling their orders, since none of the manufacturers are getting them.

Thirdly, the cost. We have no idea how much GTX470, or even 6950M costs. ASUS is very conscious about providing a fast solution without costing the end users an arm and a leg. That is why the adoption of G-series is much higher than other brands, because end users can get a fast enough laptop for $1350, while other manufacturers are charging $1600, $1700, or even $2000 for them.

You get what you pay for. Forgive me for being frank, but if you really care that much about having the best performing laptop on the market, perhaps you should look at Sager / Clevo or Alienware m17x.

Suitable for 15" and 17" doesn't mean it fits into every notebook that is 15" or 17". There's no way you're fitting a GT540M inside an UL50, despite it being a large 15". Furthermore, none of the notebook manufacturers have any future lineup sporting a GT550M/GT555M. Yet, all of the notebook manufacturers are putting a GT540M into their mainstream lineups, including Clevo. Why is that?

No, its at least $600.

NEW 1.5GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 470M Video card - eBay (item 110615096043 end time Jan-21-11 11:34:24 PST)

So your beloved G73 is not going to cost $1500. Its going to cost $1800~$2000.

 

Try to read what i wrote again please

 

I misunderstood what you wrote, I apologize.

Again, my point stands. A GTX460M equipped G73 is 1449. A GTX470M equipped G73 would be at least 1649, excluding the potential increase in heatsink size or higher failure rate.

 

viperabyss

You are willing to bet that 3-4 watt was enough to overcome the thermal envelope? Are you kidding me? And may i ask, how do you know that 6970M is 100W? No information about that card have been published yet.

Sager NP8170 (Built on Clevo P170HM) Custom Gaming Laptop
I am pretty shure that a lot of people are willing to pay $200 for a much greater GPU with the same TDP.

Shure you can fit 540M inside a thin notebook. Why not? Macbook Air which is very thin have Geforce 320M. Asus U31 have GT 415M , U41 have GT 420M. The GT 540 is around 10 Watt more, 35 Watt TDP. So why not?

And Dell XPS 17 will start shipping out February 1 with GT 555M.

Do you even search before making statements?

 

interobs.com Radeon Mobility HD 6970 M, elle arrive

Given the fact that it is reported G53 does not much hotter than G73, I'm speculating that G53's heatsink capacity is 70W. If that's the case, then GTX470M wouldn't fit in a G53, don't you think?

Even if the heatsink capacity of G53 does go up to 75W, there's also the problem of cost.

And a lot of people are not. Like I said, the G-series was designed to be cost effective while providing great gaming performance. Sure, a $1649 G73 sounds good to a lot of people, but it would be considered too expensive by many. Obviously most notebook manufacturers stick with GTX460M because it provides the most performance for the right price.

Because 10W more could mean overwhelming the cooling performance of the laptop, or the battery life, or the cost.

Apparently I missed that one.

I'll say this again: if you think ASUS's solution does not provide enough performance, you're more than welcome to look at Sager and Alienware. After all, you get what you pay for.

 

This thread has gone on long enough. We know what's coming out from ASUS, and there weren't a ton of announcements from other manufacturers at CES. This forum doesn't exist to be someone's soapbox, if you want to post huge rants I suggest you make a blog.