Asus ROG G551

Errors on their official site have now been corrected. It lists the processor as a 4710HQ and the RAM now says DDR5. I think it looks like a great deal.

 

I'm glad the Asus has finally given some information about this laptop. But is there any difference in terms of design between the G551 and GL551 as people are claiming? They look the same for me.

 

I think people are crazy. To me they look the same. I don't think there is any difference.

 

We also need to know if this two upcoming models will have IPS display. On the Asus ROG page they list the G550JK as having an IPS panel, but don't mention it for the GL551.

 

This is a direct update to the old line and they've been using IPS displays for a while now. I would be stunned if it wasn't IPS.

 

Its a no go for me if its not IPS.

 

I'm pretty sure it's not IPS as the G550JK has IPS and it's shown on the website... C'mon, 1099 usd for the "high end", gotta cut the price somewhere.

 

I find this highly unlikely and would definitely be a deal breaker for me. But their UX303 line the successor to the UX301 line is getting much better reviews, and is many hundreds of dollars cheaper. Even more of a gap between the G550 line and the GL551 line so it's more than possible. They've released very little info so far and even had typos in the info they did reveal so we obviously don't know for sure just because they didn't include the screen type.

Also when shown at the trade shows it said IPS for the FHD (1080p) model. All of the other specs match, not sure why the screen would be any different: http://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_IMG_9964_55b6adfcf8.jpg

I'm almost certain it will be IPS.

 

Yeah I think you're right. $1099 for i7, 860m, AND an IPS display? That's slipping into too good to be true category. There's not a laptop on the market with those specs close to that price. I'm thinking they cut out the IPS. That's why this has a different name from the G551. Its not the G551 its the GL551.

 

OR they could've ditched the HD model to a FHD NON-IPS... Still not sure why they changed model name... could be lack of IPS, really.

Still, if 1099 is the price for non-ips... I expect IPS to be 1200-ish, which is still very good imho.

 

I'm not sure what you guys are smoking. The Lenovo Y50 has similar specs just no IPS screen and it can be had for around $900 (which is a good deal if I could stand the screen). I don't think it's mind blowing to pay $200 more and get a device with an IPS screen. This isn't an absolute steal, just a decent deal. It's really not unbelievable... And people were getting replacement screens for the Lenovo for $100 or less so making their total purchase price around $1,000...

I may be wrong, but it doesn't really seem as out there as everyone implies that it may have an IPS screen. Outside of their serious budget models they don't use many non-IPS so it would surprise me - it's often referenced as a strength of ASUS laptops and it would be disappointing to see them stray from that.

But I hope they announce the screen type soon so that I can cancel my pre-order if it isn't IPS. How people can handle bad viewing angles on a laptop is beyond me.

 

I can name 10 Asus laptops just off the top of my head that have ips and are relatively cheap. It's a matter of $20-40 difference to asus. IPS screens aren't all that expensive anymore. Either way, I'll take a good TN screen. I just don't want the $5 Y50 screen. Even the Y500 screen was really nice to me.

 

that's impossible there, the 900 series will most likely have significantly better performance than the kepler rebrands, but they are going to have have the same TDP or a bit lower than their predecessors. for example, 870m and 970m will both have a 75W TDP, but the latter will have more performance and probably be easier to cool.

that said, you won't be getting a 970m with the same TDP as an 860m, you will, however, most likely get a 960m that may perform like an 870m and has the same tdp as an 860m. it all depends on what nvidia is planning for GM206

 

I tried to reach asus via Twitter/Facebook/Forums and yet no answer about GL551 IPS... :/

 

Asus has terrible customer service and responses in general. Generally third parties have more info than Asus themselves. Unless it's on their website they're clueless. And by that I mean if you can find the info on their website, because their support won't even know info that's available on their site.

 

Well, PC gamer has one with them, which they'll be giving out next week... but they still won't say if it's IPS or not...

 

It wasn't said that fans would have the possibility to see the Asus GL551 and GX500 during PAX Prime 2014? If true, we should expect some new videos and pre reviews this week.

 

Ok so I still want that notebook and I've been bothering my local pc shop with it for about a month. Notebooks should be in Slovakia on 11.9. and in the shop on 13.9. I also got the price of dm079h (model with 4GB GDDR5) down to 867€. Now there's just one more thing troubling me, they're listing the panel as TFT in specifications.

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They also told me that ASUS is constantly shifting release dates for suppliers but the ones i mentioned are the most recent ones. I'm definitely going to wait for it even if they lie again. I'm not settling for MSI that will melt or Lenovo who's more expensive models don't last very long either

 

Hi everyone, I read through the last few pages while doing some research on the GL551JM. I've been trying to decide whether or not to pre-order the thing and I came across this:

http://asuslaptopsreview.com/reviews/asus-gl551jm-dh71-review/

The source seems pretty sketchy but I went ahead and per-ordered it anyway. I figure if the release date really is the end of September we should find out soon enough that I can cancel.

Anyone have any opinions on the website above?

 

Dat 1.3'', if it sticks, I will cancel preorder.

 

I assume you are looking at the specs on Amazon... Those look like generic 15" stats. I would surprised if it's that thick and 6lbs. I imagine it will be right around 1" thick and closer to 5lbs.

 

Do you guys think there's any chance ASUS will release a version of the GL551 with an SSD and a Blu-ray disc reader? That would definitely close the deal for me. ASUS is so close to making the perfect 15" gaming laptop, but it seems like every 15" gaming laptop that's close to perfection has some annoying deal breaker, like the Lenovo Y50 with its awful screen.

Another thing that worries me, judging from the pictures I've seen, is that this laptop doesn't have a power button, but instead a "power key" at the top right corner of the keyboard, where the End key should be. I can totally see myself pressing that by accident on a frequent basis.

 

The problem is that the perfect gaming laptop is different for each person. My perfect gaming laptop would save on cost, space, and weight, by getting rid of a disc drive altogether. I haven't used physical media in probably 5+ years.

And you can easily put an SSD in, which is what I'll be doing. Wish I didn't have to but everyone always seems to think the SSD they include is too big, or too small. I wish we could order them custom from ASUS exactly how we want them.

 

The function of the power key can probably be modified to your wish. Maybe it's only triggered by holding down fn.

 

Ugh, really want the i-4710HQ w/ 256SSD, IPS screen, GTX860M, etc.

The Amazon specs (as well as the lack of info out there) are whats keeping me from pre-ordering. Amazon says i-4750, 1.3", no gpu info, etc...

Also, no release date... I'd like to have this come out this month as I kind of need it for college :/

Does anybody have any links with more info (like a release date)? Or does anybody know where I can find model numbers for each preset specs model?

 

Also, saw this on Asus's official website.

ASUS G-Series ROG Gaming Laptops - GL551 Series

It says FHD, but no mention of IPS. That would be a dealbreaker for me :/

 

I just ordered ASUS G551JM (DM084H) for 850€ with shipping, confirmed date of delivery is at September 16th.
I love to live in Slovakia. Btw. there is a TFT screen in the notebook, not a IPS.

 

Shiitty screen like the y50?

 

I dont know but I hope not

 

IPS, TN...are all just different types of TFT.

Btw, you got an excellent value for your money, whatever comes.

 

If only Asus could make a laptop with a g550jk body but with an ssd, 16gb ram stock, gtx 860m or higher, and red sided WASD keys. I would buy that immediately.

 

Amazon now showing a release date of 9/18/14. I imagine we should be getting more info very soon.

 

I've had a Zenbook with this key. I just disabled the sleep function so it did nothing.

 

The G56JK has the exact same screen as the Y50 :/

 

There is another version of this model with 256SSD for $100 more.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MMMMGSS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1409669730&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40

 

Thanks for the heads-up, canceled my pre-order for the original and I'm going with this one.

 

not fair, i have to buy the basic model and then change the drive and add ram by myself. i'd actually like to ask you guys : what do you think, will any DDR3L 1600MHz work with the 8GB stick of 1600MHz ram in the basic model?

 

Wanted to say a couple of things:
1. I'm just starting to get a little confused with the naming scheme. I'm guessing this GL-551 (JM and JK) is the same G551 we saw from Computex.

2. If so, I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. I was not into the new design to begin with, but the G551 we saw at Computex had a nicer body, this one has an ugly bulge on the right side at the front, which I dislike immensely. Also, I hope it's not so thick as many of you are claiming. The IPS mater is certainly disappointing, but I think I can deal with it as long as the screen is actually GOOD.

3. I'm actually more interested in (and have read every page of this thread because of) the N551, the multimedia version of sorts, which I'm guessing is called the NL-551 (JM and JK) at this point. I hope that model does not come with that ugly bulge, though I highly doubt it since they originally had very similar bodies. We would probably know by now if there was actually any info available on that model. I haven't seen anything from Asus or retailers, and I was betting both laptops would be released at the same time. On the Coming Soon from Asus Amazon page, only two variants of the GL551 are listed.

That's actually what I wanted to ask: has anyone seen any info about this model? Other threads about it aren't just as lively.

 

I'm interested in the N551 just for the color scheme but I'm planning on getting this one for one big reason I should warn you about. Since the N series are general use multimedia laptops sold to the masses, they generally have a glossy touch screen. If you're like me and want non-reflective matte, the gaming series is likely your only choice.

But I have to ask why are people saying this is uglier/worse than what was shown at Computex? I'm not seeing any differences but I also can't find any big/high resolution pictures.

 

I think they are the same. The bulge you speak of is in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbyVcxROYA4
Also, some sites say 1.1", others say 1.3". Asus reported 31mm at Computex, which is 1.22", so it's probably 1.3" including the rubber feet. That's a little thick but if it remains to be seen if it pays off because I have a tough time believing the GX500 will cool itself sufficiently. Asus also reported an IPS screen at Computex, so I would guess that still stands and the retailers have their specs all goofed up.

Tbh, I never go by Amazon's specs. They screw up the specs so often, it's crazy... I can't remember the last laptop I bought from them that was 100% accurate. As their listing is right now, it's a 1.3" laptop with no graphics card and an Iris pro CPU. I'm pretty sure ROG isn't going with integrated graphics any time soon.

Easier to see the bulge at 1:24 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr4EoJijLeI

 

Also people talking about the 'redesigned' G551 vs. GL551 and complaining about the bulge are driving me nuts so I'm going to address it now. All signs point to the GL551 being identical to the G551. In this video from Computex you can clearly see the bulge: Hands-on do notebook G551 - YouTube It's just hard to see in the Computex photos because you don't even notice it under the shadow - meaning it's not a big deal.

The 'bulge' is very low on the laptop and won't be seen during usage or even at most other times as you can see in this shot of the GL551: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81m9bMViQLL._SL1500_.jpg

EDIT: Looks like Xentar beat me to the punch!

 

I just spoke with ASUS Live Chat - and they're usually clueless so take this with a grain of salt - but they say it's an IPS screen.

EDIT: Looks like Amazon has upped the release date to 9/18. I hope this is true because I ordered it for next-day delivery on 9/19 since I leave for a business trip on 9/21!

 

I think I'll be sticking with the HDD option. I'd rather spend the $100 on a SSD I want and either sell the HDD, preserve it for resale or add it to a caddy in the future. I don't see myself using that DVD drive ever. I'm also hoping there's an M.2 in there somewhere.

 

For me it's mostly laziness. I'd rather not have to swap the drives if I need to send it in for warranty repair, and after building so many PCs I'd love to have it ready out of the box. I'll just have to deal with the bloatware. I won't use the DVD drive either.

EDIT: Does anyone know if I can just wipe the SSD and re-install Windows to dump the bloat? I'd need to know the right Windows 8.1 installation media and my key but I assume it should be fine otherwise? Are any of the ASUS specific programs/drivers necessary?

 

My 16 year old grandson is about to order one of these.

How easy is it to replace the DVD RW with a HD?

Back in the olden days I bought an extra tray for my Dell laptop and was able to swap the DVD and a HD but I'm guessing if this is possible it would be a more or less permanent swap.

We've exchanged about a dozen texts on this laptop in the last hour. Hopefully it's not in the middle of his English Test! Is he excited - Yes.

 

On other models I've heard it's not too hard but definitely more difficult than what it sounds like Dell had. No guarantees this model supports the kind of swapping others have though, I've heard some rumors say only certain parts can be swapped. If you want a guaranteed answer I'd wait for reviewers that do a tear down. You could always use an SD card instead depending on his needs.

 

Thanks. I used it for a quick and easy backup. Probably will just leave well enough alone for the time being.

 

Assuming someone in China will even make a caddy for it, it's pretty easy. I did it for my Q550LF and it's fine. You have to remove the back cover, remove DVD drive(probably a few screws) and then just replace it with the caddy loaded with a hard drive. Took me 10 minutes and only needed a phillips screwdriver. I'm hoping this model will be just as easy.

 

I always do a fresh install. The only Haswell laptop I've ever seen without the product key embedded into the bios is the Razer Blade. All you need is the Windows 8.1 core install(not Pro). You'll have to install all of the drivers on Asus's site but you can ignore the power plan programs and other filler software they provide. I usually do the core drivers + asus smart gesture and the keyboard drivers for the hotkeys.

 

Thanks. We'll probably wait a few weeks to make sure everything is working ok and then take a look at making the switch.