BB G73JH or G73JH-A2...can't decide?

lol well folks, I don't have a G73JH but getting one is on my mind. Regardless, I just thought I'd post some of my findings as I thought it may help people who can't decide between the two.

The BB version at $1200 is $400 cheaper than the A2 model but the A2 might be the better option for some. Why? Mainly because you'd save yourself a lot of time from upgrading/adding parts in the future and you're not really getting a better deal with the BB version, you're just paying for less.

With the BB version you get..

• 500gb HDD (+500gb 7200rpm HDD = $100 + bracket = $30~)
• 2 speakers + sub (A1/A2 has 4 + sub from what I've read on spec pages)
• 1600x900 res screen (A1/A2 has 1920x1080)
• 1.3 mp webcam (A1/A2 has 2.0mp)
• 6gb ram (+2gb ddr3 1066 = $70)
• No bluetooth
• No bag + mouse (worth approx $50+$30~)
• 1 yr warranty (A1/A2 has 2 yrs worth an extra $100+)

So if you add up all the costs of getting a BB version to match the A2, you'd be paying around the same amount but it'll cost you time, effort and some actual hardware differences (screen, bluetooth, webcam, speakers).

So if you're someone that's most likely going to be addings bits and pieces afterwards, the A2 is probably the better option as you may very well end up spending around the same amount if you were to buy the BB version and upgrade it. Plus, you'll get some extra/better hardware with the A2 (bluetooth, speakers, webcam, screen) that the BB version doesn't come with.

If you're someone that will be happy with the BB specs, maybe prefer the lower res screen for better gaming performance or would just like to save some money on the mouse, bag and warranty, then the BB version is better. That's how I see it anyway.

 

The way I see it the BB version is the way to go. All those things that have been cut out of the G73 to make it $400 cheaper is all non-essentials. If one already owns a desktop replacement notebook, one would already have the bag and the mouse.

Don't let bboy1 scare you. The BB version's hardware(CPU+GPU+mobo) is exactly the same as in boutique variants so performance difference between them is non existent to none, the BB version will actually perform better because of the lower res.

6GB of ram is more than enough. The HDD is extremely user friendly to install and you can buy a bracket at the Asus estore. The screen is lower res but its not horrible. The blutooth is unessential to me anyway since i prefer my peripherals to be wired.

And for warranty...if you get a lemon you would know within a couple days of use. My advice to potential buyers is warranties in general is just a swindle to get more $$$ out of you, but if you are willing to put more cash out for "assurance" or if you don't really care about treating your electronics right then go for it.

Lastly, the 2.0mp webcam sucks so the 1.3mp webcam is no loss there.

 

Just knowing that you only get 1 year standard warranty is enough for me to deter away from BB. After owning a flock of Asus notebooks, I can say from experience it is so much easier if you've purchased it from a reseller. The technical support you get from a reseller (I got all from gentech) is far superior than what BB has to offer. Whether you've purchased it for a few days or a few months, reputable resellers will help you with any laptop problems - this also adds another layer of protection so you won't always have to rely on the manufacture for answers. Even for those people on a tight budget, my recommendation is to wait and save more to purchase the A1/A2 SKUs from a trusted reseller. It will ultimately save you time and money in the long run.

 

Dude I'm not trying to scare anyone..

I'm just giving the facts and setting scenarios so that people can choose which one's the right one for them.

Warranty is actually a big thing for some people. Just because you don't get a bad lemon doesn't mean anything. A problem can pop up randomly out of nowhere. My G51 for example which is in for repairs. 3 months old and the GPU just failed out of nowhere. If you think warranties are just a money making scheme then you obviously haven't been the victim of a hardware failure just after your warranty expires.

 

The lack of bluetooth on the BB model is just an inexcusable way to cut costs. Laptops $500 and below have bluetooth as a standard feature.

The screen resolution is a matter of personal taste. I could live with the lower resolution no problem though. (I happen to have the G73JH-X1 model.) 1600x900 is much better than 1366x768 which is becoming way too common on laptops that could handle 1440x900 or 1680x1050 with no problems.

Finding a harddrive bracket... or any spare parts for the G73 right now is impossible. It's too new. I bet all the parts are being used to manufacture the actual laptop. Do a search...the G73 is not even listed on the inventory of any laptop parts supplier. When the harddrive brackets do become available to purchase, they'll be as hard to find as the G73 is now.

I tend to pay a bit more for electronics that have features I may not use often. But, they are there when I do need them.

It's like trying to add a turbo to a vehicle with a $3000 kit when you could have purchased the same model with a turbo for $1500 more on top of what you were already paying. Can you really afford to have your car (laptop) out of commission plus the risk of damaging it when trying to modify it? I hope that analogy made some sense.

*I wonder of omitting the bluetooth lowered the price another $50 for Best Buy? Now, we'll start to see posts about how to add a bluetooth module to the BB G73s. The lack of bluetooth is weak! I bet you'll find a bluetooth module specific to a BB G73 as easily as you'll find a spare harddrive bracket.

 

I doubt the lack of bluetooth would lower the price by $50 since an internal BT module shouldn't cost more than $15.

For those BT fanatics, the worst case scenario is to use a USB BT dongle available for less than $2 at DealExtreme.

 

I was being facetious...no offense to you David.

Maybe ASUS just didn't have bluetooth modules in their manufacturing plans for BB bound G73s which BB has full knowledge of.

 

You should be more specific with the term hardware. You might misinform people to think that they are getting a faster system.

 

Well, you are getting some better hardware with the bluetooth, speakers, webcam and screen (even if they don't matter to some) which I pointed out in the list, so I'm not trying to mislead anyone there. People reading this that can't decide between the two models would surely know that they both have the same CPU and GPU. Reworded it anyway.

^ Anyway, that's my main point.

 

None taken and no worries
I just wanted to throw that piece of info out there in case the BB G73 owners wanted to add BT to their laptop.

As for BB Asus laptops, Asus purposely put watered-down versions in BB stores. They have been doing this since the G1 series laptops and the first things you'll see being skimped are BT, screen resolution, HDD, mouse/bag accessories, warranty and sometimes the CPU. The reason for this is to make it a little more fair for online resellers. If BB were to sell the A1/A2, this would put all resellers out of business.

 

My question with the BB version is there 2Gbx3 sticks and then does the main board configure to use Trichannel memory? a 4GB+2GB or 2GBx3 without trichannel could deteriorate memory performance........

 

Easy answer if you can spring for the A2 model get that,you get a better screen, BlueTooth and a proper warranty.
The only reason to get the BB version is to save some money if you are on a tight budget.
BB version is good the A2 model is fantastic.

 

Do you consider newegg to be a trusted reseller? I live in Canada (Montreal) and I suppose I'm not in the best situation to buy from XoticPC or GenTechPC.

In BB in Canada, the G73 has 8gb memory (but 1600/900 + no bluetooth).
They say on internet that the G73 has up to 2 hours 40 minutes of battery life.... ?!

 

If your looking for good battery life the G73 is not a good option, it's a gaming laptop that uses high performance hardware =sucks up a lot of power.

 

Yes, I guess you're right but how come BB could say such a thing... :/

 

The only reason aside from $$$ is wanting a 1600x900 screen, but all other things are worst, and some states will end up much higher than the $1200 bb price, for example cal its 8.25% tax and some lcd recycle penalty thats for sure will pass $1300 (probably close to $1350) around there the difference with an A2 is $200.... the extra hdd is about $100 (caddy is like 20), the extra res is like $50, extra warranty is like $100, mouse n bag maybe $50, 2gb of memory maybe $40, so all things consider the A2 imo is better deal, but i still prefer the 1600x900 screen on a 17'' much more than extra stuff. I dont feel the mobile gpus today available are enough to play full 1080p at the same fluid gameplay as a desktop can, so i prefer to sacrifice some res in advance since i try almost always to play at its native resolution.

 

I dunno, I see the BBx05 model as the better deal. If you've got a bad component you'll see a failure or at least symptoms within the first 9 months practically 99% of the time - the compal I'm typing on now is 4 years old and aside from a bad RAM chip out of the box (which is immediately noticeable..) it hasn't given me any problems. For anyone who takes care of their equipment and has a clue about computers, warranties past a year are really not necessary. Sure there are people who get crapped on during the 13th month, but they either never ab/used the failed component until then or are just plain outliers, like the people that owned exploding dells.

The A2 would be the better deal if you really really wanted a 1080p screen (17" is too small to appreciate it imo), or if you are lazy about future upgrades (which are ALWAYS cheaper later), or if this is your first laptop (and you don't have a proper bag or a mouse). The lack of bluetooth and a slightly less crappy webcam sort of fall into a frills category unless you already own a bluetooth mouse/accessories.

 

I got the BBx05 yesterday.. lovin it so far.. except for no OEM backup dvds (I needed to burn 3).

Screen is great at 1600x900 resolution if you spend a lot of time online.

max Battery I would say is about 1:20 - 30 min.. ASUS settings automatically changes the desktop background to white to save on battery.

You can save few bucks and later get your own bag and mouse to ur liking, and even SSD and blueray burner if you want which are going to be cheaper soon.

3 memory slot filled.. with the top one empty. (DDR3 PC-8500 ie 1066Mhz)

I would say its a greatbuy cz u get all the laptop's power that you need.

 

i would get the A2... the smaller res screen really kills BB version as u can't use GPU to full potential..

 

Two ways to look at that. Gaming at the native resolution of the display, which tends to produce the best image, will probably produce higher FPS on the BB version, especially as games get more complex over the next few years.

 

I'm getting the A2 because I need the bag + warranty, and 6.5% tax would suck.

If i could get 900p in A2 i would consider though.

 

I'm going to be honest, I wish I had $1500-$1600 to get the better G73 but this Best Buy one is fantastic so far. Paid $1270 for it with tax.

The screen quality isnt as good, but the 1600x900 resolution doesnt bother me at all. Does not have Bluetooth but that is something I will never use, and the 6GB is plenty for now. Only thing im missing is the warranty. Mouse and bag mean nothing to me since i have that stuff already.

 

My X1 has 1920x1080 (model missing in the first post ). Connecting the X1 to my home theater system with HDMI works very well with the native 1080p resolution of my Samsung TV. Having to upscale the video would decrease the quality. Just something else to think about.

 

I've never shopped at Newegg Canada before, but if their service is identical to the US, then I would tend to avoid laptop purchases from there too. I'm not trying to bad mouth Newegg, as I often shop there for computer parts and accessories, but their tough laptop return policies and the fact that they are strictly a reseller (ie provides no technical assistance) is not something I'd go for.

Btw, both resellers you mentioned also ship to Canada, though you may have to pay extra for duties/taxes.

 

I think they are using a different chipset. So no bt or modem and cheaper audio.

That would prob hit $50.

 

If you are looking for a Canadian reseller I would go to either NCIX.com or PCCanada.com

 

Get the BB version

 

I'm in Calgary and got mine at NCIX. I ordered it on a Thursday, and was playing with it the next Tuesday (could have had it monday if I wasn't stuck working 6 am - 9:30 pm).

 

I'm gonna pickup the BB version myself later this week (If I can find it).. I don't need a 17" 1920x1080 screen nor do I care about Bluetooth, webcam or the speakers. I just want a laptop that I can game comfortably on (Performance wise) at home/work. The only real downside I see is the Best Buy warranty versus the one you get from the resellers. I'm thinking I can live with that gamble though.

 

extreme-pc.ca has stock, apparently. and is canadian.

 

As I'm in Australia the only options I have from a reseller are

A2 for $1575 + $150 shipping = $1725USD

BB for $1335 + $120 shipping = $1455USD

For most people the difference is $400 but for me it's $270USD more for the A2...hmm..

If I had a friend in the US that could send it the BB would only be $1200 + $70 shipping..

 

You'll also have to consider the customs tax/duties fee when shipping a laptop from the US to AUS.