Before I buy, what am I getting myself into?

I've been debating between the G73 and the M17x. I really like the smaller size, quieter noise, and the hundreds of dollars in savings. But the number of issues is scary. I thought most were fixable. It's hard to keep track of them all - if they're specific to one model or another.

So.., G73JH-x3 or GG73JW-xt1... what am I getting into:

1) need to update bios/drivers

2) repaste the GPU - on just the H/5870 model?

3) what's with the keyboard lag issue? Is there a fix for that?

I was going to order from Tigerdirect. 30 day refund no restocking fee so if the problems are overcome it goes back. Seems like worth taking a shot.

I know the M17x has issues too. It's just a little larger than I was hoping for - and I'm not sure it's as quiet. But with all these issue if I can get Dell to drop the price with my Employee Discount... I might be tempted to avoid these Asus issues.

Sorry I know this has been brought up before, but it's hard to keep track.

Any input appreciated. Thanks!!

 

with just a bit brains this are all fixable problems.
And not all of them has the issues.
For example i only had GSOD, temp is really good, no KB lag so far.
However, i have a another thing what is not fixable by software and to get it fixed seems hard at the moment

 

1. Yeah the JH models have some issues that are only fixed with the BIOS and vBIOS upgrades, it's not that much of a hassle. The JW model is fine from what I've seen around here.

2. Well it varies if you need to repaste, some G73's have great stock jobs.

3. There's an issue where keystrokes are missed and stuff. I've never experienced this issue but it's out there. There's no fix currently, it's not a deal breaker though.

 

Thanks. But if I'm gaming and it doesn't recognize my keystroke, I'm dead. Sure I can respawn, but who wants to die? This sounds like a bummer.

 

The Missing keystrokes and Lagg goes away if you shut off the touchpad in the bios. Assuming you mean by "gaming" you mean FPS, you won't/shouldn't be using it. So just get a nice wired/wireless mouse and you will be just fine gaming.

 

From what I've seen the issue only happens if you type really fast on the keyboard so if you're gaming you should be fine.

 

The missing keystrokes are tied to the touchpad. If you can live without using it (have it disabled in bios at all times) you should be fine.

The other problems should be fixable, it seams just a select few of us continue to have trouble with our machines no matter what we do...

 

Ah thanks. I'll be using a usb wireless mouse. I hate touchpads. So if I disable it, no worries? Sounds reasonable I suppose.

Can I bother you and ask how noisy your G73 is? From what I've heard it might make some noise gaming like it should, but otherwise is very quiet.

Thanks again.

 

Guffaw... Keyboard lag is no way "resonable", nor are the various workarouds IMO. When you get it, test rigorously for this. If your machine has it, return it. How you evah gonna resell it with this obvious deficiency? Your new machine depreciates radically if you have this problem. Hope you have a long sucker list. What if somewhere down the line you want to write extensive documentation. If this is not a Deal-breaker what in the world is?

 

I don't have any problem aside from OS conflict on some programs. Problem varies from user to user. But you need to update your bios and vbios so you can update your ATI driver, if not you will encounter incompatibilities.

 

Ugh. So would I know right away if I got a lemon keyboard? Or does it happen randomly or take awhile to occur? Darn you Alienware and your hulking expensive working laptops.

 

Its hit or miss as far as I know

 

I also don't have any problems sans the touchpad going to hell every now and then, surprisingly it hasn't happened the last few days. Also my G73 is whisper quiet even during gaming. ^^

 

Search this whole forum and then individual threads for "g73 keyboard lag". [You must be logged on to be able to do this]. Chastity's thread is excellent:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/513043-keyboard-lag-debugging.html

I have seen numerous threads where "keyboard lag" is obvious right out of the box. Some machines seem to have it worse that others, some not at all. It is related to the touchpad, which reportedly has two different hardware models kicking around (on JH)? Don't think it's appropriate to speculate further - cause is unknown, even by Asus engineering. Whether or not JW has this problem is hazy right now, so I recon one has to assume it does for the moment. My advice, for what it's worth: if you experience this nasty ridiculous problem on any new computer, dump it asap.

 

It's pretty conflicting right now. There are some who are having issues with the laptops. The number of people complaining on these forums over keyboard lag don't even number to 1% of the G73jh owners who aren't suffering.

I've been reading a lot of threads and this has become clearly evident to me.

Every other review I've read and watched so far have said the backlit keyboard is easy to type on, very little flex, there is a tiny bit, keyboard is relatively quiet compared to others and the backlit lighting is a nice plus. It's not the best, but it's also above average. Some have even gone to say typing on the G73 is a pleasant experience.

Take that as you will. The statements are made by reviewers who have reviewed hundreds of laptop keyboards. Just reading this forum past two weeks, it has become clear that the few who seem to have a vendetta or torch against Asus and the G73, post in every thread related to them and say some of the most negative things I've read on all of NBR so far. I disregard such posts personally. The posts who are more calm and reasonable I take into consideration.

Good luck with your search for a laptop and use your discretion over what feed back you can trust which you can't.

 

Lol... Pure bunk, Ruckus. If you have data to back this assertion up, then please post it. Otherwise it just looks like Asus damage control.

 

I am a user "complaining" of keyboard lag. I'm not sure it's complaining. My laptop drops keystrokes badly if the touchpad is enabled. However I do not regret buying this laptop. It is a very fast machine and I use it every day. I like it so much that I don't want to give it up for weeks waiting to see if they can fix the problem.

So I would recommend the laptop to anyone even though my unit has a lag problem. It is an actual problem. I don't know what percentage of the units have it but I suspect it is greater than one percent. I will say that if you do buy one I am sure that you have a very good chance of getting one without keyboard lag. If you're not terribly attached to it like I am you can always send it back on RMA until they fix it or replace it.

 

I don't see it as a major issue on a gaming machine. Not one person I know (other than some of the virtual people represented here) who has this machine has this problem or if they do they don't know it because they have an external mouse (and in my case keyboard) and disabled the trackpad when they bought it. I do so with every Windows laptop I own. I personally dislike typing on my laptop and prefer a mouse.

We bought these for games and use external mice. The one person I know who bought it for work has no issues and actually uses it for document production.

This issue doesn't appear to stop many people from enjoying the system even if it means using an external mouse.

Cheers,

 

Seriously? I have to prove that the few hundred who post on NBR aren't even 1% of the G73 owners? Unbelievable. Sold out globally for almost half a year no matter if you go to retail store or online reseller. Please, find something better to do than to just post hatred for Asus, a brand you apparently know nothing about.

I believe the few who are suffering really believe there is an issue.

I'm not calling you or others liars. I hope your issue gets fixed, looks like you are enjoying your notebook.

I wasn't posting to troll you or others, just in reply to someone who registered 2 days ago and since then, every single post has been a troll on G73 and their respective owners and those who are interested in it. But when it comes to quality and satisfaction of the G73, I'm more inclined to believe the long standing members who seem to have a wealth of experience and knowledge vs the few, particularly two who seem to have just registered on this forum past week just to troll this forum. I've noticed some of the more respected, loyal members of NBR who have owned many high performance laptops from all the top brands, are very happy with the G73 and enjoying them immensely.

 

Thanks. I may have read that the wrong way. I didn't get my feathers ruffled or anything. I just wanted to point out that it is a real issue on some laptops but I don't think of it as a show stopper. It's a bit inconvenient because if I want to surf the internet for fifteen minutes and then turn the laptop off, I have to fish my mouse out of my backpack.

Gary Key is actively working on the issue. I sent a special log dump to him this week per his request. I'm sure if they can't fix it they will replace my laptop with a working unit. I'm a pretty happy customer so if someone is thinking of buying this laptop I say go for it. I played through Crysis, Crysis Warhead, Torchlight, and a couple other games on it so far. I also use it for work (I'm a programmer). There's plenty of screen real estate for Visual Studio. Lesser laptops leave you with a postage stamp sized coding window if you let all the various toolboxes remain open unlike the G73.

 

I too plan on using it for gaming and development work. I want a desktop replacement that can game (don't mind noise then), but otherwise is quiet when using Eclipse or Visual Studio etc.

I'm pretty sure the G73 is very quiet almost all the time, especially when NOT gaming. I think the M17x is also, with fewer problems. But man... it's literally $1000 more for the same or less specs.

I hate touchpads. I'll always use a mouse. Sounds like the keyboard issue can be averted. It's pretty stupid, and makes me think twice, but I know even the M17x touchpad got horrible reviews.

Anyway... thanks all. Not sure what I'm doing. I may call Dell and see if they'll drop the price on the M17x. Even then it's pretty darned big. Probably will give the G73Jw a shot.

 

Yes. For specs. What you aren't factoring in is the much higher overall quality of the M17x. The G73 to me, in no way at all, feels excessively cheap, yet when a lot of people use an M17x and then go back to something like a G73, it is really noticeable. You're not going to get the odd creaks and the plastic body with the M17x.

Plus...a lot of the money contributes to the overall quality of the machine. Chipset, PCB, and memory components, for example, are of higher quality than designs from Asus. At least in terms of the GPU, anyway.

Also, at idle, the G73JH isn't exactly quiet. It's more or less the same volume as any other 17" machine at idle, not including the plethora of Clevo machines.

My recommendation is that if you are going to go the Asus route, go for the G73JW. Added features with the slightly more powerful NVIDIA card (CUDA, PhysX, etc). And USB 3.0, which will undoubtedly become the standard for data transfer within the next 2 years.