Buy the Asus asus G51Jx-A1 or Wait?

So I am a presently a Mac user and don't do much heavy computer gaming other than WoW. I am in need of a new computer and have decided that with my budget, the G51Jx-A1 is my best bet. I have done all the research and decided this is definitely the best computer for the money. However, I am not in dire need of a new computer right now, and the reason I have chosen to switch to a PC instead of a Mac is due to the upcoming release of SWTOR next spring. I will also be playing Cataclysm some this winter. So my question is, should I buy this Asus now or wait until possibly Q3 or Q4? All of the hardware in this Asus is relatively new, so whats the possibility that an updated version will be released or maybe a price drop? What do you guys think?

 

If you don't have an immediate need just wait, you'll get a more powerful computer for less in the future, with new technologies that will be here for years (e.g. USB 3, which is still quite rare on laptop nowadays).

 

asus g73 and g51 will be continued into august possibly september. there are no refreshed due out for their high end models until then

 

the 360M will play most new games at mid details without a hitch...now games coming out in fall like Rage, Mafia II etc, will likely have steeper requirements. If gaming is your thing, the G51 is decent, but it won't let you play all games at High / Highest details.

Having said that, there's currently no official ETA on the G53 (the 'spiritual' smaller successor to the G73 JH) neither any concrete confirmation on its specs. If you want to buy now, go for either the G73 (despite its flaws), or a MSI GX740 (less ram n HDD), both of which should be in the 1.4 - 1.5 K price range. Bigger yes, but future proof (atleast for the next 12 months).

 

Eh. You can always add on to the laptop later (RAM, GPU, etc, if you look into it I'm sure the G51 has those customizing options). I own it, and being that you aren't a serious gamer besides WoW I think it will be fine.

What most people don't understand is that its ok to not have the best of the best. 6 months later it won't be the best anymore anyhow, and I keep my computers for a minimum of 3 years. If you want it and have a reason to start using it immediately, go ahead. I'm not voting against waiting for a new model to come out, but in the end time will sift it out mainly to just how long you wait at the beginning and how long you wait at the end.

 

Well the real reason I need a new computer is because of the new Star Wars MMO coming out in the spring of next year and I guess Cataclysm in November or whenever it comes out. So if you think there is a chance that there will be an updated version of this computer, or something similar in the same price range around Q4 of this year, then I will probably just wait it out. Cause yeah, like you iceshark, 3 years is the lifespan of my notebooks. But being able to play SWTOR on medium-high detail is my main concern and it is hard to know without set minimum system requirements for that game.

 

Considering that the HD5870M is on par with the upcoming GTX480M, I would do either of the following:

1) Get a HD5870M unit for a good price (which I did)
2) Get an Alienware with a HD5870M Crossfire, and haggle the salesrep on the phone to get your 30% discount to make it reasonable.
3) Wait for the next ATI offering, but that will be awhile.

Current and upcoming nvidia offerings don't have as good bang vs buck.