Can anyone tell me why there's no switchable graphics on the G74SX?

I'm really quite stumped and shocked at why Asus doesn't have switchable graphics for the G74SX. Is it really so hard for manufacturers to at least implement manual graphics switching? I mean the technology is already there, and it's not anything new. It's also one of the most touted features of Sandy Bridge (iGPU), and yet Asus completely ignores the functionality.

Dell already has it in their laptops, and the M17x R3 can get close to 6 hours of battery life when using the iGPU. That's more than double of what the Asus G73/74 series can get (barely 3 hours). So why can't Asus just implement manual switching? I don't need any of that fancy shmancy automatic switching Optimus crap. Just manual is enough.

For those of you saying things like "it's a gaming laptop, who cares about battery life", you have to realize that people aren't always going to be gaming on their laptops. Many of the times people will be surfing the web and lounging around the house doing low-intensity tasks with their computers. And thus, they don't need the dGPU to always be running. The Sandy Bridge iGPU is plenty for such tasks. That extra 3 hours really makes a difference.

 

Why would you want switchable graphics? Time and time again Optimus has reared its ugly head with driver issues, games not rendering properly, PS that utilize Quadro not functioning properly. Just google Optimus problems and you'll probably understand why ASUS didn't put it on their premier gaming line.

Unfortunately manual switching isn't a popular option, requires lots of BIOS microcode work. Buying my new ASUS G71GX, I can tell you it is a dedicated gaming desktop replacement, it will not be moving. Think of most people buying the G74 laptop, they don't plan on moving it. Just because 5% of users want a better battery life laptop doesn't mean ASUS will implement it, they expect you to buy elsewhere.

 

I think you're severely underestimating the amount of people who want switchable graphics. 5%, really? I know plenty of people who jumped to the Alienware laptops solely because of switchable graphics. And Dell has done a great job at implementing the functionality, without any glitches to speak of whatsoever. You press fn + f7 and the screen goes blank for 2 seconds, and voila, you're done switching. This simple implementation literally adds 3 hours onto the battery runtime.

Also, It's quite an outlandish assumption to assume that the majority of people are like you and don't plan on moving their laptops. In fact, I'll counter your assumption, and say that most of my friends who buy gaming laptops move them around quite a lot. A G74SX is not a monster by any means, so it's a perfectly fine laptop that you can take around the house. The point of getting a laptop is the versatility that it provides. Why would I buy a laptop if it doesn't offer much battery life away from the outlet? I might as well have gone the desktop + netbook route. Like I said, the technology is already there, so it's not like I'm asking Asus to pull rabbits out of a hat. Asus has just chosen to be lazy and not implement the functionality.

Note: Nowhere in my original post did I say I wanted Optimus, so you're just preaching to the choir if you're bashing Optimus, as I agree that Optimus is glitchy. My argument is for implementing manual switching.

 

I'm all for manual switching as well, but how many laptops have it? You can't disable IGP for Optimus as the final display is done through Optimus, so that rules out manual display for half the laptops with DGPU.

The smart way is how Lenovo implemented switchable graphics via the BIOS for the T400/T500.

Well perhaps you guys are not the normal. Most people who buy 17" laptops don't move them around very often. They are again, desktop replacements. I'm going to tell you, unless I'm going to a LAN party, my 8.8 pound G71GX isn't going anywhere but on my desk.

If you are displeased with ASUS, then honestly don't buy ASUS. They do their own thing, and their ASUS G series sells well, so obviously they are doing something right. Perhaps you should on their forums and make a long post protesting your side, they might listen.

 

^^^ IMO Asus did not implement this because they learned from the initial release of the G73 - There were software glitches (Example; the original BIOS had to be changed because Fn + ESC caused the system lock up)
Also flashing the BIOS from a windows based utility caused some machines to brick until that utility was updated. Admittedly virtually all of the issues are resolved (15+ months after release). Bottom line they don't want to add any " unnecessary" options to a gaming machine, that could potentially result in more RMA's or dissatisfied customers.
I can image calls to ASUS - Why is my G74 getting only 12 FPS in Mafia II?

 

Your "press the button and wait 2 seconds" require hundreds, if not thousands of hours of manlabor coding, and continual support from Microsoft. Like Tsunade said, the G series was designed from the on set as a desktop replacement, not as a 6-hour word processing machines. If Dell has included it as a feature, great. But I really doubt how many people who were looking at a $1599 ASUS G series suddenly decided it was worth an extra $300~$500 to have a switchable graphics laptop.

Also, switchable graphics has a lot of short falls. One being that you cannot use the most current driver from AMD. You have to manually download the original driver from Dell, and if they don't update it with the latest drivers from AMD, you're stuck with the original driver. Also, the switchable graphics means unstable graphical output after the switch. The screen will flicker even after up to 1 minute. Perhaps Dell's engineers have mitigated that problem with an extra hundreds of hours of coding and debugging, but I really doubt they're really that nice.

I typed this when I have a laptop that has manual switchable graphics. I prefer switchable graphics (not Nvidia Optimus). However, even I understand the limitation and the disadvanages of manual switchable graphics. It makes sense to implement such feature on a thin and light laptop like UL-80VT, but I see little reason to include it on a full fledged DTR like the G series or the M17/18x.

 

I never cared a bit about switchable graphics, until I got my M17, now I love it. I sat on the couch and watched a movie (on the big screen) while surfing the net. I would have never tried that with my G73. It isn't a big deal, but it is nice.

 

The reason asus didn't include it? Cost probably.

But I'm going to have to side with the "It doesn't matter in a gaming laptop" argument. I've got my desktop replacement, but it's not the only computer I own. If I was going to be limited to owning one computer, then I would *not* have bought my g73.

If you're buying a gaming laptop as your only computer, you're making a mistake. It'd be like owning only one car, and that car is a dump truck. It does one thing VERY well, but it's not a multipurpose computer. If you want something multi-purpose, get an N series - that's a nice compromise between power and battery life.

Sure, asus *could* enable optimus. But really, that's going to cost them something, even if it isn't up front - imagine the number of idiots that can't get their games to work because of an optimus/driver problem. Does asus really want to provide tech support for nvidia?

Anyways, yeah. It'd be nice to have optimus. But it would also be nice to have several supermodel girlfriends. Sure, some people have that. But some people have a LOT more money and decide to pay for that privilege. I suggest you do the same if it is so important.

 

Actually I'm considering the G74 as my main computer (with some gaming). Because of cost. For portability, I just take my iPad around for presentations and what not.

Net where I'm from isn't that fast, so sometimes you have to leave the laptop on for days to finish downloading big files. Now, if the power it took was half of what it takes, then even as a desktop replacement, that's a winner for me. (Unless there's some way to download whilst keeping power minimum.)