Considering buying the G53SW - help/feedback, please?

I feel bad for you, laptop buddy We should have been on the same pace. But honestly, I should have paid the extra $2.99 for rush processing. I didn't notice it at first, but it would have money well spent, given that I'd probably have my laptop right now if I'd checked that little box. Oh well! What's another 24 hours after years of waiting. And I'm down to just 12 hours now, oh dear.

I won't forget about y'all either - I might be a little busy on Friday night, but I'll definitely post a review here once I get some games up and running and whatnot. And I haven't forgotten about your request, either, Chastity! I will absolutely let you know what number is on the LCD panel!

Also, I was wondering - should I really do a clean re-install of Windows 7? Is the bloatware that bad? Is it a lot of trouble to reinstall all the drivers?

I honestly have *no clue* what Windows 7 is going to be like, actually. The last Windows operating system I used was XP - I've been on OSX ever since. Based on what I've heard, I should consider myself *extremely* lucky that I skipped over Vista entirely. It's bound to take some getting used to, I'm sure. The truth is, while I like OSX and all, I really do miss Windows. I've never ceased being bothered by the fact that I have to seek out special versions of all kinds of software, although it comes so naturally now that I'm just used to disregarding like half the links to various programs out there.

On the flipside, I'll actually have to pay attention to security and viruses and spyware and all that bad stuff. It's so infrequent that one has to deal with any of that on OSX, although I would hope that anti-spyware/popup/whatever software has gotten good enough that it's a total nonissue now, as opposed to the way it was 7 or 8 years ago when things were slightly more challenging, at times. Or maybe it isn't, and Windows can still be a pain in the for the same reasons! Who knows. I haven't bothered to do much research on this yet because I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Hey there! Yeah, I did a google search too and noticed that my little thread (well, I suppose it's not quite so little anymore) is like the first result after the actual link to the newegg product - I'm slightly embarrassed about that And like I said in the above post, I'll be putting a review up in the next couple days.

We actually heard from someone who got the XN1 configuration earlier this week that the initial memory configuration is 4GB/2GB, and that there are four slots for a total memory capacity of 16GB. And yes, the memory included is 1333MHz, which is certainly a good thing.

 

Sorry just had to delete a couple of posts - the forum rules prevent discussion of OS X on non-apple hardware:

 

Steve has spoken. "Thou shalt not use Apple products in a way not foreseen by thy maker." I can't wait to upgrade my iPhone to an Android or windows phone.

 

Oh I see, that will leave room to upgrade the memory if neccesary (tho I think 6GB is more than enough).
I'm really excited for you! You're getting you're awesome new computer in less than a day! I wish i was in the same spot... Stupid NewEgg they should restock. Not that even matters cuz I haven't saved enough yet

My friend has a new ASUS (which I did the research for) and it's loaded with bloatware, and I mean LOADED. Even before that, I knew for sure I would do a clean Win 7 install in whatever new computer I got. Also my friend's computer's Windows now is somehow "not genuine" and he bought it from NewEgg. It's probably just his bad luck though. And drivers update automatically through Windows Update.

 

Oops! Sorry about the OSX speak, won't happen again. Funny, neither the Canadian or American site even show the G53SW anymore unless you specifically search the model number. Definitely feel lucky to have gotten it within the 3 day span or so that it was available

Mine came from Cali as well, I think when I said New Jersey I must have meant the JW's, glad I was able to cancel that order

 

Hey Tailgunner, did you order it from newegg.ca? if not has anyone received theirs from newegg?

 

Btw, anyone know if we can purchase extended warranty for the notebook from Asus. I know that they have extended warranty for models that come with 2 years warranty, but how about models that come with only 1 year warranty like this one?

 

Since ASUS doesn't provide the Win7 CD or some type of recovery CD how do you reinstall to remove all the bloatware?

Are there any ASUS bloatware where you would actually find it useful like CPU/GPU temperature monitor? Fan speed monitor?

If you *make* a recovery DVD (5 dvds or something?) will it take an image of the system including the bloatware? Will it work if I use this recovery DVD to reinstall on a SSD?

 

Came in today! Very excited. I have to finish my workday before I can have any fun, though. Buy it is one fine, beautiful machine. And it is HUGE! I can't imagine how big the g73 feels.

And yes there is no windows disc but I figured you just use your product key and download it. Typical cost-cutting measures, not even including a windows install disc.

Edit: to answer your other questions sl33p, you make your recovery DVD (I think you only need one DVD according to the included manual, it tells you how) after you either remove the bloatware or reinstall windows. I'm going to try and get rid of the bloatware without a reinstall I think, just using programs designed for this exact purpose like pc decrapifyer (I think it's called) or something better if I can find it. If that doesn't work I will just reinstall.

 

Nice!! Congratz.

5 day business wait on mine, won't come in till Wednesday or Thursday next week, it's gonna be a difficult week! Make sure this thread doesn't get boring till after Wednesday!

 

What kaworu876 said.

Asus Utility and Bloatware Guide. I'm personally still using the original OS install image with the apps I didn't want removed.

Generally no, unless the new drive is the same size as the original drive. I use Acronis True Image Home to make images of clean installs. These can be migrated to any drive (provided the sector-by-sector image option is not used).

 

Woohoo!

I just checked Newegg.ca out of curiosity and they had 1 in stock. Not sure when they came back in stock (for the third time) or if someone just cancelled their order, but either way, I've ordered one.

I chose express shipping as it was only $5 more than regular ground so I'll be sure to give my impressions when I get my hands on it.

 

Wow awesome Zeiss, good for you :3. Just in the nick of time, eh? I'm still at work unfortunately, printing fabric banners for Bose. Blah. I hate Bose. Internet is down at work so I'm on my iPhone, too. I just wanna get home with my new lappy ^___^

 

Why is it that i was not auto notified when the product became available on Newegg.ca

 

Thanks. I really can't wait. I'll stay tuned for your impressions.

I wasn't notified either I just happened to check it.

I've been on Auto Notify since it sold out the first time and I received an e-mail that it was in stock a few hours after it sold out the second time.

 

Ok, well I just checked the American newegg site and it is currently back in stock as of this moment, ~4:30PM EDT in case anyone is still interested in one. It's good that it wasn't down for so long, really. I feel like this whole thing with it going in and out of stock a lot is weird, and slightly sketchy. But hey, maybe it's just selling out really quickly.

And I'm finally on my way home soon, hooray.

 

Yeah, I thought it was sketchy as well but there are currently 15 units in stock at Newegg.com. Still out of stock on Newegg.ca but I imagine that will be updated.

I would say the issue was limited quantities since they were just released. At least I hope that explains the stock fluctuation.


Well, my next plan of action is to buy an SSD for this bad boy. I know I can use cardboard as a spacer and install the SSD without the caddy but does anyone know where I can buy the caddy in Canada? I'm anal with this stuff.

 

Yeah, I dunno about the caddy, I'm sure there's one around somewhere, or I'd hope so. I don't have the money to upgrade to an SSD right away but I am certainly planning on it.

I went to the owners lounge thread for the G53JW a couple days ago, and was told to purchase a "90-degree connector" for my power plug. Anyone know what that's all about, or why I would want/need one and how expensive it would be to get one? One thing I'll say is the power brick on this thing is a freaking BEAST. You could fit a family of four in there, practically.

 

Hahaha. Yeah, the brick looks rather large from the pictures. I'm actually a bit concerned about the size of the laptop. How bulky is it?

As for the 90 degree adapter, I would guess that it has to do with people hitting their hands off the straight plug when moving the mouse around on the right side of the laptop. The adapter is connected to the right side, isn't it?

 

Gratz Zeiss!

Hazyray I'm betting the Canadian site will follow up and put'em back in stock soon enough as well. Might be just a little slower. So I guess when I called and they said they had 15 in available that was pretty accurate. Maybe they sold out and got another shipment?

Solid State Drive is gonna be one of my first upgrade as well! Haha I saw the cardboard SSD HD install video, I'm definitely gonna wait for a caddy lol. If anybody knows a good place where they're available please inform?

A few people broke the charging pins on the laptop because the plug kept getting in the way. I suppose it's close to the middle of the right side meaning it'll be annoyingly in the way of your mouse.

Luckily my desk has a separate platform for the mouse and and a USB keyboard I imagine the 90 degree pin would help keep your sanity from the mess of cables on the right side of the machine.

 

I have mixed feelings of happiness and jealousy... Didn't you get the G53? And don't forget about the review!

 

I am thinking of getting this - but from US or Canada?
I am coming to US (staying in MA) later this month so I have this choice...

Shipping in US is 14.99 and no tax for MA (or 5% Use Tax = $60 if unlucky)
Then there's the extra duty if declared at the border (1200-750) x 13% = $58.5
750 is personal exemption and laptops have no duties, only taxes
Total is $133.5

Shipping in CA is 19.99 with 13% tax = $156 + additional unknown handling fee..
Total is $186

Using credit card it's like 1:1

Did I miss anything? Anyone can give suggestion or tried this before?

 

I thought about doing the same, but patience isn't one of my best virtues.

Take into account if shipping gets delayed while you're in the US, you'll probably save a little bit of money if you get it in the US, but you can bet it'll be a hassle as well. It's a fair bet of extra effort but you'll probably save $50-$100 on the overall price.

My price shipping to Canada after taxes and handling came out to about $1375.

Btw if you're using a Canadian credit card and paying in US dollars... I believe the Canadian dollar is about 5% higher at the moment, don't quote me on that.

 

I mad another error in the information I gave to you guys -- early I mentioned that you would need another caddy to install a second HDD...this is in fact false. The G53SW-XN1 comes with the second caddy already installed. I decided to double-check the ribbon cables before firing it up and I just realized I overlooked the second caddy for some reason. Sorry!

 

Wow! Thanks for the good news, installing a second SSD in there will now be easier and cheaper Are you using both HD bays TailGunner or did you just remove and toss the 500GB aside for now?

BTW do you know off the top of your head if there would be any issue running an OS off the secondary hard drive bay or does it need to be in the primary bay?

 

Wow, so I've been using this for a little bit, messing around with the settings and getting rid of some of the bloatware (haven't reinstalled windows but I may do so this weekend) and adding some essential software...

This is really is a pretty incredible laptop. It feels strange though, like a new pair of shoes, you know? I've been using macs for years and years, and I have literally never used Windows 7 (or Windows Vista for that matter) before, so it's all *slightly* confusing, but fun to figure stuff out.

The screen/resolution is *glorious*, though. I love these glossy screens. There are several color calibrations, and I'm not sure which one works for me the best - so far I'm using "theater mode" which is soft and fairly magenta-ish, giving everything a warm tinge. The "normal" mode is incredibly cyan. I figure I'll work this out, maybe eventually install a color profile that I like even more.

The keyboard is quite nice, the backlighting is gorgeous. There's something slightly strange about the keyboard though, it's almost a tiny bit... wobbly? Like if I press a key down a little too hard the plastic base of the keyboard also gets pressed down. I have no idea how normal it is, and it's not a bad thing by any means - it also barely happens when I use a lighter touch. Might just be that the mac keyboard I'm used to is different, which it is.

The trackpad is really great - doesn't bug out, works well, includes multi-touch gestures, I'm quite pleased. The buttons are actually quite stiff, though. A little more stiff than I'd like, to be honest. But again that's the sort of thing one gets used to, and I had the exact opposite problem with my MBP where if you barely touched the trackpad button it would activate. It might not feel stiff at all to some of you, hard to say.

Those are some initial impressions for you guys - I'll have more! I mean, I haven't even had a chance to play any games yet! But so far it's fantastic - lightning fast and the screen is un-freaking-believably gorgeous. I can't get over how pretty this thing is to look at.

 

I replaced the primary drive with the SSD. I am strongly contemplating whether or not I should get a second identical SSD and one more 4 GB RAM stick...I technically can have 12 GB of RAM, but I just don't want to run an odd number of sticks and lose the dual data rate bandwidh. I will have gaming results and load temperatures posted shortly.

 

Sweeet! Definitely jealous but keep describing! haha, I've heard the stiff keys thing on many JW reviews. I'd suggest just use an external mouse most of the time.

How do the multi touch gestures work? Is there pinch to zoom and those kind of things or just double tapping to click?

What are the windows index ratings btw? If you right click my computer or on the desktop there should be a windows index rating that gives a 1-7.9 rating of the most important functions (ie graphics, processing speed, hard drive speed)

 

Probably something like:
CPU: 7.2
RAM: 7.4
2D: 7.2-7.3
3D: 7.2-7.3
Primary Storage (assuming its an SSD): 7.7-7.8 (expect 5.9 with HDD)

The multi-touch gestures are everything Synaptics touchpad has to offer (pinch-zoom, two finger scrolling, chircal rotating, and some more).

 

Here are the experience index ratings:

Processor (i7-2630QM): 7.4

Memory (6GB of RAM right now): 7.5

Graphics: 7.1

Gaming Graphics: 7.1

Primary Hard Disk (500GB 7200RPM): 5.9

And yeah I would imagine that an SSD would make the hard disk rating go up quite a good bit.

 

Hey guys

Was wondering what the difference was between the G53SW-XN1 at NE and the G73SW-BST6?

Obviously the HDD, RAM, and the screen size, but is that it? For only $100 more for 250GB more HDD, 2GB more RAM, and a 17", it seems well worth the buy.

 

It's a watered down version, the MAIN disadvantage that I see right off the bat, the Nvidia card is restricted to 1GB of vram while the XN1 has the full 1.5GB dedicated that it's capable of.

The screen resolution is only 1600 x 900 while the XN1 has a screen resolution of 1920x1080. So screen resolution, and a restriction of the graphics card, those are the main disadvantages, don't see much else, it isn't a terrible deal, but I wouldn't trade my future XN1 for it

Oh, also noticed it lists 4 USB 2.0 ports and no USB 3.0 port.

 

Damn, didn't notice the resolution. Argh. That's the only thing that bothers me about it.

 

Yeah, the Best Buy version is pretty awful. Only 1GB of VRAM, a max resolution of 1366x768 (it's only 1600x900 on the G73SW) instead of 1920x1080, only 4GB of RAM to start with, and (this is a big one) an i5-2410M processor instead of the i7-2630QM. It doesn't come with an accidental damage warranty, either, just 1-year parts and labor. You do get a 750GB hard drive to start with instead of 500GB but, uh, that doesn't really make up for the huge loss you get from the downgrades to all the other hardware. Basically, stay very far from away the Best Buy versions of the G53SW and G73SW. The money you save is not worth the loss in overall performance.

edit: Oh, you were asking about the Best Buy version of the G73! Well, that doesn't have the downgraded processor or RAM, I don't think, but I'll leave up the Best Buy specs for the G53 just in case anyone gets it into their head that they should so much as think about purchasing it.

Also, I've fired up some SC2 finally on this bad boy, which has been my game of choice lately. And good GOD. I can actually play it on "Ultra" settings across the board while maintaining perfectly smooth FPS and playability. It's honestly like playing an entirely different game. I can also do other stuff (like run firefox) while the game is running! Totally freaking shocking to me. With SC2 I've beat the campaign a couple times and moved on to multiplayerr, but I am absolutely going to go through the entire campaign again on Brutal with these graphics just to enjoy the absurd prettiness.

Tomorrow I'll install GTA4 and Bioshock 2, as well, and see how those play. It is blowing my mind, the sheer quantity of awesome games I'm able to play now. And not just play, but play at the highest possible settings in almost every case. I cannot get used to this, I just can't. I am so freaking glad that not only is my weekend wide open, but it's going to be cloudy/rainy the whole time so I don't even have to feel bad about not going outside at all!

This is, like, going to be the death of my social life for at least the next month, not that mine is exactly booming to begin with. I should just give up any hope of finding a new boyfriend this summer, this laptop is a more than adequate replacement for the time being xD

 

I think what you're experiencing there is keyboard flex, which exists on most laptops.

Glad to hear you're really enjoying it. Mine shipped out today so I should be able to post some initial impressions in a few days. I can compare to the MSI GX660 I had to RMA two weeks ago. I'm assuming this one is going to be much better in almost every way.

I would definitely stick with 8GB of RAM. Unless you need 12GB, I wouldn't add a third stick. IMO, it makes much more sense to retain the dual channel and have 2x4GB sticks.

Waiting for the gaming and temp results.

 

Yipee, finally i was able to order one for myself, after 4 days of excruciating wait
The below items has come in stock as of 04/15/2011 and we are sending you this notification per your request.
Hope to recieve it by next week wheee whee .....

 

Sweet!! Gratz on joining our little club haha you'll prolly get it around the same time as me... why is Canada so far from California.

Definitely see my social life taking a dip this summer too lol.

I've been wanting to sink my teeth into Arkham Asylum since it came out.

Counter Strike and Star Craft 2 are next on the list after that

 

With a score of 5.9, we can live with the stock HDD for couple of months i guess, it might affect just the loading of games/copying of data, once everything is paged on RAM, it shouldn't pose much of a bottleneck during runtime.

Will get SSD in sale sometime later.

Btw guys, if some of you actually plan to install additional RAM or SSD in ur XN1's then please post a video for the same also (if possible). Cant actually understand what caddy is or where the slot/compartment lies

Thanks buddy

You won't believe me, at one point i was actually planning to order it from NE.ca, had they restocked it before US.
Aristotle rightly said, Patience is bitter, but it's fruit is sweet. So lets wait for some more time

 

There's an excellent video from xoticpc of them installing a hard drive into a G53JW which is nearly identical. It's a very informative video that goes step by step and explains it very clearly as the video shows you what to do.

Google search or youtube search of "xoticpc G53JW harddrive" should get you there.

There's also another video floating somewhere of somebody installing a SSD into a G53JW and substituting cardboard for a caddy LOL I suggest watching it for the laugh factor, I can't imagine actually sticking cardboard into a $1300+ machine to hold it together. That person definitely has to have some stones of iron to give that a try.

I'm sure SSD drives will come down in price very quickly and the fact that the SW's already have the caddy makes things easier.

A caddy is basically just a bracket that holds the hard drive in place so it doesn't move around. It's nothing special, but it needs to be the right size depending on the interior space of the laptop so you wouldn't be able to just walk into any computer store and get the right caddy, it would take some special ordering. I'm glad they decided to include it on the updated model.

Surprisingly after watching a few videos of it being done, installing a HD and RAM into this machine doesn't seem too difficult, but it's a little bit more work and disassembly than other laptops.

Having an OS on a SSD must be a pleasure 8 second bootup times, I can live with that.

 

Okay, got everything up and going.

Windows Experience Index:


Absolutely flogging the system for an hour, 100% CPU and GPU utilization:


Note: I'm sure some of you guys are a bit concerned about the temperatures displayed above. Do not worry! The test is a rather unrealistic test; the chance of the system utilizing 100% of its resources in regular day to day basis is virtually non-existent. This test is done to see if the cooling system can take the absolute limit, and while the temperatures are a bit high, it didn't overheat. Games usually only utilize 60% to 80% of your system's resources...case in point:



3DMark06 Loop Demo running for an hour straight at 1920 x 1080. This is really about the right temperature you will see when you play games and not inadvertently trying to burn something up.

3DMark06 running at standard 1280 x 1024 setting:


About 14,000 points just like other Sandy Bridge machines with the GTX 460M. Nothing to see here.



Resident Evil 5 Benchmark running at 1080p, no AA, Everything on High Details. Good stuff.

 

COmmon Canada!! Get with the program! I want this thing! I have been obsessing about it for a month now and just want to order.

 

Sweet, thanks for the detailed temperature analysis, its really reassuring
Can we have live pics of this beast too ? Esp the view from back.

Was loitering around on other sites to check G53SW prices, found this variant(BestBuy) with mini hinges and without any exhaust vents


ASUS - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Black - G53SW-BST6

Hope NE/xotic versions have vents on the back, or else it will be blasphemy.

 

It actually has vents. The picture that you have is top view and was not taken from the rear end. Thats why you cant see the vents. If you try to carefully look at the end, you could see some shadow, its the edge of the vents. It actually is existing.

 

Seems to be the case, but still would like to confirm 1) Central pivot OR 2) Two small hinges



Central pivot design looks cool , wish its that one.

Anyways, i've ordered mine, so no point being skeptic. But still it wouldn't hurt to see the live pictures rather than store pics

 

I can definitely confirm that the XN1 model from newegg DOES have a central pivot and big vents - it is not the weird Best Buy type with two small hinges. That's so lame that it's not enough for them to downgrade the processor, video card, and monitor but they also have to change the design of the chassis.

Really, as far as I can tell the XN1 model is totally legit. In terms of construction it's the same as the A1 model, except it comes with 2GB less RAM and a smaller hard drive. It bears no relation whatsoever to the G53SW that Best Buy is selling, so don't worry

 

Hey, I searched the thread for optimus, but didn't get any hits. Can anybody who has this laptop with the sandy bridge CPU's advise if it has optimus working?
Thanks

 

@vsz there is no optimus on any ASUS G series as of now. Maybe in the future...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the purpose of "optimus" is to extend battery life with graphics switching, running your dedicated GPU only when needed.

Sandy bridge processors have a built in GPU as well as the dedicated GPU so there may be something in the CPU that automatically does graphics switching to extend battery life thus making Optimus an unneeded feature.

I don't see any other reason the CPU would have an integrated GPU within it other than to achieve better battery life through graphics switching. Feel free to correct me.

 

Even though the intel gpu has been moved onto the package itself, Optimus is still needed to switch between discrete and integrated. On machines that don't have optimus but do have a CPU with iGPU, the integrated one cannot be used. On the new G53/73SW systems the limitation is the BIOS as far as I know - everything else would support Optimus.

For a gaming machine though, Optimus may be a feature that will create more support problems (loss) than any sales advantage (profit). I don't see any other reason for it to not be included.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I am contemplating between the g53 and GX660, but waiting for that to come with sandy bridge too (it's not available yet in my country with SB). I read that the asus has a better and more silent cooling. Which one would you guys recommend? (I guess I know the answer as I'm posting in this thread ) MSI is cheaper here and 2nd hdd slot is easier to access afaik than g53.