Differences between g73jh-b1 and g73jw-a1

For everyone that is debating between the jw and jh, here is some info that might clear things up a bit.

I have spoken to tech support people with experience with both machines first hand, (Hutsady K at Xoticpc was beyond helpful), and this info is backed up thoroughly.

Nvidia's drivers are going to supposedly increase clock speeds of the 460m in the next release, as well as increase overall performance of the card in general. This should actually improve the performance to levels BETTER than the 5870m gpu in the jh models.

Nvidia supports Physx, (of course) which more games are relying on to amp up the eye candy in games. The newer 460m also slightly outperforms the 5870 in dx11 applications as well, although currently dx11 on any laptop is shall we say....wonky at best. (correct me if I am wrong)

the cooling issues of the jh models have been fixed and THEN SOME. The temps of the 460m under heavy load are substantially cooler than the 5870. This allows greater headroom for overclocking the gpu and cpu to gain better performance overall.

Some other things that give the jw model an edge are the usb 3.0 port, the HDMI 1.4 (Why they nixed the wirless HD streaming is beyond me but I digress), the jw also comes stock with the 1333 ddr memory vs the 1066 that they apparently switched to in the stock jh models. I kno that the difference between the two is negligible, but it is still faster, and for the same price really.

I'm not going to start a flame war between ATI and Nvidia's driver issues compared to each other, but ATI's foray into all things 5870 related have obviously been a headache for many that have had the gsod and other driver related issues spring forth. Nvidia does not seem to be having these problems, as I have YET to find any problems reported with the jw's performance.

For those that are looking at the older a1 models of the jh flavor, the b1 has an upgraded cpu (740qm vs the 720qm in a1) and this is obviously an improvement, with very little added cost in the long run.

I have spoken with people from many places with experience with both the jh and jw models, and from what I have learned, unless you are extensively benchmarking, you are NOT going to notice a difference in performance between the jh b1 and the jw, unless you are running physx or dx11, in which the jw 460m will actually do BETTER (Physx is only Nvidia, so this point is moot I guess.)

Right now at Xoticpc, the prices between the jh-b1 and the jw-a1 are the same. (about 1690 US) So price is not a factor to choose from here.

I hope this has been helpful, and if anyone can think of any more info I should post on this, please feel free to comment, or post your own info, as I am always ready to learn more.

 

I made a sig bar for g73jw owners if you want it, here it is

 

THANK YOU!!

I've been looking all over for this comparison as I am about to buy one or the other (h-b1 or w-a1).

 

No problem. I'm happy to help in any way possible. I'm new to this forum, but no to this topic or computers at all. I used to own a computer repair/service shop, and I'm back in college for more computer "lernin" so I'm pretty much a geek from the get go.

 

What about the LCD display?

 

I received my g73jw a couple days ago, and I can say only one thing. The screen on this thing is AMAZING. Truly brilliant color, no ghosting on games, nothing to complain about at all.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm still trying to decide between the w and h. Can you comment on how noisy the 460 gets while browsing versus gaming?

Glad to hear you don't notice any ghosting.

 

Any chance you doing a sig for the G73JH Nocturnalis.

 

Sure, I could do a sig for the jh.

 

Sure, I could do a sig for the jh.

 

Honestly, there have been a few times that I was gaming that I had to reach back and check to see if the fans were even working! The only time I ever hear the fans is when I run furmark after I mess with the gpu clock speed. (This thing overclocks like a CHAMP). Even with the speaker volume at its lowest audible volume, I still cannot hear the fans when gaming. when just browsing you cannot hear ANYTHING at all. Trust me, this thing is unbelievably quiet.

Oh, and voyagerxp, yes, I can make a JH sig bar. Give me a few days and I'll upload it for you.

 

Honestly, there have been a few times that I was gaming that I had to reach back and check to see if the fans were even working! The only time I ever hear the fans is when I run furmark after I mess with the gpu clock speed. (This thing overclocks like a CHAMP). Even with the speaker volume at its lowest audible volume, I still cannot hear the fans when gaming. when just browsing you cannot hear ANYTHING at all. Trust me, this thing is unbelievably quiet.

Oh, and voyagerxp, yes, I can make a JH sig bar. Give me a few days and I'll upload it for you.

 

Honestly, there have been a few times that I was gaming that I had to reach back and check to see if the fans were even working! The only time I ever hear the fans is when I run furmark after I mess with the gpu clock speed. (This thing overclocks like a CHAMP). Even with the speaker volume at its lowest audible volume, I still cannot hear the fans when gaming. when just browsing you cannot hear ANYTHING at all. Trust me, this thing is unbelievably quiet.

Oh, and voyagerxp, yes, I can make a JH sig bar. Give me a few days and I'll upload it for you.

 

Honestly, there have been a few times that I was gaming that I had to reach back and check to see if the fans were even working! The only time I ever hear the fans is when I run furmark after I mess with the gpu clock speed. (This thing overclocks like a CHAMP). Even with the speaker volume at its lowest audible volume, I still cannot hear the fans when gaming. when just browsing you cannot hear ANYTHING at all. Trust me, this thing is unbelievably quiet.

Oh, and voyagerxp, yes, I can make a JH sig bar. Give me a few days and I'll upload it for you.