Finally bought a G73JH-A3!

So I'd been looking at the G73JH-A1 for MONTHS, had a pre-order in for 2 1/2 before I cancelled it out of sheer frustration. And just recently heard about the ROG version, but had NO IDEA it would be out so quick! So I missed them being available on Newegg. Put the auto-notify up, but after a week of even MORE waiting, I was tired of that. Looked today and saw Amazon had 'em for $1831. Now I'm in a taxable state, so I paid about $200 more than that, including overnight shipping. But my order is IN and I expect to receive my laptop TOMORROW!

As previousl G73JH threads have suggested, I expect to backup all the software to DVD, just in case I need ANYTHING, then image with Windows 7 Enterprise, load the latest ATI driver for Blu-Rays, and be pretty well set with a desktop replacement to last me a LONG, LONG time!!!

FINALLY, the Merk will GET his DESKTOP REPLACEMENT!!!

 

You don't really need to burn those backup disks, it still comes with a driver disk. The backup disks restore it to a factory state, bloatware and all.

Glad to hear you got an -a3, you'll have to post an opinion on how the seagate drives perform.

 

Rather than spending the time and the money to do a back up of the factory default, do your self a favor and use Acronis True Image. Apart from the potential dvd read error (if you ever try to restore to the factory default from the backup dvds), using Acronis will also allow to restore the image to an SSD if you ever chose to have one.

Also, get rid of the 2 creative software, and update the realtek drivers. Also, if you're a sucker for two finger scroll, get the latest Synaptics drivers.

Do tell, if the GSOD issue with the 10.x Cats still persists with the newer A3.

 

Congrats. Actually, they are right doing back-up is not a need. Just do clean install and remove all useless bloatwares. Update your Graphics driver and everything else. If you want it to rock more, upgrade your HD to SSD. Then get all directx 11 games then enjoy gaming.

 

If you need some help doing a clean install, see the top link in my sig.

 

My 2 cents:
Delete Bloatware, especially the junk anti virus stuff. Install real anti-virus program. Install games. Enjoy!
I personally would make the backup disks, just in case. Beware of the Creative software. A workaround has been found, but it (Creative software) is really just a gimmick.
Play with the machine and make sure it's good and stable before you charge blindly down the "Upgrade" path. When you do decide to start upgrading your drivers and possibly your BIOS, read the guides that have been put together on this forum. It might save you a lot of grief, and maybe an RMA!

 

Why, and just in case of what? The driver disk is more than adequate, and they can all be downloaded online ....

 

Wow. I just looked and Amazon has the A1 for $1699.72 with supposedly 5 left in stock...
And, the A2 for $1788.88? Plus, the X3 is available at TigerDirect for $1550. Hope you at least got a reacharound from Amazon...

 

stupid amazon here in UK have listed it but no stock for 3 months so wth...

 

If you notice my "Location" below my avatar, I'm on a BOAT!
I would not want to try to download a Windows ISO and all the drivers by our satellite comms. Blank DVD's are pretty cheap and plentiful these days. I really don't find burning 6 of them that big of an inconvenience. Just my humble opinion. I'm sure everyone is going to have a different backup/restore strategy or opinion. I would think a less experienced user might need the simplest way to restore the system to factory default. Sometimes hard drives fail.
Your mileage may vary....

 

Wow. Thanks for the replies all. Happy to report it arrived in one piece. Know I may never USE them, but wanted the Factory Restore in case I decide to go back and try THEIR image. But since I wanted Ultimate, once I had those discs burnt, I deleted ALL the existing partitions in Win 7's startup, and installed the OS.

Once THAT was done, I installed the latest ATI driver from their site, then most everything else from the driver disk (looks like I could have left a few utilities off), and it looks pretty good. Deleted the ASUS shortcuts from the desktop to clean that up, and she's running great.

One thing I'll be lazy and ask about here. I've tried getting the laptop on my dual band N router / access point, Netgear 3300, but it will NOT see the N connection. Now the B & G have full signal strength and are working fine using WPA2 - AES, so I guess I have nothing to complain about, since not ALL my devices are so lucky. But I keep reading the Aethros (sorry if I'm butchering it) network card in the device should do N, then I read it won't do 5GHz... which seems cheesy in such a nice laptop.

One possibility is a nice Sony laptop at work had it's 1.8" HD die. I couldn't save the data, and it wasn't brand new anymore so we went another direction for the user. Damn near had to destroy the laptop just to get the drive out. Anyway, I ended up with a Intel wireless card with N networking from it. And as my old dell didn't have the extra antenna, I simply pulled THAT out of the Sony too, wrapped it around the card under the Wifi door, and screwed it shut. Thinking I may swap THAT wireless network card with the Asus one. But does the Asus laptop have the N antenna running around the screen or something? Would be great if the G73JH-A3 was "pre plumbed" with a good N antenna, even though the wireless adapter is kinda cheezy.

No games yet, as my washer broke yesterday before the laptop arrived. Left it installing drivers, and when I got home rather than being in sleep mode, it was kinda locked up with a "blue" screen, but not a BSOD... just looked like it was in sleep mode before forgot to turn the display totally off. I powered down the laptop, back on, and haven't had a bit of trouble since. Installed my WHS connector, let the server backup my work, and have some more to do today, but besides the wireless adapter, lightscribe for my external blu-ray / hd-dvd / lighscribe dvd drive, etc... I'm probably pretty close to installing a game or two and checking it out!

You guys mentioned DirectX 11 games. I'm a long time gamer, but with my PS3, 360, and Wii, haven't done a lot of PC gaming lately. Any non MMORPG's you'd suggest I check out? Is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 an 11 game? Beat that one on my old PC, and thought I might play through it again.

Thanks again for all the posts. This site ROCKS!!!

 

@merkman: the AzureWare wifi card you have doesn't support 5GHz N and maxes at 150mbps. I suggest getting an Intel 6200 replacement card. Works fine here, and I can hit 300mbps.

 

Here's an excellent way to show off my lack of knowledge: Why do people want such high transfer rates on their network cards? My internet is pretty standard at 20mbps, but I can't imagine even a super fast connection goes over 100. What's the point of having a maximum throughput of 300mbps when 150 should suit just fine?

 

Internal network access. I have 6 PCs and Macs including the central storage server. We share files and stream media. A physical GBe (1000MB) connection works where I have cables run but a high performance WiFi connection is helpful throughout the rest of the house.

Cheers,

 

Local area networks.

If all you do is access the internet, then yes, the slower rate is more than adequate.

 

LAN file transfer between computers. Also if you are at extreme range you could dip below your internet speed.

Rule of thumb: that speed you see on wireless is theoretical, the actual speed is about 1/3rd of that number.

 

In other words the person who asked the question does not need? Thanks last three posters for clearing up.

 

Good advice considering... I'm on a boat as well. Somewhere in the Gulf of Guinea