G73JH First impressions-Lets share-Gaming related

For those of you who already know me by my annoyingly long audio driver dilemma thread..it seems to be at bay for the time being so
I figured Id start another thread on my intial thoughts/feelings regarding the G73JH, specifically gaming and the HD 5870.

I sold my Gateway FX 7805 just last week and loved that damn rig to death...just didnt like the appearance of it...appearance wise...it was everything I did NOT want in a laptop (fingerprint magnet...cheap feeling/looking bezzle and plastic trim) but man the thing was smooth (even though the specs were nothing great! Intel Core 2 duo 4 GB RAM) But for some reason, the Nvidia CUDA 9800M GTS produced a gorgeous gaming experience even on the lower 1400x900 display..okenough about the FX, I am just giving you my frame of reference.

Visually, the G73JH obviously drops panties...in every sense of the word..the rubber/plastic molded matte finish is very nice and the backlit keyboard pushes the eye candy of this rig even further...Not to mention the stealth jet radiator exhaust ports out the back. Ok..I am stating the obvious so lets talk about the 5870 1GB DDR5 DX11 and gaming experience....I dont know what it is, or maybe I dont have my ATI settings correct, but every game I have played (including Batman which we all know is geared HEAVILY towards a Nvidia card and PhysX) looks about the same if not WORSE than my previous Nvidia CUDA 9800M GTS!!! Now dont get me wrong, I understand that this 5870M is the single best mobile GPU to date, not to mention the only card to date that supports DX11 (so its futureproof) but I am just not seeing its visual superior performance in my gaming experience?! Batman, looks much better on my 9800M GTS card and that card is MANY levels down from this 5870. I have all my settings on this rig to performance mode, and it is not so much the FPS but the quality of shading/shadows and visuals that has not impressed me thus far! Now YES the 5870 runs everything maxed very smooth, but visually I am not seeing it shine?! Maybe I was expecting leaps and bounds in the visual department when I purchased the lappy? I dont know? Or maybe I dont have my ATI Catalyst settings right for the 5870? I have the stock drivers, but my philosophy with drivers, esp. video drivers, is to not fix it if it isnt broken! Plus, drivers dont make a WORLD of difference unless your using a terribly outdated buggy version which no one is.

The display..
Yes I have the Best Buy watered down 1600x900 yadda yadda laugh it up...but actually I wanted this res due to future gaming and not having to squint when surfing online...anyway....my opinions...
This LED LCD is very bright, and I have read the complaints about it never really going "black" due to the back-lighting design of a LED display! I can vouch for that complaint as it is almost like you always have a tiny bit of light leakage and the display is always just a little too "poppy/bright" (yes Ive played with the brightness controls etc..)


So,if its worth it, would anyone like help me actually set up what the optimal settings should be in my Catalyst control center? As of now I haven't touched em..Its chinese to me as IM used to the Nvidia control panel. Thanks for listening to all my BS opinions

Also, what are these applications below? They are in my startup and I am wondering if I can disable them
1.ATKOSD2 ASUS
2.ATK Media ASUS
3.ATK Hotkey ASUS
4.Fancey Start daemon

Also what is Wireless Console 3? And ASUS Fancey Start?

 

Oh and also, I forgot to mention. On my FX Nvidia 9800M...I ran HWMonitor...seeing as with my stock video drivers with the G73 5870, HWMonitor is not supported...so I use HWInfo32...assuming HWInfo32 is accurate..my GPU (thermal diode) gets up to 91 degrees! The CPU up to 76! These numbers scare me...esp with this rig having its own dedicated fan and heatsink and exhaust port for the CPU and GPU I would think this cooling design would be optimal! Not saying its bad bc it is not..im sayingI would think it would get so hot so quick..but I guess I am comparing apples to oranges with my FX 9800M GTS bc the 9800M GTS rig was 35W maybe even 25W and the 5870 is 45W....the FX had two dedicated fans as well and the GPU NEVER got past 83 degree while playing for hours! CPU never past 55....guess the difference in temp has to do with the power this G73 GPU/CPU puts out (45W)

 

Check David's Asus Utility and Bloatware Guide

 

Good stuff..thanks Abula!

 

Can anybody tell me if I should have anything tweaked/changed in my Catalyst Control Center? For optimal gaming/visual performance? Thanks.

 

I bet when you installed BM/AA it is playing in DX9 so that's why it doesn't look as sharp.I could be wrong but that's my best guess.
I had a FX too 6831 my first gaming laptop it looked like crap(orange/copper trim??? WTH were they thinking) but I still loved it too death.

 

How would I know if I was playing in DX9? I assume games default to the greatest DX renderer upon default (except some you must change to DX render you want) The video options for Batman are pretty limited.

Can anybody tell me if I should have anything tweaked/changed in my Catalyst Control Center? For optimal gaming/visual performance? Thanks.

 

Any love here? Maybe put this question in the gaming/video card forum? Just wondering about what the ATI Cataylst Control Panel's optimal settings should be for the 5870

 

Certainly before you quoted from my guide, you did read it, right?

See: ATK, Fancy and Console3

 

Ya Kalim, Ive cleaned my system up pretty well due to your guide, Ive only got like 5 programs booting at startup! gotta uninstall that Console3 though

 

No problem.

I would imagine if you see only 5 processes in Task Manager when you boot, you haven't clicked the "Show processes from all users" check box.

 

Ha no not in task manager..thats up in like the 60's...I mean I only have about 4-5 programs that boot when starting up the OS..(configured through run-msconfig-startup) I chose the selective startup

quick question-In advanced settings/performance I "let windows choose whats best for me" rather than using performance or visual mode...prior to the G73 I would alwayd use performance mode...but when you chose performance mode on the G73(Win7 64)...it unchecks ALL the visual stuff everything looks terrible! Think its optimal to just leave it on "let windows choose whats best"?

Also, I have my "manage system paging file" checked...is that optimal? Thanks

 

Ah, I see.

This is one of those areas where it comes down to mostly personal choice. The top three are presets. The last, Custom, is selected if you go outside one of the other three. I turned a lot of those options off, so mine sits on Custom. I'll give you a couple examples.

"Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing"

This might be useful for someone who can't keep track of where the window went when it was minimized or maximized. I can and if I minimize or maximize a window I either want it gone or have it instantly appear.

"Fade or slide menus into view".

This the modern equivalent of having a slow computer. Menus slide or fade into view. I don't have time to wait for pretty. When I open a menu I expect it to open now, not in some sort of computer timed fashion show.

So, again, it's mostly personal choice.

You'll hear many strong opinions on that one question alone. I know I'll get flack for it, but here goes anyway. Here's my opinion.

First lets get this part out of the way; yes, you should have a pagefile. Second, I like a static pagefile size. The old rule was 1 and 1/2 the size of the RAM installed in the computer. These days because I have 8GB RAM in my laptop, I use the 1 to 1 ratio. Third, one 8GB pagefile no matter how many drives are available. Ideally the pagefile would sit in it's own 8.01GB partition on a different drive connected to a different controller channel.

Flame suit now active.

 

So ultimately, really, Is one optimal over the other here
1. "let windows manage paging file"
2. set page file to 1 to 1 ratio of 6144MB (I have 6GB RAM not 8 like you)

or really no difference and leave it on #1

 

Since I already answered that, I presume you are asking others for their opinion.

 

I understood your post but I was asking if one is more optimal than the other?..it seems YOU prefer #2 (static pagefile)...I take it than setting the pagefile yourself gains the most benefits? Or really IT DOESNT MATTER and is personal preference?

 

If this laptop is getting women to drop their panties, I'm obviously not meeting the right women.......or using the right laptop......or some combination of both...

 

hmmm well I would like to know whats the opinion on catalyst A.I., so far I've gotten mixed results between standard and advanced

 

When you figure out the right combination let me know

 

It got me laid last night soley bc of its stealth look...no just kidding...but not really

Quick question-I just burned the A I Recovery discs (took 2.5 discs I used DVD+RW 4x 4.7GB 120min) can I uninstall A I now? Do I have any more use for it? Thanks

 

Ummmm sooo ya...In Catalyst control center I changed the slider to maximum quality rather than where it was by default in the middle of quality and performance...um ya...this 5870 is disgusting...I knew I had some setting wrong!

 

Mine's so stealthy she doesn't doesn't even see it in the bed with us

 

If I was going to buy one or two pc games to really put this thing thru it's paces, what should I get? I'm not big on multiplayer FPS; how's the single player mode on Battle Field Bad Company 2? Maybe I'll just rent it for my PS3 and see what happens. How about a PC only game, maybe?

 

Try a Total War game, like Napoleon Total War (or Empire) and set everything to max.

Let me tell you about how pretty the naval battles are. (Very pretty).

 

Ahahahahahahhaha

 

Im REALLY not used to ATI's Catalyst Control Center, I was hoping for everyone's input, I am looking for max quality!

In CCC, in the 3D section, I have the meter maxed to best quality...I noticed that if I then go to the AA tab and change the settings, it in turn changes the quality max setting back bc it figures you are customizing it...so unfortunately I just leave the quality at max and the aa at 4x edge detect sample 12x. Thats as much as it will let me tweak until it changes my standard settings quality bar in turn...With quality slider maxed, it in turn puts AF to max of 16x which is ideal, but defaults AA mode (multi-sample AA) to performance (all the way left). Mipmap is at highest quality....

So in short..these are the max controls I am allowed to set in CCC for quality.
1. Standard Settings is at optimal quality (slider all the way to the right)
2. AA level at 4x set to edge detect with a sample of 12x ( I cannot chech use application setting as it defaults every setting to that..they are synced)
3. AA Mode at performance (multi-sampling)
4. AF mode maxed at 16x
5. MipMap maxed at optimal quality

Anything I should change here for optimal visual quality? If theres something I should lower bc it takes a toll on frames or performance and doesnt do much for the visuals let me know. Thanks!

QUICK RANDOM QUESTION-DO YOU GUYS LEAVE YOUR LAPTOPS ON FOR DAYS ON END OR WHEN YOU ARE AWAY? I HAVE MY SCREEN SHUT OFF AT ONE HOUR BUT THATS IT..IM WONDERNG IF IT IS MORE STRESS ON THESE RIGS TO LEAVE ON (HEAT) ALL (MOST) THE TIME OR TO SHUT DOWN WHEN NOT IN USE (WEAR N TEAR FROM REPETITIVE BOOTS)?

 

Quick random answer - I usually close the lid to mine, which sends it to hibernation, when I done using it for a while...

 

I'm curious as well since this is going to be my desktop replacement, which I do leave on almost 24/7.

 

Mine has been running full tilt non-stop for 4 days, 4 hours and 32 minutes Protein folding on the CPU and GPU.

 

Hmmm...Looks like Il just pour some muscle milk on mine every few days and leave er on!

 

Any pointers/input here?

sidenote random question since we were talking about leaving the G73 on 24/7-Kalim you could possibly answer this-I also leave my keyboard backlight at max 24/7..how strong/resilient are these small little white lights? as well as the little blue lights all over the laptop (under LCD etc..) I guess I am wondering if these small little lights are built to last years constantly on, or if they will die out prematurely should one keep them on full brightness 24/7 365? Sorry about my overactive frontal lobe ; )

 

I assume everyone thinks my Catalyst Control Center GPU settings are optimal this way then?

 

I don't think there is a good response to your question which is the reason for lack of response. What is good for one person is not the same for another. You just gotta choose whatever works for you

 

Why not just use sleep mode to shut everything down at the end of the night.
It only takes seconds to re-start.