G73JH-BST7 from BB

Hey all,

Thank you all for your help. Yes this is my first post but you all helped me, in some way.

So at BB they had 1 left but 2 with a BST7 instead of the RBB version.
THere was very little data on this BST7 version.

All I know is it was $1,199 and not $1,299.
Came with 640 GB hard drive and the 740QM Intell process that was all I can find that is differant.

Can any one help me find out more about this some what better and cheaper model BB sells in store and does not list on there web site...

Well I love the G73, i wanted to the G53 but it is taken to long...

Sad part is it is only 1600x900 screen... Wanted 1900X1080, but at this cost i BOUGHT IT....

 

There is probably 0 info on that machine at this time since its so new and you are certainly the first i have seen of it ...

Congrats and at $1199.00 with the new CPU and Bigger HD its a good deal ..

As long as the screen looks ok to you then there are benefits of having the lower res screen for gaming so its not all bad ..

Seems like good choice over waiting for the G53...

 

You've got to be kidding me! Ung. If only I would have waited a month or two I could have gotten that instead! Lame sauce.

 

Lol, thats how tech advances! In a month or 2, there will always be better hardware.

 

I am sure if this is new or old, but it is nice. Plays the game I like very well.

Now to figure out what I really have.
Is there any easy to know what is loaded in this lap top hardware wise?

Do all G73 come WiMax enabled? Or did this get an upgraded card?

 

I don't think the others have WiMax. Got any pics of this mystery pc?

 

It's seems to be Best Buy's refresh based on the B1, then butchered for savings.

 

How about checking the specs using Hwinfo and posting the briefs here...would love to know what the new BB version offers apart from the lower price tag!

Nice find btw!

 

Why BB has so different G73s??? i mean, many people has complain with BB version in addition to some ASP (Authorized Service Provider) DO NOT RECEIVE/REPAIR the BB version and they recommend sent direct to Asus HQ.

 

Just found out about the G73JH-BST7 at my local (Iowa) Best Buy. Not much more info than the OP, as they didn't even have it in stock yet, but I did get the SKU # for it: 1257894.

i7-740, 640GB HD(s?), ???, $1199.99.

OP, download HWINFO32 and run that to get gobs of info about your hardware and let us know! I'm gonna bet it's still the ATI card and the only 'upgrades' are the processor and the total HD size. Good initial price, but I suspect that will jump up just like the RBBX05 did.

 

Here is the specs from bestbuy.

Copy-Pasta*

Product Details G73JH-BST7 / G73JH-BST7
Processor Brand Intel®
Type of Memory (RAM) DDR3
Audio 3D with EAX Advanced HD 4.0
Speakers Internal
Pointing Device Touchpad
Included Software Adobe Reader; PowerDVD 9 and Power2Go 6
Length 16.3"
Battery Life Not available
Drive Capacity 640GB
Height 2.2"
Weight 8.5 lbs.
Width 12.6"
Energy Star Qualified No
Warranty Terms - Parts 1 year
Warranty Terms - Labour 1 year limited
Optical Drive Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
S-Video Outputs None
Display Type High-definition widescreen LED-backlit (1600 x 900)
Processor Speed 1.73GHz
Cache Memory 6MB on die Level 3
System Memory (RAM) 6GB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To 8GB
Hard Drive Type SATA (5400 rpm)
Video Memory 1GB GDDR5
Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
MPEG Yes
Modem None
Parallel Ports None
Game Ports None
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Networking Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Fast Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
PCMCIA Slots None
IEEE 1394 FireWire Ports None
TV Tuner No
Optical Drive Speeds Drive speeds not specified
Digital Media Reader or Slots Yes, digital media card reader
USB 2.0 Ports 4
Wireless Networking WiMAX
Color Category Black
Direct-Disc Labeling No
DND_services_03 Yes
Processor Intel® Core™ i7
DND_Collection Online & In-Store
DND_Color Category Black
Laptop Weight Standard (more than 5.5 lbs.)
Built-in Webcam Yes
DND_box_contents Asus Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive
8-cell battery
150W AC adapter
Software: Adobe Reader; PowerDVD 9 and Power2Go 6
Owner's manual

HDMI Output Yes
Blu-ray Player No
Operating System Platform Windows
Screen Size (Measured Diagonally) 17.3"
Computer Hard Drive Size 640GB
DND_Embedded_Mobile_Broadband Yes
DND_Operating_System_Version Windows 7
Backlit Keyboard Yes
Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Wireless Capability 4G WiMAX
Best Buy PC App Yes

 

Sounds good except for the 5400rpm drive.

 

Ok I will use the Hinfo32, I was not sure what is was and did not want to infect my new laptop...

But if you all think it is safe, I will post the results soon.

ATI is the card still 5870 1GB ram...
I think it is 1 hard drive.. you only get like 570GB out of it...

 

Here is the Short form results.
Is this what you all wanted??

Computer: ASUS G73Jh
CPU: Intel Core i7-740QM (Clarksfield SV, B1)
1733 MHz (13.00x133.3) @ 2431 MHz (7.00x347.4)
Motherboard: ASUS G73Jh
Chipset: Intel HM55 (IbexPeak-M DH)
Memory: 6144 MBytes @ 1736 MHz, 9.0-9-9-24
- 2048 MB PC10600 DDR3 SDRAM - Hynix (Hyundai) HMT325S6BFR8C-H9
- 2048 MB PC10600 DDR3 SDRAM - Hynix (Hyundai) HMT325S6BFR8C-H9
- 2048 MB PC10600 DDR3 SDRAM - Hynix (Hyundai) HMT325S6BFR8C-H9
Graphics: ATI Mobility RADEON HD 5870 [ASUS]
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 5870 (BROADWAY XT/GL), 1024 MB GDDR5 SDRAM
Drive: ST9640320AS, 625.1 GB, Serial ATA 3Gb/s
Drive: HL-DT-STDVDRAM GT32N, DVD+R DL
Sound: Intel 5 Series/34x0 Chipset PCH - High Definition Audio Controller [B3]
Sound: ATI Juniper/Broadway/Granville - High Definition Audio Controller
Network: Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6250 AGN
Network: Atheros AR8131 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (x64) Build 7600

 

Looks like they replaced the atheros card. Nice!

 

still no blu-ray - bummer

 

And the Intel card does have WiMax.. Nifty..

How would you go about getting it to work though? Would it be the same as a 3G plan?

Nifty BB model overall though..

 

the software walk your through a payment plan. I did not sign up. but I think it is lik any other service plan. but hey are clear that not ever city has coverage...

If I ever land a job that will pay for it, I will try it out..
Right now there is enough WIFI to be happy...

 

ya well I have my Sprint TP2 to tether with when I need it, just nice to know that wimax is available as a simple chip upgrade if you need/want it down the line.

 

Can you check the model of the monitor?
You can do this by going to the Device Manager opening up the Properties for the Generic PNP Monitor device, click the Details tab at the top, change Property pull down to Hardware lds. Under Value will be a model number indicating the make of your monitor. Typically BB units have an AUO139E in them. Is yours the same?

Edit: Yay 100 posts!

 

Also, I gotta wonder if it's one 640GB hard drive or two 320GB hard drives. If it's two, that solves the issue of no bracket for the second drive bay.

 

It is a single drive ..

Drive: ST9640320AS, 625.1 GB, Serial ATA 3Gb/s

 

Just like the OP, I came across this new revision of the G73 at my local BB this morning....and I can verify that (mine at least) came with an LG monitor.

So far, very impressed with the minor changes they've made to this model. Mine also came with the 211 bios already installed.

Hope this info helps the folks curious about this model.

 

Nice.. Will this have the same gsod issues that tormented the other g73 models?

 

If it does you can easily flash the Vbios to correct it ..

Not sure if the new units shipping will have the newer Vbios installed but either way its fixable ..

 

4 Questions

1. I know it does'nt come with a bluetooth but can you add the original bluetooth inside instead of using a dongle?

2. Is there spot for a 2nd hdd?

3. Wouldn't the 1600x900 Res play games better then the actual 1920x1080 Res?

4. If you wipe the hdd and delete the Partition does BB include a app restore or anything similar?

 

1 - Yes you can add bluetooth.
2 - Yes but you need to buy the hanger/clip that holds the hdd.
3 - Yes the 1600X900 will play games better because it is a lower resolution.
4 - I dont think BB gives anything but there are tons of topics that have all the software that you will ever need.

 

Sweet Thanks.. So what type of warranty does BB offer? Is it anywhere as good as the original?

 

it's only a 1 year warranty.

 

It's only one year and in the US the authorized service centers (independent shops with ASUS certs) are prohibited from working on the Bestbuy versions. You have to go back to BB or ASUS directly.

Cheers,

 

The main thing that attracts me to this is the $1200 price which is about $500 cheaper than the more common and slightly souped up JH or JW models out there. Being new and a 1 year warranty at this price also sounds better than the returned/refurbished $100 to $200 cheaper Cowboom option I was considering. Ok but the main thing that still scares me is the ATI 5870 GSOD issue. Quadzilla you seem to be a senior poster here and I appreciate your reminder that Asus seems to finally have fixed the issue with the new vBIOS but my question is of those that said they tried it has everyone, most people, half the peope or only a few people reported back that it totally fixed it?

 

I think ? i have only seen one person report they still had GSOD at this point so i will say its 100% fixed because there are just WAY to many people the new VBIOS helped compared to a single person ...

So buy with confidence that you wont have it is the best i can offer you ..

There are no certainty's after all ..

For the price of the new Bestbuy machine i think its a great choice for your budget and certainly a ton better then a refurb without any doubt...

 

I had 1 GSOD after updating everything but it was because I left the previous stability OC (705/1100) in place. Once I dropped back to stock 700/1000 I have not had a single glitch.

Cheers,

 

Thanks Quadzilla. I guess it just worries me when there are 2 or 3 threads on the GSOD issue with like over 100 pages and growing. I have spent hours reading various Asus threads but 100+ is a bit too much to attempt to digest, I was just wondering if most people from Gary's thread were saying "allright I'm fixed thanks!" or "crap GSOD is still here".

If I do go for it, neither the lower screen res nor the missing Blu-ray is a big deal to me because I don't need this unit to watch Blu-ray DVDs from and I plan to use it as a DTR gaming system to output to my 1900x1200 28" LCD. I will handily beat my slimline HP desktop with Nvidia 9600gt, especially if I soup it up with a fast SSD (I'm waiting to see what the 3rd gen Intel SSDs look like although I saw a good deal on a GSkill Phoenix Pro 120gb recently). As for the secondary HDD, shifting the 640gb over there ain't bad. I wish there was a good 7200rpm 750gb or 1tb option. Anyone know how/where to buy the required HD bracket as I hear it doesn't come with it?

 

There is an issue with SSD on the G73. Look around there are a few threads about the issue.

750GB 7200 Seagate is available as a pre-order.

Seagate ST9750420AS Momentus Mobile Hard Drive - 750GB, 2.5, 7200RPM, 16MB, SATA at TigerDirect.com

Cheers,

 

Here is a question. I had purchased the accidental warranty from Best Buy (because I have two kids -- 4 year old and a 9 month old). So my 4 year old tripped over the cord, the machine went flying off the table ... yes, you get the idea.

But ...

The machine took a licking and sorta kept on ticking. The only issue I have is the mouse pad is not working anymore and a few keys as well. Here is the problem. It seems the first G73 does not seem to be stocked anymore, they have this new model. Does anyone know if Best Buy will swap out with this newer model or will they actually order the older model from their warehouse? Is it worth it to move to this newer model?

 

Actually, IIRC, Best Buy recently became an Authorized ASP for Asus.

 

That problem is inherent on all mobile chipsets, and is not a specific G73 issue regarding power saving states and 4MB Writes IIRC.

 

OK first time poster! I purchased the bst-7 about 3 days from my local BB as a replacement for my G73. I was planning on doing a bios flash, but was going to wait for the weekend, so all the drivers and everything were stock. After using it for about 10 minutes on MSN messenger with voice chat going, it simply shut down.
so I hit the power button.
Shut down again!
hit the power button.
ok, worked this time, starting windows in safe mode? nope! it wouldnt allow it and prompted me to roll back. >_>
I hard reset it again and everything seemed fine, when i checked the system logs it said i had a "Kernal-processor-power" warning for each core. right before it shutdown, then scrolling thru, i saw several of these issues.
Took it back to bestbuy yesterday, the geeksquad tech tried to look it up, he couldnt figure it out, but it did the exact same thing 3 times to him while he was trying to fix it. I ended up grabbing a sony vaio which i'm extremely disappointed with, so I wanna give this model another shot. Did i have a fluke? or is this something that is going to haunt this model.
Thanks for any info <3 i'm kind of a nub, but i'm learning!

 

Probably just a fluke .. The type of issues you had are not seen here on a daily basis so it was just a bad machine from the get go.. It happens on all makes and brands etc..

Bad apple and i would give it another shot over that Vaio for sure ...

 

Thanks quad! I'm going to head over to best buy now and grab another Asus. My main goal is getting FFXIV to run. It did work on the sony, but the Nvidia card was garbage. Also after using the G73s for so long this laptop feels like a flimsy toy.

I'll let u know how the new one goes!!

 

Hmmm I don't remember seeing this issue reported on Macs at all.

Too expensive and too small for me so I don't follow it closely. Just seen a few of the regulars complaining about it still being an open issue.

Cheers,

 

Macs dont use the PM or HM55 chipset so it may not be an issue on there end..

 

The Monitor is an LGD01DD

I hope this helps.
Sorry for the delayed responce.

 

I just got back from a Best Buy in Manhattan and their floor model BST7 had an AUO139E Monitor. Looks like the BB display crapshoot continues. However, this AUO is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the initial AUO release so anyone thinking of buying this model should be happy with whichever model they get.

Also it is pretty funny to see the original model w/ i7 720QM priced at 1299 and this one right next to it with an i7 740QM on sale for 1199.

 

I noticed that price disparity also, but chalked it up to the inclusion of Wimax which may have a subsidy to BB for including this technology.

 

Ok, Just got home with the new bst-7. First startup and checked system log and there they Are! Kernal-processor-power, event ID 37, task category 7.
I guess ill do my back ups and try to figure this out before I do the BIOS. Any advice would be very appreciated. ^^

 

Wow can it be possible 2 lemons Digitlanalog? Or perhaps that new BB model is flakey? Or perhaps all of G73s have this error but usually goes unnnoticed (ie doesn't shut the computer down). Keep us posted.

 

I'm brand new to the forum, and this would be my first post.

I'm currently in the market for a new laptop and I had my heart set on the G73JH-RBBX05 which is available at BB.

Found out today that BB isn't stocking that model of the G73s anymore.

They replaced it with the BST7 version instead which I saw went up today.

I was set on the RBBX05 in particular due to it's instant over clocking feature and for the price that it was being advertised at.

I've been out of the PC gaming loop for about two years mainly due to having an old HP Pav and relying on my PS3 for all my entertainment needs. The question I'm getting at is, I see that the BST7 doesn't have the instant over clocking feature and it's advertised at;

Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor
Features a 6MB L3 cache and 1.73GHz processor speed.

I understand the initial processor speed is indeed faster then the RBBX05 but will I still be able to easily over clock it to double the speed and would over clocking it really make a difference in the performance.

Also I saw that it comes with WiMax Mobile Broadband - will I still be able to connect to traditional wireless networks such as my university's network, home network etc?

I'm aware of the smaller hardware differences such as the ATA HD rpm being a drop slower

 

Welcome to the forum. All G73 models have that overclocking feature. It does not double the speed. It increases the base clock frequency from 133Mhz to 142MHz. I could bore you with a long explanation. Here's the short version... pressing the turbo button will give a slight performance increase in a few applications but will actually reduce peformance on most. It is generally a good idea not to use it. Just let the CPU boost itself with it's built in technology. The Asus turbo feature is self defeating most of the time and it is unnecessary.

You should be able to connect to any normal WiFi network.