G73SW Keystrokes issue + G73SW-XT1 Review + Corsair F60 SSD - My thoughts

Okay guys, I'm naturally a fast typer and I average around 80+wpm. When my laptop first came in, I dismissed the whole keyboard issue and I thought there were no problems. As the hours went by I noticed I was constantly hitting backspace since I kept missing a letter. I have two friends with the SW as well and I asked them if they have the keyboard issue. They replied No but they agreed to let me try typing on their laptops. Indeed they did have the issue as well but did not notice it since they were slower typers so I am coming to the conclusion that most likely all the laptops will have the issue. I had bios Rev 202 and flashed to 205 and the issue was gone. My friends did not want to take the risk of flashing the bios but I'm almost sure that it would fix theirs as well.

Now for a little review of the XT1. It arrived last week and I absolutely freaking love it. I also ordered a Corsair FORCE F60 SSD which boots windows in about 10 to 12 seconds! Amazing! Some differences I've noticed is that this version of the SW does not have the blue light under the monitor, nor does it come with the backpack or mouse, or 2nd hard drive. I used a piece of cardboard and placed it under the ssd and another piece to the left of it to keep it in place and so far so good (fingers crossed). It does not give off almost any heat, the sound is fantastic, and it came with a blu ray player. $1499 is the total price for this on Tiger Direct. It does have bluetooth as well and scores a 7.1 in WIE with my SSD in (GPU has the lowest at a 7.1).

One thing I was extremely disappointed about was the lack of dedicated audio buttons because it's a pain trying to change the volume with 1 hand. Also the volume changes at large increments but that might be fixed via messing with settings. Other than that, keyboard has the backlight, laptop runs great. Max FPS I got in black ops was 90 with 2xAA and everything else on max.

It does have a sandy bridge 2630QM and from what I heard the recall shouldn't affect it much as only SATA 2+ ports are affected. Both hard drive/ssd slots are SATA 0+1 so they should not be affected. The blu ray drive however may degrade by 5% but I doubt that will affect me at all because I rarely use it and 5% of a 8X drive isn't much of a difference. I get close to 3 hours on a full charge (~2 hours 45 minutes) while browsing the net and listening to music on medium brightness.

If you are shaky on whether to buy this laptop or not, just don't think about it and BUY IT. It will be worth the money. I forgot to mention the screen. It is BEAUTIFUL. I have a gaming desktop with a 24" and everything about this laptop just blows that computer away.

Here is a youtube video of the boot: YouTube - Corsair Force F60 windows boot ASUS G73SW-XT1

Here is the tigerdirect link for the laptop: ASUS G73SW-XT1 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz, 8GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Blu-ray/DVDRW, 17.3 Full HD, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Black, 2-Year Warranty / 1-Year Accidental Damage at TigerDirect.com


Edit: Screen Flickering Issue- I had the screen flickering issue when I installed windows on my SSD and it really made me mad. I tried various versions of the GFX driver and nothing worked. I decided to reinstall windows and install everything on the driver disc. It fixed the issue and now I'm enjoying my laptop with 38gigs to spare out of 60. There is probably things I can do to get some more space, but I haven't bothered to look yet.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

Thanks for the review! But I am wondering why the need to add cardboard? You can't add a SSD to a G73 without this kind of rigging? I just find this hard to believe.

 

Nice small review, but you shouldnt have the degrade problem if you have the "New Revision" sticker on the box/laptop as the problem has been fixed and new units have been shipping out for a while now.

Good to hear about the typing thing, my SW-XA1 came with 205bios installed default, and so far things have been good.

Only minor prob I have is the defualt asus audio drivers like to act weird with my headphones.(you can tell its turning off after 3secs of audio not playing leaving a small crackle sound when its doing that, or even a small pop turning on. It's quite faint, and only does it with the default drivers and only can be heard when you have headphones in.)

 

The main harddrive had a cage over it to keep it steady and it does not come with a second cage so I decided to add cardboard to keep the ssd steady since those things are pretty fragile I heard and like to be treated like kings. You probably don't have to but I recommend you do. Doesn't have to be any exact cardboard cuts, just rip off a bit and place it under the ssd and a piece of the left to keep it steady.

Also I use the Logitech G930 headset and it connects via usb and that may be why I never herad crackling. and sometimes I have to disable the main speakers to video chat correctly but that may not be ASUS's fault.

 

What are you saying about its a pain to change the volume with 1 hand?

 

Think he is referring to having to hit FN+F11/12/10.

I use Volumouse and just bind PgUp/PgDn keys for my volume, much much easier.

Volumouse - control the sound volume with a wheel mouse

 

If that is his problem I'll recommend using "tap zones" in your touchpad because I use the upper right and lower right tap zones for the volume instead of using the FN+F10/F11/F12.

 

Oh yeah, tap zones, thats a good idea. Think I'll try that also, right now I use bottom-left for middle-click, bottom-right for right-click, and the top i use for backward/forward in the browser, but didnt think about using them for sound volume.

Thanks

 

Thanks for the information - I expect this machine from TigerDirect in a couple of days.

Could you please confirm that yours has the "New Revision" board in it? It should have stickers on the machine and the packaging. I talked to TigerDirect support today and they assured me I would get the New Rev. If I don't then I will immediately send it back and order a A1!

Also, I saw that XOTICPC has the hard drive brackets for the G73 - sounds like what you need for your SSD. I am not sure of they will sell those to non-PC customers...

 

I can confirm that I do NOT have the new revision sticker.

Edit: 3D play sticker isn't there either. I may have an older revision. I will check the box as soon as I find it to see if that has the sticker which I'm pretty sure it doesn't because I don't remember seeing it.

Edit 2: Confirmed NO stick on brown box or ASUS box. Houston, I have a problem. Explains my Rev 202 bios.

 

I have the first G73 model the G73JH-A2 and I was lucky enough to be the first owner and never have any issues.

I can hit 105wpm burst speed but im around 70-80wpm normal typing.

I just thought I would let you know that I have never had issue with the function + key to change volume however if you do you can easily fix it with a program called autohotkey. With this you can make any key combo you want to be the windows volume keys.

This is not specific to the G73 its for any laptop/computer. I just got a new keyboard for my desktop with no media keys so I used this for a bit just to test it.

 

Well I am sorry to hear that - I may just cancel my order and go for a new rev...

You may want to check for sure by following the instructions in this post - http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-reviews-owners-lounges/547044-asus-g73sw-owners-lounge-55.html#post7243925

 

If you got an initial version with the bugged chipset, just contact Asus and arrange for a replacement unit, or contact TigerDirect. They are NOT suppose to be shipping the old units, as per Asus' directive.

 

I got my G73SW from CompUsa / Tigerdirect last week, and also confirm that the G73SW had no "New Revision" sticker on the box and laptop so I returned it back to them, they should be getting it today ... it just sucks that they are still selling these units ...

 

Before you send the laptop back use this tool to confirm that you have the bugged chipset

Gigabyte Releases Cougar Point SATA Bug Checker - Softpedia

 

Just confirmed. I have the bug. I will be contacting tiger direct shortly. This is just ridiculous as I have already merged all my data onto the ssd + hdd on this laptop. Just nonsense.

 

I should receive mine tomorrow - I tried to cancel Sunday, but TigerDirect wouldn't, saying it had already shipped. Of course it was still with them until Monday.

I 'll quickly check for stickers upon arrival, and just send it back if it is defective.

 

Even better than that Gigabyte tool, you should and I strongly recommend to, use the Asus SN utility on their website to see if your laptop is affected.
Click here

 

Well, mine came today and luckily it has all the stickers for the New Revision and I used the Asus SN Utility to confirm it is good.

I think I lucked out based on the other TD customers here. I am currently running the AI Recovery Burner to create backup ISO - it is taking forever, the XT1 has a very slow hard drive. I'll need to look for a SSD like Jease...

 

Hi, I was planning on purchasing this from Tiger tomorrow and have a few questions. You said it had all the revision stickers, I was wondering if it does have the 3D mode? I have been trying to decide which of these to get, Best Buy etc, but they all seem to have slightly different specs. What made you choose this one and is there a place where all the diff models from diff stores can be compared side by side? Thanks for your help.

 

I bought it from TD simply for the price + the sandy bridge processor. I got the recalled model, but I don't really care. I'm satisfied with it. Also I bought the TD version so I could get an SSD with it. It appears as though people are getting the new revisions now and I just got unlucky but if you want to buy it, I assure you it's a great deal. The 3D version will cost you around 300 more. I personally think 3D is a waste and I would rather use the extra money for a SSD. However, if you connect the laptop(non 3d version) to a 3D monitor or TV, you can still experience the 3D.

 

Does the tiger direct version come with lcd or led screen. I can't see where it specifies other than Full HD? Looks like the others have led screens. Thanks again.

 

The laptop is at home, and I am on campus right now. Either way I don't know how to tell but I can assure you it's much better than all the other screens I've seen. I have a 24" monitor for my desktop, 14.6" laptop, 17" HP super glossy, and a 40" sony bravia, and the g73 blows em all out of the water.

 

Mine does have the 3D Play sticker - but of course the monitor will not support 3D on the XT1, you have to go the the 3DE for that. As Jease says, you can use it to display 3D on 3D TV.

 

gdi,

Do you know if it is and led screen?

 

Yes it is. You should take a look on wikipedia for the relationship between LED and LCD in a monitor.

You're basically asking "Well, it obviously has a motor, but does it have metal anywhere?"

 

When did you order yours from TigerDirect ? I ordered mine from CompUsa (same as CompUsa) and they sent me the non revised model (I ordered it 3/14) so I returned it. Since you got the revised model I feel like ordering again, maybe they realized they were shipping the non revised G73's initially so now they've corrected it.

 

I ordered on March 19, but I did talk to them to confirm that it was the new revision.

 

Hmmm, I talked to them too before I ordered, and they said it was the new version ... oh well, I guess the guy just said that to me so he could make a sale

 

I just got mine in from tigerdirect.com today seems like nice deal to me doesn't come with hybrid xt hd though just regular 500gb 7200 rpm momentus and it does have the revision stick meaning the sandy bridge problem is fixed on this one also fhd led monitor 1920x1080p hope this clears up most of the confusion and 1333 mhz ram as 1600 you need 2720qm and up

 

How is the screen on these? clear? how are the viewing angles?

I wish the drive brackets were more accessible in these so I could add a 2nd drive more easily.

How long did it take from purchase to delivery for you?

Thanks!

 

BTW, If anyone is thinking about installing a second drive - Asus US store has the hard drive caddy in stock now..

Hard Drive Caddy

 

Cardboard does the trick for the caddy. You just have to get the placements right and the drive stays as steady as a brick. I've had many laptops and monitors in my time and I can say the ASUS screen is AMAZING. No exaggeration. I used to think HP had the best screens because of that layer of glass they put infront of it but this is just as good if not better! Text while fully zoomed in looks so freaking crisp . It's very sharp, everything is perfectly legible. This is just how a screen should be.

 

So how do you know what kind of drive to buy? I was looking at newegg.com and they have so many options;

Interface Type -
PATA
SATA
SATA II
SATA III
ExpressCard
ExpressCard & USB 2.0

Architecture: MLC/SLC

 

@thoddiver SATA II or III

 

Googling the Asus you bought Jease550 I found this post.

I got the same model in an email from Circuitcity.com for $1,199 before shipping. Seems like it's around the same price between there, buy.com and tigerdirect.

I was wondering what you think of it now that you've had it for a few months. Still just as good? No problems crop up now that it's not brand new?

Wherever I get it from i'll definitely confirm I get the revision so I don't have those issues. It's more then what I wanted to pay ($1,000 or under) but it looks so sweet I can't resist.

Thanks!

 

Sorry to bring a thread back from the dead although I thought it'd be important to update you guys on the laptop. It's being sent in for the 3rd time for repair (not even 6 months -_-). Had a touchpad issue since I bought it(stops every once in a while) which isn't too bad though. I sent it in the first time when the charger stopped working and asked them to fix the sandy bridge issue & check the touchpad. They swapped the motherboard and sent it back. Touchpad still fuxed. ALSO when I got it back the GPU fan wasn't working so it would constantly overheat and just shut off. I sent it back the next day for 2nd repair. Came back another week or 2 later (still having touchpad issue). Now, another month or 2 later it shut off while I was browsing the net and the screen wouldn't turn on while booting (no evidence of it POSTing either). I sent it to ASUS again (this time I contacted someone on the forums) and he said he checked out the touchpad. It should be arriving back in a few days so I'll post another quick update when it's back. Hopefully it'll be perfect this time around!
P.S. Ended up buying a MacBook Air in the meantime (highly recommend).

Another quick thought - I realized I spelled my name wrong in my username (Jesse) lol!

 

I'm a bit sad of reading that , even with a diffrent model , they are Keyboards issue ...

I have the G74SX , last Bios , and i'm also very fast at typing , and i think that the keyboard sux. I always got keys missfire , and it's really annoying. Sure i have my Mechanical Blackwidow , but it's a pain to carry it with me ...

 

I managed to get the keyboard issue fixed with a bios update, the touchpad however, was a pain in the @$$. I'd be using it (minutes to hours) and randomly it would just stop and not move. It was SO frustrating.

 

When i updated my Bios , it seems to work better , but i think there is a real hardware problem of that crappy keyboard

 

FYI, I was the person handling Jesse's RMA. It didn't go bonkers here, but alas, while the feedback on it is that it's working better than before, it will still go erractic. If he's up to it, I can go further on the trackpad.

 

, just read that post AFTER I sent you a pm and left my phone in the car. I used the laptop for around 20 minutes yesterday, then switched to a mouse (it just feels weird as hell compared to my macbook touchpad now). Even if it does mess around, I really honestly do not look forward to sending it back so soon since my macbook's screen is just way too small. Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that the return packaging was awesome, it was super secured (might be why it didn't arrive with random problems like my last 2 RMAs). Anways, I think I'll wrap this up by saying Chastity really helped getting the other problem solved (black screen) and it was SO convenient being in touch with him during the repair. One of the best customer service experiences I've had (Still hate having to RMA this unit all these times within 6 months though and another possible RMA )

p.s. If the touchpad does still go nuts, wouldn't I be eligible for a replacement since it would be the 4th RMA? I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing it, but it has been 3 RMA's in 6 months which is extremely annoying considering I use it as my main laptop.

Summing it up: I blame tigerdirect for my misfortune which all started with buying A unit that had the sandy bridge issue(months after the recall notice + they wouldn't pay return shipping).

 

Well, the next step, which we just did on another unit, would be to remove the silver backing on the touchpad, and remove all the glue on the underside, and on the inner protector. Then seal it back using non-conductive tape. If it continues, contact me and I'll setup another RMA. the other unit is rock solid now. ( I too learn things here)