Help choosing which G73 to buy?

Alright all, gonna treat myself after serving another 6 months in the Stan and was wondering in your opinions, which would be the best option to get? Mostly for gaming Choices are:

1:* 1.6GHz Intel i7-720QM Quad-Core Processor
* 8GB DDR3 1066MHz; 4 SODIMM Sockets; up to 8GB
* 1TB (500G 7200RPM x2) HDD; Blue-Ray Disk Combo Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
* 17.3-Inch Full HD LED Display; ATI 5870 Graphics with 1G GDDR5; 2.0M

2: # Intel i7-740QM (1.73GHz Quad-Core with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz)
# 8GB DDR3 1333MHz, 4 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
# 1TB (500G 7200RPM x2) HDD; Blue-Ray Disk Combo Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
# Nvidia GTX 460M Graphics with 1.5GB GDDR5; Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System
#17.3-Inch Full HD (1920x1080) LED Display; 2.0M Webcam; Gaming Backpack and Mouse

3: * Intel i7-740QM (1.73GHz Quad-Core with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz)
* 8GB DDR3 1066MHz , 4 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
* 1TB (500G 7200RPM x2) HDD; Blue-Ray Disk Combo Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
* ATI 5870 Graphics with 1G GDDR5; Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System
* 17.3-Inch Full HD LED Display; 2.0M Webcam; Gaming Backpack and Mouse

So ye, would like your opinions plz. The Nvidia one is like an extra $150... Although reading up on it, doesnt seem that much of a diff? Am I right in thinking this? Cheers all.

 

Well the second and third are the most powerful, due to the faster processor, it all depends on your taste, personally I am a bigger fan of the ATI graphics cards, but if you want to spend the extra $150 for the 512mb increase in the gpu then it might perform a bit better haha

 

The basic difference between option 2 and 3 are the GPUs.
The 460 has lower temps, its more stable, but about 5% to 10% lower in performance compared to the Ati 5870. It does however have 512 more Vram and supports PhysX.

The Ati 5870 is a workhorse. Its still unmatched in terms of raw power, but has had issues with overheating and Grey Screens of Death (now 99% resolved with a vbios update - which is still a bit of a hassle to fix).

Plus, option 2 comes with USB 3.0 and a slightly more powerful CPU.

If you want something stable with lower temps, with almost the same performance as the 5870, I would say go with option 2 (i.e. the G73 JW).

I myself have the G73 from option 1, and am planning to move on to the G53 sometime soon.

Goodluck!

 

i say the G73JH from third option is best... has a way better GPU and unlike Hasib1522 said , fixing the vBIOS is like a 5 minute job if u follow the instructions... if u buy from an online reseller , they can do this for your too... it is really that simple... its awesome , big and best of all u can OC and still own NVIDIA... runs slightly hotter but still is better... after all ATI>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NVIDIA

 

Gunner,

First off, welcome home! I returned from Mosul area in Northern Iraq less than a year ago. It's always nice to treat yourself to something after returning home.
I guess I am going to go against the grain here. Everything I have read states that the GTX 460m is a bit slower in terms of performance on most older games, but is going to beat the HD5870 in DX11 games. Main reason being nVidia has better technology at the moment for tessellation. Also, the nVidia card has much better driver support and many people are reporting nice and notable gains just with the new beta drivers, which are stable. Also, from everything that I have seen. The 460m overclocks very nicely and the Physx takes some work off the CPU from what some have said. I am not sure about this myself though.
I believe if you go with either one though, you will be more than happy. 8) Just get the one that makes you feel more comfortable. The 5870 will have slightly, a few FPS tops, better speed on older and recent games, decent driver support, and runs hotter. The GTX 460m is slightly slower, but overclocks like a dream, and runs cooler. From what I have heard and read, the performance gains from the drivers are great. The 460m is slightly more future proof in my opinion with graphics leaning towards tessellation in DX11.
I am not a fanboi of either company like some. I just like to read and review the facts.
In conclusion, I personally bought your option number two. Take it for what it's worth and enjoy which ever you purchase! Let us know what you go with and how it works out for you.

Respectfully,

Kyle

 

blindly supporting your own machine isnt considered wise advice. give nvidia 6 months on drivers and itll be on par. id rather take the 5% hit on graphics processing in turn for a cooler running laptop, with phys x support and better tessellation along with a slightly better processor.

any one of those options is on the top tier of mobile computing power currently so you really couldnt loose no matter what you choose.

 

Lol... you have outdone yourself this time. ROFL. Bwahahahahaha.

Gunner, IMO take door#2 - G73jw (460M). But be advised, this is just the slightly lesser of many many evils out there. I am probably going to try one of these myself since I just returned my MSI GX740 which wouldn't even shutdown and power-up properly. G73jh (HD 5870) would be good in a combat zone, though. You could cook MRE's on it, use it for extra body armor, as a target for zeroing in weapons, a lure for picking up women, a booby-trap or a gift to Taliban (sabotage).

If you buy G73jw (460M), be sure it has none of the syndrome of "keyboard lag" problems (or any xSOD or other major problems either). If it does, immediately return for full refund (RMA will probably not help).

BTW. This is my first post. Hi all. I am (ex) mainframe systems progammer. Also (ex) Infantry - US Army draftee, Veitnam era. War really is a racket and I recon the laptop industry is even more so and you can +rep me on that.

 

Another Veteran here (Vietnam). I've been studying this issue for a few weeks now and even though I've been a fan of ATI cards in the past, I am going to get the G53JW when it's available because of the 460M card.

I agree with what MasterShake89 said because I've been reading the G73JW thread and I'm convinced that it's a great gaming laptop design. Owners report no heat problems at all. I'm hoping the G53JW will be the same since it's really not that much smaller than the G73JW (.9") and has almost identical design.

A cool-running gaming laptop is truly an amazing piece of engineering. The overall design coupled with the 460M is what is responsible for that.

 

Ray, just remember that the G53 comes in a smaller (15") chasis. While the dual coolers will still do their job, I would expect temps to be a little higher on it, as components are cramped together more compared to the G73. And for anyone wanting to know about the gaming performance of the 460 vs the 5870, I think Ken from Getech posted a few benches in a thread in the gaming forum. Also check out notebookcheck.com for more comparisons.

 

There are no problems with the g73-jh. There were, but they've been resolved.

 

I have had my G73jh - 05 from Best Buy since March. No issues, it is silent and cool running. I added a ssd to it and it really is a beast of a machine. The cooling design on it is great. I know a percentage have had issues, just like any other laptop (check out the other manufacturers forums). What ever your choice, play with it right away, make sure your happy, and RMA or return it if it is not what you really are happy with. All your choices are good machines. All are probably powerful enough that you will get a new one before it becomes outdated for your use. And as an ex Puking Buzzard/Screaming Eagle (101st Airborne) welcome back and thanks for serving! Now make a choice and get on enjoying life... you deserve it.

 

Another fanboy.... 10% is like nothing compared to how cool it runs which means more headroom for OCing idiot. Also nvidia are constantly releasing new drivers that optimise the card and in the near future it will be on par with it. The OP's decision should lie upon the pricing because all 3 models are very similar in real world performance.

 

it just a few minor tweaks to work.. the JW has it own issues with crappy LCD's and USB3.0 ports not working with some devices... not as it is 100% effective hehh.... the JH has its own issues... just 1 vBIOS flash which is really easy...