I have a G72 is it worth the upgrade to G73JW

I have the core 2 duo best buy model of the G72 and recently i found someone who wants to buy it off of me for $600... I was thinking of buying the G73JW, but only if it is worth the upgrade.. in the end it will only cost me $1145 out of pocket but am i really getting a performance boost? I havn't found any info how much better the 460m gtx is then the 260m gtx, or the i7 to the core 2 duo... this laptop is mainly used for wow, Final Fantasy XIV and in the future The Old Republic? Thanks for any advice..

 

Depends on your current experience. Can you play with all settings on high or in some cases ultra? Does it matter to you? Buying the JW will give you a 1080p screen which will require more GPU power than your current 1600x900 display. My BB G72 played perfectly for most games and I got greedy and traded it for a G72GX-A1 and it can't handle anything because it overheats (it's in the shop now). Probably just a bad unit but I should have just left it alone. Do you need to spend $1100 if you don't have to?

The G73 is very quiet compared to a G72 but if that doesn't bother you and you enjoy your games as they are I say stay with the G72. Of course if money is no object, you have no debt and you want the best value in gaming powerhouse portables go for the G73.

Cheers,

 

that is a good question... A) i have no idea how much better my games will play... wow runs ok for the most part, but FF14 runs choppy... B) also couldn't i just run my games in 1600X900 resolution on the 1920x1080 screen and just reap the extra performance or would it look way worse then if it was 1600X900 native?

 

I tried that with the overheating G72 and it's a bit fuzzy. For text it's annoying, for games it's not as bad but I notice.

SC2 plays great on the G73 at high full 1080p but ultra slows it down. My son is still playing on a G50VT. He says he's not spending the money because @ 1366x768 the 9800GTS is fine.

I'm still tempted to give him the G72 once it's repaired.

Cheers,

 

hmm I guess i could alway throw that $1100 into a desktop that could play the mmo's i can't run on this laptop... or i just need to get over the not being able to play FF 14 lol.

 

anyone know how much faster a 460m is then the 260m?

 

If you're debating throwing $1100 at something on a whim, I SAY DO IT. The economy needs people like you.

 

i'd only do if it i would see an increase in performance and fps... i'd like to see at least 10 to 15 more fps in 1080p then i get in 1600x900 currently.

 

Synthetically the gtx460 is about 25-30% better than the gtx260. The cooling on the g73jw will be significantly better. Plus the i7 740 is a big jump from your CPU in that pc. Add to that 1333 ddr3 RAM and the better screen and you certainly have a winner. I think that you will see the performance boost your looking for. Now the real question is if you want to drop the extra cash. Having a buyer for your current pc certainly helps.

 

so in relative terms should the g73JW perform better in 1920x1080 then my G72 does in it's 1600x900.

 

its a nice step towards it but wait 3-4 months for new bridges to come out and then get a new laptop. i don't want to say more from pushing you away from it. still a great laptop if you had money for it

 

On the games you mentioned yes.. Plus you get directx 11 support, more RAM and a much cooler running machine. Not to mention the 2 year warranty with a year of accidental damage. I swapped my g73jh for a jw to get the cooler temps and overall better stability. It might not benchmark as high but I can't really tell a difference in games. And it runs 25 C Cooler.

True there is newer stuff on the horizon, but such is life in this industry.

 

I went from a G72GX with an upgraded cpu t9900 3.06 that clocked to 3.4 24/7 and I can say that the only game that runs worse on my G73 was WOW because its so damn cpu dependent but I was able to sell the G72 for 1000$ so if you can get a good amount for it towards the G73 then I say go for it, but if you plan on keeping it then I say go the other route and put that money towards a desktop that will run any game much better than the G73JH.

 

Best offer I've received was $600.. Not horrible but i'd like to have been offered $700 lol... What is coming out in the laptop world in 4-6 months besides ATI's 6xxx

 

I'd sell the old laptop and put in another $600 and get the BestBuy G73 BST7. You get the best (mediocrity) of both worlds. Spend less, and still get one of the most powerful (still..!) GPUs in the market (the 5870) at a very budget price of 1199. AFAIK it offers the 1600 x 900 AUO display, meaning as far as fps is concerned you are sure to notice a visible boost with the 5870 vs the 260.
Btw, this also future proofs your games.

Good luck!

 

if u're reluctant to spend money now , i suggest u wait for sandy bridge and new ATI 6000 series GPU's till feb next year... u'll get better value for your money.

 

I actually considered the Best Bug BST7 but I am worried about the GSOD been waiting to see if flashing the Vbios on it is nessassary.. Also I do think the BST7's have an LG screen... Also what's a sandy bridge?

 

its intel's next generation processor platform... comming on jan 9... its supposed to be 30% better than current processors with some new features... it certainly is worth the wait... u can get the BB with LG screen which is good but hey , might as well wait 3-4 months.. u got a G72 and u ain't gonna die... only reason i bought the G73 was because was my Dv5t crapped out with broken screen cable.

 

Is that going to replace the desktop core i7's as well?

 

Im in pretty much the same boat as you. i have a bbg71gx and im gonna be upgrading to the g53 with the 460m. I did find a buyer for my g71gx which has the exact same specs as your computer minus my screen is 1440x900 instead of 1600x900. so i'd say go for it. the design of the g73 stole my heart, and the introduction of the smaller g53 was too much for me to resist. so i'd say if you can swing the money, go for it.

also it pays to mention, that not just for gaming the screen on the g73 will be a vast quality improvement over the screens asus put on the best buy versions in terms of brightness, contrast, viewing angles and all that.

 

you getting JH or JW?

 

me? is there a jh version of the g53? either way im getting the g53jw with a ram upgrade to 8 gigs.

 

GSOD issue has been largely resolved with the new vBios, and while there is no S.O.P for it, I believe you can get the BB geek squad to flash it for you, if the GSOD issue arises (in the future).

With the new tech coming out in Q1 or Q2 of 2011, better value or not, be prepared to spend a lot more than $1200.....plus as time snails by, the current value of your aging g72 will only go in one direction.

 

Ok so my G72 Laptop sells for $600

My choices are the G73JH-BST1 for $600 or G73JW for $1100 or Build a desktop... too many choices

 

i really suggest you wait... it isn't much to wait 4 months.. i waited 8... you'll regret it if you buy a G73 now.

 

- Please delete -

 

Wait....so you (A G73 Believer) is advising him not to buy the G73?

Do you regret buying yours? Do you now wish you had waited a few more months as well?

 

It's the old question of does he really need the extras that the g73 offers over his current. His g72 is about a generation behind the g73 in terms of tech, and the only game he has that might not be able to run on high is the poorly coded ff14.

So to the OP: if you currently own games that can take advantage of a quadcore and tesselation, go for it. Your list doesn't indicate such... so I'd say wait for sandy bridge + ati 6xxx or nv 5xx. The jump from the current i7's to sandy bridge isn't really going to be as huge as the jump from C2D > i7 was, but it will be there and will have added perks (battery life ect).

 

Sounds like it may be worth it to sell my g72 and build a desktop before the g72 looses yet mire value... Hen buy a new laptop when the nvidia 5xx and ati 6xxx cards launch..

 

yes.. i am a beliver but also waiting helps.. the G74 will be better than G73 and since he has time , might as well wait.. i would have but i waited 8 months.

 

Mac users play this game all the time hoping the next release brings computing nirvana. It's always best to buy right after a new version is released but you can drive yourself crazy waiting for the next best thing. If you need it or want it now you buy it. If a new release is imminent (like 2-3 weeks) you might hold off but 4-5 months and waiting lists.

If he didn't already have a pretty good gaming rig I'd say just buy the JW now. The G72 is good enough so waiting in this case is a reasonable approach.

Cheers,

 

NOT all Asus BST-7 have LG Screen. I was mislead to believe that all BST7 model have LG screen and bought one and got an AUO Screen.

for your ref. My PO# is J0x-074878 with AUO screen

 

he wants proof the 460m gtx performs better at 1080p that the 260m gtx does at 900p

edit.

check out this

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-460M.33612.0.html

unfortunately the 460m gtx will not perform better at 1080p than the 260m gtx does at 900p.

just check out mafia 2 at 1366x768 a very well optimized game...I score 51.1fps at the same settings as the 460m which got 49fps

I'd say only upgrade if you play these games


GTA IV
Gothic 4
BFBC
WIC

thats about it

and a tip.. you do know you can overvolt your 260m and overclock it insanely high without the battery in right???

I have gotten clocks of 710/1030/1775 to work fine..

crysis goes from 33 fps to 48fps with those clocks all high at native

 

What are you using it oc the 260m? Or can you refer me to a how to guide..
Actually just got an offer of $800 for my old laptop so the JW would only cost me a grand now... Just have to decide if the 1080p screen, extra 500gig hd, and quad core is worth it.. As I said I mainly play wow, FF XIV and revoke republic when it launches.

 

So basically i get 0 boost in performance going from i 260m at 1600x900 to 460m at 1080p... what if i put the settings down to 1600x900 would i see a jump then? Also i think i could still get that best by G73JH-BST7 for the orignal $1199 so after i sold my g72 it would only cost me $400 so that is a possibility as well.

 

Bestbuy raised the price to $1399 Sunday.

Cheers,

 

Oh this i know but i may be able to get it still for that $1199 price. But only if the 5870m outperforms the 260m at 1600X900 at least 30% or more

 

lol.. dude graphics cards havent really improved much since the 8800 series was released...very small increases for newer enthusiast cards..

I would highly recommend you just keep your g72gx.

also..

for overclocking your card just download via google searches

dox 185.2 performance drivers
nvidia system tools 6.03

I recommend you over clock to 570/970/1470 as its safe and doing extreme overclocking only nets about 1-2fps when a game averages 20-25 fps..which is harldy worth the risk.

think of it this way.

If you spent 700-1000 dollars upgrading to a new laptop, what exactly can that new laptop do that your current laptop cannot due.. then reason it out

personally their are thousands of g73jh benchmarks posted and if you want an example..

g73jh highly overclocked hd5870 averages 19fps in crysis veryhigh at 1920x1080
g71gx highly overclocked 260m gtx averages 24 fps in crysis veryhigh at 1440x900

so is the extra pixels worth it???

i7 vs c2d

what program uses 4-8cores that run fairly slow?

thats about it for differances..

not worth it imho

 

the 5870 smokes the 260m gtx dude...

its like 260m sli performance