Is the G73JH old?

I know that Asus is moving forward at high speed with all the new models, but can they really call the G73JH and "old model"?


Quote from a post on Newegg:

"Manufacturer Response:
Dear Valued Customer,
I do apologize for the issues you are having with your notebook. Please visit our driver support page here ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download G73Jh. You might be able to find the drivers you are looking for. It is unfortunate that driver support seems to stop after a few years, but with games and applications constantly coming out, it is difficult to keep things up to day in some of our older models. I hope your issues can be resolved via the driver support site. If not, always remember you can get notebook support by calling 1-888-678-3688.
Best Regards,
Tien
ASUS Customer Loyalty"

Newegg.com - ASUS G Series G73JH-X1 NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 500GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870


Despite all the various problems, and the 3 RMA´s, and the missing KB light, and, and... I´ve learned to love and hug this awesome machine!

In 2 weeks the 2 year warranty is done and gone, I sure hope the GPU and the mobo can handle the heat and the 12/14 hourly daily use a little longer...

The i7 920XM is chugging along with no problems at all, but the GPU is getting hot, maybe time for a repaste again..

So what do you fellow G73JH users think?

Is it an old machine after 2 years?

How many more years of use and performance can I expect from it?

The hardware is not good, too many issues, but the design, oh man, the design!

The looks from airport security when it´s removed from the bag, and the nods, smiles and thumbs up, and some people even get angry, weird... Maybe because they only have their Ipad/pods, whatever it is, those small and tiny things.

 

The JH still going strong with the stock cpu and GPU but can be better if upgraded both, is it old ?
yeah it is the first gen i7 are getting weaker against cpu intense games but the 5870m still up for it not to max but still strong enough.

 

I don't consider the G73JH old. I've recently upgraded to the G75VW for myself and passed my G73 on to my 13 year old gamer son. Before I gave it to him did a clean install of Win 7 Professional and installed all the drivers from the factory supplied disc, then let the Asus auto update program do its thing. I then installed about 20 games, everything from Half Life 2 to Skyrim. I was pleased that the 5870 was able to handle the newer stuff with acceptable frame rates. The only game that ever brought the G73 to its knees was Metro 2033. Just about everything plays fine on high to ultra high settings. When I had the machine I installed a 128 GB SSD for the boot drive and a Seagate 500 GB Momentus XT for data storage. I repasted the CPU and GPU using Arctic Silver 5. I must say that other than having to exchange the machine 3 days after I initially bought it due to the psychedelic screen of death, I've never experienced any issues with it. I routinely blew the dust out of the cooling system and the unit looks and performs as good as when I first got it. I liked the G73JH so much that I got the G73SW for my wife. The Nvidia 460m in it is a tad slower than the 5870 but does not get nearly as hot. I'm now about a month and a half into ownership of a G75VW-DS72 and could not be more pleased. I'm just waiting to find a good detailed video or written instructions on how to access the keyboard in order to slip in a transparent, colored film of plastic llike I did with my G73. I had the keyboard illuminated with blue and with he new G75 I'm going with yellow when the time comes to match the vinyl skin I installed. All in all I have only positive things to say about the G7X series of laptops!

 

@megaX05: Old? NO, it´s 2 years! BTW I upgraded the CPU last year to the i7 920XM.

@tonylo909: Thanks for your input, much appreciated, I´m trying to convince myself not to look too much at the new I7 3610QM outfitted laptops, and stay content with my i7 920XM!

Maybe I should get a cheap notebook for the daily internet surfing, and keep the G73JH for gaming only?

You mention access to the keyboard? It´s a bit tricky, be careful, here´s a vid:

Asus G73JH/JW/SW disassembly, GPU repasting - YouTube

I´ve repasted a few times, and did OK, now it´s probably time for that again, and I hate it! Too many scratches and screwdriver marks etc.

 

I'm as happy now with my G73JH as I was when I got it over a year ago. It's still capable of performing as well as I need it to, and I don't really see much else out there that would be much of a performance upgrade other than going to an absolute monster like the Alienware M18x. With people figuring out how to do GPU upgrades and the fact the i7 920/940XMs still being decent processors I don't really see these machines as being that dated.

I've got a 160GB Intel X25M SSD for my OS and frequently used programs/games and two 640GB HDDs for data and games. I removed the optical drive and added a third HDD bay just for this. The only thing I really want out of this system is more HDD space; it's like being able to carry around a gaming desktop everywhere I go. Pair that with the iPad I just recently got for portable browsing and I've got all I need computing-wise in a relatively lightweight package. Simply put, the G73JH still rocks.

 

The JH is starting to age a bit, but mostly due to the CPU, the 5870m is still a decent gaming GPU, won't max recent games of course, but it still holds it's own well enough for gaming on the go. Mine is still going strong and i plan to keep using it for a little while more. I'm starting to consider a replacement though.

 

I just replaced my G73JH a few weeks ago. I only did so because I'm on my second last payout of student loans (I have another $1500 coming in January, but that's it). This is grant money that is essentially mine for living expenses. I bought my G73 with the same grant money back in 2010. The upgrade came now because I'm not expecting a big influx of cash any time in the incredibly near future. The G73 itself was fine and running very strong.

Is it old? Sure, but that doesn't mean it isn't still capable of gaming. There just happens to be more out there now. If you can get a good price on a JH, I wouldn't pass it up.