Is the G73Jh worth it?

I've been shopping for a new laptop for the holidays (for myself, though, obviously). From reading through these forums for the last day or so, it looks to me like the G73Jh is plagued with problems, mostly around the video card and the touchpad, which the G73Jw doesn't have. However, the G73Jw is slightly slower overall. Is the faster performance of the h worth the hassle of futzing with it and having to deal with the other issues with the laptop?

 

What sort of problems are you referring to? I haven't seen any major problems reported with the JH.

 

The big ones are with the video card. It needs a vBios update out of the chute to avoid burning itself to death and generating GSODs, it might be improperly thermal-pasted (contributing to its heat as well), and so forth. Minor issues include that the touchpad is laggy and has a gimpy single-button setup. As someone that uses the touchpad a good bit on his laptop (it's not always for gaming, after all), that would get annoying eventually, but I'm mostly concerned about the video card.

 

GSOD problems have been resolved; see sticky at top.

The only problems left are keyboard lag (not all machines; can be eliminated by disabling touchpad in bios) and some folks repaste for lower temps.

 

I saw the sticky. They CAN be resolved by jumping through hoops. I personally would rather not buy a fixer-upper when it's as expensive as the comparable model that works out of the box, but that's preference.

 

Then you'll have to pass on this model.

 

Try to buy one of the newer models like I did.
They already have the fixes built-in out of the box.
You have to find out the model numbers by yourself. ASUS naming policy is pretty .... strange...

 

The G73Jw-XB1 and G73Jh-X1 were the only two really in the running. All of the others (notably the popular -A1 of each) were too much for my budget. And people don't seem to like the Jh-X1, so I'm guessing that's one that doesn't have the fixes built in.

 

I think the BS27 from Best Buy has the new vBios, but not sure.
Either way, it's not really that much of a pain as long as you have a few minutes and a USB drive.

 

The G73 is the best value for the dollar in my opinion, those hoops only take 10 minutes to go through and then you never have to worry about it again so I don't think it's a problem personally.

 

Just got a G73 JW from Amazon. Just removed bloatware, and running black ops great so far.

 

Truth be told, I'm really the most worried about getting one that needs to be repasted so it actually operates under 100C. Knowing my luck, I'll get one of them. Insert sadface here.

 

Well, if you buy online through one of those resellers like XoticPC, you can ask them to repaste it before you even get it just to be safe. I heard repasting isn't hard so you can go either route if you want but most models of the G73 should be just fine on the stock stuff for a good long time. I'm still on stock paste and my temps are actually very cool.

 

I'm really afraid of getting an JW-XT1 after seeing the issues of the G73 on threads. But it looks like it has the best price compared to other notebooks, plus I've heard the it doesn't overheat. XT1 owners, are you having any major issues?

 

Stock Vbios and stock paste here and I have not had ONE GSOD and my temps aren't that much higher than the JW. I think the JH-A series had the problems but I think Asus fixed them in the JH-B series.

 

yeah, make sure its the i7 740 instead of the i7 720.

 

Is the i7-740 QM that much better? Mine came with it, but I donno... I guess I've kinda wondered..?

 

i7 720QM and i7 740QM are identical except by 100 clock speed. That's it. Nothing different. Same multiplier, same core, same everything. 740QM you can view it as a slightly overclocked 720QM.

There is absolutely no justification by anyone who has been pricing the 740QM so high. Resellers, Asus, or retail stores. Intel's tray price for 740QM is only $20 more than 720QM.

 

Can i know when did you get your G73?

 

well, my point with the i740 was, that the fixes are already built in, no gsod, temps fine so far etc
its not about the cpu, ASUS simply worked better on those ones.

 

July 4th. So 5 months next week.

 

Buy a console IMO, or a Mac. Owning a PC Gaming rig requires you to be able to update/flash things. If you're not willing to do these updates/maintenance, then you'd be better served by a more user friendly machine.

 

Is the G73JH worth it.... to put it simply... YES

almost 6 months and problem free.
The only change I made was the wifi card which I upgraded myself.

 

If you're going to be a condescending little child, then please don't bother responding. I'm fully happy to update things... when they warrant it. Not when they come broken.

 

That post didn't read to me like he was trying to be condescending. Although I can see how it can be inferred that way.

Tone. So important in communication, and so disregarded ever since electronic communication has become the prevalent form of correspondence and the damage to friendships, relationships and modern society since that's happened has been substantial.

That aside, I've had my G73JH-A1 since May with not any problem other than high temps. I took it to a local ASP and had it repasted with IC-7 and it's been pure bliss since.

I did do the updated VBios and other updates. Took less than 30 minutes. And I didn't even have GSOD's before.

Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Over a JW? Depends. If you're a hardcore gamer like myself where every FPS counts, then yes, it's worth it over the JW.

On the other hand, is the current JW worth it over the JH? I don't think so. There's nothing more stable on the JW that can't be fixed on the JH if you get one with issues.

However, so far, the 460m from everything I've read still can't match up with the 5870m

Now, the 3D version of the JW, primarily for the 120hz display, may be worth more than a JH.

I don't have any GPU Brand Bias and have a desktop rig with 2 Nvidia GTX 275's SLI'd and a 335m in my M11x.

One thing I kinda like about ATI over Nvidia is that with Nvidia, I have to go into the Nvidia control panel and go to the white list and find the certain game and activate the profile or modify the profile - with the 5870m I have my settings and no matter the game, I just fire it up and go.

That's not to say I don't like having the customization of the Nvidia control panel. I do when I want to use it, just not every time before I load up a game.

With the most helpful tone possible, may I suggest that reading these threads and some of the more vocal and upset posters, may have dropped some fear bombs in your head about the JH and exaggerated the issues?

The issues, if you get them, can really be resolved within minutes, save a repasting. Though to be fair, my machine routinely ran at 95+ for 3 months with no GSOD before I went ahead and got a repaste purely for peace of mind.

And if peace of mind is what you want, then try buying the notebook at a brick and mortar store like Fry's or Best Buy (though I personally don't like the BB configurations) with a 14-30 day return policy to try it out first. And on top, get a product replacement guarantee/extended warranty so if you do have issues you can just take it back and swap it for a new one.

I've had a stellar experience with my JH as a desktop gamer whose never owned a notebook before. I also bought an M11x not long after, and while I really enjoy the M11x for it's portability and battery life, and the idea of playing games too powerful for an XBox on such a tiny little machine, if I had to choose one, I'd go with my Asus G73JH-A1 every time.

Especially after playing Black Ops MP on my M11x for awhile. It made me really began to appreciate even more my JH. As the screen size of the M11x made it really hard for my eyes to quickly pick off guys/snipers that were distant on the game map.

I started playing it on my JH, and the performance bump and screen size just had me smiling.

If you can get one that comes with a backpack, (do they still?) you realize it is not nearly as cumbersome or heavy to travel around with either

If you're a casual to regular gamer, the JW should be more than enough.

Bottom line, if you're buying it primarily as a gaming machine and that is your highest priority, go with the JH.

If having a potentially more stable notebook that you use for everything and want to get your game on with, then go with the JW.

That being said, if you go for the JW, consider waiting to see what the 3D version is like (primarily the display) although the GenTech price of $1445 (or whatever it is) is pretty sweet. That's less than what I paid for my JH and M11x with upgrades.

The only thing more powerful in a notebook than a JH or JW is going to require a 2x480m SLI or 2x5870m CF, and that leads you to Alienware. Clevo makes competent products as well, but you're getting the same display as you do in a JW/JH whereas with Alienware you can get a better 1900x1200 RGB panel. But either one, and you're looking at $4K+ to get similar components with that config.

That's why if you want an affordable high performance gaming notebook under $2K, you want either a JH or JW

For me, the JH is worth it over the JW. If someone posts benches of a 460m overclocked or otherwise that can outperform my stable OC'd 800/1100 5870m then I'll be the first to change my tune and look into getting into one of those.

But for me so far, who plays a lot of MP FPS, it's the JH all the way. Don't get too psyched out on the issues. They're not deal breakers at all.

(Unless you're a unrealistic perfectionist who expects perfection and perfect performance under the most torturous conditions like Furmark %1000 of the time. Because if that's the case, then nothing is going to make you happy, because that's not life. Especially when it comes to PC gaming)

Hope that helps. (And that my tone came off cool!)

Cheers

 

So, it's only the early models have pasting issues?

Anyway, to thread starters, it's up to you to be honest.

If you want a more problem free gaming laptop, go for JW.

If you want more raw power, go for JH then.

 

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LOL <- We used to have this discussion years ago with Windows users about Linux. If you want an open source O/S you're going to have to know how to compile and upgrade the kernel . I guess you should start with learning the syntax, Hell you needed that just to unzip a file….Otherwise JUST USE WINBLOWS! Though, in the defense of Linux: it's always been free. Windows you pay for....
It's funny how that's being attributed to MAC these days!
Good stuff... Ok, I know... Enough I'll answer the question..


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Yeah It's worth it, I banged my head against the wall, and got my G73JH working and overclocked. I couldn't be happier, and the problems are generally solved by now when you purchase one! It's a bit late in the game, we let all the ALPHA and most of the BETA testing be done by those who paid premium for their laptops that basically didn't work.


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It's funny how ALPHA/BETA testing has been pushed entirely to the public and they PAY MORE FOR IT <----- LOL's.. But, Hey! I'm in the same damn boat, though, all I did was upgrade my drivers and all the problems stopped.
I guess what I'm saying is these laptops are for the most part stable this late in the game, we don't have to worry about the problems that plagued many others.


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+1 to ASUS for pushing unfinished products to the public...

+1 to rschauby, for implementing the idology of windows elitism...