MURRAYDO15'S ASUS G73jh-bst7

To whom it may concern,

I just recently brought the new BestBuy model of the Asus G73jh on 12/11/10. I have to say I'm loving it so far, granted I'm very confused as to what I should with the laptop internally compared to externally. I have plans for that already.

As far as the specs goes here they are:
Warranty Terms - Parts1 year
Warranty Terms - Labor1 year limited
Product Height2.2"
Product Width12.6"
Product Weight8.5 lbs.
Product Depth16.3"
Color CategoryBlack
Processor BrandIntel®
ProcessorIntel® Core™ i7
Processor Speed1.73GHz
Display TypeHigh-definition widescreen LED-backlit (1600 x 900)
Screen Size (Measured Diagonally)17.3"
Cache Memory6MB on die Level 3
System Memory (RAM)6GB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To8GB
Type of Memory (RAM)DDR3
Hard Drive TypeSATA (5400 rpm)
Computer Hard Drive Size640GB
Optical DriveDouble-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Optical Drive SpeedsDrive speeds not specified
Direct-Disc LabelingNo
Digital Media Reader or SlotsYes, digital media card reader
GraphicsATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Video Memory1GB GDDR5
TV TunerNo
MPEGYes
Built-in WebcamYes
ModemNone
NetworkingBuilt-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Fast Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
S-Video OutputsNone
Audio3D with EAX Advanced HD 4.0
SpeakersInternal
PCMCIA SlotsNone
USB 2.0 Ports4
IEEE 1394 FireWire PortsNone
Parallel PortsNone
Game PortsNone
Laptop WeightStandard (more than 5.5 lbs.)
Battery LifeUp to 2 hours and 27 minutes
Pointing DeviceTouchpad
HDMI OutputYes
Blu-ray PlayerNo
Operating System PlatformWindows
Operating SystemWindows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Included SoftwareAdobe Reader; PowerDVD 9 and Power2Go 6
ENERGY STAR QualifiedNo
Best Buy PC AppYes
Wireless Capability4G WiMAX
Backlit KeyboardYes
Drive Capacity640GB
Graphics CardATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Carrier CompatibilityCLEAR|Time Warner Cable
Multi-CarrierYes

What I plan to do myself is:

Internal:
....?....

External:
1: Get a 1920x1080 resolution display screen
2: Get the IC Diamond Thermal Paste Applied
3: Get Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive -Bare Drive
4: Get Antec Unbeatable Notebook Cooler 200
5: Get Razer Messenger Bag Shoulder Edition
6: Get 2.0 webcam
(Not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea)


Will post pictures and videos in the following darys/weeks/month (Bare with me people, poor college student)

-D

12/15/10
UPDATED:
vBIOS
Thanks to ValkerieFire for the help on doing that with his Thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/539984-what-do-your-new-g73jh.html . I would just advise when you go about doing it there are some things he forgets to mention that can confuse the crap out of you. But all in all very helpful. (Also when I was following this list, I found out that I had current BIOS, so thank god for that)

 

UPDATED
12/20/10

Got the PS3 Controller working on my laptop today. It is a bit confusing what to look for, but I found the best guide to follow to get it working on your laptop. Here is the link: How to Use a Playstation 3 Controller in 64 bit Windows 7 and Vista If you follow it there will be no problems. My PS3 controller worked right away the only aspect you need to take care of is when you load the game is figure out what buttons you want to do what on you PS3 controller.

-D

 

thats cool...but an xbox controller is plug and play....very simple...but glad ya got the ps3 one to work... ....enjoy the lappy....I too have the BST7 from BB and I love mine...

 

Do you have any mods on your lappy yet?

-D

 

I see you want a Screen upgrade.

Is there a How to and where to buy parts guide for this yet?

 

not yet...im waiting till after cristmas to get the deals... ...but I will soon.....first will be an SSD for sure

 

4: Get Antec Unbeatable Notebook Cooler 200

Why? It doesn't help with the temps. From my experiences with coolers for this laptop just prop this thing up about 1 inch in the back and thats all you need for 1-4 degrees less.

 

Yes there is. I just brought my screen for it. I will post the Thread link when I get everything put into my lappy.

I hear you, I'm actually planning on buying my HDD bracket today for my lappy. Any plans on what SSD you are getting?

Well from reading the discussion threads about Laptop Coolers, my impression was it can't hurt. Plus I will be gaming on this laptop for hour ends. But I will take into consideration of your suggestion.


-D

 

not sure what SSD I want but it's use will be a boot drive and to play games off of and my most used programs....I'll use my 640 gig as a storage drive...

 

Ya I want that Seagate 500 gb SSD. That's my next move right now. I just hooked up my 1920x1080 screen yesterday. It looks awesome. Will have pictures of that soon.

-D

 

Does it work wirelessly?

 

It can only work wireless if you have Bluetooth in your laptop. Mine doesn't, which isn't the end of the world. I may be installing it in there, but I'm more focused on other things to do with it first like I'm buying my HDD Bracket today.

-D

 

Just curious any asus laptop I have ever bought always has 2 year parts and labor and a 1920x1080 screen is it just a special deal from best buy and are they alot cheaper then the models with 2 year warranty and better screen?

 

The best but models are a little watered down compared to the proper Asus models. Lower resolution screen, less ram, single 5400rpm drive, and less warranty. It still has the most important part of the g73, the i7 and 5870.

 

^^^^
Pretty much what he said, but if you do have experience in modding a laptop then I would suggest the Best Buy version laptop. You save yourself a lot of money in the long run.

-D

 

UPDATED 1/1/2011

Today, well techincally a couple weeks ago, I got the screen updated to 1920x1080. I have to say amazing. Would post pictures if I knew how to....gahhhhh

-D