Need help with my first gaming computer ever!

I have been looking around for something to take to college and the most stressful performance I ask out of it would be playing starcraft 2 on ultra. I was just wondering if ASUS G Series G73JH-BST7 ( Newegg.com - Recertified: ASUS G Series G73JH-BST7 Notebook Intel Core i7 740QM(1.73GHz) 17.3" 6GB Memory 640GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870) would be a good choice for its price. I tried to research as much as I could on it and I read a lot of concerning cons usually talking about the laptop overheating, missing key strokes, something about bad BIOS and VBIOS, and really hard to update the driver for the ATI gfx card.

Core i7 740QM(1.73GHz) 17.3" 6GB Memory 640GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870

I know the 5400rpm on the hard drive might seem slow so I am planning to upgrade it to a SSD in the future.

I just wanted to know if this would fit my gaming need (starcraft 2 on ultra) and whether or not the issues such as the overheating...etc.... have been fixed since most of the cons came from reviews in 2010.

Sorry if I sound really ignorant or clueless but I don't really have too much knowledge about laptops or computers in general.

Oh, and forgot to mention, what do you recommend I should do to tweak and get rid of unnecessary programs when I get it? For example someone told me to get a driversweeper? to make it easier to update the gfx driver from the amd site directly rather than going through ASUS.
Thank you again!

 

The JH is a great laptop but although many claim it comes with its problems what they dont acknowledge is that with minimal effort and research you can fix practically all of the problems yourself in next to no time at all (this forum being a very good source for this). The paste you begin with should be enough to keep you running at an acceptable temp unless its poorly applied but that is really the only difficult fix you need do and once its done you have a laptop with the most powerful GPU out of all of the G73 series.

As you say pick up an SSD and use the 5400rpm as your secondary that is what most do. You mention really hard to update the ATI drivers? I find this humerous because unless you dont know how to run installshield you should not have any problems doing this ATI has long been critisised for its drivers but personally I found Nvidia drivers lacking what ATI provides before I got my G73 ignore the ATI hate and focus on its power because next to the 6970M/485M it still pushes as one of the best single GPU's out there performance wise.

For bang for buck you cant go wrong if you dont mind a few niggles if you would rather cough up a lot more money for a sandy and less issues feel free but personally I have a fantastic gaming rig for $1000 less than an SW for the price I picked my JH up for so without question I recommend it to you.

Starcraft 2 at Ultra runs ok but tbh very high is good enough and gives best results for me im to engrossed in the Witcher 2 at the moment to care for any other game

In regards to the bloatware I am actually using a copy of W7 ultimate but before just uninstalled it, there are posts on this forum how to create a recovery partition without all the crap that comes with it.

Good luck in your decision.

 

I was actually reading a lot of those reviews on the Newegg site the other day; lot of ignorant people unfortunately

SCII is one of my all time favorites (RTS is my genre lol) and the JH runs it just fine at any/all settings. And I too am in college and it fits all my needs wonderfully.

The only *necessary* thing I would recommend doing is upgrading/updating your vBIOS it's THAT that allows you to update your drivers (as opposed to that person on Newegg that I read, about having to do some crazy stuff with driver sweeper, and even then only the drivers on the ASUS site are what works; I beg to differ, as I updated my drivers straight from the AMD website yesterday, and mostly people here do the same)

Theres a good guide (pretty sure its a sticky) on here about what crap you can remove (the bloatware) and what you should do, in general, when you first get the machine.

IMHO, go for it, you wont be let down

EDIT: Argh Dallers beat me to the first reply lol

 

Thank you for such a satisfactory answer! I am really leaning on buying it, and would love to because it is so powerful with a small price tag! From what I can tell from your answer, it should be good to go right out of the box but I should repaste it? I see this term "paste" or "repaste" a lot. -_- this is where my ignorance and lack in knowledge comes in.....what exactly is pasting or repasting? Hopefully I won't need to open the laptop up or anything cause I am scared to do anything of the sort!

Thank you for your answer too crappyalloy! I always wondered about updating my drivers for laptop! I have no clue what VBIOS is let alone updating it -_- hopefully its just a download and install/update type of thing...this might sound really noobish but....shouldnt the computer tell me I have an update available for my drivers? and I also read I always need to uninstall the old driver then install the new updated driver.....easy to do in windows remove/uninstall programs?

 

You should not need worry about anything until you have the laptop and encounter the issues many have the JH and never had to repaste the GPU's capability for a high temperature makes sure of that. Most of the time repasting is only required when a bad application of the paste which is only a minor chance of happening causes temperatures to reach over 100oC or that you strive to find the lowest temp and highest overclock like me you need not worry to begin with get the laptop get it updated and enjoy it.

 

Lol I have explained the "repaste" a number of times, but I dont mind doing it once more.

A "repaste" is to redo the thermal compound that exists between your cpu/gpu and its heatsink (the copper/fan/radiator setup in the laptop). Having "good" paste, or a good paste "job" allows for better thermal/heat transfer and therefore keeps your laptop and its components cooler.

Well do you know what the Bios is? One of the most basic of "components" of any computer, to allow the components to communicate with one another, even when an OS (like windows) isnt present (that definition is of course, very lacking on the details lol). The vBios does just that, but is for the GPU specifically. If I remember correctly, GPUs started getting their own Bios when they as well as computers started becoming so powerful, along with no integrated graphics chip (IGP) that the GPU needed to start on its own, at the very beginning of the computer itself starting up, to allow operation.

You can update the vBios from inside windows yes; HOWEVER, as in my own experiences, and what most veterans will tell you, its very dangerous, it could result in a bricked GPU and essentially worthless-and-in-need-of-repair laptop. Id recommend booting into DOS to do that. If/when you get your machine, heres a guide on how to update your vbios as safely as possible
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/515309-how-fix-your-gsod-blues.html

EDIT: Oh, yes the computer will tell you when you have updates, but those are for Windows in general. You can tell the computer explicitly to look for updates to other things, though I find it easier to update the things manually (like going to ATI/AMD's website for example). You can uninstall the old ones first, I used to do that, but AMD has gotten better with their installer and so I dont really consider it necessary (even the use of driver sweeper I wouldnt recommend anymore, for the aforementioned reason, as well as it giving people difficulties with installing SP1, me included)

 

Also get the latest Bios if you don't already have it. Here are ways to update the Bios: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/174395-bios-update-guide-asus-notebooks.html.

Just to be more precise, flashing the Bios/vBios using DOS is safer since there are almost no chances of DOS locking up like windows can sometimes do.

Also read through this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/380681-asus-utility-bloatware-guide.html if you get the laptop. You'll be able to determine what asus software you want to keep and what you want to remove.

 

Finally if you get the JH you also get to join the secret AMD cult. Its very hush hush mind we are working to take down the 'greenies' from within.

Ask me no questions, ill tell you no lies

 

Now I am really overwhelmed with terms I have never come across such as BIOS and pasting! I don't want to mess anything up so.....can I buy it off Newegg and go to bestbuy or some where for a trained geek to do it? please say yes!

EDIT: or how about if I took the route of no updates and just sticking with what I got right out of the box due to my fear of ruining the laptop by attempting to "update"......will it last for years? xD

I would rather have it updated but like i said before...I m scurred T_T

 

I wouldn't trust Best Buy to make a backup but that's just me. Anyways, for the repaste there 99.99999% cance you won't have to worry about it. It's a re-certified unit after all.

As for updating the Bios and vBios, read up on it from the threads already linked here. It can be scary at first (god knows i had the chills the first time i flashed a Bios and the first time i updated a vBios) but it isn't harder than updating a program, just a bit different. If you want to take it somewhere, find the Asus Service Provider nearest you and ask them to do it. They know hteir Asus stuff, better than some of the techs working at the asus repair facilities if you ask me.

Here's a video on how to update the vBios: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPte3QO_L4w. Read the thread on GSODs already linked and watch the video if you want to update the vBios. This should give you some confidence .

 

haha thank you very much! Sounds easier now -_-' was having heartattack with lists of what to do after I buy it! But, now I see that the only thing I will have to worry about updating is the BIOS and the VBIOS (unless there are other crazy stuff you guys forgot to mention! Don't tell me to pry it open and cut the red wire or some thing like that xD) and I should be good....
The funny thing is that I am deciding between University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins to becomes a doctor and I am scared to update a laptop because I might mess it up xD

EDIT: Found out there isnt an asus service provider in Texas.....any other helpful place I might find in texas?

Actually never mind! I just found out my friend is Asus certified and such... I think I am good to go and will buy it (and join the AMD cult) Thank you all for so much help!