New 14 inch G-Series Notebook

With those custom upgrades like the screen and cpu this is really tempting and looks much better than the Alienware m14x.

Honestly, I only regret not having Optimus but that's not too big a deal.

Played with one of the best buy demos and it feels really comfortable.

 

I guess no-one saw my previous posts.

Picture collection:
General Pictures of first opening: asus Photos by Coderedpl | Photobucket
Comparison to Dell XPS 15z size: comparison Photos by Coderedpl | Photobucket
Full Teardown cell phone pictures: teardown Photos by Coderedpl | Photobucket
Full Teardown higher quality with circled things you need to remove: teardownhighres Photos by Coderedpl | Photobucket

 

yep, thanks for the guide on the teardown with the circles!! It came in VERY handy! I got the SSD installed, but now can't get windows 8 installed on the new drive.... I tried using the usb thumb drive that I used in the past with the windows 8 upgrade iso on it, but I guess the G46 has some newer security crap that won't let it install and has a built in key and has me locked out! I am at a loss... I think I need a full windows 8 iso to burn with full verison on win 8 and then I can enter my key that I extracted from the oem install, but after hours of searching I can't find one. More than annoyed at this point!

Curious as to how to solve this problem on a new Windows 8 laptop with efi crap/embedded key etc crap with no installation media on a new drive.... totally lost and quite frustrated... on the G73 and the Alienware it was a no brainer same as always.... apparently "Windows 8 Certified" has ruined the parade. Dunno what to do

 

Actually, if I am not mistaken, Upgrade keys have never been able to be used as a full clean install.

The solution is easy though (kinda). Just call up Microsoft and tell them you had to reformat your hard drive and they will give you short speech about what I just said but then let you clean install anyway.

Edit: This won't work though if the upgrade and full install iso are actually two different iso's. For Windows 7 they were the same.

 

Could this help?
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 8 with

 

Thanks for the follow-up! I bookmarked this!

As for the install, I suggest trying an external DVD drive. (if you can get a DVD copy.)

That simply just worked for me with no hiccups.

--Ken

 

These systems dont come with a recovery DVD or driver CD?

 

Unfortunately it doesn't..it is in the recovery drive which you can burn to a DVD if you wish.

 

Can you use those recovery discs and burn to a SSD?

 

Yes you should be able to use recovery disks on any inserted drive.

 

Can someone 3DMARK06 for me at full screen res(1368x768) I know it's outdated but I want to compare it to another laptop and thats the only thing they have.

 

I've been checking the HIDEvolution site for the past couple of days and it looks like the screen upgrade option for the G46 was recently removed. I was close to ordering so I'm a bit disappointed... hopefully it's just a temporary parts shortage or something like that. Anyway, I can't wait to hear impressions from people who have ordered upgraded models once their laptops arrive.

 

I ordered from them glyph42, the screen upgrade wasn't compatible from what they said. I'll probably be doing an initial review once I have it. Dont know about an unboxing video though.

I only upgraded to the i7 3630 and 750GB 7200RPM HD

They said if the screen upgrade becomes available you can ship your laptop back to them and they will do it and ship it back to you

 

Thanks for the quick reply Nivaku.

 

So how hard is it to swap HDDs?

 

It's really simple, Coderedpl's links should be a sticky of some sort or on the front page of this thread.

Please see below as he did the work already. (this helped me put the SSD in mine.)

 

Thanks shogun, but as of right now I am having a serious problem. I try and do the create system image and I keep getting the error The back up failed. Not enough disk space. The Hard that I try to back up to is empty is formated to ntfs and its a 500gb. I also tried to used dvds but its giving me the same error the system error code is (0x80780119).

 

Curious how would I go about making restore dvd's? I have since swapped the original HDD back in to get it to boot back up normally but not sure how to make the discs... I'm wanting to do an installation instead of just a direct copy of my current drive as I read that works much better for SSD's for some reason. Currently stuck until I can come up with install media as my USB stick with windows 8 upgrade that will clean install on both my Alienware and G73 won't install on the new G46... I assume due to either efi issues or the fact the oem install key is already in the bios.

Thanks for the link above to windows eight forums, great info there but I still can't locate a full windows 8 iso.

Accessing the HDD area isnt bad, its located on the topside of the case just under the keyboard panel.

 

I'm glad it helped.

No they do not.
Although they do have a recovery partition. When I did the windows 8 restore option I think it's called, that's supposed to wipe your data and bring you back to a fresh start as it came, it restored it to the state as if I just picked it up from the store including all the Asus stuff.

Or this.

Easy, if you have at least basic knowledge of tools and patience. Just need to lift the top cover off. Remove 4 support screws on hdd and pull it out.

Great to hear. I'm glad it's helping people! :-D

 

Figured out the image. Do not create a system image, its the create a backup disc. But now i have to return it to best buy, the bottom right of the touchpad is coming up and you can press down on it and feel the glue stick and come undone.

 

any word on when Xotic PC will be getting these?

 

Well, just a quick follow up.... I finally got a clean Windows 8 Pro installed on my SSD after quite a bit of research! Just booted into windows for the first time, about to install all the drivers, but right off the bat it's a HUGE difference in performance and snappiness... that stock 5400 HDD is horrible, even compared to an older laptop running a 7200rpm... That's the biggest by far downside of this machine so far I've noticed. Upgrading that is a must!

Well, now to get her setup and everything installed.

Turns out my problem was compounded by lack of understanding of uefi, gpt, Windows 8 changes, Asus not providing us any restore discs, moons not aligning etc... Thanks to the gentleman a few posts back that sent me to eightforums.com for tips on the uefi install... that got me on the right path, and then it was a matter of adding an "ei.cfg" file to the sources folder on my USB install media which allowed the installation to bypass the key embedded in the uefi that was conflicting with my USB media... Windows installs have gotten annoying ha

On the plus side I can change out the SSD/HDD in a matter of a couple minutes now :thumbsup:

 

2nd quarter of 2013

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

can you tell me how you did it? I have the SSD in and I created a backup drive with the recovery drive on an external hdd. Now i get errors and it will not read the backup hdd.

 

I ended up having to do a clean install of Windows 8 using a modified USB thumb drive made from Windows Upgrade when I upgraded my previous laptop. I'm sure a regular Windows 8 install disk will work fine, but I didn't have one and I couldn't locate an ISO to create one like we use to be able to do with Windows 7.

Go check out: Installation & Setup - Windows 8 Forums

There is tons of info there, including steps to install using UEFI which we have in the G46... it's basically a new version of BIOS that newer machines are using and it complicates our old ways of doing things a bit.

I did follow their guidelines that show how to clean the drive and convert to GPT, not sure if that actually mattered but it all worked well in the end.

My issue was the OEM key is built into the UEFI and I was trying to install using the USB drive that was for PRO version of windows and it kept stopping the install because the key was embedded in the UEFI from Asus for the basic version of windows 8. There are guides on the site that show you how to create a "ei.cfg" file that will allow installation of any version of windows, and that's what solved my problem.

I was never able to get any image backup/recovery etc from Windows to ever be read or work, including a backup using the recovery partition on the HDD.

Good luck, a simple Windows 8 install disc will solve your problems but unfortunately Asus doesn't include them.... BUT! Once you do get a faster HDD or SDD installed and working, it's as ShogunXP previously said, a night and day difference... I can't recommend the upgrade enough!

 

Hi IKAS, I just downloaded and installed 3DMARK06 but for some reason it won't run.... I have no idea why, it hangs at the start when it is scanning the hardware. This is using the latest Asus/Nvidia/Intel etc drivers. All games have worked well thus far. Not sure what the problem was, no error, just a system hang when running the program.

 

Did you let run all the way till the end?
The CPU test is pretty intense and it runs slow, well thanks for giving it a try hopefully you can post somes runs later.

 

I never actually could run the program... it started with the initial logo and said initial system scan would take a few minutes, but it never finished or proceeded... I've run it on many previous systems on Windows Vista and 7, but for some reason it didn't ever load on this machine with Windows 8... have no idea why. I let it sit there for about 10 minutes and finally gave up. Never had a chance to run the benchmark.

 

What is the port located in the back between the two fans?

 

Without looking i would say display port. unless thats the g55 or g75

 

It's a Kensington lock slot. MiniDP is on the side.

 

I do not know whats happening with ASUS lately. I bought the first g46 a week ago and had to take it back because the touchpad was coming unglued. Then when I received the second laptop there was a dead pixel. Today I took it back to best buy and received a 3rd one. the side edge looks like someone has already pried open the case with a metal tool instead of a plastic one and its only on one side of the laptop. This time I actually took a picture to document this. Has anyone else been seeing this on their laptops?

 

That's very interesting and also has me worried. I should be getting mine tomorrow and I'll go on ahead and do a thorough check

What do you mean by the touchpad is being unglued?

 

The bottom right corner came up and was sticking out over the palmrest. You could push it back down and you can feel the glue stick to it and it would slowly pop right back up.

 

So the touch pad surface is simply glued on? That's what your saying right?

 

Thats what it appears as...the replacements feel sturdy, its just that one I had QC let slip through. I have a sony vaio that sony had to fix the touch pad was doing the same thing.

 

That's a weird way to put it together, usually it's a fixed part of the top casing that the touchpad logic board gets glued to.

 

I want to buy a G46 and install win 7 and the only thing that keeps me on the fence are those bloody win 8 only drivers. I've read somewhere that you can install the G55 win 7 drivers. Has someone tryed doing this? Do they all work?

 

I tried several times to install Win 7 from a DVD and It just fails before it starts...I forgot what the error said but it was error-ing out even before the image boots.

--Ken

 

I tried also with a legit windows 7 CD, and it will get to the setup is loading files and freeze there for about 30 minutes. It even does this with a blank HDD in. I think there is something in the UEFI that stops Windows 7 from being installed. The G55 was made before Windows 8 came out so they have to provide support for 7. The 46 was made after 7 and they currently only support 8 on it. Hopefully in the future we can get 7 on it. I really really hate 8.

 

The G46 that I want to buy comes with FreeDOS. Does this mean that I'll be able to install Win 7?

 

My current 5 year old laptop has had increasing difficulty keeping cool over the years. It's to the point where it runs very warm during even simple web browsing and it gets so hot during gaming that I can barely stand touching the WASD keys. So I'm very concerned with keeping my next system as cool as possible. That's why I chose Asus in the first place... I definitely don't want my next laptop to die a slow death due to heat!

I'm considering purchasing from HIDEvolution soon and I'm agonizing over which upgrade options to pick. I've decided on the Samsung 830 SSD, but don't know what I should pick for processor. I'm torn between keeping the stock i5 and choosing the thermal paste upgrade for $45 OR upgrading to an i7 for $100 which includes the paste for free. Since the price difference is negligible over the long run my main concern is the 35W TDP of the i5 versus the 45W TDP of the i7. I'm sure the G46 can handle both, but I just don't know how much of a real world temperature difference there would be between the two chips. I've also read conflicting information on the value of i5 vs i7 in general, but the consensus (as I understand it) seems to be that the power of an i7 is wasted unless you are doing heavy video editing. I'd like to keep playing new games for a few years, but I won't be doing any heavy image or video editing. Any thoughts on which processor would be best?

 

Honestly, day to day use you are not going to see the difference between the two. The i5 in the laptop is hyperthreaded and it will handle anything you throw at it. Heat wise again not really going to notice a difference unless your constantly monitoring it with a program. If you want to save money go with the i5, if you have the money to blow and future proof your laptop for a couple of months go with the i7.

 

So, I have installed windows 8 on the SSD. I went to the asus support website to download all the drivers. The only problems I have is that it has an unknown device in the device manager. Also any asus program like live update wont install, it says you must have an asus product to use this program, the wifi shortcut and touchpad doesn't work. I have installed the Nvidia, motherboard, chargerplus, touchpad, irst, and card reader. The win flash wont install nor the live update instant on. Any clues to why they wont install and asus not recognizing the computer?

 

Got it. Had to run the atk/acpi package at the bottom of the utilities folder. Then had to fully extract the wireless toggle and keyboard filter and everything works like a charm. Windows 8 is smooth as butter compared to the stock 5400rpm hd.

 

Yep, its the ATK that has the last driver, glad ya got it! And yes, it does appear that someone has dissembled your laptop previously... I would take that one back, I can't see how it actually came from Asus like that. The top panel does snap in on the sides, it appears someone used a butter knife or something to quickly pry it apart.

A few thoughts based on a couple of days of usage for those still wondering about this little machine:

Build quality is great... feels very solid and sturdy. Also, based on a disassembly to swap the HDD for an SSD, it looks well built from the inside too. Don't see any major concerns at all in this department. Have no indication of issues at all with touchpad, and the buttons feel nice.

Cooling is fantastic! It runs super quite and cool, never hear the fans in normal desktop usage, and only slightly while gaming... it's multitudes quieter than the Alienware m11x, and even quieter than my G73. Very impressed with Asus' cooling here. Plus, as a plane nut I do like the two rear exhaust vents

Biggest issue thus far is the stock 5400rpm drive Best Buy is having installed in these things... it's like running the machine soaked in honey. It's noticeably slower than even a 7200rpm drive. Good news is that it's fairly simple to swap, but is not in an easy access panel... it's under the keyboard/top panel and does require some disassembly. Screen, motherboard, etc can all stay in place however. A CPU or GPU repaste will require the motherboard to be removed from the bottom case.

Installed the SSD listed in my signature, and between that and the cooling, the machines runs silent and is what I was expecting in snappiness and feel. Windows and simple tasks that would hesitate and take a second on the stock 5400rpm drive are now seemless and instant. The laptop boots in ~5 seconds. It really is as mentioned before by others a night and day difference. As a comparison, I didn't notice anywhere near the difference when going from a 7200rpm drive to the SSD in my G73.

Screen is going to be an issue for some with the G46. It's decent but no where near great. It's about on par with my other G series Best Buy laptops (G51,G73) which have never had great screens. Viewing angles aren't terrible, but if you get out of the sweet spot colors are quite bland and blah. The matte screen is a plus to eliminate reflections, but it doesn't have the vibrant colors at all that a glossy screen offers. Bottom line for me it's acceptable, but when a better screen is available I'll be first in line to try it out. Games however do look just fine on the screen and it's only really an issue when trying to nitpick. Resolution is fine for my purposes, and as a plus games look nice and perform great at the native resolution.

Optimus hasn't been an issue yet as others have struggle with in the past with other laptops. It appears Nvidia has sorted it out with newer drivers.

Will test performance in more games as time permits, but Far Cry 3 runs great, both on the laptop screen and hooked to a 50" HDTV.

Overall nice little machine for those interested. If ordering from HIDevolution, best advice would be do something about the stock HDD, and go with either a 7200rpm drive or if funds allow an SSD. Other upgrades or choices aren't nearly as big as that one upgrade. If buying from Best Buy, it's a great machine for the money ($999.99), and know that if you ever do want to upgrade down the road it is very doable in an hour or so. The 750GB size is really nice and I do miss the space, and gaming won't be affected or even change between drives, but simple day to day things are a bit slower.

Well, sorry for the novel, and as a side note, it's got a nice backlit keyboard.

 

Now we need an overclock for the card.

 

Done.

1300mhz core clock stable with nvidia inspector.. normal +135mhz is really stable and cool

 

How do you find the 660m scales at that sort of frequency?

 

Which overclocking tool did you use?


Also I have been gaming (BF3, CS, and blops 2) for the past couple of days; brought it to a LAN party.

It held up very well. I honestly do not have any complaints about this laptop-it is a performer.

however, I am still in the market for the Intel 3840QM just to max out the machine--Very satisfied overall. (for those on the fence.)