Refurbished G73JH-RBBX05....Worth the risk?

Hello again ladies and gents,

Due to overwhelming response, I've decided to make the plunge and get a G73. Also, due to the fact I'm a poor teacher living in Japan, price plays a VERY important part. In other words, I need to get the best deal possible. So, the question now becomes.....which model do i get? I was originally gonna go ahead and get the Best Buy model (g73jh-bst7 $1200) but then I came across a few G73JH-RBBX05's for less than $900. The catch is, they're refurbished/recertified.

So, I have a few questions I hope you kind folks could help me out with. First off, is there any DRASTIC differences between the newer G73's and the RBBX05's besides 3D and the Nvidia card that I'm not aware of? Also, do you think it's risky to buy a refurbished model? It DOES come with a 90 day manufacturer warranty and I'm already well aware I'm gonna have to flash the BIOS to get it running right, but other than that, would you guys say I'm safe? My main worry is having to do an RMA, as I'm having it shipped from USA to Japan and warranty/RMA situation get quite....complex when you're out of North America.

So, what do you guys think? I'm trying desperately to save money, but I also don't wanna be stuck with a broken laptop in Japan.

Thanks!

 

I predict you will receive some very strong opinions on this.

It sort of sounds like you know the risks already. I'd suggest you take a good read through the sticky, if you haven't already. There are some very quirky things about the G73Jh, and the screen on the RBBX05 can be its weakest point. The keyboard lag and touchpad problems are the things to read about, but by no means is this guaranteed to be a problem with any given unit. All things considered it's a great system, I owned one for a while and loved it, but mine was not refurbished. I think the Jh has been discontinued, so the only ones left are refurbs or open box returns. You take an obvious risk with refurbs, and the most important part is breaking it in as soon as you get it to make sure it has no obvious flaws.

You might be better served getting a used system with a year left on the factory warranty. There is a marketplace here on the forum that often has used G73Jh models for sale from members here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebooks-desktops-sale/

 

For that price i thing you should by it.It is a very good deal indeed.

 

Thanks for the reply. May I ask what happened to yours?

 

I sold it during the past holiday season, I'm going to either build a new desktop or wait for a sandy bridge model. I'm not a gamer (anymore) so it was a bit overkill in the GPU department; it wasn't a hard decision to let it go, but I do miss it because of the fit and finish. The touchpad and palmrest are the best of any system I've used, it's very comfortable. It's a great system - no doubt, there are definite quirks to know about, and if you have a long shipping delay between a retailer in the USA and Japan, you have less of a window to discover any flaws from it being refurbished. This will have to be a personal decision...

 

Are you saying the screen is weak in terms of angle viewing and design? Or is the screen itself rather weak (as in dim, not HD, unclear, etc.)? I'm actually rather surprised to hear that, as tons of reviews on the Best Buy model (which as far as I can see has the same type of screen as the RBBX05) say the screen is one of the best aspects.....

 

Mine had the AUO screen, and it's a common complaint that it's hard to look at in some respects. The viewing angle is not good, color accuracy and contrast ratio are weak, brightness is average. It's definitely a budget screen, some people don't think it's too bad, but I would have swapped it out if I kept the machine. It's fine for gaming and casual video, but if you do photo editing it's not adequate in the least.

 

Really appreciate your insight. I suppose it's luck of the draw then? I could end up with a good one and an LG screen instead of the AUO......or I could end up with a faulty first batch model and have problems from day one.

Hm....

 

I think it's very unlikely you'd get one with an older revision of hardware. At this point in the product cycle, those units are probably nowhere in the retail channel. It is pretty much luck of the draw for whatever screen you get. Don't get me wrong, the AUO screen isn't defective, but to make this powerful a machine for around a grand, something had to be cut. Some people like it better than the LG, I never had them side by side to know for myself unfortunately. It's a compromise, no matter how you look at it*, and it may or may not be a big deal depending on your intended use of the machine. If you want a gaming machine for under a grand it can't really be beat, regardless of the screen you end up with.

*pun intended

 

You drive a hard bargain sir. I think you're right about the older batch being completely out of the retail channel at this point. As I've taken a deeper look into the reviews of the refurbished systems, I've noticed most of the complaints stem from systems purchases before December. Since then, most are quite positive.

As much as it might be considered blasphemy to mention around these parts, have you had any experience with the Qosmio X505-Q893? The newer version is a bit cheaper than a new G73, it has (what seems to be) a very nice display, and its very comparable in terms of specs to the G73 overall. Yet somehow, the G73 seems to dominate it in terms of buzz. Thoughts?

 

I've repaired plenty of Toshiba Satellites but not so much as touched a Qosmio. I've read that they run hot, so the G73 may have a better overclocking potential since cooling is its strong spot (once you know your thermal paste is good or repaste it, not so much an issue with recent units I guess). Someone else will have to chime in for a real comparison of the Qosmio X505-Q893 vs G73Jh-RBBX05. I'm not a gamer so my opinion doesn't matter here anyway.

 

Comparing Asus G73 and Toshiba Qosmio, I haven't own any other gaming laptop with high-end specs aside from this G73 beast. G73 is one of the leading gaming laptops that has a tolerable fan noise emission. It's cooling system is reliable to great extents too as system cools fast when your done with gaming. It's head-turning design too is just uncomparable to other gaming laptops out there not even to AW.

One drawback that I've observed on G73's are the significant intensity of vibration when using the optical drive (DVD,CD,BR).

 

The Qosmio is nice enough. You're paying a premium for style though.

 

Most models seem cheaper than comparable Asus G73 models though....

 

The x505 Q893 has an i5 dual core processor, while the 894 has an i7 740 quad core and is more expensive. That's probably why the 893 looks cheaper than the G73 best buy models, it has a less powerful processor. There's a review here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/toshiba/526399-toshiba-qosmio-x505-q893-user-review.html

As for the RBBX05 vs BST7, the difference is the 720 vs 740 and one HDD vs two. AFAIK it's still luck of the draw for the screen.

 

I have the Refurbished G73JH from Best Buy, and I can honestly say I LOVE IT.

I have been very fortunate (knock on wood) that I have had NO CRASHES, no SOD, nothing. I immediately removed all the junk, and updated every driver.
I lucked out and have great temps as well. I use my about 14 hours per day, because I take it to work, and its been fantastic. I am approaching 2 months of having mine and wouldn't trade it for another one.

 

Got mine from BTOtech, got it covered for the next two years with an extended warranty and customized it as you may read in my signature...
No problems so far, they even did the Bios and vBios update for me without asking, and while mine comes with an AOU screen, it's the new one, which is comparable to the LG, I still want a better 1600x900 if it will be ever possible (better FPS ...) otherwise I may end up getting a FHD one, anyway if you come from any other windows laptop (like my friends) you will still find it with a nice screen (it's insanely bright and colors are good... just black and constrast are nothing special (their values are 1 for black and 222 for the contrast ratio)

 

I bought my g73jh recertified from newegg back in Nov. Got it for $860. It was hands down the best purchase of the year.

Reading the reviews prior to purchase I knew i was taking a risk, as some complained that they had issues with theirs...but most of the complaints were from people who complained about GSODs who didnt bother to do a bit of research for the fix. Upon getting my recertified laptop, I immediately got rid of bloatware then flashed vBIOS. Never had a GSOD ever. Also, the laptop itself was like new. No scratches, dents, shenanigans. Even came with a Dragon Age Origins DVD in the DVD drive :3 As far as temps, mine idles at 54-56 and even during 5-6 hr gaming binges (GTA4, Black ops, etc...) the max temp ive ever hit to date is 86C. Got lucky with decent stock pasting.

My only complaint is the touchpad issue. Thankfully i have no keyboard issues, but the touchpad is annoying when I do use it...but i use my mouse 95% of the time so it doesnt bother me TOO much. Aside from that, the screen kind of sucks, but Ive grown to live with it until i upgrade it soon.

 

I also have a refurbed & love it. It had frequent GSOD's but the new vbios fixed it. Most everyone here will help you if you have issues. This lappy & forum is great!

 

I purchased my refurb from BTOtech. Not a single issue with it, and was able to customize some of the specs, such as the RAM. They upgraded my vBios and Bios to the latest version already. They tested my thermal paste so that it doesn't exceed optimal temperatures. Also have the ability to extend the warranty up to 2 years as well. I already did two modifications to my laptop (replaced with a superior 1080p screen and a Momentus XT 500GB HDD).

 

I brought my JH from Cowboom back in early Dec. There were a few available, from $807 to $829 to $879. I decided to be cheap and got the $807 one, shipped from the Cowboom Chino warehouse. It was a flawless unit, not one scratch, nick, dent, or scuff. It looked brand new to me. I put in an Intel X25 SSD, and followed this thread by ValkerieFire: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/539984-what-do-your-new-g73jh.html. I also followed the links in Chastity's signature and updated the vbios.

I've not had a single GSOD, and it has run every game I've thrown at it with no problems. I don't have the touchpad problem but I do have the missing keystroke problem with the keyboard. The keyboard has gotten better and better with each beta release of the bios and I'm hoping the upcoming "final" bios fix release will cure things once and for all.

One main reason I got the JH was the great support it has here on this forum. With people like Chastity, Gary Key, and tons others here, most of the problems have been addressed and fixed. So between the deal I got from Cowboom and the support here, it was a no brainer for me to get the JH.

 

well i bought the same model from btotech. I have been using itfor 6 months now and no problem. When i say use i mean abuse lol. Iv been playing every game (except metro 2033) on max. I have also oc it. just make sure you get a good thermal pasting done. Mine has and its normal temps are 50-55 celsius. When gaming the max iv ever got is 91 celsius. That was with oc on and i was playing crysis on max for 3 hours. ALso i added the 3 years global warranty to my order. Overall the laptop has been nice. No major problems so far. minor ones are: the dodgy touchpad (tends to have a mind of its own at times), the webcam (tends to not detect light at times, and the framrate is weird at times). I would recommend you get the laptop. Enjoy.

 

How do you know what temps your laptop is running at??
Is there a program that monitor this??

 

Like HWiNFO32.

 

Refurbished usually just means tested and any flaws repaired. Get the warranty and go for it. G73JH is a awesome computer.

 

i use this: GPU Monitor

its a windows seven gadget and it works well. it even shows your clock speeds and gpu usage.

 

I cant get it to show fan speed, am I missing something?

 

The fan speed will always show as 30% all the time, so it doesn't help.(both CPU and GPU).

 

I dont understand what the risks are of buying refurbished, if anything, its safer because what had to break already did.

 

i agree. also their warranty is normally better and faster. also i have had 3 previous refurbished laptops, and they had no problems for the whole time i had them. they are also so much more cheaper than a brand new version of the laptop.

 

I also purchased the refurbished G73JH but from newegg. I am already skeptical about the laptop since so many users reported issue with it. Should I just cancel it and get the G73 with GTX460 Mobile or the newer sandy bridge G73? I do like the price and the 5870 tho. The 90 days warranty is what really bothering me. The 200+ dollars I am saving from this purchase can buy me a new 120GB SSD and one extra 2GB stick to make it 8GBs in total. Does anyone know what speed ddr3 and what screen the newegg refurbished unit will come with? thanks a ton.

 

I just got mine today from Newegg and have to RMA it. DVD drive sporadically appeared and disappeared. It would not read any discs when it did show up. I updated the BIOS to 211, reseated the drive...nothing. I am Bummed!!! It's a nice laptop for sure. It even came with 1333mhz RAM!!