The G73 Best Buy info thread

First of all "logic" has no place in a discussion about a gaming laptop. Second of all it's not 500 more as even the top tier A1 model is 1650 and tax free most places. Most importantly it's not just a screen.

1080p LCD
Extra 500GB hard drive
Bluetooth
Blu-ray drive
3 year warranty
1 year damage warranty
backpack
mouse

So yes it's very "logical" to pay 350 extra for about 800 in extras.

 

I've been thinking about getting the BB G73-05, but I see that J and R Electronics has the A2 listed for $1529 w/free shipping and 5% Bing cashback without tax. None in stock of course, but might be worth the wait. That works out to only a $170 difference when you include BB sales tax.

 

J & R has the G73JH- A1 in stock now. I just scooped up one with Bing 5% cash-back. Can't wait to get it.

 

1280x1024? Why?

 

Ha, bad company 2 runs flawlessly for me in 16x9. I do love the computer ( I bought the BB model), but I think I'm going to return it sadly.

The keyboard lag is annoying, it seems to work ok for me when just running word or something like that (an occasional skip), but if something heavy is running (such as bad company 2), I get SOOO much keyboard lag its rediculous.

Then there is the whole computer slowing down to a freeze when the comp battery gets to around 50%. Its just rediculous, I have it plugged in 95% of the time, but dangit when I have it unplugged I want my 2 hrs of battery life, not 1/2 of that lol.

And the screen viewing is pretty terrible vertically. When I lie down to maybe watch something on it, I have to have it basically slanted at a pretty good angle to actually get decent color off the laptop. the screen is leaning at me at a pretty good angle. Kinda annoying and weird to watch

I know theres fixe to the first problem...but I don't want to have to go through complex stuff to fix a brand new comp. And there really isn't a fix yet for the battery (that I know of unless I missed osmething in the thread). And the screen...it is pretty, but that vertical viewing angle sucks on the BB model.

I do love the computer, so I'm kinda torn...but if I return it, I can always go and get it later from BB if I really wanted too. But I guess the laptop hunt continues!

 

Does the best buy version include the second bracket to install another hard drive? Also what hard drive do you all recommend?

 

Guarantee it doesn't.

 

Now shows out of stock.....humm...;(

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't. For that matter, none of the other G73 variants do either.

 

I had two that didn't have the bracket but an SSD fit just fine insde without. They had this foam stuff in there that held it.

 

Get a good SSD. Install your main OS on it. Convert other drive to space for data.

Does the asus estore carry extra brackets?

Lol the other variants have a secondary bracket if you get it with a secondary hdd doesn't?

 

I picked up the 05 at BB on Sunday, and love it. I wiped the hard drive and installed Win7 - it was surprisingly fast and pain free.

I didn't want the 1080p. It's too high a resolution for my tastes on a 17" panel, and BC2 plays great.

 

What sold me on the BB version is that at a native res of 1600 x 900 games run on very high settings with at least 4XAA. The same games in most cases can NOT be said about the 1920 x 1080 models. My friend has a A1 and complains constantly that he has to play without AA at his native res. When he brings his res down it makes his screen look worse than mine at my native res. I also like the fact that I can walk into a store that treats me well if I have any problems with my G73. I have returned laptops well beyond my 45 days Bestbuy silver membership privilege because of repeated Asus RMA's.

I have seen both screens side by side and I can tell you it's NOT that big of a deal. Both screens look great. Especially the 1600 x 900 for 1,200.00USD(there's no sales tax in my city)

Some people have to justify their purchase by slamming a model that is basically the same model as far as what counts.

Grow UP.

Conclusion
Both PC's are almost the exact same hardware that's why Asus doesn't differentiate between the models like they did in the past, when you download the drivers all there is to choose from is G73JH. NOT Bestbuy version. In the past Asus has offered different CPU's for the same G series model.


I find it ridiculous that WE as a community of notebook enthusiast are arguing over 1920 x 1080 vs. 1600 x 900....lol. Like I've said before these models are almost the same. What matters most is the GPU, CPU & Ram. The difference in ram between 6GB & 8GB is 57.99USD

Link

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Memory+...115622703&skuId=9502362&st=pc3-8500&cp=1&lp=1

What if I told you that I bought my G71GX(BBY 1299.99USD) in 10/09 and that I've had issues here and there that led upto RMA's with Asus and that I exchanged my 10/09 G71GX(BBY) for a Brand New G73JH 1199.99USD on 04/05/10 without a Bestbuy Black Tie Warranty and received 100.00 in store credit. Would you believe me?
Probably not. It did happend. Hows that for a warranty/upgrade?

The reason that I have never mentioned this is because I respect Bestbuy's decision to do the exchange because of Asus's awful RMA process that never addressed my G71's GPU problems and was returned to me with Vista(W764bit was installed at time of RMA) with the exact same failing GPU.

For the most part Bestbuy has been reasonable and treated me with respect on my pursuit for a good gaming laptop. I have ran into a few Bestbuy/Geek Squad idiots but all in all they have surpassed my expectations.

**I would like to thank Bestbuy/GOD's GRACE for making the above^ possible**

 

Well said skygunner-

Ya when I went to take back my first G73 to best buy bc of a faulty audio issue that seemed hardware related...the employee literally gave me a new one and didnt even so much as "shake" my box to check contents..she threw it in a cart...I thought to myself "damn, I shoulda taken a stick or RAM out and the battery as a spare"...sh^$...I shoulda just left the box empty and I wouldve had 2 G73's!!!

While people are waiting for RMA's...Im swapping out brand new units with no questions asked!

 

hmmm.....I never thought about taking out a stick of ram....lol. Usually I can tell if a PC's gonna work out for me during the return period. I love the fact that I can physically return/exchange my unit where I purchased it from. That also applies to Bestbuy online. Here in Anchorage we have no sales tax but Bestbuy charges a premium on most items because of shipping. Bestbuy allows us to price match online and continue to pay no sales tax. Bestbuy FTW!!

What's strange to me is that 1199.99 for the 05 models seems WAY to low compared to the 1599.99 model. I bet that when the online retailers heard about the 05 models for 1199.99 they were like...what the hell? It wouldn't surprise me if ASUS/Bestbuy were selling these for a reduced amount to see if there's still a mainstream market for this product at this price point.

They've done this before with the G72-05 & the G71-05. Originally the G71 was 1199.99 and rose to 1299.99. If I were planning to get one from Bestbuy I would do it asap because Bestbuy may raise the price based on sales.

 

780inco, yeah the ability to just drive a couple miles up the street and grab a new one if it's RMA material was a another reason for me to pick up the BB model.

 

Wish someone would post some good pics of the screen. A video showing washout angles would be even better.

 

AA isn't a necessity when gaming at 1920x1080. Most high end desktop GPUs will struggle with AA on at that resolution too.

I personally play with no AA on my X1. It still looks good to me. The G73 can handle 1920x1080 pretty well. You always have to tweak settings at just about every resolution to get a game to perform to your personal taste. Newer games always outpace hardware. Otherwise, there would no incentive for any of us to upgrade.

I only purchased an X1 because the Best Buy model wasn't on sale yet. Plus, none of my lcd televisions or monitors have been true HD resolution.

They are both equally good laptops. It's just a matter of personal taste and budget.

 

Being able to take to best buy is good. But my experiance with them is not so good. I would rather wait and RMA than give them my $$. I won't even but a DVD from them. But I do go in there and look at stuff

 

Well it seems that we should all agree to disagree. Personally I have seen serious limitations from the 5870 on the A1 model at 1920 x 1080 especially in Bad Company 2. I also think running games at 1600 x 900(900p) with at least 4XAA looks/runs smoother than 1920 x 1080 without AA. The 1920 x 1080 screen also shows a ton of screen tearing compared to the 1600 x 900 screen.<--This is a personal observation. You don't have to agree with me. I'll get over it.

The bottom line is that we are all here with basically the exact same AWESOME PC and should probably focus our attention to playing games instead of arguing about sticks and stones.

 

I personally prefer the bestbuy models G72 & G73 exactly because of the lower screen resolution. Mobile GPUs will never be as fast as desktop ones so their gaming lifespan is even shorter. Then the most efficient way to extend that is to simply run games at a lower resolution. At least for my eyes, anything > 1280x800 with 4xFSAA on a 14"+ screen is good enough. I'd prefer a 1440x900 for G72/G73 level GPUs, but 1600x900 is ok. full HD is nice but if games run choppy then what's the point? I don't watch movie on laptop anyway, I have my large lcd TV for that.
just my personal opinion though.

 

Well said.

I download alot of movies online some of them are not HD. What I've come to notice is that the higher the screen res the worse those movie look. I also favor 1440 x 900. Just like my old G71GX.

 

Just my 2c, but if you use a BC2 configurator and lock it in DX9 mode, it runs flawlessly at 1080. I really can't see a difference from DX11 mode.

 

I have a DX11 GPU, why would I want to settle for running games in DX9? That's like putting snow tires on a Ferrari.

 

Like I said, I can't see a difference :V

Also a solid 60fps minimum is nice with how effect heavy that game can get in squad and vehicle firefights.

 

that's true but at 1600 x 900 most games run at very high settings in DX10 with AA enabled and hover around or above 60 FPS. It depends on the game and if Vsync is enabled.

If a 1440 x 900 option was available I would have chosen that model instead of 1600 x 900. But that's just me
I've seen the same games run on a A1 model without AA because of the limitations of the 5870 and I've seen how AA could improve the image at 1920 x 1080. That's why its available to select at 1920 x 1080.

EVERYONE is entitled to their own opinion that is why there are different models of the same series. I will try to refrain from further commenting about screen res to accommodate a better topic regarding the G73.

 

Haha, I'm one of the people who runs without AA at 1080, though certain engines have issues with vegetation, so I go 2x.

 

I wanted 1600x900 not only for gaming. Mine is typically a desktop replacement, and so it's sitting on a desk with a real keyboard in front of it. At work, I have a couple 1680x1050 monitors, and I noticed on my Inspiron 9300 at home running at its 1900x1200 resolution (which is obviously higher than 1080p), that it was just too high a resolution without tweaking the font size to irregular sizes sitting back a couple feet from the panel.

To each his own, but we know the BB is a good deal with lots of other benefits (pick up a new one without having to send it and wait, 0% for 18 months, Rewards Zone benefits...etc).

I'm really happy with it. The only problem I've had is the infamous "slowness after been on battery" problem, but that's not a deal killer for me - it's primarily a desktop replacement, even though it's a helluva lot more "lappable" than my inspiron 9300.

 

Isnt better to buy G73 directly with 1920 x 1080 if there is good opportunity anyway? You should set lower resolution 1600 x 900 anyway... or am i wrong?

 

Games don't look as sharp or crisp when you lower the resolution.
Running games at a laptops native res is much better, but it's all debatable and I'm sure members are going to chime in saying " screen looks fine" when lowering the res for demanding games.
I can tell the difference and so can a lot of other members.
Just my 2 cents.

 

It's all personal preference. Some people are audiophiles and others videophiles. As long as it doesn't affect my game (as in higher res offers an advantage) I don't care. Playing Bioshock 2 with reduced res and 4xAA has little effect on my game. Playing Battlefield 2 on the other hand is good for long distance sniping. Granted BF2 you can play maxed on pretty much any machine these days.

 

Is there a way to get 5.1 SPDIF out of this laptop (Asus G7) through software? Not for just Dolby Digital or DTS encoded movies, but for say my games and all windows sounds (Such as youtube). Such as converting the sound to 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS......As my Realtek onboard only supports 2 Channel in Windows Volume Control.

 

I think I'm gonna connect this up and see how performance and gaming is connected to a 65" panny plasma
=D

 

No that's called on-the-fly encoding. The source engine can do it for games, and AC3filter can do it for media.

I don't know about other games.

 

+1 I prefer native res when at all possible. Big reason I didn't buy that 27" iMac. 2560x1440 is just too high res for the ATI4850.

My BB G73 is great at 1600x900.

Cheers,

 

So I just set my volume panel in windows to 2 channel realtek digital output and in source games I set it to 5.1?

 

no, source games have a command link option that lets them encode dd5.1 in-engine.

You'll have to google for more info, that's all I remember.

 

Hmm weird...I put snd_digital_surround and it keeps switching back to 2 channel

 

Friggen A! My order keeps getting pushed further and further....

A few questions if I may.

How is the Sound? It's missing the subwoofer and of lesser quality yes? I know the A2s get a lot of love for a booming sound system, how does the Best Buy version compare?

Can anyone provide a side by side between the two screens? I've seen the BB screen and it's pretty.... mediocre. Especially the brightness. Even my girlfriend's Asus UL50vt has a brighter screen.

 

I've never read that the subwoofer is missing from the BB model. Where did you see this?

 

260 is a pretty comparable GPU. Is a 20% gain a worthy upgrade? It is for some. For others, not as much.

 

The Bestbuy versions DO have the subwoofer.

 

slap me side ways and call him a hippie... I might just cancel the order and pull the trigger. We've got two in stock nearby. 1350 after tax but hey, still save 200 I guess.

 

I still say get the tigerdirect one, 1395 after bing cashback, no tax, no shipping, and everything the A series has (except for 2x 320s instead of 2x 500s and no mouse or backpack)

 

I'm only seeing the x3 for 1549, which would be the same price as the order I have on powernotebook. Except if I stick with them I get a free bag, mouse and more HD space for the exact same price.

BB model+SSD is starting to sound very tempting....

 

use bing cashback, it gives you 10% off ($155)

 

I cant seem to find tigertdirect through bing. Just the ocean of ebay listings from excalibur. Am I doing something wrong?

 

use the stores page, under "T"

 

I just ordered the X3 from TigerDirect last night. $1,549 - 12.3% Bing Cashback + Free Shipping + No sales tax for most states comes out to around $1,360 for me. Should ship on Monday, and the only difference between it and the A2 seems to be that instead of two 500GB drives it has two 320GB drives. I can let everyone know for sure sometime next week.

For anyone looking, I had a terrible time getting TigerDirect/Bing to recognize the 12.3% cashback. For a long time it wouldn't show any cashback, and then 8-10%. The only thing I can suggest is try both the Cashback Stores link on the left and various keywords like Laptop and TigerDirect.