The G73 Survey

Okay so basically this is a poll to find out how many members in NBR are havin issues with their G73s....

it might not be statistically significant, but it may give us some idea about the extent to which reliability might be a factor as far as the G73 is concerned

 

And hey, it's only the third or fourth poll of this type.

 

Note that people will have different opinions of what major or minor issues are.

 

thanks for the heads up aramis, but the last survey that I found was around 2 months old, so I thought, a more updated one was required for my purpose....[which follows].

The reason I have this survey up is because I recently got in touch with on of their Senior Marketing Executives from Redmond, and I wanted to present to him a very clear evidence of what ppl's experiences are with the G73 from a community
that actually knows a thing or two about laptops and testing it.

Bmorlok, you put up a good question sir. I should clarify the issue. Though, for the space given for a survey, there isnt nuff room to detail every term.

Major issues: any fault that cannot be fixed by the user themselves, which may compromise the core function of the laptop (gaming, 3D modeling, or any other reason for which the machine was primarily purchased).

Minor Issues: Issues that can be fixed by the user themselves, easily, without any modifications or alterations in the hardware. While they may create obstacles, they are not significant enough to jeopardize the core purpose of the laptop.

Now, I agree that whether an issue is major or minor is very subjective. I don't use steam, so havin creative software isnt a big issue for me. But for others who rely on steam for all their gaming content, havin it lock up can constitute as a major issue.

But that is the nature of human fallibility, and thus is a part of all the things in this world. I hope I was able to clarify my points.

 

i am surprised as to how many people picked the top option...

 

well it might be true that many users in this forum may actually have not had any issues with their machines, and hence have remained relatively dormant in their postings on the subject.

Thats one of the primary reasons for this survey in the first place...so I would encourage everyone here at NBR who owns at G73 to vote here....

 

Owner of a GJ3JH-X3, and other than the removing of bloatware, everything works for me.

No GSODs, no PSODs, no crashes, no freezes. Other than of course, that Fn-Esc glitch.

Note I've still on the stock drivers it came with, and haven't updated to Catalyst 10.4.

Performs like a champ.

 

I am not suprised... not everybody cares if there is better ATI driver, just enjoy their stock configuration which works for most of us

 

ditto!x3 aswell. All stock but no complains so far. Btw, bumble, do you use steam? And concurrently, did you remove the creative software?

 

Haven't installed steam yet, but will to download Portal soon. I'll report if it crashes.

If it does there's that unchecking/checking those two creative boxes that stops the crashing. I forgot which. Its like information overload here in NBR. lol

 

I had a minor issue trying to install Dragon Age Origins where it would lock once I hit the install button and the audio would freeze on the last note. Once I disabled the Creative software, everything went fine. I'm planning to just uninstall the creative software to prevent future issues. Aside from that, haven't had any issues at all.

One thing to keep in mind as with all other products is that you will usually never hear from people that have no issues, but the few that do are the most vocal about it. So what you see on dedicated enthusiast forums is not a true representation. It is just a very small sample size.

 

couldn't agree with you more about the ppl havin problems being more vocal.

While there are a lot of enthusiasts here....have come to know a lot of them (and hopefully become wiser for it), are they not likely to spot faulty machines more accurately than your average user? Also, the fact that almost 75% of the respondents had no or minor issues shows that not all users in NBR joined because of issues with their hardware.

 

Just to clarify 1 point from cnk and other users, I do not believe that every user who voted in the polls have joined NBR simply because they were having problems with their G73s. Many of the respondents were alredy members of this forum when the purchased the G73. Concurrently, the argument that "Onlythose ppl who have had problems with their units have joined NBR, and voted in the polls, hence it is not an accurate representation of the reality" does not entirely apply here.

I sincerely, thank everyone for voting.

 

I have no physical problems with the machines, it just freezes too much, i have been trying to update the bios, kinda difficult to do. I did spill a bit of juice of on the touchpad and palm rest, but i ran and cleaned that up quickly but the lock ups happened before that anyway. GPU used to idle at 63-62-61 but now at 66C i am running the 10.4 alpha drivers. I thought by updating the drivers it would be better and stop locking up nope. Should I RMA it?

 

hmm.....well opinions are divided on this. Did u uninstall all the Creative crap from the system? If not, try uninstalling those and see if it ends the lockups.

Many would argue that you should RMA it. There are a lot of G73s that run flawlessly with the 10.4 /10.3 cats. Idling at 66c is too high...what is your ambient room temp? but the newer cats are known to raise idle temps a little.

However, few users have reported stability issues and GSODs with their units with the catalyst drivers. Thus, you can argue, that since some users are able to use the newer drivers on their machines without any issues, then your unit must have a hardware flaw, hence RMA it.

One the other hand, if u absolutely do not want to RMA it, the you could get the 10.1 drivers from Asus's support site...relatively newer and more stable. Try running those and see if it solves the lockup issue. (in the download section enter the following: Notebook > Drivers > VGA....).

for updating your bios, there is an excellent thread right here in the forums, just use the search

Goodluck!

 

I've got the issue where I upgraded to Bios 206 and lost my backlight on the keyboard. So, I voted as major issue, but not enough to RMA because I can't be without my notebook for 2-3 weeks. I use it for work.

Just thought I'd add my displeasure to the mix.

(And I didn't just join to chime in. Been a member for a while. Just mostly read over posting).

 

I have the dreaded no boot issue with Bios 2.06

 

Well i always use external speakers anyway i rarely take the machine out, i will try it but i don't know what will be the next issue will be. lol Otherwise very reliable machine. Now running on 64, i do tend to overclock a lot, i was running at 825 and 1100, i usually do 800, and i ran 3D Mark Vantage and it froze when i came back from going out for a bit.

 

the first Asus was great but got PSOD due to a low resolution game after two weeks.
this one has no problems whatsoever (having it for more than two weeks as the first one was replaced)
So I don't know what to vote, since it was replaced in shop.

 

lol how can you say >> otherwise very reliable machine! And in your previous post you are saying >>
I have no physical problems with the machines, it just freezes too much, It does not sound very reliable to me lloll

 

rorage, since you initially had to rma due to a PSOD, and your replacement unit has no issues, this should go under option #5.

i.e. Had Major issues, RMA resolved it....(so far)

 

I just really love this machine a lot i do have a trade offering for a np8690 lol, only they had backlit keyboards, should i update the bios?

 

well so far the response from the 209 bios have been positive. Having said that, you should consider (at least!) two things:

a) the 209 does not fix the GSOD issue with the 10.4 Cats, but eliminates the throttling issue and the Fn+Esc bug. GPU dynamically downclocks depending on usage. But this one doesnt fix the KB lights, which were killed by 206.

b) If possible, wait until the official Asus release before upgrading, since, a few more issues might be fixed (thats what Im doing).

btw, the clevo does look nice but since I havent used it, I would suggest checkin out NBR's clevo forum to get a feel of what the owners are saying, and draw your conclusions from there.

Goodluck!

 

Some people want to trade for D900F i might just for that and keep this one, i do like this one a lot, but i always seem to have an overheating problem with Asus lol. Here is a post about the gpu heating here, http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/458025-asus-g73-benchmark-thread-210.html. I am going to wait for the 209 official release though. Thanks for the advice yeah its a nice clevo.

 

what exactly are the issues you are facing. Remember Devil is in the details!

 

Ok i figured out the freezing was probably caused by ram that seemed to have fell out no wonder why sometimes it felt bottle necked, seems to be better now, i then also re screwed the partial video card exposed as i was trying before to get to it in the past. The gpu is still slightly running at the same levels as before. Just degrees less, 64 C. Devil in the details lol.

 

I would have got a clevo, but the price difference here in canada was huge. g73 for $1600, or similar clevo for $2200.

 

I should be able to cast two votes since neither of my units have any issues! Oh well, doesn't look like too many are really having bad problems anyway considering many times more negative get reported for each positive.

 

So far so good but I've had the unit for less than a week. Not running anything except the stock drivers. After I've had it for a month I'll fill this out.

 

The only place I think Clevo are reasonably priced is in the Uk only because all high end notebooks are unreasonably priced. Ridiculous pricing...

 

Two of us at work bought these to use with AutoCAD MEP doing 3d design. After searching for a laptop for a few months we found these. Our IT department didn't want us to get these they kept pushing us to try out different HP's and none would handle the graphics we needed. They also at first thought we were asking to get an Acer laptop (starting to fell these are built by Acer but then again they might run better). His has worked flawless. I'm running on my 2nd one. First one started doing strange things like all the screen fads where very very slow and jerky (as well as typing in anything). I complained about thinking I was typing to soft with the missed keystrokes, He thought he was doing the same thing (to find out on the forums it must be designed to work this way!). Then it started to blue screen on me. I took it back within two weeks and exchanged it. Now about two weeks into my second one I noticed the slow fads and jerky typing (Restarting helps). But feel like I got one hell of high performance lemon. There needs to be a spec listed on what a POS a computer is. I was really unhappy reading through Asus's own forum about all the problems and how no one from Asus seems to be responding, as well as how many are not getting fixed when they are returned. But the keyboard problem is a joke. I've never had to hit the backspace and <- key so often in my life (even when I was learning to type).

Sad when I would rather use my 2 year old HP with 4 gigs of mem and only dual core than deal with how duped I feel using this Asus G73.

 

Upgrade to the 209 BIOS. Will help with your throttling issues and keyboard conflict.

 

well there have been a few people here in the forums, whose issues with the keyboard lag did not get resolved with the 209 update, but its certainly worth a try (though it might come at the price of a BRICK). (Mine still lags after a successful flash to 209 - KB lights still works though).

 

I voted for the first pick. I was surprised that it wasn't a landslide in favor of the first pick. But then I'm not a gamer at all (unless freecell and spider solitaire count) I mostly wanted a desktop replacement to run Office 2007 (soon to be Office 2010) It is doing that great, with Windows 7 user experience ranking of 7. The weak link in the chain is apparently the processor!

I like to watch this forum though to find out about the drivers and bios updates that need to be done, as well as the step by step guides that are written by knowledgeable members. My G73jh came with Bios 206 and everything worked fine. I upgraded to 209 and everything still is fine. I'm going to check the ATI vbios next!

I still don't understand a lot of the language that is spoken here regarding the dark mysterious workings of the hardware, and how it is measured, so I plan to stick around.

Overall, the G73 is a magnificent computer, and a terrific value. I hope it proves to be long lasting as well.

 

So you bought a G73JH to run Office 2007. "Overkill" comes to mind. Do you work for the military?

 

Thats funny. The bottleneck is always the hard-drive, which has a hard time (no pun intended) keeping up with the rest of the hardware. My processor rating is 7.2, with the hard disk getting the lowest score of 5.9. Also, I completely agree with Chastity here...nuking the fly aren't we?

 

With the SSD drive I get a 7.6 on the hard drive, but the processor is the weak link with only 7.0. I even checked it with turbo mode on!

I thought I'd get some roll eyes from my use. But check back with me in a couple of years, when netbooks have the kind of power the G73 currently has, and Windows and Office have bloated themselves all out of proportion. Then this lappy won't seem like overkill anymore.

 

Some people are really terrible at typing and unable to accept it and learn to type, instead blame hardware.

 

Don't let them give you a hard time

This is a great machine for running Office. You can also run Exchange server, multiple SQL Server instances, web servers, etc. and still play modern games - all at the same time you're using Office.

The performance overhead makes for a great user experience using the machine for everyday tasks

 

2 mo still no problems

 

You understand Mark! I am connected to a MySql server and also a MSSql Server 2005 through my Access database, and also use web publishing, .Net and ASP developers kit. I think of bending Windows to my will as just another version of World of Warcraft!

I was nearly going to buy the Dell Studio 17 which I had outfitted almost the same as the G73, but the G73 won out because of its great heat handling ability and superior value! (plus they both have lighted keyboards!)

When I check the exhaust vents on the backside, the right vent is warm and the left vent is cool.
</marks>

 

I almost bought a Qosmio (gag)...thank goodness I ran across the G73 before I bought the Toshiba!

The heat difference on the vents is normal....CPU is on the left and GPU on the right. Run something real CPU intensive and you should feel the left side heat up or maybe even the fan speed up

 

Compared to my M1730 which was seemingly indestructible, my g73 doesn't even feel like overclocking.

Not a major issue though.

edit: oops never saw how old this thread was.

 

only issue i had was right after i installed CC 10.6. As soon as i went back to factory default, everything ran great and i haven't had a single issue since then

 

Well, I updated to the 10.6 and temps went up by 5 - 10C. Subsequently updated to 10.7 and the high temps persisted. After about a week of testing both of these drivers on a myriad of games (Transformers, Singularity, Alpha Protocol, Mass Effect 2 and GTA IV) without any GSODs, Im going back to stocks since my machine just can seem to handle the extra heat too well. It shut down twice, both times about an hour into GTA IV, with temps reaching upto 110C :O

But strangely enough, after reverting back to the stock 9.12, the temps still remained higher than about a month ago, indicating there might be a problem with either the GPU Van or a poor thermal paste job by Asus. Either ways, its a complicated issue to resolve. Maybe the 211 Bios to kick in the fans at a higher RPM will be a temporary solution. :|

 

Or maybe you really do need a repaste job.