The G73JH Facebook Revolution

The following is a repost from "Why aren't we bothering ASUS?", with a transcript of my original Facebook post. JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

I posted a tirade today on the ASUS facebook page about the g73jh-a1. I recommend all other disgruntled g73 owners either do the same, or comment on the OP. we need to become more public with our concerns and discoveries. notebook review forum is a niche outlet.

ASUS on Facebook

Original Facebook Post

"Bought the G73JH-A1, and doubled the cost of the laptop with upgrades. I regret that decision, as ASUS refuses to update their ATi drivers to stay compatible with the latest games. On their flagship REPUBLIC OF GAMERS branded laptop, the driver support is non-existent. Use ATi released drivers, which are already up to 10.7, and the G73JH will crash with a screen of alternating vertical light and dark grey lines. Every G73JH model will do this unless you use ASUS released drivers, because ASUS included inferior vRAM and GPU on their cheapened version of the Radeon 5870 chipset. ASUS reps refuse to acknowledge the problem. After dozens of phone calls from me alone, every rep I talk to says this is the first they have heard of the crashing problem. Bold faced lie.

In conclusion, this machine is nothing but a gigantic false advertisement."

 

A class action suit would probably do better.

 

Better than doing nothing.

 

When I suggested posting on Facebook, I also suggested contacting the BBB. I haven't done it yet but if there's enough of us complaining about Asus America, something might get done at least on our side of the pond.

 

Only problem is that the BBB is not a federally run company. Its a for profit business that automatically gives paying members better grades. If you aren't a member you can not get above a C.

 

Meh. When I had a complaint about Acer, I sent in a BBB thing and Acer responded within a few days.

 

Just posted on the facebook wall. We should try and make sure there is at least one post about the g73 on the front page at all times. Also go to cnet.com and bestbuy.com and give a bad review stating that if the problem were to be fixed a much more favorable review would be given.

 

where d oyou click to post on front page?!?!

 

I don't understand your inquiry.

 

Bought mine, installed clean, updated to 10.6s. No crashes.
Updated to 10.7s, no crashes.

Overclocks from 700/1000 to 825/1150 and plays EVERY game (picked up like 70 games on the steam summer sale) without a hitch.

Try the modified vbios version 3, it may help you.


But certainly to say that your problem happens on every single other g73 just makes you seem like a whiny assumptive jerk. Because you're wrong.

ps. and how the hell did you spend $3000 in upgrades on a $1500 laptop? That's retarded. It's not like this laptop has anything except the drives that even can be upgraded....
....
unless you did a teardown to replace the cpu.... and put it back together badly.

So... did you have these GSODs before your 'upgrades'?

 

I already told Asus about the driver issues on July 23rd, hopefully something can be done soon.

 

On what grounds?

 

I don't have a facebook account.

 

Except for Furmark, my A73 has not experienced any GSODs and I'm using the latest drivers. I did just get the laptop yesterday, however.

The GSOD is a bug that is connected to the whole 5000 series...my Asus laptop is a contrast to my experience using the desktop version of the ATI 5770. That thing crashed all my games within 20 minutes, despite using ATI's latest drivers. It got to the point my computer could not even play streaming video without crashing, so I downgraded back to my old reliable 4850. I agree it seems the drivers are slow though from Asus in general. My old A8JM seldom had updated graphics drivers and I ended up getting a modified version from a different website.

 

I am using 10.7 on Ziddy's v3 vBIOS.

Give it time, my friend. You too will GSOD. However, even if I am being assumptive, there is no denying there are systemic issues with this machine and ASUS driver support. I just want the driver support necessary for this machine to perform as advertised, and that is certainly not being a jerk.

Read my signature block. However, I incorrectly phrased my original post. I should have said "doubled the cost of the laptop with upgrades." I bought my legitimate upgrades from BTO Tech, none of which involved the CPU or GPU. And I take it you are not taking part in the revolution. You are perfectly satisfied with having to run a modified vBIOS, created by a user like you and me, to get your machine to work as advertised. There is something inherently wrong with that.

 

Ok then. Time to RMA. There should be no reason you can't use ATI drivers. IF you can't, get a replacement.


No, I doubt that very much. I've pushed up to 825/1225 and played batman:aa for 4 hours before I saw my first gray screen. Even then though, it wasn't the GSOD, since it didn't crash the machine, I alt-tabbed out, lowered my clocks and kept on playing. I've played a dozen other games and nothing has given me a GSOD, including many of the games known to cause one within minutes (DAO, ME2, metro2033, RE5, oblivion, batman:aa, JC2, l4d, l4d2, supcom2, tomb raiders, TF2, CoH, SF4, WH 40k oW 2)


Wow. $1500 for 16gb of ram. Well I guess that would do it; you're right I read it in your OP as $3000. Why though? The only thing I can think would even try to use more than 8gb is maybe flight or train sims.

I'm perfectly happy with my laptop being stable and fast. I'm happy modifying it to get extra features that weren't advertised or expected when I bought the machine like overdrive and adjusted powerplay. Then again I'm perfectly happy hotswapping pci cards and hotflashing bios chips in desktops. I'm rough on hardware.

I'm not taking part in the revolution because I'm happy with my laptop, and even if I weren't, facebook offends me on so many levels that I closed my account.


I hope you and everyone else unable to use stock drivers without crashes gets a fix though. It's obvious there was a bad batch of gpus or something causing some very real problems for some of you; and asus should fix that.

I just think that they already have the RMA replacement process in place to do that and internet petitions are useless wastes of time.

 

I would like to add that using a RBE modded vBIOS isn't exactly a huge mod stretch, since it still is the stock vBIOS, but with some modified timings and voltages for battery life, and the Overdrive enabled.

An unacceptable mod would be having to use another company's vBIOS to get yours to work. Oh wait, some have done that...

 

I think you're missing the other half of the story. I can't TELL you how many posts I've read about people who have RMA'd their G73 2. . . 3. . . 4. . even 5 times. Others have sent their G73s in for repairs and wait weeks with no idea what's going on, and are only given the runaround when they attempt to contact Asus about the issue. Granted, there is always going to be a % of manufactured goods that are in some way sub-standard or defective. . and typically people with NO issues are not going to surf around on forums posting about how great their new notebook is: They'll be too busy USING it.

The issue here is that there is a KNOWN ISSUE with the drivers/graphics cards on these notebooks. Asus is refusing to acknowldege this [which I guess is pretty typical corporate policy]. At some point there needs to be accountability, or corporations will continue to force the "you'll take what we give you and like it or else" agenda.

Ultimately, the best way to voice dissatisfaction with a product/manufacturer is to "vote with your dollars". In Lieu of that [since many people lost all their dollars purchasing said notebook] is a continued stream of constructive customer dissatisfaction, publicly aired, in an attempt to pressure said manufacturer to address the issues to stop public "bad press".

IE, what's going on here in the first place.

 

Wouldn't it be a kick in the head if Asus designed the GPU card along the desktop specs, which may explain why some people are having success with the desktop version vs the Mobility?

 

Hey, I think that there is a very real problem with some of the G73's out there and that the replacement service is not fast enough or comprehensive enough to make those affected users happy.

No argument.



But what is the facebook group going to do? Best case scenario is Asus steps up and says "yeah, there are problems, we'll fix or replace defective units"

.... except they already do all of that. PLUS they have the 2 year complimentary accidental warranty. Are you REALLY pissed about your gpu crashes? Toss the laptop in the bath tub and get another one.


I also don't buy for a second that this issue affects ALL G73s. I doubt it's much above the industry average of about 5%. Maybe a bit more, but certainly not all units.

Seems like an awful lot of rage towards a company who at least attempts to fix their hardware. If you've ever had HP, Dell, Voodoo, or Acer laptop support, or hardware issues handled by bestbuy/futureshop you'd be thankful at least that Asus doesn't charge you $100 and keep the laptop for 4 months while fixing and replacing NOTHING and telling you there are no problems with the unit.

 

I was one of the people who thought they had a G73 that is immune to the GSOD issue. I've had the laptop for about two months now and been keeping up on various topics on this forum.
Anyway two days ago I fired up FURMARK and after about 30mins my screen started flickering and Bam! GSOD!
Until then I was sympathetic but thought it was presumptive to say that all G73's had the problem.
I was wrong.

 

30 minutes of futuremark hmm?

Fair enough, I'm game to put my money where my mouth is.
I'll download it now and run it tonight. If I GSOD, at least I'll still be in good company here.


Which version of furmark, what settings, what power profile in the OS?
Give me every variable to try and force this, because if furmark can force mine to GSOD, and I've never had a single hitch other than when I ran a ridiculous overclock in 40c heat; well then that sure would lend some weight to the argument that every single unit is affected.

 

I'm not saying that you'll automatically get it by running Furmark because I've run it before as well as other benchmarks and games without issue.
BSOD still isn't a big issue for me because I've only gotten it once but one time was enough to change my mind.
If you want to give a try you should run it using the latest ATI reference driver (10.7.)
Also run it at your screen's native resolution but in windowed mode with extreme burn mode checked.
Be very careful however as this program has been known to cause some GPUs to overheat so USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
If the temp gets above 104C then you should probably shut it down.

EDIT: As for where to get it just do a google search.

 

Using 10.7.
I'll grab and use Vantage from one of the mirrors here:
Futuremark - Benchmarks - 3DMark Vantage - Download

windowed mode at what? 1280x1024 I'm guessing.
Extreme burn in, ok.


I was over 104c sustained for several hours before I had that one-time glitch, I forget how high though. 106? 112? it seemed really high at the time though, so that was when I downed my overdrive to a pretty reasonable 750/1050. The ram seems to be the limiting factor on my card though, I put it to 825/1100 and it was stable... but I just didn't feel like I needed it, as gains were pretty small, and temps above 95 just don't feel good.

 

Now I'm confused.
Are you talking about Furmark or Futuremark because I was talking about Furmark.
Sorry about the confusion but my point is that even those of us who aren't having a problem with this issue should be sympathetic.

 

Ahhhh ok.

Getting furmark 1.8.2 latest version.

Yeah, I'm absolutely sympathetic; right up until the point that someone starts shooting their mouth off saying every single unit is crap and that a class action lawsuit is deserved. I mean really.

Yours craps out? I'm sympathetic.
Your RMA took 3 weeks? I'm sympathetic.
You think you need to organize some kind of grassroots facebook petition because you're angry? You feel that the 20-30 posters here know better than the thousands upon thousands of units sold? Not so sympathetic

I mean christ; starcraft 2 was killing nvidia gtx's like they were popping popcorn. The failure rate was 100% when you had a specific driver and vertical refresh turned off. THAT was a hardware/driver/game flaw deserving of serious attention.


Edit: oh, so furmark does the same thing as MSI kombustor. Let's see if this one has some secret GSOD sauce kombuster didn't.

 

The thing is we cant update our ATI drivers with a stock Bios if we want it to be stable in all aplications.

Everything is rock solid with the stock bios and video driver,Unfortunately there are some applications like after effects and premiere that need a newer ati video driver to function.

And honestly,you shouldnt be expected to be on there stock video driver forever.

I'm sure they will work it out eventually,but the more publicity and the more vendors that complain the better chances they will eventually hotfix it.

 

Wow. Well it sure did have some secret sauce. Furmark is pretty stressful I have to say.

Took about 3-4 mins on extreme burn in before my temps hit 110 and I started to get a bit worried.
Another 30-45 seconds later I hit 114 and the machine turned off.
No GSOD though, just the thermal protection kicking in and shutting the laptop off to avoid damage.


So.... ok, I suppose I could run and re-run hitting 114 time after time until I burn my laptop to a crisp. But that would prove I killed my GPU, not that my GPU is affected by the GSOD bug.

The GSOD should happen at temps way below the thermal thresholds according to everyone, and I'm not seeing that.

Maybe turn off the 'extreme burn in' and let it plow along for an hour? I'll have to try that later tonight.

 

Well, first off, your temps are way too high, ieatrocks. In my worst case scenario for air cooling, my max temp has been 85C with Furmark, after the repasting. Beforehand, I would hit about 101C+ and destabilize to a GSOD or lockup.

Oh, and you want to see a GSOD? run the Furmark with no overclocking (700/1000)

 

This Asus's response today:

"We have asked HQ to update the VGA drivers on our website for the G73 but until then we don’t recommend customer to use driver from ATI site."

They are working on new drivers.

 

Oh that is good news. Hope its soon!

 

Me to hope they work with ati to pump them out along with the ati releases.

 

O_O fixing all our worries ?! *here's to hoping*

QUICK! someone get a stick and an annoying kid to poke HQ with!

 

Drivers or vBios?
Becouse if we only get one driver update now and not anymore for months to come again or worse even never again it wont really be a permanent solution and i think well be ranting again pretty soon...
A fully working vBios would be a permanent solution though if thats the problem...

 

Beats the situation right now atleast....

 

yeah that would blow if they gave us 10.7 and then never gave us another one.

 

That i agree with but i always look at things long term as well.

 

*nods* agreed...but still beats the current situation atleast xD

 

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And thank you Ken for your effort, i know its none of your fault and youre trying hard, so dont take it as an insult to you when i comment about Asus. I consider you to be a great reseller and of much help. I just have a pretty bad grudge with Asus.

 

And to tick us off even more, it'll be Cat 10.5 that they supply.

 

I don't have a facebook account and don't plan on getting one.
I'm old-school when it comes to internet privacy.

 

Feel the same way. Got my gf one of those "no im not on f****** facebook" shirts. Just says it all for you.

 

What the hell happened to Asus's Facebook page? They blocked users from writing on their wall?!!

 

Way too high? well yeah, running furmark on extreme burn in I guess so, I'm running OC'd on factory thermal paste... it never gets above 95-100 most games. Are you using the "warning this will fsck your gpu" extreme burn in option and 1.8.2? toasting the gpu is warrantied though, while cracking the case voids it. Stupid, but I'll take the warranty and just replace it if it ever fries, it can sit at 110 all day every day until it craps out so long as I get a new one.

even at 114 where the thermal protection killed power.... I still didn't GSOD or lock up, mouse was moving right up until the machine told me to go f myself.

but sure, I can try it on stock clocks tomorrow and see.

 

It looks like you can still post to me. I didn't actually try, but the option to write on the wall is still there.

... Maybe they felt intimidated and blocked you?

 

isnt the warranty just a year???

 

1 year accident coverage, 2 year parts and labour.


Also, in my attempt to GSOD my machine, I am currently furmarking the crap out of it. This is a lot more effort than I usually put in just for some forum; but what the heck, most of the posters here are genuinely helpful, and I like users willing to club and beat their hardware into submission.


So. Gathering from the statements in this thread and others, if I:
A) run furmark for 30 mins
B) in windowed mode, 1280x1024, stability test
C) on stock clocks (700/1000)
D) using cats from ATI instead of ASUS
E) any kind of driver update without a complete driver sweep out of old drivers

I WILL GSOD this laptop.

Right?

11:30 in
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2266/furmark1b.jpg
22:50 in
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4414/furmark2.jpg
and... 30+mins?
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4820/furmark3.jpg


Odd, I upgraded from 10.6 cats to 10.7. The control panel still reads 10.6, but the 10.7 installer says I'm up to date. Meh I'll probably have to driver sweep later.

 

I received my G73JH on march and I never got any GSOD on stock vbios, I update my catalyst (I already tried 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.7a), I do play alot and do furmark many times. Maybe I got the lucky unit. Just another info I do the clean install and not installing power4gear.

 

Warranty depends on where you got it. In The Netherlands it's 2 years because the law says electronics sold in Europe has to be covered by a 2 year warranty period.

A further law in The Netherlands says that based on price a product has to be of good quality. If a product has design issues like the GPU cooling quality then the manufacturer is also responsible after those 2 years. Basically this means if the G73JH burns up between 2 and 3 years Asus still has to fix it.

Unfortunately you will probably have to use your insurance( legal expenses insurance - if you have it) to make Asus fix it because they will probably at first deny this.