Timing to buy a G series

I'm looking to buy a new laptop for gaming and was looking into the ASUS G Series G53SW-XN1.

However, I'm looking for some advice on the best timing to buy a laptop. I noticed that the G53SW has been out for a while, so I'm afraid that if I buy one now that a newer model will be out in a month or two. If that's the case, I would rather just wait a little longer.

Does anyone have any advice on this timing? Does ASUS typically release newer models around a certain time? Thanks in advance.

 

I think we still have no dates for future version , but from my experience , if you want to play Battlefield 3 , wait a bit for series like 570-580 to get in Asus product , or the newest 600 Series that will come in the future.

460 and 560 can run pretty well nearly everything out now , but Battlefield 3 is , in my opinion , not satisfying enough , especially because i play at 1080P ( wich can be your case if you plug an external screen )

Ivy bridge are also coming , even if you don't care , i would have wait for them to come as sandy bridges CPU will getting their price lower.

But , if you need a laptop now for chrismas , i may depend. You know , in computing , you can always keep your money in your hands , you will ALWAYS get a better product after waiting. Now that we are about to change CPU architecture and GPU series , i would have say " wait a bit ".

 

The only Asus G series that is still really competing with the latest games and into 2012 is going to be the full G74SX with the 192 bit GPU. The 460M 192 bit is fine but only if you intend to keep the laptop for a short period of time it will not be running at max settings for much longer and the 560M is not going to push out ultra settings forever.

The Sandy bridge is still powerful enough for any game so you either have to decide in picking up a cheap deal on the G74 or hanging onto till probably Q2 of 2012 to see if Asus release a new model with the Ivy Bridge, but there is a V.High chance it will only have a mid range 6 series card as is the norm with Asus G series these days. Their many attempts at high end gaming failed.

If you are looking for a good price then Asus if you can afford a better price Alienware if want high end + looks, otherwise Clevo/Sager offer the best bang for buck for high end but you sacrifice the lighting features.

 

Just wanted to point out that the difference between 192bit 460m and 192bit 560m is less than 10%.

 

True , if you consider other games that BF3.

I play BF3 on low with a pretty decent overclock on my 560 and it stills runs " playable " for me , not fully smooth , some maps are still just horrible.

I know i may be pessimist , but i get really disapointed after reading here and everywhere that the 560M can handle everything on ultra @1080P , this is absolutly wrong for games like BF3 or Crysis 2 that just run on lowest settings if you want to get 45-55 FPS

 

The 460M and 560M are not able to push Ultra settings at 1080p in pretty much any new game with a constant FPS above 40-50. I haven't played BF3, but in Skyrim there are moments when the FPS drops to the teens with Medium to High settings at 1080p. Forget Ultra settings, they aren't happening.

I still went with the G53SW-A1 a couple of months ago because I got an amazing deal on it. But now I'm regretting the decision a bit, because for $2-300 more I could have picked up a Malibal P150HM with identical specs except a MUCH better video card like the HD6990 or GTX485. Too bad I did not know about Malibal back then.

So if lighting features are not important to you (they aren't for me, I never used them), then the P150HM is the best choice at the moment when configured with an HD6970, HD6990 or GTX485, GTX580 depending on your budget.

I am NOT trying to attack Asus, because I absolutely love the design of the G53SW, and the price was extremely competitive when I picked mine up. But keep in mind there are other options out there. If anything, voting with your wallet will force Asus to implement standard format video cards in their laptops, or at least higher end ones. The G74SX with its integrated GTX560M is was not a good design decision on their part.

 

True, But saying that my old trusty 5870M could not really handle Ultra at 1080p when running skyrim, but that didn't stop me trying

I was an Asus junky for a long time I went from the G70S with the dual 8700's in SLI and then on to the W90VP with the crossfire 4870M's that was LOL hot and then finally settling on the awesome JH. At purhcase when I got them non of them handled everything at max settings but still I enjoyed them non the less.

I now have the 6990M which finally I can handle everything at max and I am enjoying it, but sometimes it matters not if you have the best model and in my eyes its all about getting what you can out of what you have be that the latest model or otherwise.

Of course as mentioned going for the 150HM or the 170HM like I have is always going to be the best option if you just seek gaming in comfort and portability but sometimes I just miss the wow factor and most of all the backlit keyboard which is intended to be fixed with the next clevo models.

Would I have been unhappy if my insurance company gave me a G74 instead of a big fat cheque when some pikey stole my JH? Not for a second I would burned it exactly the same way only with my 6990M there is not a lot I can do its awesome all on its own.

 

I've played about 100h of Skyrim on my G53SW-A1, without Ultra settings and I still loved it. I'm not even going to try Ultra, because just setting the shadows to High slows everything to a crawl.

Making the best of the hardware you have is ideal. Something better is always just around the corner. That said, the OP was asking if it's a good time to buy a G series laptop, and I believe now is not the time. Next revision maybe?

Keep in mind with your 170HM you can always buy another 6990 and crossfire it. If that isn't a huge selling point, I don't know what is. Most games won't see more than a 30-40% improvement with SLI or Crossfire, but I see people on this board scrounging for even a 10% improvement through overclocking, flashing experimental vbioses, etc.

What's the big deal with backlit keyboards though? I tried it, and unless you're in a pitch black room, they don't help much. I'm a touch typist, so I may be unfair. The only time I hunt for keys is the Fn combos, I never remember those.

 

170HM doesn't do SLI or Crossfire, it's a single GPU laptop.

 

I stand corrected. But the point still remains that you can buy either the P150HM or the P17HM with a GTX580, which you simply cannot do with any of Asus' laptops.

 

I am shocked when people cough up to buy a 580M GTX after comparing the performance difference to the 485M which is next to zero for a really hefty price tag, even if Asus implemented the 580M into one of their models it would never sell as the price tag would be alienware regions. The 570M might have been possible but I looked at the difference between the 6990M and 580M when building my laptop and it was the difference between £1500 and £1850. Not worth it. Especially as the performance spec is practically the same although the 1D Nvidia architecture is better. I am running at 144GB/s bandwidth with my ATI results Sig I doubt the 580M would warrant such a massive increase in price. Hence the 560M is a good card for Asus.

My setup is only a single GPU yes but with the 6990M you certainly do not need another card as well the thing is a beast and Clevo have already said the HM67 should support the 7 series so I am set for a good couple of years.

@OP you are better off waiting unless you are happy with a mid range model with the G74 otherwise look elsewhere or hang on for the Ivy.