Upgrading Recommendations

So I've had my current laptop coming up on 2 years. About time to upgrade. Currently have the Asus G7 with the Nvidia gtx 260m, BB model (cause I didn't know they gimped BB models at the time), core duo.


So looking to around Christmas probably upgrade to another 17" with quad core, ungimped nvidia card. Is the G73SW pretty good, I know it's the older 460m, but it's about 1100 right now, figure around christmas may even drop another 100. Or should I go for the 560m? Is there that much difference between the 2?

 

I think since you have a G7 now you'll want to stick with that series. For their gaming models the G73SW would be a good choice if they are still around by Christmas. You're seeing these low prices because they are on clearance pricing as Asus has released the G74SX which has the 560M. Once the SW models are gone they're gone. Both cards are very respectable but the 560M has been showing about 7-10% increase in performance. The G74 also has a slight chassis redesign which has been helping with temps too, we've been seeing roughly 5C lower temps.

If you can grab an SW go for it, it they're not around anymore the SX will be the way to go.

 

Um the new G74SX has the power cord on the side right? I sit on my couch to game alot, with the arm on my left since I'm right handed, how much does the cord stick out? how longs the cable?

Also, saw this on your sight, any thoughts about it:

http://www.xoticpc.com/force-1761-msi-1761-preorder-p-3152.html?wconfigure=yes

The i5 doesn't bother me, since I won't need 8 hyperthreads normally. 570m seems nice.

Although, http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g74sxxr1-p-3139.html?wconfigure=yes for a couple hundred more seems very nice. 3gb on the GPU.

 

Dang, that's cool that has a GTX 570! Wish my G74 did, but for today's games it seems to run stuff great.

My understanding is the G74 also has a lot better cooling than the MSI stuff-I've definetly been impressed both by how cool it keeps it so far, plus how quiet it is under load, relatively speaking. I think it's the quietest notebook I've heard under load.

 

That's good to know. How is the power plug in? I'm nervous being on side it's gonna be a pain.

 

The G74SX does have the power plug on the right. Some people have said its inconvenient but it far enough back on the chassis that it shouldn't bother you too much. No doubt it would be better on the rear but its not horrible where its at.

The 1761 is a nice rig since it has the 570M in it, they have been showing really nice results and if you're into it great overclocking capabilities. It's a pre-order though, but if you can wait a few weeks then its a great one to go with. The i5 clocks speeds are actually higher then the 2630QM so for games that aren't made to take advantage of a quad core it would actually be faster.

For cooling the G74 is really really good, probably the coolest 17.3" model we offer. Since the Force 1761 isnt in stock yet we cant compare the two but based on previous models the Asus will probably run a few degrees lower.

 

Is there a way to know what all the G74SX-?? mean? Like differences between XN1, RH71, Xr1, etc.

 

Cool ty for info. Yea I'm not looking for right now. Just doing homework. Would love to know how the MSI runs.

 

The different numbers after G74SX- all will denote different options like hardware configuration, will it come with backpack and mouse and warranty differneces (1yr vs 2yr). Really the only way to compare them all is to look at specs side by side. Look at things like hard drive size/speed, amount of RAM, optical drive (blu ray), etc

 

If the plug becomes a nuisance you can get a L-adapter for for the connection. Th eTargus APA05US tips are l-shaped and improve the ergonomic factor.

 

Yeah, personally it hasn't been an issue for me at all, although the USB ports are kind of far forward. At least on my table thingee the power and Ethernet cable positioning has been fine.

I didn't know about that Xotic/MSI system...assuming it can use Nvidia's normal drivers without hacks and doesn't use Optimus, it sounds like it's well worth considering!

With the CPU listed, it has the same max (self) overclocking potential as the 2630QM, 2.9GHz. For stuff that only takes advantage of 2 CPUs, they should be...well, actually the 2630QM would still have a potential (very slight) advantage in that case because it's got 6MB of cache versus 3 on that dual core.

But basically for stuff that uses 1 or 2 CPUs they should be pretty much identical, assuming the cooling on that MSI can support running 2 cores as fast as the G74 does, if that makes sense.

But of course the GPU on that MSI is better. Sounds like potentially one of the best systems on the market!