ASUS G73SW Owners' Lounge

I, too, had this same problem. System logs gave a helpful "Unknown Device" was waking up the system. I went into the BIOS and "Locked" everything, and this problem went away. Through trial and error, I believe this problem was caused by the Realtek drivers for me. I had downloaded them from Realtek's website on a fresh Windows reinstallation. I uninstalled the Realtek Audio drivers using programs&features, installed the drivers off the Asus website, and so far I have not been able to duplicate this same issue again.

I'll try to update again if this doesn't turn out to be culprit.

Hope this helps.

 

Hi guys, posting on this fine thread after doing so in the gaming notebook forum, hope I'm not violating any rule; if so I apologize! Feel free to delete whatever is inappropriate.

My main problem is that I can't get to update the nvidia drivers; if I do a clean uninstall of the current (native) one, my graphic card isn't recognised (nothing in the control panel, no question mark). I tried to look in BIOS if there's something wrong with the PCI settings, but I actually can't find anything about PCI...

Is it a problem for anyone else? I saw some people here managed to make it work...

The other question is a bit off topic (let me know if I should post somewhere else) but I'm wondering about the performance of my machine.
I'm getting 15-25 fps on crysis 2 on high, 15-25 on metro 2033 on high (with DX 11 tess and DOF turned off), the witcher 2 is unplayable (although I suspect it's got something to do with my driver, which is why I want to update it). Is it normal?

Also, it's common for my GPU to get as hot as 95C; it's 45 iddle... is there something wrong with my computer?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

95C seems too high. I have just overclocked my card to 850core/1700shader/1625mem and my temps in FurMark are 89C after 8 mins of Xtreme Burning (room temperature is about 24C).

Does anyone know any OC software that would allow me to overclock the memory above 1625 MHz? That's the max for MSI Afterburner.

 

Thanks a WHOLE bunch for testing, I was actually hopeing for text logs so that it would be logging what the cpu is doing in game(minimizing to take a ss would automaticaly downclock it since the SB cpus have a more agressive powersaving methods). However, since you didn't notice any performance increase after running ThrottleStop, this says it wasn't throttling anyways. I know a G53SW owner said they didn't get any throttling in SC2(tested with txt logs), so I really appreciate the effort you put into it and I guess now we know it was strictly a driver causing the performance decrease.

I am curious if Crysis 2, or any other game does throttle, and I don't own them, nor really plan to. So if you'd like to keep investigating, in RealTemp 3.67, you click on Settings>>in lower left, tick on "Log File(seconds)" and change the number to the right of it to 1. This will start a text log that shows the core clock, multiplier, temps, and stress load on the cpu. Definitely the best way to see if there is throttling going on or not, even if for a brief second.

Thanks again for the work though, really appreciate it. I figure the more games we can prove that cause throttling the faster Asus will feel inclined to fix the problem. Though, for now, I am happy just running TS fixes it, since it is a simple thing to do.

 

Oh I didn't notice that there was a log haha! Okay. I will re-install the updated driver and test it again.

For now I did activate the log when I played SCII using the 270.61 version. You might be interested to look at it. But I will post another log for 275.33. I still played 4v4 AI, in 1920x1080 res., and in High-Ultra settings.

RealTemp Log for 270.61, StarCraft II

 

Ah,, yes, exactly what I was looking for. This was on a fresh boot of not running throttlestop right? I've found that once you run throttlestop even if it is fully closed, it will continue to not throttle until next reboot. I believe I see some throttling in the logs, but not fully sure. Was TS open or was opened before logging the game play?

Again, I really appreciate you going thru all this trouble, I said in a early post of that I read someone with a G53SW wasnt seeing throttling in SC2, but I may have misread as now I just saw this from the same poster I previously thought said there wasnt. "Without Throttlestop running I get around ~30-40 FPS with the settings on Ultra/1080p, and with Throttlestop running that jumps up dramatically to around ~50-60 FPS with the same settings."

That there shows throttling is definitely occurring in SC2 on the G53SW, would be odd if the G73SW didnt throttle in SC2. Grr, now I'm sad I don't play more recent games cause I would like to totally be testing this myself. So hats off to you good sir for testing this :>.

 

Hello people. I just recently picked up the G73S, and I'd like to share a few thoughts and ask a few questions. Sorry in advance that I'm a real noob when it comes to computers.

First of all, the machine looks incredible, and I got it for the same price as the 15, so that's something. Guess it's performing well, at least when compared to my old computers.

Now, I have the one with 1.5gb graphic card, and I've installed the latest driver. I've noticed one time already, after maybe only 20 hours of use, that SC2 crashed with heavy graphic glitches. I wouldn't really care if I already hadn't experienced a gfx card burning up in my desktop, and I witnessed the same effects.
I cannot play either SC2 or WoW on max gfx settings without having around 30fps or less. SC2 even recommended medium to low on almost all graphic options. Can I not expect more out of this computer, or am I doing something wrong?
Then there are two small things: Small clicking sound from the computer when I play games. Sounds like it's coming from the hard drive, every 2-3 minutes. Should I worry?
Backlight on keyboard not working, cannot figure it out.

Some of these have most likely already been addressed, but you know, I hope someone helps me out before I have gone through 136 pages of posts.
Thanks for help and advice, guys.

 

Do the keyboard light up when you turn on the computer and doesn't light up afterwards?

You can use HWonitor or HWiNFO32 to measure your GPU and CPU temperature. If your max GPU temp doesn't exceed 85C at ambient temps around 21C it' operating normally for a G73SW, CPU shouldn't really go higher than 75C at that ambient temperature.

You should expect high settings or a mix of high and ultra with decent fps in SC2.

 

Try the previous driver, the 270.61 nVidia driver, and I think you'll find that the FPS will go UP about 10 FPS in the game you are having trouble with at this point.

In this case the newer driver was found, by one of our members here, to decrease the FPS in his G73SW by about 10 FPS...YMMV, but give it a try.

You do have the G73SW correct? With the 2630QM Core i7 CPU?

If you do, you should expect reasonable performance from the notebook, but it's not a desktop so don't expect desktop performance, is all I am writing.

Have you mistakenly hit the "Dimm all lights out" button on the top, left edge of the keyboard, above the keys where there are 3 buttons? The far "left" button negates ALL LIGHTING and it will not come back until you punch it again.

If that isn't the answer I don't know what, other than to try to Fn button the thing into submission, Hah! JK! Should have working lighted keyboard tho...

Good luck, and hope this helps.

rexrzer727

 

Correct, it's the 2630QM Core i7 CPU. I'll see if I can install the previous driver. And yes, I have tried the dim buttom But no lights. I'll figure it out somehow.
If I'm reading the temperatures correct, all four cores are at 40C when browsing the net for nonsense. Haven't looked what the cores are when gaming...

Thanks for the advice and help.

 

Oh yes TS was opened before opening SCII. I am not sure but I think it was also running while I was playing the same game. Maybe that is the reason why you see some throttling in the log. Mind you, I have zero, zilch, null knowledge when it comes to these things. But I am quite sure that the newest Nvidia driver definitely slowed the game.

I will post more logs here without TS opened and with the latest driver installed. I want to know.

 

I installed the 275.33 driver and now run a few degrees cooler in all games. Also in EVE-Online I get about 10 fps better with AA x4 and high everything else. Crysis 2 runs smoother with less splitting.

One problem I was having though, and I haven't had time to play hard, was in intensive fight scenes (both in Crysis 2 and CoD BLOPS) the comp would just go to sleep and I would bang on the space bar to wake it up really quick. Very annoying!

Although I suspect that might have been caused by my crappy wireless mouse >.> I'll know more in a day or so when I have time to get some serious gaming in

The G73SW sits at 41c both cpu and gpu at idle and the max I've seen the gpu was 73c at 27c ambient.

 

The temps are a good thing with this laptop, as they never actually eclipse the OEM ratings for the GPU and CPU both, which are 95-100-Celsius respectively. This laptop has the best cooling system of any laptop in existence, bar none. I don't know how to top it presently, it is the cooling King!

As for the continuing issue with your KBoard, have you tried going into BIOS and loading the Default configuration there? That would be the last screen in BIOS where you do that, and see if that brings back yer lights! It's worth a try for certain...I was thinking about yer problem and I thought of pulling the KB itself, it's a simple thing, and to check if the lights are physically hooked to the KB. Just click on the four latches at the top of the KB with something thin and small, like a small screwdriver, a nail file, or my favorite laptop tool, a credit card, and the KB should simply lift up with the key parts and pieces secured by the two cables, one for data, the other for the lights...ribbon cables.

I haven't done this with my KB but they are all the same basically. If you lift up the KB you should be able to see/check if both ribbon cables are secure in their respective ports, and if not there's your answer right there. If you find one of them amiss, simply unhook it from its catch--it can be tricky there so be careful and ground yourself--when working with cables, and remove the battery before doing anything, it goes without saying...and insert it fully into the catch then close it up, and done deal!

Those are the two scenarios I see that will resolve the lighting with your KB, and I hope this helps.

rexrzer727

 

A much more simple way is to see whether the KB light flash when you power on your laptop. If they don't, then it's a hardware issue.

 

Question im having some issues with performance in left4dead2.

I tried this game on GX660 MSI with 5870 and it runs smoothly with AA 16x and all maxed.

With the G73SW its stuttery a bit laggish at times.. even when i turn of all AA and turn down the Antistropic and turing off vsync..

But its still a bit laggish at times.. dont get it?!

What ive heard Nvidia should perform better than radeon but I dont know?

Help please

 

Hi guys I have another (very noobish) question.

I've been having very poor performance on my G73SW ever since I bought it a month ago. The gpu also gets really hot, around 95 degrees in game.

My first question is whether the poor performance is caused by the poor cooling? If I send it to Asus and they replace the card/improve the cooling do you think it'll get better?

Or is temperature only important so long as the computer doesn't shut itself down? Do you think my card could be damaged itself?

 

It's absolutely super cool. After monitoring it, when playing games, it's never above 60C. So NeroTulip, I don't think it's supposed to get that hot.

I'll not start disassembling it, so I'll try the bios trick for the Kboard. I see the light half a second when I start the machine, so I know it's there some where

The final issue, with the constant clicking sound from the HD(?), it's very annoying, even though it's not a loud sound. It's the same click you usually hear when you start up a machine, or power it down. It's a single click, that repeats itself every few minutes. Should I be worried?

Thanks for great help guys! When I continue to learn this machine, I may be able to give advice myself to other poor noobs.

 

does anyone have calibrated profile for G73SW with CMO1726 chi mei panel?

 

Hi, I'm having this annoying problem with the laptop. I purchased it couple of weeks ago, and it seems to happen more often now than ever.. I always connect internet wirelessly and sometimes it disconnects for like a minute or two and connects back up. This is a huge problem for me because I play online poker and it's cost me hundreds of dollars. Pretty lame. Could someone explain to me what the problem is?

Oh and the other laptop or my iphone is having issues while my laptop is having connecting hiccups... and my older laptop did not have this problem either.

Dan

 

Just joined the club myself I ordered the G73SW-A1 from Amazon. I had some store credits/promo dollars burning a hole in my pocket so why not get my first laptop. After the $100 rebate comes in my out of pocket will be $899.98. Not bad

Really looking forward to delivery on Wed. Hope I get a good one blessed with no problems

Jim

 

Hi,

I was wondering if you can install a 750GB second HDD to a G73Sw that already has an 500GB Hybrid 4GB SSD installed?

This reads on the Asus webpage: "dual HDD support up to 1.5TB / Solid State Hybrid drive up to 1TB."

( ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS G73SW)

By reading that sentence strictly, I would understand that 1,25TB is not possible if the first drive is a Hybrid drive. But it makes no sense, so that is why I'm asking about this on this forum. That sentence above probably means, that Asus only sells models that have at most 1TB if using Solid State Hybrid drives, that are 500GB max. at this moment. I sent them an e-mail, but no answer so far.

 

Hi JanneM, yes you can put any combination of 2.5" SATA hard disk or SSD or hybrid drive in the G73SW. The specs on the site are just the factory configurations offered.

There are a few exceptions to this but they are SSDs that have firmware compatibility problems.

 

No one that have an answer? To the performance issues with Left4Dead 2.

Very annoying, im considering selling the computer with loss to get around this issue

 

I've got my G73SW-A1 coming tomorrow

I want to do a clean install and start off fresh once I back up everything and make sure all is working ok.

I have the upgrade version of Windows 7 64 bit the has never been used. Would it work to wipe the HD clean and do a fresh install? Do I need the full version? I was trying to download the .iso but it is slooooow so I thought why not use the upgrade version I have. I also have the OEM full version I could use.

Thank you.

Jim

 

I'm in the UK and our supplies are a bit intermittent. I had intended just to wait and see how things go, but my current laptop is on the verge of packing in, so I really need to get on with this.

I’m still dithering, though – somehow the move from a 15” laptop to a 17” one seems like quite a big leap. What if it’s all too much for my space? Would anyone buy an unwanted laptop if the vendor won’t take it back?

The other question much in my mind is the question of disks. I’m proposing to buy it from a dealer who will add an SSD for approximately what it would cost me to buy the SSD. I’ve two options: one is the Crucial C300 256GB drive, the other an OCZ Vertex 2 240GB. This will be my first foray into SSDs and I know little about how to choose them. The difference in cost between the two is negligible.

I’m sure I remember reading somewhere that one should, these days, always go for an SSD with TRIM, which I understand to be a way of keeping the drive functioning smoothly as it fills up. I’ve been trying to check out some reviews, but most of them have more detail than I feel capable of absorbing, and don’t seem to tell me what I need to know.

One review implied that the C300 disk they were reviewing did not have TRIM, but said that it didn’t matter if you were using Windows 7 (which I will be). I haven’t be able to establish if the OCZ drive does have TRIM.

So question number one is: is it true that TRIM is less important if you have Windows 7? And number two, if it is an issue – does the C300 still lack this feature?

Then there is the issue of quality – do Crucial and OCZ have noticeably different reputations for turning out quality kit and if not, what’s the best course of action?

BTW I do realise that there are other threads on these forums about SSDs, but the main “SSD Thread” runs to nearly a thousand pages, and presumably now contains an awful lot of out of date information.

So, please, could anyone with experience or inside information enlighten me – and if possible soon, as the supplier might run out all too soon if I don’t jump now. And if I decide to wait, this machine could fail on me. I’m already having to shut it down more often than is convenient because it is overheating so badly, and the other two machines in the house are also both sick (malware in one, missing driver in the other).

 

I'm not sure where you're reading that the C300 or the Vertex 2 does not support TRIM, but both do indeed support TRIM. Both are fine drives and you really can't go wrong with either, they are fast drives. However, the C300 supports Sata 3 which the G73SW does support while the Vertex 2 has Sata 2, which is slower. So between the two, get the C300.

 

Could somebody answer this question for me? Thanks.

 

Have you tried updating/reinstalling your wireless card drivers?

 

I don't know who'd buy what, but I'm sure you could get rid of a high-end laptop no problem!

From an owners standpoint, owning both brands, they both work incredibly well, even more so if you've never ventured in to the SSD realm before!

With newer models, TRIM should be a standard, and WIN7 manages it very well, as well as automatically implementing priority SSD services without you having to do much. And yes, it's important, but no worries with those drives..you'll be happy, I can assure you.

IMOO, it's a toss up with spec's! You'll find "true believers" of both, and the charts to prove it...one way or the other! (I'll probably be heckled by both now! ) If there's an edge, I would lean to the OCZ as far as raw throughput, but only in small percentages, but then again, the Crucial seems to hold up better. With those 2 drives, there's really no way to make a bad decision. As I said, IMOO.

And there are pages and pages and pages out there for SSD's, with more and more popping up every day; as they become more mainstream, you get just plain more!
Try the below link. It's a straightforward SSD optimizing guide, without a bunch of the "secret" fixes people tell you work.
The SSD Optimization Guide | The SSD Review

Good luck to you!

 

"IMOO, it's a toss up with spec's! You'll find "true believers" of both, and the charts to prove it...one way or the other! (I'll probably be heckled by both now! ) If there's an edge, I would lean to the OCZ as far as raw throughput, but only in small percentages, but then again, the Crucial seems to hold up better. With those 2 drives, there's really no way to make a bad decision. As I said, IMOO."

Actually, recommending the OCZ Vertex 2 is the wrong answer. It's a Sata II drive with max transfer rate of 3.0 Gbit/s. The SW supports Sata III, which has a max transfer rate of 6.0 Gbit/s. The C300 is a sata III drive so that drive will far outperform the OCZ Vertex 2. A better drive if you want an OCZ, is a Vertex 3 drive which supports sata III. That way with an OCZ Vertex 3 drive versus a Crucial C300, you're at least comparing two sata III drives. If you're comparing the Crucial C300 drive versus the OCZ Vertex 2 drive, the sata III C300 will always outperform the Vertex 2, at least on the G73SW. Totally different generations of drives.

 

I'm such a newbie... I think I messed up. I downloaded Atheros WiFi AR5B95/AR9285 v9.2.0.310 from this website and ran the application but the driver version stayed the same.. which was 8.0.0.238. Okay so I thought maybe I need to uninstall it first and run again. So I did. It doesn't recognize it so I have no internet. Now I'm tethering through my iphone and downloading from Asus website for an older version and it will take 30min to download lol.. So I thought might as well install the bluetooth driver (because I would like to tether iphone w/ bluetooth and when I tried it before it said no bluetooth driver found so I ran the application with fingers crossed. Finished installing it (I have to restart to see if it worked but can't do that for another 28min) but while it was installing my Atheros AR9285 came back. I can see it on my device manager with the same 8.0.0.238 version. What is it that I'm doing here? I'm so confused I don't even know what to ask really. Please help this poor newbie who just want to sleep it's getting late.

Ok I ended up having to roll back driver to get it to work. I couldn't use the new version for whatever reason. I'm just happy that I got my wireless to work again.

 

No, don't do that. It recommends a number of things which are a bad idea, such as disabling indexing, system restore, page file etc. Doing so will reduce the functionality and stability of your system and don't gain you anything. They're pointless and harm more than they help.

All you need to do to optimize for an SSD in Windows 7 is to run the Windows Experience Index test. It'll recognize that you're using an SSD, and change the appropriate settings. See also OCZ's guide (they actually know what they're doing since they make the drives) OCZ Forum - SSD ABC Guide

As for performance of SSDs, Anand recently did a roundup: AnandTech - The 2011 Mid-Range SSD Roundup: 120GB Agility 3, Intel 510 and More Compared

 

oh good... thats odd though, are you still having the problem?

 

You might just need to reinstall the ATK driver package, surprised nobody has mentioned that yet (I think) . . .

 

One glitch that i noticed with the G73** compared to the G53** is that on G73 you cant turn on keyboardlightning with button upper left.. u have to turn it on and then "dim them up" with FN + F4..

I have tried this on both an G73JW and a G73SW, same problem.. on G53JW it works though..

Turning off with the button works though!

 

i really really suck with computers, anyone have a dumbed down version of how to do a fresh install of windows 7 after my computer gets delivered?
much appreciated

 

Pretty much everything you need is here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...rivers-everything-you-need-fresh-install.html

 

I'm able to connect wirelessly now, but it is still the 8.0.0 version driver. I'm just glad I can connect although the glitches / hiccups while I'm in a $300 pot in online poker just stupid.. I really want to fix this but don't know what I have to do

 

In no particular order:

- try another driver
- try swapping between using Windows zeroconf and the utility that comes with the card to connect
- try another wi-fi card (same type, or swap it for an Intel one)
- try another router
- try another firmware for the router and/or wi-fi card. If the router can run custom firmware, it's possible you can boost the signal beyond normal WiFi specs
- check the settings for power save and wifi to ensure that maximum power is used
- toggle between using 20 MHz and 40 MHz bandwidth
- move closer to the wifi router
- use inSSIDer to figure out which wi-fi channels are in use and change the router configuration to a different channel with less interference
- go wired. Ethernet cables are cheap and almost always work

 

Thanks for being very specific on what I should do, that was very helpful. However I'm a little bit computard and only understood "try another driver," "try another wi-fi card," "try another router," "move closer to the wifi router," "go wired." The rest seems very advance for me so I'll try these first.. probably changing the wifi card to intel 6200. I read a little about it having 3 antenna and it won't lose connection as much or something. Is this a good option to fix this problem vs staying with/fixing Atheros?

 

The Intel 6200 uses 2 antennas, so you don't have to worry about getting and mounting a 3rd antenna - it is a good card. You'll want to make sure you get a genuine intel one, as there are some fakes floating around. Having a 3rd antenna might be better in theory, but I'm not really sure it matters that much. You need a 6300 for that, and adding the 3rd antenna is not a trivial matter. More info here http://forum.notebookreview.com/net...ino-advanced-n-6200-vs-ultimate-n-6300-a.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/networking-wireless/539029-intel-6300-2-vs-3-antenna-test.html

I would try solutions that don't require you to invest money first though.

 

What is the default stock wireless card that comes with the G73SW?

 

Told you so!

While I note the throughput of both drives, almost as I type, I still sincerely appreciate & value both your opinions as well, thank you, please keep up the good work; after all, it's one of the reasons we're here!

Fortunately, if you'll would read my entire statement, albeit carefully, I believe you'll find no rebuttal on my part is necessary and that I actually agree with many of your facts. (As they teach our law enforcement, learn to say "freeze" before you shoot!) Happy Clackin'!

An aside, @dlai, please send me a copy of your results.

 

Atheros WiFi AR5B95/AR9285 is supposedly the default wireless card, I personally have the AR9285 and having some issues with it.

Not sure where in the forums I can post this issue, but for some reason the G73 detects my home wireless network as "Excellent" and even recognizes the security as WPA, but utterly refuses to connect.

The G73 connects to Android phone Hotspots fine, and I'll be testing it at a local bookstore's wi-fi today, but it seems to refuse to connect to my home router, which makes it pretty unusable for my situation. Anyone know of complications between the Atheros AR9285 and Netgear Routers?

 

Explanations

Check the popular custom firmware software DD-WRT, to see if your router is compatible. Then just flash that on the router.

Afterwards you can tinker with lots of settings, mainly the TX Power under Wireless > Advanced. And raise it to extend range/signal strength. (But be careful to not put it too high, and make your router heat up and ultimately shorten its life)

Control Panel > Power Options > (Assuming your on Vista or 7) "Change plan settings" of your current plan > "Advanced Power Settings" > Find Wireless Adapter Settings > Maximum Performance

SCREENSHOT

Look in your router settings (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in address bar) under wireless settings. If its not there thats another thing you can get with DD-WRT

Download inSSIDer and run it, it will show what channels (the numbers) that other wireless networks are on around you. Find a number that is not used by other networks (preferably 3 numbers away, if not just the best you can get) and set your wireless channel to that number on your wireless router (again, in your router settings)

Monoprice - Cat 5e Network Cables

Best place for cables From 0.5Ft to 100Ft, they have the best prices that you can find and great customer service/warranty.

 

I don't know of problems with a netgear router, but some Atheros cards had problems connecting to my university's cisco access points. You could try to tweak your router's settings like changing the channel instead of having it on auto.

 

Atheros AR9285 for me as well, which is considered "N" but has a 75Mbps limit, just so you know.

It probably depends on the Netgear router but I've connected to a Netgear Router before just fine. Check your routers settings, it sounds like thats the problem

 

Transmit power and 20/40 MHz can also sometimes be found in the wi-fi card settings: Control panel, Network and Sharing Center, Change Adapter Settings, Wireless Network Connection, Properties, Configure, Advanced. Alternately, go through the device manager: win+pause/break, device manager, network adapters, double-click atheros (or whatever it's called - I have Intel so can't say exact), advanced.

I also meant trying official firmware for the router too (not just custom FW), as it's possible there's updates for it that makes it more stable.

 

hello everybody, recently i have a problem with my g73sw, after a few minutes of playing i got artifacts on screen, i thought it was a problem with the gpu, however is not, because i took screenshots of the games and when i restarted the laptop there was no artifacts at all shown on the screenshots, i have not tried another monitor yet, but i assumed is an issue with the screen itself, so i took some pictures of it with my cell phone, this is with artifacts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52005357@N08/5815914736

after a few minutes it comes back to normal, this is without artifacts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52005357@N08/5815915680

i have tried the most recent driver and some archive drivers doing clean installs and using driver sweeper, it did not work. i'll appreciate any help from you guys because i do not know what could be causing this, thanks in advance

 

It should be able to work at 150 Mbps cap of 75 mbps for wireless N - HP Support Forum . That said, I wasn't aware that it was so difficult to get it to work at higher speeds, and am glad I went for the Intel 6300 now.