ASUS G73SW Owners' Lounge

More than the layout, I just like how well integrated the keyboard is, compared to the flimsy tacked-on G73 keyboard. G74 just looks like sturdier build quality, although I'll have to see it in person to know for sure.

 

Red valley in 3DMark06 is the CPU test I believe. It's supposed to run at only 1-2 fps.

 

Well that's a relief! Thanks Skywise.

 

I was just thinking, (yes sometimes it hurts) anyway, I was just thinking about a clean install of windows when I get my g73, I have the directions and recommendations for doing it. What I was wondering though, is I have a free license for windows 7 (whatever version I choose) through my school. That being said, what would be the difference between doing a clean install with the OS that comes with the lap top files Vs. just installing my own OS that I already have without using the provided note book files?

 

so i got my g73sw today from microcenter. when i got home and turned it on, the kb lights comes on for a second or two then shuts off. power lights stays on but the screen remains blank through-out. any ideas?

 

Faulty laptop I guess. Return it, exchange for a working one.

 

Can someone help me with this? I installed Linux Mint 11 but now I can't install any drivers/utilities to make this laptop to work properly. It works but with none of the key functions or wireless or even the touchpad disabling when usb mouse is plugged in. I could not find any drivers for this laptop in linux version and I don't know what to do now. Thinking I'm too newb for linux so I should go back and install W7. But before I do I thought I could ask you good gents if you can help me keep this OS. Thanks!

 

@dsp0704 There's a summary post here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...ux-driver-i-need-your-help-6.html#post7470992

You need a newer kernel (2.6.39 or later) with the new asus-wmi module for the hotkeys to work. The keyboard backlight adjustment hotkeys won't work yet. There is a manual workaround to adjust the brightness and the developer of asus-wmi is aware of the problem.

In terms of the wireless, it should have worked straight away. It's an atheros card so it uses ath9k which ships with every distro known to mankind.

 

Thats exactly what I ended up doing. I also went ahead and plugged it in and tested at the store. Now I just need to order a extra hdd caddy for my intel 320 ssd.

 

@AllurGroceries thx for the reply, I'll check out the link when I get home. Too bad the backlit for keyboard won't work but after messing with Linux (mint11) last night it's a definitely with the trade off. And about the wireless, now that u mention it it wasnt that I didnt have connection. Actually my wireless signal picked up and even connected to wifi. However Internet pages would not load. Is this a separate problem? Oh and when I installed Linux it had this 'proprietary driver' download program that recognized vid card however no wireless driver was found. Again thank you for ur help.

 

@dsp0704 it could be a problem with the IP address or DNS configuration. If you're comfortable with the terminal you can run ifconfig and look at the IP settings. Or you can just right click on the network-manager applet and select Connection Information.

The wireless driver isn't proprietary and is included by default so there shouldn’t be a problem there, and if you are associating with your AP then at least the hardware should be working.

If none of that leads you anywhere, open a terminal and run:

Code:

tail -f /var/log/syslog

Then try reconnecting to your wireless. See if there are any clues.

I haven't heard of anyone else having problems with the wireless on linux, but then again not many people have said they are running mint either. Mostly Ubuntu.

 

After seeing the review at Anandtech of the 240 GB MAX IOPS drive, I cancelled my order for it. When it's faster than the regular Vertex 3, it barely wins, to the point where it could just be a variation in the test results. When it loses however, it loses big. By now the regular Vertex 3 price has also gone down here so I actually save some money by switching my order to it, and I should have it by the end of next week instead of having to wait even longer for the max iops. Win-win.

On a different note, I discovered that my laptop is definitely the victim of CPU throttling when running GPU heavy tasks, like described here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...468-g73sw-cpu-throttling-prime95-furmark.html

Running Throttlestop once and closing it fixes it. I remember people complaining in this thread about stuttering, and this could definitely be one cause of that. If I can find my wattmeter I'll try to take some load measurements, as I'm worried that despite the 2720QM having the same TDP specs as the 2630QM, the PSU might be insufficient. It does get rather hot IMO.

EDIT: Results of a quick test - L4D2 before Throttlestop: 35 fps. After TS: 55 fps. (720p 3D, 4x AA, everything else maxed). It's not just the lower average frame rate that's the issue though, since you get stuttering that can quickly put a damper on FPS gaming in particular.

 

Thanks Skywise, I actually have played L4D2, but didn't notice any slowdowns, perhaps my settings were lower, thus less stress on GPU/CPU. Good work though, I am pretty disappointed in the Asus Gxx-SW community for not giving this problem the attention it deserves.

However, I've been talking to Ken Lee(from GenTechPC), which he is now working with Asus about getting a fix for it. He has been super great in the PMs and certainly I still can't stop telling him thanks. With never purchasing from Gentech before, I was a bit hesitant about bothering him, but boy am I glad I did. We'd most likely never even have a chance of a fix if it weren't for him.


Anyways, thanks again Skywise, for posting results and reminding me about my thread, I cleaned up the main post and added the things I should have a long time ago. I am going to test L4D2 myself since I have the game, but guess that is 1 more game to add to the list.


Edit, wow, no kidding about the throttle drops from 60-80fps to 30 when it is happening, running at 1080p, all settings high, no vsync,16msaa,4xaa. Definitely a good catch sky, I got some good logs of what is happening, seems about like what GRID does, but more often.

http://paste2.org/p/1486134

 

I read tonight about the possibility of this laptop having throttling issues, well no kidding about that! I haven't read of any laptop yet that didn't have some issues with throttling at maximum warp speeds and demands, the least of which would be your neophyte games and partial throttle tiptoes of all sorts. I have been a little busy in that regard myself tonight, albeit in a slightly different manner and for different reasons.

I needed to investigate the throttling of GPU and CPU both tonight because I was thinking that this laptop might be stout enough to use for Folding@Home, both GPU and CPU potentially, if things were to check out positively. I have a standard modus operandi for figuring out things about desktops and laptops both, and that is a simple procedure I devised a long, long time ago for my highly overclocked OEM desktops that I build, sort of the "ultimate burn-in test" possible with normal software that anyone can do...not just myself, anybody can do the tests I use and see the necessary things you need to see.

Chiefly I was interested in the fact that the laptop might have issues with throttling in both CPU and GPU, and you know it's just what I discovered tonight...it *does* have throttling issues in both CPU and GPU, and there is no way to stop some of it: most of it yes, some of it no way Jose! I wish it were different but I'm afraid this laptop has some built-in firmware/hardware programming that will protect the GPU even more than the CPU, and it's easy enough to see for yourselves at maximum stress possible.

I fired up LinX 0.6.4 with the latest Intel binaries for the new CPU's that are out there, like Westmere Gulftown CPU's at the extreme, and Xeon CPU's, like that kind of thing...suffice to say this version of LinX has anything in the retail sector covered in terms of testing and getting the most out of the CPU and memory too. The higher-echelon CPU's have memory controllers on die, that is on the CPU itself, so this version of LinX exploits that possibility 100% and then some, especially with the 6-Core CPU's of the Intel persuasion like the 970, 980X and 990X CPU's...CPU's that I am familiar with from my OEM PC builds for myself and family and friends, X58 builds such as they are.

This notebook has nothing like those to test, but still you want to get the most out of any test and the LinX I have is the latest and greatest for all Intel CPU's of any persuasion. The GPU needs to be stressed also because if I am going to have the laptop get me some Folding@Home points it can't have too much of a hangup GPU-wise or it's useless as a folding mechanism. The GPU Client for folding uses 100% of the GPU cycles and stresses the GPU unlike anything else 24/7 when online doing a FAHome GPU cycle, so if this laptop has significant issues at the GPU I won't use it for GPU folding at all.

Suffice to say there's always the Furmark Extreme Burn-In Test to use, and that will get the attention of the GPU quickly and efficiently, so I also fired up that test regimen, with an open framework (no time limit), to run at the SAME TIME as the LinX 0.6.4 test, which uses all available RAM if you punch the right button, along with 100% CPU cycles also, except for the bare minimum cycles used for maintaining the OS. I ran both tests at the SAME TIME tonight, and graphically I saw the writing on the wall: this laptop would not be a good folding client for GPU, but CPU would work fine if you use Throttlestop without fail.

Throttlestop 3.x is very effective at curtailing any CPU throttling and I didn't see much of that kind of issue during my tests tonight, but the combo of Furmark and LinX was too much for the GPU to handle, sorry to say, as it repeatedly killed the graphiX driver at worst scenario, crashing all programs; and at best it 'cyles the GPU' off/on, over and over again, which is easy to see in the graphics I posted tonight below...look at the CPU temperature graph and you can see how it goes from 87-degrees down to the 60-'s degrees Celsius area repeatedly during the screen shot's 40+ minute time span, and that is the result of GPU throttling without a doubt.

I was hoping for a better result, but that's the breaks with testing like I did tonight, as it's a "no mercy" test with LinX and Furmark Extreme Burn-in Test run at the same time, it just absolutely stresses the CPU and GPU 100%-- with Throttlestop being used as a mandatory aid. There is no such thing as Throttlestop for the GPU though, wish there were such a thing to use, then I could use this laptop for folding, but not at this time.

Also, I received my "new and improved version" Vertex 3 SSD today, finally after yesterday's delivery was shot by FedEx personnel, unfortunately for me. Today they were on time and I was there to sign for the shipment from China to Newbury Park, CA/USA...so that went well. I posted a couple graphics of the new SSD... it performs similarly to the old one, but without any degradation like the old one suffered over time. I so love the speed of the OCZ Vertex 3 SSD, that I hope and pray this one is bulletproof, and built to last this time! It is superbly FAST FAST FAST, and it's something you notice right away when using my laptop.

That's about it for tonight's so-called report about this laptop. Check out the graphics I posted and you can see where things just went all wrong for the testing with Linx and Furmark Extreme Burn-in Test simultaneously...it's pretty obvious viewing those screen shots what happened. I won't be using the laptop for GPU folding for sure. I will try folding with the CPU, and I'll see just how much the stress is worth for my trouble vs. just allocating the assignment to a desktop instead.

rexrzer727

 

hi guys, yesterday i'm repasting my G73SW using tuniq tx-4 with help from ASUS technician. first he told me that g73sw originally using some kind of thermalpad, he ask me, if he should remove the thermal pad and replace it with tuniq tx-4 or tuniq tx-4 is in top of thermalpad (hmm i really dont understand this, why technician ask me question like this).

i believe that thermal pad should be removed in GPU and CPU, and replace it with tuniq tx-4, and i ask him to do so.

but after doing repaste, my G73SW seems running more hot?? the GPU seems hanging in 74C during gaming ( which is the same before i'm doing repaste ). but now the fan is more active and noisy, both of them gpu n cpu fans

i think there are some mechanism in G73SW that makes gpu temp is always hanging in 70-74C, to achieve that maximum temp, then this machine will control the fan (so if you doing a good repaste, then fans will not to noisy, but if you doing a bad repaste, fans will agressively work harder to achieve this temperature 74C )

any opinion?should i repaste again? what about your gpu temp guys?

 

Your technician didn't know that the GPU and CPU are thermal taped/papered at the factory? Nice technician! I don't know if I'd have wanted somebody like that to do a "repaste" on my laptop, seriously there...as for temps. My temps are very low in general, unless I'm doing something outrageous like 110% stress testing the CPU and GPU simultaneously, like I did earlier. My temps are in the 60's during gaming casually, and no higher than 82-degrees barring testing like I did last night, which is normal.

I don't know what you repasted for if you got no benefit from it. Maybe your GPU is performing oem stock fine, and you can't get a better temp no matter what you do to the paste! I am not going to repaste this laptop because I feel it's a waste of my good time, when it's operating nominally and correct for the model, you know that? Generally I repaste my laptops and desktops when they need it, otherwise I leave them alone. Define need: a temp variation of more than 20% at all times. Otherwise I leave them alone because doing a good paste job is hard to get right every time, trust me it is!

I have been using Artic Cooling's MX-2 on my GPU's of late fyi, and it works a treat on my nVidia GPU's for desktops, also my last laptop got completely repasted (G51JX-A1) because I got a 10-degree+ benefit from doing it...the tape and paper on my unit was done badly at the factory, so that's why I re-did my paste job. Very unusual for that to happen though.

What country are you in, where the techs will repaste the laptop for you, anyway? They won't do that here in the USA I assure you!

rexrzer727

 

Hi i've been following this forum since i got my g73sw a couple of months ago.
I use the laptop mainly for gaming and overall i've been quite happy with its performance.However i find that in Grand Theft Auto 4 i get very choppy framerates outside buildings of as little as 16fps and no higher than 25fps at 1080p.Now i assumed that the 460m was not fast enough to run this game at my native resolution but i found that dropping the resolution made little or no difference.In terms of graphics settings within the game i use the autoconfig to set it.
I just find this performance really hard to accept as i've seen a handful of youtube videos of people running this game at 1080p on the same laptop with a very smooth framerate and using higher graphics settings.
Also using MSI afterburner to overclock GPU just makes the frame rate worse in only this game so far
Do any of you play this game on your G73s and can you tell me what FPS you get at 1920 x 1080 and also what Nvidia driver you have installed.

 

If you had looked 5 posts above you, you would have had your answer.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...468-g73sw-cpu-throttling-prime95-furmark.html

 

rexrzer272, I'm not surprised you're getting GPU throttling, since you're doing two things the laptop's cooling system is not designed for: 1. Overclocking the GPU, and 2. loading up the GPU and CPU cores at max using software like Furmark, which has been described by some as a "power virus" due to how it creates a load that's higher than you'd achieve through normal use (worse than F@H). By normal use I mean gaming etc. which will still load up the GPU and CPU cores plenty.

Furmark and its like has their uses, such as for diagnostic purposes and seeing how well the power supply chain can handle extreme loads, but you still have to interpret the results the right way. When you're overclocking the GPU and running Furmark, you not only pull more power than normal, but the heat goes up to a point where the cooling system can't keep up. At that point, if there was no GPU throttling, you not only risk cooking the GPU and destroying it, but the power draw can be too great and damage the PSU and other components. Under such conditions, I'm not sure any current laptop design can handle that, and the G73 uses one of the better ones out there. Heck, even desktop GPUs have the same fail safes as some people don't use enough cooling.

What I'd do instead is use Furmark and LinX to "pre-warm" the gpu and cpu, with Throttlestop enabled, until you reach a certain temperature, and then close them and run F@H. This saves you from simply running F@H for 24/7 in order to figure out where the sweet spot is for the GPU clocks. The G73SW can run it - you just might have to use lower GPU clocks than you'd use for say gaming, in order to achieve a stable setup.

 

Just wanted to add, I have significantly cleaned it up, so that ppl can learn all about the problem, I may have to ask a mod to change the title since apparently I can, but it is still staying as the old title when looking on the main forum.

@The Uglyspirit,
GTA4 is most definitely affected by the throttling the most, so once you run Throttlestop to fix it, you will see a HUGE increase in frames. Read thru the link above, it explains everything in more detail.


@ rexrzer727,
Are you sure GPU throttling is going on? I've yet so see any, and your pics don't exactly show it. I guess to be sure sure, run GPUz and check off the "log to file" in the sensors tab. It will log the clocks, temps and gpu load, so that would give some really good hard proof it GPU throttle. I do see you're overclocking and like Skywise pointed out, it very well may be due to that reason if there is GPU throttling, so I'd also test with stock clocks for GPU throttle or not.

 

Now i remember why i vowed never to buy another gaming laptop....there is always something else (other than lower clocks) that hampers performance when compared to desktops
Does this "throttling" effect all G73sw laptops-as a guy going by the name of Funboy1231 is posting youtube videos of himself playing GTA 4 on this model and is claiming to get 40-70FPS without fraps recording.
How is the throttling happening is it in the Bios or is it anything to do with Power4gear or intel turboboost?
Is Throttlestop safe to use?-as i think it extremely unlikely that Asus will fix this as most manufacturers stop supporting their laptops one a replacement model arrives (G74).

 

There've been a couple of users over in the G53SW forum, who had problems with GTA4 and throttling and now use throttlestop to overcome this. They have been doing this for a month or so now, without any adverse effects.
Whether this translates to the same in the G73, i am not sure, but with the cooling system it has, there shouldnt be any issues using it.

 

Throttling is happening through the bios, and no there is certainly no adverse affects from running TS, as explained in my throttling thread. Temps still run within perfectly safe temps after throttlestop, and the whole throttling thing had nothing to do with temps in the first place. It is most likely a power draw thing, so the psu might get warmer after using throttlestop to stop it from dropping to 798mhz. But yes, this problem affects ALL g73 and 53SW models, so maybe Funboy1231 is already running throttlestop or maybe something else is happening on his laptop. Either way, Asus is working on the problem, so there is actually more of a chance for them to fix.

I know for a fact the G74 will be suffering from the EXACT same throttling problem if they haven't fixed it before release, they will have to do the exact same update for that model as well. So I fugure that reason alone is why they won't just forget about us 73 owners.

 

OCZ Technology

Will this firmware remedy the problem of freeze-ups I'm experiencing or do I need a new SSD as well? I was going to reinstall Windows and then add the fix.

 

How do you know if your being throttled or not? i dont think I've noticed any

 

That firmware is only if you've been experiencing BSODs. It may fix the problem, but then again it may not. They're not quite sure about the cause yet, and this an attempt to fix it based on one theory.

As for using Throttlestop and safety, *in theory* it could burn out your PSU if the load gets high enough. I don't think that'll happen in this case - if anything it'll just get hotter than normal and have a somewhat reduced lifespan as a result. GPUs/CPUs have their own temperature cutouts, and the laptop also has other means for dealing with more heat, such as higher fan speeds under load.

See the thread I linked. Alternately, simply run OCCT and run the GPU test. It shows you the CPU frequency, and if that drops down a lot after having gotten a decent temperature on the GPU, you're being throttled.

In normal use case scenarios you'll notice throttling in games and the like in the form of stuttering or sudden drops of framerate.

 

I've had both the black and blue BSODs so hopefully the fix will work, otherwise I'll be returning the unit for a replacement. Thanks Skywise!

 

the asus technician knows that it is taped/papered at the factory. BUT he ask me some silly question, if thermal paste should be at the top of that original taped thermal sticker OR he must remove that sticker and apply new thermal paste.

im in Indonesia (its tropical and hot country), ambient temp without AC is 32C ish during day. and with AC on its 23-24C and yes we can ask ASUS Service Center to do repasting job if we tell them this laptop have temperature problem and they will consider it as a problem and will do the job.

why i want to repaste?simple. if gpu/cpu runs cooler, fans will idle/work less. No Noise, MUCH better battery effeciency(i know we would not much using battery), better OC opportunity, and by having less heat that means a lot more healthier gpu cpu and other hardware inside the laptop.

so im going to buy another paste and pay proffesional technician from trusted seller in my country to do repasting job(rather than having ASUS technician to do this). maybe im enthusiast and didnt care about wasting money. but for sure, i dont want to hear JET SOUND if i load CPU to its maximum when rendering 3d scene to do my daily job!

 

Ah, thanks for the link!

I'm having the throttling problem as well, fixed it though with Throttlestop

 

Just reinstalled Win 7 and Asus Live indicates there are 6 updates to install, including a 3D stereoscopic driver. I don't have the 3D model so I'm assuming I don't require this unless there's some need?

 

Sometimes you all kill me, you know that? Look Skywise my man, I've been doing FAHome since 2004, and I dang sure know about GPU folding having been doing that with nVidia GPU's for 4 years and counting. Look at my points total at EVGA Folding, and prior to that at MacResource.com Folding teams, as I've currently hit about 28Million points for EVGA in the past 8 months, and for the Mac people my PC's carried the load for the whole team for 2 years plus, with about 20Million points totaled there to boot.

rexrzer - User Summary - EXTREME Overclocking Folding @ Home Stats

I understand folding 100% with nVidia GPU's and surely know that you do not overclock to the moon to do it, rather you have a rather mild overclocking which can handle 24/7 stress of the modern work units (proteins), which ramp up and down over their cycle of life in your machine with stress peaks at normal intervals. :GEEK:

Can't you both read a graphic and see into it a little? Look at graphic No.2 with the color Furmark screen and the LinX 0.6.4 graphic pasted over it, then use the magnifying goodie to look at the timeline for GPU temps, and over at EVGA Precision's readout on GPU usage...you cannot miss the graphic GPU throttling that was going on there, where temps should have been a nice, steady line ramping up to the maximum temps, and the usage should not have seen jagged, up and down quotients % of GPU use as that graphic shows to even an untrained eye. :yes:

Those graphics also show LinX with 11.3GB RAM in its clutches, and 100% CPU usage from that utility, with just a few KB of RAM free (15 or so at that point), with a problem size of "All RAM" being more than 36,000 points, so I also stressed the RAM 100% in addition to all the other components having their 100% usage shown. Skywise nothing is going to "burn up" or fail because of such a test, as it only induces maximum use of the two components (GPU and CPU plus RAM), and when you're at the magic 100% usage or close to on all counts you do see the GPU throttling to beat the band, while the CPU is steady as she goes.

It's only the GPU that throttles in my testing, as Throttlestop is engaged for the CPU and there's no constraint engaged with the nVidia component, so the laptop's BIOS/firmware/whatever cuts usage according to its parameters of programming, thus the two jagged, up and down graphics for temp and usage in EVGA Precision and Furmark utilities.

As for other tests that simulate similar environmental factors of use try the Intel Burn Test, for example, as it is also going to stress RAM and CPU 100% at the same time like LinX does and will therefore determine stability with any given system, overclocked especially being the subject of such exams. All my tests did was load up the RAM, GPU and CPU 100% and we see what component is the weak factor, and it's the nVidia GPU 100% of the time, graphically shown in that graphic No.2 I posted that I just discussed. The CPU doesn't falter, and the graphic adapter does, go figure!

I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't think it would be so pronounced! I assure you Skywise, that your predilection for assuming component damage occurring with such tests as I did is irrelevant, as there will be no such PSU burn-up or GPU damage--in any modern laptop especially...BIOS and firmware takes over and the GPU will throttle itself as shown in those graphics I posted, even while the CPU and RAM are both @ 100% usage...so there's built-in safeguards against anything radical happening to the components themselves.

As for the cooling system being unable to cope with such demands, the CPU cooling system coped most adequately with all demands, there was no throttling of the CPU at all during those tests, it went heel and toe to the line and gave 100% effort every second, and yet the cooling system kept up just fine with demands, never allowing the CPU to get higher than 78-degrees C. That is a moderate temperature for any Core i7 CPU I assure you, and even with Throttlestop doing its thing to prevent CPU throttling at 100% load the cooling system did just fine. Considering that such a CPU blast will engage it to the tune of about 45W to the CPU directly, I think that the PSU can take care of such a load no issue, no problem, and no damage is going to happen.

I'm done, fancy that! Listen guys and gals if any, I test my desktops that I build for myself and others exactly the same way, and they don't burn up! It tends to show if an overclock is set up correctly, and if cooling is adequate (either H20 or advanced air cooling systems I build) I assure you-- but no damage ever occurs with either Intel Burn Test being administered with a GPU utility such as OCCT or Furmark (either one can be used effectively) simultaneously. End of story, so don't lecture me about damage to systems, because in my experience as a builder I'd have seen such things happening by now if it indeed were going to happen, and it never does.

KellyM, this is for you! :smile:

If you are experiencing random freezes of the desktop and GUI that is the sign of a bad SSD, and no Windows re-install is going to fix that problem, it will take a new SSD from OCZ to fix it without a doubt. No firmware fix is going to cure it either, as those are the signs of a bad SSD. Mine did it graphically, and after consulting with OCZ Tech Support and posting in the OCZ Forums about my issue, others with much more experience than myself with SSD's pronounced my SSD a failure about to happen. OCZ did replace my SSD under warranty last week. The new one seems to be great, and there are no GUI or OS freezes happening anymore. :wink:

I'd suggest that you get busy with OCZ Tech Support, register in the Forums there at OCZ Land on the 'Net and post your issues, and see if the worms come out of the woodwork and tell you all about the issues of bad SSDs. You can also just simply call OCZ's 800# telephone number (1-800-459-1816)and have a consult with their Tech Support folks, who are more than happy to arrange an exchange for a bad SSD...in with the good, and out with the bad, you know?

I am sorry to report this sad fact for you and to you, but you cannot hide a bad SSD, they have a tendency of locking up at some point and then you lose all your data anyway, unless backed up!

So back up the laptop and get on the wagon about the issues you are having is my recommendation. There's no reason to suffer and worry about trying to "fix" an SSD that is bad...just replace it, GetRDone!

 

Question for u guys... I have been using the laptop for several weeks and I am using nvidia's driver 275.33 but i am noticing some artifacts and flickering and messages that the nvidia core stopped running and then it recovers.

My question is: What driver version should I run that is most stable?

This is only happening from time to time regardless if i am gaming or not.

Thanks in advance.

 

Well, actually I wasn't arguing anything about the G73SW not being able to handle high loads, I can certainly attest to good temps even though I'm in a hot environment(my room is always 86-88f during the summer). Thanks for pointing me to the graph, I had totally overlooked it as I'm a numbers guy, so I was looking for numbers that showed what you were talking about. So sorry about saying your pics not showing it. I see what you mean now, has me curious, was this happening on stock clocks or have you tried the test on stock clocks? Ocing obviously draws more power, which I still say could have been the cause for the drops. However, if you get the same drops on stock clocks, then this problem might need to be addressed by Asus, if I/we can prove that it happens in games also.

I don't like running F@H, or any of the such programs, main reason for me buying the laptop was to consume less electricity. Yeah, this laptop will still peak much less than a general gaming desktop. But the less heat flowing out the back = cooler my room stays in our Texas hot summers. I even disable any GPU accel just so keep my GTX460m at 50/67.5mhz as much as I can so that it's constantly running at its coolest. :>

Anywho, just wanted to let you know, that I am sorry for any misunderstanding, I agree with pretty much everything you said. And wasn't trying to call you out or anything, just was curious on exactly what was going on which I see/understand now after reading your reply. :>

I recommend to stay away from Asus Live updates all together, but naw, if you don't have the 3d model, you dont really need to install the stereoscopic driver. At least, I never do and it hasn't caused any problems for me. If you do intend to ever use 3d on an external TV/Monitor, then you should install. Other than that, it isn't necessary IMHO. Reason to stay away from asus live updates is I've read of too many people having problems after letting it update everything, so it is better just to stick to checking manual for updates on their driver page found HERE or even better place, Chastity's Drivers page.

 

rexrzer272, I'm not arguing with you - I agree you're seeing some GPU throttling in that scenario, likely due to the safety features kicking in.

The question is though, have you tried F@H to see if that gets throttled as well? That was the use case you wanted, and I'm curious myself.

 

Alright, I'm finally home and ready to try FurMark out. Could you take a screenshot of the exact settings you used so I can use the same and have a good basis for comparison?

 

Cooling is definitely not a problem with this laptop. Its practically impossible to get the GPU to go over 74C and the CPU over 80C.

The components are designed to be able to run at 100% usage . It doesn't matter if its on all the components at the same time, they're all individually capable of handling 100% usage.

The PSU, is 150W which is high as hell for a laptop PSU. I'm guessing (guessing) there has to be a little extra room in that capacity that the laptop doesnt take 100% of it. So there really shouldn't be a problem with the CPU taking some extra power.

 

Thanks for all the great info guys! I'm onto OCZ about the faulty SSD and won't rely on Asus Live Update in the future as a driver reference. Cheers.

 

done repasting my G73SW and now it run perfectly cool.. 35-37C idle in 22C ambient. how cool is that? of course in load it will rise up to maximum 70-72C IN OVERCLOCKING condition and playing crysis for 20min+ . but there is almost no fans activity . really really silence. and i remember how noisy it was before repasting and that throttling thing that cause sudden frame rate drop

( just as i thought ASUS determined maximum of 73C for GPU, and it will control the fans/ throttling to achieve that perfect condition)

cpu core# sits between 46-50(core #1 which more hot than any other 3 core in cpuid reading)

 

Good to hear that. I actually sent mine back to Asus because of ridiculously high GPU temperatures (over 95 during games, no overclocking).

The thing is, I actually had to argue with the retailer because he wouldn't understand (or didn't want to?) that these temperatures were abnormal and affecting the performance...

Hope when it comes back I'll get the same kind of number, and I can actually use that gaming laptop for gaming...

 

G73SW is very very silence in idle like there is no fans running. even under full load, i almost cant hear any sound, fans is really quiet after i repaste mine ( the noisy fans was like JET TURBO bcs of defect thermal paste. very noisy and annoying and THE BAD THING IS THROTTLING in GPU always happens all the time bcs of that defect thermal paste ). over 95C/ 95F?in what ambient temp? if over 95C, then there is something wrong with your g73sw, unless bad thermal paste/ not functional fans. im using Gelid GC Extreme btw. and i believe tuniq tx-4 would be better for 1-2Celcius.

 

It's all good you two, and I wasn't upset at all about your posts...I simply figured you didn't or weren't able to read my graphics clearly, and/or needed to be pointed to the right parts of the illustration to see the throttling, and I was right about that, so no big deal. You know, about torture testing new PC's and laptops to find out how good they are performing...I've done a lot of that sort of thing over the years and it's always helped me to figure out if I built the thing correctly, or if my laptops had issues of some sort when new. And honestly it's just SOP for me to do that after a build is done, in fact I wouldn't know how else to assess my build, the software and hardware in it, the whole package. :yes:

When you do such a test on a new build it's also a good thing to be able to tell the friend, relative, or customer that it passed too, just for grins and sort of a "badge of courage" for your handiwork, as it is a special thing to bring a new PC "to life" and then certify its worthiness too. With desktops/servers the machines just generally grunt it out and you will see the "ceiling" for a given build's setup, ie an overclocked machine has limits just like a normal un-clocked PC does, they just happen to be higher/greater usually. :wink:

But about these laptops...I think that they have very high limits in terms of the throttling deal, but then again you hate to see any of it at all in a machine of any type. Asus designed the things, you dig? They and they alone are responsible for the firmware/BIOS hacks and Registry tweaks that are responsible for the whole process of throttling, and therefore they could surely erase the whole thing with a proper update for the BIOS. Any throttling is a bad thing for performance, and with the cooling design these things have you'd think that a given G73SW wouldn't need any "throttling BIOS" to protect it because the design is so robust, solid, and able to handle heavy loads. The CPU side is sure strong! With Throttlestop in place there is none of it on the CPU side, this is certain.

I think that Asus engineers already KNOW they did this deed, and there shouldn't be any doubt as to its effects after tests like mine, and/or game play where the laptop is stumbling and having trouble maintaining proper frame rates. That is self-explanatory and simple, and Asus should simply give us a fix for this because it's only right that we should be getting the most performance possible out of these expensive laptops! Getting them to do something should not involve us having to prove anything to Asus, THEY KNOW the score already and where we need to work on them is to simply demand a fix in forums like this, in a petition possible online, and definitely through their so-called tech support, the telephone. :rolleyes2:

If everyone who owned one of these laptops complained about the crappy frame rates in Crysis, GTA:IV stumbling and hesitation during chase scenes, etc etc at the tech support level, and I mean calling them up and making a Federal Case out of this issue on an individual basis... it would surely stoke the fires at Asus to remedy this shortcoming the machines have, inherently speaking. All we need is a BIOS update, Plain Jane Simpleton! That would cover the problem 100% and make it easy to remedy the issues. So guys and gals if any, what say we begin to get the ball rolling with Asus Tech Support and begin a systematic contact through this forum of everyone who posts here--for starters? Surely something good would come of mass groups of owners of the laptop taking up their tech support time with rabid complaints of bad/poor performance and disappointment over that fact! :cry: :cry:

Tell Asus Tech Support that you didn't buy the laptop for inferior performance or worse, unplayable games that we are heavily vested in! Demand a fix! Call them back repeatedly and take their tech time up with complaint after complaint until they do something about the throttling issue in the GPU...make it a priority with Asus because they will have no alternative other than clogged up phone cues from owners of the laptop who are complaining vehemently, loudly, and perhaps a little rudely about it!

Anyway that is my thinking right now about this difficult issue, and I think that a concerted campaign by the owners of the laptop would cause Asus to do something about it, sooner rather than later. There's no time like right now to get started on this issue, and I for one would be more than willing to complain--and complain with a message: I'm not happy with things the way they are, and I want it to change!

rexrzer727

 

Luckily I dont think its too often a game maxes out the i7 so the throttling isnt a huge problem (as it could be anyway). I didnt notice it until testing for it tbh

Using throttlestop will fix it so i cant say im unhappy, simple enough fix for me

I just wish i could OC my GPU higher

 

How is the keyboard? I read a review that said it has poor feel, not enough feedback, hampers typing.

 

Indeed so, but Asus is currently working on an update. I have been PMing with Ken Lee, which he then has been in contact about Asus about it. He is a super nice guy, and with him being an Official, Asus retailer, he certainly has cred with asus, which would make them more likely to fix it. Doesn't hurt to still complain to Asus though, they certainly need to know, that all G53/73SW owners DO care about this problem, and we will take further action if they decide it is not worth to release an update.

But yeah, I do exactly like you when building desktops/getting a new laptop for friends, family and others/myself. I run prime95 + furmark for a good 10hrs+ to assure no probs, as well as do a 12-24hr memory run to assure all of the memory is stable. I've seen many computers pass the first 2hrs, but fail after that. So stress testing overnight/even for 24hrs is needed to assure that the computer is least likely to fail on you anytime soon.

Heck, I actually had run the memory test for 4hrs and thought eveything was good, so I figured I'd play some games(this was a gaming desktop) and sure enough, 30mins in, I BSOD. I pretty much knew the rest of the parts had to be fine, so I let the memory test run over night. Sure enough, when I woke up, I saw a whole bunch of errors. Got the ram replaced and everything worked good after that.

@ bpeitzke
Keyboard feels pretty good to me, but that is a subjective view. The keys can be considered a bit "mushy" feeling, and there is some kb flex, but nothing that has hindered my typing or game play. I'm fairly picky with keyboards, and while the flex was disappointing at first, over time I don't even notice it anymore. I'm a big keyboard smasher when game playing, so prob why I notice flex more so than most ppl. None the less, it gets the job done and I wouldn't consider it a negative of this laptop.

 

Got the V3 today, so finally finished my build. Updated data is in my .sig . (would you believe I actually need this kind of power for work?)

 

Way to go Skywise, I am impressed, and that takes a bit of doing! I never heard of any notebook except a Clevo or MacBook Pro running RAIDs, so that is ultra chic. I'll betcha you're one proud poppa with the Vertex 3 SSD in the house now too. What do you think about it? Do any requisite benches yet? I wonder if the big ones are faster than the little ones?

Anyway good golly that's one laptop...now if you had just scored the 3DE I'd be triply impressed!

I see, another mad builder in the house...never would have guessed! Good show there too. Yup, RAM is the killer bee of builds, and builds down the road also. I have replaced the RAM in each of my current folding rigs at least once, the Corsair XMS3 in one machine 4 times, that's FOUR TIMES! Crazy!! :wub:

I think that the SMP proteins that we are currently doing at Stanford University's Folding Program are especially hard on memory, any kind no matter the brand, the big brands are NOT immune to failing at my hands, Hah! Honestly even my favored 12GB of G. Skill in one machine and the newest 24GB set in the server I run at my studio both got their RAM replaced in the past 4 months, after 2 year's service for the 12GB, 3 mos for the 24GB set. Hopefully all is well now and it will stay that way. :yes:

The nice people at Corsair must think I'm daft punk on RAM, too! I have replaced my notebook RAM 6 times so far, the 1333Mhz stuff no less! Then there's the XMS3 set in my PC No.2, and four times is asking a lot of a memory company, but it went BAD 4 times so back it went! They are making a more robust XMS3 RAM these days, it turns out... and part of that has to go to people like me who replaced so many sets of it....nutz!

So yes, RAM is my concern all the time, especially on my overclocked desktops and these laptops too! Same for builds I've done and friends I have fixed up with new computers also, both laptops and desktop oem builds...they have had replacements also, to a one...over time it just seems to deteriorate and fail miserably!

Good to hear your outlook on this crap with the throttling too, as I already made the call tonight and complained like a mutherfletcher about it to one Asus rep and his Supervisor both. They are getting an earful from me until this changes, and I'll call often on it if it does not happen! These are fantastic notebooks and there's no reason for throttling the GPU and CPU--- BIOS is to blame for all of this stuff, trust me it is...they design parameters and when the laptop goes outside of those BAM! Throttling occurs..bad stuff. :cry:

For those of you who are in favor of a change in the Throttling Policy of Asus computer, here's the telephone number to call:

1-888-678-3688

You will get to speak with somebody quickly at that number, and complain your guts out when you get somebody on the line. I did, and will continue until and if it changes for the better!

Reviews phews! They mean nothing at all, and the laptop is much like a MacBook or MacBook Pro in feel in my view--my wife has a new MBPro sitting here right next to me in my studio so I can tell these things well! The push is short, maybe 1.5mm instead of the usual 2-3mm, so it does take some getting used to. I just bang away on the keys and the stroke is good, so I encourage you to think similarly if you score the laptop.

The thing has so much good going for it that there's little in the way of detractions to speak of, save for the throttling issue with the GPU, but that is common in the industry of PC notebook making. These are fantastic laptops overall, build quality is supreme and solid, and the keyboard, backlighted as it is, is also very, very solid and stiff like a board...no flex at all!

We all agree about Throttlestop fixes for CPU throttling, but that does not address GPU throttling at all... There's a huge difference and if you do the tests like I did the other night it is obvious what is going on...the CPU is solid with Throttlestop in the house, but the GPU stutters badly at maximum warp.

You can't help but notice it if you do any testing, anything like Furmark with the CPU occupied and RAM engaged will trigger the massive messive! I encourage you to call in to Asus if you have a spare couple of minutes this weekend and complain like a crazy person, just like I did, and don't let it rest until the BIOS fix is in the house either!

As for Folding at Home and this laptop, I'll tell you all about it in a couple days as I just installed the GPU and CPU clients for SMP and nVidia work units...the SMP CPU units are going to be Big Advanced units since it has a Core i7 CPU in it, and we'll see how it goes! I think that the GPU will fold adequately because there's not going to be extra pressure on the system, just doing FAHome and nothing else while I am at work or working on my desktops here. It takes 100% throttle on the GPU to cause throttling issues, so I think I'm safe folding. :yes:

I have great hopes for the machine as a folding entity in my stable for awhile, not forever, but at least for a couple weeks I am going to let it fold. If the CPU and GPU thermal pads get cooked, I'll know it quickly also, so I already have stocked up on a new tube of MX-2 fo rthe GPU paste, and I have plenty of IC Diamond for the CPU, if push comes to shove and temps start climbing a little. My temps are so normal it's crazy with goodness right now...70-degrees at 97% GPU load doing a Folding@Home work unit right now, and the studio is a temperate 78-degrees F right now, so a bit warm.

I hope it continues like that!

rexrzer727

 

Lol, look again.

I have done some quick Crystalmark tests to ensure that everything is working, but that's about it. OCZ recommends you don't benchmark drives too much so I think I'll leave it alone for now, or at least until I update the firmware on the Vertex 3.

 

GPU throttling i havent run into, I've monitored it. The only problem i have is when on Battery the GPU is horribly slow.

I will make a call to them at some point in the next few days

 

yeah when playing with battery, gpu is really slow, even if you oc it. is there any fix for this? i know it will ate up battery, but there is High Performance, Entertainment mode, Energy saving. so why ASUS force to limit power in battery mode? is battery will got to much heat and explode so ASUS limit the power?

 

I had the same issue like you.
In my case the root cause was a conflict between Intel Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (RST) 10.5.1.1001 and Nvidia driver. I tried multiple Nvidia driver versions with no success.
Eventually, I updated Intel RST up to 10.6.0.1002 version. And the problem is gone.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20181