Official Asus G73JH Owners Lounge

Btw there is an excellent review up written by Vicious

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=459400

 

Yes according t ASUS.

 

This and the 1333 ram would be dream come true! Awesome! Fingers crossed!

 

Can other owners confirm that the HDMI is video only?

That's a deal breaker for me, since I know (at least from reports) there's other machines that can output audio to HDMI...

 

as far as i understood, it is not video only. someone hooked it up with TV,and supposedly it worked fine. Not 100% sure tho. Remember reading it somewhere

 

Haven't tried it and won't since I use a dedicated external DAC via USB, I don't give a about 5.1 surround, old fashion 2 channel here.

But the settings are all here for outputting via HDMI.

 

Thanks ziddy. That's a good sign I guess...a post on the big thread has me worried now though. It was one feature (beyond DX11) of the 5870 that I wanted to take advantage of and I maybe incorrectly assumed Asus took advantage of.....what a bummer if I waited for nothing heh.

 

HDMI can definitely do audio. I don't have the actual machine yet, but I think it's next to impossible that you wouldn't be able to use the hdmi for audio. I haven't heard of any recent hdmi ports not having the capacity to transfer audio. It may be the case, however, that some people have not installed the latest drivers for their computers or are not using the right settings for audio both on their computers and external systems. I would not worry at all about this.

 

Right, and the 5870 certainly has the capabilities.

I appreciate the encouraging words, thanks. I'm on the A1 waiting list so it looks like I have a while to watch for confirmations.

 

Unfortunately, I hit the problem again while playing WOW. There wasn't anything intense going on at all, I was just standing around in an unpopulated zone, when the screen suddenly went dark grey with vertical lines. I couldn't get the laptop to respond so I had to do a hard restart. Upon restarting, and re-entering WOW, i noticed that my fps dropped significantly, to the point where everything was a complete slideshow, and I could not break the 4-5 fps mark. I had to restart again and only then did things seem to get back to normal (in terms of fps in wow).

Now I am certainly a bit worried, as this random screen blanking out into dark grey vertical lines is pretty much what I went through with my w90 a year ago. It's not nearly as bad, but the symptoms are nearly identical in this regard, and its definitely got me worried...

I did what you recommended, and have run furmark for 20+ minutes, hitting 95 C as a max and hovering around there. 3dMark06 and vantage both came out with scores that seem reasonable when compared with other G73s around here. Temps seem normal across the board when its idle or running basic apps...

 

Those lines, it could be driver related but it sounds like hardware. If its not overheating I would assume a bad gpu.

 

Why not return and get a replacement?

 

Why does it seem that there are quite a few people already having problems with the G73? Words like "could be a bad GPU" scare the hell out of me and make me very hesitant. Are these problems most likely user error, laptops being sent out as "testers", or something that may be common once a lot more people have theirs?

 

Too early to know yet unfortunately. I have been killing my G73 and haven't had a hiccup yet, but we won't know if there is an inherent hardware or software flaw for a month or two I would guess.

So far, I have seen 3 people have issues. I'm not sure how that rates in the scheme of things with all the people on here that have received one, but it is something to keep an eye on for sure.

 

I was thinking that only 3 people wasn't bad. lol

It's always a risk with laptops - no matter how much you spend.

 

indeed, just hope u get the correct one. if not, then return and get new one. Chances to get 2nd faulty g73 are slim to nothing.

 

Same here, lol. Yeah it sucks if it happens to you but when you get the brand new unit to replace it you will be happy and forget all about it.

 

I guess it might seem like a lot since I spend a lot of time reading on here and whenever someone has a problem they usually post A LOT about it. I'll definitely be watching closely until I get enough money to order.

I'd definitely get the extra one year of warranty making it 3 years! It's also reassuring hearing a lot of people speak high of Asus customer service.

 

Is it really that easy to get a replacement? THis problem hasn't cropped up so often as to make things unbearable, but if it occurs once to twice a day, I'd consider it annoying enough and a problem enough for a return, but would newegg?

 

How does this laptop run so cool?
After playing 6+hours of Batman Arkham Asylum max temp was 73C.

 

Well, it is defective right? I'd think so.

Newegg won't give your money back, but they will swap it with a new one.

 

I beg to differ, I got a full refund minus shipping for my G51J due to the BSOD issue... thou they did state they gave it to me also because my item was unopened...

 

I assumed they would have their own people test it to try and recreate the issue, and they couldn't, just send it right back to you.

 

Well, if the item is unopened then newegg will give you a refund.

Obviously, bibsybob's system is opened and having issues.

 

RMA's are pretty painless with newegg. You can do it online. I did it when I had to return a pc with a bad mb.

 

I agree just fill out the thing online and ship it back

 

anyone who is scared that their g73 may have issues must take into account that if there really is a problem, we won't hear the end of it - yet we've only heard it a few times out of hundreds of users.

people will go out of their way to tell you when something has something wrong with it; people won't go out of their way to tell you that it is working fine.

 

There has been plenty of good feedback regarding this laptop, and Vicous more than went out of his way too make a huge review lol.

 

Can anyone verify a working SPDIF output?

 

one thing I really don't like about this laptop so far:

Touchpad. The pad itself is great, nice and big. The button for the touch pad is a PAIN. You have to press down HARD to get it to click. It's actually really annoying. Sometimes you don't want to use a mouse, so a touchpad is necessary.

This is very minor since I'm almost always using a mouse, but damn it's annoying when you have to use the touchpad.

 

Yeah, if there is something wrong with your G73, just send it back. Some resellers will only do the DOAR (Dead on Arrival Replacement) during your first 30 days of ownership. After that, you'll get parts replaced most of the time. It took my G73JH-A2 6 days to exhibit any issues.

But, as was said here by quite a few, with about 3 severe issues being found on at least 100 G73's, that's at least a 97% probability that you won't experience any issues at all.

I sent mine back to Fremont, CA this morning, so they should see it by Tuesday or Wednesday. Turnaround is same day, if received by 3pm. I should see a new one by Saturday or Monday of next week. My BRD burner should be here in a couple days. Time to start searching for a good 256Gb SSD.

 

But should be noted 0100 did O/C the GPU well beyond anyone else here has. But at least thanks to 0100 we know the limit for sure.

 

And that would be so everyones clear on this? Thanks

 

To be clear......Do Not OC to 860/1100. Vantage ran OK with it, but 3DMark 06 had a seizure and attacked my screen/inverter/driver or all 3! I will probably NEVER OC past 800/1050 again. Not with current GPU/CPU/Drivers.

I know some have suggested that my screen issues have nothing to do with my overclocking-----but it is possible that my screen issues could be a secondary effect of OC'ing.

But, did I tell you I hit P9109 in Vantage? Oh yeah, baby!

 

I am sorry for your laptop, be sure to ask your supplier to do a complete check on the laptop and give us his results. If would help a lot of people to know the exact cause of the screen problem.

Thanks

Mehdi

 

Considering RAM is relatively affordable these days, BluRay not being very important but still upgradeable for those it is important to, and the fact that one GPU costs around 500, that's a yes. Throw the RGB LED in there and take into account being able to swap CPU's in the M17x without voiding the warranty thus strengthening it's resale value and it becomes a hell yes.

 

ok, let's do a breakdown:

Option A M17X-Rs
4870 x2 + RGB + 250gig HD x1 +4gig 1066mhz RAM + Base config

Option B G73JH-A1
5870 x1 +Blueray +500gig HD x2 +8G 1333mhz RAM + $700 + Base config



Yes, it is a lot easier to customerize / upgrade AW, but based purely on current spec value, I think Option B holds a higher value. I guess it comes down to personal choice

 

But you will probably lose most if not all that +700 come resale time considering it's low starting price. Not to mention the CPU swap warranty issues. To me both their pros and cons end up neutralizing each other still leaving the R2 ahead at the end of it in due to the better screen, extra GPU, and better resale value.

But as you said it comes down to personal choice and anyone considering purchasing either one of these two beautiful beasts will think about all this and decide on the right laptop for them.

My girlfriend is getting a G73 X1 when they become more readily available, and I look forward to using it, and gaming with her as she currently has a lame old HP with an integrated GPU, she can't even play the sims.

 

Hi all its a great forum here so i registered .

I have a question to the owners: How is the qualitiy of games if u go lower than the native resolution, i ask that cuz my current laptop is great but if i set to lower resolution to play newer games it looks ugly, its allways better for me to play in the native resolution and lower the settings to middle or low . I think thats important to know for the future cuz i guess there will come games in the next year u cant play smooth in the native HD resolution (the oldest thing is a comp u carry out the shop...)
Thanks in advance (and english is not my main language so i hope its understandable )

 

I suppose it's a matter of personal preference but games will never look good in any non-native resolution. LCD monitors introduce many unsightly artifacts, due to interpolation, the moment you scale images to anything that is a non-native resolution, which makes the image look very jagged.

You could always do what I end up doing the moment my current notebook starts failing at high resolutions: plug into a 720p LCD TV and takes a few steps back..............

 

Don't know if this will help but ASUS has a VGA driver up on the G73JH support page.

http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us


Here are somemore not sure if there for moble or not?

http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

 

Mine dont take much force, atleast I do not think so. Try to push near the outside edge because its just a big see-saw with the fulcrum in the middle, if you push near the middle it will take a ton of more force to push down.

That said when not using a mouse 99% of any click I need to do is a left click and for that I always use the touchpad, just tap it with your finger. I only would use the actual button for a right click. I have tried the multi touch drivers yet (d/l link was busy) but if its like my EEE 1000H w/ multi touch it will also add a 2 finger tap for right click and totally take away the need for the button at all.

 

Off-Topic:

Been looking at reviews of games I haven't tried due to having a Go7700 failure.

I used to like reading/watching the game of the year reviews. Gamespot's for 2009 is terrible! Almost every winner for a category was an exclusive for PS3 or for 360. I need to find one that focuses just on PC as I have no plans buying a PS3 or 360.

Maybe they should take some tips from IGN. I guess Gamespot assumes gamers have unlimited funds to buy games for every platform.

But then IGN's winners for 2009 are mind boggling.

Best persistent world: Aion. Graphics look like junk considering it's a 2009 release. Absolutely no end game content. None at all, highest level end game when half the players quit was stuck at 45 when player cap was 50 (that's borderline brainless). And it's NCSOft, the most abysmal game developer/publisher on this planet when it comes to customer service. They like to introduce bots into their games (GM sponsored in Lineage 2) and like to give out your personal information.

Best racing: Burnout Paradise - Yeah that limits the game to pretty much Burnout fans. I have no interest in this persistent world where I just drive around aimlessly smashing other cars.

Best shooter goes to Borderlands.... Ridiculous amount of guns does not make it a better shooter.

Strategy game: They list League of Legends as a reader's choice winner. I do not think DoTA, HoN or League of Legends to be strategy games like the IGN winner, Total War. HoN is much better than League of Legends anyhow.

Best multi-player goes to Left4Dead 2. I personally can't think of a game more of a waste than L4D2. Game was a horrible waste of $50 considering I think it was a patch for L4D1. The gameplay is boring, just survive from point a to point b. The graphics are abysmal and I hope Valve's source engine dies in a fire. The feel of the guns are worst of any shooter I've played in a while. Shooting the shotgun feels like I'm shooting an air gun. Just overall, I really hate Valve and L4D2. L4D2 as far as I'm concerned is for Valve fanboys to stop asking, give us an actual good game and where is HL2 Episode 3.

Best expansion is Fallout 3 Broken Steel: I'm amazed there are that many fans of Fallout 3. I can't even get past getting out of Vault 101. I'm sure I'm not the only one. But then I would think best expansion would go to either LOTR or WoW... The content in Lich King, the user base and profit absolutely demolishes Fallout 3.

Excellence in sound for L4D2. Yeah the guns don't even sound like guns... They sound like toy guns.

And lastly the PC Game of the Year goes to Dragon Age, how predictable. I am not surprised considering how much hype this game got and wouldn't be surprised if somehow reviewers were paid to do it. I haven't played it, but friends who have and reading on forums, it seems gamer experience is different from what these game site reviewers experienced. Almost as if the reviewers were paid to do it.... hmmmm.

 

Thx for your answer!

 

you should try Batman Arkham Asylum, great game.

 

I'll give it a try after ME2. That game is consuming all my free time, it's terrible!

 

So, how does everyone else feel so far about the G73 keyboard? I was typing on it a little today, and aside from some noticeable flex (which I typically could care less about), I noticed some problems with missed keystrokes. There is definitely a dead-zone on the lower right and left sides of the space bar, which I hit a few times while typing. For the most part, once I knew it was there, I could adjust and avoid it without problem, but it's something to note. It seems Asus has trouble getting keyboards right...my EeePC had this exact same problem...and that was just a standard (non-chicklet) keyboard. Maybe i'll have to use the trick of putting foil under it to make it stiffer haha

 

I MUST SEDUCE THE ASARI! Took me 3 tries. Your choices in dialogue really make a difference in some situations. Also Samara has the best cinematic sequences so far. ME2 is great so far. Wouldn't say the action is fantastic, 3rd person shooting isn't my cup of tea. ME2 is like an interactive cinema experience is how I would explain it.

No deadzones for me. It just took some getting used to. Need to type a bit more firmly than I was used to with laptop keyboards.

 

Hmm...yeah, I mean, i'm sure getting used to it is part of the problem, and I don't want to nitpick, but this keyboard is really kinda crappy when compared to the Apple chicklet keyboard that I use with my desktop. I just sat and typed out a long paragraph of random BS in MS Word on my G73 and it was fairly consistently missing T's, Y's and space's. It doesn't seem that those keys are in any way faulty or anything like that, I just think this is a standard Asus design flaw. They seem to have had a lot of trouble in recent years getting their keyboards to work well. I may slip the keyboard out and put a few sheets of foil under it like I had to do to my EeePC. That usually does a lot to reduce these types of issues and gets rid of a lot of the keyboard flex.

It seems that for almost any key, if you hit it kinda off in one of the corners and you don't hit it hard enough in that corner, it does not register. You could say "well why wouldn't you be hitting it dead center" but I assure you if you type at your full speed, you'll notice that you often do not hit keys in the center.

 

There is a Deadzone (Y,T's) (yes press harder) I found this out in a chat room the hard way. But sometimes even pressing harder didn't work it like a communication problem