ASUS G51J--overheating issues solved?

Hey guys,

I'm trying to decide between an ASUS G51J ($1500 at Newegg) and a Sager N8690 ($1900 or so). It's a big jump in price, the largest difference being the faster GPU in the Sager.

However, I'm still hearing reports of overheating in the G51J. Is this exaggerated, or is it really an issue? If it's an issue, how can it be solved? The last thing I want is something that will overheat on me and be problematic whenever I try to do something with it. I want something that I can keep for a long time and really run into the ground before upgrading again.

Thanks in advance! I'm really glad I found this site.

 

it's exaggerated. I just wanted to OC my GTX 260M so I'm always looking for ways to lower my temperature.

 

Yeah, I might want to do that, too. And every review I read seems to mention that this notebook runs hot. The Sager, on the other hand, runs very cool but seems to have slightly lower build quality and is more expensive.

Decisions, decisions. If the ASUS ran as cool, I might just go with it right away. But if I ever wanted to swap the GPU (in two years when the warranty is dead), heat might be even more of an issue.

Maybe it's paranoia, but I'm still worried about cooling.

 

go with sager 8690 if you have the money. I was comparing between asus g51j and sager 8690 before I brought the laptop. In the end, I couldn't justify the extra cost of getting sager 8690 for the same spec as asus g51j. Also Asus give out free mouse, game, and backpack.

 

I was in the same boat as you. I picked the Asus.

Several reasons.

1. $400. Self explanatory really, but $400 is a huge relative price difference.

2. Asus Warranty is much better than Sager. 2 years pars and labor, 1 year accidental - standard. This is a big deal for me.

3. Asus DOES run hot. But $400 buys a lot of cooling pads. Plus grabbing a dremel and turning the fake vent into a real vent helped significantly with the heat.

In short, the $400 difference is just too much. Asus G51J is the best deal out right now. It completely destroys the MSI, Alienware, and Sager in price when you factor in the warranty.

 

You actually get 2 years accidental with the G51j. Once you register at asus, they extend the standard 1 year to 2. So, 2 years parts and labour and matching 2 years accidental. Pretty good for 'standard' support out of box.

As for 'overheating', I haven't experienced that here either. Very hot temps internal, absolutely and a cooling pad will definitely be in your future. But the deck doesn't overheat even without help (no damage or anything). Even the outside temps are reasonable compared to some laptops (the Studio XPS 16's palmrest gets uncomfortable, unlike the G51j, for example). But man, internally, 80-100c is pretty damn hot.

 

Thanks, guys. Yup, those are all great reasons, and I was actually thinking along the same lines. In fact, the mouse and backpack even factor in, as does the excellent warranty. And, of course, the price difference. Essentially what it comes down to is $400 extra for better cooling and a slightly faster video unit. I would rather save that $400 and upgrade the GPU in a few years after my warranty expires (unless that would just horribly exacerbate the cooling issues!).

I think if it weren't for the hot internal temps, I would already have ordered the ASUS.

So using a cooling pad helps? Can you guys tell me more about this "dremel" business? Is that a difficult modification to make?

I also realize I'm in the ASUS forum here, but this is still good advice.

Thanks again.

Edit: Looking it over again, it's actually more like a $500 price difference between the two, depending on the specs, buying from xoticpc (cheaper than Newegg!).

 

You cannot upgrade the GPU in the G51j unless Asus puts out a better GPU in the same format.

 

Okay, I must have misread or misunderstood that. In a review, it mentioned something about swapping parts out (and not voiding warranty), but apparently that only works when it's the same format (and I think they meant the processor, not the GPU). Makes sense now. Kind of a shame they do that, though. Is there any likelihood they'd make an "upgrade" unit that could be swapped in the coming years?

 

The dremel mod is easy. You just turn the fake sub/air vent into a real one.

 

Get the sager, just watch out for LOUD fans. /thread

 

Does it void the warranty or anything? :S I'm pretty technically inept, honestly, but it looks like something I'd want to figure out how to do.

I gotta say, laptops are a LOT more upgradeable and whatnot than they used to be. I used to be terrified to open one up, but this one looks kind of similar to a desktop on the inside.

 

The 400$ diff. buys you an ac. to cool down your room to 0C so asus runs cooler
Gaming notebooks run hot generally anyway.

Yes cutting the case voids warranty, reason better to buy extra backplate if there is any on sale.
But my non moding solution, just raise notebook from the desk in 15% angle and get fans to blow sht load air under it, 12cm fans quiet.