Asus G1 Review

Basically because it's a well known program within tech communities and most understand what it is and what it does and explaining it in every review would become redundant. You can always look it up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_pi

 

Has anyone been able to load the video drivers for Vista 64bit? I keep trying and the nvidia installer tells me I am not running Vista. I am running Vista Enterprise 64 bit version. It is a valid MSDN copy. The same one I am currently using on my desktop and the nvidia 8800 drivers worked fine. I tried drivers from laptopvideo2go.com and from the ASUS website. Neither worked. Any thoughts or should I just wait it out for more mature Vista drivers come out? I understand that Vista is new and most 3rd party vendors have slacked on releasing drivers.

 

Excaliberpc.com also has it at $100 off newegg's price. Looks like only one left right now, though!
http://www.excaliberpc.com/ASUS_G1-.../90NLAA1231211CAL400T/partinfo-id-574476.html

 

Unfortunately, neither your response nor that Wikipedia article tell me which duration of the benchmark the author decided to use in his review.

If you try to use Super PI yourself, you'll quickly notice that the program gives the option of computing pi to any of a variety of precisions, and I think that might help you understand my question: we don't know if the author is quoting a time for a run of 16 thousand digits or 32 million, and therefore can't tell, from the data given about this test in the article, if the reviewed machine is fast or slow.

 

Thanks for the links! Neither NewEgg nor ExcaliberPC allow configuration of the machine before ordering, unfortunately. Perhaps I'll have to buy it with the drive I don't want but the OS I do, then upgrade.

 

it's pretty much standard to run the super pi test to 2 million decimal places... it's sorta like car reviews, where they say 0-60 in 4.5 secs, say, that u'll know it's 0-60 in mph, while 0-100 is for kmph

it's one of those kinda things that u catch on once u've read enough of these things

 

Betterwriting, just email the prices you have to milestonepc.com and let them pricematch. They can upgrade the hard drive for you before mailing it.

 

I used the standard iteration and digit count as commonly found in notebook reviews on www.notebookreview.com. If you would like to be more familiar with the standard method of reviews on this site you should read these guidelines for submitting a review. There is no explanation necessary on my part as these standards are a given.

I hope this helps.

 

asus G1 no have Express slot? can't use The XG Station ?

 

Neither of the two US models, G1 AK008M and the recent refresh G1 AK024C have an Express Card Slot. The AK024C comes with a LightScribe enabled optical drive and Windows Vista Home Premium preinstalled.

I have not heard of any other localities getting a model with an Express Card Slot yet but a future refresh may have it.

The XG Station is supposed to require an Express Card Slot so it will not work with the G1.

If you are interested in a similar notebook that has an Express Card Slot try the Asus G2.

 

That's correct, the other Ensemble that comes to mind is the Asus V1JP, which has an express slot.

 

Hey Guys, I just got my Asus G1 about a week ago and overall I'm really pleased with it but I've got some Q's that maybe you guys can help me with.

1. Is there a way to shut off the power and wifi lights? When I watch a movie in a dark room they are annoying. On my old laptop (emachines m6805) there was a fn key for such an option.

2. I know that there has been discussion about writing a new program to control the direct console, has anyone done something like that. I would like to see instant messages from trillian etc on the OLED if possible??

3. Does anyone know of a way to change the hotkeys, I want the "PWR" button on the bottom to open itunes rather than WMP, and the play button to open bsplayer instead of ASUSDVD??

Thanks for your advice,
any help is much appreciated!!

 

The 100.54 vista 64 bit drivers at laptopvideo2go.com work on the G1 7700. You must use the modded INF file to get them installed but they do work fine.

 

I own the laptop and think it's brilliant, but I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to and I hope that someone here can help me with it (it's just curiosity at the moment):

I know that the memory max is 2GB at the moment, would this be able to be increased via a bios update later or is there a limitation somewhere that I'm missing?

 

From my understanding yes the cap can be increased to 4GB, provided 1x2GB sticks of ram become more affordable.

 

That's great news, thanks

 

Or show FPS, CPU load, memory status, internal temperatures, fan speeds ect when playing video games.

 

Oh, I thought I had it...The G1 is the laptop for me. That was until I realized I may need an express slot. Are there other things, other than the external video card, that use an express slot?

I have never owned a laptop, but feel I "need" one for college.

Thanks for the help.

 

The main use is an esata interface.

 

If you want a laptop to lug around at college better go 14" or smaller. A big laptop isn't practical if you have to carry it to class.

 

Besides external GPUs being available to Express Slots, you can expect Wireless N cards for both PCMCIA and Express Slot.

Sound cards for PCMCIA are here, the Sounblaster solutions.

I don't see to much of a negative in terms of the PCMCIA slot except for the fact that the Express Slot is more futureproofed because newer devices may only utilise the Express Slot and not the PCMCIA.

 

I have started a thread on how to remove some of the G1 startup processes:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=103896

 

Has anyone tried running Company of Heroes on their g1? How does it run?

 

Thank you, Stamar & MilestonePC, for your comments on the Express Slot.

Fiasco's comment that I should look at a 14" for school got me thinking. Should I consider an A8js? It is future proof, per MilestonePC, with the Express Slot and ~$300 less expensive. Though the screen and the rest of the interfaces seem to lack the quality that the G1 can offer.

Any thoughts?

 

There are so many threads and discussions regarding 15.4" vs 14" for school use. Since we basically have 4 laptops in this running for ensembles, plus another 2 more for Built On.

Ensembles:
14"
W3J
A8js and the A8jp

15"
G1
V1JP

Built On Asus:
S96J
Z96J

Why not consider the V1JP? It got decent performance and great quality, and flexibility with the multi-bay and Power Station (Dock).

However the A8js and A8jp are two very attractive notebooks because of the value in performance and price.

You will need to go to a local big box store and compare a 14" notebok versus a 15.4" notebook and decide whether you want to do all your work on a smaller screen or a bigger screen.

If you pick the bigger one, are you willing to carry the weight and size.

Do you drive? Bus? Walk? Bike? To school and around the local area?

Let me put it this way, I drive a car, I don't mind lugging a 15.4" laptop because I can definitely use a nice big screen. Do I wish I had a smaller one? Many here on the forums and in school would state having a 14" or even a smaller notebook would be ideal.

So this is really subjective based upon your usage and how you will use the notebook itself.

 

I am about future proofing to the degree my budget can take (less than $2,000). The V1’s 3DMarks 06 score don’t seem to compare to the A8js or the G1 (V1 1800, G1/A8js 2300*). I built my desktop (I will never build my own again) to be a gaming computer 5 years ago and now it is a pretty good business computer. I want the same from my laptop. Now, as I have observed, a gaming laptop is at least $3,000 and usually 17”, neither of which are within my limitations.

With that being said does the V1’s 500 point deficiency verses G1/A8js make that much of a difference?

To answer your question, MilestonePC, I expect to drive in the Winter/Summer and bike in the Spring/Fall.

* Yes I rounded down and I gave the A8js the same score as the G1 because I believe, based on this forum, the A8js would not outperform the G1 given the same screen size

 

maxed out without breaking a sweat.

My previous Inspiron 8600 w/ a 128mb video card ran it fine so the G1 definatley has no problems

 

I am looking heavily into this laptop for college. I would imagine 15.4 is a portable size notebook (taking to class, library, bench, back to dorm) while in a backpack of some kind. and at 7lbs its not heavy as compared to the other 17 inch 10 pounder I was looking at earlier. The 5400 rpm hard drive still has me worrying. I play World of Warcraft as my "main" game with Dawn of War, and CS:S as "alts" if you will. Will the hard drive have any problems with these games (probably not but I want to assure myself). the 2gb really makes me fell comfy, and at DDR2 667 is even better. I wonder how long the 7700 will be considered the "best" for this size laptop, and what about Vista and DX10 applications? I am stil hesitant with Vista, being so early and all, but why not bite the bullet now and install it? After all it does look nice . Also, the laptop isnt too over the top is it? I know it is meant for gamers, but does it scream gamer?

 

On top of books, 15.4 is too big to carry around. It's not just the weight but the physical size of the G1. It is by no means a small laptop.

 

A lot of people debate about protability of the 15.4" versus the 14", and this year once again the 15.4" is still the #1 consumer's choice for screen size.

All 3 of those games, WOW, DOW, CS:S will play fine, a 5400rpm will have no real effect on playing the game, it will only affect load times, after the game has loaded and the ingame movies, everything is done by the CPU, ram and GPU.

Fiasco point about the G1 being a little bit out of the normal (norm) size for a 15.4" notebook, however I don't see it being a big problem, I'm sure there are other here who do carry it on a daily basis.

With regards to Vista, I suggest you read this.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/01/29/xp-vs-vista/index.html

I suggest you quickly browse through it, and read the conclusion.

I personaly would just run Vista just to see how nice it is, but then just stick with XP Pro, because I am interested in the fulll performance potential of my notebook, and I find XP Pro to have a nice GUI aswell.

 

i really wish there is a PCMCIA to Express 54 converter. The G1 has great graphics, but the XG station using the express54 slot sorta draws my attention, as it'd be nice to put in DX10 cards externally when the 7700go is obsolete.

or maybe if asus refreshed the G1 w/ a 8 series gfx part, then maybe i could just buy the card and install that myself.

 

To all current owners of the G1,

I am definitely considering this laptop for my future notebook but I am a little concerned about the weight and portability of it. Are there any owners in the Los Angeles area where I can check out the laptop and see if it would fit my needs as far as portability? Thanks.

 

This guys tryna rob somebody...

 

Hi,
Had my G1 a couple of days. Comments to follow. A quick question 1st:

NB Probe only shows "Normal" for Fan Speed & CPU Temp. Is there a trick to get it to display something useful? Is there a killer 3rd party app to display temps & control fan speeds that is known compatible/safe with the G1? Thanks.

Initial G1 thoughts:

Fit & Finish- Awesome. It looks & feels like a piece of jewelry. Plastic, though, may scratch up easily, we'll see. Some flex in the lid.
Keyboard- Very nice tactile feel. Many G1's have slop/space under the left side though. Easily rigged with a shim under the keyboard.

Performance:

Vista Windows Experience Index:
Base Score 4.5
Processor 4.9
RAM 4.5
Graphics 4.8
Gaming 4.8
HD 4.7

Feels pretty snappy. I've just started with this thing, so that's all for now. I wiped the drive, installed BootitNG, Vista Ultimate, & XP Pro. Purring along, nothing weird yet. Some flavor of Linux w/ Beryl and OS X86 to follow.

 

Did your system come with vista disks, xp disks or a "system restore" disk?
thanks!

 

ForestCat, I suggest, Everest, Speedfan, NHC and RMclock, in that order.

Everest Ultimate has everything you could possibly want, it is really nice, and has a great interface. Speedfan is also nice. NHC works well too.

Nice score on your Vista Experience Index, enjoy it!

 

Preloaded w/ Vista Home Premium. Shipped w/ system recovery DVD, a recovery partition on the 160g hd, and a Vista driver disk. Some of the drivers on this disk were xp/2k-compatible, the rest were available on the Asus site.

Excellent, I'll check out Everest. Is the Asus Probe util capable of showing actual temps?

 

I carry my G1 five days out of the week so I know from experience that it is ok to carry daily.... by itself. Add the weight of college textbooks and other supplies that your typical student is carrying at any given time and even the modestly sized G1 adds to the load.

IMHO, selecting screen real estate over accessibilty, portablity and comfort reflects a skewed priority for a college student if the intent is to carry it regularly in addition to books.

 

I got an Asus G1 last friday, a couple times now I have booted it up, then it fails to play sound files. If I try to play something in Windows Media Player it say " Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly."
The Windows error center also says:
C00D11BA: Cannot play the file
Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device, such as a sound card or sound controller. You might encounter this error message for one of the following reasons:

Your sound device is in use by another program. Quit other programs that might be using your sound device, and then try to play the file again.
Your sound device requires an updated driver. To determine if an updated driver is available, see the Windows Update Web page at the Microsoft Web site, or see the sound device manufacturer's Web site.
The selected sound device does not support Secure Audio Path (SAP). If you have multiple sound devices installed on your computer, try using a different one.
Your sound device is not functioning properly. To troubleshoot the problem, see the Sound Troubleshooter in Windows Help or refer to your sound device's documentation.
You do not have a sound device installed on your computer. Install a sound device, and then try to play the file again.

Has anybody else had this problem or know how to fix it? It doesnt happen all the time, often a restart will fix it, but I dont know the cause or a solution, so anything would help.

 

either you got a bad sound card, or your sound card drivers are either 1.not installed[somehow]2.Corrupted or 3.need to be updated.

 

Hey, I have a problem where like my realtek sound device is not detected sometimes when I start up the pc , does anybody have the same problem or could help me with fixing this, thank you.

 

DId you try this?

 

Hi I have a major problem with my G1..for some reason I am getting extreme freezing like it automaticlaly freezes after windows turn on fo about 15 seconds and sometimes alt ctrl del doesnt work and freezes as well. I would get sum stupid meesege tht has asus liveupdate pop up or something and says: Out of memory. Anybody kno what is wrong.?

 

Try completly formatting the hard rive then reinstalling windows. That should work.
If it works, please give me positive rep. THx.

 

Socal, i'm not sure if you have read other threads regarding the Asus Live Update, however you really should disable or just plainly remove this program. It is known for being buggy and does not provide users with anything.

If you are also interested in updating the drivers, just use the Asus website and click support and from there you can pick and choose what drivers you want to use and update.

 

I'm considering buying a G1, but I'm wondering what is the maximum resoulition for a external monitor. I got two 20inch 1600x1200 monitors, and I would like to use one(preferrbly both). Is that something that can be done?

 

I think it can only do one external monitor at a time.

The Go 7700 for VGA has "Dual integrated 400MHz RAMDACs for display resolutions up to and including 2048x1536 at 85Hz"

Or you can use the single link dvi port which is something like 1920 x 1200.

I don't think you can use the dvi for one monitor and the vga for the other, but wait for more replies to be sure.

 

The G1 can drive two external monitors simultaneously (spanned or mirrored), which is a pretty cool feature. Actually, I'm not aware of another 15" notebook that has dual monitor outputs (not counting the usual TV-out).

I've been using it for a couple of days running two 1280x1024 panels in extended desktop mode. With the 512M VRAM, you should be able to go much higher than that. Unfortunately, it can't drive three monitors (2 external + built-in LCD) simultaneously.

With both the VGA and DVI outputs connected, pressing Fn+F8 will cycle through this sequence:

1. LCD (built-in display)
2. CRT (VGA connector)
3. LCD + CRT
4. DVI
5. LCD + DVI
6. CRT + DVI (two external monitors)

Slight quirk: sometimes running through the selections rapidly will get the drivers confused, and it won't detect a connected display. I've found you can normally fix things by toggling the internal display (Fn+F7), then making your selection more slowly. Else re-connecting the monitor always works too.

 

It's an awkward site, indeed, that requires its users to be familiar with the guidelines for submitting a review in order to make sense of a review that they're reading. Don't you agree?

 

Your Window Audio service may not have started. Select START, RUN, "services.msc", OK. In the Services window that pops up, check to make sure that your Windows Audio is started or right click and select Start.