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    Asus G1 Review

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by 6times7, Dec 6, 2006.

  1. slo007

    slo007 Notebook Enthusiast NBR Reviewer

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    What else did you guys consider before buying the G1? I'm stuck in between the Sager 5760 and the Asus G1. :confused: I have a Sony Vaio 13" right now.

    What was the sticking point(s) for buying the Asus vs. other brand/models?

    Thanks, and happy new year! :)
     
  2. MilestonePC.com

    MilestonePC.com Company Representative

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    If your looking for ASUS 15.4" options you have the G1, V1JP and the F3 series notebook.

    Most people buy ASUS because of the quality and performance for the mid range and sized notebooks. Some of ASUS notebooks have features that other brands don't like a multi-bay and docking station, or a well combined notebook with performance and other great features.

    If your looking primarily for a great gaming laptop, with good performance the G1 is the right choice, offering the awsome specs for a great price.
     
  3. m477hew

    m477hew Notebook Consultant

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  4. 6times7

    6times7 Notebook Enthusiast NBR Reviewer

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    You can use diskpart as described here:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415/

    or

    You can use dynamic disks as described here:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308424/

    EDIT:
    However, according to MS you cannot use dynamic disks in a laptop.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232463

    I checked the Convert to Dynamic Disk option on my G1 and it allowed me to proceed. I did not want to convert and cancelled so I am not sure if it would let me complete the process.
     
  5. razp

    razp Notebook Enthusiast

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  6. T3Knical5urg3

    T3Knical5urg3 Notebook Geek

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    Ide like to "file a complaint" here about the G1. Though i do love it it seems to be that my NIC card has failed. Now I'm not some n00b who didn't plug the cable in all the way. I tried multiple cables, multiple ports, multiple switches, and they all were functioning. I also reinstalled the drivers, reinstalled the device in device manager, and tested it in a live CD version of Ubuntu Linux. All with no prevail. Now I am going to have to send it back in and be without a computer. Not to mention I believe i have to pay for shipping and handling.
     
  7. GetCool

    GetCool Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well, you can't have no partition on a disk... but maybe you mean you have two partitions on a disk and want to make it into one (I don't own a G1 so I don't know what its default hard disk layout looks like).

    There are free Linux tools which will do probably anything you need to do with NTFS partitions without destroying data (although the potential for data destruction always exists when working with any low-level disk utilities like this, so always backup data first)...

    You can download an ISO of RIP Linux, burn it to a CD, and boot from the CD. At the command prompt, you can use fdisk or cfdisk to delete your partitions and create one big NTFS partition. Then, you can use ntfsresize to resize the existing NTFS filesystem so it occupies the entire NTFS partition. Doing it this way lets you resize the NTFS partition without destroying the filesystem.

    Alternatively, try the GParted LiveCD (has a graphical partition management tool).

    All of these things are free, open source, and thus superior to Partition Magic, etc. If you want any help using any of these (or if I haven't understood your question), feel free to ask me.
     
  8. m477hew

    m477hew Notebook Consultant

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    ok thanks guys for your help...but i think i'll end up leaving that partition...i didnt want this to be too much of an undertaking...if i must i'll probably buy PM when i get money/lose my hate for norton


    6times7 i tried to get thoes but it said i didnt need them...? i guess they are to fix a problem of some sort, i read into it more and it said to delete (format?) the volumes and then run the program

    razp the "trial version" didn't let me do anything, all it did was let me view the workings of the program lol got me excited

    GetCool, sorry i didnt fully understand all this stuff...still dont but i no wat u mean, and btw do any of the programs u listed work on WMC? installing/booting on linux pritty much defeats the idea an easy way to get rid of the partition
     
  9. GetCool

    GetCool Notebook Enthusiast

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    Actually, it's quite easy. All it involves is booting from a CD. You don't have to install anything on your computer, and they don't care what version of Windows you have, since they don't run in Windows.

    Since you probably don't have much experience with Linux, I still recommend giving GParted a try. Just download the ISO and burn it to a CD, then boot from that CD. GParted has a graphical interface similar to Partition Magic, and is fully capable of adding/deleting/resizing NTFS partitions.

    Seriously, don't buy Pertition Magic until you give one of these other free tools a shot. It really isn't worth the money.
     
  10. 6times7

    6times7 Notebook Enthusiast NBR Reviewer

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    Has anyone tried version 207 of the BIOS?

    My G1 shipped with version 204 and I have been pondering the usefulness of upgrading the BIOS to the latest version. Albert with ASUS Tech Support advised against it unless I am having a problem and I agree with that logic. I asked if they had a change log or a list of fixes and he did not know what the changes were except that the description for the download is: 'Fix the bug that Audio Line In function will disappear after updating BIOS to G1AS.206'.

    I tried to explain that since I only had 204 and the fix was supposed to correct problems caused by 206 then I may be even more behind than it seems.

    Has anyone received a G1 with a BIOS version other than 204?
    Has anyone tried the BIOS update yet?

    Thanks.
     
  11. Boneyard

    Boneyard Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just got mine yesterday from Eddie at btoTECH and it has the 204 version. I'm not undating unless I have a problem.

    Love the G1 so far. Have to find a way to tweak the font on the toolbars in apps like Word though. Too darn small for my old eyes.

    Got the icons and font on the desktop larger no problem but there doesn't seem to be a way built into Windows or Office to enlarge the fonts on toolbars.
     
  12. 6times7

    6times7 Notebook Enthusiast NBR Reviewer

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    Did you try the Display Properties, Appearance tab? There is a setting for Font size and you can set it to Large Fonts and Extra Large Fonts. I am using Office 2003 and it displayed larger fonts on the title bar and toolbar.
     
  13. m477hew

    m477hew Notebook Consultant

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    ok getcool, u convienced me

    i'll try it either today or tomorrow...i've been wanting to try linux anyway, thanks

    btw does that program also allow me to convert my hd to NTFS? and will it let me merge a partition or delet it or both?

    @ 6x7, where do i get that version..i'll try it out cuz i had that audio problem, i thought it was feedback from my amp but that may be it

    ALSO does anybody no about your g1 not wanting to stand by? i turn it to stand by and 5 mins later it boots up with an error message...i don't no wat it said cuz it was bloody 4 in the morning.
     
  14. Boneyard

    Boneyard Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah, thanks. I had set it to large but had to go to Extra Large and that did the trick.

    Has anybody disabled the Intel Pro wireless and allowed Windows to manage their wireless connections? I have a USR wireless router that I can connect to fine but can't connect to my USR access point at all. It is there, signal is excellant, even updated the firmware but can't connect to it. I am currently letting Intel Pro do the connections.
     
  15. dbexternal

    dbexternal Notebook Enthusiast

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    Noticed the nVidia GF7700 supported the 'nView® multi-display technology capability'. Allows one to drive dual monitors, was wondering if anyone gave this a try? I'm assuming it would allow you to hook up an additional display to the notebook and use it independent of the Notebook's LCD?

    Thanks!
     
  16. 6times7

    6times7 Notebook Enthusiast NBR Reviewer

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    Asus G1 Updates
     
  17. Dyingduck

    Dyingduck Notebook Consultant

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    Did my post disappear?
    Anyway, thanks for the link, 42. Sorry for being a total newby, but how do you check your BIOS version, etc. without opening up your notebook?
    In addition, if I do have a older version, is it recommended to download and upgrade? Is there any harmful side effects in upgrading?
     
  18. jamestux

    jamestux Notebook Enthusiast

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    I think that this is a standard feature in Wondows anyway, but from memory nVidia force you to use their tools instead of the ones built into the OS - I'm waiting for my G1 at the moment it's due to arrive today (although there's only a couple of hours left until carriers stop delivering), I'll post again once it's arrived and I've tested it.
     
  19. specialbuddy

    specialbuddy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Sorry if this is repost but I'm getting the G1 soon and was wondering if it has a free vista upgrade. I really don't care much about windows but I want to at least try it out. I'm probably going to dual boot with Xp for games and apps that only work with windows and use linux for everything else.
     
  20. m477hew

    m477hew Notebook Consultant

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    Yes you can. I think you can use 3 screens, but the s-video may or may not be a seprate screen from the laptop's screen. You can use the VGA and DVI outputs to go to seprate screens where nvidia can put mostly any app onto it.
     
  21. Teecee

    Teecee Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just pulled the trigger and ordered a G1 from Newegg. I did some searching and couldn't find anything about anyone that had actually installed a 7200 RPM drive to replace the 5400RPM one. A few posts have asked about it with no response. So I will ask again.


    Has anyone replaced their 5400 RPM drive with a 7200 RPM drive? Are you happy with the results? How much did it increase the heat? Was the speed boost noticable? Night and day difference in speed or only just a small amount?
     
  22. Eyedoctor2

    Eyedoctor2 Newbie

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    Question for G1 owners:

    I am just about ready to buy the G1 as a college graduation present for my son. I need one important question answered though, as there is no where in town where I can test this myself.

    The native resolution of the G1 is WSXGA+ (1680x1050).

    If the resolution is set at 1280x800 do you get blurring of icons, images or text? Do you get black bars on the bottom or the sides of the screen?

    Thanks in advance for your help with this.
     
  23. callen

    callen Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well I've had this laptop for 4 days now and its pretty good, the screen is amazing but the keyboard has something to be desired. It rattles a lot when you type on the left side. I'll probably take it apart and throw a piece of fuzzy tape under it that comes with velcro. One thing I have noticed is the fan seems to make a ticking/griding sound.... kinda like a gpu fan about to die... I really hope I don't have to send it in for this. I'll be calling Asus and finding out if they can just send me a new cpu heatpipe/fan. I used to be a laptop tech so this is more annoying then anything. :mad:

    I have installed linux and macos X both run awsome. In linux all the hardware works perfect (kubuntu 6.10) even the wifi card worked right off the bat. Vista will be my next item to throw in... yay triple boot. :cool:

    :noisyfan: :centrino: :nvidia:
     
  24. MilestonePC.com

    MilestonePC.com Company Representative

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    In general from what most people comment when switching to a 7200rpm hard drive from a 5400rpm, is that battery life stays roughly the same, since the hard drive doesn't have to spin as much to finish the task. The heat difference is basicaly negligable, it can add up to 0-3 degrees.

    The noise is dependant on what hard drive you get, Hitatchi give more performance boost, but suffer from a little bit of noise and clicking, while Seagate are cool, quiet while slightly less in performance than the Hitachi, however you not see the difference between them both.

    The over performance difference between 5400 vs 7200rpm is noticeable in boots time and load time of programs. Also it will help out with hard drive intensive work.
     
  25. jamestux

    jamestux Notebook Enthusiast

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    It's blurred at that res yes but no black bars, it would probably be less blurred if you did have them...

    By the way, hello everyone. Mine arrived today and what a great machine it is too, I love the screen and it blows my desktop completely out of the water. I bought it for business use and was a bit worried about the look of the machine but if anyone else is in the same position I would say go for it it's not as garish as it looks in the pictures!

    I ran 3dmark and got the same score as on the front page, despite the fact I live in europe (UK) the screen is the 1680x1050 one so it's not all european ones that are lower res as one poster suggested earlier. It's also got lightscribe written on the drive and loads it in Nero, it's not just a shortcut on the desktop, once I've bought some disks and tested it I'll post back here. Also mine has a Hitachi drive rather than the Seagate that the original reviewers had and comes with XP Pro rather than Media Centre. I just wish the software I am working on at the moment was Vista compatible as I'm sure that this will run it perfectly and Vista is a far prettier OS than XP.

    I like the keyboard a lot, I hate short travel laptop keys and although the keyboard does flex slightly it's not alarming at all and feels much more like a decent desktop keyboard than most laptops that I have used.

    Overall at the end of day 1 I am definitely :D :D :D and glad I didn't spend an extra ?500 on a lower spec Sony. This will probably not have a 6 hour battery life, but I don't wnat to work for that long while travelling anyway.
     
  26. Confy

    Confy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey Jamestux,

    Could you tell me where you got your G1 from? I'm in the UK too and i'm looking for somewhere to buy one from.

    Cheers.
     
  27. MilestonePC.com

    MilestonePC.com Company Representative

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    You basically have 2 options.

    Yes you can decrease the resolution 1280x800 and the icons and text would seem a little blurred, it is still very usuable, but looks rather ugly when you compare it to the native resolution.

    I suggest you use change the DPI to something suitable for you, instead of changing the resolution, if the low resolution seems to bother.

    However, the scaling in gaming is perfect, no problems there.
     
  28. jamestux

    jamestux Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi Confy.

    I got mine from www.FreeRangePC.com, but I got the last one of the delivery that they received on Thursday. www.asuslaptop.co.uk had them in stock on Thursday too, they had about 12 or so. FreeRange seem really genuine and they I like supporting businesses in the SouthWest (I live in Salisbury) so I bought from them but they were both exactly the same price. I couldn't find them anywhere else though.

    Good luck with your search! I'm pretty sure you will be happy once you source one.

    James
     
  29. schrama@cablelan.net

    [email protected] Notebook Enthusiast

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    Has anyone tried the DVI out to hook up to a large screen Plasma TV? I was just wondering what kind of results people have gotten with divx or dvd playback using a plasma big screen.
     
  30. specialbuddy

    specialbuddy Notebook Enthusiast

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    How did you put OSX on your laptop? Does the Asus g1 come with a free upgrade to vista? Has anyone found out if there is a way to add 4GB of ram. Someone said it is possible if you change an option in the bios. Just wanted to know so that I can upgrade later on. Should be getting the g1 sometime this week :) . Lazy UPS doesn't work on Saturday so I'm losing my patience.
     
  31. T3Knical5urg3

    T3Knical5urg3 Notebook Geek

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    I heard that the video card may be upgradable in the future. Anyone hear any truth to this?
     
  32. Dyingduck

    Dyingduck Notebook Consultant

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    Does anyone upgrade their BIOS version, etc.? Also, what is Net4Gear, is it any good? I heard it sucks. Should I uninstall it?
     
  33. Dyingduck

    Dyingduck Notebook Consultant

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  34. stamar

    stamar Notebook Prophet

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    id be interested in a g1 owner taking a picture of the gpu, to see if it is the same one that goes in the a8js.
     
  35. jamestux

    jamestux Notebook Enthusiast

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    The drivers preinstalled on mine were later than the ones on the nvidia site. Also you had a question about Net4Gear - I don't know what it is supposed to do - I can't see any documentation on it either. I haven't uninstalled it but I have removed it from my start up options. It looks like it might be a way to have differently configured IP addresses for different networks (which will be really neat if I can find out how to use it properly - visiting lots of different offices with lots of configurations).
     
  36. stamar

    stamar Notebook Prophet

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    laptopvideo2go.com

    make sure to download the inf file

    net4gear had to go on my a8js

    My computer started up and did windows wireless which was usurped by intel pro wireless which was usurped by net4gear

    too many things doing the same thing.
     
  37. Dyingduck

    Dyingduck Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, I had the same conflicts, stamar. By the way, thank you for the link.
    Anyone tries/recommends updating their BIOS version?
     
  38. Dyingduck

    Dyingduck Notebook Consultant

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    Also, does anyone recommend downloading the latest driver (97.44) from laptopvideo2go.com? I have a G1, and my driver version is 86.02.
    Thanks.
     
  39. T3Knical5urg3

    T3Knical5urg3 Notebook Geek

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    Anyone have an idea how crisis will run on the G1?
     
  40. bones

    bones Notebook Enthusiast

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    Just got my g1 today. I'm very pleased with the machine so far. I wiped off MCE, repartitioned the hdd, installed XP PRO and it works like a charm. The Asus G1 driver CD provided me with all the drivers/utilities that were previously installed on MCE (of course i didn't install all of them :p ).

    Very nice notebook, i'm very pleased with it!
     
  41. SweeJ

    SweeJ Notebook Enthusiast

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    Very cool! Thanks! I finally decided to go for the extra splurge over the V1JP or the F3 series.

    Planning to purchase from the Republic of Ireland, but was trying to decide between laptopsdirect.co.uk or asuslaptop.co.uk. Thanks for the extra company to choose from.

    Laptopsdirect sells it a tad cheaper, but i was deciding over the weekend, when i rechecked today.... they sold out. :(

    I guess, u snooze, u lose. :( Oh well, i'm going to decide between the next 2companies so. :)
     
  42. ttalaoc

    ttalaoc Newbie

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    Does anyone know of a program that can communicate with the Direct Messenger OLED with more functionality than the Asus Direct Console that comes packaged with the g1? Direct Console just isn't enough in my opinion.

    Also, to those wanting lightscribe, the default drive is as listed a few posts back, and it is NOT lightscribe capable, to the extent of my knowledge. Even bought the discs before I figured out it was not capable. Oh well, newegg has a couple desktop DVD lightscribe for around 30 so not a big deal for me. also, the keyboard does have a little flex around both left and right side, but I didn't really notice it till I looked closely after reading the a couple of posts here. It should be easily fixable with a shim or something if it bothers you too much.
     
  43. callen

    callen Notebook Enthusiast

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    If you search google you'll find the info on getting OS X going. It would seem my fan stopped making the noise (no it hasn't stopped turning) so I'm happy! :D

    I took the covers off the ram cpu access holes and all the vents were covered over with tape! I removed the tape and my fan seems to run alot less. Has anyone else noticed this as well.

    A note to the other lucky G1 owners you really should try Linux. I'm running Kubuntu (KDE Ubuntu) 6.10 with beryl and it looks like vista/osx 3d desktop but no DRM or big brother to worry about. WoW runs about 40fps 1680x1050 full settings with wine so even gaming in Linux is a good option. It's too bad I can't find more info about the OLED display... Linux runs so well on the G1 its a shame to not have any use for it in Linux.
     
  44. Lord Farkward

    Lord Farkward Notebook Consultant

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    callen can u get more than 3.5 hours of battery life?
     
  45. dbexternal

    dbexternal Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is the G1 Windows Vista Premium ready? Can't tell if the GPU has WDDM driver support.

    Thanks!
     
  46. dbexternal

    dbexternal Notebook Enthusiast

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    Any tricks getting Kubuntu and beryl working?
     
  47. abogo

    abogo Newbie

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    can also the others confirm that it realy had tape on the vents?
     
  48. Aceimager

    Aceimager Notebook Guru

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  49. SweeJ

    SweeJ Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks very much Ace. I actually called up laptopsdirect just to enquire when they will have stock again, and they said they have one more, even though it's not on display on their website. Since they were selling it at a low price like Nexus's, i just placed the order.

    :D

    Last one lads. ;)
     
  50. Radium3D

    Radium3D Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes, the G1 is Vista compatible, and can be upgraded for free ( just shipping ) to Vista Home Premium Edition.
     
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