Asus G72Gx-A1 or Asus G51j-A1

I am very interested in purchasing one of these two computers. I game a lot and I want the fastest possible computer with little lag on the graphics or the computer itself. I have boiled down to these two Asus computers. I really want a 17in screen with HD but because the G72Gx-A1 only has a 2.0ghz C2D Quad Q9000 and 6gb DDR2 ram, it is making me think twice since gaming is my top priority. Asus G51j-A1 has the new Core i7 720QM 1.6ghz and 4gb DDR3 ram (why 4gb???) BUT a smaller screen. Say if I were to stack between these two what would you guys suggest gaming wise? Is there a significant difference between the Core i7 720QM and the DDR3 Ram vs. the C2D Quad 2.0 Ghz Q9000 and the DDR2 Ram? Or does the 2 extra GB of DDR2 will make up for the lack of speed DDR3 has? Any suggestions appreciated (I am also willing to swap out rams, but that's as far as I will go). Thanks!

Asus G72Gx-A1 link: http://www.jr.com/asus/pe/ASU_G72GXA1

Asus G51j-A1 link: http://www.jr.com/asus/pe/ASU_G51JA1

 

do you know which ram is compatible with the asus G51J?

Corsair CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9 4GB 1X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 204PIN SODIMM Memory

I plan to upgrade my ram to 6gb with this. Do you know if its compatible with our asus G51J?

 

Assuming I'm asking the question about these computers, I probably don't know. You can find it on their manual in the website?

 

You have to drop about 800$ for 8Gb ddr3 in a51j-a1
4Gb modules expensive as hell.
Only 2 slot....

But i7+ddr3 is next year and c2d+ddr2 last year story.

ddr3 should get cheaper then ddr2 next year.

 

Not much of a difference in speed between the 720QM and the Q9000. 3300 vs 3000 on synthetic CPU benchmarks. You can overclock the Q9000 to 2.4, basically eliminating the gap and then some. I looked into this QUITE a bit before I bought it. Asked techies at Intel, Asus, etc. Think of it this way - even though the i7 is faster clock for clock... You get a 800 mhz difference in speed on all four cores. That's a cumulative 3.2ghz (I know it doesn't work that way). The i7 loses 2 of it's cores and goes to 2.4ghz, which is faster clock for clock. But the 2.4ghz on the Q9000 still does better in most threaded applications. Not sure how a 2.8ghz single core would be advantageous as well.

The DDR2 VS DDR3 advantage isn't very noticeable either. I had the option between the two, but went for the G72. I liked the bigger screen, four speakers and nicer keybed. Also stays cooler. Basically, do you want something big with poor battery life? Or something small with good life?

 

Oh. Woops, didn't realize it was 2 slots, so 6GB Ram is impossible. Lol. Thanks for the info!

I think you just convinced me to get the G72Gx-A1. I have been leaning towards the G72Gx-A1 for awhile now. Thanks for the info!

 

I went with the G51, mainly because I wanted a 15 inch laptop and be able to watch true 1080p....also I didn't like how the g72x seemed to me to be a fingerprint magnet, and the mouse pad just felt weird...I also wanted to futrueproof my lappy to a certain extent, so I went with the icore, and I've been extremely impressed with it. I was torn between these two as well, and am happy with my choice to be sure...

 

Roughly, how long do you think the C2D Quad will last before being obsolete and outdated? If it is after 3-4 years, I don't mind because I'll just purchase another laptop.

Also what do you mean by the mousepad feels weird?

 

I think the C2D quad will last you a couple years, at least. I just went with the icore based upon it already outdated the G51vx that I was looking at, and was cheaper when I bought it along with it coming with a gaming mouse and backpack. The G72 that I looked over at Best Buy's mousepad had like little dots instead of a full mousepad that I was used to. The best thing that I can describe it as is that it felt like a braile book. I know that that's not probably a big deal b/c you'll most likely be using an external mouse, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. Also, like I said, it looked like a fingerprint magnet, and I cant stand fingerprints, lol. Needless to say they're both fast computers, it's just that the G51J was the right one for me and my situation.

 

As far as the mousepad goes on the G72....it feels almost like a rubbery plastic type of feel with excessive friction. It's definitely not smooth like a mousepad should feel. It was definitely the deal breaker for me when I was looking at new laptops. I went with the G51J-A1 instead.

BTW...you can put 6 gigs in it. Just need to get a 4gb stick and replace one of your stock 2 gig sticks with it. But for most purposes you'd only need the 4 gigs that come with it.

 

I totally agree with Farva, the pad was just horrible in my limited time with it......Farva, can I get a liter of cola????

 

I think I know what you mean. In that case, I have another question. Is there a program on the computer itself which it will disable the touchpad whenever it detects an external mouse? If so, the huge mousepad texture would not really bother me too much.

As for fingerprint magnets, I don't really care that much either. I mean people are going to see what you are playing, not what you are playing on... well sometimes haha. What is making me stick with the G72Gx is because of the huge screen. I have a 15.4 in screen on my current laptop and I hate playing games on it. It's just too small for my liking. But with that said, if the performance is significantly better, I'll swallow my preferences for a 17 in laptop and go for the 15.4 in one.

Since I'm planning to use an external mouse most of the time, I don't think it'll bother me that much. I plan to only use the mouse pad to do simple things in class (click things here and there). But what WILL bother me is the fact that it cannot be turned off. So do you know if the mousepad will turn off after connecting an external mouse into the computer? If not, I think that will be my dealbreaker and I'll go for the G51J.

Yeah I didn't realize. I wasn't thinking when I responded the other post. Haha! I actually have that setup on my computer right now... Stupid me...

 

I'm not sure of what software the G72 will have for the mousepad, but I'm 99.999999% positive that there will be a way to disable the mousepad when you plug in an external mouse. Either done automatically via the software or you will have a button to turn it on and off manually.

But I do know for a fact that there are USB mice out there that will have that feature built into it's own drivers. My microsoft sidewinder X8 has it and it works perfectly.

 

Do we sell liter of cola?

lol One of the best movies ever.

 

I've been thinking about getting a desktop instead now... LOL.

Going by polls, it is tied so far. Still, this is making it a very very difficult decision for me. I just stopped by best buy and realized how big 17 laptops are. So if the only reason I'm buying a 17in was for the screen... that G72Gx-A1 might be out the door... We'll see. Thanks everyone for the feedback! Please submit your opinion! Thanks!

 

There has always been a way...

Control Panel is your friend

 

Yup...that would be the software method that I was talking about.

Although it's not always the case. For instance, on this old POS Inspiron 4100 that is my work computer....there is no way to disable the mousepad. I could probably try to find a different driver that might hopefully be able to do it.....but I'm scared to install anything new on this thing. It barely runs as it is. lol

 

I was able to head over to best buy and check out their G72gx series and found out there is a DEDICATED button to turn off the mouse when you are gaming. So that is pretty cool.

I like the huge screen, blu-ray, and extra 2gb of ram. But reading reviews on the G51j-A1 and how that is also winning in the polls, I think I will get the G51j-A1.

Still please submit your opinions! Thanks!

 

If you really hate gaming on your 15 inch screen then it seems like an easy decision. Get the g72, the performance difference will be pretty marginal and you'll have a 17 inch beast.

 

Wait and get a G73JH

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=G73JH-A1

 

100% Agreed! An Asus G73JH!

And folks, look at what you get for a VERY NICE price!

 

agree with ^^

 

the g72 can now be bought on ebay for 1549 less bing 8% less mrrebates 3% less $200 cashback from asus for net of $1178.61. given this price tag is the g73 really that much better?