Buying the Asus G50VT-X5 in 2 days, need some info.

Hello folks, "canadian" here(foreign student in Canada ), this is my first time posting here. Ive been lurking these forums for some time trying to gather as much information about which laptop should I buy. Ive about 1100-1200 US avaliable and after doing some research, reading reviews, troubleshooting, etc I think the Asus G50VT-X5 is the right notebook for me.

I had three choices in mind:

MSI GT627
Gateway P-7805u
Asus G50VT-X5

The MSI looked good, and I almost bought it from newegg.ca for 1400 CAD$ with shipping+taxes. I could afford expending 100 US$ more, but then I began reading about the crappy keyboard, questionable quality and things like that.

I decided to do more research and came across the Gateway P-7805u. Now this laptop looks really good, high performance, cheap for all the features it has. But Ive never heard about this brand before, and I read some bad reviews about Gateway. I didnt want to buy something that would die on me after 6 months of use.

Again, I couldnt make my mind until I found out about the Asus G50VT-X5. I ead extremely good eviews on Bestbuy.com. I saw some videos of World of Warcraft on this baby and it seemed like I had found a gold mine. Cheap price, good performance, known brand, good reviews.

Im going to New York tonight 5th at 8pm and I should be arriving there in the morning. I plan to go to the Bestbuy store in the 5th avenue and buy the laptop there.

Now, I dont know much about the warranties and stuff since Ive only been here in Canada for about 1 month and a half.

If I buy the laptop in New York, when I get back to Toronto will I still be able to use the warranty?

Regarding the G50VT-X5, how relaible is it? Ive read some issues about the wifi conection. I can live without wifi, but I really want to know if this laptop is going to last me around 2 or more years. Im a very careful individual when it comes to making a "big" invesment so im sure Ill take good care of the laptop.

-Is there anything I should be aware of?
-Do you recommend this laptop above the others I mentioned?
-How well-built is it? Is it sturdy and resistant?
-What are the odds of getting a defective computer. And if so, would I be able to go to Asus Canada for repairs or assistance?
-Is the keyboard good for a gamer?

I dont really care about battery life at all. All I want is a quality product.

Thanks in advance

Oh and, im returning to Canada on monday.

 

just FYI in case you might be interested in saving a little $$. They sell ASUS factory refurbished g50vt-x1's on ebay for as low as 729shipped. They come with a 90day warranty from ASUS. The X1 has a better processor, but only a 6cell battery vs 9cell in the x5.

 

I live in Canada so Id have to pay international shipping+taxes, which raises the price up to about 870US$. If I buy one brand new in NYC it will cost me around 920US$ with taxes. I'd rather buy a new product for about 50US$ more if my math doesnt fail me.

 

I bought my G50-VT X5 from the US and I live in Canada. The keyboard is fine, has more 'grip' than most laptops and is comfortable. The laptop is of a high build quality.

There is only 1 issue that is on all G50's AFAIK. Plug in some headphones while you have a USB device plugged in and there will be an annoying high pitched noise.

 

Sounds very good man. And what can you tell me about the warranty?

 

The warranty is one year through asus, should be global and canada's service is great.

The MSI is a bit expensive the G50 is better for the money but the Gateway unfortunatly is better for the money as well. My review of the G50 is in my sig as well as a review of the zalman cooler and the temps i got while undervolting.

The usb issue is only when using a port next to the headphones which i rarely use, my backup drive is eSATA and my camera is firewire I use one to power the cooler which also provides my wireless mouse with a port. Three left over but as i said i rarely use the two as their in a bad spot for daily use.

 

I went through almsot the same process last week.

The only two choices you have there are the Asus and the Gateway. You can get the MSI from Newegg Canada for just about what you would pay in the USA. Plus, the reviews I have read on the MSI mention the flimsy plastics and bad keyboard.

The Gateway is faster, bigger and potentially has a much better screen than the G50. Next to each other they are pretty close in size. The 1900*1200 screen is amazing if you can find one with that panel. The 1440*900 was not so good.

As a former P6831FX owner and current G50Vt owner, I say it's too close to call.

A local store had the g50, 7811 and 7805u (all refurbs). I ended up getting the cheapest one (G50Vt). In addition to price, I also liked the 1366*768 screen because in my opinion the hardware can handle games smoother at this resolution than 1900*1200 and this notebook is strictly for gaming.

 

I keep hearing good comments about this laptop. And I agree on that lewdvig, and while this laptop is certainly powerful, I dont think it could handle big resolutions.

1366*768 is perfect!