Considering the G1S-A1, need a few questions answered about it, and Asus.

I have been looking all over for a sleek and powerful 15.4 inch laptop at a decent price for college, and I haven't been able to find much. After browsing this site, I have been reading a lot about the G1S-A1, and it seems like a perfect match. Correct me if I'm wrong =P

The specs and price are perfect for me, but I still have a few questions about Asus.

Will this laptop overheat? I have an ABS at the moment, and this thing overheats even with a cooling pad. I need my laptop to NOT overheat. Will this be a problem?

Is this a durable laptop? Considering I am heading off to college, I would like my laptop to be fairly durable. I do not want to have to repair it.

I've changed my mind many times on what kind of laptop I would like to purchase, going from Dell, to HP, and now to the G1S-A1, and I think I have made my choice. I just need to know that I am making the correct choice.

Thanks!

 

I couldn't answer the specific questions, but: although the G1S will probably be durable enough for your needs, have you taken a look at its business brother, the V1J (V1S(?) for the upcoming santa rosa version)? That should be more durable. Take care about the battery wear issue though that might occur on some units.

 

Yes, I looked at that model, however, the G1S seems to be much more powerful as far as specs goes.

 

Ok. Note however that in general the more powerful a notebook is (relative to another notebook from the same or a close generation) the more it will heat up. This relationship is of course far from linear because some cooling systems are more efficient than others, however since both laptops are 15.4 inches and from similar generations I expect more powerful components will heat up a bit more.

 

I own a G1S and heat has not been a problem yet (granted, I've only had it for a few days). I have gamed fairly heavily on it since receiving, and although some parts of the laptop start to feel a little toasty after a few hours, it seems like the overall ventilation system is doing its job. Just to note, while gaming, the fans get pretty loud. I have also used it for sitting around surfing the net, talking online, and messing around with different programs on battery mode in my lap, and it also gets warm after awhile, but it is tolerable.

As for durability, the computer will be as durable as you are willing to treat it. Before I got my G1S, I had a 3-year old Dell PO$ laptop, and aside from a dying hard drive, the computer was in great shape. I took it everywhere with me in my backpack (no special case or anything), and it held up fine (plastic chassis too). But I also took good care of it. I never had to deal with Dell to replace anything on it. The G1S feels a lot sturdier than my old lower-end Dell. You wouldn't want to play football with it, but I get the impression that it will be able to handle normal wear-and-tear just fine.

I personally am very impressed with Asus overall. I work in an IT lab, and the top computer wonks in my department all own Asus laptops (they were my inspiration for wanting to go with an Asus laptop). So I think, as long as you are willing to shell out the bucks, you won't be disappointed by the G1S. Just make sure you know what you are getting. If you are looking for ultra-mobile, the G1S is NOT your computer. If you're not planning to game at all, the G1S is NOT your computer. If you are thinking of doing some really intense gaming and don't need mobility at all, you might want to wait for the C90S.

 

Thanks for the reply, it has helped a lot. A

As far as heat goes, I can handle some heat, I just don't want to feel like I can scramble eggs on the bottom of my laptop. As long as it isn't hot enough to burn me while it's on my lap.

I currently own a 15.4 inch laptop and I wouldn't want to go bigger. I do definitely plan on gaming quite a bit, and from what I am seeing, this laptop will be perfect for me. It's a freakin' beast.

 

Well, if you are looking at the G1S, then it'd do you good to see it in person. It is quite a bit bigger than other 15.4 inchers, and somewhat heavy too. As for the V1S(assuming ot'l be called that), it'd have the same, or better specs than the G1S.

 

I was about to get the Asus G1s... until I saw the new macbook PRO that is.

 

Those who own the G1S, can you let me know:

1) If the built-in speaker is really really bad as the reviewer has mentioned? So bad that I need to get an external speaker ?

2) How heavy is it? 6.5 lbs?

 

I don't own it but I can tell you that all notebook speakers range from bad to horrible. So for reasonable quality it is always necessary to get headphones or external speakers. This should be by no means a deal-breaker.

for 2. check here:
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=74&l3=464&l4=0&model=1674&modelmenu=2

3.1kg w/ 8-cell battery

 

Hi E.B.E,

Yes, notebook speaker are generally bad because they're smaller in size, but most laptops that I have have average speaker, and the old Inspiron 9100 used to have above average speaker due to the built-in subwoofer.

I am just worried about the G1S speaker because the reviewer made it sounds super bad. Thus, I want to check with other G1S owner if this is true.

 

The internal speakers are very tinny; just buy a nice headset. Personally, I use Icemat Siberia's most of my time, regardless of whether or not external speakers are available.

About the weight, yes it's a bit heavy, but I was surprised - it's not as heavy as one might think, given the size. And, the best part about the weight is that it's most concentrated along the rear side of the machine. That may not mean anything to the average urban commuter, but someone like me who has experience backpacking loves this type of one-sided weight distribution because it's very easy to balance out. I'm not going to mind one bit carrying this laptop around to classes at Cornell, especially with all the machine's perks.

 

The speakers aren't beautiful by any means, but I think the reviewer might have been a little harsh. No, you aren't going to listen to music, watch movies, or game on the laptop speakers (at least not seriously). However, if you are out and about and want to check out a movie on YouTube with some of your friends, the speakers will serve their purpose. They get fairly loud, so you'll be able to hear, if nothing else. Then, when you actually want to game or watch a movie, you'll want a nice pair of headphones or speakers. I personally use Sennheiser HD280 Pros for headphones and Logitech Z2300s for speakers.

As for the weight, it is listed as 6.8 pounds. Some people say that is heavy. My 3 year old Dell weighed just over 8 pounds, so 6.8 feels pretty light to me. It is all relative, I suppose.

 

Here's my advice: never use laptop speakers. They're absolutely horrible. I usually get a good set of noise cancelling headphones or play the music on my lovely set of 8 studio quality monitors (I'm a producer). I bought my old PowerBook expecting halfway decent speakers and they were so TERRIBLE, I've completely given up on notebook speakers... and Macs for not being compatible with my any of my production hardware. Not to say Macs are not worth getting; they just don't suit me well. But I digress. I recommend Logitech's Z5500 for non-production use. It's not too expensive and has 550 Watts RMS under the shell.

 

I just got my G1S-A1 the other day and here are my impressions (coming from an almost 4 year old Dell Inspiron 8600, 15.4", 1.6 pentium-m, 512mb, 60gb 4200rpm, ~7lbs).

1) After reading this site for a couple months before buying, I was expecting the G1 to be this HUGE monster beast of a laptop that would be like carrying around a cinder block. The G1 is actually lighter and smaller than my Dell, and I've lugged my Dell around to several continents (courtesy of the USAF). When I say smaller, I mean thickness...it's basically the same dimensions in WxL.

2) The speakers are not bad. I usually use headphones on my Dell, especially when I would watch movies while deployed, but these G1 speakers sound pretty nice so far. They don't have very much bass to them, but they seem to create a fairly nice sound field. I think all the complainers are audiophiles who need the best in everything.

3) There wasn't as much bloatware as I was expecting. I took off some of the ASUS programs (and left some, as well), got rid of Norton right off the bat, and deleted a few other small programs. Wasn't too bad (or nearly as bad as my wife's Gateway).

4) I'm not sure if I like the fact that the hard drive came partitioned in half.
I may merge them into one (I believe you can do this in Vista without destroying the primary partition...someone confirm this, please?)

5) The keyboard is a 'little' bit mushy, but I think I kinda like it. It's actually not as solid as the Dell was, but it's a comfortable feeling rig to type on.

6) The trackpad is very nice. I haven't plugged the mouse in yet because my son stole it out of the box and wouldn't give it back (he's 1).

7) The wireless is about 3 times faster on the same -G home network than my Dell was. (it's funny I have the same Dell that the G1S reviewer did...with the same result in wireless)

8) It looks even nicer in person.

I'll fill in more when I get to use it a bit more.

 

I got my G1S on Tuesday and figured I'd throw in my opinion:

Like others are saying, the speakers are fine. They aren't special, but do you expect special from laptop speakers? No. They get the job done, and if you're in for some serious audio work then you'll always want a nice pair of headphones, or some desktop speakers to plug in. I had the laptop speakers blaring winamp at about 60% volume this morning and could hear it two rooms away. They're standard fare for laptops.

The size is portable, but definitely not super portable. I've lugged it around school this week and it works. It'd be uncomfortable on a very small desk (those little oldschool lecture hall half wrap arounds...) but anything else is definitely useable. The weight is a non issue when it's in a backpack as it weighs barely half what your average large textbook weighs.

The heat is pretty intense. On battery power when everything is throttled down it is warm, but definitely not unbearable. You could comfortably keep it on your lap for extended use. Plugging it in is when the heat cranks up though. Mine is absolutely not ok for lap use when plugged in, it gets considerably more than toasty just with normal use, and if you run multiple apps, or a game the bottom of the machine could sub as an egg-fryer no problem. I've never used a dedicated graphics laptop before, and compared to previous experiences with integrated graphics, the difference in heat is shocking.

 

Doesn't the VIJ Santa Rosa have almost the exact same specs as the G1S? Only difference I see is that the VIJ has only 1gb of ram while the G1S has 2. Both have the same graphics card and same processor.

Personally I prefer the business look of the VIJ compared to the gamer look of G1S even though I game quite a bit haha.

 

The V1j is not Santa Rosa but the previous 667mhz FSB C2D. The V1s isn't ut yet and details are murky.

 

After playing around with it in person, I have to say that the only detractor in appearance for the G1 is the lights on the side of the screen. You can turn them off, which is fine, except even when not illuminated, they are an awful shade of neon lime green. Absolute eye sore.

I'm toying with the idea of carefully filling them in with a black permanent marker, or even some paint. It would *greatly* improve the looks of the laptop...

but it'd probably really kill selling value of the laptop if I decide to ditch it down the road :/

The rest of the trim is very sleek, and looks great. Even the eye thing below the keypad is not very ostentatious. It all adds together to a very nice looking package.

Just those side lights. Uhg.

 

Macbook PRO for gaming, are you CRAZY? You can't game on OSX so you have to resort to Bootcamp. If you are going to use bootcamp most of the time, then why not just get a PC laptop. It saves you a lot of time from solving driver issues. There is no reason getting a MBP for gaming.

 

If you like bass, use Koss Porta-Pro headsets... cheap, like $30, but amazing bass, and they fold.

For the running lights, cut out black electrical tape (good stuff, like Scotch 33) to cover the lights. The main difference in better tape is the adhesive, there's not much difference in the polyvinyl.

 

black electrical tape was high on my list of possible fixes as well

 

does anybody know when the v1j santa rosa refresh (or v1s...whatever) will be coming out? i read the UK version of cnet... and I feel like i'll be like the sturdiness of the v1s better while still having all the same parts of the g1s... well... i'd like my v1s to have 3 gb of ram instead of 1... hopefully thats an option. i'm leaving to college so release date is pretty important to me.