G1 for non-gamer?

My search for a new laptop for (mainly) processing large images with Photoshop CS2 seems to be leading me towards an Asus G1 since I want a high performance machine in a 15.4" body by a company with a good reliability/support reputation.

Only thing I'm curious about is the emphasis on the gaming aspect of this laptop... It's a very high performance laptop but does it only perform exceptionally when it comes to 3D gaming operations? Would the graphic processing ability be wasted on running applications like CS2 or would it still help performance?

Hope I'm making sense.. cheers for any help!
Dave.

 

You know I read something in pc magazine about how the gpu can help in encoding.

But unless you are encoding a file its not even possible that cs2 can use the gpu at all. And not a photo either some sort of video file like perhaps a large gif.

The biggest thing youre shopping for for cs2 is the lcd that comes with the computer, the cpu and well you can get ram if it comes with enough or not.

The g1 is really good at all of those things.

The thing is though I bet a computer with a weaker gpu is just as good but gets better battery life and is lighter.
I dont necessarily know which one but Id look for a fujitsu to cross shop...

 

Thanks for the suggestion...
that's pretty much what I thought, that the GPU may not buy me much. Strange though that a lot of the smaller, lighter laptops with lesser GPUs seem to be more expensive than the G1.

 

You definitely don't need that much GPU for your Photoshop work. But your FAQ pointed towards playing Oblivion, which led the suggestions down the path that brought you to the G1p.

 

Good point well made... gaming was really a nice-to-have.. I got by just fine with Oblivion on my Acer with a X700.

 

For what you're looking at, you really should consider the F3Jm (go7600, 15.4 Wxga) or F3Jc (go7300) and save yourself $400-500 off the G1/G2 pricing. Plus, you have to like/live with the appearance of the G series over the more understated other models to get similar performance (although the cpu is faster in the G's, but you're unlikely to notice a difference for your described uses).

I agree with Chrisyano, all that gpu power will be wasted on photoshop work (i-GPUs work just fine for that, it's more cpu dependent); video encoding is a different matter, however, and that's where some software can take advantage to offload some of the processing to the gpu.

 

I got the G1 for exactly that reason, i game also, but im in mainly website design and digital art

The big thing in thoes programs is the processor and ram, i dont see any intervening of the gfx card. I use cs2 a lot and it's fast, but i dont think that's the gfx card. Same with all of studio 8 programs

BUT ther's a great advantage to a good gfx processor, i use 2 other screens when using ps, illustrator, and IR...this gives a great amount of room that wouldnt be possible with a weak card.

 

How about the z96j? A bit cheaper. Cheaper looking. has a ati x1600. WSXGA+ screen. Aside from the dvi port and vga card the g1 has nothing else on it other then a higher price.

 

Id like to point out though that photoshop will likely be the first 64 bit app released.
And one of few programs that needs 64 bit, so it can address 4 gb. So get a 64 bit cpu. That eliminates the f3jm

 

The good thing about the G1 is that it is very highly specced. The bad thing is its garish and it is heavy.

Since your playing Oblivion, I think the G1 is worth going for. If the weight and design bother you, look at the V1J, and if you dont mind a slightly lower quality notebook, look at the Z96J. They all have approximately the same specs, with minor differences (The Z96 has an X1600 while the V1 and G1 have the X1700 - almost the same gpu, but X1700 has lower power consumption).

 

Ah... I do like the look of the V1Jp - I will add that to the list. Cheers. Have to say I'm not a fan of the G1 styling.. reminds me of the boy racers that drive around with blue neon under their cars.

 

I like the G1, but ideally, I'd like something a little more...professional looking.

I've been looking at the F3Jm-, which seems to have nearly identical specs (though all the resellers only seem to list Core Duo, where as Asus lists possible Core 2 Duos).

Does anyone have any other possible suggestions? (Even if it is non-Asus, I suppose.)

As a side note, it is rather important to me that it's an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and an Nvidia GPU, because those have the best Linux support.

 

Besides the laptops already listed, Compal HEL80 is another great choice, 15.4" WSXGA+, GO 7600 and supports Core 2 Duo, it is a customizable laptop, because it starts as a barebone.

Or if you don't mind going to a smaller sized laptop, the A8js fits perfectly, also just get a an external LCD Monitor and you should be good to go.

 

After much debate and research I finally ordered the G1. I choose it because of its spec. 2G ram, 160G hd, T7200, nvidia card, 1680x1050 screen, and bluetooth. I considered in depth all other currently available asus laptops and found that several of them, like the a8 series, another f3(?) or something also can match what I need. But for those, they are almost always 1G ram and 120G hd. While I might be able to live with 120 hd, I will almost certainly throw out the 1G ram and replace with 2G, and that means the final price will almost be the same as the G1.
The only thing I am pondering is what to do with the MCE. I might wipe it out and replace it with my spare license of xp pro, and dual boot it with an installation of opensuse 10.2.
It seems to be a bit heavy, compared to the v1. But I can live with that. I will absolutely disable the green lights. I only hope that the green eye will not be too bright to be a distraction.
I don't need a 512M 7700. But it is nice to have, and know that if I want to do 3D or play games once in a while, I can.
With vista around the corner, it's better to get a highly spec'ed machine.

 

The green OLED, you cannot even see a cinch of it from sitting in front of the screen! And, if you do even try to look at it from the side, you cannot really tell it's a light.
The G1 is also.

 

well u do get a free upgrade to vista premium when its out when ur ready to make the switch, the G1 is a beautiful machine btw, ( just turn off the direct flash from asus' utility when ur at work ^__^)v )

 

Good to hear this. I agree, there's nothing wrong with going for more performance either CPU or GPU when you may not need it immediately, but if you need that extra performance, at least you know your laptop can handle pretty much anything.

Regarding MCE, I know most people prefer XP Pro so by all means get rid of it, but of course keep that CD Key when your ready for Vista.

The V1JP is 6.5lbs and the G1 is 7.0lbs, only a half a pound difference, not bad at all, especially since the G1 is all about value and performance!