G50v-A1 keyboard problem, please test.

Sparky, if you don't intend to game then why this laptop? Were there not better priced options for your needs?

 

I needed a 15.4" laptop with a numeric keypad so my options were really narrow. I wanted at least a mid level GPU as I'll be doing 3D design/rendering for the next 2 years. The M50Vm-B1 with the 9600M GS was my main option but the keyboard lag/missing keystroke problem killed it for me.

Besides I prefer the 1680x1050 display over the 1440x900 on the M50Vm-B1 and the possibility to have 2 hard disks is really nice. The G50V-A1 looks perfect for me and for it's price it has really good specs. If I ever want to try a new game in the next year I know my laptop would be able to handle it at least on mid settings.

 

Is the problem really noticeable? I mean does it prevent the normal use of the laptop, or is it just difficult while gaming?

I'm really close to buying this laptop, its just this new problem thats worrying me. I mean i'll be paying a lot for it, so I'd like something that will at least work well for me in school, as well as allowing me to run mid~ end games

 

Just think of the key combination its a rare one to use, I never noticed it and have 5 different FPS games installed. So I say its not a big problem unless you play a game often that would use that key combo and use it often (the scout from TF2 is the best example I can think of)

 

Vicious, just to clarify, is this key combination the only problem that you've noticed? There is no keyboard lag like with the M50 when typing? I type like 8 hours a day so I need to make sure it will be okay.

 

I have not had any major problems with the keyboard, I had some issue one night with firefox but it went away and I think it was just bad typing form.

I have noticed no issues in any text editor or in a game.

I think somebody reported a few more key combos that did not work but very awkward ones so it wont be an issue.

 

Great, thanks!

 

thankyou for the quick reply, i feel more assured now that this is the laptop for me

 

Man I want to pull the trigger on this laptop SO BAD! It's a little over my desired price range ($1400) and I can't say I like hearing about such a stupid problem as the keyboard issue. I'm just in love with it though. I've tried researching a number of different systems and configurations but one way or the other, cheaper or as expensive the others just can't match all the bells and whistles of this model.

Is the difference in HDD speeds that big of a deal (5400 versus 7200)?

 

I've been doing quite a bit of research on this topic myself and I think the best answer to that question is no it's not that big of a deal. It will provide roughly a 10% performance increase from what I've gathered.

 

Thanks Doc, I think I can live with that when I add in the price difference.

 

Already contact Asus about the key combination issues and they were able to duplicate the problem, it's the BIOS and they said new BIOS update will be release within couple of days.

 

Great news! Lets hope sooner than later.

I got my wiimote working again Ken

the Microsoft bluetooth stack is total garbage, I installed Bluesoleil and things are so much better now. Going to test it with my headphones and stuff later.

 

That's the greatest news ever!

i love you gentech person!

 

Thank you Ken!

That did it for me, i will definetly be getting mine this weekend, as soon as PCVillage get them in stock again ^^

Edit: I agree with the ppl below me, +rep =D

 

+ Rep for making me happy.

 

I second that

 

Thank you Ken! I'll be looking out for that update.

 

awesome news ken!

 

I've been following this thread, because I was having the same frustrating issue and I just wanted to say thanks to Playername for looking into this and starting this thread.

 

Hi all. Just bought a Logitech external wireless keyboard. All the problems appears to have gone away, including keyboard lag. I can now do S + D + space simultaneously.

 

Still no BIOS update, hopefully there's going to be one during the week.

 

I just ordered this laptop today so hopefully I get it pretty soon. It's never good enough for a problem to be reported just once. The more people that hammer customer service over the same issue the faster it moves up on the priority list. I'm going to call just for the hell of it, whether it affects my uses or not.

 

I have to say, I'm having quite a bit of trouble with this keyboard. It misses a lot of keys unless I type extremely precise.

 

Well it is good to see that the community is getting somewhere with Asus on information for the fix. It is still a shame that there is even this problem in the first place. I feel like we're a bunch of laptop release candidate testers. Haha

 

If you are one of the first owners you pretty much are.

 

I second this, it's not a HUGE problem, but it mainly happens when typing PW's (since i'm use to typing them pretty fast and without second guessing my finger placement.) Just gotta take a breathe and relaxxx.

Still - a fix would be nice

 

Are you and Doc referring to adjusting your typing style to the size of the keyboard? Or hitting the keys harder and faster for more accurate recognition? Or both?

I know on my Macbook Pro I have to type just a little harder than your brain would think would be necessary just to maintain almost perfect key recognition.

 

Yeah I gotta type harder and slower. It's pretty annoying as this happens every single time I type, even now.

 

Slower for me, I already bang at this **** thing pretty hard lol

 

Ah, another one of these... I would like you Asus owners to try this test as well: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=282422

The key combinations listed there is what I normally use when I play my old fashioned arrow/key games (MapleStory, emulators, etc). It's disappointing for keyboards to not be able to control your character properly. As I know, keyboards that are standard is what I'm used to (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc), and I had no trouble playing games with it. Laptops like Asus may be "geared" towards gamers, so they use a slightly different way of handling keystrokes, which is what's happening here, not responding to certain keystrokes. There's a chance that it may be not possible to fix because everything is hardcoded. But let's see of Asus's BIOS update can actually fix this.

 

Looks like I'll wait until this is fixed before I make a purchase.

 

Honestly i suggest you don't wait too long. I oredered mine this afternoon, and just now i checked the price and its gone up 100$! I was shocked to see it, but boy am I glad i decided to order it earlier rather than later

 

Wow, Newegg is selling it for a hundred dollars more. That is a pretty ugly price, thank god GenTechPC is still sane selling it 1,639. In my opinion it isn't worth that 1,800 dollar tag. You could get a Sager with a much better GPU for that kind of price.

 

Well I hope the prices don't go up considering I won't be able to afford this for about 2 and a half weeks. I sure hope the keyboard issue can be fixed.

 

I'm sure the issue will be fixed soon. Word will spread, and I'm sure ASUS wouldn't want to lose potential customers over something that can be fixed rather easily by them.

Until then, play games that don't need you to jump diagonally backwards, or use a USB Keyboard.

 

Don't forget the several users who are having problems with it picking up their keystrokes.

 

There's a chance it won't be fixed except Asus techs already confirmed it would be fixed with a simple bios update?

 

Don't bet on it. They have a history of ignoring such "simple" fixes, simple from our perspective as users at least. For instance, the battery wear bugs of my V6J...

But this is not the case here. Ken from GenTechPC already confirmed that ASUS is working on a BIOS fix, as said below.

 

Looks like people are clinging onto the notion of a possible fix...the pessimist in me says this is clearly a stall tactic by Asus to protect sales.

 

I kind of thought the same way, but even if it got them some sales now it would make them lose more later due to causing a distrust from there fanbase so I hope this is not the case.

 

It's still possible. I don't think big companies such as ASUS care about the distrust such a problem causes. Two explanations are possible: either that distrust does not have a significant effect on their sales, or they just believe it doesn't where in fact it does.

But still, let's hope that it gets fixed. But to be on the safe side, you can work under the assumption that it won't.

 

Well, i think its a critical mass issue...only do it if it affects enough units to hurt their reputation.

 

Well the fact that this laptop caters to their gaming consumers makes it unlikely for them to overlook this. You cannot possibly proudly stamp on Republic of Gamers logo all over the notebook and flip off their target market without harsh consequences in the future. If they are going to play dirty, this is a terrible market for them to do it in. Especially since most of you probably do a great amount of research before purchasing any expensive equipment (or toys).

Personally, if this does not get fixed by the time I am able to purchase it, I might have to look into other alternatives.

 

Well, it's been 7 days now. Where is the BIOS fix?

 

I'm going to have to call Asus again to see if i can get any more information on the issue, unless GentechPC can give us an update.

I'm noticing a letter missing while i type constantly, and i have to slow down my typing all the time. It feels worse now just because i'm more used to the keyboard and type faster on it.

I've heard "can't you just hook up a usb keyboard?" from people, which is stupid. Of course i could(and do sometimes), but i shouldn't have to, in order to have a properly working machine.

 

Update:
They found the problem in the BIOS, new BIOS will release early next week.

 

That was quick!
Thanks for the update!

 

Great news. Thanks Ken

 

great news! Thnx for the update



Can't wait for my A1 to arrive T_T