G51 vs G71

G51VX-RX05 vs G71GX-RX05

I was wondering which one is better overall.

I personally Like 15" laptops; however, that CPU on the G51 seems really bad... Also a question... If I upgrade the CPU will it void my warranty?

Plus does anyone know G71 comes with a 9 cell battery?

Btw sorry for posting this... It's just that the G71 and G51 threads have thousands of post in them. I've look through around 20 pages in them, and it's still hard to find info. So if anyone knows these stuff clearly, it will help me out greatly.

Also are both of these laptop easily overclockable like, MSI stuff?

 

well it all depends on what you want. the g71 has a higher screen res and will have better cooling overall than the g51. the cpu in both systems can be upgraded but will void your warranty. only a 6cell is available for the g71.

specs on the g71:
The specs for the G71GX-RX05 at Best Buy are:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53 GHz w/ 3MB L2 Cache
RAM: 6GB DDR2-800 (4GB+2GB)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3 @ 500/1250/800
HDD: 500GB 5400RPM
DSP: 17.1" @ 1440x900 LCD
OPT: DVD Burner
PRC: $1149.99 + Tax
WTY: 1-Year [2-Years with VISA Platinum] (Up to 3-Years with Geek Squad Warranty)

specs on the g51:
Dimensions: Width - 14.8", Height - 1.6", Depth - 10.4", Weight - 6.2 lbs.
Processor: P7350 Centrino 2 C2D @ 2.00ghz
Memory: 4GB DDR2 (8GB Max)
HDD: 320GB 7200rpm (optional space for a second hdd)
Cd/DVD: 8x DVD R/RW DL
Screen: 15.6" WXGA LCD 1366 x 768 max res.
Graphic Card: GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3
Keyboard: Apple-like Backlite
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit
PORTS: 4x USB, eSATA, HDMI, VGA, Firewire, Ethernet, Card Reader, Audio, Express Card 54 Expansion Slot.
Wifi: Intel Wifi Link 5100 agn
Battery: 6 cell
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Price: $999

 

Eh it's only a 6cell. What a bummer. Btw I think I read on the G51 thread that the temp goes to 96c? I think that's crazy... Does anyone own an G71 and have temps on that?

Hey does those graphic card even have a difference? Also does the 5400RPM vs the 7200RPM make a difference in the hard drive?

Eh, another question... How bad is the P7350 compared to the P8700?

Because I also like to do some really big photoshop stuff, and some 3D modeling also; however, was wondering if the P7350 will bottleneck my performance.

 

sadly those temps are true for the g51. no one has posted info on the g71 as yet, my guess no one has purchased one.

no overclocking software came with the g51, the g71 however does come with overclocking software but doesnt support quads. setfsb can be used though to overclock on both systems.

 

Have you considered to G60?(The 16" version)

 

Lol... Didn't even know it existed. Is it around similar price as the G51 and G70? Also the specs?

 

the graphic cards are the same downclocked versions of the original gtx 260m. with the hard drives, you will see significant improvements in access time and transfer time with a 7200rpm hard drive. a p8700 will give you more performance in your apps. a p7350 is a bottleneck as it holds back the true performance of your gpu.

 

the g60 is just a 16" version of the g51, as it uses the same chasis and motherboard. nothing significant

 

It's a pretty big difference between P7350 and 8700. If you don't plan to carry it around much I'd definitely get the G71. I'm getting one of them for college and I'm still considering the G71 because of the superior CPU and better cooling. If only G60 was sold at BB for a good price

@Chin I read a link to a review of the G60 and apparently the temps in that thing is amazing compared to the G51. I think it never went above 50 C running benchmarks.

 

Desmond, I was wondering how do you know that the G71 has a better cooling than the G51? Is that a speculation or have you actually seen it somewhere.

Also about the whole 7200RPM vs 5400RPM, does changing the hard drive void your warranty?

I'm really just thinking of going to go pickup the G71 if it does not have any heating issues. Btw thanks to everyone who has been answering my questions. It's really helpful.

 

the g71 has better cooling because it has a bigger chasis which means more fans can be put in to cool different components, such as a fan for the cpu and another fan for the gpu. hence each component will be cooled better. where in the g51 it only has one fan which cools both the cpu and gpu.

i dont think changing the hard drive voids the warranty.

 

Both the G71 and G51 can only house one fan.

 

really? hmm wow. i thought it had 2 since the g70 has two. evidence here:

 

Unless someone here has seen the inside of a G71 and taken temps, fact of the matter is no one knows whether the G71 offers superior cooling compared to the G51.

Although it could very well be true, saying the G71 offers a better cooling solution than the G51 is speculative. Even if it is true that the G71's larger chassis can accommodate more fans, does not mean Asus chose to employ more fans.

Does anyone have images of the G71's internals?

 

Hmm... That means I should wait up on the whole fan issue with the G71. Also do you guys think that the G51 is bugged or something, because 96c is just ridiculous.

 

The G70 has a different chassis than the G71 series.

Here's an image of the G71

http://www.gentechpc.com/Asus/G71g_review/bottom.jpg

 

we are not completely sure, but the issue has been reported. all we can do is wait and hope that it gets fixed.

 

Eh, looking at that it seems like the G71 is as likely to overheat just like the G51? Also why is it a 8cell battery not a 6cell?

 

It's hard to say if the G71 (w/ the GTX 260M) would likely have similar temps as the G51 because; 1. the G71 chassis is larger 2. the fans are (most likely) different 3. the GPU heatsink is different. All these factors can dictate how well heat transfer and air flow is within the notebook.

 

Is the G71 with gtx 260 also coming out @ best buy on the 26th? Why the low res screen just like on that gateway? I heard its going to be 1149.99, thats crazy!

 

Best Buy models have always had lower resolutions.

And the G51 is seeming to have a low resolution by default, so it's not just the BB model for that.

You'll probably have to get a custom one for high res, or wait for a few more "generations"/upgrades to the G51/71

 

The low resolution screen is to keep the costs down. That's why BB can sell it for a much lower price than the reseller version.

 

I'll be very surprised if Newegg's RX6s have the same low resolution screens that we're seeing in the RX5s and G60. Its my sincere hope, at least, that they don't.

 

I'd hope not too (even though I haven't had any issues with lower res screens), but so far all we have heard about the G51's were they had a low res screen and Asus didn't have any plans of changing it. We'll have to wait and see.

 

I'm pretty sure the model that Best Buy sells will have an 8-cell battery as well.

 

G51Vx-A1 will have better screen.

 

yes it's going to be there. it's already there at some stores. the low res is to allow more customers to buy there products as product cost is reduced by lowering the specs on the systems.

 

Oh? Well that's good to hear! Know any other specs of it? I'd really like to find one that wouldn't break the budget, like without Blu-Ray for example (already have a PS3 for that).

 

Why the heck does the G71 have a slower HD than its sibling??

 

BB model? I'm guessing because it's 500GB over the faster 320.

 

Yeah, I agree with you on that. The slower speed of the hard drive doesn't really cause any performance hit other than with install and load times. Also, I'm not 100% sure its a 5400RPM drive, but being that theres only one 500GB 7200RPM drive, and the amazing price that the notebook is going for, I doubt it is the 7200RPM drive.

I'm probably going to get the G71GX-RX05 then as time goes by upgrade it to 1TB 7200RPM (2x500GB), Core 2 Extreme QX9300 (2.53GHz Quad Core), and 8-12GB RAM (4GB+2x2GB or 2x4GB+2GB or 3x4GB), WUXGA display (1920x1200), Blu-ray Burner (or Combo Drive), and Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit). So, it should be pretty future proof for me. I just hope the Core i7 notebooks don't blow the Core 2 notebooks out of the water.

 

Matrinix you think its safe to get the Asus G71? I mean looking at how the G51 supposedly hits such high temp, you think the G71 won't do that?

 

If you look at the reviews of the 500gig 5400RPM harddrives vs the 320 7200RPM ones you will see the speed is almost identical due to platter density on the 500gig, so the speed loss is almost nothing. This depends on what 500gig it is but if its the WD blue drives then its all good.

 

Considering the G71 has a bit bigger chassis I think this = better air flow = overall cooler temps than the G51. The P8700 processor is definitely a plus too over the ... 2.0 Ghz

 

I think there's a good chance the temps will be lower due to the chassis being different and more open allowing for better airflow; however, I am not willing to say for sure until some real results are published.

I think ASUS primarily uses Seagate and Western Digital. Does the Seagate offer comparible performance to the WD Blue?

 

TBH i never looked at the performance of the Seagate 500gigs . Hopefully though they did use the Western digital . Im waiting till friday to go take a peak at the machines at bestbuy(i want the free Win7 for sure) and see which i like better between the 2 but i am almost certain it will be the 17inch.

As for screen replacements someone asked this question earlier and its a very easy thing to swap a screen or atleast for me it is so if im not happy i may toss another brand in down the road.

Im not buying this machine though to go out and swap everything in it honestly because that would defeat the purpose of a budget machine. Most ill probably do is toss in a Quadcore, possibly a Qx9300 if i think it can even handle it .

 

Wow, thanks for the comment Quadzilla. So if it's a WD hard drive I shouldn't be worried about the speed difference. That makes me feel better about this investment. Now all I need to see is if it over heats or not. I'm checking my best buy this friday also.

 

So how much would it cost to pop a 1080p screen on the BB model, anything over $350 would pretty much defeat the purpose of not buying the laptop from a reseller.

 

Your looking at around less then $200 bucks for a "1200p" screen . There all over ebay and/or you can order direct from the company without going thru ebay.

Wont know what kind of screen it will take till someone rips apart the panel to see whats currently in it or what kind of connectors it has etc. im sure they use a standard screen though and chances are that the screens for say a Dell1705/XPS 1730 will work just fine in there. but im not positive till i see one in person.

What has me curios/excited is the possibility of getting a Dual lamp screen in there since we know for certain the machine can handle it , the question will be is the inverter that the bestbuy model has able to handle a dual bulb ? i doubt it because im sure they have inverters that are single and dual bulb , but if it there were a way to some how get that dual lamp inverter then its very possible to throw one in it .

 

Here are some specs of what ASUS has provided at this time for the G51VX-A1:

-15.6" FHD WUXGA (1920x1080) Display
-Q9000 CPU
-DVDRW
-4GB Ram
-1GB GTX 260M
-Dual 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drives

 

Justin, when are these babies going on sale? How much are they going to be?

lol... I know you probably can't answer but I just thought I'd ask anyway. Feel free to be vague (but not too vague!)

EDIT: Roflcopter. I just saw this like a minute after I posted: http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g51vxa1-order-p-2595.html

 

Well, from what I've seen here and on ASUS's forums the G51 beats the G71 pretty much due the the bios problem on the G71 that is causing it to lock up when it hits 82c.

My G51 runs hot but it has been solid as a rock besides the heat, no crashes at all and it's performed very well...still I'm considering returning it in the next few days if ASUS doesn't release an updated driver or some kind of fix for this issue.

It's a bit odd that they haven't commented on this issue as it's been one of the hottest topics in the notebook gaming world recently.