G51j Daily Use Temperature

Hello,

I've been doing research for the past few days to find a good replacement laptop for the Lenovo T400S that I am about to send back. Even though the Asus G51j and the Lenovo T400S are completely different laptops, they both satisfy my needs. It is nice to know I could game once in awhile too.

I was wondering if Asus G51j runs cool enough for LAP use when your just browsing internet + office documents + music (i like to sit in bed and use my laptop )


Also, would the laptop suffice for university? Is it built solidly?

Thanks

 

Sounds like you're looking for something with atleast a decent battery life... The G51j-a1 is not the laptop you want.

The battery life is very short (1hr30min if you're lucky, that is with the stock 6-cell battery). It also runs hot, so it is not good for lap use.

On a serious side note, it will most likely not suffice for gaming, it has a current BSOD (blue screen of death) issue with a few games (COD:MW2, Borderlands, and others).

For the price range of the G51j-a1, you could easily find a laptop with a decent Graphics adapter and a really long battery life that won't give you any heating problems at all.

I am in University, and personally I would never take my g51j to class, it is far too large and tacky looking, it would only last 1 lecture as well with its short battery life.

Don't be fooled by the fancy specs, this laptop's main target market is serious gamers/Workstation program users. As stated in other threads, it is not a good idea to buy a laptop with a serious issue.

 

Forget about the looks, cuz if you like the laptop that much then you won't care.

It is however a big laptop. I have the G51VX-X3A (check it out on newegg). It's the exact same thing, but it has a 2.53 C2Duo CPU and a different lid graphic. I can get almost 2 hours for browsing and music and not much else. Turn on a game and that power goes down quick. It's bit heavy to be lugging around all the time, but it's portable enough to lug around campus. Make sure you got a good bag and your power brick. Viewing angles aren't great, but most laptops don't have a good viewing angle anyways.

I like mine and if I was in school I'd get the one I got. The G51J-A1 like the other guy said will eat battery life like a fat kid at a cupcake fair. The i7 is nice but a big power hog, so if you can afford getting a 9-cell battery for it then go for it, but that's just more weight.

 

Oh and I also use a lap desk so that I don't obstruct the vents, even in bed.

 

Ah, thanks for the info. Good thing I didn't order it

Do you have any recommendations for a laptop that has a decent graphics card / long battery life without heating problems?

Thanks!

 

Decent graphics card+ long battery life= not happening. long battery life= low power components.

 

How is the UL80?

 

as stated and logical, higher power = less battery. where that optimal point stands depends entirely on what you need it for. i only have 3 hours (usually 2 in a row max) of lectures, and power outlets in all labs so 2 hour battery life is good enough for me.

imo, easily cool enough for lap use, but you'll find yourself at a desk most of the time anyway.

the UL is at the other end of the spectrum from the G series. far less power, far more battery life.

 

At the risk of being flamed I think you should look at Apple's MacBook Pro line. All models have 4 to 5 hours of real battery life, are "thin and light" in form factor, and have nVidia's 9400 graphics which is able to play many games at an acceptable frame rate (mid 20s on WoW on my 13" MBP, for example, with mostly middle to high settings). The 9400 is not a good choice for really resource intensive games like CODMW2; to do that you'd need to move up to the 15" model with the optional 9600 graphics (switchable), and plan on playing via Windows under Boot Camp, which is a significant bump in cost.

All the MBPs feature unibody construction which makes them among the strongest "thin & lights" you can buy - perfect for a student. All have backlit keyboards which work well in dim lecture halls and libraries, have extremely wide-gamut bright and crisp LED backlit screens, and multi-touch enabled glass covered trackpads.

As for the cost Macs do cost more but you will recover some of that when it comes time to sell: they hold their value better than most Windows laptops.

 

Holy huge hole in my wallet Batman!

I looked into a MacBook Pro right before I bought my ASUS and I liked it, but I was going to have to spend $1800 to get a DECENT dedicated graphics card not to mention the stellar (sarcasm) selction of games available for Macs.

All that being said, if you can deal with the poor game selection, the weaker graphics card and the steeper price, go for it. My brothers have one each and they love it. And if I could I'd probably have one too.

 

I think the general perception of a "decent" graphics adapter is held at way too high of a standard; the alternate GPU on the UL80 performs well enough to play many games, perhaps not all the nextgen games, but if it can play CS source and half life 2 at maximum settings with over 80 FPS (which it can) on the laptops native resolution, then I would say the graphics adapter is 'decent'.

The OP asked about the UL80, and looking at it I would personally suggest to get it. It is roughly $600 cheaper than the g51j-a1, and I think it fits your profile. If you ever want to game you'll need to sacrifice battery life, but when gaming you would want to use a mouse and have laptop hooked up with an adapter anyhow. Just don't expect to play CODMW2 and have it look like it does (or look better) on the nextgen consoles.

Seriously though people, not everybody who says they would like to game imply that they want the power of an xbox 360 in their laptop. That's my 2 cents, and I hope you find a laptop to your liking.

 

The source engine (CS:S and HL2) are built for the lowest common denominator, much like WoW. if that is really your perception of decent, you have low standards. And an XBox360 is probably the worst comparison you can make, because it is fairly weak in the GPU department as well. A "decent" laptop GPU could outpower an xbox360 any day of the week.

 

Not saying I don't, but at the same time I don't think you are really considering the needs of a casual gamer, but rather someone looking for a gaming powerhouse.

My opinion is very biased, I went from a GPU that couldn't play CS:S on low settings at a low resolution without lag, to a G51j-a1 with a gtx 260M. However, by the looks of it, the OP isn't someone who is going to boast their specs in their sig, or make any custom hardware optimizations or overclocking of their hardware, he is just a man looking for a laptop to use casually.

He doesn't need you to suggest an ATX case with a handle on it as a laptop that satisfies his need of battery life and a decent GPU for casual gaming, he is just looking for a modest suggestion.

 

I am aware of that, the 360 statement was simply a metaphor, i never specifically stated anything about placing the GPU used in the 360 in a laptop. I used the 360 because it is known, just like the PS3, to be able to play nextgen games with visually stunning graphics. I don't need to be lectured about how much more powerful a PC can be, I already know, i'm trying to put this in lamenced terms to prove a point.

It seems though, that the only way to get through is to be technical around here. Nitpick at technicalities all you want, I attempted to convey my point in the last post.