K53TA.. The best deal ever... could be!

Hey Guys,

In a small dilemma:

My brother is seeking a budget gaming laptop and asked me to help him find one. I'm considering the K53TA, which is between 549-599$ at Staples Canada (549$ when it's on sale once a month).

I'm having a hard time finding out how well it performs in games such as Battlefield 3, Heroes of Might & Magic 6, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and a few other titles due to very limited information online.

Could users playing these games describe their performance (after CPU overclock)?

I was also considering the K53SV, which is 100$ more (649$ through Canada Computers) and is equipped with i5 / 540m, which I know would run these games, but my younger brother would prefer to stay as low as possible when it comes to pricing.

Oh, and one final question: Do the TA/SV models have any heating / throttling issues like the Acer's in this price range do? I read through many, many posts in this thread and couldn't find a clear answer.

Thanks!

 

Oh crap...

Well, that means no overclocking I guess.

 

This is my first post on these forums and I made my account specifically to ask this question so please bare with me if I'm asking this question in the wrong forum.

I bought this laptop about 2 months ago and have been experiencing some problems with getting my hard drives to work with this laptop. The original WD 500GB blue Scorpio HDD that came with it has worked flawlessly so far, but I can't seem to get any other hard drives to work with it.

2 months ago I bought a brand new WD black Scorpio 500GB HDD and swapped it in but it only lasted a week before getting the click of death and I was able to confirm it no longer worked in my external enclosure. then I bought a Hitachi 7k750 750GB HDD and tried using it in the laptop but it started getting random BOSDs then after a month died, however it still worked in my external enclosure via usb.

So then I decided to RMA the Hitachi drive for a replacement drive of the same model but now the new replacement drive wont even get detected in the BIOS! I got the BIOS to read the HDD 3 times so far (out of about 100+ tries) but whenever I attempt to load the windows 7 installation disc to install windows on the drive when the drive does get detected the computer freezes. However the computer won't freeze while loading the installer if the hard drive isn't detected by the BIOS.

I've tested the HDD with my external enclosure from my desktop for any bad sectors or errors but couldn't find any. I even fully formatted the drive with zeros to no avail. No matter what settings I change in the bios nor what position it's in the drive bay, the bios will not detect it.

And even with all this happening, as soon as I swap in the original WD blue Scorpio 500GB HDD in it works perfectly without any hitches. Am I just very unlucky with my hard drives or may there possibly be something preventing my BIOS from detecing my HDD? Could it be my motherboard that's bad or the sata connection? or maybe my BIOS version? (version 207).

EDIT: Before my hard drive wasn't even spinning when I turned my laptop on, but now it does and it makes a weird series of beeping noise similar to that of when my WD HDD failed on me, so I'm assuming my replacement HDD is simply dead.

 

For those that can't get the ASUS K53Ta I think this deal may be as good (or better?) $499 for A8 w/6620 graphics

Best deal on Dell Vostro 3555 Quad-core Laptop Bundle - LogicBUY

 

This one is actually a good bit slower. The Asus comes with a 6520 + 6550M, the Dell only has the 6620.

 

some of the vostros come with a matte screen. to me that is a big plus, ymmv.
but i'm not a 15 guy

 

Good point. Still seems like a good deal, just not as good!

 

Depends on if you want to game. In 3DMark06, the 6620G scores around 4375, the 6550M scores 7477.

 

I believe those drivers have been hosted and posted up somewhere in this thread several times before.

 

It's a double-edge sword, though. Those drivers are older, based on the Catalyst 11.6 set, IIRC. So you would gain the ability to overclock but potentially lose on performance optimizations for newer games (if you play them, that is).

 

I posted the "GPU Overclocking" older 11.6 (8/31/11) drivers here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...607232-k53ta-owners-lounge-8.html#post7977043

I don't play BF3 yet...maybe in the future, so I just stuck with the old drivers. I overclock sometimes, but don't really see any substantial gains or differences in games. Maybe things are slightly improved. I only play Crysis 2, DeusEx, Dirt 3, Batman 1 and 2, and a bunch of older games. I will probably update to the latest drivers eventually in the coming months.

 

Heads up for any one intrested!

AMD just released new Catalyst 11.11c drivers here

You can read the official release notes here

 

Thanks, I'll check them out, hopefully it gives performance like it should.

Edit: Ok, so with the new 11.11c drivers I've gained like 10+ fps increase in Riverwood. With the regular 11.11 drivers I used to get like 18-20 on medium/high settings and with the new ones on high I get around 25-30+ fps .

 

My USB 3.0 port is not working. If I plug a USB key, it seems to be powered (the key LED is lightened), but it's not I can't use it.

And in the device manager, there is an unknown device, anyone know what it can be?

 

Did you install the drivers for your USB3.0? There are no native USB3.0 support in windows 7 and thus you need a third party driver for it. It should be available on Asus' website.

 

The USB 3.0 drivers are included in the chipset package you download from Asus.

 

It worked, and it solved the mystery of the unknown device.

Thanks!

 

Hey guys, Asus has a new chipset/display driver out as of December 2, version 8.901. Can anyone try it out and see how it stacks up to the other ones (or if it allows GPU overclocking)?

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download K53TA

 

Is this RAM stick compatible?

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL

 

That is desktop memory.

Look for laptop memory.

This is compatible:
Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model CT51264BC1339

 

Has anyone tried upgrading the screen on these to one of a higher resolution? I know there was a thread about it, and some discussion, but nothing really came of it. Since Christmas is coming up, I'm thinking of treating myself to a new screen, and excuse to disassemble my laptop.

Here's what I have in mind: ASUS G53JW replacement Laptop LCD Screen from $55.99 Brand-new screens (never used).

I'd select the 1080p Matte screen for $69.99. I figured since it's compatible with the G53, it'd be compatible with the K53. I'm wondering if there is anything that I am overlooking, and if there could be anything else I'd need to purchase to make this work, since I have never swapped out a laptop screen before. I know that LED screens do not have inverters.

Additionally, could this have any negative effects on the lifespan of my gpu? Temps are never a problem at the default resolution of 1366x768 while gaming on Skyrim, rarely going above 74 celcius (with old 11.10 drivers).

EDIT: I've learned that a 1366x768 monitor uses a single-channel LVDS cable, where as 1920x1080 uses a 2-channel cable. Anyone know if this laptop comes equipped with a 2-channel cable? If not, is it just a simple matter of upgrading to a new, model-compatible cable, such as what is probably found in the G53?

 

Based on driver numbers i believe those are the 11.10 drivers from AMD.

 

Hi guys!I just registered to this site so i can post on this forum.
I 'm thinking of buying this laptop but i have a few questions
a)i have read in notebookcheck.com this "The performance of the Radeon HD 6720G2 depends greatly on the driver support for the used games. In some games the performance may even degrade by 10-15% compared to using only the APU graphics card. Currently (June 2011) only DirectX 10 and 11 graphics modes are supported and therefore lower settings and older games are not accelerated. Due to the micro stuttering and performance problems, Dual Graphics may impose more problems than bring performance gains"

Is this true?Can i disable crossfire so i can use just the 6650,only the better graphic card?

and b)Are there any issues with drivers,compatibility and co. by installing linux on this laptop?

Sorry for my bad english,cant wait for answers!!

 

Asymmetric Crossfire only works on DirectX 10 and 11 games, and yes, you can disable it so that titles will only run on the discreet GPU. The vast, vast majority of DirectX 9 games default to the discreet GPU as well. It's only OpenGL games where you'll have a problem as AMD's automatic graphic switching doesn't work; those games only use the integrated GPU. It's perfectly fine for older titles (Quake, Half-Life, etc), but it is a problem with Rage.

 

As far as i know,source games(portal,l4d) are opengl games.I think the integrated gpu can handle them cause the source engine is a bit old,so no problem.
I have one more question.The laptop i want to buy has the cpu A4 3300 with the integrated gpu 6480g and the 2nd gpu 6650 but if you try to find this combination here AMD Radeon Dual Graphics you cant find something like that!!The 6650 comes only with the A6 and A8 processors but not with the a4 processors,???Is the list wrong?

 

Hey guys, so I just ordered one of these laptops from staples Canada (they had it on special for 539.99$ so I had to pick one up), as being a budget gamer im pretty sure this is gonna be my fix. However, im confused as to what I should download to brign this laptop to optimal performance?

1) How do you overclock this laptop's cpu? and how does overclocking/undervolting work?

2)What are all of the drivers I should download for this laptop?

3)Would the optical game performance for this laptop be with or without crossfire? And if without how would I make the 6650m used in all games?

THANKS

 

The original Half-Life and its related expansions are OpenGL as they're based on the Quake engine. The Source engine is DirectX and works fine on the discreet GPU.

Do you have a link to the system you want to buy, either from the retailer or manufacturer? Both parties are notorious for having these kinds of typos in their product descriptions.

You need the program K10STAT. There's a link to it as well as a guide on how to use it on the first page of this thread. The program is fairly straightforward when it comes to changing the voltage and frequency of these CPUs. You simply need to play around with the settings to find ones that are stable. It takes a while, but the effort can be well worth it.

Pretty much everything except the utilities. It's all here.

It depends on the game. I had good luck with CF in games such as Crysis, but others reported problems with titles such as Battlefield 3. Usually, it's best to simply disable CF, which is done via a checkbox in the driver control panel. As I said, CF only works on DirectX 10 and 11 games. With DX9, it defaults to only the 6650M. If you disable CF, those DX 10-11 games should run only on the 6650M. Once again, the exception is with OpenGL games - those will all run on the integrated GPU, and there's no fix for it. Older games are fine, but Rage will be virtually unplayable. AMD's drivers are pretty good about detecting the discreet GPU based on game executable, but if it finds a file it doesn't recognize, it will bring up a dialog box and you can choose which GPU you want to use.

 

Here is the link ProMarkt.de-Asus X53TA-SX015V-13" bis 16"
The site is german but i think you can read the specifications!

 

Thanks! .

 

Oh,one more question.When you dont use heavy applications like games,will the laptop use just the weak integrated gpu?I ask this cause this would save energy from the battery.

 

Correct. When you're performing basic tasks it will only use the 6520g.

My K53 got 5 hours on battery surfing the web.

 

ok thanks guys,i'm gonna buy it tomorrow!!

 

I bought it today guys and i 'm trying to install the newest drivers but i cannot find them!!!Are these drivers ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download K53TA for the amd radeon 6650?Cause i cant nowhere see ''6650''.

 

I think you go to AMD.com.

 

You can get the latest drivers here.

 

Most likely wont work because of power/lvds channels.You might have to buy the LCD cable that comes with the one from G53JW.

I think the connection on the motherboard its standard,so the one on the LCD.Only problem would be the distribution of the signals in the cable.

Let us know if you try and works.

 

Ok guys i installed the newest drivers!Thx!

I have one more question,it might sound silly but i cant understand if my laptop has a blu ray drive or not!!In "Computer" there is a "DVD RW drive" and another drive called "BD ROM Drive".Does this mean i have a blu ray player?I thought i had only a dvd drive......How do i check if i have a db drive or not?I dont have any blu ray disc....

 

Download and run the Nero Info Tool from here. It will show exactly what formats your drive can play. I'm 99% certain Blu-ray will not be one of them.

 

It will be a nightmare to find that cable for the 1080p screen,so hard to find.

its only one cable that works

 

Worlds Greatest Site for Asus Spare Part

Actually, I googled "asus g53 LVDS cable" and found that site. It was easy from there.

 

oh yeah...,great.
i would try this myself and many others here for sure.

let us know if you succeed.

 

speaking about cables, I need a DVI to HDMI cable to plug into my newly bought Westinghouse 1080p tv and to enable 4:4:4 Chroma subsampling.

 

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

 

how would you guys recommend cleaning the keyboard?

 

Turn the power off and use a microfiber cloth like you would for the LCD. If the keyboard is really dirty, remove the adapter and batter and use a damp micro cloth, i find lens cleaner works quite well should water be insufficient.

 

Thanks, my main problem however is that their are small crumbs in between keys--should i vacuum or use compressed air?

 

Either method is fine, I use compressed air.

 

Compressed air is what i use. It is also possible to remove the keys to get to the really stuck particles, but the key mechanism is somewhat fragile so i recommend against it.

 

May I replace the stock keyboard with a backlit one ?
Thanks all

 

NEW ASUS MP-07G73US-5283 US keyboard black with Backlit | eBay

A G53/G73 backlit keyboard will do the trick.