Thinking of getting the G71GX....> P-7811 FX?

I currently have a Gateway P-7811 FX (in sig) that's about a year old. However, my wife and I are looking to replace our Alienware m9750 for something. Best buy has the C2Q G71GX for $1,400, which seems like a pretty good deal.

Is that a good buy at that price? What would the performance be compared to my current Gateway? I'm a little worried since I've heard some bad things about the 260M GPU and some BIOS issues with the laptop (but apparently now fixed). I'm not too concerned with flashy design (the G51vx looks nicer with it's backlit keys!), but overheating and build quality is a concern since I went through two P-7811FX's within the first month. I would like something to at least slightly exceed the P-7811 FX in performance for around $1,100-$1,400.

 

?!?!?! you went through 2 7811FX ? ......I had mine for a yr now and still runs great (just sold to another guy) but anyway ..I would suggesst you if bestbuy = $1400 with that lower spec ..... might as well pay the other 300 for a better screen and better CPU.

 

I made a comparison in the asus review area. Also, the g71 runs much cooler than the FX, even when overclocked (when the fx wasnt). It also in general is better quality and its faster when NOT overclocking (and much faster when you do).

Link

 

The Asus is definitely going to be higher quality. I was actually Window shopping these two models at Bestbuy last week.

 

Well now I am considering the G51 model at Best Buy as well, since it's smaller and has a back-lit keyboard which I actually really want now.

G51vx-RX05:
Core 2 Duo @ 2.0ghz (P7350)
nVidia GTX 260M 1GB
15.6" WXGA (1366x768)
4GB DDR2 RAM
320GB 7,200 rpm HDD
----
$1,049.99


G71gx-RX05:
Core 2 Duo @ 2.53ghz (P8700)
nVidia GTX 260M 1GB
17" WXGA (1440x900)
6GB DDR2 RAM
500GB 5,400 rpm HDD
---
$1,149.99



G71gx-RBBD09:
Core 2 Quad @ 2.0ghz (Q9000)
nVidia GTX 260M 1GB
17" WXGA (1440x900)
6GB DDR2 RAM
500GB 5,400 rpm HDD
---
$1,399.99​

These are the 3 models that we are looking at. Basically it comes down to 3 things:

a) Will the P7350+260m be enough to power most games---Crysis, GTA IV, COD4, COD:W@W, etc.---running at max at the native resolution of 1366x768? How is the screen quality on a notebook that size? (We've only had 17" 1920x1200 notebooks)
b) Is the Q9000 a big step over the P8700 and worth the increased $250 in price between the two G71 models?
c) Which model most holds it weight in price-performance?


Temperatures are also important. And if someone can tell me if all 3 of these notebooks will work with the Zalman NC-2000 cooler, that would be great (the Zalman blows air upwards, not downwards, btw).

 

I would really save some money and just stick with the G51 and its' backlit keyboard. There is little need for the Quad CPU, and 6 GB of RAM is just overkill. You wouldn't even use all 6.

So...
a. Yes. The screen quality will be fine.
b. A step up? Yes. Worth an extra $250 for gaming? No.
c. The G51 is the best in terms of price/performance/size.

The G51 will game within 5% of the more expensive two, since the GPUs are all the same.

Edit: Just to favor the G51 even more, the screen resolutions on the larger two are almost the same as the G51 anyway. So might as well stick with that one.

 

I have to disagree, a quad will really help in the future , and if you play GTA4 a duo is just not enough ....also if you used to the 1920X1200 just be prepare to go back to the lower res of 1366 .....


PS: ...I am talking about the G51VX-A1 model ..the G71vx-A1 model is not really worth it .... don't know why Asus put it out there and have a G51 that is cheaper @ the same spec.....

 

Well I have to disagree, because most programs aren't written for Quad yet, and that goes for games as well. The Quad CPU won't be enough of a difference to justify spending $250. I don't know about the screen resolution, the models he showed didn't have that. If he's sticking with a lower resolution, that's even more reason to not get a Quad. Besides, for gaming, it won't matter much. GPU is the bottle neck 98% of the time.

 

I really don't know how asus do their marketing now ... how the hell a C2D P8700 is $250 cheaper than a Q9000 when that $250 is enough to buy another Q9000 already.....hmmmm

 

A) Yes, easily. My G51 runs Crysis on Gamer settings with 8x AA. I'm not playing on Enthusiast because AA is more important to me. You'll be able to max out anything from this year and into next year, possibly even longer.

B) Nope. OC and undervolt the P7350 using the handy guide on these here forums.

C) G51, big time.

It ought to, depending on where the fan on the cooler is. the G51 has an air vent on the bottom of the laptop, so if your cooler blows air toward it, the fan will pull it in.

 

Buy the G71 RX05 and in a year when your warranty runs out swap the CPU yourself if you want. It's not hard

 

And you might be able to pull that Blu-Ray drive from your FX and put it in to your Asus.

 

No offense but you are fooling yourself if you think the G51 is better than the G71 is better in price to performance. Try to be more objective. For only a hundred dollars more..

you get:
2 more GBs of ram (which makes it more future proof)
180 more GBs of HDD room
Higher resolution and a bigger screen
2.53 GHz compared to 2 Ghz. Quite a big difference. (G51 can OC to about 2.4 and G71 can reach 2.9)
And the G71 could possibly last longer due to better cooling.

you lose:
backlit keyboard and 7200rpm HDD (which is the easiest part to upgrade on a lappy)


If we're going to be honest you gotta say the G71 is a major deal for only a hundred more. Sure the G51 is upgradable in some areas but if you put a hundred dollars into it you still wont meet the specs of the G71

 

I don't know about the lower line product , but for the A1s (I am sure you guys know the specs already) I think the G51 and G71 have the same specs right ? (just that G71 have 1 more HDD space which is replaceable by a externel , and 2G ram which is not really a big deal in teh future when 4G stick become cheaper )

 

Not sure about the A1s but I personally think they are a terrible deal in terms of price to performance. Your basically just getting a higher resolution and a weak quad core compared to the other quads.

I just dont see the point of a 2.0 quad. Duals run many games better because they utilize only 2 cores more efficiently at 2.5/3 Ghz. And with the games that utilize 4 cores, you have a measly 2.0 Ghz. So when games actually come out using 4 cores they will probably all require faster quads.


But thats a whole other debate right there...

 

I know the 2.0G is just not enough (that is y my Q9000 is running @ 2.6...but that is not the point here) .... maybe bestbuy is cheapper because it doesn't come with the 2 yr warranty and the 360 Accidentel program (well those got worth around $100-200 right ? )

 

Long story short, the G71 does have better performance than the G51.

You have to decide on the size and aesthetics mainly since the performance improvement isn't that big.

If you want a smaller, lighter laptop, then get the G51. Also, if you really really want a backlit keyboard or either love how the G51 is designed or hate the G71's look, then get the G51.

Other than that, unless you have to stay under the $1000 mark, just go for the G71.

For me, it was mainly the size factor and the fact that backlit keyboards are so awesome.

 

I'd be happy if either laptop would at least match the P-7811 FX, and it looks like they both will. I know @ 1366x768, the G51 is going to easily be able to run games at a higher output than our Gateway, but I'm hesitant against that resolution on a screen that size, and I know the screen quality is already inferior to the 7811 FX.

My other main concern would be heat. It seems that even though the P7350 is efficient when undervolted, heat would still be a problem because what I'm hearing is that the CPU most be OC'd in order to get comparable performance. The slower CPU and heat issue are why I'm leaning towards the G71. I'm not worried about HDD size and speed since I have access to plenty of those, and I will keep the Blu-Ray player in the Gateway.


Edit: As far as the G71 goes, is it worth forking out the extra $250 for the Q9000 over the P8700? At this rate, it seems like the G71-RX05 is the better model compared to the G51 since you are getting a larger screen, 1440x900 resolution, and the upgrade to the P8700 for only $100 more.

 

Tev has an awesomely handy guide for optimizing a G51, which includes undervolting and overclocking.

Yes, the 2.0 C2D makes the G51 the runt--sort of--but it's easily overclockable. 2.3 GHz is what a lot of people do, and some people--myself included--have managed to get theirs to 2.5... with undervolting.


In the end, though, it really isn't about the system specs, since they're so close. The good thing about Asus G-series laptops is that they're easy to upgrade. For about $85 more I was able to install another 7200rpm 320GB HDD into my G51, giving me something like 600GB after formating and recovery partitions.

The lower screen resolution might bother some, but I actually prefer it. I get native res--i.e. sharpest image--without teeny tiny icons and text from my higher-resolution G50vt-X6.

The G51 has a flashier cover, which might appeal to some... or make other not want to go anywhere near it.

The keyboard is a big plus on the G51. It just feels so damned nice to type on, and the backlight doens't hurt.

Cooling wise, the larger G71gx will perform better, but with a cooler both the G51 and G71gx can be kept at safe temperatures.

Those are some of the factors that helped me decide between the two. They're not going to be your criteria, but, like I said, it's really more about aesthetics than hardware.

 

Will the Zalman NC-2000 cooler work with the G51 and/or G71 (do the notebooks intake air from the bottom)? I'm not too concerned about upgradability (although I saw someone put a T9800 in the G51), but I would like it a bit future proof gaming-wise, which is why I'm worried about the CPU, even though it would only be at 1366x768 res.

Right now I'm leaning towards the the G51...but the G71-RX05 looks like the best bang for the buck since it's larger, better screen, and better CPU at only $100 more (although I don't know how it overclocks)...I haven't seen much justification for the extra $250 for the Q9000 in the G71-RBBD09. If you have any gaming benchmarks for the G51 for any of the following games, it would be greatly appreciated: Crysis & Crysis:Warhead (Dx9/Dx10), COD4, COD:World At War, GTA IV, Mass Effect, World In Conflict.

 

Nevermind, due to many factors, I've decided to go with the G71-RX05...the Q9000 isn't necessary at this time an if needed, I will upgrade to a suitable Quad Core at a later time.

 

The smarter choice, of course.

 

Good choice really. The processor OC'd to 2.9Ghz can pretty much do what you need for 99% of application and games. And when a quad is actually needed you could spend the same as you would now on a Q9000 and gget a much better quad.

 

Is it wise to OC the CPU (say to around 2.75-2.8) and do a slight undervolt at the same time? Now I just have to find a BB in my area that has one.

 

I know lots of others have done it. Just be careful and monitor the temps.

 

^ my temps have been fine overclocking with no stand or cooler. didnt undervolt either. even when running converters and a bunch of things my fan has never been on high without overclocking, this laptop really was built for it.

 

I have a G51 and that's what I do for heavy gaming. Works like a charm.

I would go so far as to say that you should keep the CPU undervolted, to save power and lower heat, and save overclocking for CPU-intensive stuff.

 

Same. Works fine for me.

 

It will be interesting to compare the new Gateway FX P-7900's that are coming out to the Asus G71.

 

now im confused i wish i could find some benchmarks of all the new good graphics asus models like both g51's and the g71 and some other laptops that it competes with so i can just compare prices

 

1500 euro?

Yeah, that's not as good a deal as the G51. Or the 71, for that matter.

OF course that price IS only speculative. I think the 7811 was a tad overpriced compared to the G50, considering what all you got.

 

The P-7901H with the Q9000 is $1800CAD = $1663USD = $1173EUR, but I would expect for this price to drop somewhat once more P-7900 models become available here in the US.

The FX P-7811 was more powerful (GPU-wise) than the G50 and all other Asus models that were out at the time. Plus, the fact that they were shipping with WUXGA screens made their price more than worth it IMO.

 

That WUXGA screen was horrible.

Plus the 9800GS in the G50 could be overclocked and made to work just as well as the GTS.

G50 was the better value.

 

No it wasn't. My P-7805u had an LG display like most of the 7811's and it was very good IMO.

The FX also came with DDR3 RAM.

I don't want to argue which was a "better" value. They were both good values. If you didn't want the added size and weight of the FX, you could go with the G50.

 

The P-7811 FX was a much better value at the time than the G50, especially since it was on sale much of the time in the early stages...We considered the G50 but went with the P-7811 instead.

Are there any P-7900 series notebooks available in the U.S. yet?

 

I don't believe so.

Here's the model I was referencing btw:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10126072&catid=25316#

 

I own a 7811 and love it. BUT if i had been rebuying right now and didnt own either i would probably go with the G71 BUT that 1400 res on the Asus kills it for me. They should at least have done 1600 x 900

 

Actually, there are two other Gateway FX models floating around with GTX260m's, in addition to the P-7901H I mentioned earlier (all are in Canada):

- The P-7803H only has a P7350 CPU (same as the G51) for ~$1200CAD = $1108USD
- The P-7902H has a P8700 CPU for ~$1500CAD = $1386USD

All have 4GB of RAM and 500GB HDD's

 

Well Gateway better get a move on then for people in the US, I'm about to pull the trigger on the G71GX-RX05...

 

No quad huh? Then again FX Quad notebooks were never sold at Best Buy

 

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