So people, out of an MSI GT725 and an Asus G71 (Aus version), what would you recommend?

I'm thinking about buying a new laptop soon, and I had made my decision at an Asus G71GX (Australian version), with the following specs:

C2Q Q9000
4GB RAM (Not 6GB like US version)
GTX 260M
640GB 5400RPM HDD
Blu-Ray
1920 x 1080 screen

But then I recently learned about the MSI with the following specs:

C2Q Q9000
4GB DDR2 RAM
4850M 512 GDDR3
320GB HDD (7200RPM AFAIK)
Blu-Ray on certain models
1680 x 1050 screen

So I'm asking you people, what would you recommend for me to get? They are both around the same price in Australia, with the MSI being a little cheaper than the G71, but I like the design of the G71 a little more than the MSI. BTW, the reason I posted this here is because I want an unbiased recommendation.

 

id go with the MSI, i hate to say it but the asus has some heat issues and if you are from aussie ambient temperatures are a factor further increasing the heat concerns.
the asus GPU is underclocked and while the two cards are very similar in performance id say the HD4850 would be sightly more powerful....
the main issues you will need to think about are:
* screen resolution, would you be happy with 1680x1050 on a 17" or rather the higher res that comes with the asus
*smaller hard-drive in the MSI could you live with 320gb...isnt really a problem as external hard-drives are so cheap.
* and i think the asus also has the better ram solution of DDR3 rather than the DDR2 option on the MSI.
anyway some things for you to consider good luck with your decision.

 

What heat issues? The G71GX had a BIOS update which fixed the heat issue. And the GTX 260M is easily clocked back up to stock clocks.

 

it still runs warm, everyone Ive spoken with said its on the warm side, add that the the quad-core and 40+ temps in the summer and its a headache id rather not deal with, yes you can clock the gpu back up to the stock clocks but i ask this question why did asus underclock it in the first place..?... im guessing to control the heat a little more....anyway......OP asked for what i would choose...ive given my answer with my reasons........

 

If it helps, I live in Tasmania, the most southern state in Australia. Generally, the hottest days we get in Tasmania are well below 40, generally 30C, and cooler than that in my house. Plus, I'm probably going to get a Zalman NC2000 anyway.

 

Every gaming laptop runs "warm".
The G71GX has the better screen, better video card and larger capacity HDD.

The MSI has the faster HDD RPMs and could run a bit cooler.

If your going to get the Zalman, then you are most likely running this on a hard surface yes? So portability isn't that much of an issue? Then the little more amount of heat the G71GX produces as a byproduct of the GTX260M shouldn't matter that much, at least not to me. It will operate within normal, safe specs. Also, clocking it back up to stock clocks is easy and does not add that much heat. +3-5C at idle and +5-8@ load, which will STILL be within normal spec.

 

Unusual time to buy. GT729 was scheduled for release but has been canned. Seems a bunch of Core I7 systems are scheduled to be released very soon, with the PM55 chipset (has expressport 2.0/mini pci-e 2.0). Could even be worthwhile getting a I7 with lower graphics and running HD58xxx externally as x2 2.0 (see DIY ViDock).

 

Well, I would get an i7 laptop when it comes out here, but it's going to be crazily expensive, for example, a laptop with an i7 and a decent GPU, (GTX 260M or better), is probably going to cost upwards of $4000 AUD, ($3500 USD).

Hell, the current Clevo's (Metabox in Australia), with a GTX 280M and a quad or high clocked dual are close to $4000 AUD.

 

i agree with you about the better screen if he wants that res, and the higher capacity hard-drive, i don't think the GTX260m is a better card than the HD4850 most benches put it slightly ahead of the GTX260m and slightly below the GTX280m, there's a topic HERE that shows actual in game performances between the two cards and because as it arrives the asus GTX260m is underclocked it is less powerful than the HD4850, (one thing in the nVidia cards favor is its mobile GPU driver support).
whats temps do you get with your GTX260m i get after a two hour+ gaming session around 81 degrees it went up to 90 twice but it was a user error, (had my notebook cover partially blocking the vents).
anyway they are both very good machines and because they are on a par with each other if you can get the MSI two year warranty i think as its slightly cheaper its still my pick out of the two.

 

I am running about 84-88 in Crysis 1280x720 High. This is at stock clocks, not the overclocks in my sig.

I have no problem with MSI. I was just reinforcing the fact that he stated he liked the G71GX a little better. But the MSI certainly is more than capable... I guess it is really down to screen size and budget here...

Also, for the price vs performance, the Q9000 is still very good. You pay to be on the bleeding edge, and if you can live with the current offerings for about 1-2 years before needing to upgrade, you're golden. However, the i7s are looking to be very impressive...

http://www.sagernotebook.com/gaming_special.php

How much would those translate to in AUD?

 

I would go with the MSI even though i have an Asus. The resolution on the Asus is a bit too high for an underclocked GTX260M to handle in most recent and upcoming games.

Performance wise, 4850 should be able to beat the underclocked 260M in almost all scenarios, and the argument "you easily OC the 260M back to its original speed" is false as you can't compare an OCed card to a card at stock speed, it's just unfair. I can easily OC my 9800M gs above the 9800M gts speed, yet can you say 9800M gs is or equal to/more powerful than a 9800M gts? There is a reason Asus underclocked it in the first place.

And about the heat issue, don't know much about the MSI, but G71/51 definitely needs some serious help in that department. Check the Asus forum if u are really interested buying G71, some people have to mod the cooling system to ensure safe operating temp.

 

I've been on the Asus forum. Yes, there have been people that have had to mod it, but that is only with the G51. I haven't seen any modifications done to the G71, and as far as I know, the G71 is within safe operating temperature. That's good enough for me.

 

Sager doesn't ship to Australia. Sagers aren't available anywhere here, I've even searched on Staticice, and nothing came up.

 

whats your budget mate?........i had my NP8662 shipped from the states to where i am and it didn't end up costing excessive amounts, i think duty is around 15% to ship to Australia especially if its as a gift, so it could be an option for you....especially with its fantastic cooling.
goodluck with your choice.

 

Both the Asus card and the Nvidia reference are the same silicon, albeit one with altered clocks, altered by the OEM for use by the OEM, not by Nvidia. How is it unfair to compare the 4850 to the baseline GTX260M, and compare the Asus GTX260M clocked to Nvidia's reference to the 4850? They are the same card. Comparing the underclocked 260M and the 4850, yes in most games the 4850 can edge it out, however I was talking about clocking it up to Nvidia reference, then comparing the two.

It is also valid to state that you are "overclocking" the card back to "stock". Your GS is an intended and designed submodel, just like the GTS, a seperate submodel, which was designed BY Nvidia. However there is only one GTX260M model, and only one official Nvidia reference.





To the OP, I would actually highly recommend the Sager line if you can do what mtness is talking about. If not, I would choose the Asus. But that's just me.

 

The 4850 would do better in gaming, My opinion is get the MSI..

 

There is a reason ASUS underclocked it, you know?

 

Its unfair because the clocks are stock. They are Asus's stock clocks. When you get this item off out of the box, the max clocks it comes with are the stock clocks. Whether they are the same as Nvidias reference clocks is a different matter, but if you get something out of the box, and run it, it is stock. And overclocking it would be overclocking to reference clocks, not "stock" clocks. If you overclock one, its only fair to overclock the other, even though one was underclocked in the first place.

 

MSI is ur best bet... ASUS G51 and G71 are basicallly flawed.. having crap cooling systems...

 

MSI GT725 and Asus G71 are both great! It's just a matter of taste in this decision. Personally I would choose the MSI.

 

I would go with the Msi. I have a few friends who got them and love them, really good performance for value. Even better than I thought possible from the spec's really.

 

I would say get the MSI.. but i guess i'm a bit biased

Also I can run arma 2, gta 4, supreme commander plus many others (cant remember all atm) at native res (1920x1200 for me) for hours (max i have had is 5 hours on gta4) with the hd4850 going up to about 75C (80 on a very hot day) with no problems at all. As you would have the 1680x1050 screen you would definitely be able to play all of the new titles for the rest of this year (until crysis 2 i am guessing ) at native res with high settings.

Choose what is best for you

Blazin

 

Personally I would go for the ASUS seeing how the G71Gx has a 2nd harddrive bay and 3 RAM slots (will be cheaper to upgrade RAM in the future) I would recommend it more.

 

I have tried to contact Sager to ask if there is anyway I can obtain one in Australia. Waiting on a reply now.

I have also found a website with a number of laptops not generally for sale in Australia, like the Asus G51VX-A1, and the Metabox (Clevo) D900F (Sager NP9280). I'll have a browse through that website and have a look at their range.

And thank you everyone, your recommendations are highly valued.

 

Have a look at the new AW M15x from Dell. I was considering Asus G51VX for $2400 but you can get the M15x for less than that after discount.

 

I just checked, and it isn't on the site it seems.

 

Hmm, it just occurred to me that it may be a pointless endeavor trying to get a Sager or Clevo shipped to Australia, as voltage and power is completely different over here. Well, I guess that's out of the question.

 

There's Australia Clevo resellers. Worth also looking at the WP Wiki.

 

The m15x is here

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro...x?c=au&l=en&s=dhs&cs=audhs1&~ck=mn&ref=homepg

 

Yeah, still a tad overpriced. I found a Metabox M570TU which has a high clocked C2D and a GTX 280M, although the i7 looks nice. I might wait for an Australian reseller to get a Sager NP8690, as that looks like a good laptop.

 

its different in India as well mate and my clevo works perfectly here, im going back to New Zealand next month and then Aussie in Jan and i feel quite confident that it will work well in both countries, ill let you know how things go in NZ as i think we both use the same power voltage.

thats one fine looking machine......oh my you shouldn't have shown that to me......but thats alot of cash in Australian $, he could defiantly get a clevo/sager for cheaper shipped, sure it wouldnt come with the i7 processor but im sure he could live with a quad core for the time being

 

After tax import it isn't that much different. Sager warranty might not apply in Australia so be careful about that.

 

Thanks, if I find that Sager or XoticPC ships to Australia, and the voltages are okay, then I'll get one shipped.

 

You can always expand the G71gx's memory to 6GB. 2GB sticks are cheap.

And yeah, G71gx. I'm not familiar with the exact models you Aussie's are working with, but the Asus looks better.

 

i dealt with Xoticpc when i got my Sager mate and im fairly certain they do in fact ship to Aussie so you wouldn't have any problems there, just make sure you talk with customs about import taxes im guessing for a gift they are around 15-20% so you will be looking at a few hundred dollars depending on what machine you go for, also check out the clevo resellers in Australia they may end up costing alittle less in the long run.
goodluck

 

It's the Asus G71GX-A1, but it only has 4GB RAM instead of 6GB.

I've had a look a www.p4laptops.com.au, and they seem alright. I just wish they had the Sager NP8690, as that's the only one with an i7, and doesn't cost a fortune like the Sager NP9280 (Clevo D900F).