How upgradeable is the Asus G73JH?

I was just wondering, since I know the RAM can be upgraded (although I've heard if you're not using any RAM intensive applications you don't really need to), I also know the HDD is upgradeable, along with the CPU, but my real question here is: Is the GPU relatively hassle-free to upgrade (whenever a significant upgrade is available)? I know it would void the warranty, but by then, I'm pretty sure the warranty would've run out already. Thanks in advance!

 

Upgrading the GPU in notebooks isn't really ever hassle-free.

I believe it's possible to upgrade the GPU in the G73 but it's probably the reverse-mxm type where only asus cards work.

 

upgrading the gpu in the g73 is probably one of the hardest out of any notebook. Also as moral hazard said asus use their own cards so the most ref cards probably wont fit.

 

although doable, i also heard that a cpu upgrade on the g73 is quite challenging. you may want to post in the asus forums to very this.

 

CPU and GPU are hard to reach.. upgrading CPU will be difficult and void ur warranty as there is a warranty voided sticker on it.. GPu can't be upgraded as Asus uses their own cards... u might upgrade the GPU to GTX460M when JW comes out but GTX460M will be worse than 5870m..

 

the thing ur seeing is NVIDIA propoganda.. completely false..wait till the real thing comes out.. u'll be shocked.

 

The G73Jh is the kind of laptop you buy and then throw away in order to make room for another laptop 2 years later.

 

This man speaks the truth. The GTX 460M should be close to neck and neck with the 5870M, maybe just a tad behind. As NVIDIA's drivers progress, they should squeeze even more performance out.

And so is the Alienware, as soon as you get out of high school.

 

I don't think you can upgrade the G73, They reverse the MXM connections so that its proprietary. You would also need a BIOS update to support the new card.

 

Let's stay focused on the OP's concern, the upgradability of the G73. The GPU performance debate should be held elsewhere, in a more appropriate thread. Further off topic posts will be deleted - thank you.

Another thing to keep in mind, though, is that laptop CPUs and GPUs (especially the latter) tend to be quite costly to upgrade. The proprietary connector that ASUS uses for its GPUs further limits your options and makes it more expensive, so by the time you want to upgrade, you may as well invest in a new, more powerful, and likely-better-in-many-aspects laptop.

In short, it may not be in your best interests to buy a laptop primarily because it is relatively simple to upgrade the CPU/GPU down the road.

 

Probably because that's part of how they cut costs to make the G73 as cheap as it is, along with cutting down on the external ports. After all, it's a lot easier (and thus cheaper) to design something that's pretty solid all the way through instead of having to make sure it's still strong enough when pierced with various openings to change things around.

 

That's debatable. Most people that like to open their computers and look at their heatsinks and change thermal paste are generally a little more likely to look at barebones and machines like Clevos and (possibly) Alienwares, where the possibilities for upgrades are much easier. The G73 to me always seemed to be intended for those that just wanted the most powerful, stylish machine they could get for the cheapest price. Don't forget that the number of people that want a simple gaming machine that "just works" is much higher than the number of enthusiasts that like to get into the nuts and bolts of their machine. NBR is a bit of a niche in that respect, our proportion of enthusiasts tends to be much higher ("regular" people generally wouldn't be bothered to spend all their time in a place like this. ).

 

Oh, certainly, and a "real" enthusiast wouldn't be stopped by something as trivial as a hard to take apart case. After all, look at all the people here who have soldered all sorts of aftermarket parts onto their computers! More seriously, as for design, I wasn't referring to external/aesthetic design, but design as in how components are put together inside, where parts of the structure distribute the load, and basically all the things that keep your bits inside from falling out and making a mess while operating. Back when I was looking at gaming machines more, I was looking more at the Sager/Clevos, as I am admittedly not a fan of the "stealth" styling, and I liked what they were putting in the W870CU. I've set my sights on something rather more expensive at this point, though. >.>

 

Just as possible fair warning, given that the G53 looks so much like the G73, I'm not sure that it's going to be any easier to take apart. Granted, it's still a pre-order item, so noone except maybe the distributors have their hands on them to check, but it's worth maybe asking on one of the reseller forums like Xotic or somewhere else to see if the G53 is easier to open up than the G73.