Asus Notebook PC with GTX 260m $1049 @ Best Buy

Now if you're on a tight budget but still want a gaming capable PC, this sucker looks like it is the one to get (for now)! Quite an amazing price. Looks like Asus is trying to be the Gateway super deal laptop from Best Buy now. Some of the specs are a bit lackluster but it gets the job done. My biggest gripe is the 1366x768 screen, but you can't have it all I guess:

CPU: P7350 @ 2.0GHz
Screen: 15.6" 1366x768
GPU: GTX 260m with 1GB DDR3
RAM: 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2
HDD: 320GB 7200RPM
Optical: DVD+-RW
Network: Wireless N, 10/100 LAN (no gigabit), no bluetooth
Other stuff: 4 USB, 1 HDMI, 1 Firewire, webcam, microphone, illuminated keyboard
Battery: 6-cell
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with free upgrade to Windows 7

$1049!

I wonder if the CPU is upgradable though? That would be nice for a future addition. But actually with a 1366x768 screen you should be in good shape anyways because that's not a lot of pixels to push.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...66651&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218092150636

 

With a 260m GTX and only 1366x768 resolution? you will be able to play max settings in any game for like 2 years straight.
Also is a nice looking laptop too.

 

Yeah, the CPU is upgradeable but I think it requires a BIOS update for quad support. In terms of design, I liked BB's RX05 model because of its somehow minimalist design compared with the new flashy one on the G51's. Wish it came with a larger resolution though.

 

I am almost tempted to cancel my Sager NP8662 order since this one is $600 cheaper. I know it compromises with the screen and CPU, but I can always upgrade later. Tough decision, but for $600 savings in my pocket, it may be well worth it. And also, is the GPU upgradable as well?

I wonder if this machine has the same heat issues that apparently plagues the G51?

 

If you read the customer reviews all complain about it's ridiculously short battery life of like an hour while gaming and it gets really hot so I don't know...

 

Yes, owing to its MXM 3.0 but upgradability seems to be limited for ASUS GPUs. Compared with the Sager which has a good GPU cooling, the ASUS will have a better HDD cooling.

 

It comes with only a 6-cell battery, and you can't expect a whole lot from gaming on battery anyhow. You might get an extra 30 minutes on a 9-cell if you're lucky.

Not sure about hot. With that much power I'm sure something has to get hot. But if too hot to handle or causes lockups, then certainly an issue. If it's just hot then no big deal.

 

You get what you pay for.

The Sager has better build quality, better upgradability, better performance (no GPU downclock), and a better screen. Plus, once you configure a G51 to similar specs (through other resellers), it costs just as much as the NP8662.

It IS a G51, so obviously it has the heat problems associated with the G51.

 

Actually, I believe that the BB G51 uses an entirely different motherboard than the other G51 models and, therefore, lacks support for quad core processors regardless of the BIOS.

Personally, I can't stand the white case of the RX05, but that's IMO.

Me too, even my 13.3" X301 has a higher resolution screen.

 

Correct me if im wrong but wouldent that processor hold down the gpu? 2.0 Seems slow for how good the gpu is....

 

Yea, Asus was kind of cheap when it came to the CPU in the RX05. It can be OC'd a little tho...

 

Most of the time, the GPU would be your bottleneck. Besides, even the P7350 does a good job of running games at high settings unless you're into games with lots of AI or into GTA 4 types wherein you'll see the need for a better CPU. You can upgrade it if it's too weak for you.

 

I checked it at the store. The heat coming off one they just unboxed is ridiculous. I wouldn't recommend this laptop to anyone.

 

I think maybe you should stay with your Sager htwingnut, its nice Asus went cheap but too cheap to sacrifice a good cooling system which is detrimental to a gaming laptop doesn't make too much sense to me.

 

Ya was about to say- cause my gpu(overclocked) far surpasses my cpu(cant be oc'ed) and cause of that I cant play gta Iv, with all settings at lowest I get like 20 fps, and actually with max reso 1440x900 and high details(low view distance) I get 16-20 fps still... im guessing thats the cpus fault

 

The only perks of the G51 are the second HDD and the price, which is specific to the RX05, and the 1080p screen, which is a pro/con for some ( dont forget that the RX05 is stripped of all of its accessories as well its warranties if you were interested in Asus warranties ). IMHO, NP8662>G51.

 

Thats a nice deal for gaming laptop under budget!

 

Hi, I've got the Sager NP8662 and my room mate has got the G51-X1A.
Personally, I'd recommend the Sager, and its not just because I have one.

The thing is, the heat coming out of the Asus is actually ridiculous. I mean, just keeping your hand near the left vents around 10-15cm away you'll feel the heat.
Secondly, the GPU fan kicks in full gear only around 87C, which you really really dont want your dear computer to go to. Repeated thermal stresses can cause failure of hardware over the long run. And yes, the Sager is completely worth (imo) the hundred odd bucks over the X1A because:
1. Full upgradability(-typo): You can upgrade virtually anything part by part in the coming years. You can have upto 8 gigs of RAM, while the Asus is stuck on 4 gigs of DDR2 ram.
2. Overall, and this being my personal opinion, is that the Sager seems to have a better build quality as compared to the X1A. Be it the quality of plastics used, or the creaking thingamajig on both laptops.
3. And I think this would be the main thing. THE X1A IS A FREAKING BRICK. Well, it weighs slightly more than the Sager. If you are taking it all alone you wouldn't notice much difference. Add a few books and files along you'll realize how much difference it makes.
4. This isn't a serious thing, just the fun factor. You get an awesome fingerprint reader, which you can swipe to login...how cool is that

Oh, if you're a student, I guess you'd have got a copy of Windows from the ELMS thing, otherwise the Asus G51 makes slightly more sense if you dont have a copy of Windows around. My Sager came all blank(since I have MSDNAA) and so I really did not have a problem.

Tl;Dr : If you want a laptop to last you for quite some time, get the Sager. If its just a stop-gap gaming laptop you need on the cheap, and you dont mind the weight, heating issues and short battery life, get the Asus... atleast you wont have to buy an OS.

 

I considered it a bit, and I definitely feel the Sager is the way to go. If you look at the specs, it's well worth the $600 differential:

CPU: P7350 @ 2.0GHz vs. P9700 @ 2.8GHz - I believe the P9700 is lower wattage too (25W vs 35W)

Screen: 1366x768 (16:9) vs. 1680x1050 (16:10)

Hard Drive: 320GB 7200RPM vs. 500 GB 7200RPM

Network: Wi-Fi N vs. Wi-Fi N / 100Mbps vs 1000MBps / no Bluetooth vs. Bluetooth

Battery: 6-cell vs. 8-cell

Plus if Sager is as good as they say they are, then an awesome build quality is priceless.

 

Hardly, unless we are are talking about World in Conflict

 

Dont forget that the GTX 260m not only runs much cooler in the NP8662, but also that it is not nearly as underclocked as the GTX 260m in the Asus.

Also the P7350 and P9700 have the same TDP.

 

This is not a sale price. This laptop has been at Best Buy at this price for at least 6 weeks. It was on sale for $999.99 at one point though. But yeah, this isn't a sale, it's the regular price. They will have this laptop for weeks to come people, don't sweat it. If you're on a budget, you can't beat this. You definitely get what you pay for though.

No Asus 2 year warranty. Low resolution screen. Pathetic battery life. No bluetooth. This model heats up quite a bit, as per the reviews. Low end CPU overall.

The real problem I also see is the inability to do much overclocking. With this thing running as hot as it does normally, I feel it would be foolish to push it any farther. So yeah, there ya go.

 

Actually I heard Overclocking it makes it run cooler,as ridiculous it sounds the cpu sensor being hotter makes the fan go full blast more often.
The machine can be upgraded to 8GB ram,and someone made a cooling mod that makes it lose 10C
I have an G50VT,of which gets the same chassis...but I love this thing,much better build quality than anything you can buy at best buy.

 

you could have just gotten a g51vx-x2a! That one has the exact same stats as the Sager (the screen is a little better though) and it is cheaper than the sager. I personally have this one and I will say that the GPU does get a little hot when playing games like Crysis, but I have never had it overheat to the point where i lost any perforamance and it has never locked up on me. The asus g51's are built to take the heat, anyone who tells you differet has never tested the thing. So take a look at the g51vx-x2a and my benchmarks that I have noted in another forum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5206895

 

Yea, the mods moved it here from the Gaming section (though it probably best belongs in the Asus section).

 

The G51 is advertised to also accept 8 GB RAM max. No one has tried it though.

And the G51 comes with a facial recognition thing via the webcam. That said, someone could up a picture of you and log in that way.

 

I don't think that works (not with the Lenovo software at least).

In the end, I find it faster to just type my password rather than deal with the finger print scanner or facial recognition software.

 

I started it in the gaming section because (1) it was a gaming laptop and (2) it was a good deal for a notebook with a GTX 260m.

I did realize it wasn't a sale price, but I didn't realize it had been out for some time. I hadn't seen it. Either way I think this thread belongs in the gaming section because that was my original intent to discuss it for gaming use. But whatever.

 

The facial recognition or the picture faking?

But in any case you're right. It's really more of a conversation starter thana utility.

 

hate the design on lid... ugly.

 

Faking it out. I believe they tried something similar to that with a Lenovo in this vid.

 

Hah.

Although, a lot of the comments seem to contradict her. Oh well. In any case, my password is my on my keyboard, not my face.

 

Forge: Oh I see, because I think I saw somewhere that someone mentioned it wouldn't take more than 4 gigs of RAM.

BobXX: I haven't yet tried the facial recognition faking, but trust me and my roommate, the fingerprint is easily more convenient than the facial thingo.

Fingerprint reader: I swipe my finger, it hardly takes even 1 second, or max 1.5 seconds.
Facial Recognition: My friend kinda struggled to get it to recognize his face consistently, the keyword being consistently. Its not like it wouldn't recognize, but it was quite erratic.(We have Win7 Pro installed on both our laptops). He uninstalled the facial recognition out of sheer frustration after trying to 'train' it for over a week. My side? The fingerprint software,(Protector Suite was it called) is still on my system.

Oh by the way, just asking, aren't there 3rd party softwares that enable facial logon on any computer with a webcam?

 

LOL!

No 3rd party software required, just use your nose to type your password.

 

Yea, I've had plenty of computers with fingerprint scanners. However, for me, it always seems to go like this:

- I swipe my finger - Computer tells me it is invalid and to swipe it again
- I swipe it again - Computer tells me it is invalid and to swipe it again
- I swipe it again - Computer tells me it is invalid and to swipe it again
- I swipe it again - Computer tells me it was too quick and to swipe it again
- I swipe it again - Computer tells me it was too far to the side and to swipe it again
- etc. etc. (you get the point)
- I finally give up in frustration and just type in the password.

That's how it seems to go with most of the computers I've had, what a waste of time.

 

I do know that the Lenovo software is completely proprietary. People were even having difficulty installing it on some Thinkpads. I would suspect that the Asus software is probably the same way. There might be something else out there, idk...

Bottom line though:

- Facial Recognition is a gimmick
- Finger print scanners can sometimes be useful, but are often gimmicks as well

 

Wait until we get DNA scanners.

"I don't want to play games on my computer, Mommy. They hurt my finger!"

 

Forge: The mention of DNA scanner reminds me of the Xshox - http://www.xbox-modchips.com/tutorials/xshok.htm

BobXX: The fingerprint scanner hasn't crapped on me, yet! But yeah, if it does start to, its going to be kicked to oblivion. (Dayum, I shoulda brought that game from home, never got to play it :-( )

 

That's a good way to assassinate someone. Give them high amps at those voltages and instant Mortal Kombat punching death.

 

facial recognition is a gimmick, my brother can login to my comp no problem

 

Might want to change the thread title, since as of this posting the G51 is back to $999.

 

So it is. For $1000 this is one hell of a machine.

 

I told you that happens every once in a while.

Good stuff!