Asus Quad Core $1399 - Best Buy

The attack of the Quad Core has begun--

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9382553&type=product&id=1218095770874

 

What a bloody good deal. Thanks for posting.

 

Preety sweet deal!

 

1440 x 900 is lame for a notebook with a 260m....

 

lol

1440x900 is not "lame" ... it might be weird for some ppl but for that price u cant go wrong

want more res?? just connect to a external monitor or a HDTV...

 

I disagree. If I wanted an external monitor, i would just build a desktop. It should at least be 1680 x 1050. I used to have a laptop with 1440 x 900 and I cannot go back to it...

What's the point of having a 260m with such a low resolution, it doesn't make sense.

Overall I think its a very good deal, but I wouldn't buy it.

 

That 260M wont max out Crysis at that res anyways, so whats the point in either? The GTX 260M is no beast its a mid range card though is a significant improvement over what it replaces.

Oh and note that G71GX-RX05 owners are reporting the gpu flakes out at 82C, doesnt downclock but they think its power related, so if it affects this model just best to wait.

EDIT - ALso the GTX 260M in the G71 is underclocked - http://img4.imageshack.us/i/gpuzfkf.jpg/

 

260M is a solid high end card. It's easily twice as fast as a "mid range" card. Problem is the chassis doesn't have the thermal capacity for it....

 

My definition of mid range is probably a little different then. I will rephrase, mid range dedicated gaming gpu. I dont consider integrated solutions IE 9300, 9400M to even be gaming GPU's as I wouldnt never be able to game on them. In the grand scheme of things it is one below nvidias best mobile single gpu as of current. But i would consider the 9600/130M to be a low end gaming card.

What can i say i have high standards....and no cash lol.

As far as the G71 goes the problem does not appear to be heat, but something else the card is NOT downclocking. The 250M listed on notebookcheck i think has the same clocks as ASUS' 260M GTX, wonder if there is a difference witht he 250M as it has the same core, might be like the GS GTS situation ASUS didnt want to call it what it really is this time.

 

how could you not see the 260m as a high end card? The only (nvidia) card higher than the 260 is the 280?! 99% of well optimized games (crysis and gta4 not included) can be run on the highest setting with the 9800m!

 

Looks like my Gateway P6860fx could be headed out for pasture soon. When this goes on sale for $1199 (assuming it follows the same trend as history), then I may be too tempted...

 

I'm still trying to figure out if I can throw a LED 17" WUXGA screen in one of these. I've found LG screens all over for between $150 and $200.

If I can throw one of those in and the GPU problem gets fixed, I'll probably score one of these. It'll be like bringing back my old inspiron 9300 with 5x the power!

 

Tizzao in the long run its better to get the higher res reseller model. It is more expensive outright but part of the cost covers that much better warranty.

 

I'm not willing to spend an extra $600 just for warranty and a few extra light up toys. But really, after going to look at it, I'll probably just buy something small and keep gaming on my desktop. I wasn't all that impressed.

 

Well for something like my G50 using a screen that is known to fit and work with the inverter already in the laptop is 250-300 dollars. The 1680x1050 model of the G50VT with also a better cpu then myne was only 300 to 400 more depending on when u bought it. Screen, CPU and warranty seemed wortht he extra price.

Though the initial release of new G71's might not reflect this type of price difference, make sure you take all specs into account.

 

There are games other than Crysis that can be maxed out with that card.
So yeah he has the point.

 

Yeah like Pong, oh and Doom 3. Fear into the second mission actually drops into unplayable for some reason when your out into the open, game related to be honest as it should play about 100 fps the rest of the time. Games are purposely made to not be maxable even on the current best hardware, makes them temporary benchmarks and something to look forward to in the future.

Everyone things better video card should mean a super high res screen, doesnt really work that way the screen res has no real relation to the video card, it has todo with size and cost and what they can get away with and that was my point. Just because a laptop has dual 280M's doesnt mean it will come with a 1080p screen.

 

what are you crazy?! the 260m CAN run cryis on the highest settings

 

At what resolution? Hmm? they want a 1080P screen I can garuntee it cant run it on Very High with a minimum of 30 fps @ 1080P. You dont have to run it at that res, but they want a higher res screen for..... web browsing with the massive power of the 260M?

The point of the conversation is that because it has a 260M it should have a high res screen, useless point if your not going to be running any games at that res. If it were about bluray movies no one would have mentioned the video card.

 

the screen is not powerful enough to go 1080p. but at the native res, it will run crysis on highest. I do agree that that res sucks very much though.

 

I wasnt arguing that the 260M couldnt do it at a lower res, as a console gamer I have no issue with running my games at 720P on a higher res screen (my external monitor is 1680x1050) or even running them at 720P res on a 720P television. Even with games that i can max i will run at 720P with VSync just to bring the heat down.

Plenty of people will want a higher res, for work, for school, for the web, and for movies. But justifying that because it has a 260M it should have a higher res is just wrong.

 

i couldnt agree with you any less. The fact that it has a 260m and not at least 1680x1050 is a sin and punishable by death.

 

Its obviously not, as an even lower res laptop has a 260M. So are you saying my 12 inch netbook cant have a 260M just because it cant fit a 1080P screen in it j/k lolz

 

size of the screen has nothing to do with 1080. only the resolution determines 72 or 1080. and ANY laptop that has a 260m or above in it and not a great resolution is a sin. and ill be damned if you can find me a 12" laptop with a 260 in it. lol

 

lol yeah well i was just thinking of my Vaio P's resolution anyhow. Personally, id be less satisfied with a screen res i cant drive my games to. Even as a programmer i dont need the extreme screen real estate that everyone claims they need. Any screen ASUS offers is sub par for photo post processing so if i had to go there, id be dropping cash on the Thinkpad W700 or something in that range.

While im sure companies are dying to exhibit how small they can make a pixel. There comes a point when its not perceivable, or cost effective and size does come into play. Though the fact that there is such thing as a 720P tv over 24 inch is just silly to me.

 

only the BB versions are sub par.

 

98% of all laptop screens display less then 40-50% of the color gamut, even saying that is exaggerating the capabilities of the displays. The W700 displays 70% and has a built in calibration sensor. Even it fails the quality standards of those truly in the business where monitors costing more than a max'd out alienware will only do.

When the W700 came out i immediately called a photographer I used to post process for and said, when you get one of these call me.

 

well, with the many versions of g51 that were at BB im surprised that not ONE of them was a good resolution.

 

Well besides the skimped warranty thats where they bring the price down, lower res, lower pitch screens are cheaper to manufacture. Though funny thing is you notice buying the screens from lcd stores, there all about the same price lol.

If i was offered 1680x1050 for a pretty close price i would have jumped on it. Coming from 1280x800 to 1366x768 was no issue for me. My last notebook couldnt even run Doom 3 at 640x480 at 24 fps so its a pretty big upgrade all together.

 

what makes you think that another model is to be released in 3weeks?

 

I think you crossed threads but, the G51VX-A1 has not been released, so uh the news of the G51VX-A1 being released 3rd week of july? G51VX-RX05 has been out for three days now (28th). What i was talking about over there is there still hasnt been word of the newegg variant so its very early to say there isnt a lower cpu but high res reseller model.

 

well the g50vt-x6 is 1500 but with a 9800, im im gonna assume that an asus g51 with 1680x1050 and 260m willend up costing more than that. newegg should really drop the price of that thing.

 

If you bought it when it was hot you would have only payed 1150 to 1300 for it, around the same time all but the B1 got price drops.

 

i know, i was just saying that since newegg still has the x6 at a high price, i would expect newegs variant of the g51 (which one would think would be more advanced and thus more expensive than the x6) to be worth more, thus i assumed that any variant of the g51 that newegg gets would be more than $1500.

 

nice deal, but the resolution is low, and the HD is only 5400 rpm

 

Are you sure you have been playing games?
Good games such as Call of Duty 4 or Unreal tournament the likes can be run at high settings. Any good coded, fully optimized game can be run at high settings with a decent GPU.

No, but it should come with a higher resolution screen in other to take advantage of the card. That's the point. Imagine you have a Lamborghini and can only drive it in the city with the speed limit of 45 mph. Would that V12 engine be a waste?

 

Call of Duty 4 has been known to run well on the 9800M GTS as well, its no benchmark in the graphics world. I havent run UT3 but being as its state requirements are as low as some other games easily playable i cant imagine it stressing the 260M.

Am i sure ive been playing any good games? Let me list and you choose okay?
Better end of things -GTA4, Saints Row2, World in Conflict, Far Cry 2, Crysis, Crysis Warhead on the Lesser end of things - GRiD, DMC4, NFS-PS.
I would have more like CoD4 and FEAR 2 but i already have them for console.

The games coming out this year and next year are the games you will want to be playing right? Along with games your last pc could already play. If it cant play next years games at the native res the screen is waste just like your lamborghini or ferrari i see strolling down a 2 lane 40 mpg road on occasion

Outside of a minute amount of detail increase, an increase in resolution doesnt actually give most games, FPS for example any more screen real estate with the exception of games with oversize HUD's. The real estate remains the same running Far Cry 2 in one res and then in a higher. RTS will usually benifit from increased real estate.

 

Fair enough. But to each his own, not everyone who buys this laptop will play the newest and latest games. There are more things to do at high resolution which can still take advantage of the card.

 

My argument wasnt against having the larger resolution, it was against that a 260M automatically means they should have a 1080P screen. If the higher res is in my budget i would definitly take it, when i was shopping for my HP HDX i was going with the screen res upgrade. Decided 9600 GT wasnt enough and got a cheaper more powerful computer at the sacrifice of resolution and the benifit of more money for games and accessories.

If i was gonna go with their argument i would say a 280M = 1080P screen

I did leave out and imply against the fact that my last laptop couldnt play any modern games and i bought or replayed alot of games on this one, Doom 3/RoE, FEAR/XP/PM, GTA-SA, Far Cry too many to list.

 

Price is another factor. Obviously if price is the concern then I agree with you.

 

Well i was also gonna say since this model is 16:9, you should dis-like it anyways. Wasnt a 16:9 topic though lol. The screen res on the best buy version is the same as the M17x in base config and the M17x's upgrade 1080P screen is also 16:9 but...

The G71Gx-A1 is 1920x1200 which not only more your style just throws the whole cost thing out there at $2029. For that price you can have the M17x with Dual 260M's but not the resolution to back it up, now theres an arguement lol.

 

wow clutch u have all the answers

 

so the pressing question:

ASUS G71 or Sager 8662?

 

If being able to upgrade to a GTX280m is important to you, I don't think you can do that in the Asus G71.

Consider this with the NP8662/M860(E)TU:
1 - Upgradable to GTX280m
2 - Higher resolution
3 - You can get it barebone, which could allow you to config for more capable components cheaper.

I do think the Asus offer good bang for the buck, if taken for what it is - a 1440x900 17" notebook with quad core and GTX260m for $1399- A much better value than the Gateway FX 7808u for $1799 when it was still around.

 

and the 8662 (default) is priced at around 1400$ at xotic and such.