I'm extremely pleased with this purchase and would recommend looking for a gaming / high performance laptop. I've been using the Asus G74sx-A1 literally as a laptop. When I purchased it I was concerned about its size and weight, however after many 5+ hour sessions I'm still comfortable with the notebook on my lap and the mouse on the arm rest of my sofa.****Disclaimer****
I'm using a OCZ Vertex 3 120gb SSD as the boot drive.
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Pro -
* Performance is perfect for the applications I run: World of Warcraft(settings high-ultra), VMware running multiple guest machines, minecraft, starcraft 2 (settings ultra)and adobe products.
* The LCD screen itself has vibrant colors
* Fans are silent! Heat is almost non-existent anywhere on the laptop aside from what the vents are blowing out.
* Keyboard layout is comfortable, the back-lit keys are a nice touch.
* Installing upgrades is so easy. The access panel on the underside of the laptop is simple to open(all you need is either a flat head screwdriver or a coin). Components are laid out well and are easy to reach / access.
* Running Linux Mint and Back Track with no issues.
Cons -
* Keyboard performance, at times key presses are missed. It might be the way I hit the keys or a driver issue. I'm currently using the atk 1.10 driver. ***Bios Update 202 has fixed all keyboard performance(missed key strokes) issues I had***
* Speaker sound quality is fine but the overall volume seems to be a bit low.
A SSD in my opinion is a fantastic upgrade for most systems. Money well spent.
In the next week I'll be installing SolidWorks to test out some 3D CAD action.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I'll do my best to respond in a reasonable amount of time.
I get a little technical in some places here, so please feel free to ask if you've got any questions! I'm kind of trying to answer all the questions that I had about it before I bought it.
In no particular order:
-the G74's keyboard is one of the best I've used on a notebook. It LOOKS similar to my Macbook Air's keyboard, but the feel of the keys is better-they're less "mushy" and have more travel. By notebook standards it's quite good, and it also feels more solid than most notebooks.
I love having a number pad, though should mention that for some reason it's not a "true" number pad. Like on a desktop keyboard, the numberpad is actually completely separate keys, while on the G74, the numbers are duplicates of the numbers above your keyboard. Most of the time that makes no difference, though it does mean you there's no number lock on the keyboard to turn the numberpad into arrows and the like. (It does have almost full sized arrow keys in between the numberpad and regular keyboard, and also has typical page up/page down buttons, etc., and of course normal keyboards work like normal when plugged in to it.)
-The screen is way above average by notebook standards. The only fault I can find is it does have some light bleed when the system first boots before Windows loads, though I haven't noticed it once the system's booted. Contrast and viewing angles and the like are way above average (Anandtech's reviews of the G73 have shown it having the best contrast of any notebook screen). I'd rather have a "matte" screen than glossy, but 99% of notebooks are "glossy" now, and it works fine. (I should note about half of my use of the system is hooked up to a 24" monitor through an HDMI to DVI adapter, using an external keyboard and mouse).
-The system is advertised as having an excellent cooling system, and it really seems to. When you're just browsing the web or anything it's very quite, though what's impressive is that it doesn't really get much louder under full load. I think under load it's the quietest notebook I've ever used (much quieter than my Macbook Air or previous Asus N80). Dell's M15x is the only comparable system I've used when it comes to how cool it keeps the CPU and GPU when running Folding @ Home on them, which maxes out both 100%. Although it's not as strenuous as Folding @ Home, right now I'm playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on it just to make sure it does okay, and it seems to hold the GPU to the upper 50s or lower 60s, and the CPU just slightly warmer than that. That's easily 20 degrees c cooler than the other notebooks I've used, despite the G74 having higher end hardware it's having to cool.
Intel's i7 processors overclock themselves when needed, if they're running cool enough, and impressively, even maxing out 8 threads of Folding at Home, the CPU kept itself overclocked to 2.5GHz the entire time, which is WAY better than I was expecting.
-Running Modern Warfare 2, I'm able to max out all settings at 1920x1080, and seem to get average frame rates in the 80-90 frames per second range (probably dipping in to the 60s and going as high as 115+). That's with everything set to max except antialiasing off (I never see the point to it at such high resolutions, though I did play with it on, which seems to reduce frame rates by maybe an average of 10-30fps, which is still excellent, though I can't tell any difference in the graphics at that resolution). It almost always looks silky smooth.
I should mention that 1920x1080 is over 2.5x higher resolution than the game consoles can run this at. While they can OUTPUT at 1080p, they're actually RENDERING at 720p or below and scaling, and of course have lower quality effects settings, lower quality textures, etc.
-As per above, I'm very happy with Nvidia's Geforce GTX 560. It's 15% faster than the 460 model in the G73 this computer replaced. Nvidia does have two GPUs that are faster than this, but still, this definitely gets the job done with room to spare. I should note that the Best Buy model of the G74 has a slightly "crippled" version of this GPU, with a 128-bit memory interface instead of the full 192-bit interface that the more expensive versions of the system ship with. (From everything I've read, that "crippled" version is still excellent for the price.)
-Sound through the headphone jack is clean, with no hissing or anything. That should be a given, but I've used more expensive notebooks than this that have bad hissing and crackling through the jack. (The only way to hear crackling is if the microphone is cranked up.)
-As advertised, it's very easy to access both the RAM, and hard drive bays on this system-technically you just need a coin or something to unscrew the bottom. It comes with 3 of the 4 DIMM slots filled (12GB total). Right now as a power user, I'm okay with 4GB in Windows 7, so 12GB is just complete overkill...but I'm not complaining!
The only aspect of the design I don't like is that the second hard drive bay uses a ribbon/cable connector instead of plugging in to a fixed SATA connection, if that makes sense. If I ever swap hard drives again, I'll just unplug the cable from the drive, and not also from the motherboard.
-The system seemed to run fine as shipped, though I did do a clean install onto an Intel 320 series SSD that I bought, with my own copy of Windows 7. If you plan on doing something like that, probably all you'll want to install in terms of drivers from Asus' site are the Ethernet driver, and the "ATK" driver (this is for the keyboard, to make the special function keys work, like volume up and down, screen brightness, etc.). Oh, and of course I reinstalled Asus' Blu Ray playback program too. Windows handled everything else just fine, and I got the video drivers from Nvidia.com...
...Speaking of which-one of the reasons I bought this system is it's one of the few on the market that DOESN'T use switchable graphics, and that DOES let you install Nvidia's normal video drivers, you don't have to use special modified ones from the manufacturer, that never get updated.
I'm just running Nvidia.com's newest drivers for my OS and GPU, and they installed without incident, with no hacks or tricks or anything-they install just like if this were a desktop system.
I also love that this DOESN'T use "Optimus" (switchable graphics). Many notebooks are now using the integrated graphics built in to Intel's new CPUs as the GPU, and then through fancy driver tricks trying to use a real, separate GPU for things that need it. At best, that hurts performance-you'd be stuck with the GPU having to basically send finished screen shots over the PCIe bus to the integrated graphics, which basically play it as a movie. That's at BEST. At worst, it hurts compatibility with games and other programs, introduces weird bugs, makes it harder to get driver updates, etc.
Again, to be clear, the G74 DOESN'T do that-it just has a normal setup where the integrated graphics are NOT used, and the Geforce GTX 560 is what's connected directly to the monitor....which is a good thing.
For "normal" programs like Microsoft Office and Open Office, Firefox, etc., it's lighting quick. Fastest computer I've used, and really a joy to use.
I personally find this very portable-it's not that much heavier than my 14" notebook was, and I really don't find it any less portable than my 14" Asus or 13" Macbook Air. The only "problem" isn't really a problem with it, it's just hard to find a case that it'll fit in easily. I'm trying Targus' XL case next, which will hopefully get the job done.
-Unfortunately, like virtually all notebooks now (even my Macbook Air) the G74 doesn't come with a clean OS disc like computers used to. It does have a program on there that lets you make recovery discs, which took four DVD+RWs, and I think you should also be able to make recovery discs using Windows 7's built-in back up program ("Create a system image", and "Create a system repair disc"). I made all those discs, but didn't actually use them, since I had a copy of Windows 7 Pro I bought for it.
So...I'm really happy with this. It's pretty much perfect if you're looking for a pretty high end, yet not too pricy notebook. You can get even more powerful, but you may end up spending 2x the price, or more even. The more expensive models I looked at from other companies had other things I didn't like-like some used Optimus, others didn't let you use Nvidia's normal video drivers, etc., so...I really think this is one to consider!
Buy ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop - Republic of Gamers Now
I was so excited to get this laptop. The specs on it were incredible. I got it and sure enough, it was super fast. After a while I started noticing weird keyboard issues and worse, sporadic activity with the touchpad. I typically use an external mouse at home so it didn't get to be a big deal. But then I had to start taking it to school, to meetings, other places where I just wanted to use the stupid touchpad without it lurching all over the screen. I figured this would be a simple update.Boy was I wrong. As I began to read through the ASUS forums, seeing comments from hundreds of other users with the exact same problems and no fix available, I began to get that sinking feeling in your stomach that you get when you realize you've just spent a ton of money on a lemon. BIOS updates don't work, driver updates actually made the problem worse.. When I discovered that ASUS has known about this issue for over a year and has not only failed to address it but continues to ship the laptop, I was furious.
I don't mind going through a little hassle to update some software components, but when yo have hundreds of complaints of hardware issues right out of the box it begins to wound the reputation of the manufacturer in this case, ASUS. I've always been a huge fan of ASUS. My last laptop was an ASUS, and despite the fact that all but two of the USB ports eventually failed, I was impressed enough that I decided to drop money I barely had on this nice new laptop. I'm supremely disappointed with the laptop and with ASUS's failure to address the issue.
If you want to get this laptop, pray that you don't have the same problems that thousands of others are having with the keyboard, numpad key (which his laptop doesn't have it has a calculator button instead), and worst of all, the trackpad. Some people report they don't have these problems. Thousands report they do. All of the good things in this laptop are eclipsed by this very serious basic hardware failure.
If you do buy this laptop, test it out for two days without getting too invested in it. If you start having any problems with the trackpad the cursor lurching over the screen, the cursor freezing up, etc etc, return it immediately. Don't think you're going to get it fixed through some easy software tweak.
Read Best Reviews of ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop - Republic of Gamers Here
Love this laptop so far. Yeah it does come with a good amount of bloatware but as long as you know what you're doing its a quick fix. The computer is amazingly fast much better than my G73SW I had recently purchased. It runs silent and has easy access panels to provide quick access for upgrades. The computer runs games like Crysis and The Witcher 2 without batting an eye. Blu Ray drive is also always nice to have. The touchpad almost appears to have a film over top of it but i think thats just how it is designed. Overall loving the product, just make sure you send the warranty information in for the Accidental Coverage as soon as you get it. Tech support can leave alot to be desired as they don't genuinely seem interested in helping you and it is easy to see you are talking to someone from overseas although they would leave you believe they aren't. Otherwise 5 star laptop.Want ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop - Republic of Gamers Discount?
I purchased this computer about a month ago, and waited to write a review so i could get to know it better. I will say right now, i love this laptop, it can run just about everything with the graphics maxed like a breeze. The only exception to this that i have found is Shattered Horizon which i purchased from steam for $5, now $20. The game is a very intense outer space FPS, so the physics are so advanced and taxing on your processor that i had to stick to normal settings. The game is still absolutely fantastic you really don't notice a difference in the levels of graphics anyways. I don't know why i see reviews about a poor wireless card, i own a terrible router, it's a good 8 years old by now, and i can still play massive games of Starcraft 2 online with "Ultra" graphics settings on everything.I have used this computer for hours on end and not felt any heat on the keyboard, around the trackpad where i rest my wrists while i'm typing, or up on the speakers (placed between the top of the keyboard and the monitor). There is slight warmth coming from the fans in the back, but that is being pushed away from me, and i don't ever feel it so i don't care. The backlit keyboard is nice for some late-night gaming as well.
The backpack this computer came with is very nice, and i usually use it to carry around the computer (duh), power cable, mouse, mousepad, and external hard drive for transferring data and backup. It's a little rough putting the computer in the bag because the fans in the back make it so much bigger, but it's not a problem, and it wouldn't fit at all in other 17" computer bags, which is probably why it came with this bag. The mouse as well, is awesome, it has three more buttons than the standard mouse, one on top that toggles 5 different sensitivities, which is helpful when switching from many different things at once, and two on the side that you can program to do what you like. When on the internet, they are forward and back buttons, and in gaming, whatever is most convenient.
The only complaint i have about this laptop is that both of the hard drives are split in half, so the computer reads that i have four 375 gig drives instead of two 750 gig drives. Other than that, this laptop is perfect.
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