ASUS G73SW Owners' Lounge

Hi all,
I've been reading this thread for a few days when I have time, as I've waited for my purchase order to go thru, and now i've got my new g73sw system. I'm much more interested in this system for coding and debugging of GPU code than for gaming of any kind. Any other code monkeys about? I'm interested in dual booting this machine with Fedora for CUDA purposes - anyone here doing the same?

 

With use of the G73, dust starts to settle in on top of the speakers, where the strip of mesh is. I tried swiping my hand across to brush off the dust but some dust seems to be lodged into the mesh. How does everyone else clean this part of the laptop??

 

Thanks for posting your experiences . The solution you've provided will be the next thing I tackle . I haven't been able to use the 3D since installing the 267.76 drivers either . There's just to much other stuff going on today ( 3 grandsons coming over ) so it's probably be tonight before I try your solution .

Ive already had to roll back my system several times after installing software or drivers that Windows 7 doesn't like . It seems like I fix one issue only to find out that it causes another . Oh well , that's the joy of using Windows .

 

Oh yes, endless fun! I read back a few pages when I was trying to solve it yesterday and saw that you went straight for the 267.76 driver - in fact, I was very curious as to whether you had managed to get it all working with it. Hope the solution works for you too!

In other news, it seems like the overnight test was a success, still seems to be running as I left it, with no minidump files to be seen! Going to set a restore point, then going to spend the day getting all my 3D modelling software on here and updated, and with any luck a few games too!

I would strongly advise anyone who is receiving a new system or looking into it to gather up all the necessary drivers on an external HD, then run a clean install of windows - the junk that Asus puts on is pretty tricky to filter through with its ambiguously-named programs (a few of which aren't even on the bloatware guide), and even if you do remove things they may still cause problems.

Last thing: Regarding drivers, on the Asus support site there are loads of different options for WiFi/WLAN/Bluetooth drivers - considering that Windows Update installed an Atheros driver (which I believe is to do with WLAN) and it works fine, are any of them actually necessary? I gave that whole "wireless" section a miss when I couldn't make any sense of it.

 

Chastity did a good job/still is with G73 drivers/apps for all models.

G73 Series Driver and Application Reference

And yup, I always do clean install on all new laptops, saves the hassle of trying to uninstall the bloatware.

 

More nVidia driver info: If you use any Windows Live Essentials programs - I use Messenger, Mail, and Mesh (to sync my work with my desktop PC) - it is necessary to go to the nVidia Control Panel and uncheck "Enable Stereoscopic 3D" in the "set up stereoscopic 3D" section beforehand. Otherwise you can expect crashes pretty much as soon as it starts up (I haven't experienced the problem with Mesh - it crashes Mail on startup and Messenger at random). Hope this gets fixed in an upcoming driver!

 

Seems like the 3D model is picky

How does the 3D look by the way? Is it similar to what you see in movie theaters?

 

I haven't had any challenges at all with my 3d on the 3DE but I loaded everything from scratch and I don't use the MS apps listed. 3d looks pretty good, pretty much compares to what I've seen in moves just obviously on a small screen. Gives me headaches though so I don't know how much of it I see myself using but the screen is better either way and that's why I got the 3DE over other models.

 

Hit the nail on the head there, it's very picky! Should be alright as soon as nVidia get their act together drivers-wise though.

The 3D looks amazing, obviously depending on what you're doing. The problem I found at the movies was the forced depth of field, meaning you had to really be looking at the right area of the screen or it'd just be a blur - with 3D games the focus adjusts to whatever you look at. Initially your eyes take a bit of a beating, though, it took me a few days to accustom to it!

The HUDs and in-game menus are particularly effective. I've heard them described as being "like stickers on the screen", which sounds about right. Though it's very taxing if you have to constantly switch your gaze between the game world and the interface - eventually double vision starts creeping in for me.

 

The 3D is the same quality as the 3D TV's its a hit or miss with people.

 

How do the screens on the A1, XA1 and 3DE models of the g73 compare, and how do they compare to the best buy models which I found quite lacking with washed out blacks.

 

The screen on my XA1 is very nice, colors look good, black are quite black

The model is N173HGE-L21
Chimei Innolux Corporation - 17.3\"FHD(N173HGE-L11/L21)

I haven't seen the bestbuy model yet, so I can't compare it

 

Did you try adjusting the contrast of the screen on the G73 you looked at Best Buy? I have both a G73HJ and the new G73SW both from Best Buy and both have really nice displays.

 

Nope, just saw the washed out screen and moved along. Of course that gray graphic asus uses for the default background doesn't help.

 

I agree it's a big turn off seeing it, but it can be changed quickly. Have you seen people looking at display screens on flat screen TVs at Best Buy and other stores. They walk around comparing what they see, who knows how each screen has been adjusted? Many I have talked with have no idea they can make adjustments to contrast color and other items.
So I think it's the same with computer displays also.

 

I now have the 3D working ( thanks again ) . I was just playing Dragon Age 2 in 3D and it's like a totally different game . I had to download the HD graphics patch along with patch 1.01 to get it looking right . Before that I had some graphics glitches that were out of place ( nVidia said that DA2 wasn't recommended in 3D but I just had to see if I could prove them wrong ) . After 2 hours of playing I was a little bugeyed though . I guess it'll take me a couple of days to get accustom to it too . My grandsons think that playing games in 3D is great ( I have to agree ) .

The only Blu-Ray movie that I have is Fifth Element ( Bruce Willis ) , so I guess I'll force myself to watch it to see if Blu-Rayis really makes a difference like the reviews say . I'll see how 3D looks with Blu-Ray too while I'm at it .

I'd like to take a second to thank you again for posting your experiences for us to see . It sure saved me several steps and who knows how much tinkering around time .

 

I'm not sure but I believe that other than the 3DE all 1080P versions of the G73SW have the same panel. I know the 3DE has a matte screen vs. the glossy screen on the others, and it also runs at 120HZ. From what I've seen online in comparisons, the 3DE was historically 30% brighter but I haven't seen that confirmed with the new SW series as well. I based my decision on the JW series being a better screen on the 3DE.

The only machines I've seen at Best Buy aren't 1080P, did that change?

Tom

 

I think your probably right about th 1080p panels on the g73sw all being the same except for the 3DE screens 120hz matte goodness.

Best buy now sells two models, a $1299 model with a 1600x900 panel and a $1499 full hd panel although no stores have the FHD version stocked, its online order only so far.

 

I can confirm the SW-3DE panel is the same as JW-3DE, LGD02C5, it's very bright, I usually turn the brightness all the way down to 20% during daytime for my taste.

 

I have to do the same thing , 20% seems to be the sweet spot for me too , otherwise it's just to bright .

I also have to dim the keyboard lighting ( by pressing Fn + F3 , remember that Fn + F4 makes it brighter ) in order to eliminate the sparkling while watching 3D in 120 Htz .

This is by far the best notebook that I've ever had , I'm loving it even more as I continue to work out all of the little personal things . I'm almost to the point of being ready to Image the drive again , this time as a Working Backup . I've already made a Clean Install Backup and it's saved me several times already . Trying out new software and drivers ect. can be very frusterating work otherwise . Thankfully the Windows Rollback feature will sometimes save me that trouble though .

 

Glad to hear you got it working without too much of a headache. I know it's pretty stressful to try and get specific drivers working together when there's very little model-specific support around online.

It is like playing a different game, I agree - I've finished Just Cause 2, yet playing it in 3D breathes new life into it again. You don't feel quite so casual when you're hijacking a helicopter high in the sky in a 3D world, and the environmental effects like snow are pretty spectacular.

So far movies-wise I've only seen Avatar. I personally found it better than at the cinema, I'm not sure whether that's because it's a sharper image on this screen or because of the shutter glasses being better than the polarised ones. Seems a little strange that 3D can only be used in fullscreen though.

It's retina-blisteringly bright, I agree! The vast majority of the time I have it set to the lowest I'll go. I've noticed that when using 3D, it always sets it to absolute maximum brightness, and is unadjustable. If you accidentally look at it without glasses it's pretty much an insta-headache!

 

I keep mine at 100 percent all the time, but I like a bright screen...

 

Is yours a 3de or non 3d model?

Also, could anyone give me the model numbers for their LCD panels for the 3d and non-3d models? Want to look up reviews on the panels since I can't see one locally.

Thanks

 

It's a 3DE. It's hella staring into the Sun bright, but that's how I like it!

 

How are the viewing angles and clairity on the 3de display? Trying to decide if i should go with an XT1 and upgrade the HDs myself or jump for a 3de.

 

I had a couple of more little hiccups come up and I thought that I'd share them along with the solutions that I came up with .

First off , I received my new 16GB Adata USB 3.0 Flash Drive a couple of days ago so I thought that I'd try it out , but lo and behold while it worked in all of the 2.0 slots ( including the USB Hub that's built in to the cooling pad that sits under the notebook ) it didn't work with the one 3.0 slot . I then tried booting off of the USB 3.0 slot but it didn't work that way either .

I checked on the Asus site and downloaded the new USB 3.0 driver and then rebooted and it now works ( very fast I might add ) . I can also now boot off of the 3.0 drive in the 3.0 slot by just pressing ESC multiple times ( you have to be quick ) when the Asus logo shows up during start up and then choosing the USB drive to boot off of the boot menu . One problem down !

The second issue came up after I mapped all of my network drives in order to have faster access to them . But after mapping all of the drives , I noticed that I received an error message stating that some of my network drives hadn't mounted correctly and that I needed to remap the drives . So I disconnected the drives from Windows Explorer and then remapped the affected drives , rebooted and of course it just kept repeating the error message over and over again each time.

I waited a while and then tried clicking on the disconnected drives and surprisingly they immediately remounted . Very strange I thought .

Now this had me pulling my hair out for several days . I kept trying to get rid of the reappearing error messages but to no avail . I was stumped for another day until it finally dawned on me what the problem really was .The G73SW is just too fast for the Windows 7 64bit OS to handle the multiple drive mappings since it boots up in just 14 seconds flat .

My solution was simple . Since I already used a Bios password for security reasons , I decided to create Windows password that would be needed before booting would be complete .

The error messages all disappeared .

But this solution didn't satisfy me because now I was having to enter two password instead of just one . So I did away with the bios password and kept the Windows one . Now the actual boot up time is the same as before except that the password is entered at the end of the boot instead of at the start .

I'm not sure if the Windows password system is as secure as the one that the Bios uses ( probably not ) but at least I had a solution that I could live with .

I hope this long , drawn out explanation helps someone else solve these issues if they come up .

 

Well I can't compare it to a normal 1080p panel since I've never actually seen one, however all I can say is that the screen is nothing short of awesome. I love the matte screen and it's amazingly bright and clear. No complaints whatsoever! Viewing angle is very impressive, you can see it fine from any angle you would plan on looking at it from. For the money, I think it's worth the upgrade between the drives, the BD Burner, the better screen, and the 3d capabilities. The way I looked at it, it was a small price to pay for the upgrades that it came with, and ultimately when you are paying for a laptop in this pricerange a few hundred bucks here and there is really nominal...

Tom

 

Hows the Temps on the SW ?

Does the SB make it run hotter than the JW ?

 

Temps are great, never goes over 72 on both CPU and GPU for me, even after hours of gaming.

 

I just discovered turning the keyboard to full brightness works too, it only seems to blink on the intermediary levels. They certainly like making things bright for 3D mode!

 

SW: HSD173PUW1


3DE: LGD02C5

 

I have to replace my keyboard on my G73sw-xa1, the d key when I press it, it pops up, and trying to press it again when i game it will come off and pop up again. Searching the web I found two replacement keyboards, the 04GNV33KUS01-3 Amazon.com: L.F. New Black Backlit with Frame keyboard for ASUS G51 G51Jx G51V G51VX G51J N50 Series, ASUS G72 G72GX G73 G73JH G73JW Series, ASUS N61 N61V N61W N61J N61Ja N61Jq N61Jv N61VF N61VG N61VN Series, ASUS G60 G60J G60V G60VX Series, Asus UX5 from the amazon site and the 04GNV33KUS03-3 Replacement Keyboard from the asus site. Looking at the pictures of both they seem different, and the first one from amazon's site looks just like the original keyboard on the laptop, not so the second one recomended on the asus website. Can any of you tell me which one should I get, or know of any quick fix for the keyboard letter problem? I searched the web and found the asus recomended keyboard to be diferent , here is the picture. Asus 04GNV33KUS03-3 04GNV33KUS03-3 | LASystems Thank You Guys..........

 

Both pictures looks identical, if you expand the picture on the one from Amazon you will see the F3 and F4 keys can adjust the backlit brightness.

 

Actually this one might not work: Asus 04GNV33KUS03-3 04GNV33KUS03-3 | LASystems
The dpad isn't inline with the rest of the keyboard

 

Thanks Ken!

 

just got my A1
i want to get rid of the bloatware
i have created the recovery discs
do i just restore from the discs or do i install my copy of ultimate?
are all the extras on the 2 DVD's?
i'll download all the drivers from ASUS before i start

mark

 

The recovery will just put it back the way it came out of the box. You'll need to load Ultimate from scratch, by booting off the ultimate DVD and going through setup. You'll also need to format your drives, etc. and I'd suggest searching for a guide if you don't have a lot of experience loading OS's.

Tom

 

Hi!

I'm completely new here, and I just bought myself a G73SW-91149v with 2x500GB Seagate Hybrid HDDs. I also bought separately a Inter SSD 120GB SSD (510 series) and I wondered, which of the 2 discs do I replace? I need to keep the system disc and replace the other with the SSD but there are no indications which disc contains the data. I'm, as you probably have understood, completely green in this field so help appreciated.

Audun

 

Please someone tell me it isn't so. I took one look at the picture of this keyboard and thought, "Yeay! A keyboard for G73 with a properly shaped Enter key, and a sensible layout. I could live with US labelling if I had to (I'm in the UK, and need a pound sign - but that's easy enough to deal with) and thought I'd found a squared circle."

And now you say it wouldn't fit the notebook. I need a emoticon for "Oh NO!" Does the JH have a different keyboard to that on the SW?

 

thanks, that's what i thought (i am an IT guy, so no problem installing Ultimate)
just needed clarification that restore (either from the partition or DVD's) would put it back to factory (as i received it)

mark

 

Though I haven't actually done it (restore from partition/DVD), that is my understanding and expectation. I left the recovery partition alone when I flattened mine and put Ultimate on it. I figured it's not that much disk and if I ever want to put it back to factory it will be easier if that partition exists. All in all I'm glad I flattened, I definitely saw a performance increase by doing so.

 

The part number is correct:



But the picture looks totally different.

 

Because oof that i decided to go with the amazons keyboard, dwill update with pictures when i get it. thank you all........!

 

Good drives, all.
You could consider keeping all 3...
If you don't need the DVD/CD drive in the laptop, and can use an external drive when needed, this might be for you.

Here's a link for an HDD optical drive adapter for an SSD; install your SSD, slide the enclosure in, and you're basically done...and with your OS loaded on the SSD, your screaming speed, and still have a TB to play with.
( There's also instructions listed- just make sure your laptop has a SATA or PATA connection, and you're good to go)

Last, you don't even have to worry about what to do with the drive you took out, because they make external enclosures for them as well, just click around!

Good luck!

http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=7&chapter=0

 

Ken,
Recently bought my G73SW-3DE from you and service was awesome! Quick question though, I see some vendors offering CPU and video card upgrades on these, yet in some forums it is said that at least the GPU isn't upgradeable. Can you give any feedback on that? Also in the future, if I ever wanted the GPU upgraded, could I send it to you and pay for the upgrade? Not something I really need right now but good to know options... Also interested to know how hard the CPU upgrade would be on this. Appreciate any feedback you can provide!

Tom

 

I just received my g73sw-3de this morning and am running it through its paces... Why on earth did they partition the HD into so many lil partitions, I think there are 4 (not counting the restore partition).

Also, I own Win7 Professional but currently have it installed on my macbook pro. If I flatten my drive and install it on the g73 what happens to the install on the macbook? I would like it to remain active long enough to move my stuff over or will it just go belly up with the new install.

 

I know I was perplexed by the silly partitioning as well, but with a reload of the OS that is fixed in short order. You should be ok to load pro on the new box, if I remember correctly with Pro you don't even have to enter the serial number until after installation, at least with the install I've used. In either case you can just not activate it right away, I think you have 3 days or something. I've heard of folks running it on more than one box at the same time as well with both activated, with no ill effect, but as always YMMV.

Tom

 

Thanks. I decided to stay with home premium on this one but did do the F9 restore and repartitioned the drives.

In fact, ive now done the F9 restore a few times now... having a recurring problem that I'm not sure whats causing it. I restore the machine, everything works well... remove the game thing, install AVAST antivirus and do the asus live update... then notice that the 3d/2d, lights on/off and screen mode buttons no longer work and my keyboard backlight no longer functioons.

Really annoying. Any ideas anyone? How do I get those functions back?? and where did they go. The Power4Gear is still there, just the button no longer works with it and the ATK software is still there I think thats what controls the keys.

 

Several of us have had that same problem and for me it had to do with the Asus live update . This last time I uninstalled the live update along with some other of the bloatware that comes preloaded . I then downloaded and installed the newest version of Power4Gear and ATK software and everyting worked again . I'm staying with the drivers dvd and downloaded drivers from now on .

I also make Ghost or Drive Image images of the boot drive and I feel a lot more secure now .

I'd better ask this question just in case though . Have you tried holding the FN key then the F4 key to turn the lights on or for brightening the keyboard ? The FN and then F3 key dims the keyboard lights .

 

I've now done the F9 restore about 8 times, narrowed it down this last time to losing the buttons and backlight after uninstalling the game thing (can't remember name, but had plants vs zombies, etc in it). I basically restored a new install... it worked fine... rebooted and it worked fine... deleted the game thing and rebooted... no more buttons or backlight. I'm now restoring again to see if i can get it working by leaving that game thing alone. I figure its using some DLL that the other app requires, don't know.

Where can you get the latest version of ATK and Power4Gear? I went to asus site but whenever i go to downloads etc i get access denied errors.

Did your machine come with a driver disk? Mine came with e-driver an app with the drivers on it but power4gear and ATK arent among them.

Btw, I also don't have lifeframe or any type of software for using the camera.