ASUS G73SW Owners' Lounge

thank you for answer. maybe you can tell me about the core temp difference. is it ok?

 

The i7-2630QM has a max turbo frequency of 2.9 GHz: Intel® Core? i7-2630QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.00 GHz)with SPEC Code(s)SR02Y

 

have you tried with yours anything? how is your temps? and what is doing your turbo?

 

Most of the time I'm compiling projects with Visual Studio. If the machine is really busy the tubo stays at about 2.9 GHz.

 

Question about heat: if you tried to use the SW directly on a bed, how long before it either sets fire to the bedding or cuts out because it's overloaded?

I'm looking for estimates, you understand - not a scientific analysis testing real bed clothes to destruction.

 

I don't think anybody has tried or is willing to try that. Most likely in an overheating situation, past auto downlocking of the components, the laptop will most likely shutdown.
As for the sheets... listen to this YouTube - The Italian Man Who went to Malta.

 

I gotta say I'm a little surprised by the price of the G73SW. My HP DV7 cooked itself before xmas and I was ready to pull the trigger on this G73SW asap after that. However ~$350 for a new CPU (admittedly, much better) over the original G73 is steep. Am I missing other upgrades?

I realize this laptop is for a small portion of the market and I think I am almost in there but at this price, it has me thinking otherwise. I truly don't need a mobile powerhouse so I suppose I am not the market.

Anyways, just a little rant to myself while I try to figure out to buy this or not. I hate having two computers but this has me thinking mid-range desktop/laptop combo near the same price and giving up my mobile power.

 

I think in Germany the G73SW is actually cheaper than the G73JW. My G73SW 3D was cheaper than the JW counterpart.

 

yes thats right. the sw is cheaper here at the moment.

Sorry Guys,

I´m littlebit an anti scratch fanatic if you know what i mean. I´ve took a lamp and was looking from the near on the matt display. and i´ve found two very fine and little scratches
on the panel. if you look with the normal daylight on the display you cannot see them only with the lamp. the two scratches are very small and you cannot feel them. this is what i mean if you are searching for something you can find it but only that i know that the scratches are there it makes me unhappy.

 

Interesting... I wish that were the case in Canada. All else being equal other than the CPU, these are the current prices taxes in.

G73JW-A1 740 - $1807.99 Canadian funds (best sale price I can find)
G73SW-A1 2630 - $2146.99 CDN

$2150 for a great machine is still decent.

The dealer I go through prices matches so I think I'll wait a couple weeks and see where the price lands. With that thought, any Canadian links out there with a great price on this beauty?

 

Anyone know any stores in the US that carry the G73SW in store? Doesn't need to be out to play with, I just want to pick it up myself.

 

it costs $2.5k AUD to get it here. and the aud is at parity with the USD

so u dont have it anywhere near as bad

 

Best Buy tends to have the G73JW in stock and on display. You can lift it up and play with it, but they take out the battery which is a bit of additional heft. Regardless of how you look at it, it's a friggin huge laptop and you'll either love it or hate it.

 

LU Computers
1789.99$ + 45$ shipping

http://www.greytech.com/ShopItem.as...roductNo=2903396&Toc=136337:0&PageID=45971055
1834.77$ + shipping

NCIX also has it for 1899$, but they have a price match policy. None of these stores has them stock though. To find the best prices and availability I use sites like pricebat.com, shopbot.ca, pricecanada.com, ca.pricegrabber.com and meilleursprix.ca.

 

Tigerdirect.com actually has stores that have the G73JW and G53JW in store to play with as well. They told me the case and weight were the same as the G73SW.

 

furythree:

Wow... 2.5K, I'd be passing it up at that price I think and going desktop/laptop route. I guess it all depends if I needed the mobile power. Different markets are mysterious. I agree, the price here is looking better.

Allzonecars:

Thanks for the price compare links, that is what I was looking for. That LU Computers is the best price I've seen for sure. NCIX has been good to me so I always go through those guys and like you said they price match.

 

Hello, everyone! I will be getting my G73SW today. After reading the forums more, it seems G73 (JW or JH) has some issues like slow keyboard, touchpad, random freezing and BSOD.

Are any of the above problems present in G73SW? I am really concerned since getting it in my country is not cheap and it should really work as intended since it is a high end product.

Anyone experiencing any issues, old or new, with their G73SW? Thank you!

 

I will be getting my G73SW tomorrow.

Regarding the ASUS software that comes with the beast, is there anything worth keeping? I know it is subjective, but wanted to throw the question out there.

Will uninstall be enough or should I do a reinstall of the OS and just install what I want?

 

Anyone know if this is a trusted seller? They don't have a store where I am at, but $1400 US is a great price from what I can tell. Micro Center - Asus G73SW-XR1 Laptop Computer - Black G73SW-XR1

Any help would be great. I am just deciding which model I am going to get. Thanks.

Edit: Even this http://www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=product&filter=6 the G73SW-B3 model is fairly priced.

 

The Microcenter guys near me (brick and mortar store) have always been great including with my returns (had a DOA laptop).

 

I had no issues like that so far with the SW 3D.

 

Well I pulled the trigger today on a new Asus G73SW-A1! The machine is on the bench as we speak and I was told I will have a tracking number late tonight!

Thanks Donald, I cannot wait!

 

I ordered my G73SW last night. Fry's Electronics says it will ship today and I'll get it tomorrow!

 

It's up to you of course, but I went through the software and kept all but the free antivirus and some weird picture taker webcam thingy. Don't know if any of the rest are sapping processor, but with 4(8) cores, it wouldn't matter much. A few of the programs are good: USB 3 driver, keyboard driver to allow the three side keys to control the performance mode, the on-screen display of wireless and keyboard settings, the driver that allows you to log in based on facial recognition, etc. I guess I like to keep it somewhat stock, though I did reinstall everything as I was moving to an SSD. I wouldn't reinstall otherwise.

 

Fixed it by downgrading driver, but now my keyboard lights aren't working.
They turn on when i start up though,

 

@ Pharon : the smart logon utility (facial recog) is bogus and can be easily tricked should someone use a picture of you. Best to use a strong password instead.

@ Ceadeus : reinstall the atk package if the lights do not work at any point.

 

Got it! FN + F4

 

Lol, never crossed my mind that they could have just been turned off or at minimum level.

 

Got my tracking number early this morning, my G73SW-A1 will be here Tuesday!

2 thumbs up for Powernotebooks.com!

 

Good point, but it's harder to get a picture that will work than it is to guess "password". Have you tried it with their more "strict" settings with a picture? Wouldn't use the facial login stuff personally, but to each their own.

 

Just received my G73SW!
My first impression is, WOW!

Creating the recovery media right now. Will post more later (if I have time and don't loose track of time).

 

I'd be very interested in hearing from someone that has gone the upgrade route:
Anyone tried to upgrade the CPU yet?
I see some folks have dropped a SSD into the first drive slot... how hard was that to do? Both from a hardware standpoint as well as getting the SSD loaded with Windows and the drivers?

Anyone have any experience with Xoticpc as an upgrade dealer?

 

Can you confirm Optimus or switchable graphics on it? Thanks!

 

Nope, it shouldn't have, I heard that both the G73SW and G53SW won't have Optimus, pretty sad.

Even the MSI's GT680R and Sager's NP8150 didn't have Optimus.

The IGP won't be utilised, sad, really.

 

Got this email this morning:

"We have discovered that the ASUS Clean Windows 7 Install DVD does not work with the ASUS G73SW-A1 at this time. There is apparently an issue with the communication between the BIOS and the disk. ASUS is currently working on a resolution for this issue, and we will advance it to you once they have the solution. In the mean time, please do not attempt to use your ASUS Clean Windows 7 Install DVD."

While I have not recieved my Asus G73SW yet I was wondering if anyone else was notified of this problem.

 

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad I haven't tried a clean install...

 

You can still use a retail Win7 disc though, right?

 

I am about to pull the trigger and buy one of these but I have a few questions. If anyone can answer these I would appreciate it.

1. Is there still going to be a 3D model available in the U.S. and if so, when will it be available? I can't wait long but if it's out next week...I might be able to hold off.

2. Part of the reason I am interested in the Sandy Bridge CPU is to utilize the GPU encoding of h.264 videos using the Quick Sync feature. Am I to understand that this is not functional on these units? I have read reviews if the desktop Sandy Bridge and it blazes when encoding video using Sandy Bridge IGP.

3. Can I easily replace the Blu-ray reader with a standard laptop Blu-ray writer if needed? I notice the side of the laptop is angular so I'd assume that the plastic face could be mounted on a different drive. Also, to be certain it is a SATA blu-ray drive, correct?

Thanks in advance. I currently have a Blu-ray burner in my HP DV8T and I'd love to move it over if possible.

 

Got my G734SW-A1 yesterday. Upgraded from an A8J model. It's absolutely incredible. The screen is amazing, it's much lighter than I thought it would be and I can't hear the fans unless I lean over and listen near the keyboard. The audio is a little too quiet for me and the keyboard is taking some time to get used to. I'm used to a nice easy press and on this I have to tap pretty hard.

Unfortunately I'm on a very slow connection so I haven't had any chance to install anything graphically intense yet but I should have some gaming time tonight after all day downloads!

So overall I'm going to go with the "Wow!" first impression. It's awesome.

 

I have had my G73SW-XR1 for about 2 days now. This model is available at Microcenters (B&M) for $1399. It has 8GB RAM, 640GB HDD, and a DVD burner. The lack of Blu-Ray doesn't bother me, I deal mostly in MKV files anyway, and I'm sure I could get an external BD drive later if I want one.

The good...almost everything. I upgraded from a G2S, which ran hot enough to be uncomfortable on my lap and was so loud you could hear it from the next room. I haven't yet done any burn test on my CPU, but this machine never gets hot to the touch, even while gaming. It is whisper quit. The backlit keyboard addresses one of my major annoyances with my old G2S. The display is beautiful, and I can run WOW at >= 60 fps on high (but not extreme) settings at 1920x1080. I'm looking forward to seeing how fast it can transcode .mkv files to run on my iPad. I think it will be a monster at that.

The bad...Asus bloatware. I have uninstalled much of the Asus software, and had some glitches with ATK and P4G, both of which I had to reinstall, and it apparently either came without or "forgot" its USB-3 driver.

The ugly...nothing. This is a handsome notebook, without some of the ridiculous bling sometimes present on gaming rigs, such as the ROG eye next to the touchpad on my G2S.

I'm somewhat concerned about the clean install issue, as one thing I would like to do is to go to an SSD/HDD setup.

Awesome rig, IMHO.

I just transcoded a movie (the title of which I will take the 5th on) using handbrake from DIVX format to iPad. The file is a few seconds short of 2 hours. The process took 29:33. The CPU temp (via coretemp) topped out at about 75 C, but the bottom of the notebook was not even warm, and the fans were inaudible over the ambient noise of my office.

I'm very pleased.

 

I to have been very pleased thus far.

Some have complained about the sound, but it is great to me. Probably because of what I had on my previous laptop, but I have to keep the sound at 25% or it is too loud for me.

I agree the screen is awesome.

I watched "Salt" last night and made it all the way through the movie on battery, ~2hours. The battery was almost drained, but still running. I even watched a few of the special features. Also, at the begining of the battery test, I was downloading some games from Steam at the same time over the wireless.

 

I used a retail disc and had no issues. FYI if anyone gets stuck without a retail disk, you can make one:

Download the Windows 7 Enterprise trial disc here

Download the ei.cfg Removal Utility to make the Enterprise disc into a generic Windows 7 install disc.

Install like normal, just use the correct edition and the product key from the sticker on the bottom of your laptop.

I did it this way because I didn't want any of the Asus "optimizations", just wanted clean install that I could put my own crapware on.

 

Just make sure you have a retail or fixed install disc and you should be good to go. It looks like the issues is related to the Asus recovery disc and shouldn't be an issue with a regular/retail Windows 7 disc.

 

There are new nVidia drivers on the Asus page again: 266.01 & 266.43

 

If I'm not mistaken, the ASUS Clean Windows 7 Install DVD is basically an OEM install disk certified for ASUS and possibly containing some additional scripts and wallpapers/logos, no drivers though. OEM OS is activated with an OEM certificate (.xrm-ms file), which checks for a specified notebook brand with the BIOS. (This is scripted in the installation and transparent to the user.) I guess this is the issue with the communication between the BIOS and the disk, as mentioned in that information.

So the above steps for clean installation work, but providing the product key doesn't activate the system - for that you either need to call Microsoft or install the certificate ...which currently fails.

I suppose the resolution will be a new BIOS revision or a new certificate, which would mean re-sending ASUS Clean Windows 7 Install DVDs to the users... I doubt that will happen.

 

ForceWare 266.43 works well with the G73SW 3D.

 

I believe you're right that the ASUS DVD likely contains just extra scripts. But, I installed from the generic DVD with the key underneath and didn't have any issues with the standard online activation. Didn't have to call MS or install any certificate. Lucky I guess?

 

I currently have a Lenovo W510 and it's still under the 21 day return period. I really like the laptop (especially the build quality) but I've owned it less than 1 week and I am already experiencing random freezes. This makes me nervous and I don't have the time to go back and forth with tech support. I am thinking about buying the G73SW instead. Can anyone comment on how the build quality of the G73SW is compared to a Lenovo. I am looking for specifics on fit and finish, chassis flex, etc. Overall, does it seem the G73 seem like a laptop that can take some abuse?

Thanks in advance!

 

For clean installs there's official leaked Windows 7 with SP1 RTM ISOs on the Internet.

It's first being made available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

Use the MS DVD/USB tool to put on a USB flash drive.

Go in sources folder and remove the ei.cfg file to enable the Ultimate ISO to install Basic,Home Premium and Professional also.

If your Asus laptop was delivered with Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled from the factory then add the Asus $OEM$ folder to the Sources Folder to activate Windows with the Asus OEM key automatically in the installation.

Get the H.P. Asus $OEM$ here:
Asus_Home_Premium.7z

This will also give you the Asus wallpaper and logos

 

F73SW-XR1? Do you mean G73SW?