ASUS G74SX Owners' Lounge

whats commit value? and where to check that? if its the ram reading, it doesnt increase

 

Commit charge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It basically shows you the total memory used for the entire system. You can use it to help determine if your system is performing excessive swapping to disk, since you can't rust the individual values for the programs themselves in the list.

 

Is the CPU upgradeable?

 

The CPU is upgradable and will support up to the i7 2960XM, doing so may void your warranty though.

 

I asked Asus they said it's because of Intel chipset, if it's more than 2 sticks of RAM installed it will only run at 1333MHz.

 

no point in upgrading to a 2960XM without overclocking, go for a 2860QM instead

 

Well... I just bought a G74Sx-A1. I paid 1460CA$ for it, brand new in a huge sale at a local store. Don't quite understand the deal to be honest, it's like 33% off! Anyway, yesterday morning I was the owner of a G51Jx-A1, which I sold when I got the G74.

So far, I did the following:
- Update Bios to 203;
- Formated and installed a clean installation of Windows OEM;
- Installed the drivers and some apps;

My impressions so far:
- Quite big and heavy compared to my G51. I know what I was buying and honestly would have gotten a 15in instead of 17in, but I just could let that deal pass on me so...
- I LOVE the battery. I could barely do 1h unplugged with my G51 (not gaming) and yesterday I spent about 2.5h unplugged with G74, installing stuff and still had a lot of juice left;
- I LOVE the temperatures. My G51 was getting extremely hot, the G74 is like the North Pole!

I haven't tried any games at the moment, but this laptop is a beast, you can feel it. It's heavy, but really well made. Solid feeling.

Some things I don't like though:
- The Bluray drive is slow with DVDs. I haven't checked the numbers, but I really got the feeling that is was much slower than the one on the G51. Maybe just an impression. But in the end, when everything will be installed, I'll prefer having a Bluray player than a quick DVD player.

- The Synaptic driver for the touchpad wants to run 3 .exe at startup. Are all these necessary?

- I use a Performance MX Logitech mouse. For some reasons, sometimes the mouse movement becomes really jerky for a few seconds and comes back ok. I checked under the mouse, everything seems to be ok and clean. When I was seeing this problem, I tried with the touchpad, which was perfectly working. I never noticed that behavior on my G51. Any clues??

- I used an OEM version to do a clean install of Windows. At the time of installation, when I entered my legit windows key, it worked without problems. Now, I just noticed that my Windows isn't registered and when I click to register it, it says I need to do it on the phone since my key is not valid for online registration. What's the problem?????

Thanks to all! I read a lot in this thread, but if anybody has tricks I should do, please let me know!

 

Just go ahead and go through the phone registration process. You shouldn't have any trouble with it.

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually made it work at lunch time but didn't came back on this thread to report. I just re-typed my key (using "Change product key") and it worked online. Don't know why it did that at first.

I'm still concerned about my sometimes jerky mouse though... never did that on my G51...

 

Hi everyone, I just bought a G74SX-XN1 from NewEgg. It comes with the 560m 3gb and one 500gb 7200 rpm HD. I paid 1300 for it on sale. I thought what the hell at that price how can I go wrong. I know the hard drive on the left is the main HD so if I get a ssd for it would I have to take out the 500gb and put the ssd in it's place and put the 500gb in the second slot on the right. Would I then have to reformat the ssd with windows 7 and use the 500 for the d drive. What software would I use to format the ssd? Do I just use Windows or do I need some other software to go with it since it's a ssd. Not sure about this. Also I bought a 2 year extended warranty from newegg.com that uses a third party company I can't think of right now, will it cancel out my first year ADH warranty? I need some help here. I built my last desktop but $1300.00 is so much cheaper than building my own system the way that I would want it. So I opted out and bought the Asus. I ran Call of Duty Black OPS and it runs great. Any imput would be much appreciated. I also came with a second hard drive plug and cable all in one.

Thanks...PJ

 

Hi everyone, I just bought a G74SX-XN1 from NewEgg. It comes with the 560m 3gb and one 500gb 7200 rpm HD. I paid 1300 for it on sale. I thought what the hell at that price how can I go wrong. I know the hard drive on the left is the main HD so if I get a ssd for it would I have to take out the 500gb and put the ssd in it's place and put the 500gb in the second slot on the right. Would I then have to reformat the ssd with windows 7 and use the 500 for the d drive. What software would I use to format the ssd? Do I just use Windows or do I need some other software to go with it since it's a ssd. Not sure about this. Also I bought a 2 year extended warranty from newegg.com that uses a third party company I can't think of right now, will it cancel out my first year ADH warranty? I need some help here. I built my last desktop but $1300.00 is so much cheaper than building my own system the way that I would want it. So I opted out and bought the Asus. I ran Call of Duty Black OPS and it runs great. Any imput would be much appreciated. I also came with a second hard drive plug and cable all in one.

Thanks...PJ

 

The drive bays are not specific that way. You can set the boot drive (in the BIOS) to be either one. I currently have my SSD OS drive in bay 2.

Well, you have two choices: (1) image the existing Windows installation onto the new SSD, or (2) perform a clean Windows installation on the new SSD. Either way, you would then reformat the existing hard drive to "re-task" it as your data drive.

Would what cancel your warranty? Adding another drive? I wouldn't think so.

 

g74sx bbk7 is currently 950 on newegg lol talking about being cheap =/
also the graphic card isnt integrated, apparently its dedicated and can replace it

 

The graphics card is a dedicated one but Asus use's a reverse MXM socket so you really cant replace it as other cards wont fit that slot.

 

Hey everybody.

I need some help here..

I have accidentaly scratched my screen. There are 2 quite large scratches on the display. And one of the scratches have maked a little white dot sitting on the screen.

I have the CMO1726 display. So do anybody know how I can get a replacement screen which is the same as the one already sitting on my laptop? Is it even possible??

Or as an other option, could some of you come up with a display, which is around the same quality as the one fitted on my laptop?

I'm living in Denmark, which is inside Europe if that matters..

 

so theres no other better cards that would fit in that kind of reverse MXM slot?
i wanted to at least upgrade to nvidia 560M 192 bit, at least the 192 bit one.

 

Wait hold on a minute are you telling me that the best buy version have a removable graphic card? That would mean it use an entirely different board then what was advertised.

 

yes sir! but he say its reverse socket =s

 

can you take a picture of it?

 

My apologize's I was wrong about the G74 models. Their cards are integrated onto the motherboard. I was thinking of the G53 models which are a seperate card.
So there is no way at all to upgrade the GPU on the G74's.

 

uh really? on newegg it says the bbk7 version is dedicated... =/

also currently im comparing my asus g74sx and my alienware m18x side by side. g74sx idle cpu temp at 38C and gpu stays 40C at idle, where as m18x cpu idles 47C and gpu idle at 65, and 50 C

overall performace alienware only out g74sx a bit, but cooling system asus is by far the best!!

also, anyone how to get clean window for the g74sx? since it doesnt come with a recovery disk..

 

With alienware you can get max GTX 580M SLI. your stuck with GTX 560M on G74.

The above idle temp is not unusual.

Btw by dedicated newegg meant its not intel integrated HD graphic, which is worse than crap.

 

You need to download a Windows Installer image file, burn to disc, install, then re-use your Asus OEM Product Key.

 

i assume thats the product key at the bottom of the laptop right?

 

It's a little more complicated with OEM keys (there's an "internal key" that's different from that one), but yes, that key will work to activate the new Home Premium installation on your G74.

There's also a little utility that you can use to back up your existing activation and then restore it in the new installation. That's an option, too, but you don't have to have it.

 

A Question,

I have G74Sx, very pleased with it.
Recently updated NVIDIA drivers to 285.62 from the Drivers on the asus support website.

Generally i have to say everything works better and feels faster - graphics wise - however my WEI (graphics section) drops from 7.6 to 6.9. I am not to bothered as my notebook works better with updated NVIDIA drivers. however if anyone can give any hints why, would be most appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

I believe I read something about a 3D function that's turned off by default when that driver installs. I think you just need to go into the nVidia Control Panel and turn it back on. (Hopefully, it'll be obvious what it is!)

 

how is it possible that you feel "faster" and "better" by updating the driver..?
the graphic card is hardware and doesnt change the fact that it stays at 128 or 192 buswidth + everything else stay the same..

i would understand if u say bug or lag fix with driver though.

 

I didn't say anything like that.....

In fact, video drivers are one of those things where, if I'm using one that works without issues, I don't bother "up"grading unless I have a pretty good reason.

 

I have almost two weeks to return. I will try it and hope to love it. It was $1,199 (was on sale I think and had gift certificate for part of it) with the somewhat faster processor and, for some reason, longer battery life than the prior model. (Not really concerned about battery life.) Otherwise it seems identical.

BB downgrades for the somewhat lower price are, I imagine, pretty well known --- screen at 1600 x 900, gimped 560 card, and maybe something else I don't know about.

I love the machine --- especially its supposedly excellent cooling system. My only concern is the screen may not suit my taste --- I prefer matte screens and presume the 1920 x 1080 is, of course, better. Has anyone compared them? I'm wondering if the 1600 x 900 screen also suffers from a lowish contrast ratio and poorer viewing angles vs. the 1920 x 1080 (I was impressed by the Sony F23 screen but don't want that machine.)

Thanks in advance as I can quickly return and spend a bit more if necessary. (I'm not looking for a $1,999 machine but, perhaps, a $1,399 machine.)

Any help appreciated! Thanks!

P.S. How does gaming compare on this vs. a an Xbox? (I fully realize this is a computer and can much do more and that's why I purchased it.) Which should have faster frame rates?

 

sorry i meant to quote the post above yours lol

xbox is weird i tend not to compare gaming console with a computer.
on your concern regards to the contrast, actually i go into power4gear and turn down the brightness cause it kills my eye, donno why people would worry so much about contrast lol. my current brightness is level 4, and i put my resolution at 1300 ish level, not even 1600x900.

could be personal thing but imo theres no point to stress your eyes with big resolution and little text/icon where you would have to try hard just to read something. i would suggest you not to change it, however if you still wish the 1080p screen/resolution, theres a laptop on sale on ncix have just what you need at 1250 i think, and that is with the screen + non gimped graphic card.

 

Thanks for the info. Seeing my face in the screen is not to my liking , but otherwise very impressive, especially for the money.

Anyone else? Tx.

 

theres always the anti glare thing, which cost like 30 bux.. oh btw also, they had a study on the LCD screen nowadays. compare to the old thick big monitors LCD is definitly better for your eyes but not in the long run. in about 3-4 decades people go blind cause of LCD instead of going blury on the old thick monitor, although irrelevent to the thread, screen with glare that reflects are much better than screen that doesnt reflect, for your eyes at least.

i love the backlit keyboard but i always leave my lights on nowadays and turn brightness to level 3 or 4 in power4gear. anything that releases light is bad for your eye if you stare at it too long cause it gives you no muscle movement. think of it this way, an old person that stays on bed for a long time have their legs/arm shrink because they dont exercise, the same could be said for human eyes. staring 1 place with minimum movement is extremely bad, with glare and background lights your eye constantly looking at them therefore make eye movements, so its better =)

 

That's very interesting and helpful. I'm more worried about my kids with computers, xbox, itunes, cell phones and so on. On the other side of the coin, not just too much sitting (muscle atrophy, sciatica nerve problems, etcx...) but repetitive movement risk (such as carpal tunnel).

Maybe I'll get an Apple (very nice gloss screen and put it on a high shelf so I have to stand to use it .

P.S. How can I find out the nits, contrast ratio, and color gamut on the screen? Or, at least, how can I find out what screen I have so I can try and look it up? Tx.

 

Source? I find it very hard to believe you'd go blind from using LCDs.

 

my friend brought this up and me and him ended up googling it, but it does make sense you're not moving your eyes and that simple example kinda explains it.

as for the contrast ratio, im not sure how to look that up but i do know the screen is too bright for me if i leave it on 10 at all time, it hurts.

 

Nobody's been using an LCD screen for three or four decades, so there not only isn't....but there cannot....be any evidence to support such a bold assertion.

 

Not moving your eyes? Have you ever looked at someone reading text? Their eyes move all the time.

 

and i think thats the reason their eye go bad lol, limited muscles movement..

 

I've been looking at the Best Buy G74 (overall a very nice machine and cool looking/under stress!). Cheaper at $1,199 but 1600 x900. Unfortunately, the Samsung display nits are about 212, contrast 164:1, and viewing angles just decent. So, I may return for a 1920 x 1080 Asus G74 if I can find one at a good price. (I guess I can also try HDMI). I knew the display was , of course, not as good as my desktop display but I want contrast of 500:1, low black values, and at least 275 nits.


" From a review of a cheaper Asus (same screen):

Display

The 17.3 inch screen is a representative of the low cost standard typical for the market. The screen (Samsung LTN173KT01000) has a resolution of 1600x900 pixels (WXGA++; 16:9). The high resolution contributes to the overview; lower resolutions would be to coarse for a 17.3 incher.

The screen has its weakness in the very small contrast of 164:1. The glare-type screen pretties up the contrasts optically, though. Thus, a crisp color impression is visually implied. However, the screen isn't suitable for professional picture editors since the color spectrum doesn't even cover sRGB (t). Moreover, the screen isn't AR coated. We have placed the good consumer display of the Vaio beside it for comparison (picture 3).

ICC Asus vs AdobeRGB(t)

Asus G74 BBK8


195
cd/m² 213
cd/m² 218
cd/m²
200
cd/m² 225
cd/m² 216
cd/m²
204
cd/m² 221
cd/m² 220
cd/m²


Information
Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 225 cd/m²
Average: 212.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 225 cd/m²
Black: 1.37 cd/m²
Contrast: 164:1
ICC File (X-Rite i1Display 2)

Distribution of brightness

The brightness assessment shows acceptable results. The luminosity has an average of 212 cd/m2. Our Gossen Mavo Monitor measures up to 225 cd/m2 selectively. The illumination is quiteeven with 87 percent. Is the brightness high enough to work in daylight despite the glare type screen?

The Samsung display corresponds to the majority of laptop screens (TN) in terms of viewing angles. The horizontal viewing angles are poor. We can only recognize unaffected colors up to a deviation of about 50 degrees from the front. Beyond that, an intense inverting develops. The colors already invert at 15 degrees when looking down or up onto the screen (vertically).""

 

I just got my G74sx while attending a firefighting school in New Jersey.Went to check out Best Buy and to my surprise, I noticed they must have mis-marked the price because the tag said $749.99! As soon as a salesperson came buy I told them that I needed one of these right away. They never caught the mistake and Now I've got a G74 for cheap.

I'm not into much gaming anymore but like having a capable laptop.I actually like the lower resolution on this version and it doesn't have cooling fans that sound like a jet on take off. I ordered a Bigfoot 3x3 1103 unit along with a 3rd antennae which I will install in the next few days. I will do several speed tests and range tests of the stock wireless card and of the new Bigfoot 1103 to see what changes exist with the performance.

 

People have been reading text for thousands of years at this point. If muscle movement from reading lead to blindness, I think we would have known about it by now .

 

This whole"eyes tress" thing is very interesting. Perhaps a dedicated thread on this topic would be more appropriate rather than risking it getting lost here in the G74sx owners lounge.

On an unrelated note......I've read numerous posts about the keyboard issues on the G74. I have the issues as well but mainly with the space-bar. I have to frequently go back and insert spaces which is very annoying to say the least. I will try the new bios and an other drivers that maybe related and post back with the results. I hope this isn't a hardware issue because even at the low price I bought this laptop for, there is no way I will be able to live with this. Every sentence I type here has at least two missed spaces.

With the number of posts I've seen here and elsewhere, there is clearly a problem with the keyboard hardware of software. I'll try the new drivers and bios but there have been mixed results from others after updating.

Overall I'm pleased with the G74sx but the keyboard issue has the potential to be a deal breaker.

 

@Rob41:

As you've probbaly already read, your best bet for resolving the keyboard problem is a combination of updates:

• BIOS 203
• ATK Package 1.0.0014
• Atheros WLAN Driver 9.2.1.432 (or later)

(Be sure to uninstall an existing driver before upgrading it.)

 

Thanks for the specifics,it will save me some time.

 

Good evening galls and girls, i'm a technical repair and diagnostician for asus laptop and everykind of Asus hardware in france and heres a pic of the

ASUS G74SX Motherboard.





As you can see it the graphic card is integrated and theres no other diferent model, the only
spec that changes is the memory capacity of the graphic cards, HDD's and
memory.

Any mor questions feel free to ask.

 

That's right, the video card is intergrated to the mainboard and can't be upgrade.

 

@Rob41, I was planning to pick up the best buy g74 next week, sorry to hear about the keyboard issue! Please let us know if it improves with updates. Also, where did you find a Killer Networks n1103? I've been looking for one of these and it seems like most websites will only sell you one in a laptop. Thanks!

 

I tested g74 today and actually I disliked the keyboard since it is too wide than standard. Requires to be got used to write with this keyboard. Especially fingers are not that tall

 

Keyboards are a personal preference, of course. But the QWERTY keyboard on the G74 is the same standard size as every other full-size keyboard I've got....11 inches. (This is compared to the N73's keyboard, a wireless Logitech diNovo Edge, and a couple no-name wired keyboards I use for installs.)

What makes the G74 keyboard seem more spacious is the separation of the numeric keypad. (I like that it's more separate, but again....personal preference.) The actual QWERTY configuration though, is completely standard.