ASUS G74SX Owners' Lounge

heavy uses, read or write? read my tl:tr post above, the read will last hella long, maybe even 10+ years but not the writes. write cycles are known to have very few thousand, at best just over 10,000+ write cycle, compare that to a usb flash drive which the crappy usb drive has at least 30-40k.

edit: i just did a check through crystal disk info lol my lifetime reads from indicates 600 gb, while my write is 1.5tb xD, if this keep up im gonna reach death door soon.

 

I just got my G74SX-XN1 from Newegg and it is locking up after a few minutes of use. I've made no modifications whatsoever. The keyboard, mouse, power button, nothing works. If it's plugged in to the power supply and I unplug it, it immediately shuts off. If it's on battery, after lockup it stays on for a few minutes and then shuts off. I just rebooted it and now it won't even let me log in to windows. Does anyone know if this is something commonly reported that can be fixed with a fresh install, or do you all suggest an RMA? This is my first laptop purchase so I'm not sure the best way to proceed. Thanks.

 

UPDATE: I was able to boot up in Safe Mode and the keyboard and mouse are working. I'll leave it on like this for a while and see what happens. Maybe this is a conflict with some pre-installed software or driver?

 

Write of course - no one cares about reads precisely for that reason. Unless you do stupid stuff like run benchmarks every single day that fill up the remaining free space, you're never going to run into the write limit in practice until you're ready to upgrade/swap out the drive anyway. The current majority of SSD failures are related to other things, not writes.

I trust Anandtech to get things right, as it's one of the few tech related web sites out there that do proper research.

 

update your bios, its most likely the bios there have been reported and repeatly problems from the g74sx laptop, especially the bbk7 model has the most lock up/ freezes issue.

 

ok I will try that thanks

 

Hello,

I really got interested in the G74SX. I will mainly use it for CAD based programs (REVIT, ArchiCAD) 3D rendering and of course some gaming.
Someone who can share me some experiences with the G74SX when it comes to handling 3D rendering and the latest CAD programs?

I'm thinking of importing one to Europe from the USA. For an obvious reason: €550+ ($743) price difference.

Are there any things that I should be aware of? Or more experiences from people who imported a G74SX? (excluding the tax fees and a US power cable)


Thanks in advance,

 

Sorry to hear of your disappointing first impression. That behavior is not normal. It's true, there's a lot of crapware on these machines, and some of the drivers are obsolete, etc. But it should work out of the box. Even if this is just some unusual software glitch that most units don't have, so you could presumably fix it, it kind of makes me wonder why that unit was configured that way...? Why is this particular one different from the others? These are uneasy questions. Here's what I would do:

(1) Don't tinker with it and try different fixes, updates, etc. Don't try to "repair" it.

(2) Do a factory restore. Immediately after powering it on, hit the F9 function key repeatedly. Once the menu opens, confirm that you want to proceed. This restores the computer to the exact out-of-box condition it shipped with from the factory. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes, and requires no input on your part as it runs. Just leave it....don't touch anything.

(3) After the factory restore, its final reboot (there are lots of reboots!) should be as if you're turning the computer on for the first time. Windows "prepares for first use" and goes through some user-setup dialogues.

(4) Go through that little setup, if it gets that far, and let Windows boot completely. Power down and then reboot.

If it does not power up and boot into Windows normally at this point, return it to Newegg. Do not get involved in warranty repairs, troubleshooting, or anything like that. Just return it as defective and buy another one.

 

proper research or not, problems only come out through time, and it already has with both of my ssd, and many other ssd brands. its good that anandtech does a good job but doesnt change the fact that the ssd will have few cells that dies before rest of your drive goes bad, do you know what that means?

it means, in drive sector, you going to have files you are not able to delete due to write limit, which can happen easily if you constantly writing/erasing files at the same place/location. think of it this way, if you play starcraft/warcraft3 where it constantly saves replay to last replay at the same directory, and you play say 20 games a day, that sector is going to die, regardless the condition of rest of your drive. you may or may not be able to continue using your SSD, but since those sections of cells are dead, you wont get the replays you want anymore, ie cant write.

so what happens when you delete the replay thus leave an empty space, drive will either skip the dead sector and never use it again, or its just going to freeze there whenever it tries to write in those cell again. heck i dont even know if you can delete files from those sector. this same concept applys to browsing internet, constantly storing up temp file, deleting them and storing them again and again over and over again in the same area, will cause drive to decay.

Anandtech has NO control over when those cells die, all they do is experiment, give tips and give people a general idea, they cant change the SLC/MLC write cycles. and who knows what might happen when your drive space almost ran out, some other crap might happen never know, they only do empty drive test anyway, or drive with just OS on it.

what i stated above was just somethings ive done research for myself, if you only trust one source, if that source goes astray, then you have to start over again. id rather not spend so much money instead learn it myself, all the better imo. plus i prefer real world experiences anyway, not some casual tests, cause what i wanted is somewhat reliable and high write speed in the 300-350s.

 

You should know that SSDs are made so that they will distribute the writes as evenly as possible on the drive to prevent NAND from degrading in an uneven fashion whenever possible.

Also writing data to the same directory doesn't mean it will be written at the same location on the drive, this is true for both SSD and HDD. windows will tell the SSD what to write and the SSD firmware will take of care writing the data on the SSD.

This might also interest you: SSD Write Endurance 25nm Vs 34nm.

 

What tijo said. Wear leveling, TRIM and reserved space (like all SSD manufacturers use) ensure that it's not a problem. My 240 GB Vertex 3 for instance is in reality a 256 GB one - 7% is set aside for wear leveling purposes. That means that I can write a total of 256 GB * 3000 = 768 TB before it might in theory not do any more writes (it's not exactly 3000 writes - that's just the estimate the nand manufacturer gives). Given that I'm currently at 3.5 TB writes over a period of 6 months, I'm not worried about writes ever being an issue for me. I should note that I'm running the laptop 24/7, use a page file and also hibernation if I happen to need to move it around.

If I want to use up the number of writes in 5 years, I'd have to write an average of 768 TB / 60 months = 12,8 TB a month, or 426 GB a day. That is so not going to happen. SSDs die, sure, but that's mainly from other causes, not writes.

 

it doesnt look like i made my point clear, its not weather how much data you can write. write cycles has almost nothing to do about how much data you write really. if you have a 1 tb SSD and you copy 1 TB of files onto SSD and fill it, thats 1 write cycle for all cells. then if that 1 TB ssd supports 100 TB writes, means you only allow to write 100 times?

my point was, if you do many small things that requires a lot of small writes (browsing net and saving temp files constantly over and over on the SSD) it will kill the write cycle before you notice it. wear leveling helps, but pretty much extend drive life by half. and honestly people might think they dont write a lot, just how much do you understand the software you use? and how windows OS / mac operates? the same goes with background services that you dont even know their entire function, those are the ones thats killing your drive, not copying big files since you only make huge file movements once a while.

really lets face it, each site you open up theres text, offline files, scripts, java, flash, bookmarking, history, apps, addons, search engine, and who knows how many freaking pictures there are on 1 single webpage. if you do the math, it becomes clear.

say 20 small writes per page (writes from size less than 1kb to 2mb), after you view 50 pages, thats 1000 writes cycles (less than 1mb to 2gb, excluding the big files) on those 512b cells, and thats easily within 1-2 hrs of browsing. so just how much do you browse your net? or let the window OS services do stuff on the back while computers idling? all these numbers or market terms are there to make people feel safe, they do help, but not by much.

also wear leveling needs empty space, and the files your current pre installed program, OS and bunch of other stuff you dont plan to move or delete, they stay there and those cells cant be equally used for wear leveling.

basically its the empty space, thats being equally used. so you either choose to max out wear leveling by trying to not use 90 gb of free space /120 gb ssd or you lose 30 gb of that OS part usage due to unable to move them unless you reinstall windows. thats also one of the main reason why non defective SSD with larger storage tends to live longer (ie, higher end SSDs)

 

brodyboy do you know how to set the 2nd powerbutton (w/e the gate program button) to have a special function? i uninstalled that useless program but somewhat kind of want it to have a purpose lol. like maybe lock the pc or something, or sleep mode etc.

ive tried looking into power4gear and the regular power options, nothing so far. any ideas?

 

Uhh.. that's not how SSDs and wear leveling works. I suggest you read up a bit more.

 

Ok, well, we got sidetracked a bit on the SSD discussion. This is about the G74SX, so keep the SSD talk to SSDs inside the G74. You are free to continue this discussion about the inner workings of SSDs in the SSD section of the hardware forums.

Time to get the discussion back on track about the G74 .

 

When the machine is powered up into Windows, that key is assigned to P4G and toggles trough power profiles. Even if I used P4G, which I don't, that seems like a waste. But if you use it, you should have that function.

Unfortunately, though, I haven't yet heard of anyone successfully customizing the special ATK key assignments. Asus, of course, provides NO user interface for user changes, so I think it will require some industrious person to hack a .dll file or something. I've looked high & low in the registry and can't even find a scan map, let alone anything resembling Fn or special key mapping.

I don't care so much about the ROG key, but I really want to remap the media/transport keys. ATK locks them to WMP, which I don't use. I'm still working on this from time to time, so if anyone has any insight, I'm all ears! I'm sure it can be done.....just haven't figured it out yet.

 

Hi Puremind I am also just got Asus G74sx with CMO1724 panel in it. Yeah color temperature seems to be cold and I tried to set some adjustments in nVidia panel like gamma, contrast etc. but not well enough. Could do share calibrated profile will obliged it. I am also wander why Notebookcheck posted that CMO1726 doesn't cover even sRGB while you tested wide NTSC color range or they was properly paid for such analysis.
P.S. If someone else already have calibrated profile for CMO1726 Please upload it!

 

right now if i press that button, it acts like the power button =(. i want to be able to use that to lock computer up cause i just got an alarm program, Lalarm.

lalarm will go off when power is disconnected. only way to counter lalarm is to shut down computer/ sleep it by closing lid. i turned off closing lid = sleep function, and then locks the computer, but theres no way to prevent hard shut down via power button for like 5 sec. =/

i was hoping i could use that extra button for something lol

 

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I had already tried the factory restore with no effect, so I updated to bios 203. Still locking up. And you're right; it's one thing to try to improve the function, but it's quite another to troubleshoot it if it never worked right from the start. I'm RMAing it back to Newegg today for a replacement. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

 

Good plan. Let us know how it goes.

 

I'm looking at possibly getting this laptop to replace my Malibal Lotus P151HM1.

How is it's durability compared to other computers like HPs or Clevos? How solid does the computer feel? Is the screen good? How much does it weigh? (I don't plan on taking it to college, but it would help to know.)

If I buy it here: AMAZON.CA will it come with the bag and mouse I've heard about? Will it last 3+ years if I take care of it?

Sorry for all the questions, but it would be great if I could get them answered!

 

It seems pretty solidly-built to me. The assembly quality is sometimes questionable (loose screws, etc.), but I think the overall design is sturdy. I see no reason why it shouldn't last as long as most laptops.

In my experience, laptop retirement happens when a key component fails....like the video card or display panel. The rest of the computer may be able to go on for years, but I always decide to upgrade to newer tech rather than put more money into a 3-yr old laptop. But there's no way to predict for you if or when your video card or other component might fail. These computers haven't been on the market long enough to accumulate that kinds of data.

The display panel is excellent....the best I've seen in a laptop. Very clear and bright. I should note, however, that a few users have a problem with the flickering that occurs when the display is dimmed. This isn't a malfunction- it's just the way dimming works in LED panels.

As for weight...it's heavy! Definitely meant to be a desktop replacement, not a portable. I wouldn't want to to carry it around. I'm sure you can find the weight of the specific model you're considering when you check its specs. Similarly, the backpack+mouse package is something you'd need to check for the specific model you want. (Your link didn't work for me.)

 

The model I'm getting is the G74SX-RH71.This one comes with the bag and mouse correct?

The only times I'd be moving it around would be when I am changing from my weekday house to my weekend house. I would rarely be taking it in to school if ever, as I never need to take my existing computer there. I usually use my iPad for notes in class.

As for durability, is it more durable than something like a macbook? An HP? Could you give me a comparison?

If you had to point me to a similarly priced, similarly powerful/specked computer, under $1400, what would it be?

 

I might not own a G73, but much of your questions also apply to the G73, so i'll answer based on that.

Weight: Heavy, i still take it with me in a backpack to university every day and have yet to suffer any ill effect.

Screen: among the best glossy TN panels you can get, still a TN panel though.

Durability: It is quite sturdy, if you take care of it, it should last a long time.

 

I don't see that configuration on Amazon where I am...is that a regional model somewhere? Anyway, you'd have to confirm with the seller that you get the extras. That stuff came with the models that I bought, but I don't know how universal that packaging is.

People who own Macs seem to swear by them. And some people say they're the gold standard in laptop quality. I can't say.....I've never owned one. I've had a couple HPs....I liked them from a usability standpoint...but they weren't very durable. Little things breaking down all the time.

I have two Asus laptops now....both seem pretty solid and I expect (hope) to get about three years out of them.

Can't help you there. I haven't shopped for awhile.

 

Nope, no backpack or mouse i'd say. It is not in the listing, this one has the backpack: ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop, Republic of Gamers (Black): Amazon.ca: Electronics.

 

Macs break more than Asus laptops actually. Statistics wise the only thing better than Asus is Toshiba, but their gaming laptops leave a lot to be desired. HP is the worst of the bunch with more repairs than any other brand out there. Their high volume and business contracts means they're more lax in quality control and design.

 

I have returned my Asus G74 for 2 reasons:

• Subpar sound didn't meet my expectations
• Some games (e.g. Guild Wars) refuse to use color profiles, so I couldn't improve on the screen's color temperature and greyscale reliably

I now have the Qosmio X770. It is not quites a silent, but the keyboard, sound and display (without the defective Nvidia drivers, which halve the display's maximum brightness) are much better. Also the performance is slightly better.

 

Dear Puremind,
So strange from your side,you preffered hi contrast how i remember,

s
ok, on notebookcheck Qosmio X770 with HD screen has nor color range nor contrast ,opposite full hd on Notebookjournal.de ,this one has good Panel: 173HT02-T01 like on Toshiba Satellite P775-100 and - again "The maximum brightness of only 189 cd/m2 isn't convincing" (Weniger gut fällt die Helligkeit aus. Mit 152 cd/m² fällt sie sogar noch dunkler aus als beim Toshiba Satellite P775.).
While Chi Mei N173HGE-L21 on Asus G74Sx - "An average of 289 cd/m2 are more than decent. It's even recommendable to reduce the brightness for office and Internet work."( Und das klappt beim Asus G74 sehr gut: Die durchschnittliche Helligkeit liegt bei 267 cd/m² und spielt damit eindeutig im oberen Segment mit. Das Kontrastverhältnis ist mit 945:1 ebenfalls erstklassig. Auch der sehr niedrige Schwarzwert von gerade mal 0,31 cd/m² bei voller Helligkeit weiß zu überzeugen. Spiele, Filme und Multimediainhalte werden somit exzellent dargestell )

Do you have calibrated profile for CMO1726?
P.S. How do you think why notebookcheck posted so small color not even sRGB for CMO1726 or B173HW01 V4 really better?

 

The RH71 seems to be regional to Amazon.ca.

 

I found that one too, it does list the backpack, and also has a the gaming mouse and bluray player. But it has a i7 2630QM instead of a i7 2670QM. Overall, is it worth the $190 more compared to the RH71 Version?

They don't list the 30-day zero bright dot guarantee on the G74SX-A1, but I'm assuming that it comes with any ASUS that usually has a regular warranty standard, right?

Please check this for my situation - let me know what you think I should do, and if it would be a step up ordering either the A1 or RH71, and returning my current computer.

 

That's too bad you've had those problems. Honestly, you sound unhappy with it and you seem to want a slightly different feature set. So whatever you decide re: Asus configuration, I would return the Malibal. I have nothing against them, mind you, I just think you should...and CAN....get a computer you're satisfied with.

If you really want the backpack+mouse combo, the A1 is obviously the way to go. But if that's just an extra and you want to decide on specs....the only significant difference, IMO, is the BD optical drive. The different processors won't be something you notice in everyday use....their both very fast.

So basically, you get a BD ODD, a backpack (it's more like a briefcase, BTW), and a mouse.....for an extra $190. Only you can decide if those things are worth it to you.

They do both list the 30-day display guarantee. I think all Asus laptops sold in the US and Canada get that full coverage package.

 

Hey i have an issue here when ever i try to boot up my laptop it wont boot up till i unplug my external hdd any idea why is that?

 

A couple of my laptops have done this, it's trying to boot from it (I would think). There may be a BIOS setting to disable booting from USB, or you can change the boot priority to HDD > DVD > USB. I am not exactly sure what the G74's BIOS looks like.

 

Things I love about the G74SX-A1:

• Powerful (i7 2630QM, 560M 3GB, 12GB RAM)
• Display (17.3" 1080p)
• Bluray
• Build Quality and Looks
• Amazing Warranty

Things I'm nervous about:

• Weight (For when I DO carry it around)
• Longevity (How long will it last?)

Either way, I plan on going through with it and getting it. Is there any bad points or anything like that I should know about?

 

I'm used to carrying around 4.5-5 lbs laptops and the 8+ lbs G73SW doesn't feel that bad, that is counting for the power brick. But, if you were carrying it in addition with textbooks or something, then it might become a problem. And, longevity is questionable, a bit low for its price (limited by integrated 560M).

 

I don't know how much the weight issue worries you, but as I've previously mentioned, I don't think this computer should be thought of as "portable." It's a desktop replacement, and lugging it around would get pretty old, especially if, as FarenheitGTI said, you're carrying other stuff as well.

Because a few hardware problems occasionally pop up in these things, look at the first week or so as a "trial period." Go ahead and update some basic drivers, install your commonly-used programs, and so on....but don't register, don't spend a huge amount of time customizing and getting it just right, etc. Just use it a lot. Use the keyboard and trackpad, especially, to make sure that they work as expected. Many of the returns have been because of hardware issues with those components.

Other things I can think of:

• Some people (gamers mostly, I guess) are incredibly annoyed that the numpad isn't really a numpad. Those keys just replicate the functions of the number keys along the top, and apparently that's a problem in some games. I don't game, so it doesn't affect me at all.
• Be prepared for the sound of the built-in speakers to be bad...then you won't be too disappointed.
• There's a lot of bloatware. I'd suggest you at least uninstall most/all of it, or if you want truly clean, do a clean Windows installation.

 

Obviously the weight issue doesn't worry me too much, seeing as I'm thinking of buying it - but if I am using the bus to go from one parent's house to another's during college/weekends/holidays about once a week, how bad would it be?

Speaking more about that, how good is the bag that comes with it? I think it's Targus right? How much can it hold other than the laptop? Is it good quality?

Also, is the trial period something you do with all of your laptops? It sounds like a smart thing to do, especially whenever there is a no-problem refund available. I'm more used to the chiclet style keyboard layout now, so I don't think I will have any issue with the keyboard.

• I'm planning on a clean installation most likely. Seeing as I hate bloatware and things like it.
  
  
• I also never use numpads, they're useful when I am working on accounting/college math, but never other than that.
  
  
• The Speakers: I am a bit nervous hearing this. I hate the speakers on my current MALIBAL P151HM1 that I am planning to return - that not being the reason for it though. They don't sound horrible, just distant, the THX TruStudio Pro is nice though, and comes with the disk, so I will use that on the G74SX. I come from using quite a few HP pavillions, so I am used to that sound quality. How close does the G74SX get to that, quality-wise? Alternatively, how close does it get to the suckishness of the P151HM1? (Look up the speaker problems with the P151HM1/NP8130 if you need to.)

 

I don't know...I don't use it. It's still in the box.

Because hardware failures tend to show up pretty fast, yes, I always treat those early days as a trail period. But I mentioned it specifically for the G74 because there are particular problems to watch for, as I said. I wasn't talking about the style or layout of the keyboard, BTW, but a hardware defect.

The G74 already has THX TruStudioPro installed. I don't want (or need) to research other model's speakers....I'm not that interested. I've heard a lot of them, and to my ears, laptop speakers have continually declined in quality over the years. They're all mediocre at best these days, and the G74 sound is probably a little worse than average, if just because of the horrible speaker placement.

 

The bag is fairly good in terms of placement of pouches and padding... EXCEPT for where the top of the bag is... the laptop's two corners which are at the top of the bag receive ZERO padding... it fits snug in the bag especially around the top corners.

 

I see, thanks for the information. I've sent in the RMA for my Malibal Lotus, so all that's left to do is get the OK and get this baby.

Since you've had both the NP8130 and the G74, can you tell me how the speakers, etc, compare?

 

Both Notebookchech.de and Notebookjournal.de got it wrong. They tested with defective Nvidia drivers, which reduce brightness by 50%.

The brightness on the Qosmio's display without the defective Nvidia drivers is around 360cd/m². Same as the top of the line Samsung Display on their 700GTA gamer model, which received 5 stars on notebookjournal.

Also the factory calibration and color temperature on the Toshiba is very good, whereas on the Asus color temperature is crazy cold. In fact on all CMO's the color temperature is very cold. And it can't be improved in some games, as they don't allow color profiles.

 

Dear Puremind,
what about their testing of CMO1726 , you stated 100% ntsc color coverage and they almost sRGB ?
Do you have profile for CMOO1726 still ?

 

just quick question b4 i make my purchase. a 7200 rpm harddrive imo for both sata3.0 and sata6.0 should have the same speed am i right? i mean hard drive read/write can barely go up to 200mb/s so theres no point of spending extra dollars on a sata6.0 port?

 

Yup. (Even with SSDs, it doesn't make that much difference.)

 

SATA 3.0 vs 6.0 makes absolutely no difference on a mechanical HDD, so there is no need to buy a mech SATA 6Gbps HDD. The SATA 6Gbps ports on the G74 will take any SATA 3Gbps HDDs flawlessly anyways.

 

here is the spec of my laptop if u look at the proccessor i checked many of this model laptop i didn't see any laptop using this processor isn't that strange

here is my spec

ASUS G74SX

Intel i7-2820QM (2.30 GHz x 8 Threads) | 8 MB L3 Cache | Turbo Boost up to 3.40 GHz (x 4 threads) | 45Watt
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 560M 3GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
RAM/Memory:

16 GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz
Hard Drive: 750 GB 7200 RPM HDD + 1 TB 5400 RPM HDD
Display: 17.3" FHD, Color-Shine (Matte-type) 120Hz 3D (1920x1080) with 3D Glasses
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Disc Drive (Reader and Writer) + CD/DVD Burning Feature

 

Which configuration is it?

 

weird =/ in any case just make sure u dont get the XM, they generally are crappier than the QM cpu

 

A xm with the right chipset will crush any current qm sandy bridge CPU. They lack two features that people most do not use, namely vt-d and vpro which are used by a small percentage of professionals running VMs. On the other hand, you get a CPU with unlocked multipliers that with the right cooling you can bring to at least the same level of a desktop i7-2600K. In the G74, it doesn't make that much sense to get a 2920/2960xm since the chipset doesn't allow for unlocked multipliers. In laptops like the clevo P170HM and alienware m17x/m18x, the 2960xm properly overclocked will destroy any other laptop CPU and even some desktop CPUs.

here's what anandtech has to say about the sandy bridge xms in a system that allows for overclock: AnandTech - Alienware's M18x, Part 1: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580M in SLI.

In any case, back on topic, the 2820qm is only a small in clock speeds compared to the 2670qm. Did you buy your G74 used, if it was brand new, either you ordered from a boutique vendor like xotic with a bump in CPU without noticing it or you got really lucky.