ASUS G74SX Owners' Lounge

anyone need a harddrive caddy? i got one when i had the G73SW but now i have the G74SX and it has 2 harddrives so i no longer need this caddy. Just pm and its yours

Note : no longer avalible. JMZ, ill mail it tomorrow for ya

 

I could really do with a caddy! I tried to get one with my order from Xotic PC, but they were out of stock of them.

Can't PM, perhaps you could email me at jamezo (dot) cccp (at) gmail (dot) com? I'd be glad to compensate you.

 

its yours

 

I've had my G74sx for about a week now and Im very displeased. IN total I spent 1500 on this beast and it freezes up randomly while doing simple tasks. Also, the trackpad is schizophrenic. If i hold the tip of my finger still the cursor shakes all over the place. When I try to move the cursor it just goes crazy and jumps everywhere. IT acts normally for about 10% of the time

I've already exchanged it once, but the same thing happens with this one. I only have a few days left and Im stuck with this misleading expensive burden.

I've updated all the drivers as far as I can tell, the trackpad has been updated to the latest driver on the asus site 9.1.3.5 still acts the same, I rolled it back...still the same problems

If anyone has/had similar issues let me know asap, I paid 1500 i dont want a useless trackpad and a machine that freezes for no good reason, Its still brand new

 

The only sensitivity options i have are for mouse speed. Its not that it moves too far, if i slide to the left for ex itll jump everywhere in that direction and land on god knows what and while staying still it shakes all over the place within a inch of where its being held

Its a sentellic trackpad, not synaptic

 

Okay I just installed synaptics driver, no problems yet
Whats wierd is I was able to install both sentellic and synaptic onto my trackpad at once point. Neither said it was incompatible. IM gonna see how well it works now.

Ive read online about people having either sentellic or synaptic in their g74s, What is the likelihood Asus just built half the systems with Sentellic and half with Synaptic but pre-installed sentellic on all of them, causing issues myself and many others have had???

 

I've had my g74sx-BBK7 for about a week now and I have noticed about once in while usually when installing programs or fiddling with many programs open and alt-tabbing out of games.. it does have a tendency to lockup for a moment but never longer than maybe 5 seconds. so far I'm impressed and satisfied with my $1200USD(after tax) price I paid for the machine.

btw stock 3dmark11 p2250
did a slight OC and got 2490
so this is definately a solid laptop with some overclocking potential.
temps are amazing and never gets hot on my lap. it really is a great laptop.

 

Guys, can I ask you about the framerates you are getting on Starcraft 2? I am considering this laptop to replace my current Acer 5742G and I want to know something:

1) On 1080p and Ultra settings in Starcraft 2, how much FPS do you get? Please, test it with 50-100 units or more

2) On 1366x768 and Ultra - how much FPS

3) On 1080p and High on the map Marine Arena - how much FPS?

Please guys, I really need to know, this will help me decide if that laptop would fit my SC2 gaming needs. Here in Bulgaria, we've got the ASUS G74SX-TZ142D version, it features the good graphics (3GB, 192bit), here is a link from where I would be getting it:

ASUS G74SX | laptop.bg

Please, PM me with some framerates! I'd be really grateful! Thanks!



P.S. I've made a thread about it, please post there: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...t-2-nvidia-gt560m-3gb-192bit.html#post7894553

Thank you!

 

Hi I've got a few questions about the G74SX-A1:

What's the total weight of the laptop + battery + power brick? If possible, would love to know the actual laptop dimensions too..

I heard there are some keyboard issues, I've read through this entire thread and can only see mention of something with the numeric keypad. Has this been resolved yet? Are there any other major issues I should know about? I'll be doing a LOT of coding on this machine, so having any sort of keyboard issues at all is a no go :/

I'm planning on ordering my laptop from either Xotic or Gentech. They both have several different types of screens you can choose from, one listed at 72% and other 90% NTSC. But then in this thread, it was mentioned that the stock screen has a ~100% NTSC coverage already and I think it was 1:1000 contrast ratio. So is it not worth it to upgrade the screen over the stock then?

Finally, could anyone recommend any backpack style bags for the laptop? I was thinking of getting the Targus 17" XL, would the laptop fit inside this?

Thanks

 

Update the bios to 202

 

The computer weight around 10.2lbs and you dont need a backpack. The A1 model includes a mouse and a Backpack from Targus. I got mine from Amazon for $1,658.

 

Ok so I got a G74sx X1R. Its all is good, apart from the speakers seems to lack in bass etc. Honestly they are rubbish. I read somewhere here, Now I can't find it. But it was a fix to make the sound better. Can some one please tell me again what we needed to disable or uninstall to make the sound a little better via the speakers.

 

Try this link, I think its what you're looking for.
Low Audio on G74SX? Here's the fix

 

Thanks, too bad its only a temp fix and when you reboot the sound goes back to below average. There must be a way to keep it set at external speakers. Or some kind of reg hack?

Notebook is good, the screen is very bright and as good if not better than my G53 one was, but the sound is a huge disappointment. And the touchpad is over sensitive.

Is there a bios update you for the machine?

 

Download TruStudio Pro. The OEM version, as you note, doesn't allow you to save your settings. The Pro version does, plus it has a couple other parameters you can play with to help customize the audio a little more. It really does improve it substantially. (The free download Pro version appears to still be somewhat truncated, as some options are grayed out, but it at least allows settings retention.)

Yes, v202. I installed it yesterday.


UPDATE: Today, I've been experimenting with the equalizer presets (called "Sound Effects") in Realtek HD Audio Manager. Now I'm thinking that these options, which can be further customized to user preferences, are a better way to optimize the G74's weak speakers than TruStudio. Try turning TruStudio off completely and play around with the Realtek options. I'm sure you'll find a setting that sounds much better to you than the default.

 

hi all just a quick ?. any reason to install the new bios if i have no issues with the g74sx-bbk7?

 

where do you find the sound effects cause i hvae the realtek drivers and all installed but i no longer have the "sound Effects" option

 

Interesting....I thought I'd checked earlier and mine were missing too, but when I saw them there now I figured I must have been mistaken. (At least now I know I'm not crazy! )

I'm not sure why that happens, so I can only tell you the couple things I did, after which they always show up in Realtek HD Audio Manager. Not sure of the order I did them in....I just know that the Sound Effects option is always shown now.

I disabled (turned off) the TruStudio program completely while I was experimenting with it. Also, I accessed the Realtek program via the programs menu (rather than the little taskbar icon). I.e., through
Start Button -> All Programs -> Realtek -> HD Audio Manager.

I'm thinking the default audio set-up, as shipped, enables TruStudio for equalization and disables Realtek's. Maybe just accessing/experimenting with the Realtek settings enables permanent menu access to them.

 

i did turn that off and i also reinsatlled the realtek drivers and still nothing. also i dont have All Programs -> Realtek -> HD Audio Manager . its not there .

 

Hey, guy, still saving up for the new laptop here. Any regrets from new owners? Or should I take the leap of faith?

 

I have no idea whether it's a broader problem, so don't infer as much from my experience, but....we're having some serious issues with the touchpad lately. Apparently random glitchiness and freezing. I'm going to do a clean install this weekend, and hopefully, I'll be able to report that this resolved the problem and it was just some weird software conflict.

Aside from that, we really like it.

 

No regrets here, depending on where you live taking a leap of faith won't be so bad since if you're in the US support might be better and you can get a refund from most re sellers there if ever you get a lemon.

Great machine by the way, really powerful specs for multimedia and modern day gaming!

 

I have a question regarding the G74's battery, in the Asus manual they said that the g74 had anti overcharge circuitry. I've left the notebook on for about 21 hours now and the battery is already at 3% wear level, should I remove my battery or just let it stay while on AC power? Thanks in advance for the answers sirs!

 

Thanks, guys. I needed a second opinion, since I will be using this as my main computer for a few years (a bit of gaming; more on photo, video editing).

 

Hmm....it does kinda look like this isn't an entirely unique problem. I saw some Amazon reviews that discuss it, with more than one owner chiming in with the exact same problem. (It seems like it's often associated with the keyboard issue, but I'm thinking that's separate- as that one seems to be resolved with BIOS/ATK driver updates.)

Anybody else here on the forum seeing this really glitchy touchpad thing in the G74? It'll work fine for some indeterminate amount of time...an hour, two hours, a day or two....then it starts jumping around crazily, making it essentially unusable, and it may then freeze completely (requiring restart) or right itself. For awhile.

There's no rhyme or reason to it. It doesn't occur with any particular program or activity. The 202 BIOS didn't resolve it, drivers didn't resolve it, clean install didn't. Anybody else seeing this? Anybody figured it out and fixed it?



EDIT: I would, of course, search the thread if I could. But the Search function hasn't worked here since.....I actually can't remember when last it did.

 

planning to get this laptop after a lot of research... just a couple of questions though. the optical drive is replaceable i guess? cause the g74 i found just has dvd multi combo, and i thought i'd want to buy a blu-ray drive later on

how is its wireless connection?

what is the tilting degree of the screen? mainly i like to stay in bed with my back propped up (in winter i.e.) and i practically keep my screen tilted @ 95-110 degrees... should be np for this laptop but i read somewhere that its tilting is limited. no worries, i won't be reaching the 150 degrees or anywhere near it

finally, is there a difference between the sx-A1 and the sx-XR1? they always confused me lol

 

I believe the A-series all have a BD drive, while the X-series have the Super Multi DVD drive. Not positive about that, though.

Beyond that, the lower-priced units tend to have smaller HDDs (or a single drive vs. two), and less RAM.

 

Hi all. I am a current owner of a G73SW and it's a great machine but I like the single access panel of the G74SX so I was planning to sell my G73 and buy the G74. I would like to ask: Besides xoticpc that offer customization of this laptop, any other place that does that as well? I would like to "shop" around at different sellers that offer customization options.

I know i can get the laptop from fry's, best buy, newegg, tigerdirect, amazon etc. but none of those places have the option to customize the laptop before buying it from them. I basically want to get 2 HDDs and blu ray instead of DVD on the cheap version of the laptop since through xoticpc it comes out cheaper to do that then to fork $1700 for the same options on the more expensive models.

thanks.

 

i own the bestbuy version.. Asus G74SX-BBK7 with buildon gimped graphics card 560M with only 128 buswidth.

could anyone PLEASE tell me what kind of motherboard that connects to hardrive im using? is it sata 2 or sata 3? this is really important because i want to install a sata 3 SSD on it.

also i want to replace my current cpu (i7 2630m 2.0ghz) to a higher quad core 8 threads processor. what is the socket for cpu? in CPUZ shows 988B-rPGA but im not very sure since i cant find where to buy upgraded cpus anywhere.

please help guys!

 

Frankly, it kind of sounds like you might have just bought the wrong model for your purposes. Any chance of still returning it to BB? Then you could just order one with the basic configuration you want. That would be cheaper, I suspect, than trying to upgrade the CPU. Unlike desktop CPUs, those for laptops are not readily available, and they're very expensive. You'd probably have to find a custom reseller to sell you one, or order one as a replacement part.

The A1 includes SATA 3 support. I wouldn't think this is different in the BB model, but couldn't say for sure. (Good luck finding anyone at BB who even knows what "SATA" means, let alone understands your question. I don't know if/where BB or ASUS publishes detailed technical specs on their store models.) In any event, your can always install a SATA 3 drive....it'll work either way. And frankly, it really won't make much of a real-world difference whether it's running SATA 2 or 3.

 

the thing is, if the ports on my motherboard is sata1, installing sata 2 and 3 would be a waste. however if its sata 2 or 3 i'll get double and tripple the speed through usb3.0 port. since im backing up 5-10 TBs of files, this will make significant amount of time difference. and i own a few external hardrive which i build my own thats sata3-usb3.0 interface.

is there a program to figure out? i called ASUS and they told me they cant give out the information on motherboard etc, its pretty lame.

 

I think you're confusing SATA and USB. Every motherboard now supports at least SATA 2, and they have for some time....but that's only your internal hard drive interface. USB is a completely different matter. If you're wondering whether your G74 has a USB 3.0 port, it does.

 

no thats not what im asking. for it to max usb 3.0 4.8gbps speed i need to have:

A) internal hardrive Sata III
B) motherboard Sata III (includes the sata III wire)
C) usb 3.0 ports
D) external enclosure Sata III
E) hardrive for enclosure Sata III

thus with all 6.0gbps except usb3 port which is 4.8 gbps, then i can max the speed of internal and external transfer at 4.8 gbps (theoratically)

however, my original question was, do i have A, B?? because i already have C D and E.
the 2nd statement was that my motherboard could verywell be SATA-I speed connector but supports SATA II/III, thus i could use SATA 2/3 hardrives but gets SATA-I speed

so here to clear things up, the question
was NOT " does Asus G74sx-BBK7 motherboard SUPPORT sata II/III hardrives"
but rather " does Asus G74sx-BBK7 motherboard HAVE sata II/III connector ports for hardrives"

i ONLY care about motherboard since i can replace internal hardrives.
hope this clears it up

 

I suppose you could open it up, get the part number on the motherboard, and try searching for the specs online. You could spend more time trying to get this piece of information (time you could be spending doing your big back-up job), with no guarantee you'll find it.

But really, it has whatever it has, right? You can't change the M/B connector. The cost difference for SATA 3 vs. SATA 2 drives isn't significant, so why not just get the SATA 3 drive you want and get started?

As you noted, all those speeds are theoretical anyway....you wouldn't actually get that.

 

The HDD slots use SATA3, the optical one SATA2.

 

Can you confirm that it's the same for the BB model? I would think it's the same, but he (the OP) seems to want confirmation about the specs for that particular model. Maybe the alternate configuration of the video system has him concerned that it may be a different M/B or something.

 

I am currently trying to decide between a G73-SW and a G74SW- (XT1 or XN1). Other than the XN1 having a DVD instead of Bluray drive. Are there any other performance degrades to those models? Just anything that I guess isn't obvious?

 

SATA configuration is determined by the chipset, and SB requires one with the configuration above minimum. In other words it's not something BB can influence or not.

 

Your socket is a G2. Here are two CPU's that you could use as upgrades, but unless you really know what you are doing upgrading a notebook CPU is many times a very delicate operation best left to experts. If a service manual is available for this unit it would be extremely helpful.

 

I have 2 HDD in my laptop does that mean both slots are sata3? the optical one would be the DVD drive?

thank you verymuch you took exact words out of my mouth =D i am worried due to the BB model graphic card being gimped and am worried about all the other specs. but the gentlemen below helped clear things up! it is definitly determined by the chipset in my case its intel HM65 and it does have connector sata3!

thanks for the important link. its extremely expensive to upgrade cpu by just 200 mhz so i guess for now i'll leave it be. just a quick question, how and where did you find out about the socket that its a G2? in cpuz stated 988b-rpga etc.

 

Yes. This is correct.

 

anyway, a new question..

now im trying to install a SSD 120 gb vertex 3 or solid 3. either one is fine by me i guess. any idea how to install it? ive read somewhere that asus g74 series got load of problems with SSD as the OS drive as well as sandbridge and often gets bluescreen, and happens very frequently.

any idea how people got it to work?

i have the ssd, OS disk, backup/restore and screw driver.. lol

 

I put in a Crucial SSD as the OS drive and haven't had any problems with it at all. I think I read one comment somewhere about HDD bay 2 potentially having extra issues with SSDs. That hasn't been my experience either.

In terms of installing it, your approach depends on whether you want to move your current installation onto it or whether you want to do a clean Windows installation. Have you decided which way you're going with that?

___________________________________________

Oh, in terms of the physical installation...it's very easy. When you remove the back panel, you'll see the two HDD bays (what's in them depends on your model configuration). The OS drive is in Bay 1, the one closest to the side of the computer. Remove the four screws that hold that drive's bracket in the bay. (If there's a drive in Bay 2, you'll need to remove its bracket screws as well so that you can pull it back a little and give enough clearance to pull HDD 1 free from its SATA connector.) Four little screws attach the bracket to the drive, so you just remove those, attach the bracket to the new SSD, and install the bracket/drive assembly back in the drive bay.

But don't do any of this until you know your software installation game plan and have everything ready for that.

 

im going to keep myold os, which i have saved as a restore file so after i reinstall new window, i can just use back/restore etc.

question!! after i put the ssd into the slot, and turn on computer, it has no OS, so how do i install window7? i have the disk and all, do I change settings in bios to boot from dvd rom so i can install window? and also i read something about the latest firmware for Vertex 3 make it so SSD is working with sandy bridge so that the browser or explorer dont freeze up. thats another mystery.

 

Hello everyone, i just got my Asus G74sx a1, and i'm very happy with this thing , but i have a question, is there any Difference between AC ON power with the Battery Power? like Performance Reduce or something? Because i Tested Play 2X WoW at the same time, and when AC power Plugged in, it's all normal, ( settings = everything Maxed ), but when i'm using the battery Power, i just experienced FPS reduce ( throttle ? ) yes like after 10 sec of gameplay.. my fps dropped from 60 into 25.. and then comes back to 60, and after that reducing again, lol. is there something wrong with my Battery?

 

Try installing SRS Audio Sandbox,? the Sounds is Improved very well with it!

 

If you have a second HDD, this is very easy. What you want is a system image of the first drive saved onto the second drive. (Maybe that's what you're talking about with a "restore file," but just trying to be clear. It's important to get this part right.)

1. To avoid any potential issues with Windows System Image, I suggest that you shrink your current OS drive so that the OS partition is the same size as the replacement drive. This is easily done in Windows' "Create and Format Disc Partitions" utility. (Let me know if you need elaboration on that.)

2. Then, use Windows "Backup and Restore" to save a system image of your entire C: drive. Save it on the D: drive. When you do that, there's an option to burn a system repair disc. You MUST burn that disc before you install the new SSD.

3. Install the new SSD.

4. Put the system repair disc in the optical drive and boot from it. Follow the onscreen directions for restoring your system from a system image. You'll be asked where the image is, and where you want the new installation. Simply locate the system image on your D: drive, and tell it to use the entire C: drive (i.e., no re-partitioning or anything like that).

Let me know if anything's unclear or you have any further questions.

___________________________

If your SSD needs any firmware updates, do that before you restore the OS to the drive. You'll need to go to the manufacturer's website to download the update as well as specific instructions for updating that drive.

 

After 1 month and a half i succeed to change my panel in service.
Old panel had a faulty cable and dunno why they changed the panel and cable; not only the cable.

I was afraid from start to go with it in service but hmm i did it and how i expected they succeed to get on my nervs.
I was amazed to see that they changed my panel, the beautiful CMO with Hannstar. If they don't have a part in their stock they install you automatically a substituent part LOL. I've made a complaint and after 1 more week they sent me a new CMO panel. But believe me the stress was huge and i think i got them crazy. I've made complaints everywhere because they didn't want to change back the Hannstar pannel with the CMO.

Now after my screen issue i found another one. After the flashing of new BIOS, my keyboard is still lame. Space bar miss a lot and other keys as well. They respond only if i hit them really hard and this is annoying. But to send back my notebook for 3 more weeks in service... for a new product this is unnaceptable. I have it 3 months now and half of this time he was in service.
I am also upset on the retailer where i bought it.
I asked them to check it for issues (i was willing to pay extra money) because i'm not from America and i can't RMA if i found something wrong with it. An to go with a brand new product in service is lame.

What could i say after all this experience?
Dunno abouth you guys but for me this is my last ASUS product that i'll buy ever. Is unacceptable for a new product to come out with so many flaws. The screen, the numeric keyboard,the key strokes, the sound (we have to switch all time on login the THX setting), the LCD plastic frame is not well placed/fixed etc.

ASUS sold me a faulty product and i don't want to deal with them anymore. I'll try to sell this one as it drives me crazy.

 

Your decision is perfectly understandable.....it sounds like you got nothing but disappointment and problems with that one. While I think the G74 is really a great laptop when it's fully functional, it does seem like there are a surprising number of owners having problems of one kind or another. Too many, maybe. Perhaps they released it a little too soon.

I'm sorry for your bad Asus experience, and I hope you're able to get some sort of happy resolution. Even if that means moving on to another brand/model. Best of luck to you.

 

Any news that Asus g74 will be produced with 2670qm processors from now on??

Do you think that there will be a new revision of g74? and when can it be? (with raid0 support, new processor, and maybe new GPU and less fan noise)