Asus G53SW Owners' Lounge

I take back what I said about the recovery disc, turn out more recent ASUS laptop doesnt include the recovery disc and you cannot use the recovery disc for older one (G60Vx).

However today I was going to go buy blank DVD to burn iso of Windows 7 only to find out I can put it on the flash drive and its even faster then using DVD!

 

Yes you will find that installing Windows off a USB drive is much faster then DVD. When I put my SSD in mine, it only took 10-12Mins from Clicking "Start Installation" to the desktop. Blazing fast. It took the better part of an hour to install all the drivers and software I wanted. Used to take 2 hours for just the OS install and Driver install. Now it only takes about an hour and a half and that includes starting to install my games! Now if I could just find all My flash drives and can redo my laptops. (I make it a point to redo them once every 2-3 months. It can be a pain, but I like knowing that I'm not starting school with the possibility of viruses still on my system, I do have anti-virus software, but nothing kills a class assignment faster then a virus suddenly taking my computer down.)

 

yeah I just got my laptop back recently from RMA after barely used it Reinstalled everything and the laptop is a beast!

However I dont think you need to do a clean install of Windows every 2-3 months IF you know what you are doing, what kind of sites you are browsing and no one else other than you using the laptop and also if the system still work perfectly fine with a antivirus software installed. I find myself still hesitant when my computer run sluggish, and thats quite rare. Just my personal opinion though

I still use the stock HDD though, hoping to buy a SSD ASAP

 

I know what I'm doing as I'm in my second year in college concerning computer repair and support, I'm just paranoid, and get bored sometimes. lol. It gives me something to do for a little while and sometimes I'll time myself at how long it takes me to get to stock setup then adding all the software. (I install everything in the same order every time, lol.) So it's either boredom or paranoia. A few rare cases it was because my fiance got on my laptop and hit some less then reputable websites without realizing it. (I wasn't happy about it, but it didn't cause any long term issues, so I just let it go, lol.)

 

The build quality is very nice, with a sleek black finish on the outside. The only problem (and I have seen similar remarks in reviews), is the flexing keyboard. The laptop as a whole feels sturdy when picked up and well built. However, as I and many others are currently experiencing, the power button may die on you. It will be responsive the first time, but as time goes on, you will find yourself pressing the power button multiple times to start the computer (more prevalent in cold starts). I am going to RMA the laptop and hopefully it will fix this problem.

As for performance, the computer of course performs very well with most games. Before overclocking and with stock drivers, I could play most games comfortably on the highest settings. It was kind of disappointing to see it not be able to max TF2 completely (laggy during big firefights!), but overclocking seemed to do the trick. I have seen online that this laptop can run SC2 at ultra with 30-40 fps after overclocking.

I was very surprised with the battery life of the g53sw, after seeing the descriptions in some of the forums. Of course the gtx460m sucks a lot of power, but i was able to get 3 hours and 20-30 minutes while watching a movie on the car. This was way better than I had expected, for I had seen 2 hours to 3 hours in reviews online.

For the wireless card, I believe mine has the Atheros card (XN1 version from newegg).

 

@kevinw00t: I overclocked my GPU and use throttlestop and the game run fluently at 60FPS at max settings (map 2Forts 34 pp)

 

I've not had power button issues with mine and have had mine almost since it came out, for overclocking the gpu, i've not had to do that yet. But use MSI afterburner with a few presets made (560M GTX is first one, though not a very big overclock.) And yes, I was surprised at first on the battery life of the G53SW as well, until I looked at the battery, mine at least shows that it came from the G73J series. (I used to have the G73GH, found it too large and got the G53SW, was an upgrade for me all around, including the display, mine was 1600x900 not full HD.) Love the size of the G53SW. Can use my old G73JH's laptop case with room to spare compared to no room at all. Anyhow back to the battery, mine at least came with a battery designed to run older cpu, gpu and a larger more power hungry system, thus, running the newer lower powered sandybridge system, smaller screen it gets more out of the battery. Which may explain our surprise in battery life. (I usually keep mine plugged in though, and only use my battey when I have the need.)

 

My review of the G53sw as a former owner. I just parted ways with my G53sw-XN1 after owning it for 3 weeks. From the second I turned it on, I was a little disappointed with the screen. The other compromises tilted the value proposition too much against me keeping this as my new system.

Even though I've been stung, I still gave it a 4/5 (as I feel was fair for the price- $1149 when I bit). I can't stand when people don't fairly evaluate products.

Hopefully, these thoughts can be useful to anyone else thinking about this notebook. If I had been able to string together what model # of screen was used ahead of time, and cross-reference it to find the reviews of it I've cited below, I definitely wouldn't have purchased it.



=================================================
Pros:
-Fast components at a great price
-Excellent cooling system. Could probably easily handle OC'ing or upgrading to higher-end CPU, permitting the possibility.
-Name & Warranty back all of Asus Systems. Never have been disappointed.
-Sharp edges, solid construction... Nice rubber wrist rest.
-Track pad is smooth and easy to use.
-More minimalist design than other Asus notebooks / current MSI ones. Won't attract finger prints.
-192 bit memory bus (my model had the GTX460m), unlike the newest 2GB G53sw with the GTX560m. Makes the systems closer in performance than they should be.
-2nd HDD Bracket is included in the system.


Cons:
-Below average screen. Blacks aren't as black as they should be, nor are colors strong. In games, this cannot be adjusted like you can on the Desktop with Splendid or Nvidia's color manager. I read this screen is a 164:1 contrast. Don't buy this laptop if you're sensitive to having a high quality screen.

-Big. It will only questionably fit SOME 17" cases/pouches/etc. Try it first and check measurements. Again, not bad as long as you EXPECT this size, or don't travel a lot.

-Poor layout of connectivity. A lot of connectors are obnoxious for a right-hander. The power pin especially. I see how people could hit & break it. Remedy at least this one by buying an "LC53" power connector online to right-angle it.

-Lack of FireWire, E-SATA & only 1 USB 3.0 port. Just be aware.

-Disassembling to add more memory (comes with 2GB & 4GB sticks) into the remaining two slots, or adding a second hard drive is more difficult than previous Asus systems:
‪BTOtech.com | G53Jw & G53Sw Disassembly Take Apart G53 g53j service manual‬‏ - YouTube


Other Thoughts:
-Don't get worried about people complaining about bloatware / unneeded Asus utilities. Take a few minutes, it's removed. No real concern.

-I want to note that the cooling system keeps it cool. Great. However, unlike my other "G" series Asus laptops (whose sound has never bothered me), this one... perhaps because is SO efficient, actually cycles between cooling levels sometimes... So you occasionally get differentiation of cooling fan speeds (generally a no-no by sound-sensitive standards). While it is not too obtrusive, this fact (observed in demanding games @ demanding times) just makes me feel like quietness isn't in particular, as strong a suite, or an amazing stand-out feature of the notebook, as I expected it to be.

-Trackpad Buttons could be considered stiff by some, but are not as bad as I thought they'd be based on other reviews. They feel well-made.

-Keyboard does exhibit some flex, but isn't bad when you're not TRYING to flex it (normal use). I found all input to be accepted as I'd expect. And you can remove the sticky tape pads under the keyboard, dropping it down to an even plane, which would probably limit this flex some. I've heard it just makes disassembly (wedging that keyboard out for starters) a bit harder.


=================================================
Refs on Screen: B156HW01 v5 (AUO15ED)
Review Asus VX7 Lamborghini Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Review Update: Asus G53JW Notebook FullHD TFT - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

AnandTech - ASUS N53JF: Midrange 15.6? 1080p, Take Four

 

Out of curiosity, what notebook do you have now?

 

Sure TailGunner*. I now have ordered the Sager NP8130. It's been in processing for about 2.5 weeks now. I ordered it after only having my Asus for < 1 week. I wanted ideally to compare the two side-by-side, maybe with some pics and make a cool post, but I had to let the Asus go when I did. I didn't have time to wait for the Sager.

Keep an eye on my posts if you like any more info on how I feel these two systems compare when I receive it. I'll be mentioning my findings for sure.

What I expect:

• The sager gives the option of choosing 3 screens, all of which have 600:1 or better contrast ratios - [LIKE.]
• The sager has better port layout, is almost 1lb lighter, and has tighter dimensions - [LIKE.]
• The Asus almost certainly has sager beat on the cooling system. Just from the size and space Asus devotes to this feature. I am sensitive to noisy notebooks, and the NP8130 had some alternating fan cycling that made it noisy. This supposedly has been fixed in a BIOS update. From what I hear now ( no pun intended ) I think I'm going to be happy with the 8130 - [TO BE DETERMINED.]

So, I'm keeping this system coming no matter what. BUT, let's say I learn after getting it, that in fact, it is noisy. Well, if at that point, I could theoretically do ANYTHING I wanted... (and I say this since those of you here with the G53sw may like this idea since you have this notebook) I think the best system for me would be a G53sw, but I'd swap out the screen since I'm comfy taking laptops apart.

I would find the screen that you like the most here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...550475-15-6-fhd-1920x1080-panels-reviews.html

Either the:
-AUO11ED, AU Optronics B156HW01 v1 (Matte 60% Gamut)
-AUO14ED, AU Optronics B156HW01 v4 (Matte 95% Gamut)
-AUO17ED, AU Optronics B156HW01 v7 (Glossy 95% Gamut)

Are all superior choices to the stock one in the G53sw. I'd get the one I want off Ebay and sell mine from the G53sw at 75% price of the lowest one out there. This would make a cheap, and awesome upgrade.

The G53sw would be a top-notch pick for me at that point. Only compromises are the power plug (mostly rectified by the LC53 I mentioned), below average port layout, lack of E-Sata/Firewire (livable for me) and higher carry weight and size (acceptable compromise given the great cooling system).

Heh, did I answer your question?

 

wow your taste are way way higher than most of us (no pun or sarcasm intended)

 

Maybe so, but it probably just comes from being a bit of a perfectionist, and having owned so many notebooks.

I've seen what they can do, and I know what I like. When you turn on the same Asus notebook for a couple years with an awesome screen, you definitely can "feel" something's off pretty quickly.

And those three reviews I linked definitely match up to what I thought I was able to notice. That all being said, if you aren't worried about it now, do yourself a favor and just enjoy the system. It's definitely well-rounded and a great bang for the buck.

As I said, I wanted to give a fair review and touch on every area of the notebook's design, since usually everyone is picky about something and know this kind of feedback is useful when you're agonizing over which system to buy. I just happen to be picky about all aspects of notebooks, so I'm able to speak to them.

 

Yea, I would have to say that this model is perfect for people just getting into gaming laptops/mobile gaming units. I am not saying that it isn't satisfactory for more experienced users, but it is hard to be dissapointed when getting this laptop for its price. I forgot to add one more issue on the build of the laptop, which is the horrible port placement (Lauski's post reminded me!). The power port is awkwardly on the right side and kind of in the middle of the base of the laptop. This may be uncomfortable to some people who enjoy placing their mouse and mouse pad at that area. The mic and headset ports are also there, making you move your mousepad either farther to the right or below the laptop. The CD-Drive does kind of feel flimsy (as of most laptops out there), but its not a big deal. Also, if your mouse cord is not very long (for people with a wired mouse), the placement of the usb port may feel a little weird. I am right handed and have to bring the mouse cord around the back of the laptop to plug it into the left usb ports. But honestly, these issues are not that bad (power button issue is pretty annoying though).

 

It's not my fist laptop, but with a little tweaking, the Asus became a great little ''on-the-road-gaming-rig'' in the last months for me.

- 64Gb Corsair C300 SSD for boot drive (90$) + clean Win 7 install
-180W power brick with angled adaptor to replace the stock brick (40$)
-Intel Centrino 6230-N to replace the cheap Atheros (25$)
-Add RAM to get to 16Gb (RAM is really cheap right now) (75$)
-ThrottleStop settings ''2'' + OC GTX460M with Afterburner to 800/1600/1500
-Targus Citygear Miami bag (30$)

Pretty happy now.

 

I've had my G53SW for about a month now I think, and the last week or so I've noticed a drop in fps. When I'm gaming I always have it plugged in, on high performance, and overclocked to 800/1600/1500.

It started when I played Mafia 2 for the first time, played it for four hours straight on pretty much max settings I think, 40-60 fps the whole time, then went to bed.
Next morning, I play for a couple hours, was a little annoyed, because it kept dipping down to 10-15 fps every few seconds, then back up to 50-60, with nothing special going on on the screen.

After two hours I realize the charger wasn't plugged in. Stupid sleepy me.
It kept going on after this though. Even with the charger plugged in it kept dropping in fps every few seconds. Unless i turned the settings to low it wouldn't stop dropping down below 30 fps. Still won't.

And now It's started happening when I play Fallout: NV too, used to play just fine on ultra settings, now I often get stuttering, not the same way as with Mafia 2, but still very annoying.

Might it be because I've installed a lot of games? (Steam summer sale. Need I say more? )
Anyone know a reason?
Or am I just making it all up?
No viruses (or so AVG says).

 

You may want to take a look at this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...3sw-owners-cpu-throttling-798mhz-how-fix.html

Try following the steps listed in that thread, and see if that fixes it for you.

 

Worked like a charm, thanks!

 

Just ordered mine through amazon cant wait! At first I wasnt sure but after reading up it changed my mind.

 

Nvidia just released verde 280.19 betas, but as usual theres no dev id for our gtx460m in the newer g53sw.

So get the driver from nvidia and overwrite the inf with the one ive attached here, it should work, ive just tested it myself.

 

Hey, I recently reinstalled windows on my G53SW-XA1 from newegg and my keyboard back-light doesn't work after I install the drivers. What would be the best solution? I reinstalled the ATK package for it but no dice and when I first installed it it said I didn't have an ASUS laptop. The function keys and such work, just not the backlight. I hear its something to do with the bios? Is there some way to downgrade them? Or what is the issue with the backlight. I will check the backlight connection just in case since I recently installed an SSD.

EDIT: No problems with the connection.

Strange, now the FN keys dont work anymore. . .Great.

 

For people with the power button issue, you might want to look at this fix potentially not requiring any RMA.

Asus G53Jw G53Sw Problems Issue g53 g53jw-a1 broken - Notebook Help Laptop help troubleshooting

 

FWIW, I had a major problem with my Intel Advanced-n 6230.

It worked very well and gave me 1100% faster throughput than the Atheros card, BUT!

Whenever my cable modem lost internet connection or my router was rebooted (power on/off) my whole computer would crash. First the mouse wouldn't respond properly, it reverted back to non-synaptics driver behavior. Then, after 5-10 seconds, i was unable to close any applications or click anything and get a response. 10 seconds later my mouse wouldn't move and the computer hang. No bluescreen or anything, it just completely stopped responding.

Since my cable modem on average loses internet connection once a day for 10 seconds, i had a complete halt once a day. Data corruption etc.

Even stranger, i have two routers, one dedicated to dual-channel n and one for backwards compability. My computer only crashed when connected to the dual-n router. Connected to the b/g router there was no problems. I've switched back to the Atheros card and have no problems now. Really strange behavior.

Has anyone else had this issue with the latest driver?

Edit: I think I fixed the issue, by reinstalling a crapload of drivers/apps. It was either Intel chipset drivers, ATKACPI, wireless console, uninstalling atheros drivers (check "remove drivers for this device" in device manager while the card is still installed), or a combination. Works fine now, and the difference between 2,2MB/s (atheros) and 20-24MB/s (Intel) is quite noticable. Also, low latency and no sudden drops.

 

Hey I know people have been replacing their wireless cards with intels, but I was wondering if anyone has a replacement that has Wireless-n and bluetooth, as I use bluetooth alot, for my mouse and to play music over speakers. Please no suggestions for a wireless card and usb bluetooth as I bought my mouse bluetooth to do away with a dongle. So if intel has a combo card or you know of another good one please let me know. My Atheros is dropping connection and will actually require a full system restart to get it to respond. I bought a new Belkin Dual band-n router too so, if I can take advantage of that as well. Also if you could link the card or let me know where it is, that would be even better. Thanks!

 

the 6230 includes both wifi and bluetooth, I have bought one and waiting for it to arrive

 

Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230

Amazon.com: SINGLE WHITE BOX CENTRINO ADVANCED-N 6230 WI-FI HALF MINI CARD. 802.11 A/B/G/N +: Electronics

Performance

 

Thanks to both dragon290513 and jcberg, I saw the picture but thought it was a motherboard, lol. Come to actually read the reviews and everything and find out it was exactly what I need. Thanks guys, for setting me to the right. I'll be ordering myself one soon. I don't understand why Asus went with such a crappy card, when you can get a nicer one for so cheap, they could get it even cheaper then us. But oh well, it gives me something to do. Thanks again.

 

I got the FN keys settled(reinstalled drivers and I got it all polished up a bit, but I need the backlight working, anyone have any incite?

Also, I appreciate the advice on the updated nVIDIA driver, and the wifi card. I ordered two, one for this beast, and one for my CR-48. Thanks guys!

 

Hey, thanks for the inf file, 280.19 drivers work great with BF3, just thought you should know, I had to add a line in to make the tag for the 460M install right in the device manager, otherwise it shows up as NVIDIA_DEV.0DD1.09 in device manager

Add this underneath the key NVIDIA_DEV.0DD1.08 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M:

"NVIDIA_DEV.0DD1.09 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M"

At least that worked for me! Thanks again!

 

I didn't want to make a new thread so I decided to come here. I need help with my FPS in games. For some reason now, any game I try to play gets very low FPS. For example COD 4, I normally get 100+ but now I only get around 15-30. I also noticed that when I launched up a game, the GPU Observer gadget didn't change the clocking. It just shows me these 2 clocks:

It would normally go up to the clocks set before a game but now it doesn't. This started happening today. Any help would be appreciated :/

 

No worries im glad its working ok And thanks for the tip, in the rush i didnt add the specific gpu tag, just the id.

First, be sure you're on high performance mode.
Second, install driver sweeper. Remove gpu drivers from add remove windows program, DONT REBOOT.
Run driver sweeper, sleect chipset and display (nvidia), then hit analyze->clean.

Reboot.
Now if windows is attempting to install the drivers itself, cancel the process. Download latest 280.19 Beta (Verde notebook) from nvidia.
Download the modified inf ive attached above.
Run the installer. It should create an NVIDIA folder in C:\. It should say that theres no compatible hardware found.

Go into NVIDIA folder until you reach Display.display folder. Go into it and overwrite nvam.inf with mine attached a few posts above.

Run the setup again, this time hit Customize and check the box "Perform Clean Installation".
Install everything but 3d vision controller/driver. Now reboot when asked and see if your gpu keeps on acting like that.

 

If you look back into this thread, there was a discussion about this laptop's bluetooth capabilities with its wireless card. Apparently this laptop has an independent bluetooth module, so you are not forced to take the 6230 because it is a wi-fi/bluetooth bundle. However, there is probably nothing wrong with installing a 6230 into the laptop other than the chance of having two bluetooth modules interrupting one another (can anyone clarify this?). I am thinking about upgrading my wireless card soon too, and am probably going to purchase the 6200 (I think buying a 6300 is a waste without the third antennae). Hopefully 2x2 6200 and 2x2 6300 have the same throughput and signal strength/range?

 

I was late to the party but I did backtrack the whole thread (at the time was about 7x pages) and yes someone confirmed the bluetooth is independent and then other say its bundled with the wifi card. So its better safe than sorry, besides, its not like its too expensive or anything.

 

Mine had a combo card and no separate BT. Regional / model differences perhaps?

 

I just pulled the bottom off my laptop and I see only one card, and only one slot, which the wifi card is using. So unless they integrated the bluetooth into the motherboard, it would have to be on the wifi card. I am going to test the motherboard theory tomorrow. (Getting too late now to do it) by removing my wifi card and seeing if it loses both wifi and bluetooth. (I don't know why I didn't do that to begin with. Oh, well. I'll let you know of my personal findings. (I may just swap wifi cards with my old G50VT, as it works perfectly and has dual band-n on it.I believe it has the Intel Wireless 5100 in it. It'll connect to my Dualband router at either the 2.4GHZ or 5GHZ.) That's if the bluetooth is not on the wifi card of the G53SW. (I use the G50VT mostly wired ethernet as it's connected to a monitor. I'll let you know my findings and what I've decided to do.

 

I haven't done the pull apart yet, still waking up, but I have been looking into it, and I see one potential problem, some images of the older Asus G50VT show a mini pci-e wifi card and some show a half size mini pci-e card, the G53SW uses half size, so if my G50VT uses the standard mini pci-e, I can't swap. (Unless there happens to be enough room, but I doubt it.) Wish me luck. I'll report all my findings here later on. This was just something to think about.

 

my 6230 card just arrived today and i just put it in, using it right now. The card I pulled out include both wifi and Bluetooth as you can see here

 

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion, I'm going to have to wait until I have the money to order mine. The price isn't bad I just don't have a job, and am tired of asking my girlfriend for help. (Not just for computer stuff, but other stuff too.) I start back to school in September. (College) and well just wait until I get my Financial Aid Overage check, (anywhere from $300 to $1000) then get my new card. Until then I'll deal with the disconnecting and if I have to, I'll just turn the Wifi off and switch to wired. (Like they did in the "olden days" lol.)

 

Anyone have any insight into my blacklight issue? Its really bugging me that I can't play too well in the dark anymore.

 

* Press top left button (small bulb with a line across it)

* Press Fn+F4

* Reinstall KB Filter & ATKACPI driver

* Make sure the small ribbon cable from the keyboard is connected properly with correct side facing up.


If none of these work your backlight may be nonfunctional..

 

It's possible it went out. I'd try al the above steps first. I had the G73JH and less then 6 months the keyboard light went out on me, nothing I did fixed it. I finally just said screw it and bought a usb led light to light my keyboard up, not as great as backlight, but I wasn't going to go without my laptop for a month or so while the backlight was replaced. If it was something like my cpu dying that would have been different. So there is a chance you could have a bad backlight, which you could then send it in for warranty, or just do what I did, and get an external light. Either way, I wish you the best of luck.

 

From what I have gathered, if you have an azure card the bluetooth comes in the card so you would need a combo card, however if you have an atheros card the bluetooth is independent and you don't need the combo card. Can anyone confirm this theory about the atheros card?

 

Hi guys

I want to buy the G53SW but I'm not sure which version to buy.

The G53SW-SZ136V (Core i5 - 2,3 ghz processor, gtx460m and 4gigs of ram) is a great deal cheaper than other versions. Would the i5 processor make a big difference in games? Would I still be able to play Starcraft 2 and WoW on high resolution?

What do you think about the keyboard on the G53SW. I've heard it flexes but is it noticeable?

 

Go for the i7 one if you want an advice.I5 is without doubt enough for now,but for future proof I would go for the 2630qm since its just a bit higher in price.
Also the XA1 should come with 8gb of Hynix Samsung ram and two Seagate Momentus XT which are hybrid drives and they are awesome.
My g53sw is model G53SW-SZ068V which should be the US XA1. Mine came cheap honestly at least seeing how much you pay in the states for this model.
I bought it for 1,169€ shipped.
They keyboard here doesn't flex alot,but it's not even neither. It seems to have a small "bump" in the center but I never had a keystroke problem,such keys not registering and stuff.
It does feel cheap too,but the rubber finish and palm rest makes up for it.

 

Thanks for your reply Kingpinzero. The price difference in my country is about 300 $ / 200 Euro - About 20% more for the laptop with i7 than i5. I have still not made up my mind . I think it's great that you never had problems with your keyboard.

There is not much difference between i7 and i5 in gaming according to this article:
Review Intel Sandy Bridge Processors Gaming Performance - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

This is however possibly because of a middle class graphic card - bottleneck. I've heard that Starcraft 2 is more cpu dependent than gpu. Hmm maybe I should follow your advice and get the i7..

 

You should for being future proof in first place.
But its up to you really: I would prefer spend 200€ more for a "complete" or maxed out package than replacing the CPU after the warranty runs out..

 

I wonder if the GTX 460M in G53SW can be upgraded in the future?

 

No, the GPU cannot be upgraded

 

Turns out it was the ribbon cable. My bad memory made me place the ribbon cable black side up instead of contact side up. I did that when I installed the 8gb (2 x 4GB) 39.99 G.Skill RAM from new egg, and I tried it and bam presto, I felt like a jack hah. I am still awaiting the Wifi card, but I can confirm the Wifi Card also houses the BT module, it says so on the card . But now I have a nice 12gb ram, SSD equipped i7 laptop! The intel card that was recommended earlier will be the cherry to the icing .

Thanks for the help and suggestions guys!

 

Lets say in the future, a year or two from now, and I want to replace the CPU, what would I look for? Just any old desktop i7 that fits the socket or is there a special version that I need to look out for?

 

Nope,always mobile i7 sandy bridge CPU. You may want to look for something like 2780qm or 2970xm.