Asus G53SW Owners' Lounge

17.3" is the diagonal LCD screen length, not the width.

 

Thanks for the information! The more I think about it, I think the G73 will just be too big for me. I mostly use my laptop with an external monitor anyways, and when I travel, I am happy playing on my current laptop's 15.4 inch screen (Dell XPS m1530). I have a backpack with a laptop slot that fits well with my XPS, and hopefully it will work with the G53 as well. While searching for laptops, I also came across the MSI GT680R-008US ( Newegg.com - MSI GT680R-008US Notebook Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory 1TB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M ) which is a bit smaller than the Asus G53, so I might consider that one as well.

Other than the size, I'm also a little disappointed that the G53 does not seem take advantage of NVIDIA's Optimus Technology to switch off the dedicated GPU when it is not needed in order to save power. Any ideas about how much this technology could potentially increase battery life? Three hours isn't bad, but of course more is better. What are the chances that Asus will release a software update so that this computer can take advantage of Optimus?

I think I'm going to give Asus a call sometime next week to ask about warranty options. I'll post what I find out.

Thanks again for all of the information! This thread and its predecessor have been very helpful to me in my search for a new laptop!

 

The MSI one looks really good, same processor and video card, but I don't think the extra 2 GB of memory over the NewEgg G53SW is really worth 300 dlls. In fact I'm sure it's not worth that much. I realize that the MSI has 1 TB of storage but I don't even use that much (not sure about other people). Also the MSI offers 2xUSB 2.0 & 2xUSB 3.0 (compared to 1xUSB 2.0 & 3xUSB 3.0 on the G53SW) so that might influence your decision.

The G73SW Amazon one looks pretty good but again it's a big price ($200) difference for only 2 GB of memory and a screen size increase.

Of course it all comes down to when you want your computer since it seems NewEgg is gonna take a while before restocking on the G53SW.

Can't really help you with the Optimus thing, but I think I read somewhere that Optimus is only designed to work on low-end GPUs, not sure about this though.

 

Absolutely true on this part, the fastest nVidia GPU that manufacturers kept the Optimus function is the GT 555M. There are no machines out there with the GTX 460M/485M that uses Optimus.

 

I don't think that USB 3.0 vs 2.0 really matters to me at this point. I don't have any USB 3.0 devices yet, and even if/when I get one (most likely an external hard drive), I probably won't need to use more than one at a time. I can't really think of a use for a USB 3.0 connection other than for a hard drive, unless someone does a lot of high quality printing and needs a faster connection for that. However, according to the Asus website, the G53SW has 1xUSB 3.0 and 3xUSB 2.0, but maybe one of the people lucky enough to have on already can confirm.

After doing a bit more research, I found that the Alienware M14x uses the Optimus technology ( Alienware M14x Laptop Details | Dell ). Granted, the M14x uses a GeForce GT555M 1.5MB version (optional upgrade to the 3MB version), so the graphics card is a downgrade from the one in the G53SW. It seems that a relatively high-end GPU is capable of using Optimus, but then again the 555M is only a GT model, so maybe NVIDIA hasn't implemented Optimus for the GTX GPUs yet. From a technical standpoint, though, I wouldn't think it would be difficult to do.

Then again, after further research, it seems like the 460M card is capable of using Optimus, but for some reason it is not enabled on the G53SW (or the G53JW or G73 line for that matter). ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...w-optimus-enabled-not-how-can-you-tell-3.html ). Anyways, I guess having a 3 hour battery life won't be bad, because that is about what my current laptop gets. I'm not going to stress too much about it, but it would be nice to see an increase in battery life from my three year old computer.

 

Score, finally typing on my new G53SW Just to note, there is not 3 usb 3.0 ports, there's just one, and 3 usb 2.0 ports. This keyboard is absolutely amazing. Best laptop keyboard I've ever had the pleasure of using, types like a plugged in USB keyboard and doesn't miss a keystroke.

Nice to have a laptop with bluetooth, synced with my phone in moments so I had some music to listen to right away without uploading anything to the hard drive. Speakers are average quality, nothing to blow my mind, but I hear the sound drivers need to be updated and played with, I'll report back once I fiddle around some more with it.

Attempted a bluetooth phonecall using the laptop as a handsfree - one of the out of the box features, kinda cool. Call quality was clear on both ends however the other side heard an echo of their voice, no noise cancellation. Might be third party software to improve this.

The laptop looks absolutely slick as you open it up, it exudes quality, from the fantastic 1080P screen to the beautiful back lightning under the keyboard. The central massive hinge is also very sweet, would not trade it for a double hinge design.

I suppose the biggest disappointment so far is the sound quality, hopefully playing with drivers will help.

Best feature... EVERYTHING ELSE

Oh, the bloatware on this thing is an ocean, caught me off guard. Lots of uninstalling to do. Some of the desktop widgets are very usable. Love the "High Performance/Entertainment/Quiet Office/Power Saver" modes button on the desktop.

Does anybody know if there's a button on the keyboard to turn on the intel turbo boost or is automatically turned on when the cpu requires it? I don't seem to see a hardware button for it but I recall reading it was a button somewhere on the keyboard.

 

Nice! Glad to hear you got your new notebook, niku. It is a pretty damned sweet machine, innit? I agree about the speakers being a little lackluster, but I've got a lap-desk with nice external speakers so I've just been using those. You might be right about updating the drivers.

Also, be a little careful with some of that bloatware - a few of the ones that seem utterly useless are deceptively important. Like the program named "Splendid" I think it is seemed like pure rubbish to me, but it actually controls that button that adjusts the color calibrations above your keyboard. And the "power4gear" program that also seems useless at first glance controls the other button that toggles between power settings that you mentioned you like so much. So I would just make sure you know exactly what the programs do before you delete them. There's a bloatware guide thread in one of these asus subforums that I recommend you read. If you do delete something important by accident, you can always just reinstall it either using that drivers disc that came with your computer, or going to the G53SW page on the asus site and clicking on the 'downloads' tab.

Out of curiosity, how much flex does your keyboard have? I've really been wondering if mine has the typical amount, or not.

Overall it really is a damned impressive piece of hardware though, isn't it? Just wait till you get to fire up some games, crank up those graphics settings to maximum, and see how smooooth the fps is I really still can't quite believe one can get a gaming laptop *this* high quality for just $1200. I guess it's not too much of a stretch, but still.

Oh, and the turbo boost happens automatically when you need it. It's not something you turn on and off or control, it's just always on. There should be a widget/wadget/whatever that lets you see when it uses it.

 

Entering the third week of ownership and am still as happy with it from day one. My last Asus notebook was a G50VT and this one is a massive leap in build and component quality.

I think if you want a high performance notebook but are sensitive to fan noise, nothing comes close to the G53/73.

 

Hey all,
Ive been in the market for a new computer since the beginning of March and was a click away from ordering the G53JW about a month ago but decided to wait for the 2630QM's. Now that the SW is here, i am a little hesitant as to whether or not i should purchase it.

I already have a laptop which i have been using for 3-4 years now and it is definitely time for an upgrade considering it cant even run Minecraft on the lowest settings without it constantly freezing. The one dilemma i face however is whether or not i NEED another laptop; my current machine can do anything but game and i have no other issues with it so i cant decide if i should just grab a desktop or not.

Here's my situation, i am a student who goes back and forth to classes yada yada you know the story. My current laptop is fully capable of doing everything a student needs with little to no issues and if i do end up purchasing the G53SW i will most likely be using it as a Desktop and will pretty much only run games and watch movies on it.

So my question to everyone is, should i just get a desktop?

P.S. I really love the look of the G53SW and have been dying to get my hands on one. I am still leaning more towards purchasing it rather than a desktop but if there isn't really a point in doing so i may not.

 

I'm in a similar situation FearHAVOK, I have a toshiba from '06 that still works perfectly but is really slow and super old hardware. That is the closest thing I've had to a "gaming" computer (capable of playing a couple games I like). I'm a college student myself and want a gaming desktop but NEED to be mobile from time to time. I've decided to get the G53SW (or JW if the price drops significantly) because your old laptop may "die" in a few months or a year and then you're stuck with a desktop computer locked at home. So if I were in your position (which I am basically) I'd get a gaming laptop. A little bit more expensive than a desktop but that's unfortunately a compromise we have to make I can't wait till newegg stocks the G53SW. I sent them an email and they said they do not have an ETA. The anticipation is killing me.

 

I, too, am in a similar situation. My argument for getting a laptop over a desktop is I want to be able to play games when I travel. I sometimes go home for weekends, and I don't want to drag a desktop home whenever I go. So if you do any traveling, then it will be nice to have a gaming computer to take with you. On the other hand, if this is not a factor for you, then I see no reason to get a laptop over a desktop unless you are worried about your current laptop failing sometime in the near future. Even still, you may be able to afford a cheap netbook with the money you'll save from buying a desktop over a laptop, and the desktop will probably be more powerful than a laptop too.

I've pretty much decided on the G53SW. The MSI notebook I was looking at has slower RAM, and I want 1333 MHz memory like in the Asus machine. The only other option I'm considering is the Alienware M14x, but it is more expensive, and I think I would prefer the 15.6" screen on the Asus as opposed to the 14" screen on the Alienware. Unfortunately, Alienware isn't putting the new Sandy Bridge processors in their 15.6" model as of now, but then again, the Alienware will still be quite a bit more expensive than the Asus.

 

I'm not sure if you've had any experience with Alienware or Dell products before Gunr, but from what I've read and heard (over the course of 3 years of working in technology retail), Asus seems to be one of the best companies overall in terms of quality of product and warranty. Personally I'd stay away from them lol, Asus is cheaper. Now only to wait until Newegg stocks it. With the G53SW going out of stock and PSN being down I'm seriously upset about not being able to game before school starts again lol.

 

I just got my ASUS G53SW-XN1 in the mail last Wednesday and since then, I have only had one problem; the backlit keyboard and 3 hotkey buttons at the top left. Every time I do a Windows Update, those buttons and the backlit are disabled or significantly reduced in functionality. I have tried installing the drivers and it only succeeded once until the next windows update. I even went through the system restore built into Windows to try and correct the problem. Any thoughts on how to fix this. I need the backlit keyboard since I work in the dark as security, please help.

 

You might wanna reinstall ATK drivers from the ASUS website, go into downloads and select the SW. I don't think the backlit depends on Windows drivers. It be great if others can confirm/deny this =)

 

Hmm, that shouldn't be happening. I can tell you that I've never had any issue with the backlit keyboard button not working, but the other two ones did stop working for me at one point. I just reinstalled the two programs that controlled them (I mentioned this in a recent post, they're 'Splendid Utility' and 'Power4Gear' I believe) and then they went back to normal after a restart.

As for the backlit keyboard, I'm not really sure. This might sound stupid, but could you have accidentally turned it off by accident using the F3 and F4 buttons? Those control the levels of brightness, from maximum to off, when you hit them in combination with the Fn key. I didn't even realize that at first. Just hitting Fn+F4 a couple times might fix it, but that's a stab in the dark. If all three of the buttons aren't working at all, you might have a deeper issue.

 

The ATK driver is the only required component to get the backlit function of the keyboard to work. I don't have Power4Gear or Splendid installed and I can control the backlit levels fine.

 

I didn't say either of those two had anything to do with the backlit functions, but rather that they had to do with the other two buttons that were above the keyboard - the ones that control the different color calibrations (normal mode, soft mode, gamma correction, theater mode, etc) and power modes (entertainment mode, hi-performance mode, office mode, etc). I thought he mentioned that all three buttons weren't working.

Anyway, I think the color calibration one is especially important, because my default screen was just *incredibly* overwhelmed with cyan. I spent a while making my own personal calibration, although some of the pre-sets are pretty good, too. I work in graphic design and retail printing and usually use monitors that are carefully calibrated to reflect pantone values and positioned in neutral lighting environments, so it was honestly a little distressed when I turned my laptop on and everything had this absurd cyan cast to it. I was pleased at how easy they make it to toggle between display modes, even having that special button for it.

 

The g53sw is now deactivated on newegg.

Any idea what is up with that? I was hoping to buy one of these as soon as it got back in stock.

In light of this, I've been looking at other retailers.

Are there any notable differences between the g53sw-XN1 on newegg and the g53sw-XR1 on microcenter?
I noticed two things:
1) The battery is listed as a 6-cell, whereas the one on newegg is an 8-cell. Is this an actual difference or is it a mistake? Does the XR1 really include a weaker battery? I noticed that the XR1 is listed as having an 8-cell battery on another site.
2) The HDD is different. (This doesn't matter to me, I'm getting an SSD anyway.)

 

Hi I am new to the Forum;

Can someone please tell me, whats the difference between the G53SW-XN1 and the G53SW-A1 ?????

 

A1 models tend to come with a bag and mouse, and 250gb more harddrive space (750 instead of the 500). Also the XN1 at Newegg (similar to XA1 from Amazon) comes with 1 year accidental + 1 year regular warranty. A1 comes with 1 year accidental + 2 year regular warranty.

 

Hm, well it says that the maximum memory supported on the XR-1 is 8GB, but I'm pretty sure TailGunner said it was 16GB on the XN-1. Isn't that correct? I haven't cracked mine open yet, bit afraid to on my own because I don't really have the proper equipment at my disposal, or the experience on my own.

I can't imagine it really has a different battery though - that might just be a mistake, but I would check. Basically, I just figure that XN-1 means the slightly discounted version specifically for newegg (hence the "N" for Newegg). Similarly, on Amazon they sell XA-1 models (A for Amazon). XR-1 seems to be the slightly discounted version for most of the smaller online laptop retailers out there. There are tiny difference between them (like the 640GB/5400RPM hard drive on the XR-1 instead of the 500GB/7200RPM hard drive on XN-1) but it's more or less the same general idea.

And the A1 model, I believe, comes with a mouse and a backpack, and it also has a couple features upgraded. Specifically, I believe the A1 model comes with 8GB of memory instead of 6GB, more hard drive space, and an additional year of parts/labor warranty. And it costs several hundred dollars more as a result. The critical hardware components - the processor, graphics card, display, etc - are the same on the A1 as the XN-1/XR-1/XA-1, etc.

 

oh ok thank you. I am going to be pre-ordering the A1 sometime this week. After doing my homework, the G53SW-A1 is a solid gaming laptop for all my needs. Thanks again.

 

edit: whoops, my bad, I guess the A1 is still on preorder in most places

 

From reading through the predecessor thread to this one, I believe that this has happened before. There was some speculation that Newegg deactivated it in order to sell off some inventory of the G53JW model, but who knows. Hopefully they will reactivate it soon. I went on Newegg chat to see if I could get any information, but the person did not know anything (as expected, but it was worth a shot). Newegg's Canada site does not list the G53SW as deactivated, but my guess is that they are just behind in updating it ( Newegg.ca - Suggested Products.

Amazon also had a version of the G53SW, the XA1 version, listed on their site, but this page has been taken down, as of today I believe. Here is a link to the Google Cache version of the page: Amazon.com: ASUS G53SW-XA1 Republic of Gamers 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop: Computer & Accessories

I wonder if the Newegg and Amazon events are correlated...

The Microcenter site also lists the G53SW-XR1 as having only 2 memory slots, but the people who own the XN-1 have confirmed that it has 4 memory slots. I'm guessing this is a misprint, because I doubt Asus would put a different motherboard in different versions of the same model. So it is possible that the 6-cell battery listing is also a misprint. However, the XR1 model has a 5,400 RPM HDD, which is a deal-breaker for me. If you are planning to switch out the HDD anyway, then maybe this isn't an issue for you. Also, the XR1 is $100 more expensive on the site you listed than the XN1 that Newegg had (if I remember correctly).

According to the Xotic PC website ( http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g53swa1-pre-order-p-3045.html), the A1 comes standard with a 750GB HDD, as opposed to the 500GB in the XN1. The A1 also has 2GB more RAM than the XN1, and the A1 comes with a gaming mouse and a backpack. The A1 is also about $300 more expensive than the XN1. The upgrades aren't really worth the price at all - you can upgrade the RAM, HDD, and buy a gaming mouse and backpack for less than $300, but you also have to be willing and able to install the components into the computer, which isn't really that difficult). Also, the A1 is not available yet, but you can preorder from sites like Xotic PC. Then again, it seems the XN1 isn't available right now either...

EDIT: Looks like some posts were made while I was drafting mine, so there's some duplicated information above. Amazing how we're all checking this at the same time. =)
Also, Xotic PC's page for the A1 say "ETA Late April Early May" so I believe it is a preorder. And yeah, you can customize it, which is nice if you're looking to upgrade, but this will drive up the price significantly.

 

So I'm noticing more and more how lousy the sound actually is on my XN1, even with some solid headphones plugged in. The bass is muddy, the sound is just not very crisp. The onboard speakers aren't anything to brag about either. Any other owners feeling the soundcard is rather weak?

Any driver updates found to help? I'm gonna poke around and try tweaking and updating drivers, but if that doesn't help a usb 2.0 external sound card is definitely gonna be on my shopping cart.

Also the wifi card has been acting up on me, sometimes it just drops connection or if I'm streaming youtube videos they'll stop halfway. Downloads are also very slow. Plugging in a nearby network cable instantly remedies the situation. Luckily I have a network cable going to my desk so it's never much of an issue but whenever I'm using it elsewhere in the house it's annoying. Any other owners experiencing this? Despite these minor issues still very very satisfied with this beast of a machine.

Been playing Arkham Asylum on maxed settings for the past few days and it looks FANTASTIC. I kinda had second thoughts about getting the 17" instead of this, but honestly after using it this screen seems so much bigger than a 15.6". Games and videos on this look spectacular, up sizing the screen is really not necessary.

 

I agree, the external speakers are nothing to write home about. With that said, quality sound is not really what this laptop was designed to produce. When I get off work I'll test out my HD448's with the internal sound card and let you know my findings.

I've had issues with the WIFI as well. Now this does really bug me, I mean, it's a laptop. My connection was dropped three times in the middle of streaming a single 35 minute show. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers but I haven't had time to use the laptop since doing so. One thing I will say, I played through Portal 2 co-op with a friend and never dropped connection once.

 

Does THX TruStudio come preinstalled on the SW like it does on the JW? If so, check to see if one of its preset EQs are enabled. If so, disabling it won't make it sound significantly better, but it should be crisper in the highs and less muddy in the lows.

 

Thanks for the pointer Networc!

Just found the THX TruStudio installed, changing its setting from "Built-in Speakers" to "Headphones" made my sound quality about 5 times better while using my headphones, finally some BASS!! I looked all over and couldn't find a menu option to disable it altogether. Is it disabled from within the program or just through uninstalling it?

 

Uninstall it. I was wondering why you were having audio quality issues when I realized I did not install the THX drivers.

 

Glad to hear that it helped! If you like the preset EQ for headphones then, by all means, continue using it. I have mine turned off (I think there's a button that looks like a power button in the lower left.)

I have mine turned off because I use a separate headphone amp powered by the mini-TOSlink for when I want to 'really' listen to music.

 

ha, so I couldn't find the power button at first, just glanced over it I suppose, uninstalled but I thought it sounded better when i just changed the settings to "headphone" so I reinstalled it.

Can turn it off and on, don't know how I missed that power icon in the bottom left corner, but I actually think it sounds better with it on as long as I set it to External Speakers or Headphones. I suppose from my experience leave it installed and just turn it off and on at will. Sound actually is a bit nicer when it's turned on depending.

Have it hooked up to my Z5500 Logitechs and it sounds decent enough. Also have a pair of DJ headphones that sound much better on it now opposed to before when it was set to "built in speakers" which was the default.

 

Yeah, I pretty much always use external speakers or headphones of some sort with laptops because the onboard speakers are just *never* going to sound very good. Such is the nature of laptops - there's not much room for speakers, just the way it is.. I've had no sound issues at all, though, pretty pleased overall. Gonna invest in some *real nice* speakers if I can find some, maybe the kind that you attach above the screen.

Also, no wifi issues at all, for me. I've never had my internet drop out at all. That sounds a little sketchy, to me, it really should not be doing that.

 

I am thinking of getting the G54SW and just want to know where people have bought their's from or any recommendations, thx!

 

Newegg.ca has 89 in stock. Check that....88, a friend of mine just bought one.

 

thanks, but preferably I would like to by it in the US...

 

Sorry, I wasn't actually responding to your previous statement. I was in a rush and I just opened up this thread to let everyone know it was back in stock on Newegg.ca.

I did however just check Newegg.com and it's still listed as deactivated. Not sure what's up with that. The only place I've seen this particular model is on the Egg so hopefully the .com site will refresh their stock as well. On another note, I think XoticPC is taking pre-orders on the some variation of the G53SW.

 

oh, haha, yeah ive found another place taking pre-orders as well ill keep checking newegg, thanks...

 

Newegg. com now has it in stock

 

Just ordered one through Newegg! I'm so excited! I can't wait to play some Starcraft 2 and Magika on this thing when it gets here.

 

Godamit!! I want that computer!
Anyone got $900 to spare?

 

You won't be disappointed with SC2 at least. I seriously can crack up all the settings to Ultra at full 1080p and it runs *perfectly*. It's a thing of beauty.

 

Do you know what kind of FPS you get in big 200/200 battles in 4v4? I'm thinking that kind of situation would be the most stressful for the computer.

 

Honestly, I would turn it down a little for that, at least a select few settings. For instance, just turning the textures from ultra to high gives you some leeway in those situations and doesn't change the graphical quality very much, or making a couple other little tweaks here and there. I mostly play just 1v1 and the occasional 2v2 and with all the settings cranked up I'm sitting at ~35-40 or so, and it might drop a little bit below 30 during a huge battle for a second or so but nothing too bad.

It's all gravy for me though, I mean, I was playing SC2 on a 4-year-old MBP and had to put the graphics at the lowest possible settings - even then I'd barely get the FPS above 30. Of course, there's just a *bit* of difference between a GTX 460m and an 8600m GT. It's really fun to make a leap like that in graphical quality

 

Hello, fellow G53SW owners!
Please share with me your oppinion about g53sw Display?
Could you please check what gamut percentage does it have?
Or could you please share what type of matrix it has?

 

Could someone that has purchased a G53SW be so kind to measure the outside dimensions of the box it came in (the black and red ASUS one) and post here or PM me.

Cheers in advance.

 

Just measured it, it's roughly 14" tall, 20" wide, and 4" depth.

 

Thank you, +rep

As mentioned in PM if you could let me know if those figures are rounded up (i.e. no edge is larger than any of the lengths you mentioned) that would be great.

 

Hey, guys, how is the Display quality?

 

The height and width are a few millimeters more than 14" and 20", just lightly rounded down

The depth, 4", it's just a bit skinnier by about the same margin. so prolly like 3.9"

So if you wanna say 14.1" x 20.1" x 4" that'd be safer.

 

I think it's spectacular, I've never seen a 1080P screen on a laptop. It's the best portable looking screen I've seen, but then again I'm comparing it to 1280x800 screens. I can't really compare it to other full HD laptop screens since I havn't seen any.

One thing's for sure, even though it's a 15.4" screen, it seems WAY bigger when you're using it in front of you. That much resolution packed into a small screen makes it so rich and vibrant.