Asus G53SW Owners' Lounge

There are only 2 antenna wires so if you use the 6300 you would be short 1 antenna. I am not sure if that affects the install of that card or not. Also the 6300 does not have bluetooth and the stock atheros is handling the bluetooth on the machine.

 

I guess I will be buying another antenna. I set up a gigabit WLAN network at my home so it is worth it. I have a really tiny USB blue-tooth dongle for the rare occasions I do use blue tooth.

 

Any thoughts on the timbuk2 command bag without using a sleeve also? I kind of want a bag that doesn't require a sleeve but can still hold my textbooks/school crap. ebags has a 25% off thing going and debating pulling the trigger.

 

I bought a Timbuk2 Command Messenger bag (size: large) for my G53SW. There is a special compartment for the laptop with protective cushioning in it, and that fits the G53SW perfectly. But personally, I like to put it into a neopreene sleeve and then put the sleeved laptop in the main compartment in the center of the bag, and then use the laptop compartment for excess books/documents and whatnot. I just feel more comfortable with laptop being double-bagged, so to speak.

I found it difficult to find a bag that really fit the G53SW and didn't look ugly as hell, so I was extremely happy that the Timbuk2 Command Messenger worked so well. Couldn't recommend it enough. A bit pricy at $109 from Amazon but it's very high-quality, fashionable, and eminently practical.

 

How weather resistant is it? I have to walk fairly long distances for class. I'm probably going to end up ordering one. Most of the cheaper bags don't have any real space for anything besides a laptop, and/or seem kind of shotty with plastic buckles.

 

Very weather-resistant in my experience - it's actually designed in part as a courier bag. I had to walk two blocks to my car in the pouring rain with no umbrella - which honestly freaked me out a bit, with the laptop in the bag - and nothing inside got at all wet. Repelled water very nicely.

And one of the reasons why I chose the Command Bag out of the Timbuk2 models was that the main clasps are *not* shoddy plastic buckles, but very sleek little metal hooks, which look very cool and are also functional. There is a big plastic buckle on the shoulder strap designed to shorten the strap length, but unless you really *are* a bicycle courier I don't see how you'd actually need to use it. I'm thinking of just removing it, myself.

And of course there is a ton of room - multiple big compartments, and literally like 15 or 16 little small zippered compartments as well for all numbers of little odds and ends. Kind of a shame that I never had a messenger bag *quite* this nice when I was still in school where it'd have been *really* useful.. But of course when I was in school I don't think I'd have been able to afford a $110 bag anyway, heh.

 

I am planning to buy a G53SW-XN1 and also buy a 4gb stick to upgrade to 10 gbs. My question is which latency should I get, 7 or 9?? Also, which brand, Crucial, Kingston or G-Skill?? Any difference between PC 10600 and 10666?

Thank you

 

Ideally, you want the modules with the lower CAS latencies, but don't get too distraught over it as it makes relatively no difference in day-to-day performance.

As for brands, I haven't had any major issues with any manufacturers, but I would prefer Corsair or Kingston as I find those two to be the most compatible and never having any issues with their desktop RAM modules.

10600 and 10666 memory is the same, the number refers to the theoretical bandwidth the module is capable of. DDR3-1333 RAM modules are rated up to 10666 MB/s for bandwidth, and in order to make the number less difficult to remember, some companies will round up or down. Some companies will label the memory as PC3-10600 or PC3-10700, but just remember they're all the same as PC3-10666. Stick with those and you'll be fine.

 

according to the reviews on newegg there have been at least three computers arrived DOA and 2 others won't turn on after a few days. This is not good. I should be getting mine tomorrow. just crossing my fingers....

 

I just ordered mine as well, will be arriving on Monday. Been following this thread for some time now. Good stuff. Also ordered a 4GB Kingston stick to upgrade the laptop the moment it arrives. Unfortunately, I myself don't arrive in the US till Tuesday night! The laptop was a gift to myself for finishing 2nd year. I am very excited, upgrading from a Asus G51VX, should be quite the difference.

@ Yogi the Soyman I feel as if people more often report a "bad" laptop on newegg reviews than a "good" one, (the ones with the good laptops being too busy playing games ). Hopefully these DOA on arrival laptops are few and far between. Ok, back to studying, my last exam is tomorrow. Will post news of the laptop as soon as I receive it!

 

Hi everyone,

First post here.....!!
First of all i gotta say that I've been going through this thread for quite some time now and it has proved to be invaluable..
Thanks Guys...
Now getting to the exciting part...
My new G53SW-XA1 from Amazon just arrived at my uncle's place in US.... will be getting it on the 22nd here in India.....soooo excited....
was looking to get the XN1 version first but.. time was a concern unfortunately....and the XN1 going out of stock didn't help either...
anyways really excited ...!!
Just one quick question
Is it better to uninstall the Bloatware which is not needed ...or reinstall the OS and install the necessary "bloatware" ?

Thanks,
Sahil.

 

Hey all, I have been kind of reading this forum for a little while now, and hadn't read all the pages yet, over 26 pages! So sorry if I repeat anything, but I was wondering if any of you had updated your graphics card driver through ASUS's Live update and if so, have you had problems with your card seeming to run hotter then before? I ended up rolling back my driver to the original one on my driver disc (266.86). Temps on idle were ranging from 40c to 50c and after the update it would run at 50c to 60c idle. It also seemed to not run as stable with me getting random driver crash and recovery. After a driver rollback it seemed to work fine and even dropped back to the previous idle temps of 40c to 50c
Load temps before were between 70c to 80c and after update 78c to 85c. (Kind of scared me as I found out the max temp for the GTX 460M is 100c. Anyhow other then that, this laptop has been a wonderful computer for my gaming and schoolwork, perfect combo of portability and specs for me. I just thought I'd ask if any other owner's have had this issue as will.

Sahil,
What I did was download and burn a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium x64 RTM, and installed it with the Key from the bottom of my laptop, (from microsoft) then used my driver disc that came with my laptop. This way I could just install the drivers and software I want to use. Getting rid of all bloatware, including the Anti-virus that came with my laptop, just make sure to download one. I will try to find the link I used to download the RTM if you want. Or you could do a Google search for it. RTM worked perfectly on updating and everything. (Updated to Service Pack 1 last night). Hope this helps somewhat. I'll search for that link in case you want it.

Update: Here is the link to all downloads: http://www.mydigitallife.info/downl...cial-32-bit-and-64-bit-direct-download-links/

They are actually from Digital River.net apparently. But it works and I've had no problems, just make sure to download the Version that your key supports, otherwise it will not work right.

 

Hi Dragonwolf,

Thank you for the links. I was leaning towards a fresh install and was about to search for the links when i saw ur reply

Thanks,
Sahil.

 

No problem Sahil. Hope everything works out fine for you.

 

I had a DOA unit, and haven t written a newegg review so yea it is cause for concern. If you do end up having a DOA unit i would suggest calling them and nagging them until they cross ship a unit, i really regret not doing that. took me like 3week from when i ordered to get a working laptop.

 

Hi everyone!

First post in here. Just got a G53SW-QHDB1-CBIL for the kids **cough cough (for me also)**.

Also got a 128Gb Crucial C300 SSD for boot drive. Now I just have to do a clean Win 7 install to remove the bloatware...

The only thing I'm not sure is what kind of RAM I need to get to go to 8Gb. Any pointers?

Thank you.

 

Any one of these in the newegg.com list below,

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Memory, Laptop Memory, DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600), 4GB

should theoretically work, as all of them have the same frequency, voltage, and latency. But as always, it is good to go to the manufacturers website, use their memory configurator, to make sure that module will work in your laptop. I chose the Kingston module for my Asus G53SW because it is a good company and on their site it states it is compatible. I believe the G. Skill website says the same, so essentially it is your personal preference of which company you like best or trust. Crucial, Kingston, G. Skill, and Patriot are some of the best companies IMO. As far as installing the module, I would suggest using this guide,

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...bling-g53jw-installing-second-hard-drive.html

to get to the available ram slot. Another pertinent question is how much RAM your computer has. I assume either 4 or 6 GB, in either case, I would suggest the 4G module I mentioned above. If you have 6GB installed, take out the 2GB module located on the underbelly of the computer, and replace it with the 4GB, giving you the full 8GB you are looking for (replacing the 2GB stick with the 4GB will make them both run in dual-channel mode, increasing the memory bandwidth). Hope this helps, quite the long explanation and I hope it is not too confusing, as I am writing amidst a 12 hour studying session, and am very tired!

Good luck!

 

Thank you!

Just ordered a 4Gb G. Skill RAM stick. Lol. 40$ shipped in Canada.

 

guess what Polanski.. I just got mine and it's dead... damn it!

 

Oh no!!! Damn!!! What the hell is wrong with these laptops! If mine arrives DOA I am returning it and buying the Sager P8150...

 

Good god all this DOA stuff is crazy, really bizarre. Hopefully newegg/asus deals with it honestly and helpfully but seriously it's not something that should be happening at *all*. You guys aren't, like, overlooking anything obvious or anything like that, right? I just find it really bizarre.

 

I contacted newegg and they are sending me a new one by monday. hurray for cross-shipping. the problem with mine was that the fan and lights turned on, but that was it. the screen never did anything. I called up asus and they made me try a few things including holding the power switch down for 40 seconds and hooking it up to an external monitor. Nothing worked. so that's when I called up newegg and complained a little so that they gave me the fastest shipping they could. If the new one is also a brick then I think I might just go with alienware or something.... (though i really don't want to)

 

Is it safer to buy it from Amazon?

 

I would think amazon would have worse customer service in case you get a faulty product, because amazon is just so huge. it would probably take over 10 minutes on the phone before you got to talk to someone in america. Amazon is just so huge that I feel they don't have the same respect for their customers as newegg. my computer may have been broken, but newegg acted really well in making sure I get a new one as soon as they could. I just don't think amazon would be as likely to do that.

 

Newegg is pretty good with their customer service, yeah. Glad to hear they treated you right, Yogi, I really hope everything works out well for you :]

If you don't mind paying an extra few hundred bucks, you could go to xoticpc and get an A1 model from there. You can customize the features comprehensively as well. You'll also be fairly assured of getting one that works immediately, because I'm fairly certain they turn it on and so forth and make sure everything works.

 

Yes, the xoticpc Asus is fully customizable except for the GPU. I would personally go for the Sager p8150 in that case though, because for 1500 you can get the same internals, except for a Radeon 6970, which is a BEAST! This is what I am doing if mine arrives DOA, that and going binoculars!!!!

 

when you guys reinstalled using the key on the back of the computer, do you have to call into microsoft to activate anything? or just the key is enough?

 

Ehh, the GTX 460m is more than powerful enough for me. I didn't have $1500 to spend anyway, $1200 was a bit over my limit, even. I wasn't too psyched on the NP8150 though, to be honest, not too psyched on Sager in general - if I were getting a refit Clevo, I'd be getting a Eurocom Racer. Same Clevo model as the NP8150 I think. But really, it sounds stupid but the main reason I didn't go for a Sager/Clevo instead of the Asus (other than price) was because I didn't like the chassis, and more importantly there was no backlighting in the keyboard. Backlit keyboards are really important to me - otherwise I can't see what I'm doing, especially since I game in the dark! Plus, the NP8130/8150 comes with matte screens as a default (though you can pay extra and change them) and I greatly prefer glossy. But I can see why lots of people like their Sagers.

 

Hi guys. Long term luker, first time poster. Can anyone recommend me a good quality sleeve through personal experience that fits the G53 that is similar to the Incase Neoprene Sleeve Plus? I would just get that one but I'm unsure about the fit since its made for a relatively thin Macbook Pro. Thanks.

Neoprene Sleeve Plus for 17" MacBook Pro : Products By Incase

Also, I'm thinking of getting a 120GB SSD as my primary hard drive. Any recommendation on the brand? Anyone had experience with the 128GB Crucial C300 or the 120GB OCZ Vertex 2?

 

I dunno about Incase, I would stay away from them personally because the G53 is *way* more thick than the MBP - like, to a huge degree. Anything designed for even a 17.3" MBP probably won't fit the G53, but I could be wrong.

I can verify that my Targus A7 17.3" Laptop Sleeve fits the G53 perfectly, though. But weirdly enough, I can't find it online anywhere! Yet I know it exists, because I bought it at Staples and I'm looking at the little piece of cardboard that came with it, and it says it right there, yet when I google it nothing comes up... so weird.

 

Thanks for that. Will give it a search. Can you also give me some advice on uninstalling bloatwares? Is it recommended to do a clean install of Windows before installing the bloatwares you need or can we just uninstall those we do not need? How do I go about getting ride of bloatwares?

 

Well, personally I just downloaded and ran PC Decrapifier, and got rid of everything that sounded on the dodgy side - there's also a thread that's sort of an Asus bloatware guide, but it's not exactly helpful because they tell you to uninstall some stuff that I personally don't think ought to be uninstalled.

But I plan on doing a clean install of Windows when I finally get my SSD, nonetheless. It's all down to preference, really.

 

I am not sure if the computer is supposed to function this way, meaning the Asus G53SW-A1 but if I try to play a game, league of legends, TF2, or others without having my power cord plugged in I seem to get quite a few dips in gameplay. Is this just me or are others having this experience, also anyone have any idea how to fix that?

 

Others have reported this, seems like the laptop isn't meant to play games when not plugged in. Besides you'd get really crappy battery life so I wouldn't anyway. I tested the battery out today and got 3 hours 15 min running the lowest possible power settings with 4 chrome tabs open, light surfing (mostly craigslist and google searches) and a program open to type. Gaming would barely give half an hour I would think (haven't tried it yet).

 

I upgraded the driver and everything is normal - the max temp actually went from 55C to 52C (the most extreme thing i did up to now is running Restaurant City for an hour) so it's all good.........

 

Well from what I did get out of gaming that went well I got about an hour out of the battery, its just nice for convenience ya know. Maybe I wont be near an outlet for a few minutes or something, just an inconvenience is all really.

 

Finally typing on my new g53sw. Love this laptop, and arrived alive first time Pretty much love everything on this thing but I do seem to have some minor issues: I havent been able to install the new nvidia driver (270.61), always says that I dont have the right graphics hardware. Also my second issue was that the disk drive is pretty loud. Any ideas on new disk drives, preferably BD reader, that fits in nicely?

 

I've had the same problem when trying to upgrade to the
driver. Now that you mention it, my disc also gets slightly loud. I'll try burning discs as I haven't done that yet and report back.

 

Thanks for the reply. Can you tell me those stuff you felt not ought to be uninstalled?

 

I never really tried out the disc drive as I had a laptop that had a Blu-ray Rom drive in it and swapped them out. Once I bought this one. All you really need to do is buy a Blu-ray Rom or Blu-ray Burner drive

Here is one that i found, but it should at least get you started in your search: Newegg.com - LG Black 8X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 6X BD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Super-Multi Combo DriveModel CT21N - Blu-Ray Drives

Then very carefully swap the front faceplates if you wish to have the drive continue to match the laptop's case. Be very careful as the Asus one seemed to be clipped on a little tighter then the drive i swapped with. This is what I did other then my Blu-ray drive came from another laptop and not bought separately. The only difference will be that your drive faceplate won't say blu-ray, but as long as you know, (and the buyer knows, if you ever choose to sell it.) then all is good. (I don't plan on selling mine though, as it kicks butt and will for a long time for me!) Hope that helps.

I re-installed windows, did NOT use the key when it initially asked me to during setup, I then installed all my drivers. After numerous restarts, I was able to finally fully use the laptop. THEN I went into control panel > Clicked on System, then finally click on Activate Windows and typed in my key. I'll be honest, the first time it didn't take it for some reason, maybe something with my internet though as it was a little on the very slow that day, the second time it did take my key and now I am fully activated and updated to Service Pack 1. Hope that helps. Oh, just make sure you have the proper copy of windows that your key is good for or else it won't work at all. Mine was Windows 7 Home Premium x64. If you need a link, I posted a link back on page 27 I believe of this forum where you can download legit copies of Windows 7 iso's then burn them and then use your key to activate. This is what I did. Again, hope it helps.

 

Same ''problem'' here. Can't install drivers coming from Nvidia directly. Stupid. But I was able to OC the 460M to 850/1700/1500.

The Blu-ray ''combo'' can't burn DVD-R, but only DVD+R. Annoying. And I can't find any firmware for that drive anywhere. Anyone knows where to find it?

Here's some pics of my new G53SW-QHDB1.

 

Found this on page 4 of this thread for not being able to install the nvidia driver. You have to right click and hit save as. Worked for me.

 

Ok. I was able to install 275.27 beta drivers by modifying the nvam.inf myself in the install directory.

Complicated for no reason.

 

Anyone know the difference between the G53SW-XA1 (at Amazon) and G53SW-XN1 (newegg)? Seems like the ram is the only difference but just want to make sure.

edit, Freznov already answered

 

The link provided is not found, anyone have this inf file, could you please email or something to me? PM, me for email, or what not. Thanks!

 

you right-click on the actual link posted here (i.e. the word "here" in the original post)..

 

That inf file linked earlier seems to be gone from the server, you can try finding a new one on laptopvideo2go.com

 

Weird worked for me yesterday. Well Levesque said a couple posts back that he modified the inf file himself. You guys could ask him how to do this or does anybody know how to do this?

Edit: Nevermind I remember what I did. I quoted the original post back in page 4, highlighted the actual link from within the quote and used that to download it. Just tried it again and it works.

 

You just need to add those 2 lines at the right place. Just look for similar strings, and just put them there.

Near the beginning

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DD1.01% = Section012, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DD1&SUBSYS_20471043

and almost at the end

NVIDIA_DEV.0DD1.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (ASUS G53SW)"

 

Man Newegg reviews have a ton of people with DOA machines. I don't understand whats causing this. I'm in my 3rd week of ownership and really happy with the machine (gamed on it quite a bit, BFBC 2 runs flawlessly while frapsing the game half size; sony vegas and after effects offer almost real time rendering, the battery life is great, & overall the machine is a beast) but I'm really worried about my machine "dying" after the 30 day replacement. I haven't noticed any hardware issues at all (only the power adapter heats up but thats to be expected). I ordered mine on April 27th and received it on May 6th. Does anyone else on this forum who received their machine either before or within this timeframe have any hardware issues at all? I'm just double checking. I feel really bad for those that got DOAs, ASUS really needs to get their stuff together.