Asus G73JW Owners' Lounge

I've just did a clean install... Could someone please share the wallpapers that was on the system ? I would like to bring it back.

 

To all owners, show us ur benches ( #3Dmark 06, Vantage..), game fps, pictures, tweeks and I will add those to the first page to help all our new and future owners to decide buying this beast laptop.
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TipTip

 

I've used my new ASUS G73JW for about a week now - great laptop. My question is about airplane compatibility. The case that I was using with my 15" Dell was a McKlein USA 17" rolling bag that the ASUS does not fit. So I ordered a new Targus XL rolling bag which does fit the laptop. Has anybody used this case/computer in a small commuter jet? Any problems with fit?

I have a trip in a week and don't want the horror of having to remove the laptop and checking my rolling bag. Thanks.

 

Hey, thanks for the link to the drivers Quad, hopefully that will fix that problem I had with screen brightness.

But now theres another little thing thats got me running around looking for a problem. My battery won't charge above 95%. I have it plugged in and windows says "Plugged in, not charging". I check google and tried a few solutions from there. I uninstlled the "Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery", then removed the battery, restarted, and everytime it re-installs the driver the same thing comes up. Also tried a few other things like removing battery, closing lid, restarting and what not, but nothing seems to change it. I tried running the laptop from AC power without a battery, and that still works, so I know its not the power adapter.

I can find some people who had a similar issue in Vista on older laptops, but Microsoft said it was a hardware issue. I looked at ASUS for driver updates, but couldn't find anything that might affect it. I can't think of anything I would have recently installed that would have affected this, it worked fine until this morning. Anyone have any ideas on this?

And TipTip, I'm downloading 3DMark right now, I'll let you know what it gets.



Thats with the demo version, so it was run at:

1280x1024
AA off
Filtering: Optimal

Whatever the default settings are. Alot better than the desktop I built in high school that score something like 6000

 

Hey guys, I have a SSD drive (C) and the 7200rpm 500GB (D - E)

Because my SSD Drive is only 120GB, I was thinking to install games on the D.

Would the games run slower than if I would installed it directly on the SSD?

Any advice?

Thanks

 

Does the targus bag have some leeway if it's off by .2 of an inch? I am thinking of getting this one Laptop Bags|TBT046US| by Targus

but depth wise the laptop is 0.2 longer than the bag dimensions. If you can check if the bag stretches 0.2 inches

 

I too am looking for a blu ray codec (if one exists) or a recommended blu ray video player program.

thanks for all the info everyone!

 

Why everybody is turning AA off? I'm don't get it...

Isn't suppose to give better graphics?

Thank you

 

Fresh Win7 install on SSD Drive.

Latest (BETA) Nvidia drivers.

 

I haven't received mine yet (will next week). I know with my McKlein bag that it didn't budge at all. It has to do more with the shape of the laptop and where that extra .2 actually is.

 

Yeah, and in game it does. But that was just the default on the demo version of the software, so I couldn't change it.

 

Here is a thread about someone having battery issues ... I dont think they ever solved it but clearly your not alone..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/521087-battery-led-stays-orange.html

 

what is "life frame"?
apparently, when press Fn + V, it is suppose to do something w/life frame, but seems like nothing happens?
how do u turn on webcam?

 

Thanks Quad. Its wierd, I think it is a problem with Windows but I can't prove it. But it just magically fixed itself. I had it plugged in all night and messed around with it like I said this morning to no avail. Then I just unplugged it to check my backlight bleed for another thread, plugged it in, and *poof* it charges to 100% in 5 minutes.

I guess I'm just going to have to keep my eye on it, and if it becomes a major problem in a month or so, talk to Asus.

-Kanoekj

Life Frame is a program that uses the webcam to take pictures. Its mostly for fun. You may have to install it from the drivers CD if you did a fresh install.

--3D Mark Vantage Score--
Stock G73JW (only upgrade is I have the Intel 6200 wireless adapter)
i740
GTX460M
8 GB DDR3 1333Mhz Ram
2 x 500GB HDD



And once again, these are the default settings for the trial version.

 

That looks like a pretty nice bag. I do a lot of flying so I will need to upgrade my bag once my system arrives. Airport checkpoint friendly is a must for me as I have one now and it's soooo handy.

If this bag works well please let me know. I'll be heading down to Frys next weekend with my laptop in hopes of finding the perfect bap but your link has everything I'm looking for...now to see if it fits.

 

Yeah, echo on the Blu-Ray. Did ASUS just not include any software for BD playback? I know it's not easy to get your hands on any atm, not to mention those out by Corel, etc. are all way too pricey (I already dropped enough of a new laptop!).

I've even loaded up all the nasty bloatware that ASUS includes (haven't check the drivers and utilities disk yet). Did they just decide to leave us on our own with this one?

I bought mine on Amazon, and it came standard with the the BD muli. If you have the option to save money and knock it down to a DVD multi, it might be the smarter option IMHO, unless you either want to spend an additional $80 on BD playback software, or would spend the extra $$ for the BD drive option and be willing to wait for some months before the codecs become reasonably priced (or free). But considering who owns Blu-Ray, I think we'll find a new (open) standard before that ever happens.

 

Yes they completely forgot to include free software...

You can download the free Asus version of Power DVD 9 from this thread but there will probably be compatibility issues with some BDs... Scroll down a little on the page and you will see all the resource links ..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6444967-post1.html

 

I will answer my own question!

I've install Starcraft 2 on the SSD Drive, tested it, and try on the IDE drive.
There is a noticable difference ...for sure. The game load faster on the SSD (of course), but also during a game it is run smoother.

Regards,

 

I kept stock settings. have not removed any software. have note done a fresh install. only thing i have done is made a the 5dvd backup discs and updated nvidia driver.

So when i press my fn+v(camera), nothing happens.
all other keyboard shortcuts work!
So how do i turn on/off the webcam?

edit:
nvmind, e-driver utitlity has it all. thanks.

 

Just checking in with a progress report from another new G73jw owner....

As said earlier, the recovery discs take forever to burn!

The instructions for a clean Windows install: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/468027-complete-walk-through-doing-clean-windows-7-install.html including the links/instructions for extracting/burning windows disc for those with no recovery disc worked perfectly - I just took my time and did it over several days so as not to make any mistakes. So far so good....

One note - not sure if it matters but I deleted the hidden recovery partition using Phatal's instructions before proceeding with the clean install. For now my OS is on the one 500gb drive, and the other drive is one big data partition. Later I plan to upgrade to an SSD - when I can afford it!

Another point worth noting is not to create a user password when installing windows - when you go to selectively install the drivers from the Asus disk you will find yourself repeatedly entering it for about 20 reboots - pain in the butt! Just means you can't leave the driver install running unattended. It would save a bit of aggravation to skip this step and implement a password when the install is completed.

Many of the drivers mentioned at the end of the of the Clean Walkthrough instructions are slightly different in my machine - perhaps they are covered elsewhere in the 15 pages, or here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/380681-asus-utility-bloatware-guide.html but a quick search on google uncovered the answers just as quickly...

I never noticed the lack of a Blu Ray player - I thought I played a Blu Ray disk the other night on the original system... Are there any other free player options (outside of the Asus one mentioned above) that will not have compatiblity issues with new disks?

Good luck to all who do the clean install! The help on these forums has been invaluable.

 

Question - minor annoyance.... I can't stand using a mouse - I do everything by touch pad... is there a way to change a setting so that I only have to tap a menu item once and it will open the desired item? Some items seem to require double clicking - so I end up sitting there for a time waiting... and then realizing I needed an extra click...

My present/old laptop - HP Compaq nx6110 on XP Professional just takes one tap on similar Winows menu items and I've grown accustomed to this!

I made as many changes (upping the sensitivity) under Control Panel, devices, mouse, touchpad... as I could see to make, but none to select single click option for all actions. Would this be somewhere else?

Thanks!

 

I am under the impression that the subwoofer is not working. How can I test it? Maybe wrong driver?

 

Excellent, thanks Quadzilla.. works great so far with my BDs. Interesting that it was forgotten.

 

thank you Quadzilla and SeverianSilk (for reposting), I knew I read it somewhere. Works well so far. Tried it with IronMan 2 and seems pretty decent. Had a short pause but so far so good.

 

You can change it under Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, Click items as follows options.

 

Aha! Thank you! I knew I wasn't imagining it!

 

@LostInCanada, thanks for putting up that info on those clean install/win7 iso posts. Was on the fence for a clean install (I GUESS I could live with 238 arbitrary partitions by just converting to dynamic), but now I've got a use for that Win7 Pro 32 bit key I've had lying around for a while

 

No worries - actually others posted the information for me... I was just repeating it! If you haven't already, it's worth reading this thread from page 1 - lots to be learned from the experiences and comments of others!



Now, my next question... how the heck do I clean this screen? The attached microfibre cloth simply moved dust from one side to the other dry, and when wet, water! I can't stand microfibre! Grrrrr... I live in a dusty environment and I have animals... any suggestions for screen cleaning? I can't stand smears and streaks - especially on this beautiful screen - and I have both now! (maybe somebody already asked this question but I missed it?)

Thanks!

 

Microfiber is a god send for fingerprints, but if you have dust its the 12 circle of Hell. For the smears, just use your breath on the screen, and while there is just a little condensation, wipe it with the microfiber and they should come off.

For the dust invest in a small can of compressed air. Wipe it into one spot and blast it off . I usually just push it to the side and ignore it, but I would imagine a quick blast of air could clean it right up.

Its really quiet, I would put some music on, then put your ear up to it and see if you hear anything. I thought mine was not working, but when I did that I could hear sound. It is easily covered by the other speakers, its not much of a sub-woofer, more like a 3rd down facing speaker...

 

Well I got this laptop as an upgrade to my m1730 with the 8700m sli cards. As expected, it's a huge upgrade for gaming, but I did not expect the looks to be so subtle. My m1730 was like a disco ball! I love the G73 look....much more professional when you take to work.

I do have a couple of complaints though. The 1st is the big bright light leak from under the keyboard. I'm surprised no one mentioned that. Nothing that can be done about it so I suppose it's something I'll have to get used to.

My second issue is something that can be fixed I guess. I was only able to tell when I was playing world of warcraft. The colors are a little dim (more bluish?) when I compare to my old m1730. Not sure if there's an easy way to fix this. The spledid software is a little buggy and was stuck at the "normal mode" for colors when I installed the nvidia beta drivers, then it started giving me error messages at startup so I uninstalled it. I did try the other modes before it went all crazy and I didn't see a mode better than "normal" for the desktop, not sure about WoW though. Any of you played with the colors somehow?

 

You can crank up the digital vibrance which will give the screen much more color overall but as for Adjusting the blue you may just have to play with all the settings till you find some happy medium... The Nivdia control panel has a few options ..

I turn up the Digital Vibrance alot because i love a colorful screen even if the colors are not accurate ..

 

Holy crap the Digital Vibrance did the trick! love the colors! I'll have to play with more settings in the nvidia control panel. Damn Quad it always tells me I need to spread the rep around when I try to give it to you, lol.

 

Glad it helped .. Digital Vibrance can make alot of screens look MUCH better IMHO..

 

Hi there... tried the air can - I always have one on hand - but this dust is the kind that clings...air doesn't work on it. I could try breathing on the screen and wiping with the microfibre but at 17.3" it's going to take a lot of heavy breathing!!!

Eventually there's going to be more than just smears - smudges, food particulate LOL, fingerprints and maybe nose and paw prints on the screen...Can I use a cotton face cloth or other kind of cotton cloth on this screen? How about cleaner? Mild dish soap? Other? I could use pretty much anything on this old hp, but it has a matte screen. I work outside alot so microfibre just sicks to my rough hands LOL - maybe that's why I hate it so much... surely there are better options out there?

 

Are you refering to the "bright blue" light under the monitor? .. it's a "street rider bonus", and you can turn it off.. the 3 blue buttons on the keyboard surface, upper left.. the left most button. First press turns off the street cred, the second turns off they keyboard lights. 3rd push and they are all lit up again.

I've only notices a little back light bleed when some games first load, but nothing during game running (yet). Not sure if you're seeing the blue street cred light, or bleed through on the actual screen...

(EDIT: I misread that, I thought you meant the monitor.. yeah,the lack of skin on the keys puts the lights in good sight... ignore my post

 

re: subwoofer..

I've put on the 260 beta drivers (video), and they include an HD audio driver? And it broke my audio. At least, I think it did. I thought I heard the old man's intro voice with a straight out of the box install of Civ V, but I could be mistaken. Now I can't hear his speech at all (the fire crackles very nice, though! .. missed that on my PC ) (done a clean install then put on the listed "required drivers/apps" from the driver disk.. but his voice is near mute, even though I hear many other sounds).

I'm downloading the original Realtek drivers now, we'll see if that puts it right.

(edit: seems to have fixed it .. gonna test some configuration changes and see if that breaks it again.. but for now, the 260 beta video drivers look to need the original audio drivers put back on..)

 

As far as dust goes, I have a 3M microfiber (can get them in the optical section of many dept stores) that has more depth (?) then the one that came with the laptop... the more tufted (?) fabric seems to grab dust much better.
Just be sure to never use fabric softener on a microfiber cloth.

I wouldn't recommend any chemicals on a laptop.
here is an interesting (almost over the top) link on using isopropyl alcohol to clean your screen how-to-clean-your-laptop-screen-properly

There is also an interesting video of someone using a Mr Clean magic eraser to degrease a laptop... (not for the screen.)
de-grease your laptop

 

Oh and just for laughs Minecraft alpha gets 90 to 150 fps with all options all the way up

 

I use Zwipes (originally for delicate wax finishes on cars). They are the terry cloth kind of microfiber cloths, and they work great for dust.

The smoother kind of microfiber cloth does not seem to work for dust.

Two things: First, they seem to work 10 times better if I wash them first in the laundry machine, but I use good car wash soap (e.g. Maguires) to avoid residue.

Then, I rinse them in distilled water and hang dry them. This way they have no residue from minerals in the water (which is why we use distilled water to clean the screens).

The other thing, try brushing off the dust in short swipes from one side to the other. (No firm pressure, and be sure to cut off the tag.)

I've been doing this for our 46" Samsung for over 18 months, and it is dust free, streak free, and, knock on wood, scratch free. Also works great on my wife's glossy 15.6" laptop.

 

Since this is the best place to get user opinion and questions answered about the Nvidia equipped Asus G73JW i was wondering if anyone could possibly be so kind as to answer then.

Im currently deciding about the G73JH and G73JW, and both are very good notebooks.
I checked Notebookcheck (Dont trust them 100% but its a nice place to see some numbers) so i was wondering on how much slower the Geforce 460m really is.
Also does the G73JW have any keyboard lag or some other nasty bug?

Post here or PM me if you like, also like benchies or something if you got it. ;D

Thanks for your time,
DEagleson

 

I'm on the fence too, but...am I reading the comparison graphs on notebookcheck correctly? Seems they are claiming the 460m actually performs 4% better than the 5870? I looked at both the 460m and 5870 pages...

 

Back on page 5 of this thread, Mr Ray wrote a little about using this for work.

Would anybody else who is using this beautiful machine more as an all around work/communication/photo editing tool, with outrageous gaming as a bonus, comment about the webcam, HDMI connectivity and output quality, etc?

(I did see a couple of post regarding "sluggish" webcam, but was that local or over a network? Any better experiences with it?)

At BestBuy, I tried the built-in mic and was impressed with how clearly it picked me up even with the carnival background noise!

The new nVidias are supposed to share video conversion and other CPU intensive tasks with the Core i7. Anybody done video work yet?

Thanks!

 

There are several threads detailing the differences on here. Nocturnalis put up a post on the JW-A1 and JH-B1 differences specifically here.

Looks like the actual difference between the nvidia and the ATI in these models is going to be unnoticeable to anyone whose favorite game isn't benchmarking

With a note on that, however, I've looked through the notebookcheck benchmarks before I bought the JW, and it seems that it's all tradeoff. Sometimes the 460m beats the 5870, and sometimes it's vice verse. I did notice, however, that the 460m seemed to beat the 5870 in more instances.

Overall, unless you're dedicated to one brand, the point is really moot. I love ATI for desktops, but it seems here that nvidia wins the laptop race between these two models IMHO. Identical performance at ~25c cooler temps is just beautiful. Not to mention the JW getting some of the best temps I've ever seen in a gaming laptop in general.

Up to you really, but there are some notable advantages to JW. Between the 460m and the 5870, you won't notice anything. Well, besides the 5870 saving you on internal heating in your house Also, the nvidia has physx, and, it seems, better DX11 support (if it's worth it to even run it on either card).

Oh, and USB 3.0 is a great option considering the lack of eSATA.

 

>> About screen cleaning...

I've found the best method is to use one of those static-clinging dusters to get the dust off, then going over the screen with an alcohol wipe. I usually use SeeClear wipes, or some equivalent, used for cleaning glasses (then I clean my glasses with it after I'm done . I use this for laptop, iPad, monitor.. works great for me.

 

Thanks for the information. ;D
If it runs cooler thats really good and both models costs about the same.
Il try grabbing the Nvidia flavoured G73 then.

 

I've got my G73JW 2 days ago. So far I am very impressed by the quality and performance. Very good gaming laptop.

The only issue I have so far is the sytem that freeze and need to do hard reboot (happened twice) but I think this is related to my SSD...

 

Not to be argumentative, but experience and info you can find online strongly suggests that using alcohol will, over time, cloud your screen. Don't use it on a regular basis.

Distilled water only, unless you get something greasy. Then its time for a very diluted, like 4:1, solution of water to alcohol, and those "smoother" microfibers. Just rub the spot a little and very gently, so as not to smear the greasy stuff over a larger area.

A very mild solution of high-quality car soap also can get stuff like peanut butter and jelly off of there, should your kids be eating around it. But afterwards wipe gently with a distilled water spritzed microfiber...

As for the dusters, I contacted Swiffer's customer support when I got my HDTV last year. They said do NOT use them for display screens (even plasma, because of the optical coating on the glass.)

In fact, the box of Swiffers I have now says "not for use on anti-glare coated surfaces." I think that applies to any kind of modern display these days. There is no reason for them to limit use unless there is a real concern.

 

Hi all,

I'm new to NBR and this is my first post. Let me start by saying congrats to all the JW owners. Also this thread has been very informative.

I have a favor to ask. I was hoping you guys could post benchmarks for games like , Batman AA or Mafia 2 etc with physx enabled.

I realize physx is just eye candy and most people are not bothered about it, but i would really like to know exactly how well/badly the 460M handles it.

Would really appreciate your help.

 

My JW should arrive on Wednesday. Since I made a last minute change and went from the G53 to the G73 I decided to go hunt one down just to see what it looked and felt like.

I found one at BB, and while I know the internals are far different (price too) I have to say that it feels like a very well built machine. It was in fact a bit thinner than I was imagining but also a bit deeper (front to back). The surface was everything I have been reading about and added to the overall quality of the machine.

I'm eagerly looking forward to Wednesday.

 

One question... is anyone keeping a list of what drivers to use for what component?

I see reference to using ainly the stock ones but I also see references to newer video, audio and touchpad ones.