Asus G73JW Owners' Lounge

Anyone having any issues with Spore after setting the graphics settings up? I got it to install and launch, but I turned up all the settings then patched before I re-launched.. now it's giving me a missing script error? Google isn't being very helpful.

any insights?

(EDIT: patching with EADM instead of the 1.05 directly applied patch I found online seems to fix it. Basically, clean install then use EADM to get the 1.05.0001 patch. Might work if you can find the 1.05.0001 patch directly as well, I don't know and won't try finding out )

 

To all who responded with display cleaning advice - THANK YOU! And please keep any additional tips and tricks coming.

To the person asking about work use of this computer, I am actually not a gamer, but wanted a supercomputer in a small (ok, not so small) package, with great processor and graphics capability - I'm tired of underperforming laptops which overheat and can't keep up with my demanding demands for power.

I love this laptop (with the exception of its size and a few growing pains LOL) and have no regrets. I run mapping software, google earth-based programs, photo-editing and website creating software. And a few processor/memory- sucking simulator programs - so far so good.

I had some trepidation leaving XP, particularly after all the Vista horror stories, but I am really liking Windows 7 64 bit support and am glad to say goodbye to XP crashes due to lack of large hard drive support. I'm looking forward to upgrading to SSD and we'll really see what this baby can do!

Best of all, my computer isn't overheating right from power up! I was eying up the HP 8740 but this machine offered better bang for buck, great reviews and I suspect the 8740 will overheat just the same as my old nx6110.

Just because you're not a gamer doesn't mean you can't join the G73jw club! My thoughts are that gamers are just as demanding as I am for cool, fast performance, so I'll have what they're having...LOL

 

Re drivers,

Yes please - can we start a list of suggested upgrades? I was just trying to figure that out this morning, now that my nice bloat-free system is all set up with most of my software and back-up info.

And how about any suggestions to streamline Windows 7 performance and take control (ie not letting unwanted stuff run in the background, or sucking up internet connections by looking online for information and updates?

Everytime I reinstalled XP after a system crash, I had a whole list of tweaks I went through to maximize performance (YAY - no more!), but Windows 7 is a new beast for me.

Thoughts?

Also am curious to know how many people were choosing between the G53jw and G73jw, and aside from lack of availability of the 53, why they chose the 73? If I win the lottery or get some extra cash, I'd still like to have the G53jw, providing they don't downgrade all the original options.

 

Hey, WebRender, would you share a few reasons that led you to choose this Asus over a new Sager? Thanks.

 

I will be updating the first page with a lot of new info.

Stay tuned guys and thanks all for all the great help

you provided. Stay tuned .

TipTip

 

Quick question for you gamers... Are you turning vsync ON or OFF, in games ?
I'm new to this.

 

Sure…interesting road to be honest, and definitely not a clear cut decision.
I started off being pretty set on a 15 inch screen, in addition I wanted 8 gigs of RAM, Full HD, and a robust video card. I’m a casual gamer but pound my systems with a lot of data crunching.

While looking at the 15 inch laptops I noticed that the Sager had moved from a metal chassis to a plastic one, not a big deal but it definitely had a different look to it. It also seemed a bit thick across the board. I’ve never owned an ASUS but the upcoming G53 brought something to the table that I thought not possible in a 15 inch laptop….two HDs. This gave me the option to install a SSD as a primary drive and a large standard drive for storage etc. To me the seemed like the ideal configuration. Also while the G53 was thicker in back, it narrowed in the front which my mind would make for a better typing angle.

End result, even though I love the Sager brand (and highly endorse it), the ASUS G53 seemed like a system worth moving towards.

….then the delays…..

The G53 has been plagued with delays, meanwhile I have been researching the G73JW as an indicator as to how the G53 might perform. I have been very impressed with the reviews. Over a few weeks and news of additional delays I talked myself into thinking that the 17 inch might not be a bad way to go. By this time I was so impressed with the design and performance of the G73JW I simply switched my order from the 53 to the 73.

To be honest, once I made the leap to 17 inches the proper thing to do would have been to take a look at the Sager 17 inch machines (which I had not done until reading your post). I’m not sure as to the performance but I’m willing to bet that they are everything I’d expect from Sager/Clevo. I just now took a few minutes to try my best at a building out a comparable machine from Sager and it does look like it would have been more expensive to go that route.

My Asus machine is still a few days away but from the reviews and what research I have been able to do I’d say that the cooling, performance and the options make me still think that this was the right move. But that doesn’t mean I won’t go back to Sager next time.

 

Well, I was formerly debating between Sager and Alienware. Despite the arguments about Alienware costing so much more, the difference between Alienware and Sager seemed to be extremely comparable in price, spec for spec.

My only gripe between the two was that Sager is ugly as f***, to be honest But between Asus and Sager, I dunno... Certainly nothing close to the level of customization and options of Sager can be found in the Asus, but, then again, you'll be paying for all those upgrades. A lot. But for a comparable spec, definitely go with the G73, if for the design only. That is, unless you really want the extra ports, like HDMI-in and display port.

So, advantages of Sager are three hard drives, dual video, and a crap load of ports. But remember, you'll pay for all those (well over two grand, maybe close to 3). Not to mention how Sager/Clevo looks something close to a cheap plastic air conditioning unit.

Money for spec, definitely G73. If I had the money for Sager, I'd probably spend a little more and go for an m17x. If I'll spend more money on a case for its looks, and add some cold cathode tubes, then why not spend more for a laptop case that looks straight awesome (not to mention more durable), that I'll actually show off a lot more than my desktop. That's just my opinion.

 

Thanks Severian and Web.

I too was going to go with 15" to 16", but I started using a 17.3" Acer that didn't work out for me, and I don't mind the extra weight and space needed. The bigger, higher rez screen is too good to give up!

My only hesitation witht the Asus is the amount of patience and skill needed to get at the parts for future maintainence. But that seems to be the way most big brand laptops are now.

I do see that the Sagers can be accessed easily from the bottom, but the limited distribution, the $200 - $300 more than the G73jw, the keyboard layout, and the boxy appearance are putting me off of the newer 17" model.

If I knew somebody with a Sager, or could see one in a store, I might feel differently. But I've been using an Asus since '03, I like the way they look and feel in BB, and they do put together great specs for the money.

Ok, I'm going to hang back until I pull the trigger.

Have fun, all!

 

hello guys, does anyone know if the G73jw will be released with an i3 or i5 processor? The Asus website says so. Anyone can confirm it? bye !!! cheers!!!

 

mafia 2= all high apex physx=high aa on= avg fps=30 minimum fps can hit as low as 18 if aa off avg frame rate= 45

 

The JH was only released with those CPU options outside the US. Most likely the same will be true with the JW.

Cheers

 

All G73 i seen are with i7, so i doubt it, but you never know this new version has a more expensive gpu, so if bestbuy wants to maintain the price that the G73JH sold at, they might downgrade into a i5 (if asus supports it), i really doubt we will see i3 no matter what. I do expect a G53 i5 version though, either amazon/newegg or bestbuy.

 

I was one of the people having the sluggish webcam problem. It is still sluggish and I gave up on trying to find a fix for it. The mic seems to work fine, the cam is just slow to respond.

 

For those who have been complaining about the screen colo(u)r profile, Digital Versus claims to create color profiles for the screens that they review and they did so for the G73JH which shares the same screen as the W. You can find it on this page:

Asus - DigitalVersus

Barring using a custom profile, they mention that the Theater mode is the most accurate. You can definitely tell how blue the normal color mode is in comparison. However, the use of a color profile is annoying because anytime you hit the Splendid profile display you reset the color profile to default. In addition, the colors seem more subdued (particularly white) when using Theater or the above color profile.

So I would appreciate it if people could give their opinions about the accuracy of the profile. It does take a lot of time to get used to because the blues in the standard profile are way over done.

 

For tips on not bogging down your Windows 7 with more installations, just be aware of the things you check during installation. I know a lot of people just click through without really reading anything and make sure you read it. For example it might have a box that says "RUN IN BACKGROUND" or something. As for the drivers, it really comes down to what you think is suitable for your needs.

 

I never really liked using wipes because most of the time they clean all the smudges and fingerprints off but after a while there are streaks on the screen.

 

With nVidia Cards if the screen's colour is not up to your standards you can always crank up the contrast and saturation using Digital Vibrance in the control panel

 

Your save games and game levels will load faster. Not much difference in actual game performance in terms of FPS.

 

But then it's not accurate!

/me slowly adjusts Digital Vibrance.

Actually, Digital Vibrance doesn't help in this situation as it does not seem to change the temperature, just the saturation. I think that the picture looks a bit more subdued because the drop in blues makes the image warmer and the white looks less striking. Adjusting Digital Vibrance does not affect this because it is not adjusting one color more than another.

Also, I did run into something annoying. I have audio problems in Bioshock (run via Steam if that matters) when I enable EAX. What happens is that I get a sound that keeps repeating on a loop. Not too loud but its noticeable. The problem goes away if I turn of EAX.

 

Hey - I have sluggish web cam too! I tried it out this evening and its really doggy! Any fix?

Also, I've gone from a 15" screen to a 17.3" screen - so why do I now have to squint to read the text???!!! I tried adjusting the display in Control Panel, but the only option seems to be to increase the size of everything to 125%. making the desktop icons really large and ugly. Is there no way to re-size the text on all the menus/icons etc. but leave the icons small? I tried out the magnifier and that is simply awful!

Sigh. Any help appreciated!

 

Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

 

Hey Lostincanada, You can adjust your icon size by single clicking one of your desktop icons so it is highlighted...and then hold Ctrl and scroll your mouse wheel to increase or decrease size.

 

Im so happy, just got my ASUS G73JW-A1 yesterday, kinda sad i never had a chance to take video while unboxing it.

well first thank you to GentechPC Team, specially to Ken. I received the Notebook with in 4 Days, it so fast than i expected. so far so good I'm lovin' this book.

More Power NotebookReview and GentechPC Team!

Thanks again

:smile:

 

I had one of the worst types of fixes for the sluggish webcam - I don't know what I did.. heh.

It ran slowly when I first tried it out. Haven't tried it since. I read about similar issues just now, so I downloaded Cyberlink's YouCam trial, and it worked fine. Now Lifeframe works just fine as well... strange... I'll try to narrow it down.

 

>> Screen cleaning

Now that I think about it, you guys are right. The wipes to leave somewhat of a film/streaking. But I usually use a dry microfiber cloth to clean that off. So, wipes to clear the stuck on nastiness, and dry microfiber to clean the light residue. It's hard to say if it should be used on LCD panels. The light soap or detergent was great for CRTs, but not so great on LCD. I know alcohol reacts badly with some plastics, but I haven't seen any adverse affects with the wipes on my external LCD. Maybe I'm just not picky enough? Works perfectly for iPad, but then again, that screen's made of some aircraft-grade glass or something.

Popular mechanics has this to say about LCD cleaning solutions:

Kai Hui of MG Chemicals, makers of one of many available LCD cleaners, explains, "The main ingredient in most wipes on the market is water. There needs to be a small percentage of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to help get rid of the grease from busy fingers." Some LCD cleaning solutions may include up to 50 percent IPA, according to Hui, but any more than that could damage the screens. ​

So, unless you know the ratios of water:alcohol in the wipes, probably best to make one yourself. A lot cheaper to buy a butt load of IPA then to buy those LCD cleaning packages. I know from experience (as many of you do, I'm sure) that using simple water and a microfiber just doesn't do the trick sometimes.

 

Right click on the desktop and go to screen resolution, in the window that appears there should be a link that says Make text and other items larger or smaller, play around with that and see how it works.

If you can figure out how you fixed this and post it here, I would greater appreciate it.

 

Been playing around with removing programs, drivers, etc.. can't for the life of me figure out what I did. Maybe it's with a driver update? I know I ran all of the ASUS update/driver applications while digging for the disappointingly absent Blu-Ray player.

When I get home from out of state, I'm clean installing win7 pro, so I should hopefully find out then.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for this forum and everyone for posting.

So I plan to buy a G73JW but I'm from Canada, and it looks bloody difficult to find a retailer here, can you guys help me?

Cheers.

 

The OP has several retailers listed and most will ship to Canada. If you are looking for a local Canadian shop hopefully a friendly Canadian will respond.

Cheers,

 

There was either a link in these pages, or a link on a page linked to from here.. that has a download of an app from Asus that runs BluRay? I have it on mine. I'll see if I can find it and update this post.

(EDIT: It was on the complete walk through guide ( complete-walk-through-doing-clean-windows-7-install ), near the bottom.. link is WinDVD8_BD_80B20100_2ch.zip )

 

Chastity linked to the ASUS PowerDVD9 and her mirror (which is much faster)

Cheers,

 

I knew that but if you really need to improve the display's colours you can always get a colour calibration profile from some website or you can buy a screen calibrator.

 

What's the OP.

 

Original or Opening Post. The first post in the thread.

Cheers,

 

You may want to have a look at Anandtech test of the G73JH and compare their results with your display. The display panel on the JW is the same.

Here is the link to the display section:
ASUS G73Jh: Today's Top Gaming Laptop - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

By the way, if you don't have a monitor calibration device, I would redirect you to the excellent French website specialized among other on testing monitors.
Here is the English page of their G73JH review (check the display review section and the explanation about the profiles):
Asus G73Jh - DigitalVersus

And here is their specific calibration profile file for the G73JH:
Asus - DigitalVersus

After calibration, the DeltaE (colour difference) drops from 5.1 (Asus "Theater Mode") or 9 (Asus "Normal Mode") to 0.6.
Impressive!!

 

Daedalusdx:
GenTechPC or NCIX would be your best bet. But with GenTech, you pay a bit more due to the exchange rate plus shipping.


Hope that helps.

 

Hi there,
I'm in Canada too... I did my final sourcing on Shopbot - Compare prices - Canada - Price Comparison - Comparison Shopping search term: Asus G73jw and I recommend BestDirect.ca: Buy ASUS [G73JW-A1] ASUS G73JW-A1 17.3IN 1080P Core i7 740 Quad Core GeForce 460 8GB 1TB WIN7 PREM64 Blu Ray BT Notebook

That is the price I paid and they ship free anywhere in Canada. This is my second purchase from them and the customer service is great. You won't be able to customize it though, but I'm quite happy with this rig.

 

I'm going with GenTechPC because I want the extra upgrades and optional choices.

Increased RAM, therma paste, etc.

They ship to Canada for only $56 extra. Which to me isn't that bad.

 

True, but a point to consider is that many upgrades (ie RAM and hard drive - SSD) can be done by the owner at a later time. Just sayin... I guess it depends on what upgrades a person wants and how badly they want them!

I was happy with the price I paid, which was way cheaper than $US pricing/exhange/HST and shipping by comparison. Best Direct has the jw in stock and I had mine in 5 days - pretty good for a small northern town in the middle of nowhere!

I was totally prepared to buy the G53jw in the US if I could have found one in stock anywhere!

 

I guess that's a good point. I suppose I can just put the RAM in myself, but the thermal paste I'd rather get someone else to do as taking apart laptops isn't fun nor easy. A lot of small parts to lose.

 

Ok, I tried this using the touch pad (I ditched the mouse) and even enlarging the scroll zones I can't make this work. How can I do that with the touch pad - sans mouse? Isn't there a way to globally make separate choices between text, menus and icons rather than everything large or everything small?

 

Ahhhhh..... It's not so difficult! Even people like me who don't know anything can do it - all the information you need is on the internet (assuming you can access it... LOL) I changed out everything there is to change on my old nx6110 - motherboard, display, fan, memory, hard drive (many times!) and even soldered on a new usb port after searching all over North America for a month for the right dip/bend port for my board - only because HP told me my computer was scrap over a defective $3 part and I thought that was ridiculous.

Soon there will be step by step teardown instructions posted online - just wait!

 

Right click on the desktop and go to screen resolution, in the window that appears there should be a link that says Make text and other items larger or smaller, play around with that and see how it works.

 

Hi there,
I have played with what few options there are on those menus without success - hence my repeated post for answers! Where you have directed me is where I've already been - offers only everything large or everything small - no selectable customization. I want to be able to read the text without putting nose prints on the screan, but not at a price of having a handful of desktop icons eating up my entire 17.3" display! I'd like a little control over my own machine here...

Anyway, I welcome any further ideas...

 

Have you tried windows forums and windows specific tools like powertools (or something like that)? Best bet for windows customizations.

Cheers,

 

Just remember that one of the RAM slots is under the computer somewhere so you're going to have to take it apart to access the fourth slot!

 

That was what I posted in my post, a link to a calibration profile from DigitalVersus...

Actually, according to what I recall in the manual it's the third slot which makes even more annoying though given that it comes with all four slots filled makes it a moot point for us.

 

I tried this method with my touchpad and it worked. When I scrolled a image of a mouse wheel appeared. It is much easier with a external mouse though. Might I suggest that you use a mouse to get the settings right and then use your touchpad.

Whats nice about this feature is that it will increase or decrease the text of individual websites also. These settings will also remain even after a reboot. I use Firefox exclusively so I can't say if this works for IE or other browsers.