Asus N73JQ Owners' Lounge

I´m a new owner from yesterday and I must say that is great and awesome. It has FullHD display 1920x1080, 7400QM, 6GB RAM, 2x500GBHDD, tunner, bag and mouse was included just for 1318€......

 

A tuner? USB? Have you tried it? What's the brand?

Tell us about the high rez and how you plan to organize your drives.

Enjoy!

 

I am green with envy! I am $stilll in a $holding $pattern, but should be able to join you in a few weeks...

What's up with the 1920x1080? is that the N73JQ-(what?) What country are you in?

 

I was bought my Asus N73JQ-TZ086X from Czech Republic. They are selling in Slovak Republik too, but was not in stock.
It arrived with this spec:
*i7-7400QM, 17,3" FullHD ColorShine LED 1920x1080 glossy
*6GB DDR3 1333MHz (3 slots, max 12GB)
*1TB HDD (2x500GB Seagate Momentus 7200RPM)
*Blu-ray combo
*NVIDIA GeForce GT425M 1GB DDR3 VRAM, NVIDIA Optimus Technology
*2.0Mpix webcam, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
*Card reader 5 in 1
*D-sub, HDMI, 3x USB 2.0 (one is combine with e-sata), 1x USB 3.0
*Microphone-in, Headphone-out / SPDIF
*hybrid DVB-T tunner (analog and digital)
*numpad, 6 cell 4400 mAh
*bag, optic mouse.

Yesterday I exchanged one 500GB HDD for 128GB SSD Crucial RealSSD C300 and I must say, that is amazing. Much much faster like original HDD. Today I will make some test how fast is it.

Displey with FullHD rez is amazing too. Letters are a bit smaller, but my eyesight is still good. I will edit HD video so its need high resolution.

DVB-T tunner is great. I have much better signal like with my old USB DVB-T tunner. But it arrived without remote and without software, only driver was included. Works great with software from my old USB tunner.....Blaze HDTV Deluxe Player.

My impression is very very good after two days using. It has nice design, very quality sound, I think that best from all notebooks in this price categorie. Keyboard is not the best but is good. Dead pixels was not found.

Later I will post some pics and test results.

This "book" is

 

I'm thinking of buying a N73-A2 online, but was wondering about the reliability of B&H Photo and Video. They seem to have a decent price and a nice extended warranty that covers spills. Anyone have any opinions/input about them and their warranty?

 

I was in such a hurry that I went through Amazon to use buy dot com; they had the N73Jq-A2 in stock and about $70 cheaper than the backorder price on Amazon. However, the package was delivered without any external packaging and it was kind of dirty, like it might have been rubbing against the inside of the delivery truck's metal wall during the trip. I've had zero problems with the unit, but still remember that dirty box.

I've had great luck ordering directly through Amazon (not a partner), and they put up with quite a few returns during my prolonged laptop buying adventure. Now their price seems to be as low as anybody's, and they have the N73's in stock. My current old desktop and my wife's Acer came from the Big River.

B&H is an old name, but, personally, I would be hesitant to go with anybody for a first order that costs so much. I bought a lot of little things off of amazon before trusting them to buy computers.

On the other hand, there are several resellers mentioned over and over again in these forums, generally with strong approval. In fact, both gentech and xoticpc answered a lot of questions I had about Asus computers. And I believe they also have the N73's in stock now (which they didn't when I was itching to pull the trigger, unfortunately). Their competitive pricing, personal service, and actual knowledge of what they are selling seem hard to beat.

*******************************************************

On another topic, I bit the bullet and ordered the Windows 7 Ultimate anytime upgrade key. I justified it because a few of its features will show up on the CompTIA A+ exam, and I do need BitLocker for personal data protection, especially for stuff on flash drives. Plus, who knows, maybe I'll be able to run my beloved CINEMANIA 95, an old unabridged dictionary, and AmiPro (which I think became Lotus Word). Rockin' with the ages, eh?


Ok. Back to studying for the exam!

 

Did you get the SquareTrade warranty?

 

Just a personal thing about extended warranties: I believe that, mathmatically, they don't pay. If you add up what you pay every time you accept a warranty offer and compare it to what you get in return, say, over a 20 year period, I think you don't get your money back.

Sure, on a specific item, you might wish you had bought it, but what about all the times you don't need it? Say you buy a car, a computer, a washer and dryer, and an HDTV, and you pay for extended warranties on all of them. You are adding another 20%, 25%, or more to your total purchases. Are you going to get that much back? And what about deductibles and fees? Plus where I live we pay sales tax on the extended warranty.

Another way to look at it: casinos don't make money by playing games they will lose money on over the long run, right? Same with the extended warranty companies.

Get where I'm going? I am hoping that Asus quality and the two year warranty that goes along with the "A" series cover me.

So, no, I didn't go for it.

 

Hi, I'm new in this site and I've been reading a lot about N61JQ-B2 and N73JQ-A2, I like more the N73JQ by the difference against the N61JQ of RAM, style and screen but I have several concerns that I care and not allow me to decide entirely by the N73:

1-How much renders the Nvidia GT425M (of N73) compared to ATI HD5730 (of N61), I was seeing some reviews of graphics cards but I don't know if it really is so obvious the difference between choosing a N73 from N61.

2- Can the HDMI port transmit 1080p content to FHD TV or only in 720P?.

3-The RAM comes with 1066 or 1333MHz?, What score Windows give to the RAM and overall laptop performance?.

Thanks to people who can answer my questions, I'm really interested in buying the laptop but I am hesitant to some of the statements I mentioned earlier. Greetings!. And sorry for my English.

 

1- the difference is there. noticeable or not is up to debate, being the 5730 more powerful.

3- the clock of the RAM is not one thing that is really going to matter at all. Since that the clock is higher but also the CAS.

 

vanuatu, my Winows Experience index is in the thumbnail below.

RAM is 1333MHz; the nVidia finds the right max rez for the TV automatically, apparenly. Mine hooked up at 1080p immediately; I just have to toggle the sound from internal to digital-out when running Media Player. Somehow, the Cyberlink BD Suite does it automatically.


Windows 7 Ultimate's XP Mode is running great! My N73 came with XP drivers! And, yes, I was able to run my favorite old program, Microsoft Cinemana 95, a CD that combines several excellent film encyclopedias with a great search engine and plenty of pics of the stars. It runs very smoothly. I'll be trying other oldies next week.

 

Just got my new N73jq yesterday. After searching for a new laptop for over a month, it's great to see a model with such a quality feel! (I tried an HP d7 for about two weeks and couldn't believe how much the build quality has deteriorated since my 3-yr old dv9500...which recently failed. )

It looks like the ASUS will be be a keeper, which is a huge relief. It looks fantastic, runs pretty fast (though warm), and seems nice and quiet. But I can't believe how much crapware they put on these things these days. Seriously, this is just getting ridiculous. I bet a lot of folks would pay an extra $25 or so to just get a clean machine with all that stuff on a CD, so they can simply install it if they actually want it.

The first order of business is installing a second HDD. From some previous posts here, it sounds like the unit is shipped without a drive caddy in the second bay. I haven't dismantled it yet to see for myself, so please correct me if I'm wrong about that. Assuming I'm not....

Does anyone know where I can order that drive caddy? Is there a compatible ASUS model so I can broaden my search?

This is rather urgent, in that I always set up two-drive systems with all data (and a system image backup) on the second drive. So I can't really start installing all my programs and getting this thing customized until the two drives are set.

Finally, I'll do a clean Windows 7 Pro install. I saw some comments about using a Synaptic driver for the touchpad (rather than the Elan).....are they really interchangeable? The Elan seems functional enough, but I've used Synaptic for years and know their software very well, so if I can use that, I'd just as soon do it. (I'm lazy....one less new thing to learn! )

Any help on the drive caddy greatly appreciated! Any other feedback, advice, or comments about N73 setup also welcome.

________________________________________________________________________________________

EDIT: The same drive caddy (ASUS Part # 13GZX10M10X-1) is used in both drive bays. I found one vendor that has it, but it's in Europe and charges 3x the part's price for shipping! So....I opted for the creative (cheap) approach. I pulled a drive bracket from a defunct Toshiba I had lying around and, with a few modifications, made it work just fine in the N73's drive bay.

For any others that need to fashion their own bracket, the key thing to note about the OEM drive bracket is that raises the drive well above the bottom surface of the drive bay. Any solution needs to replicate this, or you could potentially put some strain on the SATA connector.

 

Brody, thanks for the HDD bracket tip, especially regarding seating it properly. There is a bracket similar to the installed one on the Asus Store website for around $18, but the part number, 13GNER1AM021, is not identical. Plus, it is in stock one day and out the next. I have not tried it.

The part number suggests "generic," but that could just be an accident of inventory numbering!

Searching on the estore site can be frustrating. I found this one by using the term "bracket," then looking at the pictures. I never have luck with the part number.

If you could post a pic or two of your "modifications," that would be way cool. If you've already closed up the machine, fuhget about it.

Have you thought about an SSD? Will you be able to disable the secondary HDD from Windows to save battery power? (If you do have a primary SSD and could disable the secondary, you could move the machine around a little when it's powered up, right? I mean the secondary would be parked safely, right?)

Enjoy your new baby/toy/pet/machine!

 

Hi Cary, thanks for the info about the bracket. I decided that I really don't need the OEM bracket since my makeshift solution seems to work just fine, so I'll only buy one if they become readily available and are pretty cheap. The one advantage that the OEM bracket would still offer is faster drive swapping.

I have already closed up the machine, but I'm a tinkerer and I'm sure I'll have some reason to open it again soon D), so I'll take some photos then. I found it interesting how the three memory chips are not together....one on the top and two on the bottom. Never seen anything like that before. Next time I open it, I'll probably try to dig a little deeper and see how hard it is to get to the cooling fans. In my experience, those get pretty filthy in laptops, so I like to open mine up and clean them every few months.

Yeah, I've definitely been contemplating an SSD.....I'd love to see whether these reports of blazing fast Windows startups, etc., are true! (Plus I just like new tech toys.) But ultimately, I've decided (for now) to use the 250Gb WD Scorpio that I bought for my HP less than a year ago. I created a 120Gb partition to use as my system & programs drive, anticipating the potential move to a 120-128Gb SSD. When I want to switch to an SSD, that'll make it super easy to simply image onto the new drive. I thought it'd be fun to set it up this way, with a good HDD, measure the speed of a bunch of typical processes, and then measure again when I put in an SSD. I'll most certainly report back on that when I do.

Unlike many notebook users, battery life is a non-issue for me. I almost always use my machine on AC power, but I can see how the lower power consumption of SSD drives, along with the relative efficiency of LED displays (which I don't like,BTW ) and the newer processors, should really be a boon for those that need the longest possible battery life in their notebooks.

Today, I'm waiting on UPS to bring the new copy of Win 7 Pro. Once I get that installed, I'll be good to go and yes, I most certainly will be enjoying my new toy!

 

Despite pressing exams, I couldn't resist trying out BitLocker in Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows doesn't see a TPM chip, and there is nothing in the BIOS to enable it.

EDIT: I deleted what I wrote about the BitLocker performance because BitLocker behaves strangely. First, I think the the new SDHC card I popped in was FAT32 formatted, but I'm not sure. I thoght BitLocker wouldn't work with FAT32, so that may explain why it took over 40 mins to encrypt the empty SDHC. When I formatted the SDHC for NTFS, the encryption took less than 20 minutes.

Now I'm trying to back up about 6GB of sensitive data to the BitLocker encrypted SDHC (roughly 10k files), and it is taking forever and giving wildly varying estimates of completion, like 9 hours and then 2 hours, then 27 mins, etc. ****It actually took about 30 minutes.****

ANOTHER EDIT: My other machines (XP and W7 HP) will NOT recognize an NTFS formatted BitLocker SDHC. Postings on Microsoft's support sites seem to confirm this is a known issue. So, for BitLocker To Go to really be "To Go," formatting must be FAT. Geesh.

With or wihout BitLocker, I do like having that SDHC card because it adds quick, handy backup and keeps dust out of the slot. I think it fits well enough to just leave in; that is, I don't have to worry about it popping out when I put the laptop into a carrying case. Will tension on that little spring in the slot cause problems after a few years? Eh, how many things can we fret about?

 

I've never really seen any use for Bitlocker on my own machines. I don't take my notebook around with me much, so I'm not apt to lose it. A friend works at Boeing and one of their work laptops was stolen from his truck about two years ago....I suppose those are the kinds of scenarios it was intended for. (He wasn't fired, but I think it gave him an ulcer or two....it was a pretty big deal.)

Cary, do you think the wireless card upgrade is worth it? I've always had Intel cards in my notebooks, so I was a little wary of the Atheros (or whatever it it) in the ASUS.....but it seems to work okay. I see that Newegg has the TOTL Intel 6300 card for about $40 shipped. I do use a dual band D-Link router, so I'm wondering if it'd make a difference. Also, when I had the N73 open, I noticed that it uses just two antennae. Does that create any issues for three-antennae cards?

 

I'm happy I did the upgrade, but the performance enhancements were not mind-blowing. A little faster out in public (say 1.6Mbps vs 1.1Mbps on heavily used hotspots) and also at home with file transfers in the same room as my D-Link (I'm now getting about 9 - 10MegaBYTEs per sec vs 6-7MBytes per sec on the old Atheros). I haven't done a systematic distance check, but I get more bars around the house and just outside.

And I'm ready for dual-band.

I did "imagine" that the Intel adapter would be better for streaming Netflix and all, but I like my machine too much to be using it every night to just watch movies. I do have a DVD player!

I haven't read anything on this forum or around the Web that says the 6300 has problems with a two-antennae rig; a few people wrote about getting it to work, but right now Amazon has the 6200 for just under $25. Fast shipping. I actually got two from Beach Camera through Amazon for about the same price a month ago.

But no matter what, if you are mostly surfing the Web at home, you are going to hit your max download and upload limits with the Atheros, I believe.

Funny how many people wrote about installing the 6200 but posted no numbers.

O....K....I WILL...........study..........now.

 

Sure....you....will!

 

Hi, can any one help me with two questions.

I own an N73JQ. I want to replace my current charger because the one I have right now is so huge making it very inconvenient to carry it around.

The output of my current charger is 19V===6.32A. I have another charge which is tiny comparing to this, its output is 19V===2.1A. Will it work? If not, any alternative that I can buy?

================================
Another question is I find the keyboard is not very easy to use, specifically the direction keys and the number pad are very difficult to type. Is there anything that I can purchase to replace the current keyboard?

Thanks in advance.

 

No, do not replace the charger with one that does not have the same output as the OEM charger. A big, heavy charger/AC adapter is pretty typical of most laptops these days. (Except for Apple.....they have proven that it's possible to power a hi-end machine without the massive brick, so I don't know why the PC laptop makers won't follow suit. ) If you can find something smaller...with identical output.....you could use it. But that would be a lucky find.

You could get a wireless external keyboard to use with your N73. Seems a little cumbersome to me, but if you really don't like using the built-in one, that's your best bet.

 

Thank you for the reply. Do you think this charger will work?

Amazon.com: Targus Compact Laptop Charger (AC) APA69US (Black): Electronics

Looking at the picture, it's pretty slim, but I couldn't find information about its output.

 

As you note, there's no information about its output, which is the important part. So there's really no way to evaluate its compatibility at all.

A replacement AC adapter needs to have not just a tip that fits your laptop's jack, but the same output voltage as the OEM adapter. If it has too little, the battery won't charge.....and if it's too much, you risk serious damage the to laptop itself. With the amperage, you have a little more leeway. If it's lower than the OEM rating, it likely won't charge the battery properly. (And it's very apt to overheat in the process.) That's why the one you asked about in your first post won't work.....it was smaller, yes, but that's because it only provided about 1/3 the amperage of the ASUS adapter. The amperage can go a little higher than the OEM charger, in which case the laptop simply doesn't use all the power it provides. But as the amperage rating goes up, the "brick size" does too....so you may end up with something like the OEM charger anyway.

 

Hi all. I ordred mine from Xotic-PC last week and am getting/waiting for Xotic to get the brackets in for a 2nd harddrive (500GB). I'm thinking about getting the IC Diamond Thermal Compound for the CPU & GPU. It's only $35. I'm not really a gamer, but that doesn't mean I won't be playing some games. I will be watching movies, music and such on the web. This is my frist laptop and not sure if adding a second harddrive is going to raise the heat any inside the case. Or would I be better off getting a cooler? Or maybe I don't need either of the two? Any thought's or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

The HDD cooling on these units is excellent, in that there's an open "grill" directly over each drive bay. As long as you don;t block the cooling in/outtake vents, it should be fine. You don't really need that drive bracket for the second bay, and they're hard to find. You may have to wait a long time..... I would just have them send it as is and install your own HDD. It's easy.

I've built many computer systems and used lots of different thermal compounds, and honestly, I think those $35-45 "thermal upgrade" options are a scam. A manufacturer isn't going to use crappy compound to begin with....if the CPU overheats and fries, it's their warranty that would have to cover it. Only the most serious power-users of the most seriously-overclocked systems would have any reason to try and cool the CPU a couple more degrees. Not an issue for the vast majority of us.

Also, in a "pre-made" computer like your new ASUS, such an upgrade is an aftermarket mod that involves somebody (not ASUS) dismantling the whole system. This is very different from, say, just opening it up to add a hard drive or add memory. Laptops have integrated cooling systems that are usually attached directly to the M/B and lock over the CPU & GPU. All of that has to be removed to get at the CPU, which then has to be pulled and cleaned (along with the heatsink) before applying a new dab of thermal compound. Do you trust this aftermarket seller to do a good job of that? Who covers the warranty then....will ASUS replace it if the aftermarket mod is done poorly and the system overheats and fries? Not worth the supposed benefits, nor the risk, IMHO.

 

Thanks for the advice BrodyBoy,
That was my feeling also on the "thermal upgrade" options. But seeing this was my frist laptop. I wanted to ckeck. I'll give them a call about the bracket on Monday and if is going to take any longer than a week to get in. I'll have them ship it out to me asap. I'll have them send the 2nd drive and as soon as the brackets hit the market I'll grab on and install it. Not to sure if i would want to install it without one. Again, thanks for the advice.

 

Please let us know if you have any luck getting the extra bracket. I still haven't even used mine because I am waiting on this part and no one seems to be able to get it.

 

I don't think the little bit of weight and bulk saved would be worth it. The Core i7 and the nVidia GPU need lots of clean, consistent power. I wouldn't use anything except an exact match.

Did you ever follow any of those endless problem threads about companies shipping undersized power supplies with the first i7 laptops? They finally straightened it out, but all they had to do in the first place was add up the watts consumed by the parts to see 60W and even 90W weren't adequate.

Plus, just for a little bit of added safety, I use an APC inline surge protector.

***************************

Now that I've got the SDHC formatted FAT32, BitLocker To-Go works great on XP and W7 HE machines.

I don't personally need the TPM, but I am curious: Asus's support site suggests that variants of this model have a TPM chip; can it be added to the motherboard, or is it built in?

Also, the N73Jq runs XP Mode very, very fast.

A lot of features attracted me to this laptop, but the stability of the system is...well, I don't want to praise it too much. So far, so good. I'm looking forward to really putting it to work next year with photo and vid processing and web design!

 

I made 6-8 phone calls to different vendor's. None had the bracket. I heard anywhere from a week to 2 weeks. The gal at Xotic-PC I spoke to said "no-one really knows" but hoprfully in a couple of weeks. My gut feeling is it will be after the holidays. I'll let you know as soon as I find one and hope you and others will do the same.

 

I sure will.

 

Has anybody tried to order the 13GNER1AM021 bracket from Asus? Looks very close to the bracket in my machine.

It shows in stock.

 

Why is a bracket required? Doesn't this laptop already come with two HDs pre-installed? Sorry for the dumb question

Btw I am thinking of buying the same laptop (with 1920 x 1080) screen. I live in Switzerland (Europe) and I have narrowed my potential laptop down to following 4 laptops. Intended use is 3d and 2d design work. 3d rendering part will be done on desktop machine but still it's good to have the power. I don't play any games. I just want a solid and reliable machine from a trustworthy manufacturer.

I used this link to compare them next to each other. It's in German but should not be a problem to understand the tech terms.
Edit- English translated version.

Asus G73JW is out of the running as the price is too high for me. Seems like it had the best cooling though.

That leaves the Asus N73JQ and the two Sonys. Asus N73JQ has 2 Hd's which is handy for Photoshop scratch disk. Is there any reason you see I should buy one of the Sony machines over the Asus N73JQ?

I won't be travelling daily with the laptop. It would be more like 2 time a year when I am away from home for 2-3 weeks + maybe 1-2 times a month when I work out of office but in the same city. Or when I visit a client.

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

HELP!!!

Just got my shiny new N73JQ-A2 last night. LED's and trackpad wouldn't work. No problem...ribbon cables right? Right. Except I literally ripped off the RAM / HDD access panel and now that access panel is damaged. I have searched all over, but can't find a supplier with the RAM / HDD access panels for sale. PLEASE HELP REMEDY MY STUPIDITY!!!

 

Thanks to -=$tR|k3r=- I stopped just before doing what you did. He told me not to panic, and then Ken Lee of Gentech very generously posted the access instructions. And Asus shortly after that emailed them to me.

So, the same advice to you. Relax, be patient. It is just an access panel. I'm sure if you register your notebook with Asus, start a service request, and pay for the part, they will send it to you. Worst case scenario, they, for whatever reason, make you ship the laptop to them.

Good luck!

 

Some configurations do, some don't. The configurations that come with one HDD do not have a drive bracket in the second bay.

Well, you're obviously posting your question in the N73 Owners' Lounge....so you're talking to N73 owners. We have already made our choice and chose the N73 over Sonys and all other contenders.

Specs vs. Usability: Speaking only for myself, the hardware specs of a laptop are almost secondary, in that you can easily come up with a list of models that meet your hardware specs. What it comes down to....for me...is the implementation. Example: I tried an HP model with almost the exact same hardware as the N73 I'm currently typing on. Same LED panel size & resolution, same processor, same RAM, similar HDD configuration. But it was a very different user experience. Within 10 minutes of powering it up, I think I already knew that I could never get comfortable with it. (I tried for two weeks. Couldn't stand it.) It was a beautiful-looking laptop, but very awkward to use. Ideally, it would be best to just try the models you're considering, and see if the look & feel is something you like. The keyboard, touchpad, and display are the components you'll actually interact with all the time, so you need to like those or you'll never like the laptop....no matter what the spec sheet says.

Touchpad: I do think the N73's touchpad is especially smooth compared to other laptops I considered. I do enough photo editing that jumpy or course cursor control is very noticeable and annoying, and this one has none of that. Its hard buttons are a little stiff, but newer touchpad software seems geared toward not using the buttons anyway (two-finger tap, three-finger tap, etc.), so I can live with that. I'm still getting used to it, but I don't anticipate any problems becoming completely comfortable with it very soon.

Keyboard: The keyboard is, to me, one of the N73's minor weaknesses. It's pretty flimsy and not well laid-out. Even though they had a lot of width to work with, ASUS designers chose to clump all the keys together, with no separation for the numerical keypad, and shift the whole thing off-center to the right, apparently to accommodate a nearly 2" wide space on the left side for the six little volume & transport keys. I would much rather have seen those keys above the keyboard, where most laptops put them, and use all that width for a more user-friendly keyboard layout. Also, the keyboard is a very thin unit and it feels a little "mushy" because of the way it sits against the metal surface under it. I will probably find a way to modify this, to make it feel more solidly attached to the rest of the computer. I'm thinking some thin foam tape might do the trick.

Hard Drives: In terms of HDDs, they are so cheap and easy to install in most laptops that I wouldn't let that be a factor in your decision. If you will ever want two HDDs, just make sure the models you consider have two bays, regardless whether the second drive is actually included. You can always add one if the model you like best happens to ship with one drive and one open bay.

Durability: Only time will tell, but the ASUS has a pretty solid feel to it. I'm hopeful that I can get 2-3 years of trouble-free use out of it. From what I can tell, it appears to have a very effective cooling system, which I think makes a difference in the long run. Overworked fans wear out, and over time, hundreds of excessive-heat cycles can take their toll on connectors and chips. I haven't peeked inside any of the newer Sonys, so I can't compare on that front, though I have read some reports of noisy fans in them. That would concern me...not just because it's annoying, but because it makes me think the fan has to work too hard. Otherwise, I did think the Sonys I demo'd in the store had a very nice, solid feel to them.

I don't know if any of that helps at all, but those are my early impressions of the N73. Perhaps asking Sony owners for comment on the models you're considering would be the best way to gather the comparative feedback you're seeking.

 

Hey BrodyBoy thanks for the reply. Yeah my particular laptop will already come with 2 x 500GB Hds in it. So I guess I don't need to worry about that side.

I will be using external keyboard mostly and mouse. I could never survive on touchpad for my 3d and 2d design work.

So feel is important but most important for me is power of the components, cooling and reliability.

1- So for CPU i7 4core/8threads is a must
2- 6+GB RAM must
3- Win7 64 bit must
4- Matt screen preferable but I have to compromise
5- 1920 x 1200 rez preferable but must compromise to 1920 x 1080
6- 2 x 7200rpm HD preferable and Asus has it.
7- Powerful Nvidia based card preferable- It does not have the most powerful one but it will do.

What I don't understand is why is Asus G73JW so much more expensive than Asus N73JQ? The specs are almost identical. The only difference I see between the two is-

- Video card nVidia GeForce GT 425M 1GB (Optimus) vs nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB GDDR5
- 6GB vs 8gb ram that comes pre installed. Asus N73JQ is capable of 12GB max while G73JW seems to max out at 8GB.
- cooling seems to be better on the G73.

Still in comparison N73JQ seems like a steal.

I would like to do a clean install of the OS. It seems the laptop does not come with proper OS CD? How do you manage to do a clean install then without all the bloat and junk software?

 

It doesn't come with an OS disc at all...nor a recovery disc. In my case, I considered the OS an extra cost from the outset....with whatever laptop I bought.

After imaging the OEM system drive, just to have that backup, I moved that drive to the second bay. I installed a clean WD drive, set it as the primary boot drive, and proceeded to install Win 7 Pro on it. Once that was set up (with the gazillion updates it always seems to require ), I added just the ASUS drivers and utilities that I actually wanted.

As it is right now, since the OEM drive is still in bay 2, I can actually boot from either one. That made it especially easy to go check on what many of the ASUS utilities did when deciding whether I wanted them. (In a nutshell...most of them are useless, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary.)

Clean installations are always so much faster and glitch-free than manufacturers' set-ups that I wouldn't even consider doing it any other way. Since I think I'll probably get an SSD pretty soon to replace the system drive, I'll use the Western Digital HDD I added as the data drive and just pull the OEM drive. (It's kind of a mediocre Seagate anyway.)

 

Or you can follow these instructions:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

My N73Jq came with two DVDs, one with Windows 7 complete drivers, and one with XP drivers. I can use those XP drivers for XP mode, if needed!

Once you've done the clean intall of Windows 7, the drivers DVD practically installs itself. Whole operation went very smoothly.

One way to avoid phone activation: Enter the product key that you paid for with your purchase of the laptop AFTER completing the install, not during. This seems to allow for the usual, speedy online activation. But even if you have to do the phone activation, it's very easy too.

 

Hey Cary, I see that you're using Win 7 Ultimate on yours. Did you do the MS "anytime upgrade" thing, or a clean install? The method you mention may work (though I'm personally wary of third-party manipulations and "hacks" when it comes to the OS), but you're limited to the same Win version that came with the system unless you buy an upgrade key.

 

I am wonder if it's possible to enable boot from USB from this laptop? I have tried from BIOS but I couldn't find anything.

 

Brody, regarding the Windows 7 ISO, Read through the post before you call it a hack, please.

I bought my upgrade key from Amazon.

Yes, deak, it is in the BIOS. Look again, take your time. I did it to run Memtest86 when I added more RAM. And you can wake your laptop from LAN too.

 

Hmm! I find laptop manufacturers not providing at least an OEM OS CD really ! Add to that all these glossy/reflective screens

I have Win7 64 bit pro OEM CD from my desktop. Could I not use that to install and skip the inserting the key part during the installation? Then once it is installed I enter it during activation and use the Win7 ultimate key that comes with the laptop? Will that work?

Downloading the bootable CD from that link sounds too complicated and I can see myself messing it up!

I re-read the link posted earlier and this sub link has clear instructions so I shall be able to do it I suppose.

 

Okay, sorry my choice of words offended. I'm familiar with that method already, and I simply meant that MS writes the software to be installed just a few different ways....full retail, upgrade, or OPK. They provide versions of the software for each. User-created alternatives may not warrant the "h" word (in the Julian Assange sense of the term!), but OS installation is complex and I simply prefer to source the software from sources I know and trust.

You know, an even easier approach, within this vein, is to just use any Windows installation disc (appropriate to the installation type) and input the ASUS OEM product key during installation. So if someone wants to do a clean install without buying the program, and they know anybody with a copy of Windows, they can use the borrowed disc for the clean install and use their already-purchased ASUS key. (Upgrade versions do not not work.)

 

BrodyBoy so will my method work? Using Win 7 64 bit Pro CD to install the OS and then using Laptop supplied Win 7 Ultimate Key to activate it? Or are you saying that I need to have exact same CD as the key I possess? Meaning as the laptop would have Win Ultimate 7 64 bit key so I need to find a Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate CD too?

 

Brody, no problem. The .iso worked great for me, activation went smoothly, and so did my Ultimate upgrade. I'm grateful that v3loc1ty2.0 put it out there for us.

And, by the way, very nice summation of reasons you went with the N73Jq.

************************

And, oh yeah, I passed the A+ certification exams today! Yes, it is entry level, but it also substitutes for six credits towards my network engineering degree.

Having Win 7 Ulitmate to use at home did help me score a few extra points on the exams, especially in the areas of data encryption and file permissions...and gpedit.msc.

 

@Cary: Congrats! So you really DID study!

I set up Windows computers frequently, so I have lots of various Windows discs laying around because I have to be pretty stringent about using the correct (i.e., legal ) method for each installation. I suppose I forget that it's sometimes hard for many users to access this software when they need it. It really shouldn't be that hard, so it's good that users have a source like v3loc1ty2.0 when they have no other access.

Microsoft has nailed down the activation process pretty well at this point, so it's practically impossible for people to "cheat" their way into free operating systems. Given that, I don't see why every OEM computer doesn't just come with a Windows disc. Manufacturers could still ship with all their bloatware installed, and most users would just leave it at that. But for those who want a clean installation, they could... should...have an easy way to re-install the operating system that they just paid for.

@lap_lap: It depends on the Windows disc you have. When you say "OEM," do you literally mean a Windows OEM disc that you bought? Or do you mean one of those that HP, for example, provides for system recovery? The latter would not work, as it would include an array of drivers for that other computer, and hardware checks that only allow installation on the manufacturer's intended system.

If you have a Win 7 Pro OEM disc, I'm not sure whether it would work or not as I haven't tried that combination, but I suspect that it would. Your key is an OEM key, the install disc is an OEM disc. It's easy and risk-free to try it out. There are two possibilities:
(1) Go ahead and install from the OEM disc and use the Ultimate Key during installation. Be sure to uncheck the automatic activation checkbox. If your OEM Win disc doesn't allow the upgrade, it will reject the key immediately and you won't be able to continue. In that case, I'd go to...

(2) Install from the OEM disc using the key that came with it. BE SURE TO NOT ACTIVATE. After you complete the installation, try changing to your Ultimate key in the computer properties page.

As long as you uncheck the automatic activation option during installation, there's no harm in trying these options.

 

Yeah it's an OEM CD I bought myself for my desktop machine. I build my own workstation so no pre built HP type of cr@p for me

Yeah I always uncheck the automatic activation thing. Anyway I have the bootable Win7 CD now from the link that was posted. This very second I finished burning it. Now I just need the laptop LOL

So just to be mentally prepared. My N73JQ will already have 2 HDs. So I guess

HD1- Will have OS on it.
HD2- Will be 100% empty?

So which of the following shall I do?

a) Remove HD1 and install Win7 on HD2 and then format HD1.
b) Format HD1 and just directly install Win 7 on it straight away and be done?

What software did you use to make image of your OEM system drive? Did it fit in one dvd?

 

It's entirely up to you how you want to use the drives. My choice was to install the new OS on an empty drive, leaving the ASUS OEM drive intact. I used Win 7's Backup & Restore utility, which works quite well. The image file is compressed, but it's still big. I think it uses about 25Gb of disc space.

If you decide to save a system image, you could use several DVDs. Other options include putting it on an external HDD, putting it on the second drive, or (this is what I did, since I had just one HDD in there at the time) you can create a partition on the same HDD and save it there.

Might be easier to show you what I mean. Here's a snapshot of my drives from Windows' Disk Management utility:



"Disk 0" is the original HDD that came with my N73. You can see the original System Reserve and OS partitions are still there, but I shrunk the OS partition by about 350Gb and created a new volume, which I labeled "Data," in the newly unallocated space. I saved the system image file there.

I did it that way because I'm impatient. Saving images to external drives or DVDs is a lot slower than saving to an internal SATA drive. Later, when I wasn't hurrying to put the new HDD in and get the new OS installed, I did copy the system image to an external HDD.

If I weren't getting another drive, I would just completely reformat Disk 0 and use it as my Data volume. But when I install the new SSD, I'll need to figure out what HDD I want to put in bay 2 as my data drive. I haven't decided about that yet.

 

Thank you, but what's the name of the setting? I looked through the "Boot" tab several times before posting to this thread, but no luck. Did you run Memtest86 from CD-ROM or USB stick?

 

Deak, I'm sorry my previous reply was not helpful. This morning when I took another look at the BIOS, I realized it is a little tricky, something I forgot because I added the option a month ago.

First, make sure your power cable is plugged in. If you are in the BIOS, you won't get a warning when the battery dies, you just lose whatever you were doing.

Here's the trick: You must first insert a bootable USB device into a USB port, otherwise, the BIOS won't offer you that option.

Boot the computer with the bootable USB inserted and tap F2 to get to the BIOS setup screen.

Go to the BOOT tab. Use your arrow key to skip down the menu to ADD NEW BOOT OPTION.

When you select ADD NEW BOOT OPTION, you might get the message, "Warning Not Found." Just enter to select "OK."

Now you are at the BOOT OPTION MENU. Highlight "Add Boot Option" and hit enter. A space to name your boot option comes up, so go ahead and name it something like "USB Drive."

Next, for "Select File System," just accept what is shown when you hit enter.

Then, for "Path for Boot Option," simply enter a backward slash ( \ ).

Finally, highlight "Create" and enter.

Hit ESC to get back to the main BOOT menu. You should now see your new option of "USB Drive" listed. Here you can also set the boot order according to the instructions over on the right side of the screen.

Save your changes and exit. You should now be able to boot from a bootable USB drive.

If you remove the USB drive and look at the BIOS setup again, you will see that your "USB Drive" boot option is still there.

As far as I can see, this BIOS does not provide a simple Boot Options splash when you hit F12 during a boot. Instead, you have to enter the BIOS and go to the SAVE & EXIT tab on the far right to see your Boot Options. This is a little surprising, and I hope Asus fixes this in any BIOS update.

Ok, I hope this works for you. Please let us know how it went!

 

I inserted an Ubuntu bootable USB stick, but "ADD NEW BOOT OPTION" still does not show. Is any special boot disk I need to create? Tried to create Memtest86 USB boot drive, but got error message said 64bit windows is not supporter.

Edit:

Got Memtest86 working and recognized by the BIOS, I think it's the problem with the Ubuntu boot disk. Will post update if problem is solved.