Sunny's G51VX-RX05 Review

Looks like I may get the G51 after all with cooler. Doesn't seem too bad.

 

Guys im going for the g51, at BB.

Thank you all.
HOPE IT DOESN'T OVERHEAT, if im paying over 1k for a laptop, it had better last me at least 4 years in college...

 

I'm going for the cooler, a 2-3 year warranty, and the laptop.

cooler for lower temps, fps_max 50 for all steam games, and then the warranty for when the thing overheats which it shouldn't, since asus built the system knowing about the high temps.

 

Guys, if you have American Express card, use it. I dunno about asus warranty but whether asus gives you 1 or 2 years warranty, simply using your AE card will extend your warranty another year making it either 2 or 3 years. If there are any problem outside the asus coverage, simply call AE, they will take care of you, you can read about their electronic warranty on their web site. NO EXTRA CHARGE!

 

hey i just traded out my downclocking 71 for the 51 they gave me 100 dollars off but the would only do it if you bought the 180 dollar 2 year warranty but basically your getting the warranty for 80 bucks i would ask them about that since these things get so hot i would want the warranty

 

woah, where is this policy?? Do you have a link? It sounds awesome, so all I have to do is use an AE card?

 

Wait i read the policy, but how do you know its actually working, or how do you know that you have the warranty active??

 

Heh its all over this website, HP boys are all over it too lol. Mastercard has a similar program as well. The warranty extension is through your card company but AE is pretty good.

 

btw, what is the best laptop cooler at BB for this g51?

 

Ok so mastercard has it too, but how do you claim it? After 2 years, do you call them if anything breaks or what???

 

Thanks for the intel. I was gonna go cash but this is sweet. Especially if it works at BB, just a freaking bonus.

 

what cooler are you using?

 

He stated he was using the NC2000 in another thread.

 

I'm going to build a custom cooling device for this laptop. pics up soon.

 

Any idea of when or if this will come to the UK?

 

Just bought a g51!!!!!!
I was at BB at 11:00AM this morning hahahaha

 

Some websites are saying Mid-July, others say September. I'm in the same boat as you.
I can't wait, and hope that we get the higher specs ones at a fairly decent price as well. It better be mid-July!!

 

No doubt well get shafted and will have to pay a premium Also.. why is it using DDR2? Can it take DDR3?

 

Oh and can someone whos got one of these put up a review on YouTube? That'll be great

 

only ddr2 ram modules can be used

 

Very small difference between DDR2 and DDR3 - only benefit is DDR3 might consume a bit less power. DDR3 is also still quite expensive. Not worth it imo.

 

hm okay, i played through the entire bioshock demo and only got 85c this time as opposed to the 91c last time. weird, eh? didn't change anything graphically. tried the arma2 demo and getting similar temps. couldn't play that game very well, though. on the default high i was getting 20-30 fps and the game doesn't even look that good. might not be optimized very well.

 

And it's faster in some scenarios...

But, no offense, but where are you getting that it is still "quite expensive"? Newegg shows 1GB DDR2-800 selling for $14 and 1GB DDR3-1066 selling for $16? DDR3 is not nearly as expensive as it was during launch; prices have fell dramatically.

~Ibrahim~

 

but if you compare the price of 4gb module ddr2 to a ddr3 for laptop, you will se a huge diference between then(at newegg, Corsair DDr2 costs 184 and the corsair DDR3 370).
But I agree the price is goind down. But the diference between then isn't that much in performace.

 

4GB modules are very rare, both in desktops and laptops and both in DDR2 and DDR3. DDR2 is still overly expensive: 4GBx1 is $184, but 2x2GB is $40. I wouldn't judge prices from those modules, as very few people buy them. Dual channel with 2GB chips is much more common, in DDR2 and DDR3.

~Ibrahim~

 

4GB modules are expensive, unless your going for 8GB of ram your going to be buying 2x2GB for 4GB anyways which is 50 bucks in DDR2, 8GB in DDR2 is average of 300 bucks except for the cheap crap not that much cheaper then DDR3 when your getting something decent.

I had not seen corsair with it that low, only patriot which tends to be junk but haven't checked in a couple of weeks.

 

Ahh this is true, I am rather behind on the pricing.

 

I heard that was minimal, saves a couple of minutes at best on the lower power consumption.

 

It's all good. But, yeah, DDR3 prices are pretty close to old DDR2 prices. Of course, the new DDR2 prices are rock-bottom.

~Ibrahim~

 

ClutchX2 has anyone done any testing on the Overclocking console that you are working on for this unit. If not then i'll be more than glad to test it..

 

Nah as I havent released a test version yet, i am working this very second on the config wizard and related code. I just (like 1 minute ago) released an LED test app for other models, you can play with it but i dont need the G51 tested (unless the motherboard changed that much) as it should be the same as the g51. The test only works on leds that are acpi controlled.

The app is a front end for SetFSB which will work silently in the background. LED work will only be partial on release, whats already known as Predator works on G50/51/70/71 gaming led support but thats slow without him owning any of those models. Also in the app are things like the headphone switch fix for G50's which apparently is a continued problem for G51's.

As long as ASUSNBKeys 1.3 and SetFSB works on the G51 the app should work fine. Hotkey controls is based on the code of asusnbkeys. I will get you guys a test version as soon as ones ready, I know G51 owners are mourning the loss of DC overclocking.

 

Let me know when you got pics and tuts for it.. I'll post a link on the g51 owners lounge..

 

Oh ok sounds good.. Yea not having direct console does kinda sux but will be looking forward to your release..

 

Does taking the bottom cover off the laptop and using a cooler work better

 

So it definatly hasn't got The little OLED screen? That sucks.. I want this laptop for the specs.. I mean 15 inch and a gtx 280m is perfect for my needs (taking to LAN partys and various tasks..) but I'm not sure if I like the design.. Looks a bit like a toy IMO

 

It's a GTX 2 60M, btw.

~Ibrahim~

 

Yea that's what I ment..

 

You guys think this is too big/heavy for school?

 

Thought you had a G50 before? I dont think it is unless your already carrying around alot of stuff. Most school kids carrying around more than the weight of this laptop. College is more dependant on your study on what your carrying around. If on a daily basis it was this and a couple of books i wouldnt have an issue with it.

 

I did lol but it died remember ? and after 16 years of working I just went back to school again, so kinda unsure about the weight and walking up and down

 

Oh okay, its not any heavier then the G50 was. The laptop by itself in a backpack feels weightless, a joke. Carrying in a bag with a single strap will seem heavier and the worst is carrying it in a standard laptop bag with a handle. I havent found the right bag yet for that and still use a backpack. I am personally looking for something that carries the cooler as well so my load will be pretty heavy.

Id recommend a backpack to anyone looking to tote this or a heavier laptop as it evens out the weight on you.

 

Roger that, thanks for the reply, I shall go to bestbuy and check it out later tonight....my backpack is a single strap guess that makes everything feel heavier. It will just be hilarious if i bust this thing out in middle of class amongst those college kid macbook and netbook, they probably see say lol

 

Ouch! Judging by the 3dm06 benchies, that CPU is a big bottleneck on the 260m.

 

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but could I get a list of mobile CPUs that are compatible with the G51? If higher-end newegg models don't come out soon I might just get the BB version and put a newer cpu in. I'm relatively unfamiliar with doing modifications to laptops, only had desktop experience in the past.

Would I be looking at a 25 or 35 Watt?

 

YOu are gonna take the cooler and the notebook w/u to work/school everyday? thats quite a load especially if you carry those AND books.

 

etb, the G51 has a P7350.
Looking on this link,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_2_microprocessors#.22Penryn-3M.22_.28medium-voltage.2C_45_nm.29
Look on the info for the P7350. It has a socket P, so likely almost any socket P will work.

That's why a lot of people were thinking about the quad core 2.0 ghz one because it has the same socket (Q9000). The watts aren't too big of a concern except higher generates more heat and draws more power.

 

My biggest concern would be does the G51 have adequate ways to keep the CPU cool under load; given that it would be upgrading a 25W TDP (Thermal Design Power) P7350 with a 45W TDP Q9100.

IMO the P9500 @ 2.53Ghz & 6MB L2 cache might be a great upgrade if one could find one for a low price as it still remains in that 25W sweet spot. The P9700 @ 2.8 & 6Mb L2 cache would be my dream processor at only 28W which is only rated slightly higher than the stock processor but provides a huge boost in Ghz.

I'm sure folks with a lot more knowledge and experience could chime in here.


Also has anyone hooked up a G51 to an external monitor with higher res to see how it impacts the GPU? I was wondering if you ran this pup through say a 1920x1200 external monitor would it heat up the GPU more than using its stock LED screen with lower res?

 

The G51 will be coming with a Q9000 stock in one or more models so just wait until it comes out to see if they change the cooling.

Dont forget about the 35 watt T series, they are not that hot. Idle temps are actually lower and load temps probably no more than 10 degrees more. The prices on the T9800 are still high so a cheap T9900 is best in that area. I got my T9600 used for 260 and at the same time i saw one new for 320. Some resellers on occasion will have pulls from people who upgraded. GenTech recently had a T9550 on hand though no mention of price.

 

You can get a Q9200 off of ebay for $250, which is cheaper than the Q9100s with temp sensors.

 

There is already a T9900 on ebay but I have no idea what is considered a "safe" version or the ones to stay away from. Me I would want one that reported correctly in the computer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Free-DHL-Intel-OEM-SLGEE-T9900-35W-3-06GHz-6M-L2-1066_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1234Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem20ac3e4b87QQitemZ140328717191QQptZAUQ5fComponentsQQsalenotsupported

Yeah but looking at the specs that Q9200 is 65W so it might be a lil hot under the collar running that.


I still like the looks of that new P9700 @ 2.8 running at near the same W as the stock 2.0. However it seems to be so new that I cannot find any for sale

Also anyone on my previous question on the G51 GPU heat when running through a high res external. Good or GPU Death?