ASUS G53SW-XR1 Owner's Lounge

[jCube]

Greetings! :)

After much consideration and calculation, I authorized myself :D to purchase a customized G53SW-XR1. It was a long decision process and along the way I almost bought the Sager NP 8130 (which again is a great laptop!). Finally I settled in for the G53 series and the major changes from the stock configuration are listed below.

- :cool: Upgraded to FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut.
- :confused: Upgraded RAM to 10GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory
- ;) Upgraded to 4X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- :eek: Primary Hard Drive: 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS SSD
- :p Secondary Hard Drive: 750GB 7200RPM 16MB
- :rolleyes: Upgraded to Intel® Advanced-N 6230
- ;) 2 years ASUS Global warranty

There are no eye candy upgrades.. maybe I'm getting too old to appreciate the value of bling things. :rolleyes:

Brett is my sales advisor and he has been terrific, with prompt, to the point replies to all my queries! :biggrin: I ordered on May 18th and Phase I is expected to be complete by May 25th.

For now its just the long agonizing wait.. hope it at least feels short!

[powerpack]

Congrats! Three observations.

1) The mouse and back pack are not worth $70? I can understand if you don't need but it is an excellent value.

2) 1 year of warranty is kind of short. The extra year for $89 is worth considering but if you have decided so be it.

3) 10GB's of RAM? This I absolutely do not get. You are going from 8GB's True dual channel to 10GB's asymmetric dual channel. This means you are only running 4GB's dual channel and 6GB's single channel. And you are paying $59 for the privilege.

On my Asus I get bandwidth of up to 15GB/s. On 1333MHz theoritical bandwidth of 10.6GB/s. You can see I exceed this by almost 50%. So you have 6GB's that will be limited 10.6GB/s and never actually see it. I see it more likely that you will see more activity in the 5GB to 8GB range than any advantage from having the 9GB to 10GB range.

Prior mobile chipsets did not seem to exceed the theoretical bandwidth of the single RAM DIMM so dual channel was only a slight boost. But with the introduction of the on board memory controller this is no longer the case.

Edit: But once again congrats and the waiting is no fun. Good luck.

[jCube]

Congrats! Three observations.

1) The mouse and back pack are not worth $70? I can understand if you don't need but it is an excellent value.

2) 1 year of warranty is kind of short. The extra year for $89 is worth considering but if you have decided so be it.

3) 10GB's of RAM? This I absolutely do not get. You are going from 8GB's True dual channel to 10GB's asymmetric dual channel. This means you are only running 4GB's dual channel and 6GB's single channel. And you are paying $59 for the privilege.



Thanks powerpack, I already have a good mouse and a decent back pack so this was one area I could save a few bucks.

As for the warranty, I actually went with the 2 year global warranty. There is a chance that I'll be working outside the US in the next couple of years and the global warranty was important. This is the primary reason I moved away from the Sager.

As for the RAM, I now realize it was not an informed decision. Having XoticPC put the 4GB stick in the inaccessible slot and then replacing the other 3 sticks with matching 4GB sticks later on looks like one way of doing it.

Another option is going back to 8GB (4 X 2GB). Are there other better options?

Thanks for bringing this up..
Appreciate it.
-Joseph

[Keeper]

Thanks powerpack, I already have a good mouse and a decent back pack so this was one area I could save a few bucks.

As for the warranty, I actually went with the 2 year global warranty. There is a chance that I'll be working outside the US in the next couple of years and the global warranty was important. This is the primary reason I moved away from the Sager.

As for the RAM, I now realize it was not an informed decision. Having XoticPC put the 4GB stick in the inaccessible slot and then replacing the other 3 sticks with matching 4GB sticks later on looks like one way of doing it.

Another option is going back to 8GB (4 X 2GB). Are there other better options?

Thanks for bringing this up..
Appreciate it.
-Joseph

Well, this has been the topic of much discussion lately. I believe the conclusion everyone is coming to is either stay with the base configuration of ram to keep everything the same and have full performance functionality, or upgrade to 16gigs with matching sticks.

So in other words, leave it alone, or do it all.

[powerpack]

Well, this has been the topic of much discussion lately. I believe the conclusion everyone is coming to is either stay with the base configuration of ram to keep everything the same and have full performance functionality, or upgrade to 16gigs with matching sticks.

So in other words, leave it alone, or do it all.Keeper it is resolved in the other thread. You were correct and Mav was wrong. 12GB is fine. A little different than this 10GB issue.

OP if I were you I would stick with stock 8GB or upgrade to 12GB, never 10GB. You could save yourself about $20 bucks buying 2x4GB at NewEgg and still have 2x2GB to use as paper weights.

[Keeper]

Keeper it is resolved in the other thread. You were correct and Mav was wrong. 12GB is fine. A little different than this 10GB issue.

OP if I were you I would stick with stock 8GB or upgrade to 12GB, never 10GB. You could save yourself about $20 bucks buying 2x4GB at NewEgg and still have 2x2GB to use as paper weights.

Ah thanks PP, I am having a hard time reading my thoughts let alone this forum today... Hung-the-eff-over.

[jCube]

Keeper it is resolved in the other thread. You were correct and Mav was wrong. 12GB is fine. A little different than this 10GB issue.

OP if I were you I would stick with stock 8GB or upgrade to 12GB, never 10GB. You could save yourself about $20 bucks buying 2x4GB at NewEgg and still have 2x2GB to use as paper weights.

Thanks guys, any idea who manufactures the RAM that ships with the GW series laptops?

[powerpack]

I think it is Hynix the worlds 2nd largest DRAM maker only behind Samsung. They are the 6th largest semiconductor company in the world.

But I mean this 100%. I have tried to say as clearly as I can. All those who say you need to match the sticks to the point of make and model are 100% incorrect. It does not matter. You want to get DIMM's that are at least as fast and as low of CL as what you have. If the price is good getting faster and lower CL is fine they will just clock to the slower if you get better.

Do not try and buy Hynix to buy Hynix. There is absolutely no reason.

If anyone wants to disagree feel free to post and explain. You guys are just wrong, sorry.

Edit: You do mean "SW"?

[jCube]

I think it is Hynix the worlds 2nd largest DRAM maker only behind Samsung. They are the 6th largest semiconductor company in the world.

But I mean this 100%. I have tried to say as clearly as I can. All those who say you need to match the sticks to the point of make and model are 100% incorrect. It does not matter. You want to get DIMM's that are at least as fast and as low of CL as what you have. If the price is good getting faster and lower CL is fine they will just clock to the slower if you get better.

Do not try and buy Hynix to buy Hynix. There is absolutely no reason.

If anyone wants to disagree feel free to post and explain. You guys are just wrong, sorry.

Edit: You do mean "SW"?

Thanks, I meant the entire G series available at Xoticpc. basically, G***W.

BTW, does anyone know if the "Matte" screen, that comes as an upgrade with the G53SW, support 120Hz?

[powerpack]

If it does not bragg about 120Hz it is not.

[jCube]

Am officially in Phase II now! and I upgraded the RAM to 12GB. :D Thanks powerpack!

[Len]

I actually ordered one of these as well pretty recently.
Stock Screen
6gb Ram (Doubt i will need more, but buying a single 2gb stick is slightly cheaper than upgrading)
4x Blu-Ray Reader (Meh)
Primary Drive: Intel 510 120gb (Didn't feel like buying a OCZ drive, read some random complaints about the reliability on them)
Secondary Drive: 640gb ($25, nuff said)
Couldn't really decide on either the Intel 6230 or the Bigfoot 1102, ended up going for the latter. I think bigfoot stuff is more hype than anything else but...it's only $5 more. Haven't seen any reviews on it either.
Buying the A+C skin, very curious about how it will end up looking on that particular chassis.

[jCube]

My laptop has shipped!! Will reach in a couple of days. :D

[fundotexe]

My laptop has shipped!! Will reach in a couple of days. :D

jCube (and others too!), Just wanted to know hows the gaming performance been? I ordered the same model with 8 gig ram, overclock + IC thermal paste (no screen upgrade, one 500 gb 7200 hd, i7 2630 and blueray). I am interested in frame rates you are getting for say Crysis 2 or StarCraft2 or any other graphics intensive games. I checked the review of the graphics card on notebookcheck.net (excellent site) and for a similar machine it had Crysis 2 @ 53 fps on high settings. Do share you experience!

[Kyen]

Hi guys ....in a few days ill be the proud owner of the XR1 and i would like to know what programs can i use to stress test the laptop.....but not to the point of breaking it :)) any advice ? BE GENTLE :)))

[Kyen]

Just recieved my g53 :D omfg i love this thing.....stress tested it with furmark.....86 degrees celsius max .....any ideea of any programs to use to test it ?

[Neuman]

Your favorite game...

[zcarz]

just bought one of these.. hope it arrives soon!
10GB RAM ( i know 6gb is single channel but wth.. was only a 10US upgrade from 8gb)
2630QM
Seagate Hybrid HDD/ SSD

[Maverick494]

just bought one of these.. hope it arrives soon!
10GB RAM ( i know 6gb is single channel but wth.. was only a 10US upgrade from 8gb)
2630QM
Seagate Hybrid HDD/ SSD

no 8GB (if placed right) will be dual channel and 2GB will be single channel. It will operate in flex mode just like that. 10 dollars or not, I still will never understand why someone would pay for worse performance.

[zcarz]

^i realised that after i made the purchase when i saw this thread.. no biggie though

[Kyen]

I have a question :-? .....if i have 3 sticks of 2gb on my lappy....does that mean i have it on dual channel ? or is it screwed up ?

[Maverick494]

I have a question :-? .....if i have 3 sticks of 2gb on my lappy....does that mean i have it on dual channel ? or is it screwed up ?

you have 4GB in dual channel and 2GB is single channel. It is operating in flex mode, which is not optimal, but still has some dual channel in there. You also didn't pay for an "upgrade" that actually performs worse though. 6GB is stock on this machine I think. I don't know why ASUS did that, but yea.

[Kyen]

I kinda have an issue here...ive been running nfsmw set on max and its not displayed correctly....it has like 2 inches of black screen on either side ...the game runs perfectly buy it seems that not even changing the resolution from fhd to hd doesnt affect the problem....im trying to see if other games do this as well.....but with the internet connection its going to take some time until i dld a new game. Any idea as to why this is happening or any solutions ?

[JP@XoticPC]

Followed you over here from the feedback forums Kyen :P

Try updating your graphics driver:
http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=G53SW&p=3&s=282

[Kyen]

did that......still nothing.......but i fixed it ....it seems there was an option under nvidia propreties that modifies scaling......and it was set to fixed ratio.....so when the game didnt have the resolution of the desktop wich was set on 1920x1080 does black margins came up......but now its fixed......thanks anyway :D

[Override]

hi i just got this laptop and i bought an extra SSD for it, can anyone point me to a tutorial for installation of the SSD?

If anyone one has any experience with this please chime in!

thanks

[Neuman]

There are instructions for this in the user manual which can be found here: http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=G53SW&p=3&s=282

I put an SSD into my G73SW without any problems - but realize that I build desktops for fun so I have a lot of experience. The best thing to do is initially take out the hard drive and do a clean install of windows with just the SSD onboard. (See this link: http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showpost.php?p=72037&postcount=2)

If you don't want to reinstall windows, I recommend installing it as the secondary drive first, making sure all is working and using something like Paragon's Migrate OS to SSD (See link here - although I don't know if the free deal still works: http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?t=7936&highlight=Copy+SSD). Once you have the OS migrated, switch the SSD to the primary bay and it should boot from it no problem.

[Aaravkmr]

Wow i was looking for a g73 for my bro but $950? thats a bit tooooo high also one of ur usb doesnt work. latest one here sold for $675 if i remember

[Maverick494]

Wow i was looking for a g73 for my bro but $950? thats a bit tooooo high also one of ur usb doesnt work. latest one here sold for $675 if i remember

ummm what?

[Kyen]

exactly my point :)) i didnt understand a word

[Dramacydal]

Hi guys, Congrats on your beasts!


Im planning on buying this laptop. Getting confused with the ram and some other features.

Can you build me a laptop - My budget is $1700 but i need $200 for International shipping to the UK. so basicly $1500. I want a beast, Should be very fast. Enough space for movies, games and music. Can play latest games like mw3 easily. Multi-tasking, Photoshop. Even after two years it should work as a gem.

Need this laptop through my 3 years of uni.. Could spend a little more to if its worth it.

thanks

[Kyen]

ASUS G53SW-XR1
- FREE!!! US UPS GROUND SHIPPING, Instant Cash Rebate Included = $200 OFF (Use Coupon code FREESHIP in Checkout for Free Shipping)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R309)
- XOTIC PC Professional Monitor Color Calibration w/ Spyder 3 Elite (Will add to Production Time)
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram) (SKU - X2R207)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU-
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R451)
- 12GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB) (SKU - X4R552)
- Standard Finish
- Standard White ASUS Logo Backlight
- Standard White Backlit Keyboard
- Standard Matching Color WASD Keys
- 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sandforce Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 285MB/s - Write 275MB/s SSD Serial-ATA II) (SKU - X5R000)
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R302)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- Internal 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/ xD-P)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth (SKU - X8R002)
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- 1 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty 24/7 Support / 1 Year North America (N.A.) Accidental Coverage (Accidental Requires Registration) (SKU - A9R101)
PRICE : 1560$


With this config you will have 12gb ddr3 in dual chanel.....4x2 and 2x2 .....and you will have the 120gb OCZ SSD for windows and other programs just to speed up things and the 750gb hdd for storage .....upgraded the monitor calibration seeing as you will use photo editing software.....and the IC diamond paste on the cpu gpu just as a precaution . . Any way......once you get it.....you will not be dissapointed :D its a GOD amongst laptops....i named mine Loki :))) :D

[SmogHog]

ASUS G53SW-XR1
- FREE!!! US UPS GROUND SHIPPING, Instant Cash Rebate Included = $200 OFF (Use Coupon code FREESHIP in Checkout for Free Shipping)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R309)
- XOTIC PC Professional Monitor Color Calibration w/ Spyder 3 Elite (Will add to Production Time)
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram) (SKU - X2R207)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU-
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R451)
- 12GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB) (SKU - X4R552)
- Standard Finish
- Standard White ASUS Logo Backlight
- Standard White Backlit Keyboard
- Standard Matching Color WASD Keys
- 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sandforce Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 285MB/s - Write 275MB/s SSD Serial-ATA II) (SKU - X5R000)
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R302)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- Internal 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/ xD-P)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth (SKU - X8R002)
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- 1 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty 24/7 Support / 1 Year North America (N.A.) Accidental Coverage (Accidental Requires Registration) (SKU - A9R101)
PRICE : 1560$


With this config you will have 12gb ddr3 in dual chanel.....4x2 and 2x2 .....and you will have the 120gb OCZ SSD for windows and other programs just to speed up things and the 750gb hdd for storage .....upgraded the monitor calibration seeing as you will use photo editing software.....and the IC diamond paste on the cpu gpu just as a precaution . . Any way......once you get it.....you will not be dissapointed :D its a GOD amongst laptops....i named mine Loki :))) :D

Why put a SATA II SSD in a notebook that supports SATA III SSDs.

IMO this is a waste of money and the notebooks ability.

I'd put only 8GB(2 x 4GB) of DDR3-1333 or get the stock memory and add 1 more 2GB module when you receive it.

If you use Adobe Lightroom,put 16GB(4GB x4)of ram because it's a real memory hog.

Be aware this model has only a 1 year Global warranty,unlike the A1 that has 2 years.The extra 1 year has a $120 value I you had to buy it.

The UK VAT must be paid when the notebook arrives there before they'll hand it to you.

[Dramacydal]

@ Smokehog,

Could you build me one, which you think is ideal ? i need asus only for global warranty.
thanks

and your thoughts about the ASUS N53SF-A1

[SmogHog]

@ Smoghog,

Could you build me one, which you think is ideal ? i need asus only for global warranty.
thanks

and your thoughts about the ASUS N53SF-A1

MSI also has a 1 year Global warranty with UK service centers for UK and Ireland.

$1506 Cash Price
MSI GT683DX-X1 (http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=3140{161}1411{76}2672 {209}3138{94}1074{92}1853{187}1416{88}3128{186}153 2{93}1094{112}656{96}2925{97}1943{104}3002{98}3087 {115}3019{168}1453{199}751{116}696{117}707{194}259 4{120}2352{110}1747{169}1449{119}708{100}734{164}1 441{107}1539{106}1688{121}694{108}710{109}711{170} 1492{173}1175{167}1452{205}2928{103}2637{198}2781{ 113}1413{111}1414{69}2552{196}2719)
- FREE!! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout - US Only, Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R309)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram) (SKU - X2R207)
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 570M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R454)
- No Video Adapter
- 8GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (SKU - X4R353)
- Standard Finish
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R304)
- None Standard
- Raid 0 - Performance Default
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- No Back Up Software
- None Standard (Included in Wireless Card Section)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card (SKU - X8R001)
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year MSI US & Canada Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support
+ 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty (Requires registration) (SKU - M9R302)
- No Xotic PC Gear

Add an SSD(OCZ V3 MAX IOPS recommended) later as your primary drive and move the 750 to storage duty.

[desemus]

Random question; if you connect an SW to a 3d capable monitor, will it work? I've heard mixed things about the 3d stuff; only saw it once at a convention 4 years ago. Would be a plus if it can pump that out!

[Maverick494]

Random question; if you connect an SW to a 3d capable monitor, will it work? I've heard mixed things about the 3d stuff; only saw it once at a convention 4 years ago. Would be a plus if it can pump that out!

it should work with an HDMI 1.3a or better HDMI cable and 3D capable TV/monitor.

[desemus]

it should work with an HDMI 1.3a or better HDMI cable and 3D capable TV/monitor.

Thanks!

One more probably duh question.

I understand the nVidias only support 2 monitors, which is fine. Say I have 2 Externals plugged in VGA/DVI or HDMI and close the laptop - will it switch to those or do I need a Matrox?

[Maverick494]

Thanks!

One more probably duh question.

I understand the nVidias only support 2 monitors, which is fine. Say I have 2 Externals plugged in VGA/DVI or HDMI and close the laptop - will it switch to those or do I need a Matrox?

you can choose which 2 to use, unless asus has done something strange to the hook ups. keep in mind there is no dvi on these and vga does not do 3d.

[desemus]

Very cool. Probably going with this setup! :)


ASUS G53SW-A1
- FREE!! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout - US Only, Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R309)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram) (SKU - X2R213)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU-
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R451)
- No Video Adapter
- 12GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB) - Special FREE Upgrade! (SKU - X4P551)
- Standard Finish
- No Afterburner Light Package (Afterburner light package will add 2-5 business days to production time)
- Standard White ASUS Logo Backlight
- Plasma Purple Backlit Keyboard Modification
- Standard Matching Color WASD Keys
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R303)
- 120GB Intel 510 Series Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 470MB/s - Write 315MB/s SSD2 Serial-ATA III) (SKU - X5R051)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
...
- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1102 (2x2) (SKU - X8R051)
...

and maybe look at Sagers again in the future. If I can sell this for half of what I paid for it in a year I'd be happy, but eh. I think the double hard drives slots and general quietness steered me toward this. That and I kept getting the Sager up over 2k, because I wanted the better video card haha.

[Maverick494]

Very cool. Probably going with this setup! :)


ASUS G53SW-A1
- FREE!! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout - US Only, Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R309)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram) (SKU - X2R213)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU-
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R451)
- No Video Adapter
- 12GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB) - Special FREE Upgrade! (SKU - X4P551)
- Standard Finish
- No Afterburner Light Package (Afterburner light package will add 2-5 business days to production time)
- Standard White ASUS Logo Backlight
- Plasma Purple Backlit Keyboard Modification
- Standard Matching Color WASD Keys
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R303)
- 120GB Intel 510 Series Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 470MB/s - Write 315MB/s SSD2 Serial-ATA III) (SKU - X5R051)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
...
- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1102 (2x2) (SKU - X8R051)
...

and maybe look at Sagers again in the future. If I can sell this for half of what I paid for it in a year I'd be happy, but eh. I think the double hard drives slots and general quietness steered me toward this. That and I kept getting the Sager up over 2k, because I wanted the better video card haha.

I am going to bet the MSI 15.6" model would be a better choice than this.

[desemus]

Which model specifically? I looked at the Forces briefly, but someone mentioned they sound like a jet engine. I wasn't too sure about them, but don't mind looking again

[SmogHog]

Which model specifically? I looked at the Forces briefly, but someone mentioned they sound like a jet engine. I wasn't too sure about them, but don't mind looking again

I also suggest you look at the MSI offerings.

I don't know the source of the comment about the sound but all gaming notebooks have either a manual or automatic fan rev up when they get hot. This is a good thing.

Getting half of your investment back a year after purchasing,I doubt it.

A year from now the G53SW may be 3 or more generations old.

Since the SWs there's been the SX.Now new CPUs are being used in current generation,The new year will bring Ivy Bridge,the Sandy Bridge replacement.

Buy models as current as possible.

Buy a little cheaper.

Replace more often.

[Maverick494]

Which model specifically? I looked at the Forces briefly, but someone mentioned they sound like a jet engine. I wasn't too sure about them, but don't mind looking again

not here, post in the buying section and I would be happy to help.

[Dramacydal]

What are the current problems with 120GB SSD ? Does SSD make a heavy difference ?

[SmogHog]

What are the current problems with 120GB SSD ? Does SSD make a heavy difference ?

Are there any problems you know of with 120GB SSDs?

If so,where did you hear it and who said it.

SSDs are not heavy.They are much lighter than traditional platter hard drives.

Did you mean to write huge or big?

Because of the bios of diifferent notebooks and SSD firmware some SSDs may be difficult for normal users to setup certain SSDs in certain notebooks than a recommended one would.

To be safe go with the ones XOTIC has listed as options for the model.

SSDs need more tweaking to get them to perform best.

SSD Tweaker Pro is a software designed to do all the tweaking for you.

SSDs should always have at least 20% free space to perform correctly.

Generally speaking the greater the capacity of an SSD the better the performance will be.

Bloggers keep saying that SSDs are very expensive so it's believed to be true.What's the line between expensive and cheap.It's in the mind and the wallet of the buyer.

Better CPU and GPU performance comes at a price.So does performance of your primary drive.

[Dramacydal]

im a noob, so i don't know much about computers, i just use them lol... anyway does SSD make a huge difference to the speed of the laptop and enhances gaming experience ?
I'm a occasional gamer, watches hd movies on the laptop, music, maybe photoshop in future, would you recommend me getting a SSD drive ?

[Maverick494]

anyway does SSD make a huge difference to the speed of the laptop

Yes.

and enhances gaming experience ?

Depends on your definition of enhances the gaming experience. All an SSD does for games is make them load faster, it has no other effect on performance of the game (EG. no FPS improvement just from the SSD).

I'm a occasional gamer, watches hd movies on the laptop, music, maybe photoshop in future, would you recommend me getting a SSD drive ?

I wouldn't, I would get one with regular hard drives and wait until larger SSD's are more reasonably priced.

[JP@XoticPC]

Just wanted to mention that I have now joined the club! :D

[silentrecon487]

Got this laptop about a month ago. Been really loving it, minus the few problems I've run into with the OCZ Vertex 3 SSD. I have a question for you owners though...any recommendations on a good case for this laptop? I've heard it might not fit in all 15" cases and I need to get one soon for it.

[Kyen]

Hi guys.......its been over 3 months since ive got my laptop and i can definetly say that this little laptop is a beast.......there are no overheating issues.....without the coolingpad ive seen 80C on both the cpu and gpu.....wich is quite ok.....and with the coolingpad wich is a coolingmaster with 2 fans......the temperature doesnt go over 66-70C......All my games run flawlessly even if some of the more demanding games require a lower resolution i dont see any problems with an hd resolution in games instead of fhd....every game i played had over 50fps....wich in my opinion is purrrrffect. Ive upgraded its memory to 8gb dualchanel instead of 6.....and so far im loving it. I just want to point out to anyone that the sound from the fans when playing....ther is no sound.....this is one of the most silent laptops ever. JP.....i cant thank you enough for this laptop :)) :D