Thoughts on these Asus laptops?

osh

Hi my current laptop is on its last legs, battery is gone so has to be plugged in pretty much constantly and the screen has these flickers of coloured lines (artifacts i think they're called). Don't know if that's the GPU failing? but they're very annoying anyway.

So I'm looking for a replacement and have decided on one of the below, any thoughts on which is better value for money?

I want it to be able to play games like COD Black Ops, Mass Effect 3, etc so I guess the processor and GPU are the most important critieria. Just not sure how much I want to spend so if I can get away with under 1,000 that would be good, but not essential.

I think it's a choice really between the X7BSV and the G73SW, with the GPU being the main difference between the two from what I can see.

So is the NVIDIA GeForce GT540M good enough? Is the GTX460M worth the extra €400?

Edit to say that my current laptop has the Nvidia 9600m gs and it has ran most games I've tried (like CODMW2, Arkham Assylum, Mass Effect 2 and DAO), at least somewhat well anyway! So I gather the GT540m is a good bit better than that?

Thanks for any input!

Asus X7BSV-V2G-TZ526V-NL

€899

17.3"Widescreen -Fully HD 1920 x 1080 -LED Backlit
2nd Generation Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz / up to 2.9GHz
6GB DDR3
750GB - 7200rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT540M - 2GB

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Asus 17.3" N75SF-V2G-TZ046V

€999

17.3" LED-Backlit TFT - 1920 x 1080 Full HD
2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM - 2.0GHz
6GB DDR3 SODIMM
500GB - 5400rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT555M - 2GB

---

Asus G73SW-TZ207V

€1,299

17.3" Widescreen - Full HD 1920 x 1080 - LED Backlit
2nd Generation Intel Core i7 2630QM - 2.0GHz - Intel HM65 chipset
6GB DDR3
750GB SATA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX460M - 1.5GB

Overheal

Yeah, about that.

While I do like ASUS as a brand let me ask you something: Why do you need this in a Laptop Chassis? Think Critically about that for a few minutes. Even take time to sleep on it. The G73 is a Spaceship. It weighs an uncomfortable amount, even with 2 hands. And then good luck finding a bag to fit it - even bags that claim to fit 17.5" Laptops, sometimes 18" will have trouble fitting that behemoth and it's big fat ass-side Impulse Engines that look like they belong on the back of Enterprise not on a laptop.

Seriously if you need all that Power, wouldn't a Desktop or Lanbox be a much more economical decision? **** all battery life, too. Because your battery is a tiny little thing sandwiched between the Port and Starboard warp drives.

osh

Yea I guess the G73 is overkill, and I probably don't need that much power.

I am leaning towards the X7BSV anyway as it is a good bit cheaper while still able to run most games. What do you think of that one?

I don't really want a desktop which is stuck in one spot. Although a 17" will be heavy and not very portable, I like the fact I can move it around the house, use it at a desk, on the couch, in bed, wherever. It's not for carring around outside the house, if I do take it somewhere, it will generally be in a car.

I could go for a 15.4" screen I guess but I quite like the larger screen for movies and games

This one looks pretty good though

Asus 15.6" X5QSF-S1123V-NL
15.6" LED Widescreen FullHD TFT (1920 x 1080)
Intel® Core i7-2630QM Processor 2.0GHz /up tp 2.9 GHz
6GB DDR3 SODIMM
750GB - 7200rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT555M - 2GB

beno619

Gt 540m should can rum black ops maxed out at 1366 x 768, you can play most games on medium-high-ultra at that resolution except for the obvious ones like crysis/2 ect.
it can be overclocked easily too.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-540M.41715.0.html

if you can affored the gt 555 you should get it,depends on if you think the improved performance is worth €100

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html

osh

Thanks for the links there. I don't really know much about fps though. What's a decent fps for playing a game? I think I read before that anything above 25fps is playable, that sound about right?

If they were identical specs, no question I'd pay the extra €100 for the GT 555.

However the €899 Asus has a 750GB 7200rpm hard drive compared to the 500GB 5400rpm in the €999

I'm thinking I'd prefer to get the better HD and go for the worse GPU, given that the GT 540 should play most games anyway

techfeen

I personally swear by ASUS, very reliable, plus they offer a 2 yr warranty

beno619

osh wrote: »

Thanks for the links there. I don't really know much about fps though. What's a decent fps for playing a game? I think I read before that anything above 25fps is playable, that sound about right?

If they were identical specs, no question I'd pay the extra €100 for the GT 555.

However the €899 Asus has a 750GB 7200rpm hard drive compared to the 500GB 5400rpm in the €999

I'm thinking I'd prefer to get the better HD and go for the worse GPU, given that the GT 540 should play most games anyway

It's a subjective thing but yeh that about right... Well a hard drive can be easily replaced but the gpu can't :S
Good luck deciding I don't know what I would pick in your shoes

osh

Yep tell me about it!

And I've just noticed the 1st one with the GT 540m GPU has dropped down to €839....decisions decisions

Nemesis

Asus 15.6" X5QSF-S1123V-NL
15.6" LED Widescreen FullHD TFT (1920 x 1080)
Intel® Core i7-2630QM Processor 2.0GHz /up tp 2.9 GHz
6GB DDR3 SODIMM
750GB - 7200rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT555M - 2GB


I went for that one.

Thanks for advice

beno619

Haha Hopefully it all works out for ya, looks like a serious piece of kit

osh

Good stuff Nemesis, it's nice alright!

I've gone for this one in the end my self. Just can't say no to the 17" screen as it's mainly for around the house. And the better GPU won in the end. As you say beno hard drives can be replaced if it comes to that

17.3" LED-Backlit TFT - 1920 x 1080 Full HD
2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM - 2.0GHz
6GB DDR3 SODIMM
500GB - 5400rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT555M - 2GB