27 Jan 12 ASUS Republic of Gamers G74SX-DH73-3D 17.3-Inch 3D Gaming Laptop (Black)
ASUS Republic of Gamers G74SX-DH73-3D 17.3-Inch 3D Gaming Laptop (Black)
The world of portable gaming has a new reigning king. The Republic of Gamers G74SX-DH73-3D is a performance notebook that imposes its will with the combined power of a second generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM CPU and NVIDIA® GTX 560M GPU with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM. A score of P2008 in 3DMark11 and P9180 in 3DMark Vantage takes over the reins as the fastest notebook in the land. Support for DirectX®11 ensures that you’ll not only have the fastest rig in town, but also the ability to play games in full stereoscopic glory as they were meant to be.
The ROG G74SX-DH73-3D is great for gaming, but its hardware is serious business. It offers the best 3D ecosystem for PCs, offering 3D content creation and editing. It’s powered with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™, so games, photos and movies are all able to be enjoyed like never before. Plus, its 17.3-inch LED-backlit Full HD display delivers the latest in high-definition entertainment with brilliant 1080p playback. The ROG G74SX-DH73-3D breaks from the heard of traditional gaming notebooks with built-in overclocking features through the ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid utility—instantly giving you extreme power with a push of a button.
The ROG G74SX-DH73-3D also boasts a massive 1.5TB 7200 RPM HDD, 12GB DDR3 system memory, Blu-ray writer drive, high-speed wireless N, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connectivity, Bluetooth v3.0, HDMI connectivity, 2.0 megapixel camera, and stereo speakers with EAX Advanced HD 5.0 sound.
I have had this PC for about two weeks. I was agonizing between this machine and the Alienware X18. I finally decided on this unit due to comparable hardware at a much better price, and reliability ratings as high as anything on the market. I couldn’t be happier with my first impressions of the ASUS.
My main concerns with a PC are the things I spend the most time with… the display and the keyboard. The screen is stunning and bright with the perfect anti-glare coating. I had read that the Alienware machine has a very high gloss screen and was like a mirror. If you hate those type of screens (as I do), then you are in for a treat on the ASUS. Did I say stunning?
Next the keyboard. I was hesitant due to other reviews about missed keystrokes and a dislike for the “chiclet” style keys , but I’ve found it quite comfortable and have had no issues with missed strokes. The larger engraved letters and back-lit keys are an awesome aid to my 56 year old eyes. The separate number pad with the wide space between it and the other keys is a nice touch. The touch pad, although I really don’t use it much, is large and responsive.
I’m not a game player, but rather a web/media/CAD/application developer who needed a robust desktop replacement with the guts to burn through some of my processor and graphics intensive work. I have yet to bog this thing down (or even make it breathe hard), and it does it all in quiet and cool style. I really can’t hear any noise or feel any heat even when working for hours with this brick on my lap. For me, it’s been virtually silent.
I REALLY like the sturdy feel and rugged look. Big, yes. Heavy, yes. Sweet, yes. 3D is a bonus and the glasses work well (with the demo provided).
If you are considering this unit, then I highly recommend it. If you are still hedging, ASUS is available at Best Buy so you might want to give one of their models a hands-on review before clicking the “Buy It” button. My first review ever. I am so pleased with this laptop. I am not a gamer. I work with autocad and video editing and wanted the best laptop for doing this without spending $4000+.
All of the current laptops top of line units screen could not hold a candle to my 5-year old HP DV8000 dual back light screen. The G74S blows that screen away. Working outside in direct sun is no problem at all.
I made my first call to Asus for a glide pad glitch and it was a pleasure dealing with the support staff and problem resolved with the latest driver.
It is not very often that I have such a great experience with a new piece of equipment.
I previously purchased the top of line Toshiba (which cost more)and was extremely disappointed. Well the speakers did sound better than the Asus.
The unit preforms better than most while it is in battery saver mode. In that mode I got about 4-hours of use. In regular mode it is close to 2-hours. For a unit of this size and power that is respectable.
Tags: 1080p, 3d gaming, 3d vision, Auto, combined power, Draft, eax advanced hd, extreme power, first impressions, generation intel, performance notebook, reliability ratings, rog, stereo speakers, superspeed, system memory, traditional gaming
