Asus G73Jh Gaming Notebook Review

Name: Asus G73Jh Gaming Notebook Review - Page 17
Brand: Asus

by Mathew Miranda — Tuesday, June 01, 2010, 10:30 AM EDT

Conclusion

Page 17: Conclusion

Performance Summary: Keep in mind, while looking at our benchmarks that we ran every game with every setting maxed out to see how well the G73 could handle them. Ideally, it would have ran through every test without a hiccup, but that wasn't always the case. Our benchmarks revealed that it is possible to run the latest gaming titles on this laptop at its native resolution of 1920 x 1080; you just need to turn down settings to medium and lower the anti-aliasing (2x or 4x) in some titles. But then again, full 1080p is pretty tight and you could always opt for something lower at 720p, where you could dial up all the eye candy just fine. Our testing pushed the G73 to the limit and what we found was a gaming machine with strong performance at a resolution that most laptops can't touch.

If you're shopping for a gaming-capable notebook with this kind of muscle, you already know how expensive they can be, relatively speaking versus mainstream laptops, but certainly not if you consider Apple price points. In this article, we tested the most expensive G73 model available, which retails at $1645. If you can live without extras like a Blu-ray drive, 1TB of storage, ROG backpack, or gaming mouse, you'll appreciate how Asus offers several configurations that might be a better fit, at more affordable prices. The following table explains the difference between each G73 revision. Just keep in mind, each one features the same core components: Core i7 720QM processor, ATI Mobility 5870, and 8GB DDR3 memory--and that's a lot of horsepower.

G73JH - A1	$1645	Includes Blu-ray drive / 1TB storage / ROG backpack and gaming mouse
G73JH - A2	$1549	Includes DVD drive instead of Blu-ray drive
G73JH - X1	$1449	Includes one 500GB HDD instead of two / No Blu-ray drive / No ROG backpack or gaming mouse
G73JH - X2	$1499	Same as X1 but includes Blu-ray drive
G73JH - X3	$1495	Includes two 320GB HDD's / No Blu-ray drive

Of course, there are other options out there too. MSI offers the closest comparable product with the GX740 notebook, featuring specs similar to the G73, but with a smaller screen and 1680 x 1050 resolution. Although it compromises size and pixel count, the GX740 runs about $200 less than the G73, depending on the configuration. It is worth a look for anyone considering a notebook at this price point. On the other end of the spectrum, if you crave a higher resolution display and maybe some bragging rights, then your options open up to the world of desktop replacement notebooks, like the AVA Direct Clevo X8100. The model we recently reviewed crushed our benchmarks and set new records at every turn. But the caveats associated with this barn burner are considerable: last-gen DX10 hardware and a $3975 price tag that can buy you two G73 laptops with money left over for 14 games. Think about it. This is where the G73 series from Asus fills a void nicely at its price point, with top-shelf features and performance.

Throughout testing, we found this laptop to be a pleasure to work with. It combines attractive looks and superior gaming performance with an ambitious price point that leaves the competitive offerings a little flat. Though we were surprised to find that Asus didn't bundle any movie player software for the Blu-ray drive, we're hoping the bundle will include that in future SKUs of the product. And battery life could be improved upon, along with perhaps an SSD option for the top of the line model. But in our opinion, this product is the sweet spot for enthusiasts who want the most laptop for their moolah, without having to take on a second mortgage. Given the system's overall features, we think the G73JH-A1 represents an excellent choice for those in the market for a high-end gaming notebook.