ASUS G73Jh: Today's Top Gaming Laptop
by Jarred Walton on April 17, 2010 2:25 AM ESTG73Jh: Good Laptop LCDs Exist
Thankfully, the ASUS G73Jh doesn't succumb to the old flaw of stuffing a poor quality LCD into an otherwise great notebook. The 1080p panel in the G73Jh looks awesome, and the objective testing confirms our impression. It's not the brightest LCD we've ever used, and color gamut is only above average, but it's one of the highest contrast LCDs we've seen in a laptop.
Some of you are going to wonder why the W870CU does so poorly, and it's simply a result of our test unit using an inferior HD+ (1600x900) LCD panel. Our understanding is that most (all?) of the W870CU 1080p panels are the exact same HannStar HSD173PUW1 that's in the G73Jh. That doesn't change the fact that the 17.3" panel looks great and performs better than most other laptop panels. The high water mark is still the RGB LED panel in the Dell M6500 (with a matte coating to sweeten the deal!), but RGB LED backlighting currently costs far more than WLEDs so you won't find that WUXGA panel in notebooks costing under $2000. The M6500 needed a target setting of 1.8 gamma before we could unlock its potential for color accuracy; we've tried a variety of settings on the other laptops and the best result on the G73Jh is still the default settings in ColorEyes Display Pro.
The viewing angles are still about the same as most other TN panels. From the side the display is easily viewable, but there's a narrow vertical range before you get severe color shifting. We'd love to see a 1080p equivalent of the IPS panel used in the iPad, but barring that we'll take a good high contrast TN panel over the junk shipping in most midrange laptops.
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frozentundra123456 - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
Actually Best Buy has the same model with a single 500gb hard drive for 1199.99. They also list it in stock at most of the stores in my area (Minneapolis, MN). I would probably pick this model, as it is quite a bit cheaper and the only difference I see is that it has only one hard drive.Seems like a really good deal.
JarredWalton - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
Note that the $1200 model also has 6GB RAM (2x2GB + 2x1GB) and it changes the display to an HD+ (1600x900) panel. Given the horrible quality of most laptop LCDs, I'm betting the contrast ratio on the HD+ panel isn't anywhere near as good as the 1080p model. And you lose the mouse and backpack. So...2GB RAM: ~$50
500GB 7200RPM HDD: $90
Mouse: $30
Backpack: $70 (?)
LCD Panel: $150 (?)
I'm just guessing on a couple of those items based on what I think they're worth. If you add it all up, the $1200 model has about $400 less of extras, so it's about right.
frozentundra123456 - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
I see your point I guess. However, the best buy model is a cheaper alternative that seems to be in stock most places, at least for now. For light to moderate gaming it would be acceptable.JarredWalton - Monday, April 19, 2010 - link
Just to be clear, the $1200 model is actually a very good deal. Most people don't need 8GB vs. 6GB RAM, and the extra HDD can be added at your leisure -- or add an SSD? All of the important aspects are the same, so if you want to choose your own mouse and backpack or if you don't like the ones ASUS includes, the $1200 version is a great buy as well.killerclick - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
I don't get the point of gaming laptops. Where are you going to play games? On the bus? In class? In the park? Why? Where's the immersion in that? And for $1500? Sorry, I don't get it...SniperWulf - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
For those of us that travel a lot, something like this is a godsend.frozentundra123456 - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
For really serious PC gaming I would agree with you. However, I just bought a cheaper Asus for my grandson (12 years old) because he is moving out of state and we wanted to keep in touch with him via webcam, and also have a computer he could bring back with him when he visits us.However he does like to play games on the PC, so instead of getting a laptop and a desktop, we got an Asus G60 for 849.00 on close out at best buy. He can play games at moderate settings and still have a laptop to bring with him when he visits us, etc.
mofo3k - Monday, April 19, 2010 - link
I love having a gaming notebook. I'm not confined to sitting alone in my "cave" for hours on end. I can sit on the couch, go to a friends house, take it on trips and have everything right there. The best accessory I have is my Logitech Performance MX mouse with the micro usb receiver.The0ne - Monday, April 19, 2010 - link
For the most part I don't see it either. I travel quite often myself, to China, for business but rarely do I spend my free time playing game(s). That's not to say I don't but if I have more than an hour to kill I'll rather go out sight-seeing and touring rather than sitting in the hotel playing games. It just seems pathetic to do so when there is so much out there. But that's my preference and opinion. How one spends his/her free time is up to them.Having said that I wouldn't mind the company getting me a gaming laptop :) I don't mind carrying all the extra items since I consider it a good exercise :) My backpack with laptop weights 20+lbs and I lug it around for that very reason haha
Obeah - Sunday, April 18, 2010 - link
I have seen an X3 model that has a 640gb HD. Is this a single HD? If so, what do they do with the other drive bay? Is it empty, awaiting an SSD drive?Any chance we can get a follow up with a list all of the models/features?