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Review Asus G73SW Notebook

Gaming elite. Asus is now offering its high-end 17-inch G73 notebook with a brand-new Intel Sandy Bridge processor. The powerful quad-core i7-2630QM is accompanied by an Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M. Find out in our review whether the G73SW will have the competition quaking in their boots.
Asus G73SW-TZ083V

Asus released the G73 a few months ago as an ambitious successor to the G71 and G72, good but by no means exceptional gaming notebooks that came out during the last couple of years. Compared to these, the G73 scores highly for the flawless workmanship of its matt casing, as well as its relatively low temperature and noise emissions. Asus then followed up this G73JH (Radeon HD 5870) with another version, the G73JW (GeForce GTX 460M).

The G73SW is the latest version to be released and to find its way to our review team. The graphics card remains unchanged but the processor is now one of Intel’s lightning-fast Sandy Bridge models. In Germany at the moment there is increasingly only one variant of the G73SW available: the G73SW-TZ083V, which comes fitted with a Core i7-2630QM, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, two hybrid hard drives each with a 500 GB capacity, and a Blu-Ray DVD burner. The cost: around €1,800.

NB: Because of the problems currently affecting the Intel Sandy Bridge chipset, notebooks like this one may be subject to delays in delivery. Further details and continually updated information about this topic can be found here.

As we have already reviewed the G73 three times and the casing has not changed at all, we will turn our attention straight to the display. For details on the case, connectivity and input devices, we direct you to our original review.

Display

Wie wir testen - Display

The G73SW’s 17.3-inch screen has a diagonal length of 43.94 cm and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The resolution - not surprisingly - is 1920 x 1080. Thanks to this Full HD resolution, the integrated Blu-Ray drive can show its full potential. It also gives you enough screen space to work comfortably with several adjacent windows at the same time.

212
cd/m²
201
cd/m²
209
cd/m²
214
cd/m²
214
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
211
cd/m²
224
cd/m²
219
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Hannstar HSD173PUW1 tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 224 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 213.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 214 cd/m²
Contrast: 738:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)54% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
75.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

As with the last version we reviewed, the G73SW is fitted with a high-quality Hannstar HSD173PUW1 display. The screen’s low black level of 0.29 cd/m² is particularly impressive. It means that dark areas on the screen actually do appear a deep black rather than the dark grey that you see from the majority of the competition (with black levels generally over 1.0 cd/m²).

The screen’s average brightness of 213.4 cd/m² is in no way exceptional, but games and films appear bright enough. A very good contrast ratio of 738:1 is produced. You can perceive subtle differentiations in the picture, with extremely vibrant colours. In short: the built-in display is a pleasure to use, and there is no need to rely on an external monitor for the G73SW.

Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. sRGB (grid)
Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. sRGB (grid)
Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. AdobeRGB (grid)
Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. AdobeRGB (grid)
Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. MacBook Pro 17 (grid)
Asus G73SW-TZ083V vs. MacBook Pro 17 (grid)

The G73SW is less suitable for outdoor use. Since Asus has opted for a glossy screen, you frequently get distracting reflections. Even indoors, you need to pick your spot very carefully. Making the room darker can also help.

Reflections
Reflections

The screen’s viewing angles are fine. Horizontally the picture barely changes even at a large angle. Vertically, and especially from below, distortions in the picture appear sooner; but compared to rival notebooks the G73SW does pretty well.

Viewing angles for the Asus G73SW-TZ083V
Viewing angles for the Asus G73SW-TZ083V

Performance

Turbo Boost
Turbo Boost

Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM

The powerful Core i7 Intel processors are currently the only real choice for demanding gamers. Intel has further extended its lead in the market with the new Sandy Bridge generation. As our testing showed, the old Clarksfield models (e.g. Core i7-740QM) have been significantly overtaken. Asus is one of the first manufacturers to put notebooks on the market which feature these freshly minted Sandy Bridge processors.

Inside the G73SW-TZ083V is a powerful quad-core Core i7-2630QM processor, made using the modern 32 nm process. Thanks to the Turbo Boost function the speed can be increased - depending on CPU usage and temperature - from the standard 2.0 GHz up to as high as 2.9 GHz. Many applications also benefit from the processor’s Hyperthreading technology: by simulating four additional cores, the Core i7-2630QM can process up to eight threads simultaneously. Other features of the processor include 995 million transistors, a 6 MB L3 cache and an integrated graphics chip called HD Graphics 3000. The energy consumption (45 W TDP) is respectable given the processor performance.

System info CPUZ CPU
System info HDTune (HDD2)
System info HDTune (HDD1)
System info HDTune (HDD1)
System info GPUZ
System info CPUZ RAM SPD
System info CPUZ RAM
System info CPUZ Mainboard
System info CPUZ Cache
System info HDTune (HDD2)
System information for the Asus G73SW-TZ083V

CPU performance

The i7-2630QM’s performance is without question very good. In the single-core rendering part of the Cinebench R10 (64 Bit) test, the quad-core processor achieved an outstanding score of 4,507, which is 14% higher than the result of the Core i7-720QM (3,952 points) in the Asus G73JH-TZ014V. The differences become even more apparent in the multicore rendering (64 Bit) test, with the Core i7-2630QM leading by a massive 67% with 16,983 points to 10,148. But that’s not all: in the latest Cinebench R11.5 (64 Bit) benchmark it even secures a formidable 72% advantage (5.03 points to 2.92).

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
3659
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
13914
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5300
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
16983 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5320 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
4507 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
41.49 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
5.03 Points
Help
PCMark Vantage Result
7847 points
Help
HWiNFO
HWiNFO

Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M

So as not to hold the processor back, Asus has used a high-end graphics card alongside the Core i7-2630QM. The GeForce GTX 460M is based on Nvidia’s modern Fermi architecture (GF106 chip) and is made using the 40 nm process. Its speeds are certainly respectable, at 675 MHz (core), 625 MHz (memory) and 1350 MHz (shader) according to Nvidia’s specifications. However the GeForce GTX 460M is still a long way behind compared to the current top model, the GeForce GTX 485M, having ‘only’ 192 shaders as opposed to 352.

But the graphics card does not suffer from memory bottlenecks, with the 1.5 GB of GDDR5 video memory having a 192 Bit connection. The GeForce GTX 460M also comes up trumps with its additional features; along with support for DirectX 11 and GPU-based video and physics acceleration (PureVideo HD and PhysX), the GeForce GTX 460M supports - at least in theory - stereoscopic 3D images (3D Vision, which requires a starter pack and a 120 Hz monitor). Sadly Asus has done without Optimus, a system for dynamically switching between the dedicated and integrated graphics units.

5.9
Windows 7 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.4
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
7.6
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
7
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
7
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9

GPU performance

The Asus G73SW performs well in the graphics benchmarks. In the GPU part of the 3DMark Vantage (DirectX 10) test the GeForce GTX 460M scores 6,677 points, placing it roughly 10% behind the Radeon HD 5870, which achieved 7,382 points in the Asus G73JH-TZ014V for example. The GeForce GTX 460M also loses out by some way against the GeForce GTX 470M, Nvidia’s latest performance hot-shot which is around 32% faster, scoring 8,787 points in the DevilTech Fragbook DTX. However, in the Unigine Heaven 2.1 benchmark (1280 x 1024, DirectX 11, high, tessellation normal) its advantage shrinks a little, with the GeForce GTX 470M only 25% better (with 29.6 fps to 23.6 fps).

3DMark 03 Standard
35898 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
13932 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
7899 points
3DMark 11 Performance
1812 points
Help
CrystalDiskMark (HDD1)
CrystalDiskMark (HDD1)
CrystalDiskMark (HDD2)
CrystalDiskMark (HDD2)

Hard drive

This hard drive configuration deserves to be called ‘generous’. There are two hard drive slots in the case, which Asus has filled with two 500 GB SSH (Solid State Hybrid) drives. Hybrid hard drives are an attempt to combine the advantages of the familiar HDDs (high capacity) and the more modern SSDs (high speed), by combining conventional memory with a small Flash memory.

The performance of the Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS (7,200 rpm) speaks for itself; its transfer rate of 82.3 MB/s is above average, as is the sequential read rate of 94.96 MB/s and the sequential write rate of 98.26 MB/s (testing the system SSH). To get any more performance from the drives, Asus would have to have set them up in a RAID-0 configuration.

Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS
Transfer Rate Minimum: 45.3 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 103.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 82.3 MB/s
Access Time: 18.2 ms
Burst Rate: 96.9 MB/s
DPC Latency Checker Asus G73SW-TZ083V
DPC Latency Checker

Verdict: Performance

The Asus G73SW’s performance is impressive in every respect. Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor is so fast that the system does not lag even with the most demanding applications. The 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and a total hard drive capacity of 1000 GB go some way towards making the notebook future-proof, and also provide plenty of room for your collection of media and data. The GeForce GTX 460M turns out to be a powerful companion to the processor, although the graphics card will probably be the limiting factor in the years to come. In our opinion, Asus might at least have used a GeForce GTX 470M for the price of around €1,800.

Gaming Performance

Wie wir testen - Leistung

We tested the Asus G73SW’s gaming performance using a number of modern games. We pitted the GeForce GTX 460M against its more powerful relative, the GeForce GTX 470M. We used the DevilTech Fragbook DTX for comparison purposes, as it costs a similar amount and comes with a Core i7-2630QM, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 750 GB HDD (see review). The benchmarks that follow were all carried out in the native Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

This latest Call of Duty spin-off is still very laggy on many systems. The Asus G73SW is sadly no exception. Although the very high details setting, 4 x AA (anti-aliasing) and 8 x AF (anisotropic filtering) result in a good frame rate of 55.7 fps, the game still seems to stutter about once a second. Developer Treyarch should issue further patches as soon as possible. In general the processor has a relatively large influence on the frame rate in Black Ops; the GeForce GTX 460M achieves only 47.2 fps with a Core i7-740QM (MSI GT663R) or 47.8 fps (Medion Erazer X6811). The GeForce GTX 470M pulls ahead by about 15%, reaching 64.1 fps in the DevilTech Fragbook DTX.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
 ResolutionSettingsValue
 1920x1080extra, 4xAA, 8xAF55.7 fps

Mafia 2

2K Czech, who developed this alternative to GTA, have placed less importance on creating a long game or one that is crammed full of detail, focusing more on depth of character and storytelling. The Asus G73SW was able to fluidly reproduce the integrated benchmark with high details and 16 x AF, achieving 34.7 fps, which is perfectly sufficient for a third-person game. However, the GeForce GTX 470M laughs in the face of this result, itself managing 46.1 fps, a 33% improvement.

Mafia 2
 ResolutionSettingsValue
 1920x1080high, 0xAA, 16xAF34.7 fps

Starcraft 2

This real-time strategy by Blizzard is extremely popular both as a singleplayer and a multiplayer. It does not present the GeForce GTX 460M with any particular difficulties. During the intro for the challenge ‘For the Swarm’ we measured a respectable 31.5 fps on the very high detail settings. The GeForce 470M is once again in a higher league, playing around 30% more smoothly on the same settings with a frame rate of 41.1 fps.

StarCraft 2
 ResolutionSettingsValue
 1920x1080ultra31.5 fps

Metro 2033

This first-person shooter was the only game other than Crysis that could put the Asus G73SW in its place. Very high detail settings, AAA (analytical anti-aliasing), 4 x AF and DirectX 11 mode was definitely asking too much of the notebook. It managed only 9.4 fps, which is very far from being playable. The GeForce GTX 470M is 29% quicker on paper, but at 12.1 fps it makes little difference; the battle against the dangerous mutants is lost either way.

Metro 2033
 ResolutionSettingsValue
 1920x1080Very High DX11, AAA, 4xAF9.4 fps

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

If you want to enjoy this latest Battlefield spin-off properly, in the Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and with high details, you will have to do without any additional quality enhancements. When using 4 x AA and 8 x AF the Asus G73SW settles at a not entirely smooth 30.1 fps. The GeForce GTX 470M pulls ahead quite considerably once again, with 37.5 fps, a good 25% lead.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
 ResolutionSettingsValue
 1920x1080high, HBAO on, 4xAA, 8xAF30.1 fps

Verdict: Gaming

The Asus G73SW’s gaming performance is very convincing for the most part. Generally, the GeForce GTX 460M graphics card handles modern games without a problem even on (very) high resolution and graphics settings. Sometimes you can even activate the power-hungry anti-aliasing option, which visibly softens the jagged appearance of slanted edges. Only extremely demanding games like Metro 2033 or Crysis are too much for the Nvidia CPU on maximum detail settings.

Overall the GeForce GTX 460M’s performance is roughly on a par with a Radeon HD 5870. The GeForce GTX 460M fares worse when compared to other models by the same manufacturer; it trails the GeForce GTX 470M by about 26%. Nevertheless, demanding gamers will find the GeForce GTX 460M to be a powerful graphics card, one that should cope well even with games that have yet to be released. But dedicated performance enthusiasts would be better off seeking out a more powerful graphics card like the Radeon HD 6970M or the GeForce GTX 485M.

low med. high ultra
Crysis - GPU Benchmark (2007) 13
Crysis - CPU Benchmark (2007) 12.2
Colin McRae: DIRT 2 (2009) 42.3
Need for Speed Shift (2009) 43.9
Resident Evil 5 (2009) 48.3
Risen (2009) 29.3
CoD Modern Warfare 2 (2009) 45.2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010) 30.1
Metro 2033 (2010) 9.4
StarCraft 2 (2010) 31.5
Mafia 2 (2010) 34.7
Fifa 11 (2010) 136.2
Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) 55.7

Emissions

Quiet fan
Quiet fan

System noise

The Asus G73SW’s most unique feature is actually its surprisingly low temperature and noise emissions. The powerful cooling system keeps the components at a healthy temperature without reaching a volume that disturbs the user. In idle the notebook is only just audible, the two fans turning quietly and uniformly.

As long as you’re not reading a massive amount of data, the optical drive and the hard drives also stay relatively quiet. With heavy use the noise level barely increases, so the atmosphere of games and films is not spoiled. And even with the notebook running absolutely flat-out, a fairly unrealistic scenario, the fans remain at an acceptable level - which is really very unusual for a high-end notebook. So noise-sensitive users should be very happy with this notebook; hardly any other gaming notebook on the market at the moment will allow for quieter gaming.

Noise Level

Idle
32.2 / 32.2 / 33.4 dB(A)
HDD
33.1 dB(A)
DVD
34.8 / dB(A)
Load
34.1 / 35.9 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft SL-320 (15 cm distance)
Temp. idle
Temp. idle
Temp. full load
Temp. full load

Temperature

There is also nothing to complain about when it comes to temperatures. The notebook surfaces remain extremely cool in idle, with a maximum of 25.2 °C, an excellent value. Even under stress the G73SW is exceedingly comfortable to work with; we did not measure anything higher than 35 °C anywhere on the notebook. The palm rest deserves a particular mention, as it did not warm up the hands even after several hours of use.

Let’s take a look at the notebook’s insides. If you let it run a while without any heavy activity, the processor and graphics card settle at around 30 °C, which is a respectable result.  In our stability test with the Furmark and Prime tools, it was the graphics card in particular that heated up, but it reached an unconcerning maximum temperature of 73°C.

A problem manifested itself with the processor. Its maximum temperature was significantly cooler at 58 °C, but the CPU temporarily slowed down to a measly 1.40 GHz. Fortunately nothing troubling came up during our comprehensive battery of benchmark tests, and so the CPU throttling is most likely limited to full-on 100% usage.

Max. Load
 26.1 °C
79 F
33.5 °C
92 F
34.2 °C
94 F
 
 25.6 °C
78 F
34.1 °C
93 F
34.7 °C
94 F
 
 22.5 °C
73 F
24 °C
75 F
23.9 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 34.7 °C = 94 F
Average: 28.7 °C = 84 F
35 °C
95 F
27.7 °C
82 F
28 °C
82 F
27.1 °C
81 F
30.3 °C
87 F
23.2 °C
74 F
24.7 °C
76 F
26.1 °C
79 F
23.5 °C
74 F
Maximum: 35 °C = 95 F
Average: 27.3 °C = 81 F
Power Supply (max.)  41.5 °C = 107 F | Room Temperature 20.8 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 28.7 °C / 84 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.7 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.1 °C / 72 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 24 °C / 75.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+4.9 °C / 8.8 F).

Speakers

Notebook speakers that actually sound good are few and far between. But the Asus G73SW is one of those rare notebooks that can produce sound of a decent quality. The 17-inch machine has a 2.1 system, consisting of two speakers (positioned above the keyboard) and a subwoofer (on the bottom of the base unit). The sound does seem a little muffled at times, but overall every variety of tone is reproduced relatively accurately. The sound comes across as quite full and powerful, with the subwoofer providing the appropriate emphasis. The G73SW also scores points for its high maximum volume. It can be turned up loud enough for you to hear everything perfectly clearly from several meters away.

The 2.1 system also has a lot going on in terms of features. As well as “THX TruStudio” the G73SE also has “EAX Advanced HD 5.0”, a process developed by sound experts Creative which aims to represent ambient sounds in computer games as realistically as possible. PC games with support for EAX include such prominent examples as Colin McRae: Dirt or The Witcher. There are very few other notebooks with comparable sound quality; the Asus N73JQ, the Dell XPS 17 and the MSI GT663R would be good examples.

Battery life

Maximum battery life (Reader's Test)
Reader's Test
Minimum battery life (Classic Test)
Classic Test

Asus may have fitted the G73SW with a powerful eight-cell battery with 75 Wh (5200 mAh), but since the manufacturer also decided to do without a graphics switching option, the battery life is rather mediocre. Under stress (Classic Battery Eater test) with maximum brightness and deactivated energy-saving options, it lasted only 65 minutes. The run time was much better during DVD playback, lasting for two hours and 22 minutes, enough for most films (moderate energy-saving options).

Surfing the internet over wireless is not a problem for the G73SW - and not every gaming notebook lasts for around three hours like this one (using Firefox 3 and Adblock). But you can’t squeeze much more than that out of it; in the Battery Eater Reader’s test with minimum screen brightness and maximum energy-saving mechanisms, it managed an acceptable three hours and 25 minutes. If you want longer battery life, you might like to take a look at the Alienware M17x R3 (see review).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 25min
WiFi Surfing
2h 58min
DVD
2h 22min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 05min

The energy usage should not attract any complaints. With 21.6 - 28.4 W in idle and 111.7 - 115.7 W under heavy use, the Asus G73SW consumes less energy than many other similarly powerful gaming notebooks (see for example the Medion Akoya X7811).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.9 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 21.6 / 28 / 28.4 Watt
Load midlight 111.7 / 115.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC-940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Verdict

Asus G73SW-TZ083V
Asus G73SW-TZ083V

The Asus G73SW is entirely successful as a gaming notebook. With a height of up to 6 cm at the back and a weight of almost 4 kg, the case is on the bulky side, but flawless workmanship and matt surfaces give the 17-inch machine a very high-quality appearance. Asus also deserves credit for the excellent cooling system which keeps the case surfaces and internal components surprisingly cool even under heavy stress. At the same time the fans work fairly quietly, the level of background noise remaining unobtrusive throughout.

The notebook has a better quality screen than the majority of its competitors; the Hannstar HSD173PUW1 display is in a class of its own. The Asus G73SW also does well performance-wise, the combination of Core i7-2630QMGeForce GTX 460M, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and two hybrid hard drives dealing confidently with almost everything that is thrown at it. Even the loudspeakers have been chosen with care, with the 2.1 sound system making external speakers unnecessary. The spacious touchpad and integrated keyboard backlighting round off the list of good features.

On the negative side, the first thing we would mention is the limited choice of ports. Many users will be sorely disappointed not to find an ExpressCard slot or an eSATA or Firewire port. We also found the layout to be far from optimal, with many ports placed annoyingly far forward. There is also room for improvement when it comes to the keyboard; the response from the keys is pretty poorly defined and typing feels spongy. Finally, if Asus had included Nvidia’s Optimus technology, the battery life might have been longer.

Overall the Asus G73SW is one of the best gaming notebooks currently on the market. Machines with similar performance like the Medion Erazer X6811 can be bought for significantly less, but in a direct comparison they lose out on several points (e.g. display and volume). However, the notebook is not quite good enough to be our new favourite, as the (more expensive) Alienware M17x R3 is still just a touch better in terms of quality.

NB: Because of the problems currently affecting the Intel Sandy Bridge chipset, notebooks like this one may be subject to delays in delivery. Further details and continually updated information about this topic can be found here.

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In Review: Asus G73SW-TZ083V
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Specifications

Asus G73SW-TZ083V (G73 Series)
Processor
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M - 1536 MB VRAM, Core: 675 MHz, Memory: 625 MHz, Shader speed: 1350 MHz, ForceWare 261.14
Memory
8 GB 
, 4 x 2048 MB DDR3 (1333 MHz), max. 16 GB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, Hannstar HSD173PUW1, 43.94 cm, LED backlighting, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM65
Storage
Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS, 500 GB 
, 7200 rpm, two hybrid hard drives with 1000 GB in total
Soundcard
Realtek ALC269 @ Intel Cougar Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphones, microphone, Card Reader: SDXC, MMC, MS, MS Pro, MS Duo
Networking
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 2.1
Optical drive
Slimtype BD E DS4E1S
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 57 x 420 x 320 ( = 2.24 x 16.54 x 12.6 in)
Battery
75 Wh Lithium-Ion, 5200 mAh, 8 cells, A42-G73
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2.0 Megapixel
Additional features
Mains adaptor: 150 W, cleaning cloth, handbook, warranty card, ExpressGate instructions, driver & tools DVD, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
3.9 kg ( = 137.57 oz / 8.6 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
1800 Euro

 

The matt surfaces are slightly rubberized.
The matt surfaces are slightly rubberized.
The typing feel is rather spongy.
The typing feel is rather spongy.
Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors are incredibly fast.
Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors are incredibly fast.
There is a subwoofer hiding on the underside of the case.
There is a subwoofer hiding on the underside of the case.
The integrated webcam has a resolution of 2.0 megapixels.
The integrated webcam has a resolution of 2.0 megapixels.
The G73 is part of Asus’s ‘Republic of Gamers’ (R.O.G.) series.
The G73 is part of Asus’s ‘Republic of Gamers’ (R.O.G.) series.
The smooth touchpad is pleasantly large.
The smooth touchpad is pleasantly large.
The keys in the number pad have been made very small.
The keys in the number pad have been made very small.
The power socket and VGA port are positioned on the right.
The power socket and VGA port are positioned on the right.
The old models mostly had to do without a USB 3.0 port.
The old models mostly had to do without a USB 3.0 port.
It is a little stingy to have only two audio ports.
It is a little stingy to have only two audio ports.
The optical drive can not only read Blu-Ray disks but also burn them.
The optical drive can not only read Blu-Ray disks but also burn them.
The battery life is more or less okay.
The battery life is more or less okay.
The mains adaptor is not what you’d call dainty.
The mains adaptor is not what you’d call dainty.
Various stickers adorn the palm rest.
Various stickers adorn the palm rest.
The battery slots into the back of the case.
The battery slots into the back of the case.
When you open the lid the base unit does not follow.
When you open the lid the base unit does not follow.
At the back, the case is almost 6 cm high.
At the back, the case is almost 6 cm high.
The maximum opening angle is extremely limited.
The maximum opening angle is extremely limited.
Two fans dispose of unwanted heat.
Two fans dispose of unwanted heat.
The notebook’s shape is a little like a Lamborghini sports car.
The notebook’s shape is a little like a Lamborghini sports car.
A glossy display which picks up strong reflections.
A glossy display which picks up strong reflections.
An access panel can be removed from the underside.
An access panel can be removed from the underside.
Only the RAM, the hard drives and the WLAN are accessible.
Only the RAM, the hard drives and the WLAN are accessible.
The 150 Watt mains adaptor (included).
The 150 Watt mains adaptor (included).
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 460M is a high-end graphics card.
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 460M is a high-end graphics card.
The case has two hard drive slots.
The case has two hard drive slots.
8 GB of DDR3 RAM is more than enough.
8 GB of DDR3 RAM is more than enough.
Both SSHs have a 500 GB capacity.
Both SSHs have a 500 GB capacity.
Asus has included several info booklets and a driver and tools DVD with the G73SW.
Asus has included several info booklets and a driver and tools DVD with the G73SW.

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Pros

+Moderate system noise
+Matt surfaces
+Flawless workmanship
+Low temperatures
+High-quality display
+Keyboard backlighting
+Very good performance
+Large touchpad
+Fast hard drives
+Good sound quality
 

Cons

-Suboptimal port layout
-Mediocre range of ports
-Spongy keyboard
-Bulky case
-No Optimus

Shortcut

What we like

Asus has used a high-class screen and a good sound system.

What we'd like to see

A crisper keyboard and more ports.

What surprises us

The cooling system is a complete success. The fans are unobtrusive.

The competition

Other gaming notebooks like the Asus G53JW, the Asus G73JH, the Asus G73JW, the DevilTech Fragbook DTX, the Eurocom W860CU Cougar, the mySN XMG P501, the Medion Erazer X6811, the Medion Akoya X7811, the MSI GX660R or the MSI GT663R.
Just out: Alienware M17x R3 with Sandy Bridge CPU.

Rating

Asus G73SW-TZ083V - 02/04/2011 v2(old)
Florian Glaser

Chassis
88%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
88%
Connectivity
76%
Weight
58%
Battery
73%
Display
84%
Games Performance
91%
Application Performance
90%
Temperature
92%
Noise
86%
Add Points
88%
Average
83%
85%
Gaming - Weighted Average
Florian Glaser, 2011-02-13 (Update: 2013-06- 6)