Asus ROG Gaming Laptop choices

rockydog2040

Honorable
Dec 19, 2012
2
0
10,510
Hello, fellow gaming and electronic enthusiasts! I have decided to invest in a gaming laptop and would like to ask for some opinions on the models of laptops I've found an interest in.

----Also, please note that I am fully aware that desktops are significantly cheaper and in some ways and scenarios more powerful than notebooks. I have deliberated on this subject for quite some time and have decided that a notebook works best for my gaming and entertainment needs. -------


Information about my planned usage and gaming habits:

I want to play games like battlefield 4, borderlands 2, grand theft auto 5 (it will be pc eventually), league of legends (because LOL is so graphically intensive), natural selection 2, and other miscellaneous steam games. The main trend is that I like sandbox and fps games. I also plan on using the laptop for netflix and possibly light email browsing.

Requirements
-1080p res
-Most current games on High or above with consistent fps at 40-60
-Somewhat future-resistant (i know I will be building a desktop someday, but not for a few years)
- Priced between $1000-2000, the lower the better

In conclusion, I want to spend enough money to enjoy a high level of graphical detail but I don't necessarily need ultra settings with 100 fps. I just want the notebook to be able to play all games now and (hopefully) for the next year or so.


I've narrowed my search down to the ASUS ROG line of gaming laptops mainly because of their superior cooling systems and quality of specs for price.

I'm trying to decide between these models:

G750JX http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-G750JX-DB71-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B00COQIKKA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2DUBG90A7U2JX&coliid=I4XGC8Q2W2GIZ


G75VW http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-G75VW-AS71-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B007MW73C2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343030849&sr=8-1&keywords=asus%20gaming%20laptop&tag=vglnk-c1001-20

G750JW http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-G750JW-DB71-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B00COQIKB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376459300&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+rog


The price of the G75VW at about $1,200 is probably the optimum price for me, and has a 7200 rpm hard drive, but does not have an SSD. The G750JX has virtually everything I want with an overkill amount of RAM and an SSD, but I've read that the 5400 rpm hard drive is somewhat of a bottleneck. The JX is also very close to my maximum I'd be willing to spend and seems very overpriced for the stated improvements over the other models. The G750 JW seems to be the middle ground between the other models with regards to RAM and the GPU, but again does not have an SSD and has the 5400 rpm hard drive.

What are your thoughts on these models of laptops? Which seems the best value for price? And (forgive my newbie-ness) what on these laptops can be upgraded? Are there major differences between the processors and GPU's in terms of performance? Are the hard drive speeds as important for my needs? thanks in advance for all of the questions



Please feel free to offer as much advice and information as you'd like

Thank you for your time




 
Solution
Rockydog,

I purchased an Asus G750JX-RB71 after much research. Like you, I wanted to game on the go, but I am also a musician and wanted a portable laptop to interface with a firewire audio interface for live music recording. Hard to find a laptop with a fireport and play games. While browsing my local Frys I found and purchased a cheaper version of the G750JX.
www.frys.com/product/7741318?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Pros
1. G750JX is a super quiet laptop, I cant tell that it is on without looking at it. great for open mic recording.
2. One of the easiest laptop to upgrade the ram and hard drives. Just one screw and you have access to the RAM slots and 2 hard disk bays. I added an old Samsung 830 256g drive I have lying around...

isamu5150

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
2
0
18,520
Rockydog,

I purchased an Asus G750JX-RB71 after much research. Like you, I wanted to game on the go, but I am also a musician and wanted a portable laptop to interface with a firewire audio interface for live music recording. Hard to find a laptop with a fireport and play games. While browsing my local Frys I found and purchased a cheaper version of the G750JX.
www.frys.com/product/7741318?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Pros
1. G750JX is a super quiet laptop, I cant tell that it is on without looking at it. great for open mic recording.
2. One of the easiest laptop to upgrade the ram and hard drives. Just one screw and you have access to the RAM slots and 2 hard disk bays. I added an old Samsung 830 256g drive I have lying around while I wait for the new Samsung 840 Evo drives to be release later this month.
3. The Thunderbolt port on the G750JX works with Apples Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter and works both in Windows 8 and Mac OS X which I have both install on this system
4. The GTX770M plays all my games on high setting no problem, can play most on Ultra and not drop below 40 frames depending on the game.
I recommend this chart for mobile gpu
www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
5. Nice matte 1080p screen, no reflections to blind you
6. Power efficient

Cons... Not really
1. All USB 3.0 ports. Haswell CPU chip set has issues with some USB 2.0 devices. It doesn't like my Rocksmith USB guitar cord unless I run it through a powered USB 2.0 hub. Other than that, I have confirm that the G750 likes my Logitech gaming keyboard and mouse, and also my Razor Orbweaver which has been reported to have issues with some Haswell motherboards.
2. DVD-Rom is a little noise on bootup only. I don't use it much other than in install drivers.
3. Not a big fan of the laptop keyboard and placement the touchpad for gaming. Not a big deal, cause I use an Ordweaver and real gaming mouse.
4. Laptop is big. I bought the Asus RoG backpack for an extra G.
5. Matte black shell body does pick up finger prints and can be hard to wipe clean

The G750jx is the best investment I have made in a long while and for the most part replaced my desktop system that it sits next to. The only reason why I haven't retired my desktop is because it has a gtx690 I don't want to part and only use it to play all games in Ultra.

How I use my G750JX right now, sits screen closed on desk powered on at all times and sleeps. Connected to a KVM via HDMI/USB/3.5m Audio. Main monitor is a 50in LED smart TV, Logitech G15 keyboard with a G9x mouse plugged into the keyboard USB hub, and logitech z-5500 speakers. Thuderbolt port has a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 audio interface. 256gig SSD is primary drive with Windows 8. The 750gig 7200rpm drive is second drive partitioned twice with one being a MAC OS X. Software I use the most Logic, Protools, Garageband, Reaper, Cubase, Steam, Origin, Civ 5, Tomb Raider, Planetside 2, Black Ops 2, Mass Effect 3, BF3, Rocksmith, and MechWarrior Online.

I say it is a well rounded and powerful laptop and a good choice. Like I said I will add a terabyte 840 evo SSD and expand my ram from 12gigs to 32gigs later down the line.




 
Solution

isamu5150

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
2
0
18,520
The cheaper version is the same laptop and internals. Just with 12 gigs of ram and a 750gig 7200rmp drive.
You can always add ram up to 32gigs and add a new SSD drive in slot 2, or better yet replace the 750gig drive and add 2 new SSD drives. This laptop is an alternative as to not hit you in the pocket book all at once.