Latest On ASUS G73JH-A1

[matthewmarks1981]

What is the latest info available on
the ASUS G73JH-A1 since I got my
order locked in Jan. 13th since the
release dates given for shipping was
the 17th of this month & the 2nd of
March.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

The last e-mail I got said that they were getting their next shipment after March 4th and that if they didn't have enough to fulfill the orders, the next shipment after that would be in late March. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to wait that long. I'll even swap for an A2 if the Blu-ray is causing the A1 delays.

[vrman]

The last e-mail I got said that they were getting their next shipment after March 4th and that if they didn't have enough to fulfill the orders, the next shipment after that would be in late March. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to wait that long. I'll even swap for an A2 if the Blu-ray is causing the A1 delays.

Only problem there is we haven't heard anything on the A2 yet either. I went for the A2 since I don't have a use for the blu-ray yet.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Other, 'nameless' retailers seem to have them or are expecting them on Monday. I'm sure Xotic will be getting more A2s then as well.

[RozZy]

Have only heard 4th march for the A1.

[AmarilloMike]

Have only heard 4th march for the A1.

Placed my order Friday 2/12/10. Was told maybe late March.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I was also told the March 4th date but it is no guarantee.

[vrman]

Oh. I thought I read somewhere that the A2's were going to be in last week. Anyone get any update notification yet?

[UntilMoraleImproves]

A2s are shipping on Monday from NewEgg. I don't know about Xotic.

[popwar]

if us a2 buyers arent getting it til late march fromxotic im gonna cancel my preorder and get it from newegg

[Halaster]

I am surprised really that Newegg has so many more since XoticPC has been taking orders for them for weeks longer.

They should have been sent at least enough to cover the orders up to the point that Newegg started taking orders.

[powerpack]

NewEgg orders to have stock Xotic does not maintain stock or much stock. So NewEgg might of pre ordered more than Xotic. Also We do not now the volume difference between NewEgg and Xotic for Asus sales. It can make a difference in delivered product.

NewEgg is an online Warehouse Xotic is a full service reseller.

[winyl]

here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220695&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction) Get your G73jh-X1 now (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220695&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction)

X1 a new model from NewEgg? only one hdd 500Gb.

winyl

[UntilMoraleImproves]

There are actually four models on the market right now. The X1, X3, A1 and A2. Personally, I have no interest in either 'x' model.

[RozZy]

I really cant see any reason why you wouldnt order from Newegg if u live in US, its a different story if you're ordering international

[matthewmarks1981]

If what I was told by my Mom
is right I should be in the area
of March 15th.

[Anewbus]

I really cant see any reason why you wouldnt order from Newegg if u live in US, its a different story if you're ordering international

I can see why one wouln't order this from Newegg:
1) Zero Customer Service
2) No warranty offers
3) No Tech Support
4) No custom upgrade choices
5) No "Choice" of OS
6) No control over Bloatware (unless XoticPC can't control what Asus sends them either in that regard)

Don't get me wrong, Newegg is great for parts and accessories and such, but personally I'd rather have a place like XoticPC that has great customer service and appreciation (and a phone number) sell me something like a Notebook. That's my opinion anyway.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I'm with Anewbus. I'm not going to consider switching to NE unless I'm sure that my rig isn't coming before the end of March or later. I can't wait that long. As long as I have a hope for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to hold on to it and stick w Xotic. These guys rock!

[RozZy]

I didnt mean it that way, i meant if u want to get it earlier:P most places doesnt ship international

[Nukie]

I was wondering if Xoticpc has already shipped their first shipment of ASUS G73JH-A1. I ordered at the end of January and was hoping to get an eta.

[drremi]

All you guys are scaring me! I was hoping I'd get my new Laptop somewhere at the beginning of March. It's all Engadgets fault. I read reviews on this Laptop, and I was already an Asus Fan, and been looking for a desktop replacement. Well I decided to order this one. I guess I can wait a bit longer, I think I have to wait and extra week because of the back cover skin I wanted for it!

[RozZy]

I was wondering if Xoticpc has already shipped their first shipment of ASUS G73JH-A1. I ordered at the end of January and was hoping to get an eta.

Then ill guess u ordered around 19th of jan like me? then its around 4th of march

[drremi]

I wish..but it was the 8th of Feb. I already paid in advance, and Paypal notified me it was sent on the 8th. I have never prepaid that much for anything that I can remember!
It's that kid inside me again....hope he did the right thing! :>)

[RozZy]

I wish..but it was the 8th of Feb. I already paid in advance, and Paypal notified me it was sent on the 8th. I have never prepaid that much for anything that I can remember!
It's that kid inside me again....hope he did the right thing! :>)


I feel you!!! im in the same boat, never pre-paid for this much money before, it makes the waiting SO much worse.

[Anewbus]

Looks like another case of manufacture not able to keep up with demand. Can you imagine how crazy resellers like XoticPC are going not being able to fill orders in a timely fashion through not fault of their own?
Maybe the bright side is that they will send out far less faulty units by not taking the Microsoft approach of releasing things befor the bugs are worked out on an unsuspecting public. That's if there is a bright side.:)

[drremi]

Ya, my wife ask me if I could wait that long. Well for now I just got me a new toy...a new phone. It's the hero and just loving it. Feel like I started going backwards... the kid in me is going crazy! Keep me out of trouble!!!!

[drremi]

I order the Blue ray as well. Is that mean I have to wait longer?
:confused:

[matthewmarks1981]

How I got my Info was my Mom
who does all the handling of my
affairs legal or monetary called
to check on the status of my
order and Justin was the one
that mentioned those dates and
that is what was relayed to me.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I order the Blue ray as well. Is that mean I have to wait longer?
:confused:

I've read elsewhere that there is a BR shortage and it is delaying A1's.

[drremi]

Well I guess I will have to wait or change my order! I though the BD option would be a good future choice and no having to order the add on later!

I am the last guy around that to sit still a bit longer to get my cake and eat too! My wife is just laughing at me .... all I talk about is this Laptop!
Me waiting.......:notworthy

[RozZy]

Well I guess I will have to wait or change my order! I though the BD option would be a good future choice and no having to order the add on later!

I am the last guy around that to sit still a bit longer to get my cake and eat too! My wife is just laughing at me .... all I talk about is this Laptop!
Me waiting.......:notworthy


Your seriously scaring me..
im doing exactly the same, are you my mysterious twin?

[Bgeorgiev.Boris]

Who tell mi a official shipping date on Asus G73JH-A2 pre ordered in 8.02.2010 ???

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Who tell mi a official shipping date on Asus G73JH-A2 pre ordered in 8.02.2010 ???

You need to contact Xotic sales. No one on the forums is going to be able to answer your question.

[ahefner33]

You need to contact Xotic sales. No one on the forums is going to be able to answer your question.

I'm just curious but does anyone else have a problem with the live chat working? It may be on my end but when I load there live chat and submit my info, it just stays on the connecting to next representative stage. Left it on for 5 hours once lol. Thanks.

Adam

[UntilMoraleImproves]

They are in Nebraska and are usually pretty busy. I would call.

[Anewbus]

I'm just curious but does anyone else have a problem with the live chat working? It may be on my end but when I load there live chat and submit my info, it just stays on the connecting to next representative stage. Left it on for 5 hours once lol. Thanks.

Adam

As suggested, I would pick up the phone call the good folks at XoticPC. :XPCS::notworthyYou might even get lucky and get to speak with one of the Justins who are considered Pharohs of Notebookgypt......uh, ok that's just me.:laugh:

[ramboky]

I don't think the rumors around the Blu-Ray drive are right. I originally ordered an A1 on January 2nd. Two weeks ago XoticPC got in touch saying the A1 may be a while but I could switch to an A2, add the Blu-Ray drive (reader) option and get it much sooner. As of the 9th February my laptop is now in production! I'm hoping it will ship this week. The Blu-Ray drive for both should be identical so they must be available.

My wife is also laughing at me for how much I've been talking about this laptop...

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I don't think the rumors around the Blu-Ray drive are right. I originally ordered an A1 on January 2nd. Two weeks ago XoticPC got in touch saying the A1 may be a while but I could switch to an A2, add the Blu-Ray drive (reader) option and get it much sooner. As of the 9th February my laptop is now in production! I'm hoping it will ship this week. The Blu-Ray drive for both should be identical so they must be available.

My wife is also laughing at me for how much I've been talking about this laptop...

That doesn't make any sense since the only difference anyone has found between the A1 and A2 is the BR in the A1. If you add a BR drive to the A2 it is an A1.

[ramboky]

What doesn't make sense?

I ordered an A1. XoticPC could get the A2 model from ASUS faster than the A1 so they offered it to me. By paying a little extra I could add the Blu-Ray option to the A2, essentially making it identical to an A1. But it is still an A2 + Blu-Ray, not an A1.

The A1 and A2 are two identical machines with different default options. Yes, the A2 + Blu-Ray is identical to the A1 but it is still two different models from the manufacturer with two different ETAs.

Hope that is clear.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Think about it. What else could explain the delay in A1's? If you could just add a BR drive to an A2, it is no different than buying an A1, right? Unless, of course, the BR you add on isn't the same as what ASUS is planning on releasing in the A1. Either way, your original statement still doesn't make sense. Of course the BR delays are true or the A1's and A2's would be released at the same time.

[Nukie]

I noticed that the A2 doesn't have the option to make a raid array. Is it possible to get a raid array on the A2 myself, or does the bios not support it? Also whens the first shipment of A1s gonna ship?

[Asus-Man]

Think about it. What else could explain the delay in A1's? If you could just add a BR drive to an A2, it is no different than buying an A1, right? Unless, of course, the BR you add on isn't the same as what ASUS is planning on releasing in the A1. Either way, your original statement still doesn't make sense. Of course the BR delays are true or the A1's and A2's would be released at the same time.

Yea, they must be different BR drives, according to the customize page for the A-2 the BR drive reader is a 2x speed and for the A-1 it says its a 4x speed. :confused:

[ramboky]

Think about it. What else could explain the delay in A1's?
More demand than expected for one model over the other seems likely.

If you could just add a BR drive to an A2, it is no different than buying an A1, right?
Right. And that is exactly what XoticPC told me. The A2 = the A1 - the default Blu-Ray drive. No other differences at all.
The A1/A2 models are possibly just added to provide different pricing points for marketing purposes.

Either way, your original statement still doesn't make sense. Of course the BR delays are true or the A1's and A2's would be released at the same time.
Yes it does, you just disagree. I'm not denying the laptops are delayed, nor that the Blue-Ray drives might be the cause, I'm just suggesting the reason might be something else because of my order.

Either way, the status of my laptop order is now "Phase 2 (Sent for Custom Building / Testing / Burn In & Final QA) 3-7 Business Days)". Which means they have the parts: an A2 and a Blu-Ray drive.

From an email trail between Joseph Lee @ XoticPC and me:
I wanted to update you as to a possible change to your order. If you would like we can switch you over the G73jh-a2 which the only difference is the blue ray drive isn’t included
and
Yeah instead of getting the 95 dollar refund you could pay an extra 15 dollars over the original price and we can upgrade the a2 model with a blue ray drive. And it will ship much sooner.
and
I will mark down tomorrow that you would like to continue with the G73jh-a2 with the blue ray


Anyway, my intention was simply to provide information to those considering changing their orders (drremi) - removing the drive might not make a difference to your ETA.

[ramboky]

Yea, they must be different BR drives, according to the customize page for the A-2 the BR drive reader is a 2x speed and for the A-1 it says its a 4x speed. :confused:

You beat me to it - just noticed that myself.

I will email Xotic to confirm but it seems you are right UntilMoraleImproves - looks like my long winded reply was in vain...

[powerpack]

I am losing my mind or are the options changing daily. Neither A1 or A2 lists RAID as an option anymore? The A2 was offering 4X BR read before like even a few days ago?

OK that said I have comments/questions. This is not the first Asus roll out where demand or lack of supply has caused long delay (remember delay starts the day you want it so a very vague term to say the least) but this might be a record. Sager has also had in the past but their latest shipping already?

So I wonder if Asus uses the pre ordering to gauge demand so to match production with units to be moved? That would be very efficient at least from an economic stand point for Asus. Inventory has a high cost. It is money spent but not returned. That said though it looks like they might of misjudged the demand in a big way?

But in Asus defense, at the price point they sell these at, this might be the only way they can do? And that also goes for their insane upgrade costs on CPU's. Not the only way it could be done but if it gives us high performance at great value I would take that bargin.

I am not trying to be an apologist for Asus. This roll out does seem to have some major hiccups. But I can understand it. But not like it.

Hang in there guys.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I'm going to have to check in again with Xotic because the BR drive really doesn't matter that much to me. I already have two BR players at home, the A1 was just a good price for a fully loaded machine. If I can score an A2 sooner than an A1, I'd switch my order in a heartbeat.

[ramboky]

I'm going to have to check in again with Xotic because the BR drive really doesn't matter that much to me. I already have two BR players at home, the A1 was just a good price for a fully loaded machine. If I can score an A2 sooner than an A1, I'd switch my order in a heartbeat.

That's exactly how I felt so I did switch. Finding out I could add the drive back and still get my order faster was just a bonus.

I got a reply from Xotic about the drives.

The blue ray drives that we have were promised to be 4x actually. And we have double confirmed with the vendor that even though on the web you find them as 2x that they are indeed 4x. So at this moment I will have to trust them and say we will be providing 4x.

It's not a guarantee but it does strongly suggest the A2 upgrade will be a 4x drive - even if it's not necessarily the same drive as would be included with an A1. Either way, like you I don't care, I just want my laptop ASAP.

I will let you guys know when mine ships and what I get when it arrives. Hopefully should be shipping in the next 3-4 (business) days.

For any international customers sitting on the fence. XoticPC support has been excellent so far and with the international warranty on this laptop I say go for it!

[drremi]

Well after reading all your post...though it was time to call sales. Spoke with Justin, and it seems that it doesn't matter how you work it, we are still looking at late March early April. changing to A2 will not make a difference...both models are delayed and Asus has really fallen behind.
I have had to say the serenity prayer many times in the past so I don't go nuts thinking about it! So now is a good time to start again!!!! ">)
My old PC has warned me on the 16th that Windows 7 RC will give up the ghost on March 1st. I need to back everything up and go buy a real copy, to hold me over until I see the G73. This thing is 8 years old and still kick'en. I wonder if my Laptop can do the same!

[ramboky]

I guess I was just lucky because I got in so early (January 2nd).

The wait is about the same, I just started waiting earlier...

[popwar]

newegg has the 500gb models . you think they are just waiting on hard drives or back packs?

[ElStevie]

Well after reading all your post...though it was time to call sales. Spoke with Justin, and it seems that it doesn't matter how you work it, we are still looking at late March early April. changing to A2 will not make a difference...both models are delayed and Asus has really fallen behind.
I have had to say the serenity prayer many times in the past so I don't go nuts thinking about it! So now is a good time to start again!!!! ">)
My old PC has warned me on the 16th that Windows 7 RC will give up the ghost on March 1st. I need to back everything up and go buy a real copy, to hold me over until I see the G73. This thing is 8 years old and still kick'en. I wonder if my Laptop can do the same!
Crap that sucks, preordered mine on Monday (15th) so I guess I'm looking at April ):. My laptop bit the dust last week (hence I'm buying a new one) so I really have no computer atm, I'm going nuts already!
Don't think I'll make it 'till April ): .
Xotic has been awesome so far to me though. I'm also an international customer (Mexico), called them and all and they answered all my questions and even put up with my terrible english!

[Justin_W@XoticPC]

Crap that sucks, preordered mine on Monday (15th) so I guess I'm looking at April ):. My laptop bit the dust last week (hence I'm buying a new one) so I really have no computer atm, I'm going nuts already!
Don't think I'll make it 'till April ): .
Xotic has been awesome so far to me though. I'm also an international customer (Mexico), called them and all and they answered all my questions and even put up with my terrible english!

A shipment of the Asus G73JH models is scheduled to arrive at the Asus facility the 4th of March. Unfortunately Asus hasn’t provided allocation numbers at this time, which means we will be fulfilling orders on a first come first serve basis. We will send you an order status update if we have a model from this upcoming shipment for your order. If you don't receive an order status update, then unfortunately that means we don't have a model for your order yet.

[TheCrazyCanuck]

I am losing my mind or are the options changing daily. Neither A1 or A2 lists RAID as an option anymore? The A2 was offering 4X BR read before like even a few days ago?

OK that said I have comments/questions. This is not the first Asus roll out where demand or lack of supply has caused long delay (remember delay starts the day you want it so a very vague term to say the least) but this might be a record. Sager has also had in the past but their latest shipping already?

So I wonder if Asus uses the pre ordering to gauge demand so to match production with units to be moved? That would be very efficient at least from an economic stand point for Asus. Inventory has a high cost. It is money spent but not returned. That said though it looks like they might of misjudged the demand in a big way?

But in Asus defense, at the price point they sell these at, this might be the only way they can do? And that also goes for their insane upgrade costs on CPU's. Not the only way it could be done but if it gives us high performance at great value I would take that bargin.

I am not trying to be an apologist for Asus. This roll out does seem to have some major hiccups. But I can understand it. But not like it.

Hang in there guys.


HM55 I/O controller doesn't support RAID. I assumed (and XoticPC most likely) that a laptop with two drive bays would support RAID but unfortunately according to Intel HM55 doesn't support it. This sucks since I was really liking my G50VT laptop with two SSDs in RAID 0 :(

[icemonkey9]

Thanks for keeping us aware of the situation, as absolutely disappointing as it might be.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

HM55 I/O controller doesn't support RAID. I assumed (and XoticPC most likely) that a laptop with two drive bays would support RAID but unfortunately according to Intel HM55 doesn't support it. This sucks since I was really liking my G50VT laptop with two SSDs in RAID 0 :(

This information does not appear to be accurate. Take a look at this: link (http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/matrixstorage_sb.htm). This is for the Intel BD82HM55 PCH which appears to be the MB in the G73JH. The MB does support Intel Matrix Storage Technology which not only supports RAID 0 but allows you to combine RAID 0 and RAID 1 in the same setup.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

IT LOOKS LIKE WE CAN DO IT OURSELVES!

From Intel:

Simplified Upgrade
http://www.intel.com/sites/templates/pix/oline.gif
Building or buying a PC with a single Serial ATA hard drive, then upgrading to RAID at a later date is typically not a simple task, as it requires the reinstallation of the OS and applications. However, an Intel Express chipset with Intel Matrix Storage Technology** can be more easily upgraded to RAID capabilities when adding one or more additional Serial ATA hard drive(s). The Intel® Matrix Storage Manager software (included with platforms supporting Intel Matrix Storage Technology) handles the configuration and migration while running in the background, allowing users to surf the Web or read e-mail during the process. Once the migration is complete, dramatic increases in data protection or storage performance are available.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Unfortunately it looks like I have to retract my statements, apparently it actually does NOT support Intel Matrix Storage Technology. Sorry for the confusion or for getting anyone's hopes up.

[Nukie]

I pre ordered a G73jh-A1 with raid 0 enabled, but according to you guys the laptop doesn't support raid. Was xotic wrong and im not going to get the latop with raid?

[Nukie]

I checked intels website, and the chipset the G73jh uses does support raid.
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports the following Intel® chipsets:
Mobile Intel® 5 Series Chipsets
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/CS-020644.htm

The mobile Intel® PM55 Express Chipset is part of the mobile Intel® 5 Series Chipset family, providing a new single chip architecture delivering:

Intel® Management Engine Ignition Firmware support
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology for enhanced performance, power management, and data protection for the storage subsystem.
http://www.intel.com/Products/Notebook/Chipsets/PM55/PM55-overview.htm

[UntilMoraleImproves]

That is the current working assumption. The option for RAID was taken off the page some time after February 3rd (not sure of the exact date). When researching the MB we've noticed that it does not appear to support RAID.

[Nukie]

No I checked and it does.
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports the following Intel® chipsets:
Mobile Intel® 5 Series Chipsets

[Nukie]

Heres the url:
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/prodbrief/323192.pdf

[TheCrazyCanuck]

The 5 series all have storage matrix support except the HM55. Intel has a chart up on their site that shows the difference between the four controller ASICs and it's the only one that doesn't list support for it. Now it could be that the hardware is there and they just don't support it in software yet (wishfull thinking).

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Here's the link (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43183)to the product's page at Intel. If you look at the column on the left it says: Intel® Matrix Storage Technology - No

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I can't post the link, it gets moderated out for some reason but if you google Intel BD82HM55 PCH and look at the left column, it says that the MB doesn't support the Intel Matrix Storage Technology.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Here's a screen capture

[ramboky]

Thanks for your updates on the RAID options. I was wondering where those went...

Just got shipping notification for my A2. It will take a few days to wing it's way to New Zealand but I'll let you guys know what's in the box when it arrives (22nd - 23rd NZ Time).

[Halaster]

Ugh.

They should have used the H57 chipset on the A1 and A2 models and the H55 chipset on the single hard drive X models.
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cpu/intel/Clarkdale/chipsets_sm.png

It makes absolutely no sense to include two drives in this but not raid on ASUS's part. That is highly disappointing.

[Nukie]

I have been doing some research and discovered that you can always do a software raid with windows 7. It wont perform as fast as a hardware raid, but in tests it is very close, within a couple of mb/s.
http://www.alanjlee.com/blog/a-few-notes-on-windows-7-software-raid/

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Well, at least we have something! I was really excited about this rig for weeks but now I'm questioning things. No MB RAID support. No eSATA. No Firewire. No Express Card. Yikes. Maybe I should reconsider before they arrive at Xotic.

[RozZy]

Well, at least we have something! I was really excited about this rig for weeks but now I'm questioning things. No MB RAID support. No eSATA. No Firewire. No Express Card. Yikes. Maybe I should reconsider before they arrive at Xotic.


It's all about what you wan't to use the computer for.
Gaming? then yes this one is good.

Allround = not so good

[ramboky]

It's all about what you wan't to use the computer for.
Gaming? then yes this one is good.

Allround = not so good

I don't remember the last time I used an express card and I don't own a single firewire or eSata device. The only thing bothers me is the lack of RAID, I can't quite understand that decision. But I have an 160GB Intel X25-M G2 to drop in when my laptop arrives. The performance gains on a decent SSD make RAID 0 seem somewhat pointless.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I don't remember the last time I used an express card and I don't own a single firewire or eSata device. The only thing bothers me is the lack of RAID, I can't quite understand that decision. But I have an 160GB Intel X25-M G2 to drop in when my laptop arrives. The performance gains on a decent SSD make RAID 0 seem somewhat pointless.

I don't have any eSATA devices but it would be nice to have a port for the future. As for the Express Card, if there were a slot, at least I could get a Firewire card. The only thing I have that uses the FW connection is my camcorder but that's how I do my video editing. Without FW support, my life is going to be a bit more difficult when it comes to transferring from the camcorder. The lack of RAID also bothers me but I had been considering buying an SSD anyway and just selling the other 500GB HDD or buying a case to use it as an external storage drive. No matter how you slice it though, these are all work-arounds that most laptops theses days just support. I had been considering the Qosimio and maybe I will revisit that thought.

[RozZy]

I don't have any eSATA devices but it would be nice to have a port for the future. As for the Express Card, if there were a slot, at least I could get a Firewire card. The only thing I have that uses the FW connection is my camcorder but that's how I do my video editing. Without FW support, my life is going to be a bit more difficult when it comes to transferring from the camcorder. The lack of RAID also bothers me but I had been considering buying an SSD anyway and just selling the other 500GB HDD or buying a case to use it as an external storage drive. No matter how you slice it though, these are all work-arounds that most laptops theses days just support. I had been considering the Qosimio and maybe I will revisit that thought.

Ye i have the same problem, im going to use the lappy for some editing + gaming.

But thats a problem i can handle some other way.
and as someone else wrote, in the future i will also sell the 500gb hdd and replace it with a ssd

[TheCrazyCanuck]

Ugh.

They should have used the H57 chipset on the A1 and A2 models and the H55 chipset on the single hard drive X models.
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cpu/intel/Clarkdale/chipsets_sm.png

It makes absolutely no sense to include two drives in this but not raid on ASUS's part. That is highly disappointing.

Intel doesn't list the i7 720 as a valid processor to be paired up with the H57 controller. I think they are just pairing up the i7 720 with a slightly cheaper H55 to get two price points instead of having technical reasons for this.....

[ramboky]

I guess it's the standard trade off between price and functionality. Premium/High end laptops are often priced ridiculously high in New Zealand and the Qosimio is no exception. Compared to similar options here the A1/A2 pricing is an absolute steal even with the omissions of what are normally standard features.

I'm buying the A2 primarily as a development machine, gaming and video editing coming an equal second. Fortunately the missing features won't affect me (at least not for now). Your right though, the inclusion of an express card slot would be a nice safe guard in case I find I do need firewire or other options in the future.

[Dangqi]

BSODs have been the issue with G51Js right? I don't know if it's common or not, but I read in the notebookreview forum that some guys with A2 models have gotten BSODs with Steam and Creative Suite... as a Steam user myself, this is troubling :eeek2:

[drremi]

After reviewing some of the post, I went looking for a Laptop with all the features listed and some of the missing. I can't touch a Laptop with all the features and expect to pay $1645 base price.

I found I can't touch one for under 3,800 and up! Ya, would be nice to have USB 3 support as well!
Most of the features that came with my mother board on the old desktop I don't use anyway. It is still feature rich in this category.
I personally would not have used Raid and the SSD is expensive but was worth a try!
Is there anyone who has received the A1 or A2 and been unhappy with it?
:wideeyed:

[UntilMoraleImproves]

There's no question that the price is amazing for the hardware, I just wish ASUS had designed a 'total package'. I'm seriously considering a Qosimio instead. I hope a current G73JH owner talks me off the ledge!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

BTW - nice signature drremi ;)

[powerpack]

Toshiba? That is like going home with the ugliest stripper? Don't do it UMI, get off the ledge.

[RozZy]

1½ week left... damn time goes so slow right now=)

[ramboky]

My A2 is in New Zealand! Still working it's way through customs but I should have it in my hands by tomorrow. I know this is only really interesting to me but my wife is no longer interested in my updates so I have to annoy someone else :-/

[powerpack]

I care! Thanks for posting!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

My A2 is in New Zealand! Still working it's way through customs but I should have it in my hands by tomorrow. I know this is only really interesting to me but my wife is no longer interested in my updates so I have to annoy someone else :-/

Will you be posting anything to Youtube or the forums here? I'm interested to see what Xotic buyers get. Specifically, I'm interested in seeing if you get 1066 or 1333MHz RAM.

[RozZy]

Since its monday.. Justin, got any news about the shipment? quantity and such.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I thought March 4th was the next time that they would be arriving at the ASUS distro facility.

[RozZy]

I thought March 4th was the next time that they would be arriving at the ASUS distro facility.

Well the question is still how many Xotic is getting so we can know if we get our laptops:)

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Well the question is still how many Xotic is getting so we can know if we get our laptops:)

Agreed!:yes:

[Rannd]

I really cannot believe that Asus or Xotic PC, regardless who is to blame.... has absolutely no information on how many laptops are being shipped out. Someone on this planet must be watching these laptops built...

[Justin@XoticPC]

No info on quantity at all. :( As always no reseller knows how many they are getting until the units arrive into stock.

[singleshot71]

I am getting impatient here, spend $1700 and have nothing to show for it yet? Not my idea of smart spending. I keep thinking another 2 weeks, another 2 weeks, another 2 weeks? I understand from owning my own business that you can place an order with a company, but they might not ship all that you order, but they always tell me what they have in stock and when they will be able to fill the rest of my order. Not the case here.....frustrating as h ell. Justin is sounding like a broken record, lol. Next time I need a new laptop, I will buy what is available at that time. Not happy with xotic or asus. BTW, this had better be the best lappy I've ever seen or it will become a $1700 frisbee

[UntilMoraleImproves]

While I agree that it is frustrating, we can't really fault Xotic for something ASUS does.

[tuckerjt07]

I agree that we cannot blame Xotic for the lack of supply from Asus. However, I do blame Xotic for their lack of communication. I am getting frustrated with what seems to be the stock answer of "another x number of weeks" when they obviously do not have a clue. This is obviously a ploy to sell more notebooks that they do not have a clue when they will receive them. Instead, I think that people would be less frustrated with the more honest answer of "we do not know when we will get more in stock, but are trying our best to obtain them as readily as possible". They should just admit that they have as much as a clue about delivery date as the rest of us.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I agree that we cannot blame Xotic for the lack of supply from Asus. However, I do blame Xotic for their lack of communication. I am getting frustrated with what seems to be the stock answer of "another x number of weeks" when they obviously do not have a clue. This is obviously a ploy to sell more notebooks that they do not have a clue when they will receive them. Instead, I think that people would be less frustrated with the more honest answer of "we do not know when we will get more in stock, but are trying our best to obtain them as readily as possible". They should just admit that they have as much as a clue about delivery date as the rest of us.

Thus far, I have been very happy with my experiences with Xotic. I've spoken to Justin W a few times and have received responses to my email inquiries. This squarely falls on ASUS. They should have known that this rig was going to be hugely popular when they debuted it at CES. You can't find a better machine for the price. Unfortunately, they haven't met the demand so the dealers like Xotic are facing a lot of angry customers when it isn't their fault. Try contacting NewEgg, Provantage or any of the other G73JH resellers. Not a single one of them knows any more about upcoming stock levels then Xotic does.

[ramboky]

Will you be posting anything to Youtube or the forums here? I'm interested to see what Xotic buyers get. Specifically, I'm interested in seeing if you get 1066 or 1333MHz RAM.

Definitely. I will post exactly what I get as soon as it arrives (well almost as soon) either here or in a new thread. Unfortunately my laptop is still sitting in customs. There is duty due before they will clear it, just waiting on them telling me how much so I can pay and get it delivered. Depending on how early they get back to me it may be one more day before it arrives...

[ramboky]

I agree that we cannot blame Xotic for the lack of supply from Asus. However, I do blame Xotic for their lack of communication. I am getting frustrated with what seems to be the stock answer of "another x number of weeks" when they obviously do not have a clue. This is obviously a ploy to sell more notebooks that they do not have a clue when they will receive them. Instead, I think that people would be less frustrated with the more honest answer of "we do not know when we will get more in stock, but are trying our best to obtain them as readily as possible". They should just admit that they have as much as a clue about delivery date as the rest of us.

My experiences with Xotic have also been very good and communication has been excellent. This is just what happens when you pre-order a popular product. I highly doubt there is any conspiracy on Xotic's part to drum up sales. Pissing off customers like that is just bad business.

Xotic are just passing on the information that ASUS give to them. They keep changing dates because they underestimated supply. Again, this is a pre-order, it happens.

This is obviously a ploy to sell more notebooks that they do not have a clue when they will receive them.
Baseless accusations like that do nothing to help.

[jamiemacca]

No Firewire, No Express Card, No Usb 3, No E sata and now no raid! All but the last we knew about when we ordered so I think its really bad form from Asus to drop this from the spec so far down the line...

I agree with UntilMoraleImproves (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=12986). This has nothing to do with Xotic. I've always had a prompt response to emails and the initial due date is only a few weeks over which is what I expected anyway. I hope everyone who has b***hed Xotic on here gets put to the bottom of the shipping list hahaha. only fair me thinks!

No raid is bad but only makes me take the dive and get SSD instead. More expensive but the way forward, and faster! (Xotic changed my order no problem) As for the others, I can't remember when i last used an express card or firewire? This laptop kicks ass on spec for the price... or it will when i get my hands on it.

But if Asus decide to bring out an upgraded version in a few months with Firewire, Express Card, Usb 3, E sata and Raid; that would p**s me off!!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

But if Asus decide to bring out an upgraded version in a few months with Firewire, Express Card, Usb 3, E sata and Raid; that would p**s me off!!

AGREED!!but I still wouldn't blame Xotic, that would be dumb.

[Halaster]

There has definitely been a lack of communication for certain things.
They have been decently communicating about the lack of stock, and that they will ship as they receive, but they remained completely silent without a single word about the changed options.

Raid options as well as CPU compounds were changed or completely removed, and multiple people asked in multiple threads about these things and not a single word was given from Xotic about either. No reasons or answers. To find out about raid options multiple forum members had to go digging and doing researching into the chipsets to find out anything at all, and nothing at all has been said yet about the cpu compounds, other than board members telling other board members to not worry about it and that they do not NEED them, regardless if people still want them.

Overall they are really good at communicating things, which is why these things stand out even more so as lack of communication.

[Predator Hunter]

Going on the lack of communication.....we all know that the next shipment is coming on the 4th of March. That being so we have all had our orders made in a certain order. Me I placed mine on 1/31/10. A number on how many people are ahead of me to receive theirs would be useful. :confused::confused::confused: Speaking with Xoticpc competition he told me they have their orders filled out till 1/20/10. Also stated that Asus is sending 3X the G73's as last time. Giving a 50% (also understanding he is trying to sell me, but he was very helpful) chance of getting one filled out during the 4th now. Where does Xoticpc sit in the standings? Any info would be welcome.

[Justin@XoticPC]

I am getting impatient here, spend $1700 and have nothing to show for it yet? Not my idea of smart spending. I keep thinking another 2 weeks, another 2 weeks, another 2 weeks? I understand from owning my own business that you can place an order with a company, but they might not ship all that you order, but they always tell me what they have in stock and when they will be able to fill the rest of my order. Not the case here.....frustrating as h ell. Justin is sounding like a broken record, lol. Next time I need a new laptop, I will buy what is available at that time. Not happy with xotic or asus. BTW, this had better be the best lappy I've ever seen or it will become a $1700 frisbee

I understand being frustrated with a pre order item and the wait. Please keep in mind that we only provide what info we have as a update. Unfortunately the info doesn't change because there is no update. When there is a update we happily provide this to our customers but also many other users we interact with on multiple forums. When a order is expected to be fulfilled we make immediate contact to the customer. We are happy to provide our ETA's over email based on what was provided by ASUS. Keep in the mind the last shipment approximately 230 units across the entire US. This is one of the most sought after laptops ASUS has ever provided and the lowest amount of stock that has been provided to resellers. We are not provided a "Guaranteed" amount until they arrive at their facility and they break up the shipment. Unless we have a update or something changes the answers will be the same with our ETA as provided by ASUS. We want nothing more then to provide everybody a laptop.:):) We communicate closely with ASUS to multiple times a week checking on updates and progress of shipments and provide it accordingly.

@Halaster
We provide whichever model comes in first and treat the entire G73 customers base as one pool to provide either model to. As for the raid, since there is no hardware support, raid is not possible. We have reviewed with customers that Thermal Compound is not going to be provided due to the build of the machine. I apologize if some of you were not aware of this. (Unless we customize the CPU). I appreciate your feedback.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Justin, thank you for weighing in! I really appreciate the communication thus far and am just keeping my fingers crossed at this point!

[drremi]

My feeling is no matter who is to blame, after reading the post for the last couple of days it comes down to me and me alone made the decision to pre-pay for the right to have one very fast Laptop! I also believe that it will get here when it gets here!
...sounds good so far ;>)....does anyone know what it does have that makes grown men crazy waiting for it to arrive?????

My wife said it will show up on my anniversary day from smoking! I quit three years ago the 8th of March! This is my gift to me for going this long without smoking after 40 years! So I'll have to wait a bit longer....!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Funny, I started smoking again waiting for it! ;)

[Dangqi]

Funny, I started smoking again waiting for it! ;)

...isn't this bad? DON'T LOSE FAITH!

[Predator Hunter]

Change in thermal compound was mentioned. So if I upgrade my CPU in my order I can upgrade my compound as well?

[tuckerjt07]

Wow, it's a pre-order never would have guessed it was a pre-order. It's not like the page says it's a pre-order or anything like that so thanks for clearing that up. Ok so I checked those other sites that you said. Newegg doesn't even sale the A-1 so that's out. Provantage's sight says that they cannot even estimate when it will be able to be shipped. Powernotebook and everyone else like that have you call for availibility and basically tell you to get ready to wait for a long time. Only Xotic gives an estimate on the site. An estimate that goes against what Justin said in the forums for new orders. He stated that new orders have an eta of late March, however the buy page says early March. What does this look like to you. I will admit I am frustrated I have been locked in since January and have never recieved an update email on status or cancellation of features, just information from the forum. However, as I stated earlier I do not blame Xotic for not having my notebook for that I place the blame on Asus. However, in my own unique personal experience the communication has been extremely misleading and subpar.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Dude, you are all over the place

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Change in thermal compound was mentioned. So if I upgrade my CPU in my order I can upgrade my compound as well?

If you're going to shell out the extra $ for a CPU that is actually over the current retail price, I guess it is the least they could do. ;)

[ramboky]

Wow, it's a pre-order never would have guessed it was a pre-order. It's not like the page says it's a pre-order or anything like that so thanks for clearing that up.

No problem. Thought you may have missed it.

[drremi]

Well the last time I spoke with Justin, it seemed to be a lot of people are in the same boat! Justin's words...ya like 500 people ahead of you! Hope he didn't mean that literally..
:wideeyed:

[CoOkIe_MoNsTeR]

We have reviewed with customers that Thermal Compound is not going to be provided due to the build of the machine. I apologize if some of you were not aware of this. (Unless we customize the CPU).

So does this mean since I upgraded to the 920 I'll still be getting the upgraded thermal compound?

[powerpack]

So does this mean since I upgraded to the 920 I'll still be getting the upgraded thermal compound?Good question?;) I wanna know.:cool:

I think not but I wanna know. Very good question.

[popwar]

Max upgrades for everyone free of charge !!! Thanks justin!

[RozZy]

I think asus likes this laptop so much they wanna keep it for themselves.

[Rannd]

I am hoping this March 4th shipment is pretty big. I pre-ordered recently, however this is my very first laptop ever so I'm even more excited to finally have a laptop after having the same desktop for around 7 years now.

[jamiemacca]

Hardware Raid issue and possible fix??

Has anyone had any experiance with using SOFTWARE RAID 0 in Win7?

Can the boot drive be stripped after install with the 2nd drive to create software raid 0?

Any info would be appreciated as it seems a lot of us are concerned after hardware raids been dropped by asus.

After searching it seems you can't strip the boot drive! so pretty useless for us

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Any info would be appreciated as it seems a lot of us are concerned after hardware raids been dropped by asus.


ASUS didn't drop it, it never should have been listed. The MB doesn't support hardware RAID.

[Rannd]

From another forum:

UPDATE: G73JH shipment on March 4th is only going to be "A1's". No "A2's" on this shipment at this time. Next shipment is expected in on March 11th for both models.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

what was the date of his post?

[Rannd]

what was the date of his post?

Today @ 1:22PM EST

[mrpete]

I remember back in '95 going to the mail box every day looking for my Ham Radio call letter Licence, to come from the FCC. It took 15 weeks, Man! do I have to do that again, waiting for that laptop? My wife said "I don't want to hear it"

[Rannd]

I remember back in '95 going to the mail box every day looking for my Ham Radio call letter Licence, to come from the FCC. It took 15 weeks, Man! do I have to do that again, waiting for that laptop? My wife said "I don't want to hear it"

It seems that most pre-orders will probably have their laptop sent out by March 15th IMHO, either model.

[sixtysix]

It seems that most pre-orders will probably have their laptop sent out by March 15th IMHO, either model.

I wonder where I fall in that most category? :wideeyed:

[Rannd]

I wonder where I fall in that most category? :wideeyed:

I'm wondering the same thing about myself

[UntilMoraleImproves]

You guys should check the CDW Company website. They get their Share of the G73jh- A1 tomorrow (Wednesday) and ship Thursday or Friday. You might get yours by this coming Saturday or next monday or tuesday. if you have not pre-ordered yet:D

Do you work for CDW? You came and created an account to post this info? Sounds fishy to me.

[Predator Hunter]

Called they have 18 on back order and only 17 coming in on the 12th:(
Starting to look like all the shipments are leering toward the 12th.

[powerpack]

Welcome PCWOWGUY! I think at this point many are, if they can find it, grab it.

[Rannd]

Called they have 18 on back order and only 17 coming in on the 12th:(
Starting to look like all the shipments are leering toward the 12th.

18 of what? A1 or A2?

Are all of the 18 "backorders" the same as "pre-orders"?

[ramboky]

My A2 has arrived! It was actually sitting by my front porch for several hours before my wife noticed it....

I've only had a few minutes with it so far but my first impressions are:
- Build quality is excellent.
- Keyboard is very nice.
- Touchpad is large and works well although buttons are a little stiff. Hopefully that will improve with use.
- Much better looking than in the photos.
- The screen is bright and backlighting even.
- The amount of bloat software pre-installed is about as bad as you would expect. A clean install is a must (for me at least).
- Keyboard is very nice. (I know I already said this but it really is a damn nice keyboard)

Bonuses:
- 1333MHz RAM! (ordered 1066MHz)
- What I thought was going to be a Blu-Ray Reader is a Blu-Ray Writer! Model: GBW-B10N.

If anyone has any questions please fire away. I'm about to start my SSD rebuild so I will answer in the morning.

[RozZy]

My A2 has arrived! It was actually sitting by my front porch for several hours before my wife noticed it....

I've only had a few minutes with it so far but my first impressions are:
- Build quality is excellent.
- Keyboard is very nice.
- Touchpad is large and works well although buttons are a little stiff. Hopefully that will improve with use.
- Much better looking than in the photos.
- The screen is bright and backlighting even.
- The amount of bloat software pre-installed is about as bad as you would expect. A clean install is a must (for me at least).
- Keyboard is very nice. (I know I already said this but it really is a damn nice keyboard)

Bonuses:
- 1333MHz RAM! (ordered 1066MHz)
- What I thought was going to be a Blu-Ray Reader is a Blu-Ray Writer! Model: GBW-B10N.

If anyone has any questions please fire away. I'm about to start my SSD rebuild so I will answer in the morning.


Sounds like you got lucky, when did you preorder?

[ramboky]

I ordered the A1 on January 2nd. Xotic swapped my order for an A2 a couple of weeks back so I could get it quicker. Yeah, I think I definitely got lucky.

Clean install almost done...

[RozZy]

Hmm i wonder how it looks for me (pre-ordered Jan 19th and payed 23rd)

[Deltaflame3]

If i preorder this laptop now will they take my money from my bank? when there's no guarantee when they'll ship the laptop to me?

[UntilMoraleImproves]

If i preorder this laptop now will they take my money from my bank? when there's no guarantee when they'll ship the laptop to me?

If you are paying the 'cash price' then yes, you would be sending them the money now. If you are paying with a credit card (like I am) then they will not charge the card until it ships.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I ordered the A1 on January 2nd. Xotic swapped my order for an A2 a couple of weeks back so I could get it quicker. Yeah, I think I definitely got lucky.

Clean install almost done...

You are doing a fresh install on an SSD that you are installing yourself, right? Can you either post or PM me with the steps you took and any problems you had? I'm planning on doing this myself and I want to make sure that I have my thoughts in order on the process.

Thanks!

[Deltaflame3]

What if I used paypal which is connected through my bank money

[UntilMoraleImproves]

What if I used paypal which is connected through my bank money

If I'm not mistaken, when you process a PayPal payment, it goes right out.

[Deltaflame3]

Okay then I should be fine to enter in my card how does shipping prices go? Like can I do next day air or something?

[Rannd]

Okay then I should be fine to enter in my card how does shipping prices go? Like can I do next day air or something?

Yes... it's right there when ordering. Back on topic...

[sixtysix]

I ordered the A1 on January 2nd. Xotic swapped my order for an A2 a couple of weeks back so I could get it quicker. Yeah, I think I definitely got lucky.

Clean install almost done...

It's like watching family open up presents on Christmas when yours got delayed in the mail. OOO so exciting but at the same time...:eeek2:

Cannot wait to hear how it performs. I take it they added the blue ray to make your A2 the A1 you ordered and did so with a blue ray reader/writer to boot? If so, please let this happen to me.

[mrpete]

I whish the G72 would have the nvida card, but it has the Ati or what ever it is. It's a toss up of which is the best video card. I don't want to start a argument, but just your opinion.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Based solely on the benchmarks I've seen thus far, the ATI Radeon 5870 in the G73JH is the fastest single GPU in laptops right now. SLI/Crossfire setups win but in the case of the single setups, the 5870 appears to be the current leader. Plus, it has Dx11 support which is a nice bonus for the future.

[Rannd]

So now mid-April was mentioned today from someone on NotebookReview.com who very recently pre-ordered with Justin here.

Sigh.

[drremi]

Well it sounds encouraging, DDR3-1333 instead of 1066 and BD burner instead of reader! Asus making everything alright it seems. :yes:

[ramboky]

As I said, I think I got lucky and perhaps got some upgrades because of shortages. I certainly hope you get the same!

To UntilMoraleImproves:
I initially tried a clean install with the recovery discs. Unfortunately it just reinstalled all the bloat. In the end I used an OEM copy of Windows 7 from work and just changed the key, then added the drivers I needed from the supplied discs. I read somewhere it is possible to do a clean install with the recovery discs but it requires a trick or two. Have a google and you should be able to find it (I was too impatient).

Updates after a bit more time with the A2:
- I ran 3DMark and my results were pretty much the same as Justin's in this thread: http://goo.gl/cKy0
- The trackpad buttons are really stiff. The do work in a little with time. Hopefully this continues because they're not pleasant to use as they are. Pinch-zoom is actually useful and works well though I have triggered it a few times accidentally.
- It's quiet. Surprisingly so.
- It doesn't seem to get hot, even while gaming. Some heat towards the back-right but nothing serious.
- It runs Crysis at 1080p, high detail settings without a stutter! (at least in the scenes I tested it in)
- The included mouse is good. The illumination on the heel was unexpected and looks cool.
- The bag is nice. A bit of a tight fit width and height wise but there is still plenty of room in front of the laptop and in the other compartment for books etc.
- With the Intel-X25 G2 system drive this thing is blazingly fast. Screw RAID 0, this is much faster without the risk.
- Really love this laptop, it's worth the wait.

If anyone has any questions or benchmarks they would like to see just ask.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Thanks for the info Ramboky! Have you re-run 3D MarkVantage and Windows Experience since doing the fresh install??

[drremi]

Ramboky.......thank you! You made me a happy camper, I knew that SSD was going to make the difference. Blink Blink....and there ya go!
I have one issue....I ordered the skin on my cover and wondering if I should change that to get mind sooner!
Hey, I am happy for ya, it's about time we here some cheers!!!!

[ramboky]

No problems guys, glad I can spread some good news.

@drremi:
SSD definitely make all the difference. The performance increase over RAID 0 is enormous. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back...

@UMI:
Yep, re-ran the benchmarks. Pretty much identical. There are about 20 odd apps you could probably just uninstall if you don't want them. As performance doesn't seem to be affected at all a clean install is probably wasted effort.

Windows experience is now 7.0 with the SSD:
http://s4.postimage.org/snPk0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVsnPk0)
The processor is now the lowest ranked component!

Oh, by the way, when I said it ran Crysis on High detail at 1080p I forgot to mention that was with 4x AA. Smooth as silk & looks damn pretty!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Looks like Ill be putting in an order for my new SSD in the morning! That is a amazing!! Thank you for posting it. I'll probably skip the long version of the install and just use the recovery disk.

[ramboky]

Looks like Ill be putting in an order for my new SSD in the morning! That is a amazing!! Thank you for posting it. I'll probably skip the long version of the install and just used the recovery disk.

No problems.

Two things,
1) The recovery process reboots quite a few times after windows is installed so don't panic! I kept thinking it was done then it would reboot again. It does eventually finish though :)

2) There is a firmware update for the Intel X25-M G2 which increases the sustained write speed by a significant amount. I think the most benefit is on the larger capacity drives but don't quote me on that. The upgrade is done via a boot cd. Intel provide the iso here: http://goo.gl/FjUx.

Now to see how Mass Effect 2 looks...

[drremi]

Thanks for that post....7.7 is awesome.... my desktop is 8 yrs old and I have 3.9 on the index but 7.0 that's great!

[kingtz]

No problems guys, glad I can spread some good news.

@drremi:
SSD definitely make all the difference. The performance increase over RAID 0 is enormous. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back...

@UMI:
Yep, re-ran the benchmarks. Pretty much identical. There are about 20 odd apps you could probably just uninstall if you don't want them. As performance doesn't seem to be affected at all a clean install is probably wasted effort.

Windows experience is now 7.0 with the SSD:
http://s4.postimage.org/snPk0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVsnPk0)
The processor is now the lowest ranked component!

Oh, by the way, when I said it ran Crysis on High detail at 1080p I forgot to mention that was with 4x AA. Smooth as silk & looks damn pretty!

Ramboky,

Just wondering, have you noticed any issues with the keyboard when you type fast? A few users on the NBR forums have noticed letters skipping.

Have you also done a battery test? I'd like to know how much time I'd get for basic stuff like internet browsing and word processing.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

One last question, Ramboky. Have you overclocked the CPU/GPU yet for 3DMarkVantage tests?

[ramboky]

@kingtz:
I've had no problems with the keyboard at all. Maybe it's caused by some of the bloatware I no longer have installed?

I haven't done a battery test yet, will do tonight and post the results.

@UntilMoraleImproves:
No, I haven't tried that yet. I will give that a go tonight as well and let you know.

[kingtz]

The keyboard issue doesn't seem to be bloatware. Some people claim that turning OFF the touchpad works. Other people say that the people who are skipping keys just aren't used to the less sensitive pseudo-chicklet keyboard...the problem seems to exist, the cause, however, seems to be up in the air.

And thanks, looking forward to your battery tests!

[powerpack]

I have an Asus and I have the keyboard issue. As Kingtz said it is not the bloatware. Driver update helps some. Not others. Much about this. It is not limited to this unit. It has been a known issue for at least a year and a half. Likely longer.

But who the hell is going to type on that machine? I see Crysis maxed out.

[Alikazam]

...@Halaster
We provide whichever model comes in first and treat the entire G73 customers base as one pool to provide either model to...

So does this mean if I order a G73JH-A1, I could end up with an A2? I don't think that's what you mean but that is what it sounds like...

[ramboky]

@powerpack:
That's a shame (regarding the keyboard). I definitely have no problems whatsoever on my A2. I will be typing on this machine a lot. I'm a developer - it's all I do. But I really like this keyboard, it's much nicer than my old HP.

@kingtz:
I did a very unscientific battery test. I got just over 80 minutes before it started asking for a power supply. I tried to keep it to just surfing the web but accidentally did a couple of installs and two reboots during that time... I expect you would get a little more with lighter usage.

@UntilMoraleImproves:
I ran the 3DMark scores again with ASUS TwinTurbo on and overclocked 799 / 1200.

The Scores:
Boost Off / Boost On
3DMark Score P8059 / P8894
CPU Score 10526 / 10754
Graphics Score 7475 / 8409

[kingtz]

What was your screen brightness set to for this duration? (80mins either way is still actually not bad; and definitely good enough to take to a lecture or something).

[CoOkIe_MoNsTeR]

So does this mean if I order a G73JH-A1, I could end up with an A2? I don't think that's what you mean but that is what it sounds like...

No, I think he means that they're trying to get the orders out as fast as possible by interchanging A1 and A2 models. For example, if they got in a bunch of A1s and had orders for A2s, they would use the A1s and just swap out the parts to make it an A2 and vice versa. That's how I interpreted that.

[ramboky]

What was your screen brightness set to for this duration? (80mins either way is still actually not bad; and definitely good enough to take to a lecture or something).

Brightness was 80%. I didn't expect it to last that long at all. Figured an hour at best. I might re-test tomorrow to make sure I didn't screw up...

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I'm loving all of the good news!

On a side note, I emailed Justin to see about adding on the SSD instead of doing it myself and he said that since I've ordered a 'stock' A1 right now, swapping it out for an SSD would add 5 to 10 days. I can't wait that long. My home laptop died like two weeks ago. Looks like I'm in the market for an SSD. Anyone want to buy the second 500GB internal drive that I'll be removing?

[Halaster]

Will swapping out the 500GB for a SSD myself void the warranty ?

I am also wondering, what is the model of the 500GB hard drive that comes standard in this laptop ?

When I swap it out for a SSD I may just toss it into my PS3 instead of selling it, but am wondering which drive it actually is in case I do decide to sell it instead.

[ramboky]

Changing the drive wont void your warranty.

The drive in mine is a Seagate Momentus 7200.4. I'm just going to get an enclosure and use it for backups.

When swapping them out the C drive is the drive closest to the center of the laptop.

[Predator Hunter]

With the processor being the lowest on the score right now is it feasible to upgrade it or is it not worth it? :confused: (IE...spend the extra 1k for the 920) :confused: Might be able to bribe Xotic to toss some good compound in there to boot.:biggrin:

[Halaster]

Changing the drive wont void your warranty.

The drive in mine is a Seagate Momentus 7200.4. I'm just going to get an enclosure and use it for backups.

When swapping them out the C drive is the drive closest to the center of the laptop.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

Grabbed a DANE-ELEC 80GB SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820157021) to swap into the laptop. Has a $30 off coupon code(SNCDANE80G) right now to drop it to $149. It is the exact same specs as the Intel G2 X25-M. The drive itself is a 1.8" Intel X18-M with a 2.5" enclosure. :D

[ramboky]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

Grabbed a DANE-ELEC 80GB SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820157021) to swap into the laptop. Has a $30 off coupon code(SNCDANE80G) right now to drop it to $149. It is the exact same specs as the Intel G2 X25-M. :D

No problem :)

I believe that drive is the Intel X18-M G1. G2 drives provide small increases in performance across the board (seq read & write + random read & write). The latest firmware makes the increases more significant, especially in sequential write. The most important feature added in the G2 drives however is TRIM support. Without TRIM SSD's experience significant performance degradation over time. It will still perform much faster than a standard drive though and there are workarounds.

[Halaster]

Ahh, I was comparing it to the listed specifications.
The X25-M G2 specifications listed 250MB/s read and 70MB/s write, which was the exact same as the X18-M G1.

Are the specs actually different than what is listed everywhere ?

[jamiemacca]

With the processor being the lowest on the score right now is it feasible to upgrade it or is it not worth it? :confused: (IE...spend the extra 1k for the 920) :confused: Might be able to bribe Xotic to toss some good compound in there to boot.:biggrin:
I understand they've withdrawn the compound options as there's too much work involved which is understandable.

But for those of us who have upgraded to 920 extreme (extra $1105) I'm wondering why they can't add the IC diamond compound if they gotta get in there and change the cpu anyway??

Edit: It seems they are adding the IC Diamond compound on cpu upgrades to both cpu and gpu!.:biggrin:

Those results look very impressive.:biggrin:

[ramboky]

Ahh, I was comparing it to the listed specifications.
The X25-M G2 specifications listed 250MB/s read and 70MB/s write, which was the exact same as the X18-M G1.

Are the specs actually different than what is listed everywhere ?

The specs are correct without the firmware upgrade. You need to look at all four specs though. Sequential Read and Sequential Write are not as important as Random Read and Random Write (depending on what you are doing). My benchmark shows a 30+ MB/s improvement in Sequential Write speeds and modest improvement in the other specs:

http://s2.postimage.org/54ht0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Ts54ht0)

TRIM is the thing you should really worry about though. From what I have read the performance hit can be huge. Definitely ask around though and don't just take my word for it as that's a huge cost saving and may well be worth it.

[Halaster]

Yah, after reading around on a bunch of forums from people who are actually using the drives without TRIM it looks like real world differences outside of benchmark applications are minimal.

The use-induced performance drop on the G1 drives is only around 3%. Access latencies increase slightly, but they're still < 3ms.

From the X18
http://upload.netheril.com/pfiles/381/X18-MG1.jpg

From a 5400Rpm Drive
http://upload.netheril.com/pfiles/382/5400%20Toshiba%20Drive.jpg

So even if there was significant degradation, which most people seem to be saying I wont really see, it would be worlds better than a normal drive at that price.

Still, thanks for the information. Learnt about some SSD stuff I did not know. :D

[ramboky]

Heh, those benchmarks really make the advantages of SSD pretty clear!

I'm learning too. Good to know TRIM may not be as important as some are saying. It's so damn hard to get a straight answer on the web though. Too much conflicting information and too hard to filter those who know from the parrots (in this case me :))

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I'm planning on doing the same thing with a Corsair drive from NewEgg but my question is about drive order. Do you guys recommend pulling the primary dive and using the recovery disk for the first boot? If I do that, then that means the original still has the same image (including OS) installed, right? So I still need to wipe it if I decide to sell it which means getting an external SATAII to USB enclosure? Is it easier to install the SSD as the second drive, change the boot order, then re-format the primary?

Also, Justin said in a separate post that they would use a IC Diamond if you chose a processor upgrade. I still don't think that the change is worth the price though.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

BTW - this is the one I'm looking at (can't link from my iPhone for some reason):
Model CSSD-R60GB2-BRKT

[drremi]

I guess I have to do more reading on the SSD's, when talking about trim my head was going somewhere else! :laugh:

I am glad to see some numbers though! Ramboky....when the Laptop boots is it almost like a blink of an eye or does it still a few to get up and running?

[jamiemacca]

Also, Justin said in a separate post that they would use a IC Diamond if you chose a processor upgrade. I still don't think that the change is worth the price though.

I agree its an expensive upgrade but it depends on what you use your pc for to whether its worth it or not.

Also I found a usb to express card adapter. This maybe usefull to anyone who needs firewire. Not sure if its any good, if it does work there will undoubtably be a big drop in speed from a regular firewire port, but still it may be a solution for conecting cancorders etc??

http://www.usbnow.co.uk/p1889/Apiotek_USB_2.0_to_Express_Card_Adapter/product_info.html

[hksrb25s14]

does asus make the G73 with intel i7- 820QM?? or is it a custom build? and do you guys offer it here? I mean anytime soon?

[powerpack]

Yes you can get w/820QM.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

does asus make the G73 with intel i7- 820QM?? or is it a custom build? and do you guys offer it here? I mean anytime soon?

Justin stated that we can get IC Diamond if we upgrade the CPU so that leads me to believe that Xotic is doing the upgrades, not ASUS. He also told me off-line that any customizations add 5-10 business days to the shipping schedule on top of the MFG delay.

[kingtz]

Was highly considering ordering an A2 after waiting for interesting announcements at Cebit, which is the 1st week of March...if I order then, it looks like I might not get anything until possibly May! :(

[Halaster]

Was highly considering ordering an A2 after waiting for interesting announcements at Cebit, which is the 1st week of March...if I order then, it looks like I might not get anything until possibly May! :(

You should be more than safe to order now, not wait till the first week of march, and still have plenty of time to cancel the order if you see something else at Cebit.

Some of us ordered late January and early February and we have not heard about our orders yet, so you should have plenty of time. :)

[jamiemacca]

I'd be carefull about using the cheaper SSD's guys! Theres a good reason why Xotic and others only use the latest intel. You may well wish you'd payed a bit more at the first sign of trouble!

Also Apiotek make a usb to express card converter. Unfortunately it doesn't work with Firewire express cards... Maybe it will in the future?

[mavrrick]

I would certainly suggest looking at all the specs. I spent some time setting up a price to compacity comparison on Newegg and really only had 3 drives that were in the running. Intel and Kingston happened to be the winners at the 80 and 160 gig capacity and then there was another at 120 that i believe was a Corsiar drive. They all supported TRIM but the more i researched it i also found that power was considerably improved for the Intel. Atleast on paper the kingston drive used over 5 watts active while the either Intel SSD's used like .15 wats.. I don't know how they do it.. but that is a crazy difference, and can be really important on a laptop. I mean seriously with a laptop like this do we have to work on draining the power any faster.

The Intel drives can be had pretty affordable(well in comparison to upgrading in the order or retail i mean) if you look around, and are willing to get an OEM version. I've already ordered the 160gig OEM Intel x-25 gen2 from newegg. It even included a external encloser to convert the drive being pulled to usb 2.0.

Just make sure that if you get an SSD you also take the proper steps to ensure long life. Turn off defrag, kill the hibernate file and page file(or move it to other drive), change the location of the indexes. It is the writes that kill an SSD so fast so basically do anything you can to minimize it as much as possible.. My goal is to reduce the writes to just when i am installing new software or applications.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I'm planning on doing the same thing with a Corsair drive from NewEgg but my question is about drive order. Do you guys recommend pulling the primary dive and using the recovery disk for the first boot? If I do that, then that means the original still has the same image (including OS) installed, right? So I still need to wipe it if I decide to sell it which means getting an external SATAII to USB enclosure? Is it easier to install the SSD as the second drive, change the boot order, then re-format the primary?

Does any one have some advice on this? Thx!

[jayyy]

umm sorry no idea. :(..
UntilMoraleImproves (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=12986) << did you get your A1 yet?
I mean, if you've ordered 2/3/10, you should've it by now! at least to make me feel better--i ordered yesterday 2/30/10... i have no clue as how long i should be looking at.
right now I dont have any computer :(, ive been coming to library ever since...

hey just one quick question:
dunno if it's cuz I ordered it during the weekend, but my paypal payment went thru perfectly, and yet I can't find my order from this website!
does that mean that my purchase was canceled...? perhaps due to gigantic demands for this product???

sigh*

[Destal]

umm sorry no idea. :(..
UntilMoraleImproves (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=12986) << did you get your A1 yet?
I mean, if you've ordered 2/3/10, you should've it by now! at least to make me feel better--i ordered yesterday 2/30/10... i have no clue as how long i should be looking at.
right now I dont have any computer :(, ive been coming to library ever since...

hey just one quick question:
dunno if it's cuz I ordered it during the weekend, but my paypal payment went thru perfectly, and yet I can't find my order from this website!
does that mean that my purchase was canceled...? perhaps due to gigantic demands for this product???

sigh*

I ordered mine on the 29th of January and I haven't heard anything beyond waiting for the 4th to see if I get mine in that shipment.

[jayyy]

destal << hey thx for the prompt reply!

well,
what about your order from the website??
are you able to see it at the website??

[Destal]

I don't remember, it may have taken a day or two to show up.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

destal << hey thx for the prompt reply!

well,
what about your order from the website??
are you able to see it at the website??

No, I don't have mine. It will probably be a week or longer. I'm only in Phase 2. They are quoting new orders with a mid-April ship date or later. As for your order, you probably won't see it on the site until tomorrow afternoon.

[jayyy]

thanks !!!!!!!!!! :)

i was just worried my order being canceled due to the demands!!
HAVE A GREAT EVENING!

[Destal]

No, I don't have mine. It will probably be a week or longer. I'm only in Phase 2. They are quoting new orders with a mid-April ship date or later. As for your order, you probably won't see it on the site until tomorrow afternoon.

You ordered yours on the 3rd and your in phase 2? Mine still says Phase 1 and I ordered it in January.

[Kwijiboe]

How do I cancel pre-order? Ordered yesterday, and did not realize the demand was so huge for this product that I won't hear anything until Mid-April (or so I'm told).

[sixtysix]

How do I cancel pre-order? Ordered yesterday, and did not realize the demand was so huge for this product that I won't hear anything until Mid-April (or so I'm told).

I am wondering the same thing, if I do not get one of the March 2nd shipments, I will likely cancel my order and build something else somewhere else :(. I have had no computer for a while now and waiting until mid-April is something I will not do.

[Kwijiboe]

Found it here.

http://www.xoticpc.com/faq-ip-5.html

[Alikazam]

...i ordered yesterday 2/30/10...

*cough* so... what calendar do you use? Mine only shows 28 days in February, and today is the 28th. :) Sorry... couldn't resist a little ribbing! I ordered mine on the 25th and fortunately have something else I'm using in the mean time. Sucks for all the guys that have nothing at the moment :(

If Sager would put the new ATI card in their NP8760 I'd really consider it, but given roughly equal performance, I'd prefer the lower power usage, newer technology of the ATI over the GTX 285m, let alone the Asus being quite a bit cheaper and only lacking in the processor department vs. the Sager, and beating it in almost every other category (RAM, HDD space, Optical drive, OS already part of deal, etc.). At least that's how I see it and my $.02 :)

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I am wondering the same thing, if I do not get one of the March 2nd shipments, I will likely cancel my order and build something else somewhere else :(. I have had no computer for a while now and waiting until mid-April is something I will not do.

I don't know where you got March 2nd from. The last I heard from Justin at Xotic was that the next shipment to the ASUS distro facility (not to Xotic) is March 4th. Allocations will then best sent to resellers like Xotic who will fill their orders on a first come first seved basis. That means that January and early February orders are most likely to get theirs. The next shipment to ASUS is March 11th. I ordered on 2/3/10 and am expecting to get mine some time after the 3/11 shipment. People that ordered in the last week or so have to be very far away in line. I've heard mid-April for orders like that.

The G73 is a hugely anticipated model and people have been in line since CES. It really isn't fair to get pissed if you just ordered and are going to have to wait. I'm on week 4 and I got on board relatively late. Bottom line, if you can't stand the wait, it is time to re-think your purchase.

[bid5052]

I don't know where you got March 2nd from. The last I heard from Justin at Xotic was that the next shipment to the ASUS distro facility (not to Xotic) is March 4th. Allocations will then best sent to resellers like Xotic who will fill their orders on a first come first seved basis. That means that January and early February orders are most likely to get theirs. The next shipment to ASUS is March 11th. I ordered on 2/3/10 and am expecting to get mine some time after the 3/11 shipment. People that ordered in the last week or so have to be very far away in line. I've heard mid-April for orders like that.

The G73 is a hugely anticipated model and people have been in line since CES. It really isn't fair to get pissed if you just ordered and are going to have to wait. I'm on week 4 and I got on board relatively late. Bottom line, if you can't stand the wait, it is time to re-think your purchase.


Hey,UntilMoraleImproves. I ordered mine on Jan. 18th. Do you think I would get my share out of the March 4th shipment? Really can't wait for my lappy to arrive. I have stacked a whole series of games to grind on my G73.:biggrin: Hope you get yours early!

[singleshot71]

I ordered mine the same day as "umi", hoping like hell that mine is shipped out on the 4th. This old gateway is in need of alot of work (again), and I'm waiting on asus to arrive so I can make this one my side project. ordered 02/03/2010:confused:

[bid5052]

Well, good luck singleshot! Hope we all get our lappies early and be done with all the painful waiting.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Hey,UntilMoraleImproves. I ordered mine on Jan. 18th. Do you think I would get my share out of the March 4th shipment? Really can't wait for my lappy to arrive. I have stacked a whole series of games to grind on my G73.:biggrin: Hope you get yours early!

I can only speak to what I've heard but it seems like the Jan orders and first week of Feb orders will be fulfilled in one of the next two shipments. My guess is that those ordering now are going to go through the same 4+ week wait.

Anyway, my HP is a piece of junk and I can't even load Star Trek Online or Mass Effect 2, so until my new rig gets here, I'm esentially gameless. I can't wait!!

[jamiemacca]

Me too. I'm using a piece of crap 6 year old dell inspiron 8600 which only works fast enough if you uninstall anti virus reinstalling it every week for a check up!
I hate Dells but you gotta give this old beast a bit of credit. Its been lugged around the world in a backpack twice, dropped and generally been treated quite badly and I never had a single problem with it! Looking forward to laying it to rest very soon! And no I won't be treating my new baby in the same manor!

[rastamandom]

at last G73jh get on Asus webpage, look like 4 march is right date, order my A1 on 01.29 hope to get it before end of march

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=8je5Ot4HBnKOdT81

[sixtysix]

I don't know where you got March 2nd from. The last I heard from Justin at Xotic was that the next shipment to the ASUS distro facility (not to Xotic) is March 4th. Allocations will then best sent to resellers like Xotic who will fill their orders on a first come first seved basis. That means that January and early February orders are most likely to get theirs. The next shipment to ASUS is March 11th. I ordered on 2/3/10 and am expecting to get mine some time after the 3/11 shipment. People that ordered in the last week or so have to be very far away in line. I've heard mid-April for orders like that.

The G73 is a hugely anticipated model and people have been in line since CES. It really isn't fair to get pissed if you just ordered and are going to have to wait. I'm on week 4 and I got on board relatively late. Bottom line, if you can't stand the wait, it is time to re-think your purchase.



I was thinking Justin told me the 2nd, but I could be wrong and he told me the 4th.


I am not pissed at all. This is a laptop in high demand with limited supply as of now. Getting a different computer elsewhere is not a statement of anger. It is just a statement of where I am at. While this is a great system I am not willing waiting until mid-April or even longer for it, and there is nothing else I see on xotic that has this value right now for me. Like you said, I rethought my purchase as my expected arrival date would have been changed due to demand; and after rethinking I would choose not to wait.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I hear you. There were a few pissed-off people in earlier posts, so it wasn't necessarily directed at anyone in particular.

[sixtysix]

I hear you. There were a few pissed-off people in earlier posts, so it wasn't necessarily directed at anyone in particular.

Got ya.

However, I can understand some of the frustrated responses, because I do somewhat feel that I am dangling along. This is why I have asked them if they could tell me what number I am on the waiting list. While it would have been nice to know where I stand, I understand I am in no way entitled to know such.

However, having no clue of where I stand (and playing “when did you order” on the forums will not give me any true indication either) leaves me in limbo. If they would have said your are number 200 out of 1,000 and we are expecting around 100-200 units when I ordered. I would at least know that while I missed one cutoff I will likely make the next and so on.

However, because Xotic cannot or will not provide me with any idea of where I am at, I can only hope that I just missed the last cut off and the next shipment will include me. Nonetheless, there has to be a point where I stop playing this out... will it come in March, April, May, later? I have no clue. With my luck I would have been the very next order if I do not get one this week and if I just waited one more shipment… then again I could be order 7,000 out of 10,000 and looking at April if I am lucky and others cancel their order.

[TheCrazyCanuck]

I ordered a couple days after UntilMoraleImproves did and was hoping that the January backlog was gone but from another forum post that doesn't seem like the case. If I don't get an update by the last week of March then I'll probably cancel my order and look elsewhere.

There is no way XoticPC will tell you where in line you are since if the line is long people would become discouraged and cancel their order. It would be nice if they stated what the backlog is but others would probably see those numbers and cancel as well. I'm a bit surprised that ASUS doesn't communicate more information to the resellers though. If my company treated our distributors this way they would probably all leave....

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I just hope all of you guys cancel your orders so I can get mine sooner! ;)

[mavrrick]

Well I ordered on 2/23 just before the update was done for the delivery times. Late last week I asked about when they thought they would have their inventory. they suggested mine should be in by late march. So I would hope most of you all that ordered lat January early Feb, will be getting yours in the next shipment or two. We will see.

It is hiliarious you say that jamiemacca. I am in the exact same boat. My Dell 8600 was a beast when I got it and I haven't had any issues with it that well weren't self inflicted. I am amazed it still works. It was decked out when i got it. It will even run windows 7 though a bit slow. Now it is basically just a non portable always plugged in netbook.. lol

Um don't ever leave a laptop on close the screen and then cover it with pillows. Not only is it a fire hazard but a good way to kill a hard drive.

[Justin_W@XoticPC]

This is the latest update that's being provided to customers that pre-ordered the Asus G73JH at this time. Unfortunately we don't have any additional information besides what's listed below:


A shipment of the Asus G73JH models is scheduled to arrive at the Asus facility the 4th, 11th, 23rd, and 30th of March. Unfortunately Asus hasn’t provided allocation numbers at this time, which means we will be fulfilling orders on a first come first serve basis. We will send you an order status update when we have a model from these upcoming shipments for your order. If you don't receive an order status update, then unfortunately that means we don't have a model for your order yet.

[drremi]

umm sorry no idea. :(..
UntilMoraleImproves (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=12986) << did you get your A1 yet?
I mean, if you've ordered 2/3/10, you should've it by now! at least to make me feel better--i ordered yesterday 2/30/10... i have no clue as how long i should be looking at.
right now I dont have any computer :(, ive been coming to library ever since...

hey just one quick question:
dunno if it's cuz I ordered it during the weekend, but my paypal payment went thru perfectly, and yet I can't find my order from this website!
does that mean that my purchase was canceled...? perhaps due to gigantic demands for this product???

sigh*
I did the same thing and end up calling xoticpc on monday morning and they instructed me in how to get the order number!

[RozZy]

I did the same thing and end up calling xoticpc on monday morning and they instructed me in how to get the order number!

I ordered mine 1/19 and still havent got it;)
It all depends on how big the 4th of march shipment is.

[Justin@XoticPC]

UPDATE: A1's some hit today at ASUS and more hitting on Friday. A2's are also hitting on Friday. :) We will not know numbers we are getting until tomorrow and maybe Monday for the Fridays shipment. We will not know where anyone is in the order Q until we start going through orders. We will go through orders in the order they were received. Once we get to your position you will be contacted about your order. :)

[Braeyn]

UPDATE: A1's some hit today at ASUS and more hitting on Friday. A2's are also hitting on Friday. :) We will not know numbers we are getting until tomorrow and maybe Monday for the Fridays shipment. We will not know where anyone is in the order Q until we start going through orders. We will go through orders in the order they were received. Once we get to your position you will be contacted about your order. :)

Ordered on the 5th of Feb. Just hoping UntilMoraleImprove's phase 2 status isn't a clue that mine will come even later. I'm still in phase 1. :biggrin: But fantastic no matter what. Not to mention if you get yours a week or two before me UMI, maybe I can bug you on some upgrade specifics. Pricing ssd's currently.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Whoo hoo!

Ok guys, when you get contacted, post it!! Let us know the date you ordered and the shipment you're on!

[UntilMoraleImproves]

BTW, I hit the wrong key earlier, I'm only in Phase 1.

[UntilMoraleImproves]

Ordered on the 5th of Feb. Just hoping UntilMoraleImprove's phase 2 status isn't a clue that mine will come even later. I'm still in phase 1. :biggrin: But fantastic no matter what. Not to mention if you get yours a week or two before me UMI, maybe I can bug you on some upgrade specifics. Pricing ssd's currently.

You can PM me if you want to discuss SSD options. I've done a ton of research lately and would love to hear what others are looking at.

[drremi]

Well I am still at phase 1 as well and ordered on the 6th but didn't get posted untill the 8th O Feb!
Well we will have to see how long it takes!
I think the reason UMI was at Phase II was due to calling Justin so many times....:notworthy

[UntilMoraleImproves]

You are TOO funny drremi! ;)

I corrected my earlier mistake. I'm still in Phase 1.

ALSO, I've only talked to Justin once. I did, however, send about 30 emails. If you are reading this Justin, I apologize!!

[Braeyn]

Heh, I've just spent my time reading every forum for the G73s I can find. It's been a tough wait. Looking forward to getting back into computer gaming. My PS3 is nice, but I miss the PvP options offered through the PC. You can only kill so many mobs before AI becomes boring.

[drremi]

G....maybe I'll try some gaming when I get my lappy! I will need to get rid of some of this frustration in waiting, I suck at my PS3 and Wii...My boys think it's funny when I'm twisted up trying to find the right controls for killing the bad guys!
UMI sorry, I couldn't help myself....the tension in all! :wideeyed:

[Braeyn]

G....maybe I'll try some gaming when I get my lappy! I will need to get rid of some of this frustration in waiting, I suck at my PS3 and Wii...My boys think it's funny when I'm twisted up trying to find the right controls for killing the bad guys!
UMI sorry, I couldn't help myself....the tension in all! :wideeyed:

Luckily my son is only 2 and my daughter is 1 so i'm still better than them at gaming. I'm sure as they progress my "leet skillz" will be laughable. Though I must say that there is nothing like going up against some young punk and destroying them. :laugh: If you don't consider me a young punk at 27 that is.

[drremi]

Still wet behind the ears Braeyn! Wait till there in there middle teens. They turn into aliens! I boys don't do much but gaming since they were 5! They give me help because they fell sorry for me!!!!!
I finally told about my Laptop and showed them pictures. The look on there faces was great! Jaws on the floor! :laugh:

[singleshot71]

my cousin is a program writer for st. jude in memphis,tn, he was showing off his new alienware m17x, I was crying cause I'm still waiting for my g73!!! wahhhhhh wahhhh. can't waitto get it in so I can smash it over his big head!!!!! hahahahahahaha crap I got dizzy from justin's last post. now i got a boner,too? wth?

[drremi]

Gee...though I was the only one that acting out! :laugh:

[Braeyn]

Well, I guess we all know what his second hard drive will be full of... :wink2:

[singleshot71]

I have 3 kids who are probably smarter than I am when it comes to computers, so no porn allowed on my computers. my cousin is british, you know how they can be obnoxious. I think all the blood rushed out of my head, because that is the first good news out of justin since I ordered in feb. lol I was shocked that he said anything different than the usual "don't know nothing yet".

[Braeyn]

I agree completely. I really can't wait for tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that we are some of the lucky ones. And hopefully we won't have some of the issues that seem to be cropping up in the other models of the G73. Though it seems that if you run some simple tests and have no hard locks right off the bat the rest of the issues are rather mundane. I'm still debating on whether or not to do a fresh install straight out of the box.

[RozZy]

WOW thats some good news, waited for so long now it hurts.

[Justin@XoticPC]

Please understand that we will not know all the numbers right away. It will take several days to get this info and several days to go through customers getting a machine. Whomever is next in line will be contacted.

[Braeyn]

We know. It's just reassuring that some people will be receiving their machines soon. It's nice to know that the A1 is not just a myth. Even if we aren't in the 1st group it just means we are one step closer. Any news is better than no news.:yes:

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I think we all understand and are prepared to wait.

That said, could you speak to why it would take 'several days'? I have to imagine that ASUS will tell you how many you are getting and you must have a list of pre-orders already in the order they were recieved. I must be missing something because two simple data sets should be very easy to reconcile. I would think minutes, not days.

[drremi]

Well reading some of the post tonight there are alot of people waiting for this machine! Some go back to the 1st of January! I know one thing the money went into my account and then to paypal and then to Xoticpc! No time wasted and been waiting ever since.
Thank goodness the reviews have been mostly positive as far as xoticpc and customer satisfaction is concern.
I don't ever remember ever sending money to a company before that wasn't sure when we will receive the merchandise.
This is a new ball game for me!:eek:

[Spesszer]

Bad news... I ordered Jan. 9th (yes, nearly two months ago :( ), and I'm still waiting for my phase 2 update... I really hope the next shipment is huge.. Who has received one and when did you place your order? :confused:

But, like everyone else.. It'll be worth the wait. Excited! :)

[CoOkIe_MoNsTeR]

I ordered a couple days after UntilMoraleImproves did and was hoping that the January backlog was gone but from another forum post that doesn't seem like the case.

You are correct. I ordered mine on 1/18 and have received no word yet. Still in Phase 1.

[singleshot71]

doing a fresh install right out of the box makes no sense to me? you have 8gb of ram, 1tb of hard drive? why do anything to it for atleast a week or two, then try it and see if there is any improvement. I just did a reinstall on this old compac and it took for ever to get everything updated!!! but, i had too, my kids downloaded a mega=virus that norton did not catch and killed it(norton suxxx!!!)

[RozZy]

Guess they havent started yet:)

[UntilMoraleImproves]

I thought everyone who is getting a G73 would get a kick out of this! It is the W.E. for the 'most powerful gaming laptop' the Mx11. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[RozZy]

I thought everyone who is getting a G73 would get a kick out of this! It is the W.E. for the 'most powerful gaming laptop' the Mx11. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Thats pretty sucky haha

[Halaster]

I thought everyone who is getting a G73 would get a kick out of this! It is the W.E. for the 'most powerful gaming laptop' the Mx11. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Heh, now now, its the most powerful 11" gaming laptop. The difference between a 11" laptop and a 17.3" laptop is pretty huge. It is like comparing apples to raisins. The proper comparison would be to a MX17, which is waaaay to expensive.

Those scores are pretty significant for an 11" laptop.

[singleshot71]

don't know what all was in that m11x. g73 was a 5.9 overall? wish the post would have stated what hardware was in it. btw, my cousin has the m17x maxed out and it looks awesome. don't know what its score was but sure it was higher than the 11x

[RozZy]

This is actually a question that i really want to know the answer:

Do you guys test these modells for major bugs before shipping it to the buyer? Or we just have to cross our fingers? Theres been words about a motherboard bug that doesnt count all RAM for example.

[singleshot71]

halaster? just checked out your sample image????? I know its ur puter, and you can do whatever u want with it, but I hope that is not the skin your going with? lol

[retron09]

Good morning everyone, I'm new to the forum. I ordered mine on Feb 22. My wife and I had a deal, I could get my new laptop if she could get her new washer and dryer. I think she made out a little better since hers cost $3,000 and gets here today. Mine is paid for, but unknown when I'll receive it....I guess she owes me, ha ha ha.:biggrin:

[drremi]

I guess that depends in who does the wash! :yes:

[retron09]

I guess that depends in who does the wash! :yes:

drremi,
That's true. I might think about doing the wash, the new washer and dryer are pretty cool. they have lots of buttons, led's and gizmos. It'll give me some electronics to play with while waiting for my laptop.

[drremi]

Ya, bought new washer and dryer when we moved into our new home! Wife didn't get all the leds and said it was to complicated!
I suggested reading the manual....ya know when all else fails read!!! The look I got on that one!
Halaster, nice skin!!

[Halaster]

halaster? just checked out your sample image????? I know its ur puter, and you can do whatever u want with it, but I hope that is not the skin your going with? lol

Heh, that is not exact, but pretty similar.
I am also fully aware that it is not the style many people would like. :)

My last one which was stolen was much simpler.
http://upload.netheril.com/pfiles/101/outside_custom.jpg

[UntilMoraleImproves]

don't know what all was in that m11x. g73 was a 5.9 overall? wish the post would have stated what hardware was in it. btw, my cousin has the m17x maxed out and it looks awesome. don't know what its score was but sure it was higher than the 11x

The G73 w/an SSD is 7.0 or higher. Out of the box w/two 500GB HDDs, it is at 5.9.

As for the whole 11" thing, I guess it is great for something that size but I still don't think it is something to brag about. I guess this is good for all you 'size doesn't matter' guys!!