ASUS G74SX-BBK9 or G74SX-BBK11???

[Jordan]

I am getting a gaming Asus laptop from Best Buy. Right now they have 2 models that seem identical and the specs sheet they list isn't complete or accurate. I havent been able to find the specific differences between the 2 models G74SX-BBK9 or
G74SX-BBK11. They are probably small but I want to be educated in my purchase. They are the same price and I already chatted with best buy and the guy basically read me they webpage. It was so very helpful!

Any information comparing the pros and cons of the 2 would be greatly appreciated!

[dstrakele]

As I see it strictly from the Best Buy website, the G74SX-BBK9 is the better deal over the G74SX-BBK11.
It has 2x500 GB 7200 RPM drives vs. one larger, but slower 1x1TB 5400 RPM.
It has a Built-in 1.0MP webcam and microphone. The BBK11 does not advertise a microphone.
It has Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n) and 4G WiMAX (provided you purchast a WiMAX Service Contract). The BBK11 only advertises WiMAX as the wireless internet connection method and specifies NO Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n.

Both are priced at $1249.99. For my money, I want the 2 faster HDD's (more reducduncy too), microphone, and wireless b/g/n networking.

Here is what I culled directly from the website:


Model: G74SX-BBK9| SKU: 4566495 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+-+Black/4566495.p?id=1218492352640&skuId=4566495)

1TB hard drive capacity (500GB x 2; 7200 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.

Built-in 1.0MP webcam and microphone
Make it easy to video chat with family and friends.

Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
Connect to the Internet without wires.

Embedded 4G WiMAX mobile broadband technology
Gives you an ultrafast mobile Internet connection. (Wireless service contract required; sold separately. Check with carrier for coverage area and availability in your area.)




Model: G74SX-BBK11| SKU: 4775907 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+17.3%22+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/4775907.p?id=1218525...)

1TB hard drive (5400 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.

Built-in 1.0MP webcam
Make it easy to video chat with family and friends. [I guess you have to supply your own USB microphone to chat]

Embedded 4G WiMAX mobile broadband technology
Gives you an ultrafast mobile Internet connection. (Wireless service contract required; sold separately. Check with carrier for coverage area and availability in your area.) [no mention of Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n). This is confirmed in the Specifications tab - "Wireless Networking - None"]

[Jordan]

Thanks for the info and that is about what I found. However when you go to purchase the BBK9 it seems to be sold out everywhere so I am wondering if they are replacing it with the BBK11 which says NEW next to it on the website. I guess I should go to the store and actually look at the laptop specs and box. Best Buy is known for incorrect info on their site in my experience. I cant image them replacing the BBK9 with a worse model for the same price. What laptops don't have wireless built in anymore anyways? I did notice the HD speed difference which is a bummer, wonder why they would downgrade it like that 😞 I didn't find many reviews at all on the BBK11 so I am guessing it was recently released.

G74SX-BBK11 http://basic-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/03/asus-g74sx-bbk11-173-inch-core-i7.html

G74SX-BBK9 http://www.newlaptopreview.net/asus-g74sx-bbk9-with-nvidia-gtx-560m.html

[dstrakele]

It's very true - advertising can be incorrect. We've seen ads for 1920x1080 Full HD displays when the model actually was sold with a 1600x900 HD+ display. However in the case of the BBK11, it actually states in Specifications there is NO Wireless Networking. Ad mistakes typically promote features that DON'T exist on the product.

What laptops don't have wireless built in anymore anyways? It looks like the BBK11 is one of them. It does give you the option to choose the WLAN card of your choice, rather than accept the stock Intel + WiMAX or mediocre Atheros WiFi card.

It's definitely something worth checking before you purchase.

I can easily imagine Best Buy replacing the BBK9 with a less-expensive-to-manufacture model BBK11 for the same price. Margins are paper thin in the PC biz, so they have to do what they can to make a profit to allow them to stay in business.

[TripleZero]

I just purchased a BBK11 from Best Buy last week. Yes, it does have the slower 1TB drive, screen res is 1920x1080, and it does have high speed wireless(802.11b/g/n) as will as 4G Wimax(INtel Wireless N-6150 - Combo 802.16e-2005 Wave 2 WiMAX, multi-band (2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz) and dual-stream (1x2), single-band (2.4 GHz , 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi adapter)

When I went there I was looking for the BBK9, but they were of course out of stock and they had just got the BBK11's in.

[marslove]

so the bbk11 Wimax card has built-in b/g/n wifi? I'm really confused, because buying a laptop with no wifi sounds like a teriible idea to me:) Will I be able to connect to wifi networks with the bestbuy bbk11?

[MrRuckus]

Sounds like they are using a combo card.

However putting 5400RPM Drives into a performance oriented laptop seems like a waste to me.

Keep in mind that not all devices are created equal. I remember the G60 I had was somekind of bestbuy special which would not take a Quad Core chip. They said it was a motherboard revision that was different from the "normal retail" versions. It seems for some reason Asus makes somekind of different revisions for BestBuy..

After going through that experience, I decided to buy my laptop at another retailer and skipped Best Buy for the G74.

[Zygomorphic]

@MrRuckus, skipping BestBuy is usually a good idea. For whatever reason, they often skimp on the quality of their computers. On the G74 variants, they originally shipped to BestBuy with a 1600x900 panel, while everyone else used the nicer 1080p panel. The 5400 RPM drives actually aren't that much slower, but they make less noise, and they give better battery life. ASUS knows that the people who are really concerned about performance will simply go with an SSD, which runs rings around even the 15K RPM SAS server drives.

[Shawnnepc]

Zygomorphic wrote:
@MrRuckus, skipping BestBuy is usually a good idea. For whatever reason, they often skimp on the quality of their computers. On the G74 variants, they originally shipped to BestBuy with a 1600x900 panel, while everyone else used the nicer 1080p panel. The 5400 RPM drives actually aren't that much slower, but they make less noise, and they give better battery life. ASUS knows that the people who are really concerned about performance will simply go with an SSD, which runs rings around even the 15K RPM SAS server drives.

Don't forget the gimped down versions of the 560m.

best buy uses the 128bit version of the card while the ASUS stock one is 192bit

[Zygomorphic]

The 128-bit version is on the G53SX, the BestBuy G74SX models use the 3 GB 192-bit variants. At least, the one I saw did - unless they are doing 128-bit 3 GB versions.