Creaking on bottom right of laptop?

[n1ghtl1fe]

Ive had my Asus 74sx for a few days now (in love with it) and the only complaint is a small creaking noise that comes from the bottom right plastic casing. Its the piece that the touch pad is on. I was wondering is there anyway for me to remove this piece without doing damage to the laptop so I can possibly see if i can fix it?

Overall, its not a huge deal it only happens if i apply pressure to the area and since I just picked it up this week I can take it back to Tiger Direct probably for a replacement but after spending that past few days setting everything up I would rather attempt a fix myself.

Anyone else have a similar issue or know of a way to solve this ? Thanks!

[BrodyBoy]

n1ghtl1fe wrote:
Ive had my Asus 74sx for a few days now (in love with it) and the only complaint is a small creaking noise that comes from the bottom right plastic casing. Its the piece that the touch pad is on. I was wondering is there anyway for me to remove this piece without doing damage to the laptop so I can possibly see if i can fix it?

Overall, its not a huge deal it only happens if i apply pressure to the area and since I just picked it up this week I can take it back to Tiger Direct probably for a replacement but after spending that past few days setting everything up I would rather attempt a fix myself.

Anyone else have a similar issue or know of a way to solve this ? Thanks!

Is it more toward the right corner, or in front of the touchpad?

[Mopard]

I also now have a "creak" on my new G74SX ... the case (where it gets really narrow) is loose right below the touchpad ... it moves up & down slightly now after little use.

[BrodyBoy]

Mopard wrote:
I also now have a "creak" on my new G74SX ... the case (where it gets really narrow) is loose right below the touchpad ... it moves up & down slightly now after little use.

Do you have one hard drive, or two?

[n1ghtl1fe]

its the right front corner underneath the ROG logo

[BrodyBoy]

You can check all the attachment screws in that area.

You earlier asked about removing that part, but the entire top cover is actually all one integrated piece, so you can't deal with the palmrest portion separately.

Most of the hard drive caddy screws are also chassis screws, so it's important that all those are installed and tightened. This is why I asked the last poster whether he had one drive. If the narrow area directly in front of the touchpad is loose, that sounds very much like the HDD caddy screws in drive bay #2 are missing. (A scenario that could occur if there's no 2nd drive and the caddy is removed.)


If you turn the computer over and remove the back panel, you can access the screws that secure the top cover. The important ones for the area you're talking about are the caddy screws closest to the edge, and the two screws on either side of the WLAN card. I've circled them here (along with the other caddy screws) so you can locate and tighten them, if necessary.

[n1ghtl1fe]

I went a head and checked all the screws. Still creaked so I returned it to Tiger Direct and picked up another.. Same issue with as the last bottom left under the ROG logo and Asus sticker creaks when my palm rests on it. : / not a huge deal but $1500 is a large amount to me id like it to be in new shape i guess.

Is anyone else suffering from this issue? I have the 74SX-X1, or any other way to fix this ?

[PILGRIM]

n1ghtl1fe wrote:
Is anyone else suffering from this issue? I have the 74SX-X1, or any other way to fix this ?

I have the same issue on mine, exactly just above the SD slot. It makes a "clicking" sound if I press the right corner bottom of the palm-rest.

The thing is, I've read about it on a tech review somewhere a month before I bought this laptop, but I still bought it.
My thinking was that the pros far outweigh the cons..

Must be a factory defect.

[n1ghtl1fe]

PILGRIM wrote:
I have the same issue on mine, exactly just above the SD slot. It makes a "clicking" sound if I press the right corner bottom of the palm-rest.

The thing is, I've read about it on a tech review somewhere a month before I bought this laptop, but I still bought it.
My thinking was that the pros far outweigh the cons..

Must be a factory defect.

Yeah thats what I figured after getting a second one with the same issue. Your completely right though, i honestly love everything else about this laptop

[BrodyBoy]

I took it apart again today (while I was watching my team get knocked out of playoff contention....but I digress...:().

I'm convinced that it's a design weakness, due to the way the card reader is situated. The other side of the palmrest feels solid because there are two screws (under the ODD drive) that hold it tight, right along the edge. But because of the card reader, the screws that secure the top cover on the right side are about an inch from the edge, and then the very narrow strip of plastic chassis (right above the card reader slot) just doesn't have the rigidity or snug fit with the top cover to avoid flex.

There's a piece of plastic on the top cover that serves as the "guide" for the card reader slot. It's essentially what guides an inserted card to the actual connector. I believe that it's this plastic that moves and makes the noise when you push on the top cover.

I realize the description probably isn't very helpful. I took a lot of photos, but I don't have them on my computer yet. I'll try to illustrate with photos later tonight.