Help me decide - G46

[zaranoff]

So I just made an account to post this question, hope you can give me some advice.

I returned my msi ge60, was not satisfied at all with it. I've always wanted a sub 15" gaming laptop so the gods answered my prayers and brought me this, the asus g46.

Now I have been reading all threads in here about the screen res this and that and can honestly say that I would rather get the 1366x768 over 1600x900, even if I had the choice between those two.

On the other hand we have the Clevo w110er wich is an 11.6" beast. I will not be hooking up my laptop with an external monitor.

Do you guys think it will be comfortable to game on a 11.6"? Or should I get the g46? I am really torn between these two machines. Aside the screen res on the g46, is it good overall?


I know that this is the ROG forums but please could you give some unbiased advice/opinions?

Thanks in advance!

[DRAKON]

@rewben - thanks. I'm still learning the key combinations 🙂

@JwPwns - getting rid of the Windows 8 is more of a problem in 2 ways - first you paid for it. Unless you have available copy for windows 7 you have to put more money in it ( I will not discuss the piracy as an option as it could lead to different consequences both legally and in using the OS itself ). I was looking for official way to downgrade but I had problem finding my windows 8 key first (yes there are solutions but still a lot of effort for that). The second thing is about the effort. When I pay extra for a laptop because of the windows coming with it I would expect to have it installed with all the drivers and recovery option. So generally I wouldn't want to pay for something that I'm not going to use and also putting a lot more efforts in something that should be fixed for me already.

As for the DVD drive usage I agree that they are not used as they used to be but still it's good to have it in the rare cases you will be using it. Of course you could buy external drive but it's not like having it everywhere you go.

As for the battery - all batteries are removable. Some of them are designed to be removed, others are not but that doesn't mean you can't do it - it means you are not suppose to do it on regular basis.

I understand all the conditions that leads to those specifics. I just wanted to mention them because people should see not only the good sides but also the bad once before they make their decision. Of course they may be problem for me and not a problem for you so everybody should decide if certain condition is a problem for him.

One more thing I forgot to mention - The laptop does have only one HDD. So this mean you can't have faster boot SSD and a normal storage HDD like in the G75. Even though most laptops out there goes with one HDD it's good to consider this as well when deciding to go for the 14-15 inch G series.

[JwPwns]

hey Drakon i don't think you are going to find any window 7 on any new model laptops anymore, unless you buy the old models that are left from win7 and it could be hard to find now days especially for gaming laptops. anyways good luck searching 😃 btw it also have msata port so i do have a faster boot ssd and a huge storage hdd like in every G series 😃

[DRAKON]

About the windows 7 I know it's becoming harder to find on new laptop cause all manufacturers have contracts with Microsoft and they are kind of obligated to sell their new "****". Still people should be pointed out what are they going to pay for before making their choice.

As for the msata - I had no idea that G46 has it. Unfortunately in the ASUS site specs nothing mentions it (or at least I can't find it). So you can get the same result with G46 as with the G75 in terms of boot + storage. Good to know 🙂

[be77solo]

I'd throw another nod to the G46 and the 14" size over an 11". I had a G73 17" and an Alienware m11x 11.6", sold both and bought the G46. The 17" was GREAT for stationary use and could be moved around, but traveling was a bit annoying due to the size so I never really took it with me. The 11.6" was GREAT for mobility and throwing in a bag and carrying on a plane etc, but normal usage was a serious compromise... the screen was just simply too small for day to day use and extended gaming. Doable of course, but it was always such a nice treat to get back to the 17" G73 sitting on my desktop.

The g46 has been a really good compromise between the two. It's plenty small enough to be portable and I take it all over the place in a padded slip case I snagged at Best Buy, but is still big enough to actually be enjoyable to use full time as my primary machine.

Performance wise the g46 is fantastic, only issue is the stock 5400rpm HDD in the Best Buy version, which I'd HIGHLY recommend upgrading to at least a 7200rpm drive, but ideally a SSD of some sort. I went the mSATA3 route and kept the stock 750GB HDD as a data drive and it's worked out really well. I did a few other upgrades but they are by no means necessary. Performance is right in line with a 15" or 17" gaming machine. Take into account the 1366x768 resolution versus a 1080p 17" screen, and it games REALLY well.

As for actual screen quality, it is a matte display which I like, and with a proper calibration looks nice and is totally acceptable and usable. It's not the best, but it's not the worst screen I've had. I had to bump the saturation up a bit and tweak the color balance, but that made a very noticeable improvement over out of the box appearance. And, like you mentioned, the 1366x768 resolution is good for this size screen, especially when taking gaming performance advantages into account. Games look awesome on the screen at native res.

Cooling is fantastic on the g46, has a similar dual fan setup to the bigger G series and works great and is quiet. Also, battery life with Optimus is very impressive, 5+ hours of varied usage isn't a problem. As to comments about removing the battery when plugged in, I haven't worried about that in years... the new machines automatically stop charging once full so there's no worries of overcharging or needless wear cycles etc.

Well, guess that was a bit more than $.02. Good luck in whatever you choose! I've owned pretty much all machine types, from Sager's to Alienware's, Dell's, HP's, Toshiba's, & Asus'.... They all have their pro's & con's, but regarding the g46 and the 14" size, I'd definitely purchase again.

[Zygomorphic]

@be77solo, I would do the same with my 15" G53SX, since it runs really well, and the cooling is awesome. Thanks for all the advice you shared! 🙂

[zaranoff]

Wow thank you all so much for sharing your opinions! I decided to go with the g46=) It's now ordered.

@be77solo, Excellent informative text! Your more than $.02 was much appreciated!

I will post some of my views on the g46 when I get it, might benefit somebody that is considering a purchase.

Have to say that asus did the right move to introduce a 14" gaming machine since the market for sub 15" systems is emerging.