Need Advice: G74SX-DH73 Disassembly and Upgrade.

[Red_Rose]

So it's been about 8 months since I've bought my G74sx and I have no complaints. I've upgraded the wireless card to an Intel Advanced Centrino 6300N (2 of the 3 antennas are installed), swapped the primary drive with an M4 Crucial 256GB boot drive, and replaced the Ram to 2x8GB 1600Mhz Corsair Vengenance Ram. However, as of right now, I realized that my computer is currently idling at around 35-40 Celcius. It use to idle at around 25-30 Celcius. So today I thought it would be time to dissamble the G74 and clean out the heatsinks, fans, and such. I've seen the sped up video on youtube and read the picture guide on the BTO forums. However, I still have a couple of questions. Yes I do know I will void the warranty but I could not register my warranty due to the fact that the eBay seller did not have the original receipt. Therefore I don't care if I mess up since I can probably find replacement parts.

1) I know that the heatsink assembly can be dismounted from the motherboard and give me the pportunity to switch out the cpu. How would you recommend cleaning out the current thermal paste on the cpu (and gpu) after removing the heatsink? Do I just use a cloth and remove it? I don;t have much experience removing thermal paste and reapplying it.
2) This relates to question 1. Is there any specific brand of thermal paste (or tape that I've heard of) that anyone prefers for reapplying the thermal paste, or will any standard brand work?
3) SInce I am opening the G74 fully, I was considering dropping in an i7 2960xm to replace the i7-2670m later down the line (probably once prices drop a little more). I just wanted to verify if the i7-2960xm is the correct socket since I've been seeing post stating that it is correct or it isn't correct.
4) This relates to question 3. Do you guys have any other suggestions for CPU upgrades that is also compatible and/or gets better bang per buck?
5) I know the 6300N can have 3 antennas. Is there any guide on how to install the 3rd antenna? Just wanted to ask since I know you need to disassemble the G74 to do it.

Any help for any of these questions is appreciated. Thank you.

[Boosted_R]

Red Rose wrote:


1) I know that the heatsink assembly can be dismounted from the motherboard and give me the pportunity to switch out the cpu. How would you recommend cleaning out the current thermal paste on the cpu (and gpu) after removing the heatsink? Do I just use a cloth and remove it? I don;t have much experience removing thermal paste and reapplying it.

I used a microfiber cloth.....you don't need those cleaners they sell, its useless.

2) This relates to question 1. Is there any specific brand of thermal paste (or tape that I've heard of) that anyone prefers for reapplying the thermal paste, or will any standard brand work?

I used Tuniq TX-4

3) SInce I am opening the G74 fully, I was considering dropping in an i7 2960xm to replace the i7-2670m later down the line (probably once prices drop a little more). I just wanted to verify if the i7-2960xm is the correct socket since I've been seeing post stating that it is correct or it isn't correct.

Both are the same socket from what Intel says...... also I would verify the cpu will work with the BIOS

http://ark.intel.com/products/53469/Intel-Core-i7-2670QM-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_10-GHz

http://ark.intel.com/products/53478/Intel-Core-i7-2960XM-Processor-Extreme-Edition-8M-Cache-up-to-3_...

4) This relates to question 3. Do you guys have any other suggestions for CPU upgrades that is also compatible and/or gets better bang per buck?

Varies, on what you need it for, supplementing an SSD might be a better upgrade than an CPU,

5) I know the 6300N can have 3 antennas. Is there any guide on how to install the 3rd antenna? Just wanted to ask since I know you need to disassemble the G74 to do it.

It would be simple as following the other antenna's and picking a side in the screen housing

Check out my treads, they might help

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?21484-Repasted-G74

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?26341-SSD-Benchmarks-on-G74

[dstrakele]

Getting a 2960xm for your G74SX probably isn't a good idea due to the higher power requirements (see http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?19281-Computer-Upgrade-King for details).

[Red_Rose]

Thank you Boosted_R. That really helped me. Also thanks to both of you for informing me about the power requirement and BIOS issues. I didn't think I had to worry about the power consumption or compatibility issues. I always thought that if it fits in the correct socket, then it would work normally. What about the http://ark.intel.com/products/53476/Intel-Core-i7-2860QM-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz. It has the same power consumption as the 2670qm and it fits in the same socket when I did intel compare. I guess it is a matter of trial and error since even with the power consumption aside, the BIOS will either like it or hate it.

[dstrakele]

The thread I referenced mentioned if you are looking at upgrading an ASUS G-Series laptop to an XM series CPU, consider getting the next step down 45W QM equivalent, so your new choice appears reasonable.

[Zygomorphic]

dstrakele wrote:
The thread I referenced mentioned if you are looking at upgrading an ASUS G-Series laptop to an XM series CPU, consider getting the next step down 45W QM equivalent, so your new choice appears reasonable.

Second that. The CPU you listed would be awesome so long as you can get it for a low price. The actual performance difference may not be as much as you think. Since you have the upgraded RAM and SSD, I'd say the CPU is the next thing on the list.

[Boosted_R]

For $200 I could justify putting a new CPU, but for $500, for a 1.5 year old laptop, not really worth it, unless you have a 3 year warranty....No point putting a new CPU and the MB dies soon after, costing even more... I haven't had a single problem with my G74, but you never know.... If you really need a faster CPU, sell the G74, and get something updated..... If you do upgrade the CPU, make a tread, interested too see the results. Good Luck.