Need advice on which G74SX model.

[Retired]

Hello all,


I made another post recently about my recent G74SX-BBK7 purchase I made at my work and trying to "fix" the cool overtone of the screen while gaming. In the that post I asked a question about possibly going to a different G74SX model but it wasn't getting any replies for that so I wanted to make a separate post. So my question is upgrading to a different version worth it?

The only thing that I have to deal with is I traded my HP laptop in that I bought in May so I have around $450 on a giftcard and I need the 18 month financing for the rest so I have to buy from my work (Best Buy). So this leaves me with either the G74SX-BBK8 or the G74SX-A1 as upgrade options. I am sure you guys know the specs but I will list just in case to compare to my current model:


G74SX-BBK8

Processor: i7 2670QM (+200mhz)
Graphics Card: 2gb GTX 560M (Same)
Memory: 8gb PC3-10666 (Same)
Hard Drives: (2x) 500gb 7200rpm (Same)
Optical Drive: DVD Burner (Same)
Screen: 1600x900 (Same)


So basically I am getting a faster processor and this model fixes the vibrating speakers (which mine do) that were present in the BBK7 model from what numerous online reviews state. The price difference for me to get this model would be ~$140. That price is with the added two year accidental service plan. You can take ~$75 off if I so just the standard two year plan. I want to get at least a standard on this one since it only has a 1 year from Asus from my knowledge being a Best Buy specific model.


G74SX-A1


Processor: i7 2630QM (Same)
Graphics Card: 3gb GTX 560M (+1gb ram and 192bit)
Memory: 12gb PC3-10666 (+4gb)
Hard Drives: (2x) 750gb 7200rpm (+500gb total)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Reader/DVD Burner (+Blu-Ray)
Screen: 1920x1080 (+Full HD)


So with this model I have the same processor I have now vs getting the better one with the BBK8. This one has the better graphics card though but how big of a impact does the extra 1gb of memory and the 192bit make vs the 128bit in real world gaming? It also has an extra 4gb of memory which I could care less about since I don't do anything to need that much. The screen is full 1080p vs 900p on the other two models and also has Blu-Ray playback. It would be nice to have the 1080p screen while in windows but Blu-Ray playback isn't a must for me. I know that this model also comes with the bag and mouse which adds extra value and this also comes with the 2 year parts/labor and 1 year accidental protection with the computer. This makes me think that getting the plan through my work not worth it so that could be money I am saving. So the price difference with the extra plan would be ~$675 (accidental) or ~$600 (standard). Without the plan through Best Buy it would only be ~$488 difference.

So what do you guys think I should do? I guess if it was you, what would you go with? Is the extra processing power and speaker fix worth going to the BBK8 model? Is the better graphics card and the 1080p display for running Windows being the things that really matter to me worth spending that much more for the A1? Also, do you guys think that I really need the extra service plan with any of the models? I have always had great service with Asus motherboard repair but this is my first laptop from them. Please let me know what you guys think would be the best decision, thanks!


SippyCupXIII


*** For anyone that has the G74SX-A1 please let me know if you have the vibrating speaker issue and if you find your screen to have a overbearing cool(blue) color tone to it.***

[BrodyBoy]

SippyCupXIII wrote:
*** For anyone that has the G74SX-A1 please let me know if you have the vibrating speaker issue and if you find your screen to have a overbearing cool(blue) color tone to it.***

Personally, I like the full HD display on the A1 model. I have another Asus laptop that exhibits that blue-ish LED screen you've described, and I've never really liked it. The screen on the G74SX-A1 absolutely blows it away. I think that alone is worth the upgrade.

There's no "vibrating speaker" issue, per se. Perhaps a few units have gotten through quality control (no surprise there!) with poor installation, but the speakers don't universally exhibit a problem like that. I haven't seen it in two G74s.

[Cypz]

A1 screen is great! I do not have any vibration issues with sound/speakers. Also, the A1 has a stronger video card then the BB version. No question as to which one I would buy in your position.

[JRd1st]

Try to get an A1 from bestbuy. And get the extra protection because GeekSquad has a better rep than Asus RMA.

[Retired]

Thanks for the replies guys! I work tonight so I will look into getting the A1 ordered in. It says that it is sold out on our website so hopefully I can get it through our in store ordering system. If not I can just return the BBK7 because I have to do an exhange by this Saturday for the return/exhange policy and then just wait for the to become available. I wanted to ask though what kind of FPS gains to you think would come from the 2gb 128bit 560m vs the 3gb 192bit 560m? Thanks again guys!

[Yahooligan]

I suggest the A1 for the reasons previously mentioned (FullHD, better GPU). However, I would look into getting your extended warranty from SquareTrade - http://www.squaretrade.com

Awesome warranty, longer term, and better prices than BestBuy's.

[fostert]

Definitely the A1, for the FHD screen alone! If you want the extra 200MHz (or more) you can always upgrade the processor in the A1 quite easily (the CPU is socketed) and go all the way up to the core i7 2960XM, but it'd be a pain to upgrade the screen on the BB8 (it can be done tho).:)

[Retired]

Well, I checked at work tonight about ordering the A1 in and of course it is sold out and I can't place an order. So I will probably just have to return it and get a credit since my return policy is up on Saturday and then wait for it to come back available. I checked our inventory system and we will be carrying it for a while still so hopefully it just doesn't take long to get them back in. You guys have definitely pushed my to get the A1 and forget about the BBK8. It would be nice to have more hard drive space for my games, the better graphics card and if the display is as good as you guys say it is it will be really be worth it for that. Like I asked before though, what kind of real world gaming performance gains would I see with the 192bit 560m? Thanks again guys for the help!

[Yahooligan]

The 128-bit GPU does appear to have quite a large impact on performance, it also appears the 128-bit versions has fewer ROPs as well. So 33% less memory bandwidth, 33% fewer ROPs, and roughly 17% reduction in performance compared to the 192-bit version with LESS memory.

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/1061621-gtx-560m-128bit-2gb-vs-192bit.html#post14350909

[Retired]

Well, it isn't looking good. Even though it showed in our inventory system that we were going to be carrying the A1 for at least a couple more months it has been taken off the site. I called to find out if it was a model that we stopped carrying and of course the phone rep. didn't know. It wasn't showing in their system either so that isn't good sign. I know that it has been out of stock for a couple of weeks so I am hoping that it was just taken down until they get them back in. The G53SX-A1 has been out of stock as well for a week or so and it is still on there and it had the same out of stock date at the G74 so who knows. So if in fact I am not able to get the A1 through Best Buy I am only left with the BBK8 model unless I order the A1 from another website. The only problem with that is that I would be paying interest on it since I was going to do 18 months at Best Buy so I am not sure if I want to go that route. What do you guys do in this situation? I am still going to return the BBK7 regardless since the BBK8 has the better processor and fixes the speaker issue but I am thinking about just giving it a week or two to see if the A1 shows back up on the website. I still have my desktop so it isn't like I don't have a gaming rig to play on. Just let me know what you guys think as always, thanks!