Potential G74 Buyer - Questions on common issues, SSD install

[Snowed]

As the title says, I'm in the market for a new laptop and am considering the G74. I have a G72 and have been somewhat happy with it. My main issues with it are chronic overheating, faulty AC cord, bad screen connection (all common problems as far as I can tell).

So:

1. What are the common issues with this laptop? I've looked around a lot of people seem to think that the keyboard mistypes, the trackpad acts up, and there's a problem with updating the BIOS. Are these all common problems? Are they fixable? Is there anything I'm missing?

2. I'd want to install a SSD. I'm not familiar with how this would work. Some people appear to need new parts or whatever and are unable to install the SSD. Is this true? Or will I be able to install it with simply the SSD and anything that comes with a new G74? As well, how would I set it up so that Windows runs off the SSD and puts everything else on the 2nd harddrive. Would this slow the computer down if I did this? Finally, how big would the SSD need to be to accomodate all the Windows files?

3. Also, what kind of SSD's work? 2.5in I assume? SATA III ok? Or do you need SATA 2?

Thanks for your help.

[BrodyBoy]

1. Keyboard, touchpad, poor performance of the entry-level WLAN cards. The WLAN issue is easily fixed by simply upgrading the card. The other two, depending on what the problem is, are not reparable. There are some basic steps to try and fix software-caused problems with the keyboard and touchpad. But if a brand new G74 has either of these problems from the outset and the software fixes don't help, the best bet is to assume you got bad hardware, return the unit and simply get a different one.

2. You included a lot of questions there! If you buy a one-drive configuration, you need to make sure that the SATA board and cable are present if you want add another drive. They should be, but aren't always. If you buy a two-drive system, it will have all the required parts....you'd simnply be swapping out one of the hard drives for the new SSD.

As for all the other questions, those are covered in a lot of threads here, since owners make (and talk about) this upgrade all the time. If you have questions about setup after you get the machine, start a thread for that and there are many members here who are happy to help walk you through it.

I would say the minimum SSD you'd want is 80Gb, unless you use really big programs. IMO, something around 120Gb is ideal for most people who save all their user files to the 2nd drive. This offers plenty of space for Windows and your programs, without worries about the drive getting filled too close to capacity.

3. The G74 can use both SATA II and III drives.