Asus G73JH

Spec review : 

• Processor : Intel Core i7 720QM 1.60GHz (up to 2.80GHz with Turbo Boost), 6MB Cache     
• Memory : 4 x 2048MB DDR3 1066MHz
• Hard drive : Dual SATA II 500GB 7,200rpm (1TB total)
• Graphics card : 1GB ATI Mobility  Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 VRAM
• Chipset : Intel HM55 Express
• Screen : 17.3-inch Full HD 1920x1080*
• Operating system : Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
• DirectX 11 supported 
• Dimensions (HWD) : 0.8~2.2x16.3x12.6 inches
• Optical drive : 8x DVD-RW DL Super Multi Combo
• Primary 8 cells 5200 mAh battery
• AC adapter
• 2 years limited global hardware warranty + 1 year battery pack warranty + 1 year accident coverage warranty
• Plus internal system (bluetooth, WIFI, audio speaker, card reader, 2.0MP webcam, etc).

*Maximum resolution of 'Best Buy' version is 1600 x 900.

Prices : $1,549.00 (might vary depending on the store)

Starting prices : $1,549.00

Starting weight : 8.5 pounds (3.85kg)

Customizable : yes.

For more informations about components, customizations and prices for the A2 model, visit here.

These components are the basic specification for the A2 model, so it comes with minimum price and weight. Extenal accesories (keyboard, headset, TV tunner, gaming controller, additional AC adaptor/battery/battery charger, etc) are excluded, except for external laser mouse and backpack are both included.

Here it comes, a 'cheap' high-end gaming laptop from Asus!
Just wonder now, what will you get with $1,600 for a gaming laptop from Asus? A mid-end one? No. You'll get an 17-inch high-end gaming laptop filled with Core i7-720QM, 8GB memory, 1TB hard drive and even 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870, along with your $51! An impressive price for a steady gaming laptop. Being a gaming laptop less than $2,000, G73JH series can compete with other top high-end gaming laptops (such as M17x, M15x, Qosmio X305-Q708, Clevo M980NU, etc) in many cases with no significant difference, but very different in price. G73JH can be said quite light for an 17-inch gaming laptop. It has number pad, too.

There are 3 series of  G73JH, with minor changes.

"This model comes in a few different variations depending where you buy it from and what options you want. They are all essentially the same core system.
G73JH
A1 - Bluray Optical Drive, 2x500gb HDD, Bag & Mouse
A2 - DVD Optical Drive, 2x500gb HDD, Bag & Mouse
X1 - DVD Optical Drive, 1x500gb HDD
X3 - DVD Optical Drive, 2x320gb HDD
Those are the only changes so far.
My unit is a G73JH-A2". >>>>> no persuasion.

- ViciousXUSMC (for more information read here).

Q : how is its performance?
A : why do you still ask?
G73JH along with i7-720QM and HD 5870 plus 8GB memory is capable of playing latest games at high-very high setting very smoothly at native resolution using directx 10. Simply say  Mass Effect 2, Modern Warfare 2, Far Cry 2, Dirt 2, Left4Dead 2, Company of Heroes, NFS : Shift are able to be played flawlessly using DX 10 and full settings. ViciousXUSMC even has tested Dirt 2 on DX 11 ultra setting without any problem. 

Core i7 series are known as the most advanced processors this far. Core i7-720QM with 6MB cache is featured by Turbo Boost Technology, which dynamically speeds up performance for demanding applications; Hyper-Threading Technology mainly improves multi-tasking performance; VT-x increases manageability, security, and flexibility in gaming environments; VT-d provides hardware assists for virtualization solution; Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) provides hardware-based mechanisms that protect the system from software-based attacks (viruses, hacks, etc); Enhanced Speedstep Technology enables very high performance with the consequence of using more power, and vice-versa; and Execute Disable Bit reduces exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks. TB for gaming, Hyper-Threading for multi-tasking, and other for both.

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870  paired with GDDR5 VRAM is the fastest laptop GPU (except SLI / CF) until this review is posted. It displays very impressive visual effects, especially for gaming and multimedia applications. It also supports Eyefinity technology, which enables us to connect Mobility HD 5870 to up to six monitors. Mobility Radeon HD 5870 consumes high power, so it's only suited for big laptops equipped with cooling system. Please note that Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is not the same with Mobility Radeon HD 5870 for PC. Similar name, but quite different.

Core i7 paired with 8GB DDR3 memory is wonderful. It's very helpful for multi-tasking,  but current games don't need  such a very big memory. So... for multi-tasking only, huh? NO NO NO NO NO...  It also helps you when you are running many applications while gaming. Example : I wanna 'play Modern Warfare 2' with audio setting is turned off to 'listen to musics using winamp' and oh, I haven't  'scan my computer' since 2 years ago, etc... all in one time. Well, that's multi-tasking!

For the hard drive, 1TB = 1 million MB. So, what is a 1TB hard drive capable of? It can store about 200,000 songs (if you count a song = 5MB), completely all songs from 11 BC to 2020 ADD (After Doomsday), I suppose... Any question?

Q : do you still need more space? 

A :  I suppose not...

Q : do you need less? 

A : stupid question!
Q : ... do you need me?
A : ... SECURITY!

With 7,200rpm it can run games and other applications at high speed, plus fast loading times. It also has high transfer data rate for both writing and reading. Any question? No, please...
For the cooling system,  G73JH has dual exhausts in the rear to draw and throw away heat. Surprisingly, it comes without noise, but deadly silent.

Nothing is perfect. What makes G73JH imperfect? Here they are...

As a high-end GPU card, ATI Mobile Radeon HD consumes high power. Technically, it reduces the battery life. G73JH can last for less than 2 hours, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. It also requires major power supply and a lot of time to be fully charged.
The keyboard buttons are too small compared with other 17-inch laptops. Probably (98.7%, I guess) because Asus adds numpad on it.
No discrete media controls.
Speaker quality is below average. It is loud, with less distortion. Can't rock up with this! Better buy headphones or external speaker for gaming and playing musics.
Those are common cons from this laptop, according to many sources. If you have any other pros and/or cons, please write in comment.

References :
http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/asus-republic-of-gamers-g73jh
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-reviews-owners-lounges/459400-viciousxusmcs-ultimate-g73jh-review.html
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43122
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5870.23073.0.html
http://go.notebookreview.com/?id=525X832&url=http%3A%2F%2F1toppc.com%2FMerchant2%2Fmerchant.mv%3FScreen%3DPROD%26Product_Code%3DG73JH-A2%26Category_Code%3D&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.notebookreview.com%2Fasus-reviews-owners-lounges%2F459400-viciousxusmcs-ultimate-g73jh-review.html