ASUS G51JX vs G53JW

Klosteral

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Hello there Tom's Hardware,

I have been looking into purchasing a laptop for some time now, and you may have seen some of my posts about (several in laptops section and a couple in graphics cards etc) all about clarification. Now I have almost settled on one, just help me choose between these two:

G51JX-HD-SX232V ($1640)
CPU: Intel Core i7 720QM
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
RAM: 6GB DDR3
HDD: 500GB SATA
Graphic: Nvidia GTS360M 1GB Dedicated VGA
Screen: 15.6” Lcd Screen
* 2yrs World Wide Warranty * BT * DVD RW
* Wifi 11N * Webcam * HDMI * 6 Cell Batt

ASUS G53JW G53JW-HD-SX109V ($1800-1850)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Intel Core i7 740QM Quad Core 1.73GHz Processor
Mobile Intel HM55 Express Chipset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M, with 1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM
6GB DDR3 1066MHz Memory
500GB 7200rpm Drive (Upgradeable to up 512GB SSD)
DVD Super multi
15.6" WXGA+ Colourshine (1366x768)
* HDMI * 2 Mega Pixel Camera * 802.11n * Bluetooth * ESATA * Keyboard with Numberpad * Free Carry Case * Free Optical Mouse *

I may want the carry-bag but I think I will pop the mouse up on ebay if I get the G53.
I will be making music with Cubais, making movies with various tools, using Adobe Photoshop and Aftereffects and (of course) playing many games - Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2/Black Ops, Command & Conquor 4, StarCraft 2, Crysis, Fallout New Vegas etc

I understand that the G53's GTX460M is more powerful than the GTS360M and the free mouse is a gimmick for the extra $200 in price but, is it worth it? Also, the i7-740 is faster but the i7-720 is newer and has better cooling, Will I notice the difference?

What is this madness?!
-Klosteral
 

techy_06

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Personally, the difference between processors is minimal at best so I wouldn't care whether it was 720 or 740. The difference should really not be very noticeable at all.

You will be able to load those intensive applications in a short time and your system will be very responsive with either of those choices. So it really comes down to "is the graphics card worth the extra buck?"

I say why the hell not? Go with the G53JW and sell that mouse on ebay.
 

raza715

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definately the 2nd one is much better simple because of graphics card gtx460(gives 14k 3dmark06) is 20 to 30% better than gts360(10k 3dmark06) also gtx460 is dx11 ready which gts360 isnot. Processor difference in not much but still worthy.
 

Klosteral

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EDIT: Sorry for the late reply; I went away for a fortnight.

What about battery life? Would the faster CPUs and GPUs draw more of it? I know I will not get much life off such a laptop but I want to get as much as I can.

Also, after checking out NoteBookCheck a bit more thoroughly I have discovered that the GTS 360 will be able to run games such as Bad Company 2 and StarCraft 2 on high as opposed to Ultra but who is going to notice the difference on a 1366x768 res on a 15.6" screen?
 

raza715

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no bro, the new gtx4xx series is much better in power efficiency as compared with older generations. You can expect 2.30-3 hours standby. However if you buy some gaming laptop with more power efficient GPU like 5650 or 5730 then you will get 3-4 hours easily and even more if GPU is switchable with Intel HD graphics (5-6 hours).
 

Klosteral

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I see. I know the ATI cards are generally more efficient across the board, however they are only available in lower-quality laptops or the best of the best (G73JW has ATI 5870M). nVidea dominates the mid-upper range which is why I am looking at the G53.

I will only ever game while plugged in however I will be web browsing and document producing while not plugged in. Obviously that would not require much graphics processing power at all so one would switch to the lowest-settings (power saving mode). Please note that I will only be using the standard 6-cell battery and it is rated for 2hours max.

How do I find out if it has Intel HD switchable graphics (for power saving)?
 

raza715

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Good question! bro in higher end gaming laptops switchable graphics doesnt exist, it only exist in mid range 5650 or 5730 or GT420/GT435. So if you want a gaming machine which can handle all games with your little compromise on resolutions and antialiasing then go with Lenovo Ideapad Y560 with i5 460m and 5730, it will max out 80-90% games on native resoltuion, only game i doubt it will not max out is "METRO2033" but it will provide you around 3-3.5hours standby easily.
 

Klosteral

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Check this site: http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdf
It has the ASUS G51JX for $1639 and ASUS N61JQ for $1259.
I am content with all the specs of the N61 except the 16" screen which I fear may be too big (14"-15.6" is preferable). It is a decision between these two.

Any opinion of the weights of the two machines as that may be a deciding factor.