Computer Gift Guide

1. ASUS G73JW-A1: All-Powerful Desktop Replacement

Gaming Notebooks, Thin-And-Lights, Multimedia Machines All-In-Ones, Nettops, Netbooks, Tablets--we've got recommendations in every category.

The G73 series is designed with the serious gamer in mind, coated in a matte black finish that won’t show fingerprints and smudges like so many of the piano black finishes we see today. The aggressive angles, especially on the rear of the laptop, serve purpose beyond simple eye-catching design.  The body of the G73 has a natural downward slope, which makes typing on its keyboard a much more comfortable experience than some other desktop replacements, and the intake and exhaust grills are positioned on the rear angles of the body instead of the sides, so your mouse hand won’t be victim to hot exhaust coming off the GPU or CPU heatsink. All this design, combined with the 17-inch LED-backlit display, normally makes for one hefty gaming machine, but the G73 comes in at a, relatively speaking, lightweight eight pounds. Most gaming laptops in the 17-inch range will come in at ten pounds or more, so a two pound difference will be noticeable when carrying the G73 around in a backpack.

Like every other Asus series, the G73 series is available in a few different models, and we have the cream of the crop here, the G73JW-A1. The A1 offers the best that Asus has to offer in every hardware category, including an Intel Core i7 740QM CPU, Nvidia GTX 460M GPU (with 1.5 GB of GDDR5 video memory), 8 GB of DDR3-1066 system memory, dual 500 GB hard drives, and a BD-ROM drive. The A1 can handle any game you throw at it with great framerates (80+ fps on average in Left for Dead 2 at 1080p and high settings), and the Blu-ray drive and Full HD screen (1920x1080) make this a great mini home theater as well. The A1 is chock full of I/O, too, with four USB ports (one of which is USB 3.0), VGA, HDMI, 802.11n, mic and audio, SD card reader, and Ethernet. We would have liked an eSATA port, but with USB 3.0 finally catching on, it’s a trade we’re happy with.

Make no mistake; the new G73 series from Asus has the phrase “desktop replacement” written all over it, and the G73JW-A1 model is at the top of that heap. And for the Alienware fans in the house? This G73JW-A1 will cost a full $1,000 less than a similarly-configured M17X. Throw in the free gaming mouse and Targus backpack that comes in the box, and the G73JW-A1 is an absolute winner.

See our other holiday gift guides:

Gear For Every Gamer

Give And Get Geeky

Tech For All Types

Photography By Andrew Hanson