So im gonna be living out of hotels with my new job and am looking at getting an ASUS laptop from my local craigs list listings and there are a few options but im not sure which to get!!! So i figured id ask the community here! so here are the options!

---ASUS G73JH asking $800

Screen size: 17.3"
Resolution: 1600 x 900
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
Processor: I7 Q 740 @ 1.73ghz
Memory: 6GB DDR3 1066
Hard drive slot 1: 1 500 GB 
Hard drive slot 2: Empty

---ASUS G74SX asking $1200

I7 2630Q 2.0gz Quad Core (Sandybridge)
16gb of ddr3 ram (upgraded from 12)
500gb 7200rpm hd
17.3" 1920x1080 screen (this is not the 1690 model)
Blueray Drive
USB 3.0
Geforce GTX 560M 3gigs of ram
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

---ASUS G53SW asking $800

Processor and Chipset- Intel Core i7-2630QM Intel HM65 Express Chipset
Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium
System Memory- Up to 16GB DDR3 Currently 8GB
Video & Display- 15.6-inch, LED-backlit
Native Resolution: 1366 x 768 (optional 3D display with 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080 resolution)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM)
HDD - 650GB
Connectivity Integrated 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR 

ive always owned a desktop so laptops are new to me! My desktop has an AMD Phenom II quad core 2.8Ghz 6 gig ram and radeon hd5770 which i have no problems what so ever with any games i play. Looking at the specs of the laptops they all seem like they would run my mmo's perfectly, i dont play much fps on my pc  so im just playing mmo's like SWTOR, EVE, and will be picking up GW2 when it comes out.

so basically im asking about the dependability and performance with these rigs. ive read reviews on new egg and other websites and they are all mixed reviews from random people. They either love it or hate it! I want a true gaming communities oppinions on these laptops!!! thanks for all the input in advance!!!!

The first 2 are good, the third is shit.  I would get the G73 just because its $400 cheaper.  It will have about the same performance as the G74.

yea i was thinking if i spend a grand id just buy a new one. 

which is better between the ASUS G73JH and the ASUS G73SW?

The G73JH max memory 8gig and the card is the Radeon HD 5870 1 gig ram

The G73SW max memory is 16gig and the card is the GTX 460M 1.5gig ram

so ive read the HD 5870 performs better then the GTX 460M which makes me lean toward the G73JH.

The 673SW can be upgraded to 16gig ram and the G73JH maxes out at 8, so this makes me want the G73SW lol.

those are the two major differences in the laptops in my opinion......not sure which I want to get.........

There are very few applications for 16 GB of ram currently.

All three of the video cards will give you about the same performance.  The 5870 will give that performance while using less power than the others, which is nice.

The Core i7-2630QM in the last two laptops is significantly faster than the Core i7-740QM in the first laptop.  For most games, the difference would be inconsequential (e.g., a processor that can deliver 80 frames per second versus 100 frames per second, which doesn't matter because the video card can only do 50 anyway), but the 740QM could occasionally get you into trouble.

15" and 768 vertical pixels is awfully small for a monitor.

If they were all the same price, I'd say the second one.  But they're not, so I'm going to say the first one is the best deal.  Or if you're not that sensitive to price, then you should consider getting a new laptop rather than the second one, as they charge about as much as it would cost new, anyway.

Living in hotels is what gaming laptops are for, so I'll spare you the "get a desktop" bit.

I would go with the first system.  I have a 5870 and it runs SWTOR flawlessly as well as Skyrim, both on max settings.  You won't see any other video card with a noticeable increase in performance until you get to the 6970 or GTX 580.  The CPU though could be a real liability in a year's time.  I'm fairly certain that overclocking laptops is usually a very risky business and even if it doesn't fry your system, can greatly reduce it's lifespan.

Better yet, would be to wait a bit longer, save up more money and invest in a system that will not only perform really well now, but a year or two from now as well.

i go for ASUS G73JH because it has AMD graphics.

Originally posted by Cleffy

The first 2 are good, the third is shit.  I would get the G73 just because its $400 cheaper.  It will have about the same performance as the G74.

Why would you say the g53s is crap? I am running that model right now and have had only one issue and that was the screen messin up warrenty fixed it right away. 

Other then this laptop has ran every game i have thrown at it with absoultly no problems at all, even on max setting's. 

OP- My dad is runnign the G74s and that is another good laptop and have not run into any issues at all with the system. I ran swtor on it and no frame rate issues at all that I could see. Both are quiet system's. 

Here is a link to the owners lounge to the g53sw( the forum also has it on the other Asus brands you posted) 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-reviews-owners-lounges/570676-asus-g53sw-owners-lounge.html

With that low of a native resolution, your "max settings" can't even plausibly be called high graphical settings.

All 3 should serve your purposes well, though if you're spending this amount go with newegg or cyberpowerpc/ibuypower so you can get a warranty.

Laptops without warranties will bite you in the ass.

The G74SX. It also has room for an additional 2.5" drive so you can add an SSD. The best display resolution, and the best processor.  You'll be satisfied with it the longest out of the three.

ASUS warranty is one of the best in the business. They have excellent turn around and are a great company to deal with.  Almost every RMA from ASUS I've dealt with has been returned in less then 2 weeks.

Originally posted by eyelolled

The G74SX. It also has room for an additional 2.5" drive so you can add an SSD. The best display resolution, and the best processor.  You'll be satisfied with it the longest out of the three.

 

ASUS warranty is one of the best in the business. They have excellent turn around and are a great company to deal with.  Almost every RMA from ASUS I've dealt with has been returned in less then 2 weeks.

ASUS is great i use a MFG refurbed of theirs for the last year now, i just wouldn't trust craigslist with pc's.

Originally posted by Aori

Originally posted by eyelolled

The G74SX. It also has room for an additional 2.5" drive so you can add an SSD. The best display resolution, and the best processor.  You'll be satisfied with it the longest out of the three.

 

ASUS warranty is one of the best in the business. They have excellent turn around and are a great company to deal with.  Almost every RMA from ASUS I've dealt with has been returned in less then 2 weeks.

ASUS is great i use a MFG refurbed of theirs for the last year now, i just wouldn't trust craigslist with pc's.

Could be, I don't know anything about Craigslist, just ASUS and their manufacturers warranty on new items.

Quizikal, I got the fhd one maybe you where refering to the lower resolution?

Don't buy the g74 from craigslist at that price -- might as well buy new from someplace like newegg.com.

I like the g74 -- bought one during the black friday craze, stuck a crucial M4 ssd in it (which has dropped $50 since) and it screams.

You should note though that the g74 (and the g73) is a BIG laptop.  Go to your local best buy just to see how big and bulky it is.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great machine, but you'll also be spending $100+ for a good bag to lug it around in.

Also, apparently the g75 will be coming out around April (allegedly).

Originally posted by therain93

Also, apparently the g75 will be coming out around April (allegedly).

With the new hardware that is coming, if Asus doesn't launch something new around then, it would basically constitute pulling out of the gaming laptop market.  Even more so than with their hardware choices in the G74, I mean.

Maybe I can help on this, (which actually suprises me lol) I recently bought this same exact one:

Asus - G74SX-DH73-3D 17.3" LED 3D Notebook - Intel Core i7 i7-2670QM 2.20 GHz - Black

I got it for around 980.00 or so, but honestly this thing is a monster.  I have played every current game at max settings which the computer stays very cool.  At first it took me forever to decide between alienware and the republic of gamers but honestly I am very happy with this purchase.  I never have lag, I play it all night on my lap with no problems, and I run multiple applications all the time without hicups.  Only thing I would warn you is its gets annoying having to move it around since it is basically a desktop replacement.  It weighs I think around 8-10 pounds.  The screens huge which is great for when I watch tv on hulu plus and the only time it makes noise is at start-up.  The computer is pretty well built and i like the finish on the outside.  Had this computer for about 5 months, no problems gaming, watching tv, or searching the web.  Also on a side note, if you use multiple equipment for streaming you might need to upgrade ur internet.  This computer seems to need alot of juice so I had to upgrade my internet so I could stream on multiple devices at the same time.  My old computer since it wasnt a gamer didnt need it.  Anyways if you have any questions just shoot me an email. 

Overall I give this machine at 10/10 by far.  Well built, great stuff on the inside, and so far no complaints ;)

BTW I did get mine when a sale was going for under 1k, from bestbuy.  Not sure, but you always check to see if they go on sale again.

also op remember that when a gpu on a laptop say 5770m it means its at max 50% of the power of a desktop 5770!