Gaming laptops can range from mainstream systems equipped with discrete graphics to customized individual rigs, loaded with overclocked parts; the Asus G74SX-BBK8 ($1,299.99 list at Best Buy) falls somewhere in between. It offers legitimate gaming muscle in a straightforward configuration, and at a price that won't require selling a kidney to buy it. It won't replace our Editors' Choice Alienware M17X (Sandy Bridge) ($2,254 direct, 4.5 stars), but with a quad-core Intel Core i7-2670QM processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, the Asus G74SX has the hardware you need to be competitive, without the expensive extras.
Design
The G74SX-BBK8 is big, from it's large 17.3-inch screen to its daunting 9.7-pound weight. Its 2.4 by 16.5 by 12.8 inches (HWD) chassis makes it one of the larger gaming laptops we've reviewed; it's built for stability, with a hinge designed to hold the screen steady and wobble free. While it's not as large or as heavy as the monstrous 13.3-pound AVADirect Clevo X7200 ($4,957.64 direct, 3.5 stars), it's on par with the Alienware M17x (Sandy Bridge) (9.8 pounds).
The G74SX-BBK8 has an angular look, with polygonal shapes and sharp angles inspired by the Navy's stealth ship, the Stealth Shadow. Like previous Asus Republic of Gaming models, the G74SX-BBK8 is covered with matte-black rubberized paint, which combines with the menacing design and large physical footprint to cut a fairly imposing figure on any desk. The angular design places the battery and ventilation vents at the back of the machine, and pitches the keyboard at a five-degree slant, which combines with wide-tile backlit keys to become one of the most comfortable typing experiences on a gaming laptop. The extra-large multi-touchpad is smooth and responsive, and the mouse buttons were quiet and soft. Unfortunately, it will largely go unused by those who prefer the tighter control of a gaming mouse.
Its 17.3-inch screen is nice, though its 1600-by-900 resolution isn't as high as the screens seen on more expensive models, like the Asus G74SX-A2 ($2,000 street, 4 stars), but the resolution is still high enough that you'll be able to enjoy movies and high-definition games up to 720p. The sound on the Asus combines simulated 3D Audio with EAX Advanced HD 4.0 software enhancement to deliver crisp sound at any volume. Where previous models, like the Asus G74SX-A2 and Asus G74SX-BBK7 ($1,199 list, 3.5 stars) had a slight but noticeable hiss, these speakers did not. If you want booming bass, however, you'll want to plug into a separate speaker system with a good subwoofer.
Asus has continued to refine the whisper-quiet cooling system used on previous models, and dual-cooling fans keep the processor and graphics card from getting hot. The G74SX-BBK8 keeps things both cool and quiet, with a large grill in the back of the system providing ventilation while directing blowing air (and fan noise) away from the user. On the bottom of the G74SX-BBK8, you'll also find an easy-access panel for accessing RAM and drive slots for future upgrades. The panel can be opened without any special tools, because the single panel latch is designed to open with the change in your pocket.
Features
The G74SX-BBK8 has a full roster of impressive features. One feature, 4G WiMAX, available primarily in metropolitan areas for less than you might pay for your home cable Internet, provides broadband connectivity with Wi-Fi convenience all over town. It's also equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet jack. Other features include one USB 3.0 port, three USB 2.0 ports, a multi-format memory card reader (SD, MMC, MS/Pro), HDMI and VGA video outputs, a case-lock slot, and audio jacks for headphones and a microphone. There's also a Supermulti-DVD-RW optical drive.
Two 500GB 7,200rpm hard drives offer capacious storage and fast read/write speeds. But while the combined 1TB of space is larger than what's offered by either the Asus G74SX-A2 (910GB hybrid drive) and AVADirect Clevo X7200 (750GB hybrid drive), it still falls short when compared to the 1.5TB (two 750GB 7,200rpm dives) found in the Alienware M17X.
The G74SX-BBK8 comes with some programs pre-installed, but most of them, like Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and a 30-day trial of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security are fairly common. On the desktop, you'll also find the Best Buy PC App, which lets you pick and choose what extras you want for your system. Best Buy also offers extended warranty protection on all of their laptops, extending the manufacturers warranty from 1-year to 2-years ($199.99) and adding accident and spill protection for another $150.
Best Buy has an extended warranty program, which offers customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than 4 repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new consumer PC purchased through Best Buy.
Performance
The G74SX-BBK8 comes with a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor and 8GB of RAM. These components powered the laptop to a score of 2,614 points in our PCMark 7 performance test, which was in line with the similarly-equipped Asus G74SX-BBK7 (2,569), but it was vastly outpaced by the Asus G74SX-A2 (3,941). It earned high marks in multimedia tests, like Photoshop CS5 (3 minutes 15 seconds), Handbrake (1:31) and Cinebench R11.5 (5.38). In other words, you'll be hard pressed to push this laptop to the limits, and it will handle any task, game, or piece of software you throw at it.
The most important aspect of a gaming laptop is it's performance in games, which is why the G74SX-BBK8 is outfitted with one of the best gaming graphics processors on the market?the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M with 2GB of dedicated memory. When set to 1024-by-768 resolution, with graphics detail turned down to Medium, the G74SX-BBK8 tore through Crysis (89.4 frames per second, DirectX 10) and Lost Planet 2 (66.5fps, DirectX 9). With scores like these, you should have no problem staying competitive in any game, whether it's Team Fortress 2 or Deus Ex. You might, however, run into a problem or two when running more demanding games at the highest detail settings. When we cranked up the eye candy on our gaming tests, Lost Planet 2 was just barely playable (27.0 fps) and Crysis was unable to run at the native 1600-by-900 resolution. The G74SX-BBK8 still scored well in 3DMark 06, scoring 16,812 points, and beating out the previous version, the Asus G74SX-BBK7 (16,233), but falling behind the freakishly powerful AVADirect Clevo X7200 (22,559) which has a dual-GPU set-up and a hex-core processor.
With their powerful components, gaming laptops aren't known for their energy-efficiency, and battery-life tests. The G74SX-BBK8 proved to be no exception. On MobileMark 2007, the Asus' 8-cell 74Wh battery lasted 3 hours 14 minutes, outlasting the nearest competitor, the Asus G74SX-A2, by 15 minutes with an identical battery. It's not long enough to keep you gaming all day without plugging in, but it will give you more time away from an outlet than competing systems. The shortest-lived competitor was the AVADirect X7200, which lasted a scant 38 minutes with a similarly sized 8-cell 78Wh battery. However, if you're looking to game on the go, you can't beat the
For those that want a powerful gaming laptop?but don't want to skip a month's rent to do it?the Asus G74SX-BBK8 provides a reasonable compromise between the need for performance and avoiding the astronomical prices of custom gaming rigs. If money is no object, then the Editors' Choice Alienware M17x offers superior performance.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:
COMPARISON TABLE
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