The ASUS ROG G74SX announced earlier this month is now ready for gaming notebook buyers to snap at ExcaliburPC. They are the first to offer these Republic of Gamers notebooks here in the US. These gaming and HD video powerhouses come with an Intel Sandy Bridge Quad-core i7-2630QM 2.0 GHz processors and a 17.3″ screen with a 1080p resolution.

The two different models available - the G74SX-3DE for $1,979 and the G74SX-A1 for $1,745 both have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M GPU with 3GB of DDR5 video RAM. The primary difference in these models is that the 3DE model offers 3D video playback on the 17″ display with included 3D glasses.

Gaming Cooling System

These new gaming notebooks also have a special cooling system that enables the system to stay cool even under processor intensive gaming sessions. The new ROG notebooks pull the air in from a front vent and fan, blowing it over the hot CPU and GPU, drawing the heat off of these components as the air is sucked out the rear fan. Most notebooks do not have this type of front to back fan system in place.

Blu-ray and 3D

In addition to very high-end gaming prowess, these notebooks include Blu-ray drives and in the case of the G74SX-3DE a 3D screen and glasses which can be used to watch 3D Blu-Ray movies and play 3D games.

ASUS ROG G74SX Specs

• 12GB of DDR3 RAM (up to 16GB)
• 2x 750GB 7200RPM hard drives for 1.5TB total
• 2MP Webcam
• 8-in-1 card reader
• Windows 7 64-bit with a free recovery DVD
• 802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Mic and Headphone jacks
• VGA and HDMI out
• 1 USB 3.0 and 3 USB 2.0
• Illuminated full-size keyboard with dedicated number pad
• 8 Cell battery
• 9.4lbs

ASUS ASUS ROG G74SX Video

Gallery

ASUS ROG G74SX Now Available for Purchase and Fragging is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

ASUS is showing of some new 3D gaming notebooks at Computex, including their new Republic of Gamers G53SX Naked Eye 3D. They call it the “world’s first naked-eye 3D laptop meaning you can have 3D gaming or video without the need for those annoying 3D glasses. This is a big plus for people who already wear glasses or have a problem with vision strain that causes headaches while wearing them.

Naked-Eye 3D Display

How does ASUS do this magical trick of displaying 3D images without need of glasses? Here is what they are saying:

By combining 3D lenticular lens technology with the AUO ‘naked eye’ eye-tracking system, the G53 screen renders full 3D images that can be viewed from any angle for a more comfortable viewing experience. Both 2D and 3D modes can operate on the screen at the same time too, so on-screen text remains clear at all times.

As Tom’s Hardware says, it looks like it is a software thing. Because of this, it can convert 2D images into 3D making it compatible with a lot of games already on the market. Also, the display can render portions of the screen in 3D while keeping other parts in 2D. The benefit is images will be 3D while text, which looks better in 2D, will stay that way making it readable. They are not giving away the technology specifics. As long as it works, the average consumer won’t much care about the tech details.

Powerful Specs

The new G53SX is a 15″ notebook with a full-HD 1920×1080 resolution. It has a quad-core Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor, which is a top of the line CPU and should handle the strain of the latest and greatest games as well as hard-core processor intensive tasks like video encoding and playing system-taxing games.

To go along with these specs it has one of the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics processors with 2GB of GDDR5 video RAM and Optimus technology. The new GTX  560M provides powerful video capability and integrated wireless output as well as 3D video over HDMI 1.4.

Throwing in more high-end equipment, ASUS put a hybrid hard drive that adds solid state storage to a traditional optical drive. The SSD portion of the drive will smartly cache the most used files speeding up the system over traditional spinning optical drives. It learns which files you use and places them on this portion of the drive to speed things up. The spinning part of this hybrid drive is no slouch, with a 10,000 RPM rating. That is the fastest available optical drive performance.

Like the other notebooks ASUS is announcing, this one has the dual fan cooling system which sucks in air from the front vents on the notebook and blows it over the hot bits inside exhausting the now hot air out the back.

There is no word on pricing and availability yet, but expect to pay a premium for glasses free 3D.

ASUS Shows Off Republic of Gamers G53SX Naked Eye 3D Notebook is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

At Computex, a tech trade show in Taipei, ASUS announced a new 3D gaming notebook for the hard-core gamer called the ASUS G74Sx. It is part of the Republic of Gamers (ROG) line which is designed for serious gamers who want the power to run any game they choose anywhere they please. It is a 17″ notebook that features 3D output and runs the latest Quad Core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors with NVIDIA 3D Vision graphics. We got a hint of this new notebooks at CeBIT earlier this year.

Hardcore Specs

This new notebooks will have some serious chops. The ASUS G74Sx is powered by Quad Core 2nd Gen Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors and includes WiMAX technology. For graphics the G74SX uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M which will drive the latest games available including titles like Duke Nukem Forever and Crysis. You will also be able to plug the notebook into an external 3D HDTV to get full 3D video and gaming output on a large screen via HDMI 1.4 compatible displays.

The built-in 17.3″ display will be 3D capable as well having a full HD resolution of 1920×1080. The G74Sx will not only be a good gaming system but also a nice entertainment notebook.

Cool Runnings

Because this is a powerful system it needs powerful cooling. The G74Sx will have what ASUS calls “a unique thermal management system”. The chassis has a pair of fans that will cool the CPU and the GPU. It draws the cool air into the front of the system through vents and blows the hot air out the back through another set of vents.

The system will need this extra cooling since it is designed with gamers in mind who like to squeeze every last ounce of power out of a system by over-clocking. The system will have special overclocking features, but ASUS didn’t share particulars.

Pricing and Availability

There is no pricing or available date as of yet.

ASUS Announces ROG G74Sx 3D Gaming Notebook is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Laptop Magazine released their brand reviews of notebook computer manufacturers ranking nine builders based on a number of criteria. The top three were Apple, Lenovo and HP. The rankings were based on the following:

• reviews
• design
• tech support
• software
• innovation
• customer satisfaction

This is the second year straight that Apple has ranked first and Lenovo second in the listing. HP jumped up two slots to earn third.

The rankings are based on an average of the above list. When you look at the individual categories occasionally the rankings are shuffled. For example, Apple didn’t fare so well in the Value and Selection category, tied for dead last with Sony. Lenovo is said to have the best Keyboards/Touchpads. In every other category Apple was either first or tied for first. And in Laptop Magazine reviews the company was way out ahead of the competition by eight points over HP, which took second in that category.

Laptop Magazine Manufacturer Ranking Chart

The methodology used to rank the companies included the above list of categories being given point values and totalled with some of them weighted more than others. Reviews by the magazine staff were worth 25 points of the overall score. Design, Keyboard/Touchpad, and Technical Support each were worth 15 points. Ten possible points were assigned to Value/Selection and Software. Innovation and Customer Satisfaction/Reliability were only worth 5 points each.

While we would agree with most of the weighting, the last one should be much higher. If people are, either not satisfied with the product, or it keeps breaking, then a manufacturer doesn’t deserve as high a ranking. HP was the third highest ranking manufacturer but was tied with MSI for last in this one category.

You can look into how each scored at the magazine’s site. They go into further detail about each manufacturer and why they scored like they did. For example, Apple ranked so high in the Reviews category because, of the five computers they reviewed, three were Editor’s Choices. All of them would be recommended. At the same time they said of MSI:

The past year hasn’t been great for MSI, as lackluster scores across the board prove. With underdeveloped tech support, mediocre reviews, and lackluster keyboards, the brand’s last-place ranking isn’t a huge surprise.

Need more notebook reviews? Check out our Notebook Reviews section.

Laptop Mag Notebook Manufacturer Grades Show Apple on Top is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Sometime during the second quarter of 2011 notebook manufacturers are expected to start launching their own ultra-thin ultra-portable notebooks to compete with the likes of the Apple MacBook Air and Samsung 9 Series notebooks according to Digitimes. These extremely thin computers starting under $1,000 are selling well, and other manufacturers are hoping to cash in on the consumer appetite for small affordable notebooks that can get things done on the road.

The Acer model will come in the Timeline series, similar to one we previously reviewed, and made for Acer by Wistron. The model we reviewed was not an ultra-thin, but the Timeline X series is Acer’s business line. The Asus notebook will be in their U-series line with 13-14 inch sizes and manufactured for them by a company called Pegatron Technology. That same company will manufacture Lenovo’s ultra-thin IdeaPad starting in the third quarter.

Apple’s pace setting computers sparked a design revolution with the original MacBook Air, which was billed as a luxury computer. Dell responded with their Adamo, neither of which sold that well. When Apple re-released the MacBook Air starting at $999 for one with a 64GB SSD and 2GB of memory paired with an Intel Core 2 Duo, they started to fly out of the Apple Stores. Samsung answered with the 9 Series announced earlier this year. Acer, Asus and Lenovo are following suit both in form factor and price point.

Below is hands-on video at CES 2011 of the Samsung 9 Series by our Chuong Nguyen:

Ultra-thin Notebooks Coming from Acer, Asus and Lenovo is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Several new ASUS laptops are now available for purchase with the latest 2nd Generation Intel Core i series processors, often referred to as Sandy Bridge. The ASUS N53SV-A1 and G73SW-A1 are both currently available from Amazon.com with the latest Intel processors.

The new Intel processors offer more than the standard year over year increase in performance or speed thanks to a new design that puts the GPU and the CPU on the same piece of silicon allowing for a much greater graphics performance for the end user. It’s still not enough to do away with the need for discrete graphics for heavy gamers, but it will provide improvements in graphically intensive operations.

Both the ASUS N53SV-A1 and ASUS G73SW-A1 come with NVIDIA discrete graphics options and can be used for gaming or other graphically intensive projects.

ASUS N53SV-A1 Specs:

• Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core Processor 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz; 750GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
• 4GB of DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM, 4 slots, 16GB Max; Nvidia GT540M Graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM; Super-Multi Optical Disk Drive
• 15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display
• HDMI Port; VGA Port; 2.0MP Webcam; Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
• Hard Drive: 750 GB 7200 rpm
• Graphics RAM: 1024 MB
• USB Ports: 3
• ASUS 2 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included
• 1 USB 3.0 port; 2 USB 2.0 Ports; Bluetooth; eSATA; 5-in-1 card reader (SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,MS-Duo); Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
• Size (LWH): 15.6 inches, 10.6 inches, 1.6 inches
• Weight: 6.4 pounds

ASUS G73SW-A1 Specs:

• Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz Quad-Core with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz); 8GB DDR3 1333MHz (4 x 2GB SODIMM Sockets, up to 16GB)
• Nvidia GTX 460M Graphics with 1.5GB GDDR5; 1TB Hybrid HDD/SSD (2x 500G 7200RPM/4GB SSD)
• 17.3-Inch Full HD (1920×1080) LED Display
• 2.0M Webcam; Gaming Backpack and Mouse
• Number of Processors: 4
• RAM: 4 GB
• RAM Type: SODIMM
• Memory Slots: 4
• Hard Drive: 1000 GB  7200 rpm
• USB Ports: 4
• Blue-Ray Combo Drive; Illuminated Keyboard; 1x USB 3.0 + 3x USB 2.0 Ports; 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth; 8-in-1 Card Reader; Gigabit LAN
• 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty and 2 Year Standard Warranty Included
• Size (LWH): 16.6 inches, 12.8 inches, 2.3 inches
• Weight: 8 pounds

The ASUS N53SV-A1 starts at $1,211 and the ASUS G73SW-A1 starts at $1849.

ASUS N53SV-A1 and G73SW-A1 2nd Gen Intel Core i Laptops Now Available is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Best Buy has the Asus K50IJ-BNC5 Intel Pentium powered notebook available for the back to school season for $699.99. The Asus notebook is a Best Buy exclusive and is part of Best Buy’s Next Class Notebooks.

The Asus K50IJ-BNC5 features an Intel Pentium processor, a 15.6-inch LED-backlit display, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and a battery that last up to 6 hours on a single charge. These features combine to form a portable notebook that should be sufficient for most college students. Asus also included a dedicated numeric keypad, which should increase students’ productivity in Excel and other related applications.

This mid-range notebook mixes a few premium features with specs that are usually found on budget notebooks. The LED-backlit display, built-in webcam with facial recognition, and Infusion scratch-resistant finish provide this notebook with a premium look and feel. However, with an old processor, integrated graphics card, and DDR2 RAM which are normally found on budget notebooks, the Asus K50IJ-BNC5 is a little underpowered for its class.

That being said, this notebook is still suitable for most students. It should handle Microsoft Office documents, web surfing, and light photo editing just fine. And the 500GB hard drive should provide more than enough space for music, photos, and video. However, more intensive photo editing, as well as modern games, may prove to be a little too much for this notebook.

On the plus side, the Asus K50IJ-BNC5 is in Best Buy’s Next Class series of notebooks. This means that it comes preloaded with full version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010, 12 months of Webroot AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper 2010, and comes with a backlit keyboard for late night studying. Additionally, its 6 hour battery life provides enough juice for nearly a full day of classes.

If you are looking for a notebook with a little more oomph, you may want to consider the Dell Inspiron I15R-1803MRB. This notebook costs the same as the Asus K50IJ-BNC5 and has the same size display, but substitutes the Pentium processor for a more powerful Intel Core i3 processor, as well as faster RAM, and WiMAX 4G data capability.

Asus K50IJ-BNC5 From Best Buy Detailed Specs:

Asus K50IJ-BNC5: $699 Mid-Range Next Class Notebook w/Six Hours of Battery Life is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

Staying true to their new bamboo persona, Asus recently released the U33Jc-A1. This bamboo-clad notebook features a classy look with the strong performance to back it up. However, the Asus U33Jc-A1 is not without shortcomings. Graphics performance, as well as a few other features seem to be lacking.

Asus U33Jc-A1 Specifications:

• 13.3-inch LED-backlit display(1366×768 resolution)
• Intel Core i3-370M processor
• Up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM
• 500GB HDD
• Intel GMA HD/NVIDIA GT310M graphics with 1GB memory
• NVIDIA Optimus Technology
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• HDMI
• USB 3.0
• 5-1 card reader
• Windows 7 Home Premium

Asus included Intel’s Wireless Display technology in the U33Jc-A1, which can only run on Intel’s integrated graphics processor. This explains the need for two different graphics processors. Using NVIDIA Optimus technology, the notebook automatically switches between the discrete NVIDIA graphics and the integrated Intel graphics.

The Asus U33Jc-A1 is currently available  for pre-order on Amazon for $999.

Review Roundup

Generally, those who have reviewed the Asus U33Jc-A1 have found it to be a pretty solid notebook. Most reviewers liked the bamboo and aluminum construction. However, many reviewers noted that the GPU is a little underpowered. Another major complaint is the lack of an optical drive, which is found on notebooks that are even thinner than the U33Jc-A1. Additional complaints include excessive heat as well as a non-backlit, “mushy” keyboard.

Laptop MAGAZINE – ASUS U33Jc Review: ”Not since the introduction of the unibody MacBook Pro have we been this excited about a notebook’s design. Sure, we’ve seen our fair share of cool patterns, textures, and lighting effects during the past couple of years, but the ASUS U33Jc is different.

And the U33Jc is much more than a pretty face. This $999 machine ($949 street) combines a Core i3 processor with Nvidia Optimus graphics to give users a good one-two punch of performance and long battery life. The notebook can’t handle the latest games as well as its predecessor, and it generates a little more heat than we’d like, but overall it’s a winner.” – Mark Spoonauer

Engadget – ASUS U33Jc-A1 Bamboo series review: “The U33Jc may be on the bamboo list now, but it’s much more than a bamboo laptop. The wood certainly makes you feel like you’re buying a unique device, but the draw of the machine for most will be its superior blend of graphics, performance and battery life. We still have to knock the U33Jc for its lack of an optical drive, the cheap feeling keyboard quality, and it’s thicker chassis — if you’re in the market for a really light 13-inch machine we have to recommend Toshiba’s $899 Portege R705 — however, for $999 the ASUS U33Jc is an incredibly strong choice, just like the material that covers it.” – Joanna Stern

PC Magazine - Asus U33Jc-A1 – Full Review: “The Asus U33Jc-A1′s craftmanship deserves every design accolade imaginable, but it’s hard not to draw comparisons to the similarly configured U30Jc-A1, the current Editors’ Choice. You’re basically paying a $100 premium for the bamboo design and trading in the optical drive for a minor bump in processor speed and hard drive capacity. Omitting an optical drive, having an under-clocked GPU, and running hot at the base are signs of insufficient cooling, you can only wonder, is the use of bamboo to blame? Who knows. What I do know is that the U33Jc-A1 is a beautifully made laptop, but the U30Jc-A1 is the better overall machine.” – Cisco Cheng

CNET – Asus U33Jc-A1: Ackerman found the notebook to have a lot of great pluses. He especially liked the overall design of the notebook and says that it is a nice break from the glossy plastic notebooks that have recently been released. However, he noted that the absence of an optical drive could be an issue, but he can’t remember the last time he actually used one. - Video Review by Dan Ackerman

Asus U33Jc-A1 Bamboo Review Roundup is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

Asian OEMs like Asus and Acer had a significant role in driving PC shipments up to a record 81.5 million in Q1 2010, according to iSuppli an electronics market research firm. Their numbers show that the entire industry grew by a whopping 22.7 percent during the first quarter of this year, or to put it in better terms, a jump of about 15 million computers!

The 2010 boom” as iSuppli called it came primarily from Asian companies. Of the top 10 companies measured by total units shipped the Asian manufacturers – ASUSTek, Samsung, Lenovo, and Acer led the way.

Number six ranked ASUSTek had the largest increase in units shipped, more than doubling their total with 136.2 percent more units compared to Q1 last year. Even with the increase, the Taiwanese company only has a 5.4 percent market share. Shipments by South Korean OEM Samsung grew by nearly 84 percent, but the company is still only in eighth place in total market share. Lenovo jumped nearly 59 percent and is third in market share.

Acer is the second leading manufacturer in total market share and their shipments grew by nearly 47.1 percent. That narrows the gap between the Taiwanese company and HP, which is in first place in market share with nearly 20 percent of the market. Acer has 13.3 percent of the market. However, of the top companies, only Dell had a smaller increase. HP grew by 22.2 percent more PCs shipped while Dell’s sales only grew by 21.8 percent. In a vacuum one would say the two American companies had a great year. But by comparison it doesn’t look nearly as good.

So why the incredible growth of companies like Asus? iSuppli offered the following reason:

The company’s success is built upon its strong product lines for both regular notebooks and netbooks—as well as its limited exposure to the slow-growth desktop segment.

HP and Dell are very strong players in the desktop market. However desktop sales are declining compared to notebooks and netbooks. By comparison Acer sold more notebooks than desktops by a 3 to 1 margin (80 Percent v. 20 percent). A larger percentage of their business has a potential to grow in this market.

One might be tempted to assume this incredible performance for the lower cost OEMs is a product of the poor economy. Cheaper computers will sell better when people have less money to spend. While that may be a possible explanation for part of their success, it doesn’t take into account the performance of another company. Apple, known for high end PCs, also had a good year with a 32.4 percent growth in units shipped making it the seventh place company in terms of market share. Price and the economy could explain why they didn’t have as big a growth as Acer, Asus, and the others, but it cannot explain the discrepancy between Apple and larger firms like Dell and HP.

Will this boom” continue? iSuppli is predicting a total increase of 17 percent for 2010. But they were not expecting a 22.7 percent growth in this first quarter either.

Global PC Market Experiences Record Growth Thanks to Asian OEMs is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Asus announced that it will be shipping two new notebooks later in 2010 that will incorporate the new SiBeam WirelessHD technology. The Asus G73JW and the Asus G53 will be amongst the first notebooks to feature the technology.

WirelessHD allows devices to transmit uncompressed HD video, audio and data signals wirelessly. It can replace HDMI cables and reducing clutter, making it easier to display content on users’ HDTVs. The signal operates at 60GHz, an extremely high frequency that can handle both current and future HD signals.

SiBeam’s 60-GHz technology will be placed on display mini-card modules inside ASUS notebooks. The ASUS G73JW and G53 will be capable of transferring 1080p video at 60 frames per second.

The SiBeam implementation of WirelessHD is different than the Intel WiDi technology that was introduced at CES 2010.  The Intel WiDi technology uses 802.11n and is also only currently only capable of streaming 720p video.

“Asus has a long-standing history of listening to customers and then identifying technology to meet those needs,” said P.C. Wang, general manager of the ASUS Notebook Business Unit. “Having considered the needs of our customers, it’s clear that there is a compelling proposition for connecting a notebook PC to a high definition display for gaming and entertainment. Given that consumers are increasingly using Asus PCs for entertainment applications, connectivity to a wireless display becomes valuable. Having evaluated the range of wireless display options available, the WirelessHD solution and wireless chips from SiBEAM were most appealing to Asus.”

New Asus Notebooks with WirelessHD Shipping Soon is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.