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ASUS G74SX-A1

07 Jul 2011

Powered by the Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GTX 560M graphics, the G74SX incorporates NVIDIA 3D Vision and has the ability to output to a 3D TV.

Tags: asus, 17-inch, gaming notebook

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HWZ's Overall Rating: 7.5

Design:

7.5

Features:

Performance:

7.5

Value:

7.5

Mobility:

6.5

Non-reflective screen

Bundled Steelseries Siberia Headset and ROG Mouse

Decent battery life

Mid-range GPU

Mushy trackpad buttons

Weak audio subsystem

Very heavy

<div id="product-review" class="article">
			<h2 class="header-green">ASUS G74SX - The Stealth Bomber</h2>
		<span class="byline">Reviewed by James Lu on Thursday, 29 Dec 2011</span>
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		 		<h2 class="page-title">ASUS G74SX – The Stealth Bomber</h2>
		 		<h3 class="page_title">ASUS G74SX &ndash; The Stealth Bomber</h3>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="234" width="400" alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_15.jpg" /></p>
<p>ASUS&rsquo;s Republic Of Gamers (ROG) division has produced some seriously hardcore products, most recently the monster <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/review-preview-asus-mars-ii-king-nvidia-graphics-cards">MARS II graphics card</a> (current retail price: S$2500), so you should know when it comes to gaming machines, they don't mess around. The latest entry to their high-end gaming notebook range is the G74SX, a monstrous black beast packing an Intel Core i7-2670QM (2.2GHz) processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics module with a massive 3GB video RAM, dual 500GB Momentus Seagate hybrid drives (HDD drives with a 4GB SSD cache) and a full HD, 17.3-inch display with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/review-bringing-3d-your-homes-nvidia-geforce-3d-vision">NVIDIA 3D Vision technology</a>.</p>
<p>With a matte black rubberized finish and angular, sloping edges the G74SX looks like a stealth bomber. It also somewhat reminded us of some of Alienware&rsquo;s designs but without the attributes that attract attention, like flashing lights or gaudy colors.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="335" width="500" title="Commence bombing run." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_28_0.jpg" /></p>
<h4 class="page_sub_title rteleft">&nbsp;</h4>
<h4 class="page_sub_title rteleft">Sparse Interior</h4>
<p>While we liked the exterior styling, opening up the G74SX was a bit disappointing.&nbsp;Aside from the track pad and keyboard, the sparse, feature-free interior has only a power button, a ROG logo button (more on that below) and some status light indicators - definitely not the most exciting interior, which isn&rsquo;t helped by the thick, matte black bezel surrounding the screen.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="479" width="500" title="No flashing lights or sparkly extras in here." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_29_0.jpg" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">The full-sized, backlit, chiclet keyboard sits on a strip of dark grey brushed aluminum across the middle of the notebook. While the keys are well-sized, with lots of space between them and a fairly firm response, we did notice some slight wiggling when typing.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="335" width="500" title="Lots of space between the keys, but we did notice some slight wiggling when typing." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_12.jpg" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">The entire interior sits on a 5-degree slope, which theoretically puts the keyboard in a more comfortable position for typing, but in practice it didn't seem to make much difference.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="162" width="500" title="The sloping keyboard theoretically makes typing more comfortable." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_02.jpg" /></p>
<p>The track pad is large, utilizing most of the height of the wrist rest, but other than its size, we weren&rsquo;t too impressed. Cursor tracking was generally acceptable, but gestures for middle click, and two-finger scrolling worked erratically at best. Additionally, the buttons were overly soft and mushy with poor tactile feedback.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="274" width="500" alt="" title="Trackpad is large, but the buttons were too mushy." src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_10.jpg" /></p>
<p>Fortunately, the G74SX comes packaged with ASUS&rsquo;s own ROG gaming mouse, a 3200 DPI 6-button ergonomic mouse that gets the job done much better:</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="262" width="400" title="Left-handed people, you&rsquo;ll probably want to get your own mouse." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_09.jpg" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">The only other buttons you'll find inside the G74SX are the power button and the ROG logo button which has a multi-function use. With the notebook powered off, hitting it will load up ASUS's quick launch mobile OS, which has a few basic applications and isn't terribly useful.</p>
<p class="rteleft">When Windows is already loaded, the button serves as a quick and easy way of switching between different settings. Pressing it will toggle through Power-Saving mode (screen brightness and audio reduced, uses integrated GPU), Gaming mode (uses NVIDIA GPU, full screen brightness/audio, fans at full blast), and Quiet mode (audio off, fans low). Each selection is accompanied by an onscreen display change indicating your current setting. It's similar to the mode dial we saw on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/product-samsung-series-7-700g7a-gaming-notebook/review">Samsung's Series 7 700G7A</a> and we appreciated the ease with which we could switch between different settings.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img height="335" width="500" title="The ROG logo and Power buttons." alt="" src="/files/img/2011/12/ASUSG74SX_11_0.jpg" /></p>			</div>
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