Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsCouldn't Ask For A Better Machine For The Price
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2015
I think reviews from verified purchasers are one of the best ways to find the best product in a competitive market. I appreciate many of the reviews I read for this laptop, but I still felt like I was taking a risk by investing so much money on a laptop without trying it out beforehand (in person). I felt the need to write my own review and make it as in depth as I thought fit. Please, comment on the review with any questions you may have. A laptop is a major investment and you shouldn't make the decision to purchase with any unanswered questions in mind. I will update this review frequently so new potential buyers can have the most up to date information/opinion regarding the G751JL-DS71. The * (3 of them about the same thing) in the review signifies a disclaimer which is discussed at the end.
I needed a new laptop for college, and it was between this beauty and the Lenovo Y70. Both met my budget of $1200 and my hardware requirements (minus having an SSD for the Asus one*). My college required the i7 processor and 16 gigs of RAM and 1 TB of HDD for engineering/lab programs/softwares, etc. I chose Asus because of their no questions asked warranty (unless you make internal modifications*) and the reviews for this laptop were just flat out better. Also Asus leads the laptop industry in cooling technology, and Lenovos are known to overheat just like Alienware. This Asus also had a better graphics card than the Y70 ( Lenovo had 860m). I can confidently tell you that I have made the correct decision to invest in Asus. Although I am not able to compare personal user experience side by side with the Y70, my review will highlight only this laptop. I hope the Lenovo Y70 reviews are also in depth. I have not looked at that webpage in about 4-5 weeks, but the link at the specific page is " http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-17-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Gaming-80DU0034US/dp/B00MCJQ6JG/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1438126231&sr=1-3&keywords=lenovo+y70 " . One thing the Y70 had over the Asus was the 256 gig SSD. But, it also had a touchscreen which is a deal-breaker for me. I didn't want a smudgy screen that i had to constantly clean. Without further adieu, here's my review on the G751JL-DS71.
I'm not a hardcore gamer, however this rig will work for the most graphic intensive games for at least 'high' settings. If you want to play Witcher 3 on max graphics, you can't find a laptop in this price range that will do that. Don't be unrealistic. The games I play are exclusively from Blizzard Entertainment: WoW (World of Warcraft), HOTS (Heroes of The Storm), and Hearthstone (I do plan on playing more games though because the experience of gaming on this rig is breathtaking. I upgraded from a 2006 dell inspiron desktop and all the games I played were on the lowest settings but now they can be maxed). WoW is the most graphic intensive of the 3 games, and in my garrison I get 45 fps on ultra settings (when the charger is in.. if unplugged graphics are noticeably worse). I put my graphics on high for raiding, and get 75 fps in 25 man raiding. For HOTS, graphics are maxed out on 'extreme', and I get no lag and high a high fps rate (don't know how to measure fps on HOTS, but no latency or lag at all)... and the same goes for Hearthstone. In the 2 weeks I've had this baby, I've never heard the fans make a single noise. The keyboard is never hot (or Warm .. it's always 'cool') and the backlit keys makes playing at night so much easier. I don't put this baby on my lap, but after 5 hours of straight gaming (HOTS on 'extreme') I felt the bottom of the laptop and there was only one slightly warm spot but I don't plan to game for more than 5 hours straight... so I'll be fine. The vents (yes, there are two! Asus does it best) are on the back of the laptop, so you could use it on your lap without a problem.
As for the rest of the laptop (besides graphics card), the screen itself is gorgeous. The IPS FHD screen was totally worth the investment. Very bright and vivid, although I have not played any movies via the CD. I do watch Amazon Prime Video and I get no lag or buffering at all. Same goes for full HD videos on Youtube. This is thanks to the Beastly processor and the 16 gigs of ram. Also, I watch Amazon video on my lap (the laptop is on my lap) and with friends/family on each side, and there is no bad angle to view the screen from. Simple browsing on the web (Internet explorer is default, but I downloaded Chrome) is lightning fast despite my Verizon Fios internet speeds being 50 mbps. Once again, thank you processor and RAM. For its size (17.3" screen), the laptop is more slim then what I imagined, and it weighs 8.6 pounds (the description on this page is wrong). It's not that heavy really, just imagine holding a flat gallon of milk with two hands. Like mentioned, the keyboard never gets hot, even in the middle of gaming. It is the best keyboard I've used to date. The keys still have that tacky sound, which I love, and the tactile pressure for typing is enough so that you don't type extra letters by dragging your fingers over it. An added bonus is the full number pad on the right side. If you are really into gaming, there are specific buttons for macro commands (3 different macro buttons), launching steam, accessing the ROG page, and even a button that lets you record your game (at the push of a button). The only qualm I have about the record button is that it is in the top left corner of the keyboard, where the esc key is on traditional keyboards, so sometimes I press the record button while trying to access the game menu (esc). Like I said the Backlighting is perfect; not too aggressive but bright to play in the dark. This keyboard is probably my favorite thing about this laptop. No wonder why my review is so long, I love to type with it! This keyboard will help bang out college essays and papers super quickly.
This laptop has some drawbacks, however they aren't big enough to drop this from 5 stars. Windows 8, as we all know, is terrible. This is solved by the free Windows 10 upgrade, and I will update this review after I've experienced the new OS. There are a lot of stupid pre-installed apps and programs (bloatware) on the laptop that took some considerable time to uninstall. A free Macafee trial comes with the purchase but Macafee sucks, so I'll be getting either Norton or 'Avast!' since they are user friendly, cheap, and most of all work. If you're on the go and forget to bring a charger with you, this laptop will only run for maybe 2-3 hours at most if you plan to use 100% power. I unplugged my laptop at 100%and then started writing this review with all settings on max (brightness, backlight display, etc.). It's at 45% right now and that's after 80 minutes.To solve the battery life problem, drop the graphics on games, dim the screen, and if you don't need internet, turn on airplane mode.
The trackpad on the laptop has been a non factor for me because I purchased a wireless mouse at the same time I bought the laptop. I have never used the pad for more than 5 minutes. Also I don't use the laptop on my lap. I've been playing with it in preparation for this review and its not too bad, but everyday users have said its too sensitive or doesn't work well. Oh well, there isn't much more to say here, I'm not the one to ask about the pad.
One category that hasn't been discussed much in these reviews is audio. The laptop has speakers and a subwoofer for that 'oomph' on bass. I'm not one of those people that need the immersive surround sound crystal clear audio to make further enhance the experience. This rig has a decent audio system. It can get loud but bass lacks for the most part, despite the subwoofer. Like I said, I don't consider this a drawback, since it is an upgrade over my old desktop speakers. If you're really that concerned, just buy a good pair of headphones and you won't have to worry about anything. I use headphones although I don't care about sound quality that much, and its fine. When I am watching Amazon video with others, like I said, the Audio is good enough to get the job done.
Let's review the review..
Pros- graphics (screen), gaming (cooling technology), KEYBOARD, fast web surfing, processo, second available drive bay* (unmentioned)
Cons- Bloatware, Macafee, WINDOWS 8, Escape key / Record key on keyboard, Battery life
Neutral- Audio system, Trackpad
In conclusion, BUY THIS THING. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!! Best Value for the Price!
If you've made it this far in the review, thank you for reading, you have the same research thoroughness as I do. PLEASE be honest on if this review helped you or not in your quest for a new laptop. This is my first Amazon review and I want your feedback on things you liked or things I can improve on. Also, PLEASE comment your questions, if any. I'm on Amazon everyday so I can answer them quickly!
* I know one of the reasons I bought Asus was for the warranty, but I have now decided to install a 500gb SSD in the second available drive. I will update the review to say how the installation goes and how it perfects performance / my experience. I'm also considering upgrading the RAM to 32 gigs. That RAM change would require taking some of the insides apart to get to the 2 extra slots for ram. The SSD, however is accessible without taking anything apart. I called Asus and they said any internal modifications would void my warranty.