ASUS' newest powerhouse, the 17-inch G74SX-A2, looks like the kind of rig that gamers' dreams are made of. It's equipped with a powerful quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a discrete Nvidia GeForce graphics chip with 3GB of RAM, and two hard drives, one of which is an SSD. Still, when a laptop is priced north of $2,000, most gamers want to make sure they are getting a quality machine that can handle today's--and tomorrow's--most intensive games. So does the G74SX offer the best bang for your gaming buck?
Design
With the G74SX-A2, ASUS has once again drawn inspiration from a stealth vehicle. But unlike the stealth fighter-inspired G73SW and G73Jh, the design of the G74SX-A2 was inspired by the US Navy's Sea Shadow stealth ship, which is evident in the system's sleek, sculpted angles and menacing black color scheme. The lid of the G74SX-A2 is covered in a soft-touch rubberized material that feels smooth, resists finger print smudes, and provides an overall sense of quality. Below the inlaid silver ASUS logo is ASUS' Republic of Gamers logo. Around back you'll find the G74SX-A2's most defining feature, two oversize fan vents that span nearly the entire width of the unit. Surrounded with chrome accents, the vents are clearly made to stand out, and they certainly do.The G74SX-A2 is as sleek inside as it is outside. The deck is a dark-silver brushed metal that helps to break up the notebook's overall black color scheme. ASUS coated the G74SX's palm rest with the same rubberized material used on the lid, giving it a soft, comfortable feel, something users will undoubtedly appreciate during marathon gaming sessions.
At the top of the deck are a speaker bar, power button and Power4Gear Hybrid Key, which provides users with a shortcut to switch between various power settings. On models equipped with a 3D display, the key enables or disables the system's 3D functionality. Four pin-size status lights (for battery life, Wi-Fi connection, hard drive, and keyboard backlighting) are located at the bottom of the deck, but they are difficult to see under even the dimmest lighting.
Weighing in at 10 pounds and measuring 16.6 x 12.8 x 2.3 inches, the G74SX-A2 is a hefty machine, even for the desktop replacement category. Its dimensions match up evenly with ASUS' previous gaming powerhouse, the G73SW (16.6 x 12.8 x 2.3 inches), but the G74SX-A2 is more than a pound heavier. The system also dwarfs several of its competitors, including HP's dv7t (16.3 x 10.8 x 1.4 inches, 7 pounds), Dell's XPS 17 (16.3 x 10.5 x 1.5, 8.9 pounds), and even Alienware's M17x (16 x 11.9 x 1.8 inches, 9.6 pounds). Carrying around the notebook wasn't too much of a hassle, but you'll want to invest in an oversized backpack if you plan on traveling with it.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The first thing you'll notice about the G74SX-A2's keyboard and number pad is that they are separated by a roughly 1-inch column of empty space, at the bottom of which you'll find the system's directional keys. What's nice about this design is that it gives the keyboard the feel of a standard-desktop keyboard setup, and provides gamers with enough room to use the directional buttons without accidentally hitting any nearby keys. ASUS also increased the size of the Control and Shift keys on the left side, making them easier to tap, which proves helpful when playing fast-paced games that require quick and accurate key inputs.
Overall, the G74SX-A2's keyboard was a big improvement over the previous generation. The keys still don't offer much tactile feedback, but we didn't have to be as deliberate with our keystrokes as last time around. Structurally, the keyboard is solid, with only a small amount of flex. When using the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor, we averaged 63 words per minute with a four-percent error rate. That's comparable to the 64 words per minute and two-percent error rate we scored on a desktop keyboard.
The G74SX-A2 also offers several hot keys, including the Splendid key, which lets users toggle between different display color modes to improve contrast, brightness, skin tone, and color saturation. The Power4Gear Hybrid key lets users switch between different power settings ranging from high performance and entertainment to quiet office and battery-saving modes. Gamers will appreciate the touchpad toggle key, which helps eliminate accidental input from the touchpad when using an external mouse.
ASUS outfitted the G74SX-A2 with an enormous touchpad. Measuring 4.1 x 2.5 inches, it's larger than the one found on Alienware's M17x. We found scrolling to be smooth and accurate, and the two buttons were soft and offered great feedback. Multitouch gesture support includes two-finger scroll, pinch-to-zoom, and image rotation.
Heat
The two massive air vents located on the back of the G74SX-A2 aren't just for show. ASUS chose to vent heat out the back of the unit rather than through the sides and back, as is typical of most laptops. This design allows hot air to be blown away from the user. During our heat test, which entails streaming a Hulu video for 15 minutes, temperatures between the G and H keys reached no higher than 81 degrees, while the palm rest area measured only 80 degrees. The underside of the system, meanwhile, stayed a relatively chilly 78 degrees.Display and Audio
The G74SX-A2's bright 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 display was top-notch. Trailers for Captain America and Cowboys & Aliens looked great, and a Blu-ray of The Sum of All Fears was clear and crisp. Viewing angles for the display were decent, with images only washing out slightly at 40 degrees. The Splendid key's multiple display color modes (which include Correction, Gamma, Normal, Theatre, and Vivid) proved quite useful when we watched a movie in a darkened room. The screen's only drawback was its glossy finish, which kicked back reflections under bright lights.
The G74SX-A2's Altec Lansing speakers pumped out impressive sound, with enough power to fill a small room. We found the system's audio quality to be spot-on while listening to Radiohead's "OK Computer." That's in no small part thanks to the the notebook's THX TruStudio software. The software offers three different sound profiles for use with the G74SX-A2's built-in speakers, external speakers, or stereo headphones. When TruStudio is turned off, audio quality degraded drastically. Songs instantly went from sounding full and rich to flat and tinny, which makes us question why you would ever turn it off.
ASUS also includes Realtek's HD Audio Manager for those users who want to really fine-tune the G74SX-A2's sound. We did notice a difference in the speakers' audio quality as we changed the software's settings from CD to studio quality, but the effect wasn't nearly as dramatic as when we flipped through TruStudio's settings.
Ports and Webcam
The G74SX-A2 comes with every port under the sun. On the right side are a USB 3.0 port and USB 2.0 port, as well as Ethernet, HDMI, and VGA connections. You'll also find a 5-in-1 media card reader. On the left side of the rig are two more USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out ports, and a Kensington Lock, as well as the system's Blu-ray drive.
This notebook's 2-megapixel webcam offered crystal-clear images in both brightly lit and darker rooms. When viewing a local image through Skype, we couldn't see any pixels or shadowing around faces, and when we moved to a position with a bright window behind us, the cam compensated for the additional light. Curiously, ASUS does not ship the G74SX-A2 with any webcam software for recording videos or adding special effects during your video chats, but its Virtual Camera Utility lets you tweak the camera's settings, such as sauration and brightness.
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