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Retired · ‎08-13-2011

Hello everyone!

Well, as said above, got myself an G53JW to replace my previous laptop ( HP Pavillon with overheat issues, sounds surprising XD ? ), and what to, say, I luv Asus.

Since you guys pretty much likely know it all from inside and out, I´d ask of your kind help on what to update, best settings and anything else you can assist me with 🙂

For starters, had the G53 for around a month now, so I have updated everything that Windows Update asked me to, and touched on some functions that got me to this forum.

1: To begin with, the small ROG EYE button that changes the display, in this case to movie mode and such. Personally it´s quite useless to me, so I was wondering if I can perhaps change its function so that when pressed, it does something else entirely ?

2: Also, Expressgate caught my eye, the built in software on most Asus laptops that lets you boot with minimal functions in seconds, and I only found something called Expressgate Cloud installed on the laptop. Now, I haven´t tried it yet...

So I´m curious, is it pretty much the same as Expressgate ? Better / Worse ? If not like it, is it possible to perhaps install it or use something similar, software wise ?

3: Ironically, the same drive I have on my HP laptop is the same as the one that is preinstalled in my new G53, the Seagate Barracuda with built in SSD. So I plan to backup my old Barracuda, format it, and put it into the G53 as a secondary drive.

I checked online and seems quite the hassle to install a secondary drive, unlike the newer models which seem to have the upgrade bay much easier to get to. Apart from more storage, can I use a RAID configuration if a secondary drive is installed ?

4: Same issue with memory, I already assigned extra 1.5 GB virtual video memory to GPU, leaving me with 2.5 GB left, and since I use some frequent video editing and gaming, is it worth directly upgrading to 6 GB RAM, or maybe even 8 GB directly ?

5: I know that alot of the programs that come with laptops are pretty much ´´ bloatware ´´, yet with fancy names and descriptions, its not easy to know what to remove. So far, only Power4Gear is the one I know I should keep installed XD

So what preinstalled programs do you recommend that I uninstall ( since I already installed other stuff onto the G53, like games, MSN and other programs ) and what do you recommend I install to enhance my laptop experience ( preferably freeware, and programs that really can use the hardware, from best video players to converters )

6: Keeping my G53 clean won´t take up all my time but should be a priority, so what to think about when cleaning the LED screen, backlit keyboards, outside casing ?

7: The only minor thing I miss on the G53 is a Bluray writer/burner, so I wonder where to turn to incase I want to upgrade parts, what can be upgradabe ( keyboard, better heatsink, minor upgrades, nothing too costly like a 3D screen hehe XD )

8: Well I game alot, hence the G53 being my new lovetoy hehe, so was wondering if you know if it´s possible to use its keyaborad as a ´´ gaming keyboard´´ for macros and such, either with preinstalled software or external software I need to download free ?

9: When online, I found a software ( genuine, nothing like those scam scanners ), that found out that a few drivers were out of date, even though Asus Live Update said there is nothing to update. I checked the G53 site and found the Download page.

Tried downloading a driver but didnt work well, so what other alternative do I have to have the latest drivers installed without poking around too much with manual driver installation ? If only option, can I ask Asus to assist me installing the drivers ?

10: To have maximum performance when I really need it ( in High Performance Mode ) , what can I do or what settings to alter , and when in Battery Saving Mode, what minimal settings can I apply in Power4Gear to ensure minimal energy without a too dark screen, too slow computer ( for writing and listening to music) and ofcourse to avoid the risk of any complications due to the laptop underperforming.

As for recommended settings, an example... well I have THX TruStudio on aswell as EAX HD, but sometimes the sound feels ´´ bad´´, probably needs some tuning to really get that crisp HD audio... so would love to hear your recommended settings !

Anything else I haven´t covered, feel free to mention it !

A BIG THANK YOU in advance to everyone that can try and help me!
Sincerly, a new Rog G53 owner.

xeromist · ‎08-15-2011

I'll answer some of these and I'm sure you'll get the rest as others come along.

3. I would not do a RAID config because that would require wiping the drive, including the restore partition. If you want more speed I would switch to a 100% SSD and if you want reliability I would just back up important files to the other drive.

4. I'm not sure if 1.5 for video is really necessary at laptop resolutions and performance. Generally a large amount of video memory is needed for big textures and high resolutions. Mobile GPU's really aren't fast enough to handle either one of those. If you want to see the difference do a benchmark with different allocations to find what works best for you. However, if you are going to only leave 2.5 for desktop applications I would definitely add memory since it's cheap.

6. Keep a can of air. It can be used to blast dust off of the keyboard and clear the vents. Otherwise a cleaning cloth suitable for TV's & monitors would be good for the screen & chassis.

9. There are several tools that will scan your system and look for updates. They all use different databases to keep track of what is newest, so it is certainly possible that you might find some with one but not another. I will say that the ones from the Live Updater are the ones that ASUS considers good, but it's possible that the manufacturer might have a newer one. One thing that might help you is that Chastity maintains a sticky thread at the top of this forum with the latest drivers & updates that she knows are good. That should minimize having to poke around but of course you will have to check the thread periodically.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

Retired · ‎08-17-2011

Hello xeromist ! First off, thanks for the reply, very much appreciated 🙂

3. Good to know, so no RAID 🙂 And yeah, been keeping my eye on SSD for some time, sadly while the price/performance ratio is quite good, the price/storage isn´t, and since I already got my new G53, I´ll perhaps need to wait for christmas or when stores clear out older SSD drives XD. And yeah guess I´ll stick to the choice of having an external drive as both backup and extra storage instead of installing it into the laptop itself 🙂

4. Well mine does have a Full HD screen, so the video memory definetly helps ALOT since I pretty much can max out some previous games I before played with lower resolutions and lower graphical settings. So as you say, it sure helps when playing games with big textures and higher resolution 🙂 Hmm I have been tempted to benchmark my G53 but somewhat afraid to push it to the limit, already had the bad luck of returning laptops due to motherboard pretty much melting XD

I see that the RAM is ofcourse upgradable, but am somewhat confused. In videos, I see that one memory slot is open for upgrade once the keyboard is removed, and here probably is one stick of 2 GB RAM, while the second slot is abit more protected, and from what I understand from videos, one has to pretty much disassemble alot of parts and thus risking voiding the warranty ? How much is true, and if so, is it a better idea to either send it to Asus/ a service store and ask to install RAM to keep warranty ?

6. Great, was unsure what cloth I could use since some scrath, others might leave other marks and such. And can of air, alright all noted down 🙂

9. Yeah what you mention is pretty much the situation I am at, Asus Live Updater says all is updated, yet other sources say the opposite. Hmm shall look into Chastity ´s sticky thread to check the drivers and updates, and no problem for me to check from time to time 🙂 My only issue is how easy it is to apply these drivers and updates since

Again, thanks alot xeromist 🙂 !

xeromist · ‎08-17-2011

Well, I was actually referring to multi-monitor and 2560x1920 displays as high resolution, but if you've found a real world gain since increasing the allocation then I certainly can't argue with that.

My understanding is that the 2 module versions are less difficult to upgrade than the 4 module versions, but I'm no expert.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

Just got G53JW , Registered here to get help from you guys !