This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the ASUS G73J, as we’ve been salivating at the Core i7 equipped monster since it was released early last year. At long last, it’s managed to pop up at the Gadgets office, and we went to town unboxing this gaming monster.
Right off the bat you know that there’s something different about the G73J. It’s not your regular notebook, and the box tells you that right away, sporting that distinctive Republic of Gamers branding that ASUS uses to differentiate its gaming and enthusiast line.
Once you get the unit out of the box, its full size immediately hits you. This isn’t one of those thin and light deals you get with normal notebooks. The G73J is utterly massive, with physical dimensions of 42.0 x 31.0 x 5.68 cm. The gargantuan 17.3-inch display and 3.85 kg weight makes this a desktop replacement more than anything else, not something you’d want to carry around everywhere with you.
The materials used in the chassis and lid are a tad different than most notebooks. The matte black finish is a refreshing change from the normal gloss black deals of most other notebooks.
The rear of the G73J has gigantic ventilation grills that feel more at home at the back of an F-117 more than anywhere else.
The G73J also has an illuminated keyboard, so you’ll be able to game properly even during the wee hours of the morning.
The G73J features Intel’s first generation Core i processors, disappointing since the second generation chips, codenamed Sandybridge is already trickling down to OEM partners and manufacturers. Still, the Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz, 2.8GHz with TurboBoost) is still pretty potent.
That processor is married to an ATI Mobility Radeon 5870 discrete graphics, so the G73J is able to handle whatever games and apps you throw at it.
And that’s it for this unboxing. Watch out for the G73J’s review in next month’s issue of Gadgets.