G74SX-A1 Keyboard Issues (Key Engagement)

[inaya]

New ASUS G74SX-A1, 12 GB, Win 7 64-bit, Delivered with Drivers Only (no BW).

This is actually an excellent laptop. Everything on this laptop has been great in my opinion EXCEPT for the keyboard, which is a major disappointment.

Not sure if it's just a bad board or a problem with this laptop series in general, so I wanted to get some feedback. In normal typing, you rarely hit a key straight down or use full pressure these days. However, I learned to type on a manual typewriter back in the day. This keyboard makes the manual typewriter look like a gem - it's that bad.

Many keys don't register properly. I can replicate the issue perfectly. As an example, the M key feels like it engages, but doesn't register with the OS unless you hit (read that as press, not actually hit) it straight down and hard. The PGDN key can be fully pressed straight down and not register (and you clearly feel the key engage and the "bump"), then you can press just a little harder and finally get it to register. Down Arrow has same problem. Oddly, many keys can be fully "physically" engaged and you ease off just a hair (never enough to feel it disengage) and the key stops registering.

It's almost as if the mechanical and electrical structures in the keyboard don't match up such that when the key engages it isn't actually making electrical contact. Happens with at least 30% of the keys that I know for sure, but I see no pattern in the design and the keys I've found.

Just started a ticket with ASUS. Of course we're walking through what I've already done (ATK drivers, Factory Image restore, etc.). They are trying and the support people are responsive and nice, but we aren't getting anywhere yet. So, while I am working with them, I wanted to see if anyone here had any thoughts.

I love this laptop, so it would be a shame to have to return it and get something different. I hope I don't have to go that route.

Thanks for the feedback.

UPDATE: Sorry, forgot to mention that I tried out a G74SX-BBK7 (or something like that, slightly different model in the series) at Best Buy and had no issues at all. The keyboard looked and felt identical, but typed beautifully.

[Chastity]

If you have any browsers open while you are typing, try disabling hardware acceleration.

[G74SXr]

I'm seeing this as well. It's rather annoying.

[spr_emma10]

I've been using my G74SX-A1 for almost a week now and I have EXACTLY the same issue with the keyboard. I have to "slam" the keys when typing to avoid random keystrokes from being missed by the system, and even then several characters are missed in any given long sentence. I've tried playing with all the keyboard control panel settings and nothing seems to help.

I also have an additional problem of the backspace key regularly getting stuck in the down position (after which I have to physically pry it up or bang on it hard).

I'm in the unique position of also having a G73SW (Best Buy model) which I previously used daily for months. The keyboard on the G73 has none of these issues and feels quite different (in a very good way) from the G74 keyboard. ASUS took a major step backward in keyboard quality with the G74.

These issues seem to me to be mechanical in nature and I fully expect that the only resolution will be a keyboard swap-out (or a machine swap out, which will really suck since I also can't afford to loose my machine for even a day).

[Mitlov]

This is interesting. I spent fifteen minutes at Best Buy just typing to see how the keyboard worked (I'm a total keyboard snob). I didn't have it miss a key once while typing (I was typing in notepad, seeing how the keyboard felt and if it ever missed any typing). I actually thought the key action and keyboard performance was remarkably similar to my MacBook Pro (i.e., high praise).

Obviously that was the Best Buy model and not the SX-A1. But would they really use a different keyboard for the Best Buy model?

[drinkjetfuel]

I returned the first g74sx-a1 I received because it had a few keys that would only register ever other key press. The new laptop I received has no issues.

[agamemnus]

Looks like Asus is getting a reputation for having more than one manufacturer for the same part... one with a defective batch, one good. Looks like shoddy sub-contractors @ Asus messing up half the G74SX-A1s, plus little to no quality control at Asus's factories...

[inaya]

Mitlov, the model at Best Buy is the G74SX-BBK7 - I actually tried it a Best Buy myself and the keyboard is only slightly different, but seemed to perform flawlessly on the BBK7. Might be a different batch or slightly different model of keyboard between the BBK7 and the A1.

DrinkJetFuel, thanks for that heads up. Gives me hope that I can get this resolved because I love everything else about this laptop.

ASUS support asked me to RMA it so they can take a look at the keyboard. I'm doing that now. I'll let you know how it turns out, but I'm hoping I have the same result as DrinkJetFuel.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

[Captain Bad]

The keyboard on my G74SX-A1 also has the same issue you're talking about it. It looks really nice and solid but it's just ridiculous how hard you have to push these buttons to get them to register correctly. Sometimes I push the button dead on and it doesn't do a thing.

On desktop keyboards and on my old laptop I typed at roughly 100 WPM with a 98% accuracy.

On this laptop, I type less than 90 WPM with a 92% accuracy.

This isn't a problem with me nor me being used to other keyboards. This is a problem of ASUS making bad keyboards for everyday typing.

[Mitlov]

Damn. A bad keyboard is a deal-breaker for me, and it seems like those are pretty common outside of the Best Buy model (for some reason).