Asus G51Jx Owners Lounge

[nfshp253]

Thanks for starting this thread. Has anyone tried replacing the thermal paste?

[nfshp253]

Oh, I got a Razer Abyssus.

[mjfrozenchips]

I keep getting Bsod? BIOS is 206 off the box. it says something minidump? this is the 2nd time already and i just got the laptop yesterday. seems like there is no problem whatso ever, out of the blue this blue screen would pop outa nowhere and it would restart and it would say " windows has recovered from blah blah shutdown " Safe mode or start windows normally crap " anyone got any ideas why is this happening?

[janvandongen]

I added a COMPONENT UPGRADE OPTIONS section.
Feel free to contribute if I missed something.

Will add a Blu-Ray FAQ summary of rexrzer727's great post. Not sure how to link to a specific post, that would be easiest. Anyone can help me?

[janvandongen]

Originally Posted by mjfrozenchips

I keep getting Bsod? BIOS is 206 off the box. it says something minidump? this is the 2nd time already and i just got the laptop yesterday. seems like there is no problem whatso ever, out of the blue this blue screen would pop outa nowhere and it would restart and it would say " windows has recovered from blah blah shutdown " Safe mode or start windows normally crap " anyone got any ideas why is this happening?

Have you installed all available updates, (see links on first page)?

Some people had the same problem. Doing a clean install of Windows 7 64 bit seemed to help, if you find the courage to start this job... It also seems to make the G51Jx faster compared to the stock ASUS Windows 7 install, but that needs to be proven with a before- and after benchmark by someone before the claim can be a firm stake in the ground.

If you happen to choose a clean install please do us a favor and do a benchmark between the BDOS's, and make one after. (No pressure though).

[nfshp253]

I've only gotten BSODs before the 206 BIOS. If I get a BSOD now, it means the system is shutting down due to overheating. But I wonder when ASUS will release a new BIOS.

[nfshp253]

@janvandongen, you can add my game benchmarks on the laptop too. Look for the Youtube username: minxinglee

[nfshp253]

Originally Posted by rexrzer727

Well guys and gals, let's get this thing off the ground with a great big Whoosh!

I've been investigating the possibility of replacing the USA-version's OEM TSST Corp (Toshiba Samsung Storage Alliance) DVD+/-RW optical drive with a BluRay Writer/Reader optical drive, and I've found these two compatibles on eBay and Amazon.com, which are 100% guaranteed to fit the G51-series laptop in terms of both the fit itself, and the fittings also, which are SATA true and true.

I removed my optical drive this evening to confirm what I already surmised, and I can confirm that the optical drive's connector is a simple female SATA Port for both data and power, and the optical drive simply backs up to the male port in the chassis/motherboard's edge/corner, and WHAM! Connectivity!

Both of the Reader/Writer drives that I am detailing here tonight have 12.7mm of height and a slim chassis, which is identical to the TSST optical drive's arrangement, save for one tiny detail: there's a "flange or skirt" that wraps around the outside corner and side of the optical drive that *must be removed off of the original optical drive* and installed on the new drive, and then, and only then is it secured in the chassis...there are two chassis screws that fix the optical drive in place, and that is a necessity to do!

That's an easy thing to do, just four (4) little mini-screws to attend to there and BAM! We're in business with a new BluRay Reader/Writer optical drive that will write at up to 6X BR-D discs, and is good to go with everything from regular DVD discs (DVD-R or DVD+R discs, or Dual Layer DVD+R discs) to the DVD RAM discs @ 5X, both reading and writing at that 5X benchmark, which is something that I use for archiving photos, so that was good to figure out, too!

Without further ado here are the two optical drives that both Write and Read BluRay media:

Slim Laptop Panasonic Blu-ray Burner DVDRW Drive UJ-240 - eBay (item 310218340439 end time Jun-04-10 20:01:12 PDT)

That one's at eBay while this drive is at Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Sony BD-5730S 6x BD 12.7mm Tray SATA Blu-ray Writer: Electronics

The eBay optical drive is a Panasonic/Matsua drive, and it retails at BuyItNow! for $205 plus any eBay fees and handling, while the Sony drive is an Optiarc Drive, the 5730S model, and it's got the same SATA hook-up that we are looking for, and it costs about $20 more @ $226 shipped from Amazon.com.

Your pick, but I like the Sony more than the Matsua/Panasonic drive, as those are Apple Computer brand drives also (Macs don't use BluRay, but they do use the Panasonic/Matsua brand "Superdrives" which can be good, or bad...just depends on the luck of the draw!), ie the brand anyway, and I've had some experiences with them as a technician, so I know the brand well and prefer the Sony quality-wise for $20 difference...that's just my take, maybe others prefer the 'Sonic brand over Sony!

To be honest about BluRay being easy to install is one thing, but is our G51JX-A1 a "native BluRay" type of notebook? Does it have the built-in capability to run BluRay media? Well the answer is "YES!" In fact it's "Hell Yes!" I used the CyberLink program "BluRay BD Advisor" to source out the hardware and software possibilities of our friendly little G51 computers and they are good to go for BluRay, ie there's no hangup hardware-wise or software-wise, and things will go smoothly with the install of any BluRay drive that fits the computer physically!

You must install a BluRay-savvy software program to be able to play BluRay though, and that's where CyberLink comes into the picture with their popular CyberLink "High-Def Suite" which can include PowerDVD Player, depending on what exactly it is that you purchase from the company. I know that PowerDVD Ultra 3D is the popular choice these days for BluRay players in non-OEM form, and it can do virtually anything you want with BluRay discs, including the new 3D BluRay discs, it can play them perfectly fine, and that is what you want with any software...you want it to be able to do it all!

That program retails for about $100 or so, without a coupon or special deal, so keep that in mind when you are thinking about installing a BluRay drive of some sort, because you have to Pay the Piper when it comes to the player, Windows does NOT have a built-in BluRay player! Have to go 3rd party there...

That's about a wrap up on this subject, and I hope that it's complete and simple enough for those of you who are interested in the BluRay solution for your G51, if you don't have such a deal installed already. I have done my homework and thought I'd share it with the group tonight!

Any questions? Please ask, and I'll try to provide an answer if I know it, or can figure out where to source the answer...

I think the LG CT21N is much cheaper, and since it was factory installed on some Asian models, it should be 100% compatible. Maybe you can consider that. Anyway, I use Cyberlink to watch Blu-Ray movies, although I have only done so once. Blu-rays are expensive, considering that you can (warez....)

[nfshp253]

Sorry for the multiple posts, if you haven't noticed, NVIDIA has released a new BETA driver for the GTS 360M. It's the 257.15 drivers, called Verde. Grab it off NVIDIA.com!

[PrivateReid]

I think I'll wait untill some good reports come back from nvidia's new beta driver. So please if anyone has it tell us whats it like?