I'm looking to upgrade my mobile DAW. 
 
Considering an ASUS G751JT-DH72. 
 
Anyone have any experience with any of the ASUS gaming pc's for a DAW? Any input appreciated.
 
Thanks, gbow

I used to use an ASUS laptop - don't recall the model, but it was a monster machine with 16 GB of memory, 2 300 GB hard drives and an i7 CPU.
 
It bit the dust after 4 years - but worked GREAT with Sonar.  Had a 17" screen too.
 
I just looked at your specs - looks like an updated version of the same kind of laptop I had.
 
This laptop will have ZERO problems running Sonar X3.  It has plenty of memory, plenty of storage - plus having 2 separate drives will greatly assist performance, and it has a great i7 CPU.
 
I CAN tell you that you will need to go through all kinds of bloatware and get rid of it all, when you first get it.  They load these up with all kinds of extra utilities and free trials and just a giant bunch of gick.
 
I would not advise using the battery much on this, as it will suck the life out of its batteries when you have everything up and running at 100%.  Using the battery sparingly will help it last longer and save you money from having to replace the battery pack.  (it was pretty pricey for a replacement for the one I had)
 
I also recommend you configure the laptop to never go into sleep/hibernation, and do not let it selectively suspend USB devices.  I also suggest setting the minimum processor state at 100%.
 
FABULOUS laptop - you will like it, once you clean off the crap and get it configured.  The one I had was actually quite slow until I went in and deleted all the unnecessary software utilities and such.
 
Oh - I suggest you check for BIOS updates and driver updates manually, when you get it, rather than rely on some generic updater software utility.  I have seen too many times where those either fail to find a needed and available update, or they update something incorrectly.
 
Lastly - I happen to Avast's free version of their antivirus software.  The laptop will come with some 30-day trial for Norton or MacAfee or whatever.  I always get rid of those and use Avast.  It is free and your registration will be good for a year - then you simply register again.  It WILL by default add some functionality I myself choose to not install - Grimer Fighter, Browser Cleanup, and something called Updater (one of those update all your software utilities).  It will also attempt to steer you into a paid upgrade - I always just stick to the basic free edition, and it works great.
 
Anyways, Good luck - GREAT laptop
 
Bob Bone
 

BAPU had a laptop DAW for sale last week. IDK if it sold but it looked like a bit of a monster. I think it was around 1400 bucks and originally cost a LOT more. Little if any use. Just sayin'
 
J

jbow - that certainly does happen.  Because of that - I took a good long look at the specs for the ASUS laptop potentially being purchased, and it looks nearly identical to the one I had used quite cheerfully for 4 years.
 
As long as the bloatware and such gets deleted, and some configuration changes get made, that would be an outstanding laptop for running Sonar - in my opinion.
 
Bob Bone
 

thanks for the great info on the laptop. I'll surely spend most of the first day following the suggestions of getting rid of all the bloatware they install on those. Most of that stuff isn't of any value anyway, just causes problems. 
 
I don't know if you saw my other post on another thread, but I also am a big fan of portable apps for my DAW. Don't know if you've ever used them, check out www.portableapps.com. 
 
The portable apps don't install anything in the registry or put anything in your profile. They are completely contained in their own folder. You can run them off your hard drive if you like  or put them all on a USB stick. 
 
That way you can use them when you need a browser or to check your email or use an office app without worry that it's going to gum up your DAW. 
 
gbow.

I'll take a look at those portable apps - interesting concept.
 
Bob Bone
 

Thumb drives are getting so large now that portable apps are incredibly useful. Even if not working on your own machine you can still use software that is convenient and familiar.

Back on topic... I finally got to check the machine in the OP, and that is more than sufficient to be used as a DAW. You may need to strip bloat-ware/garbage from the machine, and I typically will do a reformat/reinstall of the O/S immediately after purchasing an off-the-shelf machine (just be sure to have the O/S DVD and S/N before doing so if you opt to do this).
 
I am not familiar with Win8/8.1 and the only thing that comes to mind reviewing that is the overclocking. Overclocking is not recommended (or necessary) for most applications, and can actually induce page/thread errors due to the lowered performance created by additional heat on a CPU. I have tested this a bit in a Win7 environment on a desktop with better cooling and although the CPU speeds were higher, the number of "fumbles" increased, so was not an added benefit. My primary concern with a CPU is heat (a laptop has more concerns for this) and the dielectric degradation (slow destruction of insulation due to heat) can be exacerbated by overclocking.
 
ASUS has a built-in utility called "AI Suite II" that some have had issues with. I have only had a few issues with this in the past, and chosen to leave this enabled as it provides real-time control of the fans within my machine (the only functionality I use it for really). An interesting note with this program is that the developer built it on a dual monitor setup, so if you go to dual monitor mode, you will see a small black rectangle on the second screen (a non-functional GUI for this suite) which can be closed by exiting "AI Suite II"

Excellent info mett, thanks for those tips.  I agree, I usually stay away from the overclocking. Do you know how the fans are controlled if the AI suite is removed? I would probably prefer trying it without that initially and if I find I need it add it back in.
 
gbow

This is still available.
 
It is a monster portable DAW.
 
Make me a reasonable offer and I'll consider it.