Notebook Hunter

Gaming notebooks are usually as expensive as they are powerful, but for $1,595 the 17.3in ASUS G74SX-FHD-TZ130V is actually affordable considering the power contained within its sleek shell. Key for gaming is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M, a powerful dedicated graphics card that is going to be fine with modern games. Backing it up is a 2nd Gen Intel Core i7 and 8GB of RAM, giving the G74SX plenty of computing grunt for games and ultimately anything else you’d throw at it.

One good combination here is the full HD 17.3in screen together with the Blu-ray player. It means you can put a Blu-ray disc into the G74SX and watch it at its native resolution without needing to connect an external full HD screen. This is a versatile notebook however you look at it, and the price is excellent considering what it offers.

We’re not sure when this special expires, but based on past experience we think Sunday is likely. As soon as we know anything more concrete we’ll update the special accordingly.

See the special online at Dick Smith here.

See a summary of the specs below.

Processor
The G74SX features a 2nd Gen Intel Core i7-2630QM (2GHz), a high-end processor that is able to run intensive software and productivity applications without any difficulty. It can burst up to 2.9GHz using Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology if a particularly demanding program is running.

Graphics
It comes with a dedicated graphics card called the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M. This is an entry-level high-end card that will easily run most modern games at high to ultra-high settings.

RAM
8GB of RAM is enough to either run many programs at once fluidly or run very intensive image and video editing software.

Storage
1,500GB of hard disk drive storage is enormous, and can store heaps of media content and other files.

Screen
The G74SX sports a 17.3in (1,920 x 1,080 resolution) gloss screen. This is the native resolution of Blu-ray movies, so they’ll be shown in their full glory.

Portability
The G74SX isn’t really very portable, because it weighs 4.28kg and is 62mm thick. This will likely live on a desk and only move around if absolutely necessary.

Other Features
The G74SX has a Blu-ray player, which allows it to play Blu-ray movies.