ASUS G20AJ-US009S Desktop

Really Short Version: Awesome Computer. Install the Nvidia drivers manually. Short Version: This is an excellent machine that I've enjoyed thoroughly since I bought it. It runs Evolve, Star Conflict, Ark, and a number of other games flawlessly on their highest settings. Long Version: I was hesitant to purchase this computer because of the other reviewers on Amazon who had trouble getting it started, but it was mostly plug and play. It has a minimal amount of bloatware and the programs it did come with are genuinely helpful and interesting. That said, I took a few precautions when starting it up to avoid the problems other people have been experiencing. Before manually installing the Nvidia drivers from online, when I opened a game it would move very slowly, making it look like a computer issue. In hindsight I think that because these drivers weren't installed, the processor was trying to do the graphic card's job. After checking the graphics card in the device manager, I found that the computer wasn't recognizing the card's existence. I found the appropriate driver ([...]) and went on my merry way. Note: On setup the pre-installed Nvidia updater downloaded Nvidia updates and said it was good to go (but still didn't work). This is most likely what's throwing people off. Other Notes: Version: I'm writing about the i7 version. Fans: Very quiet operation. Someone breathing from a distance of five feet makes more noise. You don't know how cool it is yet. LEDs: The LEDs are fun to play with and show off, but if you like it dark in your room you can turn them off as well. Power cords: Two power cords isn't a big deal guys. If anything it adds to the futuristic look because, you know, my computer's better because it needs that much power. The inline power boxes aren't much of a hastle either. All cords are long enough. Audio: I'm running Astro A40's with a mic and it puts out beautiful surround sound. Note: You need a splitter to get mic and speaker input. Keep in mind that if you want to use a Mixamp instead of the direct connection, the easiest way to do it is with an optical cable. Upgrading: A major drawback, some might say, is that you can't upgrade the internals. If you look at this issue seriously, by the time you need a new computer or new components, it's time to buy a new tower, power supply and so on anyway. Portability: I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure I could throw it in a suitcase with a keyboard and an HDMI cable. Finding HDTV's in different spots isn't too hard. Memory The storage was worrying at first, but there's enough to have your OS on the SSD with three other games. Other games and programs can go on the other drive. Seems like plenty of space now. ASUS: This is my second ASUS PC and it looks like they just keep getting better.

I love the PC, worked like a dream for the first couple months, but then I made he mistake of upgrading to windows 10, it gave me the black screen of death and I still not have been able to fix it.

I've had this PC a month now as soon as I got it I installed malware bytes and Norton plus my charter security suite. It's been running great it does come with some software from Asus but it aims to help your gaming though most isn't used except the color change dials. I also installed nvidias optimization suite to optimize all the games I get to run stable on the hardware. I got the i7 4790 with gtx 760 version it's run everything from high to ultra settings. But I'm guessing they had some faulty units sent out since a lot of people are putting bad reviews. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a 50/50 ordering this but if you get a regular unit you'll never regret it. Opening it does void warranty but if you've got years of experience you won't have an issue it seems like the people who don't want to upgrade components are just kids who watched YouTube and have no real experience. The inside is very easy to work with and is spilt up in areas with each housing a different component. In the end I don't regret my purchase as it runs great and quiet and is great for anyone looking for a good prebuilt

I purchased two of these as platforms for games from Steam for my sons. I had put together a list of components to perform my own custom build, something I have quite a lot of experience with, but found it hard to beat the combination that ASUS puts together with the G20AJ series of computers. My biggest hurdle was to overlook that it runs Windows instead of Linux or (the unavailable) SteamOS, but the machine itself is quite impressive. The heart of this machine is the NVIDIA GTX-760 Ti graphics card. After I had gone through four hours of Windows setup (yes, it takes that long to remove the free trial anti-virus, update 75+ Windows patches, add Norton ant=virus, update the NVIDIA graphics drivers, create a Restore thumbdrive, and establish your first system revert backup) I asked my son to load the most hardware-challenging game from the Steam library. That turned out to be Mirror's Edge, something that only ran on our XBox, not on the previous system and a NVIDIA GS card. Well, this box ran rings around the XBox version, and both my sons were singing the praises of this system (and, in that, this card). You can get this as an i3, i5 or i7 and many recommend the lower chips as more cost effective because the GPU does all the work. I have custom builds of all these chips, and I wouldn't invest this kind of cash in anything less than an i7, otherwise you'll be turning off anti-virus and wondering why things seem sluggish. The one real flaw in this system is the 1TB hybrid drive. Windows really needs to be served from an SSD, and there is no excuse for not providing both an SSD for the operating system and the hybrid 8GB/1TB drive for games and their data. The unit has two 2.5" slots, but adding your own drive voids the warranty. There are also two memory slots, but adding to the second memory slot voids that warranty, too. I think that tells you they don't think the case is designed for you to split it open. After all, it has dual colling fans for the non-graphics side and heatpipes. I have read it's a bit of a pain to split and work on, but once opened things seem fairly well laid-out. I'm a system builder, so I might not buy something like this for myself, but for the kids, and with the intent of keeping them out of things, this would be perfect with an SSD boot drive and a second stick of memory. Oh, and maybe the GTC-980. Only kidding on the 980.

AVOID like the plague. I had it for two months and it died on me. Customer service was awful. The good thing is I got a live rep in just a few minutes but she was rude and nasty because I couldn't hear her well and kept asking her to repeat what she said (I'm hard of hearing). I have never had such a rude customer service experience in my life. It was a humiliating experience. I am sending it back for repairs tomorrow, but just two months and I have to do this. I am thinking of just writing it off and getting something else more reliable. Biggest regret ever. Go with Alienware if you want a cool looking computer. Go with anyone else if you want something that lasts. Edit: I am sending this machine in for the third time for repairs. 3 times in 3 months! This machine has spent more time at its repair center than in my house. They won't give me a refund but THEY WON"T EVEN FIX IT PROPERLY. I am writing off the loss and buying a new machine. Do NOT, under any circumstances, buy this piece of garbage. Feel free to email me for any further questions about how this machine and this company is the worst. ZERO STARS

Update December 31.. Had this comp for 9 months no problems all is get I put a gtx980 in it runs even better.... Update... its been a week no problems it gets better nbetter lean new things everyday I couldn't ask for anything more runs every game on high any questions email me [email protected] I will answer any questions Alright make this quick idk where all this hate is coming from if u play console and want to upgrade then this is for you don't be scared so worth it grab yourself this with a 144 hz monitor asus 2468 or Ben xl and hyper x 1 or 2 there both great and enjoy out the box plug in install update a couple thing buy your a mouse pad and ethernet cord are u r in another world if anything happens I will post but as of now I'm so satisfied my girl is pissed but whocares.... update March 5 everything is great absolutely love this

If you are thinking of buying this i7 model over the i3 model because you want the best version of this G20 desktop, there are much better versions available that will also run more reliably. For starters, there's the G20AJ-B11, with a 2TB hard drive, 16GB RAM, and GTX960 graphics for around $100-200 more. There's also the G20CB line that have win10 preinstalled, 2TB, 16GB, and GTX970/980. I bought this desktop with the mindset of trying to get the best SFF desktop and to prove the poor reviews wrong. Instead, I found the true source of the problems everyone have been encountering. First, you have to realize that there are two different HDMI ports to the desktop: one for the dedicated graphics card and one for the integrated one. Upon first boot of this desktop, you have to plug your monitor into the integrated port, but neither of the two graphics cards (integrated/dedicated) will work. You'd have to manually reboot the computer once, after which the computer will run from the integrated card. At this point, after you get everything set up and check on the status of your graphics through "GeForce Experience", you'll notice that the desktop isn't detecting your dedicated GPU; you need to restart the computer. After you restart the computer, both graphics cards will fail again, and you'll have to manually restart the computer another time, and this time the computer will finally switch to the dedicated GTX card (make sure that at this point you've switched HDMI ports). One thing to note is that the G20AJ-B11 does not have this problem, and boots from the dedicated card the first time. Upgrading this desktop to win10 was a pain, as you had to update the BIOS to the latest version first. Problem is, the updater software that comes with the desktop is buggy and can ruin your BIOS (some people have been saying that their computer randomly restarts - I had this problem). If you do a bit of googling, the correct way of upgrading the BIOS is a completely separate process. The better versions of this desktop come with the new BIOS already installed, so there is no hassle. The only thing that this desktop has going for it is the hybrid 1TB drive, but in the end, all of the hassle isn't worth it. Do yourself a favor and get the latest version. I hope Amazon will realize this at some point and start selling them.

I wanted to write this mostly as a response to the people who left 1 star because of problems updated the operating system. I got this computer a few weeks ago and was worried I may have made a mistake based on these reviews. When I got it, I immediately updated everything, including the BIOS. After I updated EVERYTHING, I upgraded to Windows 10 without doing a "clean install" as some have recommend. It worked, no problems. The computer works like a charm and I'm able to play my favorite game, Elder Scrolls Online, on the highest graphics setting and usually get 60fps-100fps. The computer starts up VERY quickly and runs great when streaming TV, like Netflix. I also live in a space-limited place, so the small size is fantastic.