The $1599 G73Jh swings hard in our benchmarking, rating an overall 89 in its performance score while rattling off 111 points in our . An Intel Q 720 running at 1.6GHz powers nearly any application, from content-creation to gaming. In the Unreal Tournament 3 test (at high-quality, 1024-by-768-resolution settings), the laptop pulled in an average of 92.5 frames per second; that shows enough power to keep any current title smooth.

We pushed the system further, testing the latest titles, including Just Cause 2 and Metro 2033. Both look and play great. With the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPU and a gigabyte of dedicated graphics RAM, it might be a while before some upcoming title causes this system to break a sweat.

The G73Jh feels like a solid laptop. At 8 pounds and with a huge footprint, you're not going to tote this around without a toll to your chiropractor. But somehow, the PC feels more agile than its weight suggests, comfortably sitting on a your lap.

The big surface area lets the keyboard and touchpad stretch out. The laptop includes a full number pad, but those keys are slightly narrower than normal. The keyboard feels tight and responsive to typing, and the big wrist rest helps you stay comfortable. You even have enough room (barely) to use the included Razer Abyssus mouse directly on the wrist rest.

That simple two-button-and-scroll mouse includes high-speed modes to better track your movement. I didn't notice any difference with those settings, but the pointer feels light and good in-hand overall. The track pad misses, however. While the big surface feels great for moving the cursor, it includes a teeter-totter button for left- and right-clicks. Push near the middle, and you'll have to use a lot of pressure. Push directly in the center, and it won't click at all.