Hello everyone! I've been viewing these threads now and then for quite a time now ever since I bought my ASUS N45SF around 7 months ago (here in the Philippines), but this is the first time I'd be posting here.

Just to give everyone an idea on why I've decided to come here... I sent my unit to the service center last April 2 for speaker and thermal pad??? replacement due to obvious problems (cracking sounds + cpu/gpu temp up to 90+ when gaming). They accepted it and replacement parts for its repair are still on the way, or so the say, and will arrive April 23. (Bloody long and awful waste of quality gaming time, really )

So I'm here today to ask for some quick tips 'cause I'm planning on doing a clean format after I get it back. I've already read quite a handful of the conversation in these threads to grasps some of the ideas you have presented; however, I still have some clarifications:

1) I've read that it's reasonable to not deplete your battery completely. Leaving 30%-40% then recharging. Also, it's advisable to remove the battery pack during gaming sessions and depend solely on adapter power to prevent circuit problems and overheating. IS THIS TRUE? Btw, I read somewhere that you have to deplete your battery completely at least once a month in order to keep it health. If so, how do I do it? Because I can't seem to accomplish it using Window's Power Management

2) If read about the BIOS problem with the N5 Series and its conflict with Optimus Technology. Since I wasn't able to cope up with the discussion with this thread , I'd like to ask if there has been recent updated BIOS that solves this problem so that it won't be necessary to disable Turbo Boost by setting CPU only up to 99% performance.

3) What are the latest stable and necessary drivers you are using? Mainly for the GPU...

4) For doing a clean re-format, what are the necessary bloatwares that I can not be without?

5) Any other vital information I should be aware of?

6) I forgot my other questions... so uhhh I'd just ask. May I be welcome here as well? Please!

Thank you very much sifu! Your reply will be of great help. I can't barely wait to get my unit back and optimize it. God bless!

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Added on April 20, 2012, 9:58 pmhi there. I think I encountered the same problem as you. From my what I know, the problem is not with the power supply or the external sub-woofer but with the two internal speakers of the laptop. Have you already tried changing the output frequency of the audio? I read somewhere before that it should be adjusted from 24kHz to 48kHz or something like that... Maybe google it? If the problem persists, try contacting tech support and hand your laptop over for repair. I sent mine for repair with that cracking problem as one of the reasons they're bound to replace the internal speakers. Still waiting to get back my beloved lappy

This post has been edited by franibaflo: Apr 20 2012, 09:58 PM

Yup it is a cracking sound. Also, based from my observations, the cracking sounds were more prominent when I set the power settings to battery savings as compared to when it is in high performance. When in high performance, there is still evident cracking sounds but to a lower degree.

I also had mine sometimes ok, sometimes not. Haha. My unit is tentative for return on the 24th and I'm still going to see whether the problem would be fixed by the replacement of the internal speakers or not. I'd update you by then of what I find out.

BTW, does the problem also happen during gaming? 'Coz I read somewhere that faulty codec could also be the cause of that problem.

I used to have rainmeter with network meter but even when I already removed it problem persisted. Please, for all of our sakes, would you care to look for the steps you took to get rid of this prob :|.

Just got my laptop back from the service center. There's no more cracking sounds with the speaker after they replaced it. Tested it in youtube, mp3, movies; with & without adapter; in various power settings; etc. Hehehe I'm quite happy except for the bloody amount of time it took them to fix it.

I'm currently backing up my files etc. and planning to do a clean format afterwards. Hmmmm I you still aren't able to fix the problem, I suggest you turn to tech support as a last resort

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Added on April 24, 2012, 2:26 pmBy the way, does anyone have an idea on what sample rate and bit depth to use in order to fully make use of the 2.1 sound system?

This post has been edited by franibaflo: Apr 24 2012, 02:26 PM

I'm from the Philippines so uhhh I don't think this would be much help, but I sent mine to the service center called servimax which caters for the 1 year warranty of my unit. Before handing them over the laptop, they let me play a movie to show the problem. The only bad thing about the repair is that it took more than 3 weeks to return. But after I asked them afterwards they said that I could have opted to go to them, test the unit, bring home the laptop, wait for the part availability (which in my case 2+ weeks 'coz i believe they shipped the thermal plate + speaker from taiwan), and finally return to their office so that they can fix your unit and replace the parts. However, I don't know the policy in malaysia. Sorry mate. And good luck!

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Added on April 25, 2012, 5:14 pmI sent my unit for parts replacement and that's what's indicated in the surrender form. They said they replaced it so I'm betting on it. I wasn't able to check for software updates though due to my excitement in doing a clean reformat. And I believe that they wouldn't go against the agreement we entered to when we signed the surrender form, otherwise they'd be facing a legal case

This post has been edited by franibaflo: Apr 25 2012, 05:14 PM

had that issue before. sent my laptop to tech support for replacement of thermal sink. now my gaming is around 80 degree Celsius.

Hello everyone,

I have N45SF and I just have some questions:

1) Did anyone ever encounter having their optical drive not being able to read CDs and DVDs? This problem is very new for me. I have numerous optical disks that worked before but now can't be detected. All of them shows that the inserted disk is a blank disk. Though I know it isn't and even if I try to write files to a blank disk it won't even be readable like the rest. I've already tried booting in safe mode, uninstalling virtual drive and burning programs like daemon tools and imgburn but to no avail. Any suggestions?

2) I've read far back that cracking sounds from the speaker may be in conflict with Realtek LAN driver. Since I can't really trade internet over sounds, is there an alternative to solve the cracking problem? I've also read that it can be solved by uninstalling the LAN driver and replacing it with a different version. Can anyone please provide a stable version and perhaps a link where it can be downloaded? BTW, just a little history to this cracking problem. I already had this before and managed to fix it after sending my unit to ASUS Service Center for speaker replacement. It had been fixed but now the cracking is returning :|.

3) Since I own N45SF and I underclock my GPU to 630MHz using MSI Afterburner, I noticed that my CPUs temp to rise to 60+ degree Celcius when using MSI afterburner. Is there a way to underclock my GPU without my CPU/computer's temperature rising even when in idle mode?

That's all. Waiting for you help.

Thanks for the suggestion and the link. I'd try that driver and the latest from realtek. I'd try to update if there are any improvements from either drivers.


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try nvidia inspector. Will update soon on its status.

EDIT: Tried nVIDIA Inspector but kinda lost. How do I make a startup profile? When you say startup, is it with windows startup or before game startup? Also, is there an OSD built-in on this program?

Thanks sifu for the answers. I hope I find all the flaws now
EDIT: Erm I'm kinda scared with the idea of flipping my lappy just to test if doing so will solve my optical drive's inability to detect discs

By the way, another inquiry: Is there a way to temporarily disable the touchpad when typing?Aside of course from doing Fn+F9 which I find inconvenient. This has really been bugging me for a long time and it constantly slips my mind. There was a software that could do the function I'm talking about in my old laptop but I forgot its name :|. Any heads up, sifus?

This post has been edited by franibaflo: Jun 28 2012, 10:25 AM