# Fry's GQ brand



## comeaugn

What experiences have people had with Fry's house brand "GQ" laptops? I bought a desktop and it worked fine.


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## cheese

I do not have any expirience with their laptops, but i personally would get a "name brand". With desktops its different, because you can open them up and diagnose harware issues, but you cannot with laptops.

What is their warranty?


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## Rollin' Rog

I asked a Fry's salesman (or whatever they are called in the Computer dept) what kind of "recovery" media one of their GQ systems had.

He couldn't tell me, referred me to the tech desk instead. I didn't feel like waiting in line for an answer.

End of my consideration of the product at that time.


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## HenryVI

Well some of the computers look nice on the specs *the Great Quality desktops* then I see the prices..... I dunno if it is all off brand innards or what, but I personally would steer clear of something that cheap. Including those $250 Dell's  blech!!


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## comeaugn

Thx u guys


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## unkatim

I have Two GQ laptops. I bought a an RX-7335 about a year ago (my wife now uses it). And I bought a ZX-5360 about a month ago. 
I took the 7335 back the day I purchased it because the Operating system didn't come up. They gave me a different computer and I have had no problems since. 
The 5360 has been great since it left it's box.
The sales people will try to talk you out of buying GQ, Claiming they only have a 90 day warranty. But, chances are any problems will show up in less than 90 days. If you're still aprehensive, you can purchase the extended warranty.
Restore disks are included with the system.


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## Kuwa-Jiji

Actually, I used to work for Fry's. SO I can give you the sinny on their stuff. The reason why they want to steer you away from buying a GQ computer is because they do not get commission if they sell one to you. Any other computers but the GQ's they get commission on, so it's basically where they make their money. Now, as for GQ laptops, it is really jsut based on luck for the kind of experience you'll get out of them. The cheaper ones do work, but they are made with medium-quality products. So, it isn't guaranteed how long they will work. Could be 1 day, could be 1 year. Could be more. If you were to buy anything GQ, you should get the desktops. There's nothing particularly special about them, but they're easy to upgrade. They come with an AMD 2600+ chip, 128 MB RAM, 40 gig HD, 16MB On-Baord Video Card, AC97 Realtek ON-Board Audio Device, 6 USB slots, 1 AGP slot, and 3 PCI slots. Oh yeah, and 2 slots for DDR RAM. I actually own one that I put some stuff in myself, and it runs pretty damn well. of course, you get the performance that you would out of building your own, but these GQ computers go on sale a lot for $150-200 and sometimes even $99. So you can get a computer capable of playing say...Half-Life 2, for around $300-350 bucks.


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## comeaugn

Useful info.


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## ScottA.

Apon entering the Fry's store after seeing an ad in the local paper, I had a bad feeling from the start. 

First off the ad in the paper said that I could get a GQ laptop with the VIA C3 processor 1.6 ghz, 256mb sd ram, 14'' lcd, 40gb hd and 24xBurner/DVD combo, 4 usb 2.0 ports, ect ect. They had the price for 449.00, I wen't in and the first thing the salesman said when I started to ask about it was "you don't wan't that one". I was very puzzled by why this salesman did not wan't me to have this computer, he immediately took me to a Toshiba that was well out of my budget and I let him know the product I came in for and asked him if he had any in stock. He came back and said he had a few in stock and it would be no problem to get one. 

I proceeded to go home and check around on the internet for some reviews and went to a few sites for parts featured in the machine. I checked out the VIA page and they seemed pretty legit in my opinion, it seems they make many parts for INTEL as well as AMD so I felt pretty confident after looking at the site and proceeded to check out the Fry's page to see if there was any further detail on the product. I saw that Fry's did manufacture the machine out of Japan, so I was pretty mindset on picking this up for sure. It was a descent machine for a steal of a price. 

That evening I wen't back to the location where the previous salesman told me they have plenty in stock and wen't and asked if the new salesman I had to deal with could go get me one and he replied after checking the stock "we have 4 of them in but you would not wan't any of these, we are selling them as is". I asked him what he meant "as is" as in brand new? He said that "this is a real low end laptop and we cannot get any parts or any ram or any kind of service for this model". I told him I thought that was hard to believe since Fry's manufactured the machine. His response was "I have worked here for 7 years and I know for a fact that Fry's does not make this machine and i'm NOT getting one for you".

I was getting a little pissed off at this point so I told him that I was very unpleased with his service and I was going to speak to a manager. He was in shock and started getting all puffy on me like he wanted to fight, it was insane, I could not believe what was going on. I wen't and called over the head manager on duty and let him know the treatment I had recieved while trying to get this machine. The manager took the sale into his own hands and sorted things out proper. He walked me back and made the ****ty salesman go and get me the laptop out of the back and set it up for me and made sure everything was alright on the machine. The manager even told the guy to give me a free printer. As we walked up to check out with all the fresh gear the manager was telling me how he could not understand why this guy would not wan't to sell me a Fry's house brand product. 

Long story short, I'm never dealing with anyone but management at Fry's again and this machine is a really good laptop for the money spent. I got the laptop for 5% off it was around 429- and a free printer. I got it home and did a fresh install of XP Pro and the thing runs like a champ. I got a few games to play and i'am running some music production software on here as well. Great machine, great price, hopefully it lasts for a while.


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## hewee

Bet the sells men get paid a percent so with the fry's brand they may not make any money so that is why they pick another brand and a higher cost one.


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## ScottA.

hewee said:


> Bet the sells men get paid a percent so with the fry's brand they may not make any money so that is why they pick another brand and a higher cost one.


 That is what that guy said who was the ex-employee at Fry's, in any case it is not my fault that the store will not pay them commision on the house brand. All salesmen at Fry's work for 6.50/hr, I'm not holding a gun to there head to stay at that job.


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## sjphil

I just bought a ZX-5360. They had me standing around for 1/2 hour or more with various tricks. Told me they only had open box left, and I shouldn't get a discount because "it's already discounted" (on sale for $499.99). I told them I wouldn't pay the same price as new for open box. After about 1/2 hour waiting for them to either find me a new one at another store or give me a disount, one of the kids said something really annoying, so I walked. Stopped up front and asked to see the store manager. Got a "customer service representative", but she did walk me back and got me the open box for 10% off. I really wanted a new one, but I saved $50.

Now I have a a laptop with flaky WiFi, somewhat flaky video. I will have to take it back.

So, if your time is worth next to nothing, and you can handle salesman who don't want to sell the product you are trying to buy, this could be a good deal.

Other than the Wifi and video (which I am hoping are not bad on all of these), it seems adequate for the price. I tested the battery life to at least a couple of hours, maybe three. The fan has an annoying whine on high-speed, but I guess I can live with that. Display is 1024 X 768 and not good off-axis, which I would hate to try and do real work on, but is OK for my purpose (testing WiFi and Ethernet connectivity while on service calls). Oh, it has a "fn" key right where the control key should be.

One last thing - I brought this open-box machine up on it's own separate firewalled subnet until I could learn what shape Windows XP was in (wasn't sure what might be on it). I didn't find viruses or spyware, it just needed a lot of Windows updates.


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## hewee

Yep it is bad they make so little and get commision to sell you. I mean look at all the things also you can pick up and get in line to pay for. But if you just happen to talk to one of them they ask can I ring that up (commision ) for them on anything you have in your shopping cart.

Funny I was talking to a guy there who was the guy who they said knew all about hard drives and how to hook them up. Was there for a remover moble rack and another hard drive and just want to find out more about the moble rack and what ones were best. I was telling him what I was going to do and how I was going to add Partitions to the drive when he said NO you can not have more then 3 Partitions on a drive because windows will not let you. I sais your wrong I can put many Partitions on the drive. But he got all   like he knew he was right. I said ok if you think that then you better go back to school because I got 8 Partitions now on my old PC with 95.


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## sjphil

Update: I took the ZX-5360 laptop back to Fry's, but after testing in the store (as best I could, they aren't set up for a proper test- when I told the "tech" that the wireless was slow and flaky, he tested it by downloading a file from offsite, over what he said was the store's 56K modem link), I decided that the replacement wasn't likely to do any better than the one I had, so I left the new one in the store and took my orginal laptop home, until I could decide whether I need to get my money back.

I did more testing this evening, including downloading the latest driver from RAlink and installing it (several times). Basically, it looks like the performance is erratic and slow except at 5 bars signal strength, which is about 10' through one interior (gypsum wallboard) wall from my WAP54G set to channel 8 with no other WAPS nearby. at 20' and another wall, it's flaky, although my brother's Compaq laptop was fine at the same range. I'm going to guess all the ZX-5360s are like this. Maybe because they put the antenna inside of an aluminum case?

I may keep the laptop, it might be useful for my purpose (testing WAPs). But if I wanted a Chinese laptop that worked as advertised, I would try an "IBM". 

One other thing I forgot to mention, it wouldn't play a DVD until I fired up Windows Media Player and answered a couple of questions, and the DVD drive buzzes, but it does play movies.


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## talon03

These Fry's people only operate in America, because I've never heard of them over here. Sounds like thry could do with a bit of training in Customer Service


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## ScottA.

I have had my GQ laptop for a full week now, the only problem I had was trying to get it out of suspend mode. When doing what they say in the manual nothing happens, wich makes me believe some guy who speaks minimal english translated the manual. Good machine though all in all, everything is up to par for the low price that was paid for the machine. 7/10


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## sjphil

Update 2:

I'm keeping it. I got fairly consistent 400 K bytes/sec data transfers this morning at 25', I guess that's fairly poor, but I think it will be adequate for my purpose. If it's not, I am out of luck, since there is no PCMCIA slot, so I can't put in another card. So I am taking a chance, but at least if (when?) it is lost, damaged, or stolen from my toolkit, I am onlly out $500, not counting my time, of course. :-}

The display problems are not significant (some banding, I don't care much, it's not for graphics work). I think it will be hard to beat for the price, at least for a few months. And I need it now. I hope this helps someone, and thanks to all, the forum helped me.

Oh- http://www.frys.com/hisframe.html

Fry's is US only, mostly western US. There is Outpost.com, but you won't get the full Fy's "experience" online. Maybe that's good. I can't recommend Outpost, I have never purchased from them, but I suppose they are average.


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## BanditFlyer

talon03 said:


> These Fry's people only operate in America, because I've never heard of them over here. Sounds like thry could do with a bit of training in Customer Service


As far as I know, they are only in California. Customer service is not their strong suite, pricing is. If you want customer service, you go to your local Mom and Pop computer store. If you want to get 1GB thumb drives for $29 without any rebates, you go to Fry's.

They are the WAl-Mart of electronics, at least on the west coast of the US.


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## BanditFlyer

sjphil said:


> Fry's is US only, mostly western US. There is Outpost.com, but you won't get the full Fy's "experience" online. Maybe that's good. I can't recommend Outpost, I have never purchased from them, but I suppose they are average.


I used to check the San Jose Merc online when I lived in the Valley. I recommend it. You can't get the same prices in frys.com or outpost.com that you can in the print newspapers. here's the link for the SJ merc:

http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=32664&adid=2269916&cat=3525


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## hewee

Fry's can have some great deals and with rebate and sometimes added rebates that only fry's has you can get really good prices on software.
I hate going to there store and dealing with them and waiting in the very long lines they have. But you can get great deals and for lots of things it is the only place in town. Plus it is the only place close by.


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## Armless

I feel that the GQ products are pretty decent especially for the price they offer. It's a great deal and they MUST work. If they don't work you can go back to the store and get it replaced. I heard it is against the law to not replace something that doesn't work. Even if it has a no return policy the product must work. Overall great products for their great price. =)


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## StarFerret

BanditFlyer said:


> As far as I know, they are only in California. Customer service is not their strong suite, pricing is. If you want customer service, you go to your local Mom and Pop computer store. If you want to get 1GB thumb drives for $29 without any rebates, you go to Fry's.
> 
> They are the WAl-Mart of electronics, at least on the west coast of the US.


They're in Texas too. Two in Houston and one in Dallas. I've been to Fry's in both cities.

In April of this year, I was in California (I'm a Texan) and saw an ad for the RX7335 2.4 MHz CPU with 128 MB RAM for $499. I wanted that puppy.

Along with the rest of those who bought a GQ Laptop, I got the same thing in a rather condescending voice: "This has only 128 MB RAM, maybe you need something better?" "It doesn't have a CD/RW/DVD/RW burner, maybe you should look at something else."

Well, being female, and having my decision questioned, my hackles rose. Umm, I can replace the RAM. Ummm, I have an external case that has a Dual Layer DVD burner in it. I just hang it off the laptop when I need it.

He started to say something else, but I interrupted and told him in a quite firm but soft voice, "I know what I'm about and I want this laptop computer. My mind is made up. Do I need to find another salesman?"

Maybe it was my Texas accent, but he huckledy bucked right to the back and brought me the laptop I wanted. There were no further objections from that young man. 

This is a fantastic little computer, especially after I installed 512MB RAM. Now I'd like to install a CD-RW/DVD Reader, rather than the plain DVD reader.


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## sjphil

I said above that no PCMCIA in the ZX-5360 meant I was stuck with the internal wireless, but that's not really true. First, there might be a replacement mini-PCI (I guess that's what it is) wireless card that I can afford. Also, I forgot about the USB. There are two extra USB ports where the PCMCIA slot ought to be (four total). I tried a USB wireless adapter (a Hawking I bought cheap a while back), it worked OK. Actually no better than the internal card, at least when the signal is reasonable. I haven't tried it on weaker signals yet, but I guess I will carry it just in case I have trouble with the internal card, maybe the USB wireless will work better.

So far the laptop is working well as long as I don't stray far from the WAP. I'm satisfied with it, for the price.


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## sjphil

Another update:

I just returned from a support job (the laptop was with me in a roll-around cart) set the laptop on a desk, tried to open it and noticed that the slider that releases the lid latch is missing. It must have dropped (or been knocked) off. So, less than a month before the first piece went missing. I don't know how that compares with other laptops. It's not a major crisis for me, since I always carry a pocket screwdriver, I have a convenient way to open the latch.


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## radiobob

The problem with this model appears to be that the wireless does not come on when you boot up. You MUST press the wireless button manually to activate the wireless inside the laptop. Other GQ units do not work this way and start up with the wireless in the ON mode. Anyone that know how to change this default to wireless ON when you boot up please let me know.
thanks,
[email protected]


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## hewee

Your asking for Spam radiobob by posting your email address.
This site has 429 search bots from Yahoo! Slurp Spider, MSNBot Spider, Google AdSense Spider right now searching the pages here.


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## Anchoret

I'm entering this on the ZX-5360 I got in October when they were $499. Since then, they've been slightly upgraded with a bit faster CPU and bear a different name, but are apparently the same otherwise. They're variations of the ECS 536 notebooks.

I would REALLY like to add some RAM to this thing, but I haven't been able to determine which speed it has nor if adding it is merely a matter of opening the RAM door on the bottom and sticking another 256M in the empty slot provided. I can't find anything about this anywhere -- no, it's not in the manual -- and don't trust the Fry's salesdrones to know the answer. I do know that trying to run XP on 192M (64M is allocated to video) is cramping my style. If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know!

Since it's out of 90-Day warrantee, I've been attempting to tweak & repair a few minor things and have done some looking around in it. The wireless is a RaLink 2500 w/RT2560 chip with an internal antenna system running to two (apparently) tuned points under the hinge covers. Mine is very good, outdoing any of the other wireless devices I've tried in terms of measured signal strength to my ZyXEL router in the next room.

Fry's had Airlink101 54M g USB dongles for $5.99 (no rebate) a while back and I got one to experiment with. I also got a similar CompUSA dongle for $2.99 (after rebate). Both of these are ZyDAS 1211-based units that will work on the ZX-5360, but do not quite achieve the signal strength of the internal RaLink. The generic wireless software that comes with both of these causes occasional bluescreens on computer shutdown.

Upgrading the RaLink driver/software from the RaLink site substantially improved the stability of my connections. This isn't my imagination, as I have seen similar reports from others using the RA2500-family devices. If you're having problems, this is worth a try.


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## f1reverb

Anchoret, since you're aware the GQ notebooks are ECS, go to ECS' site and read their tech info and you'll see what type of memory you need. Also, don't believe either the GQ or ECS manual when they tell you max memory. I have the GQ-3202 (the VIA processor cheapie) aka ECS G320, and it says max is 512mb for the one slot at 266 speed/PC2100. I'm using a one gig 333/PC2700 200 pin chip with no problems at all. The AMI bios has no problem with recognizing the 1gb chip or the higher speed. I also put in an Hitachi 7200rpm drive, so even if the VIA chip is slow, the memory and drive are not. I'm more than pleased with my $399 (initial price) cheapo. I've had my unit for seven months without the slightest problem as I don't abuse it. Put in a gig of ram at the minimum.


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## Anchoret

I wrote to Fry's customer support and incredibly they answered!  They told me that the ZX-5360 will take up to 2G of 333/400 SO-DIMM, by which I assume they mean either 333MHz SO-DIMM or 400MHz SO-DIMM.

What I'm not sure of is what's actually in there already and if I have to either exactly match it or remove it...and if so, where it is. I think it may be under a door beneath the keyboard, but I was not able to get it open. If I can just stick in a matching 256M in the provided RAM door in the bottom, I'd be happy. The applications I'm using on my main office box (which I just upgraded with a $69 Fry's motherboard/CPU combo) show plenty of excess memory when in use with 512M.


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## f1reverb

the manual for the 536 and you'll see that is the correct memory, the DDR 200 333/400 . . .

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?MenuID=55&LanID=9&DetailID=520&DetailName=Specification

If you read the manual you'll see that you can upgrade the processor too. The details on installing the memory are in the manual. Newegg has 1gb chips for 100 bucks.


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## Anchoret

Ah! Very interesting download!

The Fry's manual is very much less informative. OK, so the stock memory is one 256M 333MHz SO-DIMM? And it is under that stubbornly tight door beneath the keyboard?

Hey, you want to sell me the 256M module you replaced when you upgraded?


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## f1reverb

as the stock one with the G320/MX3202 is a PC2100/266mhz chip, slower than what you have. I'm keeping it so I can stick it back in if I were to dump my unit (which I'm not going to anyway). You should be able to get a matching 256mb chip from Newegg for under 50 bucks easily, but I'd get at least one 1gb chip if I were you, and two 1gb chips is the way to go. I'm thinking of getting one of the 5361 units at Fry's for 549 and then getting two 1gb chips and an Hitachi 7200rpm drive too. Nice little screamer.


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## Anchoret

I'm seeing 1G SO-DIMM for as little as $43 after rebate, but it's either too slow or too fast

I'm not really clear on what I'd do with 2G of RAM. 1G would probably be excessive for my needs, as I don't think I've ever seen my desktop's usage absorb all 512M it has...but perhaps I could allocate more RAM to the onboard video in the notebook, I dunno. 

Still, as cheap as I'm seeing 1G modules, it might just be about as cheap as getting smaller units...it'll all depend on what I see on sale, I guess.


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## f1reverb

A 1gb SODIMM that is a notebook 200 pin is not going to be 43 bucks after rebate. DDR2 ram won't work as far as I know, which is the cheaper ram. A 256mb 200 pin DDR is only about 25 bucks at newegg.


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## Anchoret

I'm finding that 200-pin SO-DIMM memory is relatively rare. I imagine that Fry's will have a deal of some sort before long if I keep an eye on their ads.

If something doesn't turn up locally, maybe this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141178 will do the trick. It'd be nice to do a deal locally in case there's some compatibility problem, though.


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## Anchoret

Well, to follow up, I got 256M of 200-pin 333MHz SO-DIMM from SMS Memory Module for US$20.75, delivered, and it turns out to be the right matching stuff. Service was excellent. Now I have enough RAM to do my normal stuff without occasionally bottoming out.


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## maeH.

I just purchased one of Fry's GQ laptops ($399)--Does anyone recommend buying the extended warranty ($89)? Thank you. mae


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## rjr916

I'm reading and this is just great entertainment. Let me get this right, you want a top quality Labtop for $499 that beats out a Fujitsu or Sony give me a break. And seriously I sale at Fry's and care a less if you want this, we offer a better labtop to try and help you out, do you really want to be seen walking to your car with a GQ box in the parking lot how sad is that people look at you like damn your a bum. Spend 600 bucks more and get a decent labtop buy the PSC to protect your product not because we make "money" off it but because its the smart thing to do, say your keyboard alone went out on a labtop and you didn't have a PSC your looking at $80 an hr for labor additional money for parts say $45 bucks, but if you had the PSC for as low as like $199 it would cover all parts/labor. What it comes down to is cheap skates are that and that only, people that have money love to come to fry's not only do they get top quality service but they also get the best products at the lowest price. Why would you BUY a Labtop with 20-40 minutes battery life vs. a Fujitsu with 4 hrs battery life for 499 dollars more jesus are you that broke you would buy a 4 year out dated labtop for your WIFE and KIDS that makes me sick people would even buy products like that. And as for us making no money ha thats great our checks out-beat 90% of these users on this forum "complaining" about Fry's we work off performance but thats not a bad thing it pushes us. 


When a person asks you to write a quote its because we do make money but how would you like it if you were at work and u were helping someone for 5 minutes and they wouldnt let you write aquote thats bull**** really. Fry's associates don't like GQ shoppers not because we dont make money but because you guys are close minded, penny penchers, that are on a set budget, then when it breaks in 7 months your whining to us that you didn't buy a Fujitsu for $1100 dollars with a $199 dollar PSC now your looking at $600 dollars in LCD repairs, assholes hahahaha


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## rjr916

maeH. said:


> I just purchased one of Fry's GQ laptops ($399)--Does anyone recommend buying the extended warranty ($89)? Thank you. mae


for sure buy the PSC, if just the keyboard and mouse go out your looking at well over that just for PER HOUR labor anywhere to get a labtop fixed, and don't expect your computer wizz friend to always be there when something goes wrong with it and no your credit card company isn't going to service your labtop jeez i hear the greatest things from these cheap skate costumers. But in reply to your post yes buy a warranty by at least a 3 year recommend the 5 year its a good selling point to add that it has a 100% parts/labor contract for the item, you might be a computer wizz but can you get free parts? didn't think so.


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## MNG0304

Bought my Fry's ZX-5361 ($556 out the door) last week for report writing and light surfing. I'm a regular at my local Fry's so the sales staff tend not to dissuade me from anything I ask them for; I've even had a few floor staff ask me where stuff was on their shelves 

My first impressions have been generally positive: decent airflow on the case design that doesn't make a chill pad a necessity, 2 USB ports instead of PCMIA slot and default off wireless appeal to me, screen size and viewing angle good and easy on my eyes and the no-frills approach keeps me from trying install games and allows me to focus on work.

The negatives I've found are relatively minor, for me: Sound processor on the weak side, I abhor touchpads and the "gamepad scrolling" is useless to me, wi-fi is on the weak side and the power plug is too close to the optical drive bay.

I buy low-end brands at Fry's such as GQ and Emprex for a variety of reasons from trying out new devices to low-cost parts for mod projects. If I want to buy a quality brand I generally use either newegg or small businesses that have online sales as they'll beat Fry's every time.

Here's what others have to say about Fry's:

Doofus.org
Wikipedia
Breakfast at Fry's
(My Favorite)


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## rwolsen

f1reverb said:


> as the stock one with the G320/MX3202 is a PC2100/266mhz chip, slower than what you have. I'm keeping it so I can stick it back in if I were to dump my unit (which I'm not going to anyway). You should be able to get a matching 256mb chip from Newegg for under 50 bucks easily, but I'd get at least one 1gb chip if I were you, and two 1gb chips is the way to go. I'm thinking of getting one of the 5361 units at Fry's for 549 and then getting two 1gb chips and an Hitachi 7200rpm drive too. Nice little screamer.


I also have a G320/MX3202 with a PC2100/266mhz chip. But I only see 1 chip in this laptop. Are their 2 chips?


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## sjphil

OK, another update. My ZX5360 has been holding up pretty well, except I accidentally plugged the (AC) power supply for a Zyxel DSL modem into it, and now it won't charge the battery.

Well, I need a spare laptop anyway. That's why I buy the cheap ones, so I can afford a spare. Also, apparently it's the only way I can get a spare AC power supply and battery. So, I stopped at Fry's Fremont on the way home from a job in Pleasanton. ZX 5361's were on sale for $499 (ending today) Saleskid says he doesn't have any in stock and would I like to buy a Compaq? I ask do any other stores have them? He looks it up on the computer, the computer says he has 23 in stock, Fry's San Jose has 56. Saleskid says that's 3 day old info, so don't believe it. I say bye ( I guess he won that round).

Well, San Jose is on the way home, so I stop there. I find two salekids looking at the monitor. I ask one does he have any of the $500 GQ laptops? He asks the other guy. The other guy is working on an order for another customer, so the first guy tells me wait, the other guy will help me when he is done. So I wait. When the other guy is done, he walks off.

I say "HEY" do you have the GQ laptop? He says "the computer is down, I can't check stock". I say "I will ask up front".

Went up front, asked for the manager. Told them I tried to buy a GQ, nobody would help me. Got a "computer dept." guy, who offered to walk me through. So, he walked me back to the computer dept., told me "it's true, the computers are down". I pointed out that the stockroom was on the other side of the wall, all he had to do was walk through the door and look. So he did that, came back, said all they had were open box returns. I said "no thanks, I have had problems with open boxes in the past". He said he would look in the other stockroom up front, and went off to do that, telling me to wait there. He did finally come back, with a new GQ 5361.

You know what, he talked me into a service contract. 2 years, $100 something dollars extra. Oh well, I guess they wore me down.

Anyway, these are OK machines, in my experience. Too bad I had to buy two of them from Fry's, home of salekids who will say almost anything to not sell them.


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## MNG0304

My little mule "Pepe" has been a regular workhorse the last two weeks, so I sprang for 1Gb of DDR400 (2x512Mb) from Newegg. I tried to buy local, but I'm in Salt Lake City - No Fry's and the range of prices was $200 for 512mb-DDR333 from Best Buy to $80 for 512mb-DDR400 from a local chain. I even went into the local mall's tweener gaming den to see if they knew where to find a deal at, only to be pointed to Best Buy.

If I was in Fry's upper management I'd move in here, they'd clean up in a few weeks after opening.

With the new memory there's a small speed boost and a lot more power. I can have desktop widgets running with Firefox and Office running at the same time with no performance drop , haven't tried any gaming and don't plan on it.

So far I've put $640 into this laptop and have no regrets whatsoever.


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## Tapeuup

http://forums.techguy.org/reviews/452643-beware-frys-gq-brand.html


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## jed_c

Yea, My RX-7336 was a decent machine, that is until I tried to use the "restore" disks that came with it.

Fry's forgot to tell us all that if your system ever crashes, you will be buying a new copy of XP (and whatever else).

I have spoken with about a dozen people within the Fry's organization and have come to the conclusion that one of the following scenarios are true.

1.) Fry's new of the problem with the restore disks and did nothing.
2.) Fry's deliberately did this hoping to sell more software
3.) Fry's technical staff is completely incompetent

I realize how nutty this sounds, and believe me, I LOVED Fry's. I have bought 3 laptops
1 GQ RX-7336, an HP ZV-6000 and a fujitsu S-6120 as well as the parts to build 7 (SEVEN) computers in the last 3 years, including 2 AMD-64s within the last 2 months.

This is my first time to have to deal with them (other than handing them money) and believe me it has been most unpleasant.

AND

I still have no OS on my RX-7663.


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## MNG0304

jed_c said:


> I realize how nutty this sounds, and believe me, I LOVED Fry's. I have bought 3 laptops
> 1 GQ RX-7336, an HP ZV-6000 and a fujitsu S-6120 as well as the parts to build 7 (SEVEN) computers in the last 3 years, including 2 AMD-64s within the last 2 months.


In all this purchasing frenzy you didn't get a stand-alone copy of XP?

ECS Laptops has all the current drivers for whatever GQ flavor you've purchased. Yours appears to be the ECS G733E. Use the XP key off the bottom of the laptop, a stand-alone XP disc and the CD you'll write containing the drivers for your laptop (or given sufficient knowledge you can make your own backup disc); Reformat and Reload.

Fry's, like any other business, is trying to maximize their profit by providing a dirt cheap product that will bring in the buyers. Consumers that expect a VIAO quality laptop for the GQ price have unreasonable expectations and will be disappointed when they buy a GQ laptop. 
A class-action lawsuit for problems arising from these low-end units will only succeed if the first two items (foreknowledge of problem & desire to exploit situation based on this knowledge) are true.

If this laptop breaks I won't be going to Fry's looking for a replacement. I'll check the components to find out what's salvageable and replace the broken parts, these replacements won't be low end brands like ECS either.


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## jed_c

MNG0304 said:


> In all this purchasing frenzy you didn't get a stand-alone copy of XP?
> 
> Yes, I have 4 in fact, All of which are running on other computers .
> 
> Maybe I'm missing your point, the key provided on my GQ laptop is for an OEM version of
> XP home.
> My other copies are either XP Pro or Retail.
> 
> I didn't think I was out of bounds in asking for a restore disk that works...


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## MNG0304

It's not out of bounds, but my point was twofold: you should have everything you need to do a system restore w/out the disk (or to make your own) and that Fry's has no intention of providing the restore disk unless it financially benefits them. If you have purchased this much from one store I'll also find it highly probable that somewhere you have a copy of XP home, although you want the manufacturer or retailer to provide you with the appropriate tools it may be easier to provide this with your own resources until they can resolve this to your satisfaction.

I'm not affiliated with Fry's nor any other retailer, have no faith in their customer support nor their mission statements espousing anything that says they're "looking out for my interests".

If they sell a product that works at a decent price I'm there.
If they sell a low quality product under cost I'm there to evaluate how I can use it, improve it or dismiss it.

Once Fry's starts acting more like the other big-box electronics stores they'll lose my business just like the others have. Until that happens I'll cruise the aisles looking for bargains that I can use and afford.


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## Kuwa-Jiji

Ah, this is one of the cases I was talking about. The laptops are a bit unreliable, with odd problems. And, as for the XP Home Key that comes on your computer, it does not work with a different copy of XP Home. I've tried to work with two different GQ computers and reinstall their OS and have not been able to use that key, and have ended up having to purchase a new copy. As I said before, these GQ brands are a great piece to pick up and improve upon.

I myself bought a GQ desktop, knowing that they aren't a very high-end model of computer. As MNG0304 said, I was there to see how I could improve it. And I did it fairly cheap, as well. I picked up two sticks of 512 DDR RAM for about $120, they happened to be on sale, a Radeon 9550 Xtasy AGP 128MB video card for $99, and a Double Layer Sony DVD R/RW and CD-R/RW burner for about $80. THe original desktop was on sale for $150 when I bought it. I've had this machine for about a year and a half, and it's run pretty well, for the most part. I've had my quips with it, though. I did have a system crash, and had to end up putting a new copy of XP on it, and a few months ago the CPU started acting up. It uses up CPU usage sporratically, jumping from 30% usage to sometimes 80% back and forth the whole time I have it running, which makes playing highly detailed computer games impossible. But when it wasn't doing that, it ran just fine. I have yet to track down this problem to the source, and will probably be purchasing a new computer soon. But $500 wasn't bad for a computer that I could play Half-Life 2 and Battlefield 2 on. And once I get a new computer, I'll have all these parts to fiddle around with as well.

*EDIT* Also, a note, if you DO put a new version of windows on your computer, you'll need to download the sound drivers from the manufacture's website. I don't know what the laptops run on, but the desktops run on Realtek AC97.


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## TSManager

maeH. said:


> I just purchased one of Fry's GQ laptops ($399)--Does anyone recommend buying the extended warranty ($89)? Thank you. mae


Dear maeH,
Don't buy the GQ or the extended warranty from Fry's. Here's why. 
My wife and I bought a GQ from Fry's in Tustin, CA last October for our daughter's 17th birthday to replace her old eMachine. And yes, we paid the extra $110 to cover any problems (as the salesman had promised). Last month the display started acting up (horizontal lines) and then would not boot up properly. Today I took it into the store (~23 miles) and the Technician looked at it, hooked it to an external monitor and said it must be the video driver or mother board and it would take two or three weeks to repair. By late in the day, I received a call from another person at the store that barely could speak English that told me the notebook was damaged, it could not be covered by the warranty and it would cost $400 to $600 to repair. This is unbelievable! The PC has never been dropped, never been out of my daughters room has no signs of any damage... I have had friends that have been ripped off at Fry's but I thought they would treat me fairly. I tried calling the store manager about 6 times today and he has not called me back. Tomorrow I guess I will need to pick up what is left of the PC and file small claim legal action. My advice is to stay way from the GQ and especially Fry's.
TSManager


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## gquser

gq laptop buyers should watch for stress cracks on the bottom of the screen near the hinges. watch how the screen flexes at these points when you open/close the cover. i took mine to fry's 6 mos after buying it ( i know this is more than 90 days). everybody who looked at the cracks said this was the first time he saw it. i looked at the gq displays, and they all had cracks in the same places. pointed this out to the "computer dept." supervisor who said he would talk to the "dept. manager" who would talk to gq. can you have more fun for $499? anybody else have cracks?


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## MNG0304

I must be the luckiest guy ever to buy a GQ product.

I've used the $499 ZX-5361 every single day since the purchase date of 2/24/06.

It's been used on the floor of a heavy steel manufacturing shop (lots of smoke and fine metal particles in the air). It's been transported in a semi-padded backpack in the backseat of my car. I have no chiller pad. I burn data CDs at least 3 times a week and an audio CD twice a month. After work I watch a DVD and surf simultaneously.

I put some serious stress on my laptop in 52 days.

I have no case damage, just a few scuff marks.
I have no overheating problems.
I have no discernable problems with this system outside of a sticky key which I'm too lazy to take apart the keyboard and fix.

I did replace the OEM RAM last month so I could surf and watch DVDs without having a slow system.

I must have gotten the best laptop ever from GQ, a fluke, an imposter perhaps....


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## kinkajou

I looked around forever and acutally had purchased a high configuration Dell-1505 but the layout hurt my wrists. The keyboard is far from the edge and they have these useless stereo buttons on the edge which prevents the end from being tapered instead of a curved lip. Acer has a nice design where they are rounded.The GQ has a very short distance from the edge to keyboard so even though it's not tapered, it's not an issue.
( I just started using a portable notebook stand to put the notebook at a angle when I'm viewing when out of the house). I highly recommend this as it reduces both wrist strain and neck strain.

When I went into one Frys in San Jose on Brokaw, the keyboards were all destroyed on the GQ's . 1/2 the keys were off the keypad. Honestly, how in the world would that happen unless someone did it on purpose? The salesman told me they were junk. I think the sales people took them off themselves so they could claim they are junk.
When I asked for inventory on GQ they told me they didnt have any and ignored me.
Considering how you usually have to fight them off, this was unusal.
Anyway I went next to the Sunnyvale Frys and they took care of me immediately.
The GQ ZX-3310 ($499 plus tax) also came with this neat microsoft optical mouse for free.
I haven't had it long enough to claim its problem free but the screen is very satisfactory.

I keep it in one of those neoprene sleeves when I'm not using it to prevent damage to the hinges. My last Compaq self-destructed after the hinges when. The hinges are the achillies heel of any notebook. They are like your knee joints!

I frequently go the Starbucks and Kinkos and I was kind of nervous of having a highend notebook as a target when I visit the restroom. That's why I prefer the GQ. Nobody's going to go out of their way to steal it. It's like having a junker car. There were a couple of strong arm robberies of new intel Apple notebooks in San Francisco Coffee shops. One guy was even stabbed right in the middle of the coffee shop and seriously injured so they could steal his laptop.

Anyway, when it comes out of the box 128 MB is devoted to the shared video. With 128 MB you can only run one program at a time without causing problems. However, there is a fast free work around if you dont want to buy more memory. 
1. In the display control panel knock the display down to 16 bits
2. Reboot and hit the Delete panel to get into the bios settings.
3. Go to the second menu item "Advanced"
4. Change the "UMA Display Buffer" size to 64MB (32MB causes problems I found out)
5. Hit F10 and save the settings.

You will now be able to run IE and another small App without it grinding to a halt.

Anyway I put in 1GB 400MZ of RAM from Frys in about 10 minutes and I'm not that hand. You need a small phillips screwdriver and follow the pictures in the manual. The pictures are more or less accurate but the inside looks a little different. But this does not effect the procedure. The 400MZ was $10 more than the 333 and it cost me $99 plus tax. Just offhand it seems to be more snappy.


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## JenniLove

I had the same problem a few months ago at Fry's with a GQ Laptop. It was working fine for months, then the display suddenly started to show vertical color bars and what looked like a "crack". I have never moved the laptop since I got it. Because I bought the extended warranty, I brought it into Fry's. They said it was caused by a drop, even though there was no signs of damage at all. (Because there wasn't!)

I complained to the manager, but all they said they could do was replace the LCD screen for like $400 or more. What a rip off. 

I never did anything. Never dropped. Never moved. I don't think I even touched the actual screen since there was a layer of dust on it when I brought it in.

The manager wasn't nice about it. But, the technician told me that he has seen this problem several times before with GQ laptops and that they were not replacing the screens because of the cost of replacement since it was more than the cost of the warranty. He said that apparently the company who makes it for Fry's installed the screen "too tight" and as a result many of the screens buckled or twisted because of all the pressure and the screen were damaged.

He said that when he sees a cracked screen, there is always signs of damage because the screen is so soft there is always a dent in the screen, or a crack or scrape on the case where it was dropped. Mine had neither.

I guess he was pissed off about Fry's policies when he knew what the real problem was and so should the manager.

I went to Best Buys and bought another laptop. This time a higher quality brand name machine, not like the GQ crap that is sold by Fry's.

It was bad enough that there was a problem in the manufacturing or the design. It was worse when they knew about the problem and didn't fix it under the warranty or give me my money back.

I tried to be fair and honest, and look what it got me.

I can see that my experience with Fry's is not unique.


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## kinkajou

There's no way they should get away with this.
The first thing I would do is call up the main headquarters and complain. You can get the number from any store. 

You can also submit a complaint to state agency. Call up your state information number and ask them who to complain to. If you can get them to followup, then you won't have to do the leg work yourself.
If you dont get any satisfaction take them to small claims court. 

If you want to buy an extended warranty in the future, I would buy it off the net from a third-party which insures against accidental damage and thief for about the same money per year. One such company is safeware.com.


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## k0rny

My first purchase from Fry's was in fact a GQ 6064 Desktop. I saw the ad in the paper and drove down almost immediately after. I went to the computer section of the giant store and waited a few minutes for a salesman. I told him about the ad and asked him to check to see if they had any in stock. After a few minutes of hesitation and attempts to convice me out of buying the particular pc - he ran to the stock room and brought out the new pc.

It was on sale for $299 - including a free printer and monitor after rebate. I bought this computer in the summer of 2004 and still own it today. I have never had any problems with this pc - however, the speakers, keyboard, and mouse that were included were garbage. Since the purchase date, I bought an additional stick of RAM (it came with only 128MB), upgraded the CPU (from an Athlon XP 2200+ to a XP 2800+), and added a DVD-ROM (along with the included CD-R/RW).

The OS/HD never crapped out on me, though I have done 1 re-format since I bought it. I used the restore disks that were included and easily recovered the OS as well as the software that was originally installed.

My younger sister is now using the PC for surfing the web, chatting, and games and hasn't had a problem yet.

Yesterday, I purchased a GQ ZX-3310 Laptop ($545.16 - shipped) from Outpost.com. I decided to grab another GQ because of the cheap price and the previous experience I had with GQ. I hope everything goes as well as it did from my first purchase. I will let you all know how it goes.
-k0rny


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## repo

gquser said:


> gq laptop buyers should watch for stress cracks on the bottom of the screen near the hinges. watch how the screen flexes at these points when you open/close the cover. i took mine to fry's 6 mos after buying it ( i know this is more than 90 days). everybody who looked at the cracks said this was the first time he saw it. i looked at the gq displays, and they all had cracks in the same places. pointed this out to the "computer dept." supervisor who said he would talk to the "dept. manager" who would talk to gq. can you have more fun for $499? anybody else have cracks?


Yes right now there is a tension crack on the bottom right next to the right hinge. As I am typing on this GQ laptop the display is bouncing around and so wobbly and I can't figure out how to disassemble it so I can tighten the hinge screw. I see where the hinge covers pop off but it looks like it is a one piece thing, I will have to pry up that bar where the speakers look like they are probably.

Does anyone have any experience disassembling these pieces of crap? I bought this for $599 and it has had to have the motherboard replaced twice already (good thing I got the two year service contract) and I have only had the laptop for 10 months. Four months of which it was in the Fry's service shop because, oops, they forgot about it.


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## richard951

I purchased GQ-5580 from Fry's Fountain Valley January 2006. The laptop broke down sometime end of Mar. I contacted fry's(GQ) support. They gave me a walk through, trying to recover the issue but it was unsuccessful. the support tech advised me to bring the laptop back to the original purchase location (Fry's Fountain Valley) for further diagnosis. At the Fry's store, I was shot down by the customer support team and their manager; they said that I didn't buy an extended warranty, so it is not their problem. I even have proof of the e-mail and case number of Fry's (GQ) support but they insisted that GQ is not affiliated with Fry's; how ironic, the manual book said Fry's support. They gave me the 800 number, which led me back to square one. I contact Fry's (GQ) support one more time, they told me to go to Sambyte.com for service. Sambyte.com is ECS official service provider. Even though my laptop was still in the warranty period (upon enter the serial number for varification), Sambyte.com, located in california charges $20 per incident plus $15 to ship back the unit. I e-mailed sambyte customer service but there was no reply. after waited for three week, I contacted ECS from ECSUSA.com but I was told that the laptop warranty is handled by the reseller, which is Fry's.

Law definition of Warranty - An assurance by the seller of property that the goods or property are as represented or will be as promised. (http://www.answers.com/warranty)

I don't think Fry's (GQ) warranty fits that definition. It has been about three months since the incident. I am a poor student without a cheap laptop. I am sure that I am not the only victim. I will probably consult a lawer to file a Class-Action Lawsuit against Fry's for dishonor the warranty.

Tell me what you guy thinks


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## k0rny

Ok, I've finally recieved my new GQ ZX-3310 - a little over 1 week after I ordered it. I'm actually writing this on the unit. The first thing I noticed was a exclamation on the box stating it included a free Microsoft Wireless Mouse... and it did! I pulled out all of the components and took a look at the notebook. I truly was amazed.. I didn't expect for it to look so nice. Then I found out a couple things I didn't know were included, like a 4 in 1 memory card reader, and shared ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics, and an S-Video OUT port.

I skimmed through the quickstart guide and notebook manual before I set everything up. I put in the battery, plugged in the cord, took off all the protective wrapping, and started the puppy up. Once I turned it on, I didn't even notice it WAS on... (It's SUPER quiet). Once I setup the OS and such, I tested out the wireless internet. It's not the best, but it works. I'm getting a "Very Good" signal from a room just down the hall from the router, averaging about 100-200 kb/s (apart from the 500-600 kb/s my brother gets.)

I updated windows, installed a few programs, and noticed that the computer said it only had 128MB ram (in the MY COMPUTER properties - it says it includes 256MB). After transferring some files, I restarted the unit and found, in the BIOS, that it was the graphics that was taking half of the memory. I will eventually get at least 1 stick of 512MB, but for now I turned the graphics down to 64MB - so I'll have 192MB.

After all of that, I decided to come here and write this review. Oh, 3 disks were also included - the operating system, drivers, and a software disk.

The only bad things I've experienced so far are the lack of memory, and the slow wireless. The speakers aren't the best either, but what laptop speakers are?

So far, I'm happy with my purchase. You guys will be the first to know if anything goes wrong.


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## repo

Well, I was able to fix the wobbly screen by taking the back of the screen off, removing the hinge covers and tightening the hinge screws, but while I was in there, I noticed something very disturbing, was a whole lot of broken plastic. I presume it was the washer that held tight the monitor hinge screws which is why it became loose in the first place. I am sure a little bit of lock tight will make it avoid the problem in the future. I am more concerned with the fact that I have had to have the motherboard replaced twice since I bought it in August 2005. I am not complaining much though, it gets very heavy use and was only $600. So you get what you pay for.


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## k0rny

Update

When I changed the memory size from 128mb to 192mb, the wireless picked up speeds of about 400-500 kb/s. I'm happy with that now - the range also seemed to grow, as I picked up about 2 more wireless signals from my appartment complex.

As for the sound, I found out it was 6 channel, and I could hook up 5.1 surround sound speakers to it if i wanted to. The sound is great with the headphones, but sastisfactory from just the speakers.

I think I'm getting a stick of 512mb next week and I will try out a few moderate games.


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## kinkajou

The ZX-3310 I have has rebooted/bluescreened spontenoulsy 3 times in about two weeks.. The system log indicates it's a hardware issue. Of course I have added 1gb of memory I bought at Frys so they might give me a hassle unless I took it out. Anyway that rebooting isn't an issue unless it becomes more frequent for me anyway. Of course that might be more of a problem for people writing long documents.
Since, the system only comes with a 90 day warranty I will probably buy the insurance from safeware. The advantage of the safeware insurance over any Frys extented warranty is three fold: 
1. It covers accidental damage
2. You can upgrade memory and have the upgrade covered
3. It covers thief

So you can spill coffee on it or drop it or have it stolen and still have it covered.
The quote I got was for $69. I think it's for a year of coverage a year but I'm not sure. I havent seen anything bad about safeware.


I've seen Acers at the same price points of the GQ with more features. And of course you get a years warranty from a real computer company. I like the Acer design since they have a curved lip and dont have excessive distance from the edge to the keyboard. The only thing I dislike about them is that they all have that silly glare coating.

So I don't think there/s any more reason to buy these GQs until they lower the prices even more. Just look on the web any there are plenty of cheap Acers that will make you happy.
I think the only point of these GQs from Frys viewpoint anyway is to use as an advertizement gimmick to get people to come in the store and then upsell them.


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## samac0202

I bought a GQ lab top ZX-5580 but there was no software go with it. I formatted my hard drive and there is no driver I can find anywhere. Does anyone know where to get the drivers gor ZX-5580 model


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## samac0202

I bought a GQ lab top ZX-5580 but there was no software go with it. I formatted my hard drive and there is no driver I can find anywhere. Does anyone know where to get the drivers gor ZX-5580 model


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## kinkajou

You bought it from Frys and it had no drivers?
Mine came with a driver disk and a restore disk.


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## samac0202

Mine didn't have anything. Did you get the same model


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## samac0202

Could I have a copy of the driver disk?


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## MNG0304

ECS makes the the innards of the GQ laptops and their site has the drivers online link to previous post.


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## kinkajou

No but it sounds like they took it out.
ZX3310


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## Hwattys

I bought a GQ ZX-5361A laptop for $449 on May 4 in Fishers, IN. For the price you cannot beat the specs..Sempron 2800+ DVD/CDRW 15" brightview vga screen wi-fi, etc. The first thing I noticed was that both the memory and hard drive slots are sealed. Well, I asked the salesman (after telling him he could not talk me out of this model) if it can be upgraded. He said no problem buy a laptop DDR stick and put it in there. I broke the seal and upped it from 256 (192 for Windows after the shared memory) to 512. It worked great other than the wi-fi being very weak, for about three weeks. Then it starts shutting itself off after about 10 minutes after 10-12 fast beeps. It does this in Windows or from the BIOS page. My diagnosis is a heat problem although it does not get too hot on the bottom. It will not restart unless you let it sit for about 10 minutes. I think there is a motherboard problem with the heat sensor that causes it to shut down thinking it is too hot. Also the wi-fi is now dead. All these symptoms are present with or without the memory stick (which I bought at Frys) in the expansion slot and with or without the mini-pci wi-fi card (the mini-pci slot is not sealed) . Anyway I was concerned because it had been more than 14 days and Frys makes you sign a statement that the return period on a laptop is 14 days and after that you must make a warranty claim. I have not taken it back to the store. I called the number (not toll free) in the manual. The guys there tried to be helpful but they have no authority to do anything but talk you through problems. It is a third party service, not Frys or GQ. They gave me a support website that appears to be tied to ECS somehow but it costs $35 (they want a paypal payment) in order to get an RMA. I refuse to do that because the warranty says they will fix problems for 90 days free of charge. I sent an email to fryssupport and have given notice under the Indiana Deceptive Sales Practices Act and I have heard nothing. I will not buy another GQ product based on this experience. Under Indiana law they have 30 days to contact me or I plan to sue them (I am an attorney) and I may just decide to make it a class action. By the way for those who want drivers, etc. there is a support page at http://www.fryssupport.net/


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## kinkajou

I have some experience with heat related problems as I had a 2710 compaq presario notebook before. This particular model is famous for its heatsink problems and almost every one of these notebooks developed the problem eventually. If you look on Ebay there is almost always one of these notebooks which has this problem for sale.
What happens is that because of poor construction the heatsink separates from the processor.

Of course, HP never acknowledge the problem but I heard if you took the notebook in for repair during warranty they would replace the heatsink. The problem is that the heat sink had these screws that would come off after the notebook took a pounding. Compaq/HP actually had a special kit to repair the design flaw which bascically consisted of longer 4long screws and 4 long nuts nuts to hold them on. HP eventually agreed to pay me a little amount of money to fix the problem. (You need to call the headquartes in Cupertino directly and not the Indian support lines)

They symtoms you describe with your GQ computer correspond pretty closely to the heatsink problem I had except for the beeping which I never had. Another thing you might notice is the notebook fan staying on constantly.

In my opinion there's no reason to buy these GQ machines anymore. With a little searching on the internet you can find an Acer for about the same price with more memory and which includes a year warrranty

Remember almost everybody upgrades the memory from 256MB and that will cost you about $100 plus some time if you do it yourself. So if the Acer is $100 with 512MB than you are essentially paying the same amount without the hassle of upgrading (which some people are not prepared to do themselves) the memory.

That being said, I haven't had any problems with mine yet except for it sponaneous rebooting a few times with the system log indicating a hardware error.

I can only presume that the $35 fee is some kind of shipping and handling fee for the return of the item but it is not mentioned anywhere in the warranty in the user manual. 

Even though you are an attorney, it sounds like the easiest thing you can do is just take the local Frys to small claims court. I can only imagine, that once they get served they will come around without you having to bother to go to small claims court.


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## Hwattys

That is my thought exactly except I will not use Small Claims Court. By the way, I got the 256 mb DDR333 laptop module for $23.99 at Fry's so $100 is not even close and I can pop in a memory module in about 30 seconds. I defy you to find any name brand laptop for $474 plus tax 6% in Indiana or about $505 total cash with no rebate "out the door". This laptop was intended to be used by my secretary who uses it maybe 5 or 6 times a year when we travel to trials so I did not see any need to pay any more. I just got a message saying my email to Frys Support to the address in the manual was bounced-I got a return receipt showing it delivered to their server but it never got to where anybody read it. I do plan to take it back to the store now just because I feel obligated to try everything reasonable to give them a chance to make it good before I sue. The $35 was $20 for a "diagnostic fee" (no guarantee they will even fix it) and then $15 shipping and handling. I will keep everybody posted.


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## samac0202

Thanks for all your recommendations and stories. I tired the web http://www.fryssupport.net/ but there is no driver for labtop. I tried the ECS web site but I don't know what driver is matched for my GQ.


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## kinkajou

Yes, I forgot to mention I put in 1GB of something like 440GZ which is a little more expensive than the 330GZ.

However, TigerDirect.com has some pretty good deals on acers
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1959184&CatId=1897

Acer AS3004WLCi AMD Sempron 3100+ 1.8GHz / 802.11b/g Wireless / 15.4-Inch WXGA / 512MB DDR / 60GB HDD / CDRW / DVD Combo / Windows XP Home / Notebook PC

$499 after rebate


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## kinkajou

Anybody notice that on the Outpost.com website they say the GQ laptops have a one year warranty but the manuals say 90 days?
Do you get a longer warranty if you buy it from outpost.com?


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## samac0202

Hello Kinkajou,
I download most of the drivers from ECS except modem and wireless network don't work. I wonder if you can send me the driver for the wireless. That is what I need the most.

Thanks,
Samac


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## samac0202

Hello Kinkajou,
I down load most of the driver from ECS except the modem and wireless network. Can you send me the driver for the wireless that is what I need the most.

Thanks,
Samac


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## MNG0304

GQ to ECS product translation guide -

rx-7336 : g733e
zx-5361a : 536
zx-3310 : 331

Seems that the brains behind Fry's GQ brand simply added a few letters to the front and a number behind to the ECS brand to get their "custom" designation.


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## samac0202

Are there any translation to ZX-5580?


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## MNG0304

ECS 558 here


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## Hwattys

Update. I finally started getting communications from the ECS Support people and they sent me an RMA without charging me anything. I sent the laptop off today. The bad thing is they are saying 5-10 working days after receipt for service. I am glad I am not depending on this laptop for my personal use!!. I also cleared up with them that the "warranty void" tag over the _memory slot door _ [I kid you not] is meaningless and cracking it does not affect the warranty. I had upgraded the laptop to 512 RAM the day I got it with a module I bought at Frys. I will keep everyone posted.


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## Hwattys

Update again. I got it back today. They replaced the motherboard and it is working fine. They put a new warranty seal on the memory slot and my memory chip is in there! Overall I guess I am happy. I did have to pay outbound shipping to them which I would not have had to do with a name brand laptop but the turnaround was good and with a $449 laptop I am not too unhappy. I am not sure that ordinary users (I am a lawyer and fairly tech savvy) would have had as good an outcome.


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## MNG0304

Fantastic info and very informative should anything happen to my "little mule pepe", I'm impressed with the turnaround time. My old Compaq (bought at Best Buy) took a minimum of 4 weeks per work order.

Thanks for the updates Hwattys


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## glenncof

The driver for the Raylink wireless can be accessed directly in the Ralink control panel.

www.ralinktech.com


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## richard951

Hey Hwattys,

I got similar problem. I had tried to contact ECS support, sambytes, but nothing is resolved. Can you tell me which ECS support (e-mail address or division) you contacted? I have been busy for the last three months but now have some free time to resolve this.

Thanks,
Richard
zX-5580


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## Hwattys

Yes, two emails I wound up dealing with were [email protected] and [email protected]. I started getting action when I sent them an email with a read receipt and quoted the language from the manual which says they will fix a defective item free of charge. I also quoted the state deceptive consumer sales act to them and threatened to sue unless they provided the warranty they promised. I did send all this well within 90days of purchase. I also included my unit serial number and the address of the store where I bought it and the date of purchase.


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## laurelm6

Hi, does anyone know where to get an additional adapter for the GQ ZX-3310? Also, I'd like to upgrade the ram and the processor from the stock purchase. Thank you. Fry's is not responding.


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## MNG0304

From the ECS Site



> Memory
> 
> Expansion 2 slots of 200pin SO-DIMM DDR module, 2GB total memory capacity.
> Support DDR-333/400 module


and



> AC Adapter
> 
> Input: 100-240V AC, 50-60Hz, 1.5A, Universal
> Output: 19V DC, 3.4A, 65W


Targus makes a universal adapter that appears to be within ECS specs


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## worthlessm

i just purchased a zx-3310 from www.outpost.com for 430 dollars with the tax included. i am writing this message on the laptop. it is incredibly fast, but i also installed another 512 mb of so dimm memory. it has a great graphics card, fast processor, and fairly good wireless capabilities. i will say that it's a little bit harder to connect to my home network than it is with my desktop that has a wireless usb adapter, but i think that is simply because it is set in a certain location so as to get the best connection. I would recommend this laptop to anyone who needs a cheap laptop, but one of the best quality. It is priced at 700 dollars at fry's electronics in-store. To turn the wireless in the laptop on you have to hold the wireless button in between the power button and the internet button for 3-5 seconds then release it. Overall, i havent found any downsides to this laptop, and i would recommend it to anyone.


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## Hwattys

I must be a glutton for punishment. After my first GQ came back from the shop I gave it to my secretary. It works fine except the wireless is very weak. Unless you are right on top of the access point it will not identify the ssid and will not connect. It works fine at our office and in other offices but struggles at airports, for example. I think I am going to try another mini-pci wi-fi card in it. I was just in Frys and they were blowing out their flooor models. I picked up a GQ laptop with a 1.5 ghz Centrino CPU, Intel wi-fi, etc. It is an official Centrino machine. It even has a pc card slot. It was $399 and then I got an extra 256 of memory for $20. So far, so good.


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## worthlessm

ok, ive got a quick question, how do you change the graphics memory from 128 mb to 64 mb?


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## Hwattys

Likely in the BIOS setup. Hit del or esc or f1 right before the splash screen and go into the BIOS there should be an option to set video memory use.


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## worthlessm

ok i went into the bios setup and it shows something called the UMA Frame Buffer Size [128mb] and you can change it from 128 to 64 32 and 16 megabytes, but what is the UMA and is that what im looking for to change???

p.s. if thats what im looking for... does UMA stand for universal media adapter, just for a lucky guess?


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## Hwattys

You have found it! Actually UMA means "upper memory area". See this:

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/video/overMemory-c.html


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## worthlessm

thanks hwattys, alright now ive got a new question, i believe that this laptop has a mini pci slot in it, does anyone know where i can get accessories that fit this slot? maybe a tv tuner card or a cf card reader? any help is much appreciated


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## Hwattys

You already have a built in "3-in-1" card reader. If it is not for CF then it is best to get a usb CF reader you can pick up at any camera store. They even make little ones that are like a usb memory stick except you add a CF card to make the memory on the stick. As far as a tv tuner, those are not mini-pci devices but usually pcmcia (a card slot you do not have) or, again, usb 2. Mini-pci is used primarily for wireless networking (yours will be a mini-pci wifi card), modem and wired ethernet. The mini-pci slot looks a bit like a memory slot and should be under one of the trap doors on the bottom of the laptop. Unless you can find a multi-function device, removing the mini-pci would mean giving up wi-fi. Your laptop is designed to primarily use the usb 2 ports for expansion options.


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## worthlessm

aight gotcha, thanks again


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## cate2044

I have a GQ-Desktop-Series GQ 6068A with AMD Athlon XP 1800+ and 256 mb RAM. I purchased a Black Diamond Series 1GB PC2700 333Mhz - 64x8 184pin DDR Memory from memory-up.com and just installed it. Now my computer won't go past the black screen with the Windows logo. How do I fix it? (I'm talking about my home computer. I'm using my work computer right now.)


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## Hwattys

Sounds like the memory is incompatible. You can't benefit from anything faster than DDR-266 since the Athlon XP 1800+ is a 133 mhz bus processor and Athlon XPs run best when you coordinate the system bus and memory speeds. DDR-266 is 133 x 2 (double data rate). Take the memory back and swap it for 2 x 512s of DDR-266. Your motherboard might also not support 1 gig sticks of memory and you might need a BIOS update to use them if you can at all.


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## cate2044

Thanks. Now how do I update the BIOS? I have intermediate knowledge. I know how to insert memory, sound cards, etc. I am a whiz on software. I am not so good on configuration.


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## Hwattys

Here is the support page for your computer:

http://www.fryssupport.net/gq6068a.cfm

It has a K7SOM+ 7.5A motherboard, and the BIOS downloads for it are here:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Downlo...OS&DetailDesc=K7SOM (V7.5A)&MenuID=35&LanID=0

Nothing on the BIOS pages says they are made to allow 1 gig modules of memory. I also looked at the manual and your motherboard only supports DDR-266 and no more than one gig which tells me it will only work with 512 meg modules. Sorry.


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## cate2044

Thanks! I really appreciate your help. I am going to exchange it just as you recommended. Do you know how many pins or the other specs? PC 2100 or 2700? 200 pin? Again, I am still learning about these configurations. I just ordered what the site's automated detector recommended. I am learning alot from you.


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## Dan_Ritchie

I bought a GQ zx-5363, and it had heat problems since the day I bought it. I finally measured it, and the bottom of the case was 172 degrees f.

I took the machine back to Fries to replace it, but they didn't have any in stock, but instead tried to sell me a machine that cost $200 more. While I was with the salesman, I found out that the unit I returned was already back in stock. They were trying to sell the defective machine I had just returned. I do believe that this is cause for a class action suit, because they are knowingly selling defective products, and trying to profit from the returns.
I got the machine back, because I didn't want them selling it to someone as-is, and sticking them with it. I don't know what to do at this point.


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## Dan_Ritchie

>>A class-action lawsuit for problems arising from these low-end units will only succeed if the first two items (foreknowledge of problem & desire to exploit situation based on this knowledge) are true.

I bought one of these, and it had a heat problem (probably a loose heatsink) and tried to exchange it. The salesman tried to talk me into a unit that cost $200 more. While I was still with him, I saw that the unit I returned was back in stock, so they were trying to sell a defective unit. True on both counts, and guilty as sin.


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## cate2044

Well, after many prayers and trials and tribulations, my computer is back up and running. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, feedback and support. I really appreciate it.


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## AmandaL1032

I just bought the GQ3151 and I am trying to find out the number for Tech Support. Does anyone know that?


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## k0rny

I don't know if any of you guys care at all, but its been a few months and my zx 3310 is still running like a champ. I've added an extra stick of 512MB to the 256MB stock RAM (its 640MB now -- 128MB for video).

I can play games like Counter Strike 1.6 with NO lag at all. Counter Strike: Source is playable too, but with settings set to low. Programs start up fast, can easily run a few at a time.

Everything is great and im still happy with my purchase. If anyone is scared about buying a GQ, heres what i think. If you know how to use a computer and can take care of it -- get a GQ, but if you dont know a lot, it will probably junk up and crash easy, so stay away.

Thats all for now
-k0rny


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## meow57

Does anyone know how to set the GQ ZX-5361 to start up with the wireless connection on? It just ticks me off that I have to turn it on every time. Otherwise this is a great little cheap laptop! Thanks in advance!!


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## cde9791

any1 can help i n33d new restore disks for my laptop. cant find very good support on this brand of laptop. if u have link to order 1 or if u will copy yours and send. it would be v ery helpful.


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## mclare

I am trying to troublesheet a problem with my GQ ZX-5360. The screen has gone almost entirely dark--you can barely see faint outlines of text boxes but can't see text. The brightness button won't fix it and it's not in suspend mode, the two things the manual says to check out. I've not received a response from Fry's support. Do you have any suggestions? THANKS!


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## hjl1999

I visited Fry's Fremont. Their PC show floor has two GQ desktops but none are running and without working monitors. One shows Linux and the other is Windows XP Home.

Can you tell me if these GQ PC has ATX standard full size motherboards and can easily upgrade motherboards in the future?

Is your GQ desk top fan quiet? My Dells are very noisy.

Is their Windows XP Home not a full version and cannot reinstall blank hard drives?

Can I buy the Linux PC and load my own Windows?


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## cde9791

try to reinstall video drivers


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## cde9791

do NOT buy if u can help it


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## hjl1999

Can you tell me who is the actual manufacturer of GQ desktop computers? What is their web site? How can I find out more about their computers?

We plan to buy a large lot for schools.


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## AspirinJunky

hi folks,

I have a GQ-5361A laptop, and, currently, my problems are entirely self-inflicted (coffee accident). I'm having problems finding a replacement keyboard (multiple, long hours of searches on google, ask, yahoo were fruitless, and direct inquiries to parts companies were less than helpful). 

1. does anyone know who carries parts for this line of machines?
2. or, I'm assuming that fry's rebrands machines made by another company. Is there any way to find this information, so I can try some sort of part# cross reference?

any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. 

thanks,

d...


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## jatindr

To, meow57
Yes I want to know how to turn the wireless on also I saw that you said you have to turn it on every time, how do you do that??


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## jatindr

How Do you turn on the Wireless For GQ ZX 5361?? Please someone help me


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## meow57

HI jatindr,
you push the button at the top bar just to the left of the power on button. Once the wireless connection is on it glows orange. 

I still have yet to find out if you can set this automatically to "on".

Thanks.


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## jatindr

thanks for the reply meow, i had another ques. has it happened to u that windows didnt detect the wireless card and it was not listed in the device manager. It happens to me while i'm connected and the wireless icon just disapears, and i comes back after several restarts, do u know how to fix this??


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## freebe

Kuwa-Jiji said:


> Actually, I used to work for Fry's...


A friend bought a GQ 6120 w/ XP about 6 months ago, $250 & it's worked well. They have many floppys so I added a drive today & setup CMOS for it. XP doesn't show the A drv & a boot disk does not work, I did set 1st boot to floppy. It's like the connector for the A drive is a dummy. I did try a known good drv from the old Emachine, also didn't work. Any thoughts?? Bob


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## friz

I have been thru 3 of the ZX 5362's. Had to fight the Fry's guy for the first one, but the other two they were eager to get rid of since they were refurbs. They seem to work just fine, but I wouldn't put them into heavy duty "toss it around" service.

If you want to have some fun with WiFi, get one of the Airlink AWLL 3055 USB adapters w/10db gain antenna. I can hit access points 5 blocks away. Works great for travel, most of the motels leave the networks open, some have login screens.

If I install another Wifi adapter, the internal one quits, and the software can't even revive it. 
Maybe d/l the Ralink driver might fix it, I'll try. Good info from the previous posts on ECS being the mfg, I'll check them too.

.... friz


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## a3willia

I'm hoping someone here can help me. I've had this laptop (GQ ZX 3310) for about 7 months now. Everything was great until I decided to flash the bios earlier tonight. I couldn't find anything on the fry's website for this laptop other than specs. I found this thread and discovered that ECS was the OEM manufacturer and that their model was the 331. I then flashed the bios for that laptop onto my GQ laptop. Everything went fine. I then rebooted, and now, I get this bad CMOS checsum error during the POST screen. I can get past it by pressing the F2 button to load default values, but I have to do this every time I reboot or start the computer up. Can anyone send a copy of the bios loaded on their laptop to me?I'd like to go back to an old version, which I should have saved before flashing mine.

-Adrian


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## Rick1953

Was there also an option to save the default settings in the BIOS after you reset to default values?
This may why you have to keep repeating this exercise.


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## a3willia

Well, when I go into the bios I am able to save any changes when I exit. However, I still get the checksum error when I reboot. I'm guessing that the GQ bios has an identity string attached to it, and because I no longer have a GQ bios with that string, but rather an ECS bios, it errors out. The ECS bios fixed several suspend and hibernation issues I had with the GQ bios, but the checksum error and the constant 'hit F2' on reboot thing is driving me nuts. I'd rather go back to an old ECS bios if I could get my hands on an extract of one. I just upgraded my ZX 3310 with a full 2gb of ram and a 7200 rpm hard drive, and it really flies now. I just want to fix this one thing with the bios. I should have made a backup of mine before I flashed to the ECS one....


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## tungtm06

My mom bring for me a laptop GQ ZX-5361 series and i have a problem with it.
I can not connect to the Internet by cable or wireless.  
I don't know why because in device manage of it the VGA is ok! 
I things maybe my driver has problem but i can not download on GQ home page.
I try to do by myselft but nothings better.
Some body can tell me why.
Thanks for your help!


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## beefers1

anyone ever buy the "$159" desktop as reviewed in PC magazine??


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## aarhus2004

comeaugn said:


> What experiences have people had with Fry's house brand "GQ" laptops? I bought a desktop and it worked fine.


Not a review.


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## DarqueMist

aarhus2004 said:


> Not a review.


very observant

but then .... is it really such a bad thing to ask for reviews on a specefic item / service on a review board?

oh yeah ... your comment wasn't a review


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## tunapez

I bought my ZX 5362 at Fry's a year and a half ago in Phoenix, put a 120 ard drive in and boosted it up to 1g of RAM and the only complaint until now is te internal wireless is super-weak. Now the keyboard keys h,j and - are working intermittently and I am havin a hard time findin a replacement k/b. Sambyte.com does not support this model and Fry's support is, no surprise, not very helpful. Anyone know where to get parts for this model? 

BTW, I loan this computer to clients while they wait for me to service theirs. No problems so far. Best $350 I ever spent on a computer.


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## Runge_Kutta

Has anyone every ordered a new battery for a GQ laptop? I was thinking of getting THIS, but I want to know if it is worth it, or should I save $200 for another laptop. My battery started @ 2 hours max battery life, but quickly went to 50mins, and spent most of its life between 40mins to 20mins (and now it's close to dead).

BTW, I've had my ZX-5360 for about 2+ years now (for business, code writing and compilation, and surfing) and it's still as good now as it was when I bought it. I don't think I ever got USB2 speed, though, from its usb ports; and I use an external wifi adapter, cause the onboard one is crap. Other than that (and an upgrade to 160GB drive and 1+GB of memory) this laptop does all I expect for a laptop to do.


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## packer backer

I have a GQ ZX-3310 and it appears that the motherboard is bad. Can any one tell me what the replacement motherboard and specs are or if it is even worth replacing?


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## packer backer

hjl1999,
DId you have any luck finding out information about the GQ manufacturer? I have been searching for the specs and a source to replace the motherboard on a GQ ZX-3310 laptop for about a week and can not find out any helpful information.
Thanks.


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## Runge_Kutta

For GQ notebooks, the motherboards, as far as I know, are made from ECS a.k.a "EliteGroup Computer Systems" The naming convention for the motherboard is usually very similar to the model name of the notebook (drop the zero at the end). Therefore, your zx-3310 will be the ECS g331. I'll even give you a head start by providing This Link to the manual from ECS's site. Cheers


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## packer backer

Thank you for your help. Have a good one.


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## grandpabob

I was given a GQ 536s notebook computer to use with several charity functions I work with. Unfortunately, I did not also receive the user's manual for the laptop. How do I get a copy of the user's manual?


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## lilFlip

I have a ZX-5360 that I bought from Fry's and now it will not even register that it has power. We have taken it apart and it appears that the power connection on the motherboard is transferring power. Anyone else had this issue and figured out what went wrong?

There are no burnt components that I can see with the naked eye, but this is frustrating.

Thanks in advance for any help.


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