ASUS - ROG Zephyrus M16 16"165Hz Gaming Laptop-Intel Core i9-16GB DDR5 Memory-NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti-1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD - Off Black
Model: GU603ZW-M16.I93070T
SKU: 6494637
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Last year as I entered my senior year at university, and also started an internship where I was designing content for social media, including editing videos for presentations ..etc. While my Surface Laptop 3 served me well during my generals, it was meant for something other than the type of work I wanted to do. After going through several different computers, including the Dell XPS 15 with top specs and the Razer Blade 15 (2022), I settled on these two contenders. The Razer Blade 15 (2022) was great, but the screen brightness was awful. I could barely see it unless I was in a dark room. For close to 3K, I expected the device to be perfect, but the brightness and countless negative reviews had me return it. The Dell XPS 15 with Intel Core i9-12900HK and GeForce RTX™ 3060 was near perfect, from the build quality to the display. However, the I9 was too much processor for the XPS. It ran hot and hindered the performance of the device. The fans were running on full, even doing tasks such as light video editing. Had I opted for the I7 model, it might have been worth considering. After much research and the amazing experience I had with my Asus Zenbook in the early 2010s, I turned my eye to the Asus M16 with Intel Core i9-12900H 2892 and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. In July 2022, Best Buy was running a promotion, and the device cost me $1600. As someone who is not a gamer, the matte display took some getting used to, but I ended up enjoying not having a glare. The lack of a touchscreen was also forgiven once I tasted the performance. Every task I threw at the M16, it handled with ease. I thought I had finally found the right device, but the ROG X16 was suddenly available. The ROG X16 (Best Buy Version) runs an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and a GeForce RTX™ 3060 card. At the time of purchase, Aug 2022, I got it for $1900, after discounts (it was listed at $2100). Never having an AMD device, I was nervous about the type of performance I would get from the X16. It did not disappoint; like the M16, it easily handled all the tasks I was throwing at it. If you look at the photos below, you will notice that the X16 ran close to 10 degrees hotter than the M16. It wasn't a big deal for the type of tasks I was doing, such as photo and video editing. I imagine for many gamers, this might be an issue. The fans on the X16 are fairly quiet even when running at full. This is largely due to the size difference and build of the laptop itself. The X16 is thinner than the M16. Looking at CPU bench scores running on performance (no point in running GPU as the 3070 would crush the 3060 in the X16) using Geekbench. ROG FLOW X16 - Performance (default) mode Single-Core Score- 1429 Multi-Core Score- 8504 Zephryus M16 - Performance (default) mode Single-Core Score - 1453 Multi-Core Score - 8917 ROG FLOW X16 - On Turbo mode 1506 Single-Core Score 9237 Multi-Core Score Zephryus M16 - On Turbo mode 1813 Single-Core Score 13021 Multi-Core Score CONCLUSION (and which one I purchased) - I kept both laptops for close to 30 days (Best Buy says they have a 15-day return policy, but a rep told me most managers would allow you to return a big purchase such as a laptop up to 30 days). I got approval from the manager before holding on to both past the 15 days. The M16 Pros - - Better performance in Turbo mode, largely due to better cooling. - The matte display is nice when you are in traveling outside the home. - More ports M16 Cons- - The speakers were not as loud as I wanted them to be - Trackpad was not my favorite, and for typing long essays, I found my thumb touching the trackpad and moving my cursor (not fun when suddenly you are writing sentences in the middle of paragraphs you have already completed) - No touch screen made it annoying, as I use it often during video editing. - Battery life was terrible, I had to stay plugged in constantly (even in power-saving mode) X16 Pros - - Touchscreen - Brighter display - Battery life, while sub-par to other convertible laptops, is much better than the M16. - The trackpad is much better than the M16. - Fantastic build - Unique for a 16-inch gaming laptop to have a convertible 2-in-1 design. - Much more portable and travel friendly X16 Cons - - Speakers are just as bad as the M16. - Cooling doesn't compare to the M16. - Fewer ports than M16 due to the XGM port, which I have no use for (this would be a pro for gamers) I kept the ROG Flow X16, and I haven't regretted it. Easily the best laptop I have ever owned. I wanted to wait for this review until I had several months with the laptop. It is nearly six months since I originally purchased the device, and I have had zero problems. The pros for me and what I needed it for outweigh the cons. Final thought - If you are looking for a great multimedia laptop that is not Apple, the ROG Flow X16 is what you want. While designed as a "portable gaming laptop," I believe it is one of the best "creator" laptops on the market. It manages to balance portability with powerful specs without sacrificing too much power. If your primary use for the device is gaming, then the M16 is the device for you (or its AMD variant). The value + performance is unbeatable. The only comparable laptop I used was the Razer 15 (2022), and the M16 easily beat the Razer with its cooling system and much brighter display.
Posted by Parfanity
This laptop keeps up with my desktop! Desktop is a i9 12900k with a 2080ti. For the price you can't beat it I think, a similar Dell with the same specs would run about 400 more. The design is pleasing. The display works great with it being 165 hertz, especially in gaming. But there is a bit of backlight bleed on mine also, but it really doesn't bother me too much. The battery life is really not great. But I knew that before buying. When getting basically a desktop replacement laptop it is not going to have the best battery life period. They can put the biggest battery allowed by airlines and it will still not be the best when gaming. But I expected that with what the laptop is sporting! An i9 12900H and a 3070ti will suck those cells dead quick when gaming! I was disappointed in the fact that they soldered 8GB of RAM on the motherboard, so if I wanted to upgrade later I only have the 1 slot to work with so I think the most I can install will be 40 GB total. I just don't like having 2 different size GB modules in any of my machines. But that is a bit down the road as finding DDR5 RAM is hard right now, especially laptop DIMMS of DDR5. Just wished they didn't solder the one on the motherboard. But even that is not enough to drop an egg down for me. I knew that issue before I bought it so they did nothing wrong in my eyes. But I also researched it for a while before I purchased it. And the other problem is the heat it produces and the fan noise. But I think Asus should come out with a bios update hopefully that will fix some of these issues. But they did use liquid metal instead of regular thermal compound and they have clever heat piping hooked up to the CPU and GPU. But these components maxed out while gaming in such a small form factor are going to generate some heat and the fans will rev up. I've been a very loyal user of Asus for a while. I use their motherboards and monitors in my desktop and I never ran into a problem that Asus did not take care of. I do think Asus will come up with a software fix for the heat and noise. They have one m.2 slot available for a storage upgrade. I just purchased a 1TB NVMe gen 4 drive to install as a games drive. I just couldn't find in an article or video what speed that M.2 is running. But that does make for a good upgrade for people, the fact that you won't have to uninstall the main drive just to upgrade your memory when you decide to do it. I would really recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a gaming laptop that can tackle triple A games now and for a while down the road. It does have some issues but so does every other laptop I've ever owned. Before I researched this laptop I was looking at a Dell that had 11th gen i7 and a 3050. It was 500 more and when I found out about this release I researched it and never went back to Dell. Would definitely buy it again.
Posted by Nugeymf
I love it. Just it gets dirty easy and heat comes out on screen. So it runs kinda hot but for a labtop. That plays starcraft 2. On full graphics extreme on all with no lag. Same with diablo 3 and. Many others. The screen when watching videos is beautiful. The 3d stuff is still new and is bound to have alot of flaws like the new graphic cards. The 3070ti. With the i9. Is solid. Thank you best buy. The only downfall is. Battery dies fast. Runs hot fans can be loud depending on mode u set. Otherwise. The plus is. Desktop. Gameing graphics. It beats my old alienware and. 40 gb. Is plenty of ram. U can always find ways to upgrade auch as the external graphics card i dream of.
Posted by Justino
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Customers commend the ROG Zephyrus M16 for its impressive performance, stunning display, and crisp graphics. However, some users report experiencing significant fan noise and heat generation, particularly during gaming. Concerns were also raised regarding battery life and the keyboard's design. While the lightweight design is appreciated, potential buyers should consider these trade-offs.