Customers recognize the ROG Zephyrus G14 as a great entry-level gaming laptop that is portable, powerful, and reasonably priced. It offers fast performance, a great battery life, and a comfortable keyboard. However, some customers have expressed concerns about the lack of a webcam, fan noise, limited RAM information, and average display quality.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
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.
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Perfect
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Posted . Owned for more than 2 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This lapto is amazing I literally do everything with it
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Fast
Cons mentioned:
No webcam
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
New computer
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Rose Gifford
I love my Asus. It is fast which is what I wanted. The only thing missing is a camera.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Gaming
Cons mentioned:
No webcam
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly great performer at a slim price
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Now at Best Buy ($1100), this entry level, yet speedy 14-inch ASUS gaming laptop makes the most of what’s inside and shows itself to be an unexpectedly excellent performer.
Speaking of what’s inside:
“ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Laptop: Enjoy everyday gaming with this ASUS notebook PC. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS processor and 8GB of memory deliver fast and smooth performance during intensive gaming, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card renders high-quality videos for enhanced videos and games. This 14-inch Full HD ASUS notebook PC has a 512GB SSD that provides storage for all types of files.”
Let’s dissect, starting with the processor. AMD is on a roll with their Ryzen processors. The base AMD Ryzen 7 in this laptop has downright respectable performance!
“Only” 8 GB RAM may seem skimpy. Consider its job, however. The basic NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4 GB of its own onboard RAM performs what would have required not only higher performance in the AMD processor, but also more RAM dedicated to that main processor. It gets the job done well.
While on the topic of RAM, it is soldered on the motherboard. On other laptops, there might be a removable door on the laptop bottom, under which would be found the customary two modules, usually supporting up to 32 GB. While removing screws on the bottom panel will reveal a single available slot, I recommend leaving it alone on this laptop. Performance is adequate for most basic gamers and beyond. After all, this is an entry-level machine. Performance will fool you into thinking there is more power under the hood.
The matte finish display on this model looks just fine.
Sound is nothing short of amazing, owing to Dolby Atmos processing and well-designed speakers. I was in disbelief. I could have sworn there were speakers way out to the sides and behind, but there were none. Sure sounded that way. I asked a friend to sit in and listen. The reaction was as expected. A quick head shake, look to the sides, exclamation of shock and amazement. This is so much fun.
A pair of microphones is built into the top of the screen bezel.
With a 512 GB capacity SSD (Solid State Drive), there is adequate storage for more than gaming.
When opened, the design of the display hinge provides a rear lift for better keyboard approach position as well as a greater air gap underneath for more efficient cooling. Pressed into high performance operations, there will be some heat!
One feature absent on this series is a webcam. Also absent is touchscreen capability, though this is not important to me.
Battery life is specified at 10 hours, though I did not perform the requisite tests to validate battery claims. Anecdotally, it does not appear to be a power hog.
Despite my initial misgivings about 8 GB RAM, I am pleased to report that game play functions perfectly normally. Fortnite? Looks and performs just fine. Blade & Soul? Check. Nice, very nice.
The excellent gaming action enhanced by Dolby Atmos sound provides an entirely pleasing overall experience. The same can be said for the streaming video experience with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others. Nothing at all to complain about. Only praise is due here.
Everything being relative, is the action as sharp, seamless and snappy as on a high-end gaming rig feeding a wide screen, high end display? No, it is not.
However, as a multipurpose and capable gaming laptop with a $1,100 pricetag, it more than fills the bill, even considering the extra cost of an inexpensive USB webcam.
Sweet laptop, very sweet.
ASUS provides US customers with a one-year warranty.
Buy with confidence, and enjoy.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love that it’s compact and powerful
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I got it used open box so at 700 it’s perfect but I wouldn’t recommend at its original price. I like the almost all black look. Very incognito other than the gamer noise every time you turn it on. It was running hot out of the box so I went under the hood and found a mini nest in the fans. After cleaning it dropped almost 20 degrees and runs way smoother. If you can find one in decent condition and price would highly recommend.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Great Laptop design but major software issues
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I would not recommend this laptop if you expect to get a laptop and use it out of the box without major issues. From day 1, I've experienced intermittent problems with the screen randomly going black (backlight stays on) and the backlit keyboard staying lit. It could be something as trivial as browsing a web page and the screen goes black. The only way to get the screen back is to do a hard reboot by holding the power button. The AMD/NVidia GPU combo seems to have some major driver issues that as of 8/26/20 has not been fixed. This morning I experienced the problem 3x in 10 minutes. I have since upgraded to a AMD driver released on 8/26/20 and am hoping that will resolve the issues.
I've spent hours performing the following:
1. Reloading a fresh image of Windows
2. Updated the AMD/Nvidia drivers multiple times
3. Updated the BIOS
I found From a hardware perspective this laptop was exactly what I was looking for. The battery life is great and the design is top notch, but I just haven't been able to reliably use it.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from ASUS Answers
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Dear Josh,
We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the device screen going black and for the inconvenience this has caused you. This model undergoes intensive quality control testing and final inspection for both hardware and software. ASUS provides a warranty for the unit in order to fix or repair any isolated issue. This information will be passed on to our development team.
We are recommending having the unit sent in for servicing. You can have the Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) created Online by visiting our support page and selecting "service and repair", below that option please select "Create Online RMA." You also have the option to contact us directly, and we will create the RMA for you. For further assistance or if you would like to discuss this matter further, please reach out to our customer support team.
Thank you for choosing ASUS!
Best Regards, Lamoya ASUS Customer Loyalty US Support
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Versatile Gaming Laptop
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
---- Summary ----
Pros:
- Thin and lightweight
- High performance
- Long battery life
- Large and responsive touchpad
- Spacious keyboard
- Crisp and colorful display
- Great value
Cons:
- Internal fans can get loud
- No webcam
---- Review ----
Design:
Asus got me hooked on this laptop right away. Even the unboxing experience reflects the time and effort put into the design. For example, when opening the box's lid, the ROG Zephyrus G14 slowly lifts towards you as if you're being presented with your next best laptop. It also allows for easy removal from the box. Maybe it’s just me who found this cool, but what I’m getting at is the attention to detail is noticeable and appreciated. One of the first things I noticed about Zephyrus G14 is how small it is, and I mean small in a good way. Many gaming laptops are large, bulky, and heavy. Whereas, this laptop is the complete opposite. I’m reminded more of a professional work or daily use laptop than a flashy gaming laptop, and that’s right up my alley. While I do love to game, I prefer a laptop that is portable and easy to use as my daily driver. Typing on the keyboard feels comfortable since it’s at a slight angle towards you, there’s no compromise in size, and all the keys are very responsive. Additionally, they’re backlit. I also appreciate the dedicated keys for volume, microphone mute, and ROG Armoury Crate for easy access above the keyboard. The power button is above the keyboard as well, and it doubles as a fingerprint sensor. Another aspect of the design that I like is the touchpad, which is large and responsive. The only thing I’d wish for is a webcam. While I don’t use one regularly, it would be nice to have one built into the laptop, especially since I’m using it as my daily driver. Even with that minor inconvenience, I’m a big fan of the Zephyrus G14’s design. I’d even go as far as saying it’s one of the best-designed gaming laptops I’ve seen on the market.
Performance & Gaming:
I won’t bore you with a bunch of benchmark test results. If you’re into that, there’s plenty of other reviews online that can be referenced. What I’ll say is that I’ve had a phenomenal gaming and daily use experience with the Zephyrus G14. The game I’ve been playing lately, Call of Duty Warzone, exceeds my performance expectations, and I tried out a few other games as well. All have performed very well, and the display of this laptop delivers a crisp, high definition image that’s full of color. The internal fans can get loud sometimes, especially while gaming, but I don’t feel that I’ve tested enough gaming laptops to say that they’re abnormally loud or not. Fortunately, there is a “Silent” setting in the ROG Armoury Crate software that does place more of an emphasis on noise reduction, and it’s pretty effective. Although I use headphones often, the speakers on the Zephyrus G14 sound great. For a laptop of its size with just a couple of small openings for sound, I was impressed. Battery life also impressed me. I average around eight hours of battery life for normal daily use and around three hours while gaming, but I’d recommend staying connected to get the most out of the gaming experience that the Zephyrus G14 has to offer.
Verdict:
With its compact design, high performance, and long battery life, the Zephyrus G14 pushes the limits. It’s not what I’d expect from a gaming laptop, in a good way. When I envision a gaming laptop that’s also portable and well suited for daily use, I can’t think of anything better. The icing on the cake is that this laptop is a great bang for your buck. Overall, the Zephyrus G14 is an exceptional laptop for gaming and productivity.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Portable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great performance in a small form factor.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I always appreciate when a manufacturer puts some thought into how they package their devices. When you open the box, it lifts and tilts the laptop slightly to allow you to remove it. It's not much but a bit of clever box engineering, but it adds a touch of class to your first impression.
The device itself is light, but feels sturdy and premium. Unlike most "gaming" laptops (which are often full of sharp geometry and LED lighting), this goes for a bit more of an "executive" feel. Although there are "gamer" details worked into the design, they're subtle. You could easily take this with you on a buisness trip without it seeming out of place, and fire it up for some gaming action in your hotel room. The shell is made from aluminum and solid-feeling plastic, and it just feels nice to use. There's a laser-engraved "Republic of Gamers" plate on the lid that looks classy and is a nice touch.
This is the first 14" gaming laptop that I've used. I have a 15.6" MSI laptop and this feels almost infinitely more portable. I could easily throw it and it's charger into a bag and go. My MSI and it's massive power adapter need a full-size backpack to lug them around, so mostly it just sits at home.
The cooling system appears to draw air down from in front of the screen and expells it from either side of the laptop, which is probably the most effective means of laptop air cooling. In periods of extended "testing", the laptop never got uncomfortably hot, and I was able to keep it on my lap. This is the third gaming laptop I've owned, but the first that's been able to accomplish this.
The screen is super sharp to look at. I'm accustomed to looking at a 27" 4K monitor for most of my work day, and this screen has a similar pixel density (about 157ppi at 1920x1080) due to it's 14" size. I also feel that this makes games look better than you'd expect, even at lower quality settings. I felt that most games on medium settings looked great and weren't lacking for clarity or detail.
Battery life is good. Not great, but good, which is about all I've ever been able to say for a laptop, especially a gaming one. By default, the Nvidia Experience software will work it's wizardry to maximize your battery life when not plugged in. It does this by limiting FPS to 30 and overriding your game's visual settings to put them somewhere in the neighborhood of medium. It's remarkably consistent at doing this, and maintains a solid 30 fps in whatever game I seem to be playing. Plugging the laptop back in near-instantly restores your visual quality to what you had it set at. Games are still very playable, of course, but you can easily tell that they're running at 30 frames. The primary benefit to this is that you can get about 2.5 to 3 hours of gaming on battery. You can absolutely turn this function off if you want (using the Nvidia Experience software) but the hardware in this laptop eats a lot of power, and like most gaming laptops, will chew through your battery in around 45 minutes without any power-saving measures. My personal thoughts on the matter are that if I'm unable to plug the laptop in, I want the battery to last as long as possible, so I'll leave this function on.
It has two USB-A 3.1 ports and two USB-C ports, as well as a standard HDMI out and a combination headphone/mic jack. There is no webcam, which allows for a small screen bezel all the way around. I mostly mention this because webcams are basically standard laptop equipment, so if that's a dealbreaker for you, you'll have to look elsewhere. It has a fingerprint reader, which I like to use and works about as well as you'd expect a fingerprint reader to work. Sometimes it reads right away, sometimes it wants me to try again, three or four times, before it recognizes my finger.
The laptop is snappy and responsive when performing tasks like surfing the web, and while I didn't test it much in this regard, I'm sure it can handle most office productivity apps with ease.
But the most important part, of course, is how well it performs playing games. It's a gaming laptop, after all. Now, the GTX 1650 Super is an entry-level gaming solution, but it's also a good one. It's meant to handle 1080p graphics on medium to high settings at 30-60 fps, depending on the game's demands. On the surface, this is a good match for the laptop's 60Hz screen, and since 60fps is currently the gold standard for mainstream performance, that's what I'm going to target in this review.
I tested 11 games, using the the following criteria:
1. The game must run at native resolution (1920x1080)
2. Vsync must be enabled (I hate screen tearing)
3. Performance must be at or near 60fps average
All other performance based settings were negotiable, but I wanted to use presets for simplicity's sake. You can, of course, tinker with advanced settings in most games if you're the kind of person who enjoys that. Of the 11 games I tested, all were able to hit acceptably close to 60fps on at least medium settings, and most of them were able to maintain framerates higher than 45 on maxed settings at 1080p. I understand that "medium" is an unexciting term for graphical performance, but as I mentioned before, it still looks pretty darn good thanks to the pixel density of the screen, and most modern games look pretty good on medium anyway.
These are the games tested, using the critera I mentioned above, and the highest "quality" preset where 60fps could be maintained during active gameplay.
FarCry 5 - Normal Preset
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - High Preset
The Outer Worlds - Medium Preset
Yakuza Kiwami 2 - High Preset
State of Decay 2 - Ultra Preset
Doom (2016) - Ultra Preset
Nier: Automata - Medium Preset
A Plague Tale: Innocence - Medium Preset
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Ultra Preset
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - Medium Preset
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Medium Preset
Overall, I think this is a fantastic little laptop. If you're looking for something light and easily portable that screams "executive" just a little louder than it does "gamer", I don't think there are any better options than this. The whole "work" facade does unfortunately run into some trouble with it lacking a webcam, especially if "work" for you requires remote meetings under the current situation. Of course, a USB webcam is always a possibility. In terms of value, I don't think it's hard to find more powerful (albeit larger, hotter, heavier and less portable) laptops for less money, so if style and a small form factor isn't something you care about, you might be better looking at other options. If you DO like this model, there are more powerful versions of it (one with a GTX 1660 ti and another with an RTX 2060 Max-q) that may actually be a better bang for your buck if you can swing the upcharge, but this is still a very solid piece of machinery that can handle most of what you can throw at it without any problems, and I'd definitely recommend it.
I was provided this product by Asus through Best Buy's Tech Insider Network for the purpose of writing an unbiased review.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great! , if you’re getting a good deal
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is an amazing laptop, BUT this particular configuration is worth it only if you’re getting it for 800$ or below.
At its original price, I would not recommend this at all.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Performance
Cons mentioned:
Fan noise, No webcam, Ram
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
A great computer... but I returned it
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Overall, the g14 is an amazing computer. I really liked this computer, particularly the portable size and performance, but it was the lack of practical daily necessities and a defect that ultimately made me return this product. I'll breeze over some pros, since most reviewers have already covered this, and then talk more about what I thought were personal cons.
Pros:
- amazing performance in a small form (powerful CPU and understandably powerful GPU for its size). The only game I tried on it was Overwatch but it could run it at Epic settings at 70 fps and a max temp of 68C.
- MyASUS program was an easy to understand program for managing your device with lots of options like running multiple diagnosis, driver updates, and customizing your preferred battery setting ( full charge, balanced, max lifespan)
- Armory Crate. A lot of people complained about how technical or over the top this looks and it is but I appreciated how it already monitored CPU and GPU temperatures.
- Battery life. This laptop can easily last a full 8-10 hours on charge depending on what you are running.
- Dedicated active community. Not really a laptop pro but there's an active online community surrounding the G14 willing to answer questions. They have a megathread on how to setup this laptop, fix issues, and make the most out of it.
Cons with solutions:
- most people reviewed or discuss how hot the G14 runs but that is usually about the G14 with AMD ryzen 9 and a RTX 2060. Still it is recommended that you change the Boost settings from "aggressive" to "aggressive efficient" to avoid a hot laptop. Some people will tell you to disable boost, but I believe that slows down your launch time for practical application plus this weaker model already runs cooler.
- Washed out color screen. The screen may appear like there's a color distortion haze over it, especially on greens and yellows. This is actually an AMD Radeon setting called Vari-bright that can be disabled. Afterwards, colors and screen quality is great.
Personal cons: All of which I knew before buying this laptop but bothered me more than I thought it would
- 8 GB ram is the bare minimum for laptops nowadays. I originally planned on opening up this laptop and installing another 8 GB ram chip to run dual channel but had difficulties unscrewing the bottom. I stopped attempting to as I was worried I would strip the screws. This may just be due to my own inexperience
- Fan noise. This computer is never silent even with the "Silent" profile setting in Armory Crate. The fan noise isn't disturbing or loud when doing light browsing, more like a white noise that can be covered up with music. But I can see how distracting it may be in a silent environment like a library.
-No webcam. I knew this beforehand but didn't realize how much it would bug me. I need a webcam for my work and thought I would buy an external one, however, most are sold out right now and it would have been nice to have one included like most other laptop have.
Defects:
- Coil Whine. My particular laptop had a coil whine coming from the top right corner of the keyboard, it was barely louder than the fans and sounded like a high pitch dog whistle. Some people in my household could not hear it as it was that high pitch but it gave me a splitting headache while trying to do some long productive work. I tried the fixes suggested by the online community but the coil whine persisted. Ultimately why I returned this laptop,
- Backlighting. A lot of reviews mention this as a flaw, however later models such as my own (May model with L5 serial number) fixed the issue so there was even lighting across all the keys.
In the end, I returned this laptop due to the coil whine, but did not ask for an exchange due to the lack of a webcam and always audible fan noise, which bugged me more than I thought it would. I am now once again looking for a new laptop.
If you want powerful performance in a small package, don't mind the fan noise, and your work doesn't require a webcam, this is the perfect laptop for you.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gaming
Cons mentioned:
No webcam
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic laptop with a small SSD
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I fell in love with this laptop as soon as I pulled it out of the box. Not only is it a beautiful piece of hardware, it's practical as well - gaming on the go is nice but not if you're breaking your back to carry the thing around. This laptop is light, pretty, quick, and powerful all in one package. That's rare, particularly for a laptop. In fact, it's so rare that this is the first laptop I haven't been disappointed in. I've been able to play AAA games on this machine flawlessly. NieR: Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Borderlands 3 have all run extremely well. On top of that, the snappy SSD means it's great for things other than gaming as well. The laptop boots up faster than my phone, which means that in the time I've had it it's become my go-to device to pull some quick info off the internet. Speaking of which, the blazing fast WiFi capabilities of this thing put every single other device I have to shame save for the one wired computer.
There are a few flaws to it, however. Most of them are minor things - the lack of an owner's manual was off-putting to say the least as I'm pretty sure I'm still not getting everything I can out of this computer, and the fingerprint sensor is a temperamental thing that I still haven't been able to use successfully. At times it can get quite hot and the fans are loud, but that's just a fact of life. The one fatal flaw this laptop has is that the SSD it comes with, while fast, is only 500GB. That's less than my launch edition Xbox One. Even my old gaming laptop from 2013 has more storage. However, I'm prepared to forgive this because of how the laptop excels in basically every other area, and the fact that it appears to be easy to upgrade as opposed to most other laptops which tend to break if you open them.
This laptop does have a few odd quirks. For one, while it has an excellent microphone array and Dolby Atmos surround sound, there's no webcam. At least, not that I've found. I like that, but some may find it off-putting. Additionally, the fingerprint sensor isn't actually marked, and it took a bit of guesswork to find it and set it up (not that it worked anyway, but maybe my fingers are just sweaty). Also, apparently there are LEDs integrated into the lid, but if that's true I haven't the faintest idea how to set that up or make them do anything. Again, the lack of an owner's manual has been a real annoyance. Finally, the lights on this laptop are just a soft white instead of RGB like most gaming systems seem to be these days. This is a thing I really appreciate, but again may be off-putting to some.
Despite its flaws, using this laptop has been a real pleasure and I find that I've been neglecting my custom-built desktop in favor of it. *Most* things are easy to figure out about it or are self-explanatory, and the rest can be looked up online. I'd definitely consider the ROG line of computers for future purchases.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gaming
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Solid Gaming Laptop and a great value
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I picked this up for my son who is an avid gamer. The laptop was well packaged and when I took it out of the box I noticed that it was a very solid build. We turned it on and decided to limit test it by downloading 3 different launcher applications (Steam, Battle.Net and LoL client) and then followed that by downloading multiple games from each of those clients to see if the computer would have a problem, and it didn't slow down for a second.
The machine is very lightweight and easy to use. The keyboard feels good and solid. Graphics are what you'd expect for the hardware provided. The graphics are good enough to run most games you would play on a laptop and it also works perfectly for the standard laptop functionality you'd expect (hopefully my son will use it for some homework and not just gaming?).
Definitely one of the best laptops he's ever used (and he's had a number of top brands at his disposal over the years).
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life
Cons mentioned:
Fan noise
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Not for the Hardcore Gamer
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a great little laptop, just not for gaming. For a good gaming experience, you need good hardware, and the specs on this model just aren't enough. If you're a hardcore gamer though, you would know that right away just by looking at the specs. But since this is a ROG - Republic of Gamers - model, it needs to be brought up.
For testing, I decided to try out a racing game that's almost 2 years old now, Forza Horizon 4. It's a fairly demanding game, but not the newest and latest. As soon as I opened it up I got warnings that this ROG Zephyrus didn't meet the hardware requirements. It still let me start it up though, and then another warning popped up that the graphic settings had to be adjusted to "Very Low" in order to run, but it still may not be smooth. I was able to play the game in these settings, and honestly, the laptop kept up. The graphics were obviously not great being in "Very Low" settings, but I was able to drive around the open world and race no problem.
So for the serious gamer, there are better options out there. If you're NOT a gamer, or only play more casual games, then this laptop does pretty good. It handles everyday tasks no problem. Being a software developer, I spun up a server and small application and did a little bit of coding. It handled it without any issues.
Pulling this out of the box, its presented very nicely, with the laptop being lifted up as you open the lid of the box, a nice touch to be honest. Lifting it up its a solid device and seems to be built very well. The casing though (other than the outside of the lid), doesn't really have that premium look to it. But really its what's inside that counts anyway.
It's a smaller laptop so the keyboard isn't that great, but the keys have decent travel and feedback. The trackpad however is a bit stiff when it comes to clicking. I found myself wanting to connect a bluetooth mouse asap.
I did have an odd thing happen though when first using it. I plugged it in to charge for a few hours at first like the starter guide suggested. I then moved to my office, plugged it back in and all of a sudden Cortana from Windows started talking, BEFORE I even opened up the laptop! It just started up on its own, and the power button is on the inside so you can't press it without opening the lid, which I didn't do. Weird.
The power button also has a fingerprint scanner. During setup it asks you to move your finger around to get a good read of your print. Not sure how well this works though. Last couple times I powered the computer back up, it told me it couldn't read my fingerprint and forced me to use my pin to login instead.
One negative that is very noticeable is the fan. From the moment this computer is turned on, it runs. Even when the CPU usage is at 0%, it runs. When you unplug it and run off battery, it doesn't run as fast and loud, but it still always runs. Plugged in and it's annoyingly loud. As a developer I have multiple computers, my work computer runs 2 external monitors and has a LOT of programs running at any given time, yet remains silent, not the case with this computer. Turning the computer off gives you a sense of relief when you no longer have to hear the fan running.
On a very positive note though this has amazing battery life. After being charged to 100%, I unplugged it and put on some videos and threw them on a loop while I was working. After 8 hours of playing videos on battery alone, it said I still had over 2 hours of use left on the battery! All the while with the fan even running non-stop (although more silently since it was unplugged).
Overall this a great little computer. Great for everyday tasks, business use, and even as a development machine. When it comes to gaming though it's a bit lacking, but the fact that this falls under the ROG umbrella of gaming machines, it has to be mentioned.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life
Cons mentioned:
Fan noise, Ram
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Fun for most applications
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Tried a variety of games (no AAAs), Civ 6 runs excellent even far into a game, battery life is excellent, computer dissipates heat really well. The largest gripes I have about the laptop is no usb c charging, fans can get pretty loud, and the 8 GB of ram seemed to get bogged down pretty quick when trying to game with anything going on in the background. Overall, solid machine! oh side note, the packaging was really awesome :).
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Died after 3 months
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Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Laptop blue screen of death's me after 2 months. It no longas recognizes the hard drive. Now boots to bios and is essentially bricked. Before that it was great. It could play recent games on decently high quality without getting hot.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from ASUS Answers
Posted .
Dear Valued Customer,
I'm truly sorry to hear that the unit is no longer recognize the hard drive. This is absolutely not the kind of experience we want any of our customers to have. Have you tried to reset the BIOS settings? You can further explain to me at [email protected] and provide this link for reference. I'll do my best to provide a quick resolution to your case. Your feedback is important as it helps with improvements to ASUS Support channels.
Thank you for choosing ASUS! Best Regards, Jamalie, ASUS Customer Loyalty US Support
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Gaming
Cons mentioned:
Fan noise
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
incredibility fast
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
After researching for a laptop for about a month, i narrowed my options down to this. The ryzen processor is faster than intels equivalent, and more energy efficient.
Pros-
battery last about 7 hours normal use, 10 video, 3 gaming
crisp display
can run most games mid-high settings
track pad and keyboard feels great
build quality is amazing
only 3.5 pounds
Cons
back lighting isn't the greatest
fan noise is pretty loud, you can fix this by undervolting the CPU, with just a slight loss in performance
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A Sleek Multi-Purpose Laptop
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
i! I am thankful that I have the opportunity to test and evaluate this sweet machine. I am not a kid anymore and I remember when the first Acer computers I encountered back in the mid-80's and they have come a long way. I used to think Acer=cheap but not anymore.
This is a classy machine. The screen is beautiful, the keyboard has large keys and the touchpad is large, as well. The on/off switch also doubles with a fingerprint reader. The machine seems to have enough ports to accommodate most people's needs.
You can read the specs elsewhere on Best Buy's page. or even on some of the other reviews.
I got this laptop thinking it was primarily a game machine. For some, that might be true. For my purpose, it seems to be an very good home pc with some great entertainment features - specifically the video and sound hardware.
I've only had this machine a few days in my possession so I am not quite ready to call this a full review. I intend this machine to be used for video editing, slideshow presentation, web browsing, email management, and word processing.
I probably should test some games and I have been pretty much out of that loop for a while now. If someone has a suggestion, I'd be glad to know it.
Everything seems to be much better than average as a home pc. I'm sure there are more powerful specs in gaming laptops but for the price I would have no problem recommending this laptop except for the most demanding gamer.
I am writing this on August 9, 2020. I will be back at the end of the month to give my full report.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gaming, Portable
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great value!
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great starter gaming laptop! Fast and portable for gaming on the go!
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Ram
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Entry Level Gaming Laptop
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The G14 is a very highly reviewed laptop in general but usually everyone focuses on the higher end model with an RTX 2060-Maxq graphics card and in the Moonlight White color. I loved the aesthetic of that computer and really wanted it but also had an issue with the backlighting issues that was widely talked about in reviews. It also happens I didn't need a great GPU since I was focusing on a laptop for work, great battery life and high portability.
The entry level G14 here in Eclipse Gray still has a good aesthetic with the color and much better backlighting for actual use of the laptop. It has enough power to game at lower settings for some of the more demanding titles but still handle higher settings for your indie and e-sports titles. This laptop nails the key points while also having a number of benefits that are present across this product line but you get at a cheaper price point here.
I appreaciate a solid keyboard on a gaming laptop that has sufficient travel and does not feel mushy like a lot of the big name gaming laptops like the Razer blade, dell series machines, the TUF laptops and Acer's Helios 300 or Triton 500. Even though there is no ethernet port on this laptop, the included wi-fi 6 network card and even a mediocre internet connection will serve any consumer well. In general IO is great on the machine for standard use and I appreciate USB C charging that will support use of the laptop when the dedicated GPU is not being used.
Overall I highly suggest this model of the G14 for anyone on a budget and myself had luck with a Best Buy open box Geek Squad Certified unit which had not cosmetic damage and works great. After nearly a month I can say I am quite happy I returned my Razer Blade 15 Base model, despite it having better specs, as the price increase wasn't worth it and I find higher end gaming laptops as harder to justify when building a Gaming PC is such a viable option(although that is harder right now, eventually we will see higher supply again in the market for parts which are scarce right now).
If you are in the market for an entry level machine and want to have a little bit of gaming power in an overall fuctional, aesthetically pleasing package, then l recommend the Asus ROG G14 base model. I do suggest buying an 8GB stick of So-Dimm RAM to occupy the free slot as in 2020 8GB of RAM is just not sufficient even for the average consumer on a PC. Just make sure that you look around online for compatibility. In addition to anyone who purchases this laptop I suggest checking out r/ZephyrusG14 on reddit which has a number of guides to get optimal performance out of your new laptop.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
ASUS Impresses Again!
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a beastly little laptop. Phenomenal performance and absurdly long battery life (8+ hours when typing and browsing the web) in a compact and aesthetically pleasing package. Build quality is excellent and the keyboard feel is great for extended typing sessions. Was expecting the speakers to be garbage (like most laptops I've owned or tried) but they're the best sounding (and loudest) ones on any laptop I've owned so far.
If the other reviews here didn't convince you that it's an excellent machine, then take it from my experience: playing around with this laptop caused me (formerly trapped in the Apple ecosystem) to sell my Macbook Pro and finally convert over to Windows.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gaming, Portable
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great laptop for mobile PC gamers on a budget
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Posted . Owned for more than 2 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great laptop for the price runs very well. Very easy to transport. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a mobile gaming laptop on a budget