Customer Ratings & Reviews

Decent buy. Was really confused between buying a powerful gaming laptop that I can use for school also. After comprehensive research, this laptop was my ultimate choice! Performance wise, it’s not disappointing at all. Laptop does get hot like lava while gaming( I guess investing in a cooling pad would be worth it). The display is spectacular. Sound quality also excellent. It is a beast. It does slow down on me sometimes, but I guess these are machines- so they’re bound to limited tasks. G14 would have been really small for me. This is the perfect size!

Pricy but an amazing machine. Hard to compare it to competitors by just numbers. Yeah, larger heavier laptops will perform better with the same specs, but you wont notice that in game. At the moment there seems to be a "glitch"? making the cpu perform better if set in optimus. Highest time spy score was a bit over 17000. Ridiculous numbers for a gaming ultrabook. For best results, until possible updates fix this strange interaction- -optimus display mode -gsync in full screen only -I use ghelper and disable asus background services (look in "extra" on ghelper, turn them back on if you want to check for updates through myasus) just having those services running seemed to drop cpu time spy score back into mid 11000s -cpu boost efficient aggressive -150/250 overclock on gpu (set in armory crate or ghelper) cpu score in time spy went from 11300-11600 to 12300-12800+ IMO having to have such specific settings to get the best performance is odd... considering they don't seem to have anything to do with each other. but that's the secret sauce for now until it gets addressed. 10/10 though. definitely recommend if you have the funds.

Expensive but well worth it. Everything about it is awesome. Well worth the money and $1000 cheaper than the Blade 16 oled with the same specs. Also, the 4090 has a TGP of 125 watts. I Set the world record in time spy for the time being. See attached pic.

I have got the laptop for a solid month now and coming from a MacBook Pro for 10+ years, this is everything I hoped for in a windows laptop. Insanely powerful plugged in, excellent battery life on Eco + Silent Mode using GHelper (7h to 9h), no fan noise and gorgeous display and build quality. Can't recommend it enough. As for gaming, getting 70+FPS on max settings for Alan Wake 2 in one of the most demanding areas (Coffe World) at QHD and Frame Gen says everything you need to know.

Throughly impressed straight out of the box. The sleek look was something im not used to in a gaming laptop. This slim machine packs more hardware than my older gaming laptop. It was a very nice upgrade and this laptop has more than enough power and memory to run all of my games in my current gaming library. The storage was another reason I purchased this machine. I had to have all of my games on an external hard drive with my previous laptop so its nice not to worry about carrying around extra storage.

Excellent laptop, Beautiful design, truly adds a professional design to a real powerhouse laptop. With some minor tweaks I've passed 13 hours of battery and no noticable performance loss. Worth the price for what you get, design matters more than I thought

It exceeded my expectations and has the power to do both gaming and work assignments. The best feature has to be the amazing oled screen!

The PC works very well, it is fast and the performance is excellent

What a great laptop... Thin, Light, but Ppowerful. (Score run in turbo mode, might be higher if you manual, but noise gonna be too loud. )

Bought an open box, only has a 1TB drive, not 2TB. Did someone pull a fast one? Will return oh well…

This is a beast of a computer. It’s packed with top-tier specs yet doesn’t look like a spaceship with RGB everywhere, so you can use it in the boardroom or your basement and it won’t look out of place. This is my first Asus PC and so far, I’m impressed. The build quality is outstanding. The case itself feels premium, which is always a good first impression. I’m glad to see gaming PCs are finally moving away from plastic, and Asus did it right with this machine. Fan vents downward at the back vents...fine, but make sure you pay attention to the surface you have the computer on. On both sides are pretty standard, consisting of a power, HDMI, USB-C//Thunderbolt, USB-A, headphone jack on the left, SD reader, USB-A, USB-C//Thunderbolt on the right. You can charge using USB-PD, so if you forget your power supply, you can charge it with a high-power USB-C charger. There are no ports on the rear except for lots of vents (more on that later). It’s a sleek design and the diagonal LED on the lid is fine…you can turn it off or have it do patterns, etc. I don’t ever see it, so I don’t care, but if you want to customize the pattern, you can. These lid lights are pure white and not RGB. I consider that a good thing. You can lift the lid with a single finger without the base popping a wheelie. This adds no actual functionality, but it’s a nice testament to the engineers at Asus. The keyboard, while crisp and quiet, is above average, but it’s no Thinkpad keyboard. The trackpad is large, glass and accurate, if not a little too big. I am getting too many accidental presses and mouse motion due to the trackpad size...there isn't really anywhere to rest your wrists since the trackpad takes up so much space. Hopefully Asus' palm-rejection software can be improved in the future. The display is as jaw-dropping, as you'd expect. It's very bright and is essentially a flawless OLED panel. The resolution is perfect for the size. I have no complaints about the screen whatsoever. It’s not a touch-screen, but that’s a good thing on a gaming laptop. The speakers were a pleasant surprise; they are seriously 90% as good as the MacBook Pro 16" speakers, which are amazingly full from highs to lows. I've owned a few other gaming laptops in the past and all of them had the typical tinny sounding speakers that nobody likes. These are legit and I'd feel confident saying they will likely impress you too. It has the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor along with Nvidia RTX 4090. Needless to say, the gaming performance is impressive. Every game I’ve tried looks and runs smooth. Remember the rear vents I mentioned earlier? Well, in order to eliminate hot air blowing out of the sides and back of the computer, the fans blow back and down out of the rear vents. It does a nice job of hiding the blasting hot air when gaming, but you have to be careful about what surface you have it sitting on. I have a plastic desk mat and I didn’t realize the hot air was blowing directly on the desk surface, so much so that the heat warped my plastic mat! I can see it being actually painful to use on your lap, so you may want to get a desk laptop cooler or pad so it raises up, lowering the temperature of the heat that’s blasting your desk. Overall, I’m very happy with it. Gaming is solid, the audio is impressive, and the OLED screen is amazing. If I were to give it a score out of 10, I’d comfortably put it at an 8/10. The rear downward blowing vents are kind of a bummer since I think the more logical way to expel heat is straight out the back and rear sides. I do see why they designed it like that, however, as the physical profile/footprint of this computer is really nice looking. It’s definitely an expensive laptop, but if you want the best, it’s worth the price, IMO.

I think you would be hard pressed to find a better gaming laptop that is currently on the market. This laptop is absolutely stacked with features, including some that aren't readily available anywhere else, like the OLED screen. The screen is truly impressive. With its native resolution of 2560x1600, it's very sharp, but being an OLED screen, the contrast, color reproduction and viewing angles all benefit and far surpass its competition. Then, you add the ability to use up to 240Hz refresh rates, and you can see how special this laptop is already. Using the screen is an absolute pleasure. This combined with the performance and design, makes this laptop an equally good choice for creatives. As someone who's daily work uses Adobe's suite of products (Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, Illustrator), along with 3D rendering software which includes Blender and other tools, gaming machines are often the best machines to use for my variety of work. It's refreshing to see a laptop that is clearly a gaming laptop in spec and capability, but its design makes it welcome for professional use too. The color reproduction also helps in this area, as the screen has very accurate color. The outer casing of the laptop looks sleek, the slash is a subtle, and nice touch. The lighting can be disabled if you find it distracting. It doesn't gather lots of fingerprints either. Its weight isn't overly heavy either. ASUS has managed to check nearly every possible box. Of course, I also do a lot of gaming, and the laptop does not disappoint here either. I have ran benchmarks in some of the more demanding games, or ones that have good benchmarking tools so I could share my results. Needless to say, this laptop handled everything I threw at it without much trouble. I'll start with probably one of the most demanding tests, Cyberpunk 2077. Using its Overdrive Ray Tracing mode will bring many machines to their knees. If you're playing using the OLED screen on the laptop at 2160x1600 resolution, you can easily get 60 FPS utilizing Nvidia's frame generation. As I often game on my TV or Monitor. I connected the laptop to those to push it harder at 4k for most of my testing. Cyberpunk, still using its overdrive ray tracing and ultra settings was able to run at 45-50 FPS, which is truly impressive. When using a VRR display, this makes for a very playable and incredible looking experience. This was by far the hardest test for this laptop, and I'd say it was a huge win. With minor tweaks, you could be running at 60 FPS easily. Or if you're using the laptop's OLED screen, you wouldn't have to do any tweaks and just play it maxed out. Other games were easily maxed out as well. Forza Horizon 5 is another game I like to use for testing, since its benchmark tool usually shows any weak points as well. Forza Horizon 5 was a locked 60 FPS at 4K. I imagine you could easily run at higher framerates on the laptop's screen as well. I also tested using Gears 5. It's a bit older game, but it has a great benchmarking tool, and it helps to show just how well this laptop performs. It easily pushed 60 FPS at 4k with every setting maxed. I'm positive it could push higher framerates too. I also wanted to mention that all these tests were utilizing ASUS's Armory Crate software to dial in the performance of the laptop. I used the "Ultimate" GPU setting and the "Performance" CPU setting. You could likely squeeze out even more performance by switching the CPU to use the "Turbo" setting. I liked to keep the laptop on the "Performance" setting, since the fan didn't have to work as hard while using the "Performance" setting. This laptop has the capability to be your gaming machine for quite some time. If you are in the market for a high-end gaming or creative laptop, this laptop easily handles both. Its performance combined with an incredible OLED screen make it an easy choice. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into the design of this laptop as well. While you can charge using a USB, that won't quite provide enough power if you're trying to game on it as well. Using the included charger will allow you fully utilize the machine, and while it may seem like a minor feature, it's one that I really like. The plug for the laptop is reversible, sort of a like a USB 3 cable. There's no fumbling trying to figure out which way to plug it in. My only minor complaint is that there is no ethernet port. Not a deal breaker, since you could use a USB hub to utilize one, but it would be nice to have on the laptop itself. Pros: Incredible Performance, Beautiful Screen, Well Designed, Good Battery Life, Compact and lightweight for a gaming laptop Cons: No built in ethernet port

The new ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 has been much anticipated and I was watching the tech world with the first hands on during CES2024. I watched as many of those first glance videos as I could and it didn’t take long for me to decide that I had to get one. The form factor shaved off a bit of thickness and weight from previous year models and I was never a huge fan of all the LEDs on the top of the screen lid so the more subtle slash is much more appealing making this laptop something I would even take to a business meeting and after hours get my game on. The specs are outstanding. Sporting the newest Intel Ultra 9 CPU and a RTX4090 GPU gives it a ton of horsepower under the lid. Add 32GB of DDR5 ram and a 2TB NVME SSD you are tacking on some serious memory and storage. While the memory is soldered in as a compromise to get the thinner profile it does help offset that with an extra NVME slot so you can add additional storage for more gaming fun. The OLED screen is super crisp and the high refresh rate make for a super sharp display. I did run into a bit of tearing while watching Youtube videos at full screen but upgrading to the latest drivers corrected most of that. With HDR enabled the colors pop! While playing Tom Clancy’s Division 2, my favorite FPS game for years, with graphic settings at High and Ultra for most everything I got a wide variety of frame rates. They jumped all over the place but never below 60 frames per second while mostly running around 75-120 depending on the complexity of the graphics. I did notice a bit of performance throttling but all within expectations. When I connected to a 34” ultrawide monitor via HDMI while playing Division 2 I noticed that the frame rate held to only 60 frames per second, constantly. With same settings as before… High, Very High and Ultra High graphics. It wouldn’t budge above 61 FPS. Game play was smooth but somehow I expected more from a RTX4090. I’ll have to dig further to see if there are any settings I can make to the hardware to unleash the potential. I didn’t time battery life but gaming isn’t something I’d do on battery power. I’ll take the power brick with me for gaming but even my CAD workstation can’t go untethered for too long. Now for some of the not so good… fan noise during game play got pretty loud. It was noticeable and if not playing with a headset it my become annoying. The one thing that bothered me most was the temperatures. The fans were doing their best to keep the temps down and I can live with some of the fan noise but the thing that bothered me most was the skin temps. Either side of the keyboard and the space between the keyboard and the screen were too hot to touch with temps on that section between the keyboard and screen running at a high of 133 deg F, give or take a few decimals of degrees. Underneath the temps were pretty high too so it might be that the laptop isn’t really ready to be a laptop but a more like a very portable workstation. Once I exited the game temps dropped pretty quickly to around 100 deg F so just a tad over normal body temps. To help with the temps down I had to break out a tabletop laptop cooler which did help some but the cooler is not something I’d toss in my laptop bag. An observation of why temps might be so high with the lid open. As the lid comes up it partially blocks the heatpipe fan exhaust port that runs across the rear of the laptop. Maybe it just redirects it down more but it does seem to create an airflow restriction in my opinion. I did notice temps drop just a slight bit while playing with an external monitor and lid closed… but only slightly so this may not be as big of a deal as I would suspect. The price tag is a bit steep but you pay for the specs and performance and it’s actually competitively priced against similar spec’d units by the other guys. I’m a huge ASUS fan and always recommend laptops and components to my friends and family. Other than the temps and the somewhat disappointing frame rates (with acceptable game play) considering this is a 4090 I think ASUS is continuing to prove they are leaders of the pack. Hopefully new drivers will help with temps and frame rates.

For computer enthusiasts, most will recognize that top end hardware will naturally come with a significant cost. Naturally, the absolute best computer will always disregard price in favor of cutting-edge performance. Without budget restrictions, the performance should be impressive. Thus, as a part of the ROG line of products, the recently released Asus Zephyrus GU605M aims to provide top end performance, while preserving a compact package. Furthermore, the GU605M features an Intel Ultra 9 185H processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 4090 GPU, 32GB of DDR5-7467 MHz, and a 2 TB PCIe 4.0 M2 SSD. Thus, with top end hardware, I was excited to see how the new GU605 performs in real world scenarios. For the physical aspects, the aluminum based GU605 is exquisite to look at and hold. The body is smooth to the touch and has impeccable craftsmanship. The GU605 clocks in around 4lbs in weight, which is quite shocking considering the hardware it houses. On the left side of the unit, the GU605 features a proprietary reversable connection for the included 240W AC adapter. In addition, the unit features an HDMI 2.1b, a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB 3.2 Gen ports, a USB 3.2 Type-C port, and lastly a full speed UHS-II SD card reader. Another interesting aspect of the GU605 is the charging and hardware activity LEDs have been moved to the front. On the top of the display is the new slash design with customizable patterns; however, the LED is limited to only white. Moving on, the GU605 features an amazing OLED display that is capable of 240 Hz and has a response time of 0.2ms. The glossy finish looks exquisite with the all-aluminum body. Overall, I think most will be pleased the various connectivity options presented here. Before moving on to my performance benchmarks, I would like to mention that as with any piece of electronic equipment, you are going to have to configure a few settings on your own. In addition, my results listed here may be different from your own, though I tried to preserve as close to a stock experience as I could. As for my changes, I prevented the display and hard drive from clicking off and disabled all the startup executables except the Asus ones. All my tests were done plugged up with its AC adapter. In addition, the turbo profile found in the included Armoury Crate software was used; best performance was also selected in the Windows control panel. I also went ahead and let Window finish all of its updates before I began. Lastly, for monitoring I used a combination of CPU-Z 2.09, GPU-Z 2.57, HW Monitor 1.52, HW Info 7.68, CrystalMark 8.0.4c and Fraps 3.59. Starting of my benchmarks, I decided to focus on CPU performance and wanted to see how it compared to my other laptops. Using CPU 2.09, I noted the performances below: Ultra 9 185H - Single: 786.6/ Multi: 9,139.9 (16 Cores / 22 Threads) I7-12700H - Single: 731.0/ Multi: 7,844.7 (14 Cores / 20 Threads) I7-1360P - Single: 761.7/ Multi: 6,227.7 (12 Cores / 16 Threads) For my second CPU test, I went ahead and ran Cinebench R23 and compared it once again to my previous computers: Ultra 9 185H - Single: 1,826/ Multi: 19,717 (16 Cores / 22 Threads) I7-12700H - Single: 1,761/ Multi: 15,901 (14 Cores / 20 Threads) I7-1360P - Single: 1,875 / Multi: 11,102 (12 Cores / 16 Threads) Switching to my game test, I decided to test Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016). I ran the game using the very high preset and disabled the film grain and DLSS. The render was set to DX11 and anti-aliasing was set to SSAA 2x. The display was set to the maximum resolution of 2560x1600 and the refresh rate was set to 240Hz. V-Sync was disabled. As soon as the game begin, the 4090 kicked in high gear holding a resounding 75-80 fps. Once the mountain gave way, I dipped right around 60 fps. If you move your character around, naturally the FPS increases dramatically anywhere from the low 70s-130s. Once you get inside the cave, the fps holds more consistently around 80-90 fps. If you increase the SSAA to 4x, the FPS tanks quite a bit; in some instances, dropping into the low 40s. Considering how intense this portion is on the GPU, I was quite impressed. As for the GPU/CPU, both hovered around 80C and continued to fluctuated accordingly. On GPU-Z, average board power consumption was around 73 watts for the whole game duration. For the whole system, HW Info, reported around 130 watts. Lastly, I ran the in-game benchmark for you to compare with your system (see attached screenshot). Moving on, I wanted to benchmark the various storage aspects of the new GU605, first starting with the internal drive. According to HW Info, the GU605 includes a 2 TB SK Hynix PC801 SSD (Model: HFS002TEJ9X101N). Using CrystalMark 8.0.4c, the results are as follows: Sequential Read Q8T1: 7,098.69 MB/s / Sequential Write Q8T1: 6,461.79 MB/s Sequential Read 4K Q1T1: 67.17 MB/s / Sequential Write 4K Q1T: 147.98 MB/s In addition, I wanted to test this drive with my Crucial X10 Pro using the Thunderbolt 4 port to see how it would handle an intensive transfer. I sent a 34 GB music folder that houses 6,041 files and 1,276 folders. Once I sent the transfer to the Hynix drive, the transfer exploded up to around 700-800 MB/s. As expected, the transfer was so fast that it barely had time to stretch it legs, but eventually it cracked past the 1.08 GB/s towards the last 10-15 seconds. It was finished in less than a minute. The X10 results are as follows: Sequential Read Q8T1: 2,038.33 MB/s / Sequential Write Q8T1: 1,803.66 MB/s Sequential Read 4K Q1T1: 27.98 MB/s / Sequential Write 4K Q1T: 80.42 MB/s Lastly, I was extremely excited that the GU605 comes with a UHS-II SD card reader. I grabbed my Sony Tough G UHS-II 32 GB SD card and sent a mixture of RAW and JPG images to the Hynix drive. The total transfer consisted of 851 files and was 14 GB in size. The transfer was more consistent than expected, as it hovered anywhere from 165-187 MB/s. It spent most of its time around 175 MB/s and finished in a little over a minute. Lastly, I took CrystalMark and capture the SD card results below: Sequential Read Q8T1: 278.45 MB/s / Sequential Write Q8T1: 186.94 MB/s Sequential Read 4K Q1T1: 9.82 MB/s / Sequential Write 4K Q1T: 3.39 MB/s Next, I would like to highlight is the speakers. As somewhat of an audio enthusiast, I was completely shocked at how loud these speakers get. With four speakers and two tweeters, it certainly packs a punch. In a word, this thing destroys my Yoga 9i which has an amazing soundbar for its size. Listening to my FLAC collection, I was quite surprised at the level bass it was able to reproduce, yet still remaining clear. These are the loudest speaker I have personally heard on a laptop. Lastly, I would like to share a few of my observations I noticed while testing the new GU605. Overall, the performance is extremely good as expected with a top end model. However, one thing that I was a bit concerned with was the thermal levels as naturally top end hardware will generate lots of heat. Due to its slim profile, the GU605M idles extremely warm, especially when connected to the AC adapter. Once the Ultra 9 takes off, you are looking idle temperatures anywhere from the 60-70C range while it adjusts its frequencies. Furthermore, even after a cold and boot and on the windows preset within the Armoury Crate software, the CPU hits 60C frequently; occasionally it spikes well into the 70s-80s. Naturally, on battery it is a bit better as it cannot boost as much but, nonetheless, I advise you to pay attention to the temperatures. The good news is that you can manually adjust the PL1 and PL2 states within the Armoury Crate software by selecting manual mode accordingly (PL1 is 80w and PL2 is 100w by default for AC power). In addition, you can also disable some of the P-Cores/E-Cores to curve the excessive heat further. While the software itself feels a bit clunky, it was nevertheless nice to able to control these hardware aspects to customize your hardware. The second thing that I wanted to mention is that I wish the OS installation was less bloated. With just the software alone that was included, the GU605M boots at almost 20% of its 32 GB filled. There are tons of ASUS executables that can be disabled, but as you would expect they are all intertwined with the Armoury Crate software. With a model of this caliber, I wish they would have opted for 64 GB of RAM and that the software was only limited to a few startup executables. Granted, since this model is only targeting enthusiasts, chances are high that most will know how to customization/format the Windows installation. Connectively, I also wish this came with a professional copy of the OS as opposed to the home edition, but nonetheless that can be easily fixed. In conclusion, the GU605M performs exactly as a top model should. Out of the box, it is extremely fast and posts some impressive CPU and GPU scores. The top-notch display and excellent speakers are also a huge plus. Personally, I was extremely impressed with the storage scores, especially the UHS-II SD card reader. The audio was also well implemented; the speakers are loud and clear. However, despite the top end hardware, the GU605 is not without some mild concerns, most notably its excessive idle heat and bloated install. Overall, if you are looking for a top model, the GU605M will certainly check every performance metric box you are hoping to fulfill; just be aware of the concerns that I have listed above.

If you understand what you’re purchasing, you’re going to be happy with this laptop’s features. It’s a very powerful laptop with the latest Intel CPU and NVIDIA graphics card. It can handle all types of demanding tasks from video editing to serious gaming. However, it’s designed with portability in mind by being housed in a lightweight, thin, and high-quality chassis. These features do slightly limit the processing power of the computer, but for many, the trade-off is well worth it. What you’re essentially getting here is a MacBook Pro competitor in looks, quality, and performance, but with the added benefit of high-end gaming. It’s perfect for someone who travels a lot and wants the benefit of both worlds: thin and light, and very powerful. Like I mentioned, I think it is very important to understand the capabilities of this laptop. First, this system comes with an Intel Core Ultra Processor. This is different than a regular Intel Core Processor (sans the Ultra). While a regular 14th generation Intel Core Processor is designed for higher power (measured in TDP), the same generation Intel Core Ultra processor is designed with slightly less power for more efficiency (longer lasting battery), solid performance, and the introduction of new AI processing units; a perfect combination for on-the-go computing. And like the processor, the GPU within this computer also operates with a slightly lower processing power (measured in TGP). The GPU is part of NVIDIA’s Max-Q design. Max-Q GPUs can run demanding, high-resolution games too. Their design allows a powerful GPU to be placed in thinner computers by providing appropriate heat management. This usually means the computer can operate with less noise from the internal fans. Hopefully with this understanding of CPU and GPU differences, you can determine if this PC is perfect for your needs or wants. To be clear, this laptop can still game with the best of them. It provides great FPS (frames per second) at high settings, depending on the game. For example, while playing Fortnite, with DLSS on, and high-quality settings applied, I was getting about 180 FPS. When dialing down the settings a little, I was getting well over 250 FPS. These are strong numbers for such a thin and light laptop. Even when I plugged in my 32-inch QHD (2560x1440 pixels) external monitor, the laptop stayed around 120 FPS using high quality settings. This is still very good given all the factors previously mentioned. I found it also important to understand the CPU and GPU settings and how to use them. If anything, these suggestions are more like tips I’ve learned after spending some time with this laptop. If you want to get the most out of gaming, it’s best to know the difference between the settings in ASUS’s system control software, know as Amory Crate, versus NVIDIA’s separate settings in NVIDIA Control Panel. The beauty of this laptop is that it has a MUX switch. A MUX switch is a setting within the computer that allows you to control which GPU is running the laptop’s display. When you’re doing regular tasks like web browsing, it’s best to use the integrated graphics built into the Intel chip. However, when you’re gaming you definitely want the computer to use the discrete graphics card, the NVIDIA RTX 4090. While the former offers power efficiency, the latter offers full power. This is where things can get confusing. Amory Crate offers the ability to change between four GPU modes: Ultimate, Standard, Eco, and Optimized. You can switch to the Ultimate GPU mode, but you’ll have to restart the computer. Afterwards, all your programs, including games, will run on the more powerful GPU. Being able to switch GPU modes is part of the MUX switch feature. However, NVIDIA separately introduced a better way to utilize the MUX switch. Instead of manually changing it in Armory Crate, you can choose a setting in NVIDIA’s Control Panel that will automatically switch between GPUs without the need to restart the computer. This feature is known as Advanced Optimus. And just like everything with computers, don’t get Advanced Optimus confused with Optimus. As you can see in one of my pics, you’ll want to go into NVIDIA’s Control Panel, select Manage Display Mode, and choose the Automatic Select option. This will take care of the switching of GPUs for you. It will recognize when a resource intensive game is starting, and the computer will make the switch automatically to the discrete GPU (see Fortnite pic as an example). With this feature enabled in NVIDIA’s Control Panel, there isn’t a need to do the switching within Amory Crate. It’s best to leave the GPU mode in Amory Crate to Standard. The only time you would want to use Amory Crate’s Ultimate Mode is if you don’t ever want to utilize the internal GPU. This will effectively shut off the internal GPU and everything will run on the discrete GPU. However, this will consume a lot more power and unnecessarily add to your electricity bill, albeit a small amount. So essentially, you have two methods to accomplish the same goal. And since this laptop has the new Advanced Optimus feature, there isn’t a need to choose anything other than the Automatically Select option within NVIDIA’s Control Panel. Other tips to be noted. For better gaming performance, within Amory Crate, run the CPU mode in the Turbo setting with the power supply plugged in. This will cause the fans to run louder, but if you have a headset on while gaming, you will not notice it. If the fan noise is a concern, you can choose the Performance setting. The fans will not be as loud, but you’ll lose a little computing power. And finally, when you’re doing everyday tasks, use the Silent mode for hardly any noise at all (see pic). Another important tip, if you connect an external monitor via USB, be sure to use the USB-C port on the right side of the computer (the side with the SD card reader). Through testing, I found that this port is connected directly to the discrete GPU. If you use the USB-C port on the left side, it only connects to the internal GPU. And when you’re gaming, you’ll want to be utilizing the power of the discrete RTX 4090 GPU, especially if your external monitor supports G-SYNC. If you’re using an HDMI cable, there’s no issue here, the HDMI plug is connected to the discrete GPU. In my case, I needed to use the USB-C port because I was using a specific 8K USB-C to display port cable when connecting my external monitor. As for the laptop’s screen, the internal display automatically switches to the discrete GPU when gaming begins (if the Advanced Optimus option is seleted) (see pic). This allows the laptop to utilize the 240 Hz refresh rate as well as the G-SYNC features built into the OLED display: a first of a kind feature. This is the first time G-SYNC has been coupled with an OLED display on a laptop. Another nice feature of this computer. The OLED display itself is beautiful. Like I mentioned earlier, this computer rivals a MacBook Pro. The colors on this display are accurate and the contrast is amazing. Blacks are truly black. My eyes needed to get used to the fine granular detail between different shades of white. Something I never noticed with an LCD display before. And when gaming, the ability to see better in darker scenes is a nice plus too. I would recommend this laptop to someone that doesn’t want to carry a larger and heavier gaming laptop around. This can work for a student that carries their laptop from place to place, but also wants strong gaming performance. Or this laptop can work for a professional that wants a powerful computer to handle their workload, but also needs something for travel. If you are looking for the most powerful laptop out there, you’ll probably want to look at thicker laptops that allow for powerful fans and heavy cooling. However, if this model and design suits your needs, you will get a lot out of this Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics card. This is the best CPU and GPU available today. In addition, the 32 GB of RAM will future proof this system for a few years. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard and is not upgradeable, but this is another tradeoff that is necessary for a thin, light, and easy to carry laptop. Overall, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little on performance for the benefit of portability, this laptop is a good choice.

I’m not prone to gush over everything but MAN if this isn’t the sweetest laptop to have ever hit the market, I don’t know what is. Notice I didn’t say best gaming laptop, but just laptop. This thing is the Holy Grail of laptops: light(ish), powerful, beautiful (both laptop and screen), and did I mention powerful? ASUS really did an outstanding job here in upgrading the Zephyrus G16. Let me run through some of the highlights for me: Screen: The 2.5k OLED screen is absolutely gorgeous for both games and photo editing, not to mention just watching streaming services. The colors are bright, vibrant, and the blacks are oh so inky. I’ve watched a few of the more technical reviews of the G16 and it would seem that ASUS has done quite a feat of screen engineering to get an OLED screen to have such a high refresh rate with VRR. I don’t completely understand the technical aspects but I can see the results with absolutely butter-smooth graphics. Trackpad: You could play a game of baseball on a field the size of this trackpad! Not really, but it is absolutely huge and super silky to use. Quick, responsive, and precise. Also doesn’t look like a fingerprint crime scene after use. Easily the nicest trackpad I’ve had the pleasure to use. Style: ASUS made some nice style and finish changes to the G16 that put it in the upper echelons of laptops. The solid aluminum chassis and the new hinge give the laptop a sharp, sophisticated, and sturdy design. I don’t particularly care about the lid light-up ‘slash’ but I think it looks sharp even turned off. While I appreciated the ‘lift’ effect of the previous Zephyrus, I did NOT like the blowing of the vents straight up the screen and into my face. When open this Zephyrus is a solidly rooted device that doesn’t budge when typing or gaming. It also looks good in business/school situations where you don’t want garish LEDs and such flashing. Powerful: The Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 16GB of VRAM on the 4090 just make this thing SLAY at pretty much anything you throw at it. I know that some reviewers were slamming ASUS for throwing in the 4090 when G16 can’t supply it enough power to really max it out, but what that overhead does give you for non-gaming needs can’t be over-stated. I’m not a computer hardware engineer but to me it does not feel like ASUS just threw that in here to boost the price, it feels like it’s there to provide the processing power to match not just some of the best gaming PCs but also the best productivity ones as well. I’ve attached some Cinemark 2024 scores to show how the G16 holds up. Power Brick: A lot of times the power brick for a laptop is a necessary evil and on some recent gaming laptops, they have been absolutely MASSIVE. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled the 240w brick out and it was as small as some power bricks were YEARS ago. I have to think that ASUS is using some of the GaN architecture to reduce the size and heat produced by this thing. Some may also dislike the proprietary plug, but it is nice in that it is easily flippable like a USB-C plug but can actually handle the throughput, unlike the USB-C cables. Sound: The Zephyrus G16 ROCKS! The six-speaker set up on this baby actually puts out not only LOUD but also GENUINELY GOOD sound. It can even kick some bass! Music, movies, and games all sound outstanding on the G16. Home theater quality, of course not, but I would not feel jilted at all curling up with this on the couch to watch the latest blockbuster movie. Also, while talking about sound, I would be remiss if I did not talk about the impact of the cooling system. While this thing can definitely ramp up the fan/air noise when the CPU/GPU are cranking, I was surprised at just how controlled and relatively ‘mellow’ that sound was. Armory Crate: Still my favorite ‘Command Center’ software of any gaming PC maker and the iteration here is top notch. Tons of information and controls at your fingertips. Battery Life: The 90 WH battery in this thing is very good and can keep you running for a while. I was unable to actually ‘stress test’ it because I was having some issues with booting up games and they were only opening up when on mains. Weird but I think it is a setting that I messed up, not ASUS. I have a few (remarkably very few) quibbles with the Zephyrus G16. Wish it had a bit more clearance underneath for air flow. Even though I haven’t had an issue yet, it kinda weirds me out having the bottom of the laptop so flush with the desk. Also, I don’t like that when I do try to power the laptop via high-powered USB-C, there is an annoying whine. I’m trying to track down the reason for that. It’s only an issue because I have an external battery specifically designed to power a beast like this when out and about and this will make using it a bit of a pain. But that’s really it. I have yet to run into a problem that wasn’t the software’s fault (looking at you Xbox GamePass Ultimate - which BTW you get three months of free with the laptop, but I have been unable to use it because it refuses to see me as logged in, not the fault of ASUS). For me, until the ‘Fruit’ Company can make a MB Pro a viable gaming rig (they are at least trying now), This is the best laptop on the market today for anyone who has the money. It slays both as a gaming rig AND as a productivity machine, and is sharp looking while doing it.

I've been looking forward to the new Zephyrus G16 since it was announced at CES earlier this year. At first glance, it appears to be the equivalent of a MacBook Pro in the form of a Windows laptop. I also own a 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro model), so for the past week, I've been able to use them both side-by-side and see the good and bad of both machines. Bottom line: the Zephyrus G16 is a beautiful and powerful machine that will satisfy both creators and gamers, but it comes with some very notable tradeoffs including heat, fan noise, performance, and some areas of questionable build quality. === DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY (4 Stars) === - This G16 model is the "Eclipse Gray" color which I personally prefer over the other "Platinum White" color. The color is a bit darker than a Space Gray MacBook Pro. It does attract a few fingerprints, but they wipe away very easily. - Unlike every other ROG laptop I've used, this body of this new G16 is almost entirely aluminum, which gives it a very premium feeling. There is hardly any plastic to be found outside of the keyboard. Notably, the edge of the laptop near the trackpad is rounded, so there are no sharp edges that will cut into wrists while typing. - The laptop measures 13.9" wide by 9.7" deep, and just over a half inch thick. This model weighs about 4.3 pounds. If you've ever held or used a modern 16" MacBook Pro, you will know what to expect -- the dimensions of the G16 are almost identical. - There are a decent number of ports available. On the left, there's the new "ASUS Slim" power port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, a USB-A 3.2 port, and 3.5mm jack. On the right, there's a full size UHS II SD card reader, another USB-A 3.2 port, and a USB-C 3.2 port. There is no Ethernet port on this laptop. - For its 2024 models, ASUS introduced its new, proprietary "ASUS Slim" power port. I like that the plug is reversible similar to USB-C, but I was hoping that ASUS would also be able to reduce the size of the actual power brick. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. The included 240W power brick is still pretty bulky, and you'll need to find room for it in your bag if you want to get the most power out of this laptop while traveling. You can also power and charge the laptop via USB-C, but the laptop can only draw up to 100W of power via USB-C, which will limit performance. - The new “Slash Lighting” array on the cover is neat, but I’m indifferent towards it. You can select tons of different flashing patterns, but when you’re using the laptop, you can’t actually see the lights. But if you’re a fan of minimalist decorative lighting, you’ll like the new Slash light. - There are a couple of things about the G16's build quality that concern me. First, the hinge of the display does not feel very tight. As such, the display is a bit wobbly when it is touched. If you pick up the laptop while it is open, there is a very good chance that the display will fall further backwards due to the looseness of the hinge. Secondly, there are significant "creaking" and "popping" noises that come from the machine's bottom cover whenever there is any amount of pressure applied to the bottom of the laptop. In day-to-day use, the issue is most noticeable when using the laptop on my lap or picking it up to move it. The simple movements of my lap or changes in pressure to the bottom cover when moving the laptop are enough to cause very audible creaking/popping/flexing noises. I've tried tightening the screws on the bottom cover and I've made sure that the bottom cover is properly seated. But the noises persist, and it can definitely be annoying. I attempted to contact ASUS about these build quality issues before I posted this review, but I did not receive a response. === DISPLAY, KEYBOARD, TRACKPAD, & AUDIO (5 Stars) === - The star of this laptop is unquestionably the beautiful 16:10 2560x1600 OLED display. I thought the 16” MacBook Pro had reached the pinnacle of laptop displays, but I was wrong. The OLED panel in the G16 is a sight to behold with perfect black levels and rich, deep colors. Viewing angles are perfect from every direction. While only rated for 500 nits, the display gets eye-searingly bright. The 240Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC support mean that games look incredibly smooth with no tearing or choppiness. Creators and gamers alike will love this OLED panel, I’m sure. - The keyboard seems similar to past ROG Zephyrus laptops that I’ve used. Keys have 1.7mm of travel and the key caps are very large and nicely spaced. The keyboard is RGB-lit, though the entire keyboard can only display one color at a time (there are not multiple RGB zones to control). - The trackpad is among the best I’ve ever used on a Windows laptop. It is very large and made of smooth glass. It appears to be a 16:10 aspect ratio to match the laptop’s display. Gestures work perfectly. My only complaint is that the trackpad is not haptic like the one on a MacBook Pro. Rather, the G16 trackpad is a traditional “diving board” mechanism that is easily pressed at the bottom but can’t be pressed at the top. It would be nice if the entire surface was clickable like a MacBook. - Likewise, the speakers are probably the best I’ve used in any Windows laptop. They are just a small step below the quality of the 16” MacBook Pro speakers. Bass is rich and deep and there is practically no distortion at higher volumes. === PERFORMANCE, COOLING, & UPGRADES (4 Stars) === - The Intel Core Ultra 9 processor is powerful, but it’s a significant step down from the Core i9 processors offered in other ROG laptops. Intel’s Ultra processors are designed for thin and light laptops to minimize heat and maximize battery life. As such, there are some performance compromises. In TimeSpy, the highest CPU score I was able to achieve was 11,939, which is about 15% lower than a Core i9-13900H. - The following benchmarks were conducted with the “Turbo” setting selected in ASUS Armoury Crate: Time Spy benchmark: 16,424 (graphics score 17,874). The Last of Us Part1 (High preset, DLSS set to Quality): 70 fps average. God of War (Ultra preset; DLSS Quality): 87 fps average. Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing ultra, DLSS Quality & frame gen): 90 fps average. Dead Space (Ultra preset, DLSS Quality): 88 fps average. So yes, you run practically any game at high or ultra settings. - Compared to other laptops with the same specs, these benchmarks are a bit lower. This is mainly due to the lower-powered RTX 4090 in the G16, which can only draw a maximum of 115W. Other, thicker laptops with a 4080 or 4090 can draw more power and deliver better performance. I didn’t get a chance to test a 4080 model of the G16, but I have to imagine the performance difference between the 4080 and 4090 in these G16 models is minimal. - When under full load, this is probably the hottest laptop I’ve ever used. If you touch the bottom of the laptop or the area right above the keyboard while gaming, you might regret it. No joke: it’s like touching a hot stove top. I saw the CPU get as hot as 93 degrees Celsius, while the GPU seems to top out at a more reasonable 80 degrees. But the thin form factor and aluminum design of the G16 make for a VERY hot laptop. - Similarly, if you get annoyed by fan noise, this is NOT the laptop for you. The fans aren’t very noticeable when doing simple tasks such as web browsing or light photo editing. But once you set the laptop to “Turbo” mode and start gaming or doing more intense creative tasks, you’d better grab a pair of headphones: the fans get as loud as 49 to 50 dB, and the fan noise is relatively high-pitched. I am still playing around with the fan curves in the Armoury Crate “manual” mode to find a good balance of performance and fan noise. - Battery life is decent for such a thin and powerful machine, but it’s going to be LARGELY dependent on how you use this laptop. I was able to get about 6 hours of use with standard web browsing and day-to-day tasks (screen at half brightness). I decided to really test the battery’s limits by playing The Last of Us on Performance mode – and the battery was dead within 1 hour. So if you want to game while traveling, don’t forget the power adapter. - The included 2 TB SSD offers tons of space and is very fast, with read speeds upwards of 7,000 MB/s and write speeds of 6,500 MB/s. There is one extra M.2 slot if you want to add more storage. - 32GB of DDR5 RAM are soldered onto the board. As such, you can’t add or upgrade the RAM, so I’m glad ASUS decided to include 32GB rather than 16GB. The RAM clock speed is 7500 MHz. === SOFTWARE AND OTHER THOUGHTS === - There is a decent 1080p webcam (Windows Hello-capable) on the bezel above the screen. It’s not the best quality but gets the job done. This is a big improvement compared to the unreliable fingerprint readers in older ASUS models. - The included Wi-Fi card is capable of Wi-Fi 6E. I was hoping ASUS would include a Wi-Fi 7 card as that technology is is rolling out very rapidly. - The ASUS Armoury Crate and MyASUS apps are essential for tweaking the performance and cooling of this laptop and performing updates, but they just seem bloated and confusing, with basic options hidden behind layers of menus. === OVERALL === The Zephyrus G16 aims to please both creators and gamers with its sleek design, stunning OLED display, and powerful performance. However, it also has some major drawbacks, such as excessive heat, loud fan noise, and lower performance compared to other laptops with similar specs. Additionally, some aspects of the build quality, such as excessive heat, loud fan noise, and lower performance compared to other laptops with similar specs. Additionally, some aspects of the build quality, such as the loose hinge and the creaky bottom cover, may annoy some users and detract from the premium feeling of the laptop. Overall, the Zephyrus G16 is a beautiful and capable machine, but it comes with some tradeoffs that may not be worth it for everyone.

This is an incredible machine and Asus has done an excellent job bringing this product to market. Initial impressions right after unboxing are that this will be a quality laptop, on par with MacBooks. The feel of the case, the responsiveness of the keys, and the sharpness of the display all satisfy the reason to buy this. However, it is the lasting effect that defines a product, and there are a few considerations to be made before pulling the trigger. Before we jump into the hardware, let's talk about the laptop itself. It is incredible how slim it is and yet still be able to house such powerful hardware. The design is essentially like a MacBook, and it's all aluminum chassis makes it super lightweight and rigid at the same time. There is no flex when typing nor will your arms get sore since the edges have been rounded off. Once again, the keys feel very responsive and bounces back with a lot of force. As far as I am concerned, this is the best laptop keyboard I have used. FN key choices are, well, not the best in my opinion. Why do we need a snipping key when there is already a windows default hotkey for it? At least you have four customizable buttons at the top so not a real big loss. I/O ports are fantastic, they give you everything you need. I am tired of having only usb-c ports and carrying dongles everywhere. Another nice to have is you can still charge through the usb-c, just don't expect to have full charging as with the adapter. The screen gets extremely bright and is especially useful for editing photos. Speakers have full sound and can be fine tuned through the Dolby Atmos app. Overall, there is not really anything bad to say, it's a joy to use when either gaming or working. That being said, the hardware seems to be a mismatch for this laptop. There are many complaints about fan noise and it holds true. Even on silent mode, the fan still kicks in a little. If you are bothered by fan noise in the slightest, this is not the laptop for you. The 4090, an incredible GPU, even after having it's voltage cut to fit this laptop it can still perform. The 185H processor, on paper looks like it can do it all. What is noticeable is this laptop will thermal throttle all the time. Any application that uses CPU and GPU together, you can basically say goodbye to your CPU. It seems all the power is given priority to the GPU and the CPU will dip below 40 watts. That being said, sometimes it feels as if the CPU just hasn't been configured correctly. I have tested trying to give the GPU little power and CPU more power, and yet it still drops below 40 watts when gaming. On the silent profile, it is wildly inconsistent where the speed will drop to 300 Mhz, making it impossible to game. Now that does not mean this laptop cannot game; it will still hand down beat the 4080 variant every time. But you may notice your frames dip every now and then because of the CPU. To wrap this up, I have mixed feelings about the laptop. If bought specifically for gaming on the go, this is a disappointment when the 4080 variant is a much better value. However for specific use cases where the 4090 is utilized more effectively, it is very nicely packaged in a slim profile. You can argue that this is the best you can get for the form it's in, and the form is nearly flawless.

I recently purchased the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 from Best Buy, and it has exceeded all my expectations. Here's a breakdown of my experience: **Performance:** With the Intel Core Ultra 9 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, this laptop is an absolute powerhouse. Whether I'm gaming, streaming, or working on resource-intensive tasks, it handles everything with ease. The 32GB LPDDR5X RAM ensures smooth multitasking, and the 2TB SSD provides ample storage space for all my games and files. **Display:** The 16" OLED display is simply stunning. The 240Hz refresh rate is perfect for fast-paced gaming, delivering buttery-smooth visuals. The colors are vibrant, and the contrast is deep, making both gaming and media consumption incredibly immersive. The Eclipse Gray finish adds a sleek, premium touch to the overall design. **Build Quality:** The build quality is top-notch. The laptop feels solid and well-constructed. It's also surprisingly lightweight and portable for a gaming laptop with such powerful specs. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the RGB lighting adds a cool aesthetic without being too flashy. **Thermals and Battery Life:** The cooling system is effective, keeping the laptop cool even during extended gaming sessions. Battery life is decent for a gaming laptop, though it's best enjoyed when plugged in to fully utilize its capabilities. **Overall:** If you're looking for a high-performance gaming laptop with a stunning display and excellent build quality, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is an excellent choice. It’s pricey, but considering the specs and performance, it's well worth the investment for serious gamers and power users.

I bought an Asus gaming laptop years ago and absolutely loved it, so I was excited to test this one. The first thing that stands out about this laptop is how thin and light it is; it doesn’t even look like a gaming machine. The aluminum frame gives the unit a solid, premium feel, but I believe the aluminum is primarily for heat dissipation (more on that later). For its size, the laptop has an adequate number of ports; 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A and HDMI, as well a headphone jack and SD slot. That number of ports in a laptop this size is very nice. The power adapter uses a rectangular connector which is a bit odd, but to be honest it might have been required because of how thin the machine is. Upon startup, it is apparent that the OLED display is one of the main selling points; it’s bright, crisp… basically gorgeous. The speakers are mounted on either side of the keyboard and do a good job of immersing you in the sounds of a game, although I’m sure most people will play with a headset. The touchpad is sandwiched between the bottom of the keyboard and the very edge of the frame. The keyboard itself is quite nice; the keys are very responsive and feel great, however, I have large hands, and although I don’t feel like my hands are cramped when using the keyboard, for some reason I find myself dragging a thumb across the touchpad quite often. The keyboard lighting can be controlled via the Armoury Crate app, but I usually just set this and forget it. Overall, the physical appearance and build of the laptop are impressive, especially when you realize what Asus has packed into the unit. Regarding actual game play on this laptop, I was really interested in seeing how long the battery lasted, and as I thought, even with moderately ‘excessive’ in-game graphics settings, the battery lasted around 1-1.5 hours, so prepare to have it plugged in and on a surface that will allow maximum heat dissipation, especially for longer gaming sessions, because it does get hot. The fans are noticeable while working to keep everything as cool as possible, especially under heavy load, but they’re not annoying, at least in my opinion. The unit has easily handled the games I regularly play, maintaining 70-100+ fps even on an external 4k display. However, you are not going to be placing this machine on your lap, or any other surface that doesn’t allow complete unobstructed airflow to the bottom intake vents. I used a tiltable wire mesh stand to elevate the laptop and I was still watching the CPU temp spike (2-3 secs) to 93-94 Celsius when playing certain games. The GPU temps stayed well under that, hovering around 60-70 Celsius under load, but the CPU temps do seem to cause some throttling at times. The case also becomes quite hot on the bottom and above the keyboard… I’m not sure I’d label it as ‘blistering’, but you’re going to feel it. I also noticed that when the lid is open, the display obstructs the exhaust ports. It doesn’t completely cover them, but the farther the lid is opened, the more it obstructs. I contacted Asus and received the following: “When the lid is in the open position it doesn’t obstruct the airflow of the exhaust on the rear. There's also ventilation on the bottom of the rear to support the rear exhaust. You can use the built-in application to measure the temperatures of the notebook. 120 Fahrenheit (48.8889 Celsius) is great when under load anything more than 212 Fahrenheit you may want to allow the system to cool down.” I reached out to Asus again to see if they were referring to the GPU or CPU temps, but as of yet, I haven’t heard back from them… I assume they are referring to GPU temps, which is not what I was concerned about. Maybe the obstruction isn’t considered a problem, but I’ve watched the CPU temp climb 1-2 Celsius (using the Armoury Crate app) by moving the lid from about 30 degrees to fully opened. Overall, I do believe this laptop is a solid gaming machine, although I’m concerned about the heat and its long term effects on the components over time. The cost is high, but it’s comparable to other brands with similar specs. This laptop is very light and compact, and the display is absolutely incredible, making it perfect for someone on-the-go. So if you’re in the market for a high-end ultra-portable gaming laptop, this machine might be a good fit for you… just know that it’s going to run hotter than what you’re used to (at least that was my experience).