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The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a gaming laptop that goes wherever you want it to go
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the kind of gaming system that game enthusiasts have dreamed of for years. Equipped with the state-of-the-art AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, it places lots of horsepower into its little 14-inch chassis.
And its fee is reasonable, too, beginning at $1,049 ($1,449 for the version we reviewed). It’s now no longer the best one of the first-class gaming laptops out there, it is one of the first-class laptops, period.
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 sounds nearly too true to be true: More than eleven hours of battery life, exquisite overall performance for gaming and VR, thermal control that in no way receives warm to the touch, and a layout that could each fulfill game enthusiasts and examine domestic in greater expert settings.
But it is no dream. As you’ll see in our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review, that is an exceptional gaming computer this is transportable sufficient to move everywhere, and effective sufficient to play anything. It additionally gives a number of the fine battery existence of any computer, without compromising on fashion or capability, making it one of the fine Windows laptops you could buy.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Price and configurations
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a compact 14-inch gaming pc that gives lots of energy for a greater low-cost charge than gaming fanatics would possibly expect. Starting at $1,049 and varying up to $1,999, the Zephyrus G14 presents a ton of price in its glossy little chassis.
Our evaluation unit sells for $1,449 and gives arguably the quality blend of energy and cost we have got visible for the Zephyrus G14. Outfitted with an AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor, 16GB memory, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU with 6GB of VRAM, it is a powerhouse in order to take care of maximum gaming needs with ease. With a 1TB SSD for the garage and a 1080p 120Hz display, it is also prepared for each gaming and productiveness use.
The Zephyrus G14’s entry-level model costs $1,049 and comes with a Ryzen 9-4900HS CPU and Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU. With the RAM and garage capability reduce in half (8GB and 512GB SSD standard, respectively) and you will nevertheless get a respectable gaming machine, however with the prowess supplied on higher configurations.
The $1,999 configuration appears at the top of the menu. It contains the same Ryzen 9-4900HS CPU, RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, RAM, and storage as our review model, but it sports a 1440p, 60Hz display panel. It also has some intriguing features, such as the AniMe Matrix display, which is a small LED RGB array on the lid.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: Design
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 is a work of art in terms of design. As far as gaming laptops go, it’s incredibly slim and light, packing more gaming power into its 14-inch chassis than any similar Ultrabook from the previous few years.
The compact Zephyrus G14 measures 12. eight x eight.7 x 0.7 inches and weighs the handiest 3. five pounds, making it the smallest and lightest gaming computer on the market. The computer’s slender frame is a product of inflexible magnesium and aluminum, with inflexible magnesium and aluminum applied for the chassis, deck, and lid.
However, a couple of functions have been removed from the compact design in order to reduce weight and size. The lack of a webcam is very noticeable. While the display’s thin bezels don’t allow many areas for a camera above it, there’s also no webcam beneath it or on the laptop deck. You’ll need a different camera if you wish to video chat or stream yourself playing on Twitch.
Our test tool was finished in a swish white finish with a steel silver deck, dubbed “Moonlight White” by Asus. The computer is likewise to be had in a greater modest “Eclipse Gray” design, which functions a near-black lid and deck, in addition to black keys at the keyboard.
There are many ventilation grilles around the outside edge of the chassis, which are an essential aspect of any high-performance laptop with heat-generating components within. The grilles have an angular aspect and a triangular three-dimensional form, and the design features a fashionable flourish along the back hinge edge.
The laptop’s back edge is also unique in that it features a drop hinged lid that lifts the laptop’s back end significantly when opened. This positions the keyboard at a more ergonomic angle and lifts the display slightly for better viewing.
The attractive design also adds an unexpected twist to a section of the laptop that is typically overlooked: the lid. The lid’s smooth, flat surface looks to be adorned with a pattern of dots that spans half of the lid’s surface. These dots are actually small holes, as closer scrutiny reveals.
As a result, the laptop has a unique design that is surprisingly understated for a gaming laptop. But don’t worry RGB aficionados: Asus still has blinkenlights.
While our review sample simply had the hole/dot texture across the lid, Asus now sells the Zephyrus G14 with an array of micro LED lights – dubbed the AniMe Matrix display – that illuminate each pinprick hole with RGB deliciousness. You can then make an animated marquee out of those dots, which you can further customize with text and pictures.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Ports
A variety of useful ports can be found on the laptop’s sides. Two USB 3.0 ports and a USB Type-C port are on the right. If you’re concerned about someone walking away with your soon-to-be portable gaming machine, a Kensington lock slot allows you to physically protect it.
The energy connector, an HDMI 2.0b output, and some other USB-C ports at the left offer charging for the computer in addition to DisplayPort output to a monitor. Headphones and microphones can each be used with a mixed audio jack.
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 also has Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless communication. As a result, even without an Ethernet connection, there is plenty of speed for gaming, as well as quick communication for wireless devices like mice and speakers.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Display
A 14-inch 1080p 120Hz monitor was included in our review device. While I would have preferred a higher resolution panel, Asus only offers its 1440p WQHD resolution with a lower 60Hz refresh rate, which I prefer above marginal resolution increases.
Color and brightness were both acceptable on the panel. The panel produced 117 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, somewhat better than the Dell G7 15 (114 percent) and the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (110 percent), and significantly better than the Razer Blade 15. (105 percent ).
It has a brightness of 323 nits, which beats out the Dell G7 15 (303 nits) and makes the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (275 nits) and Razer Blade 15 (275 nits) look a little dim.
I was happy to discover that brilliant neon signs shone with rich reds and greens, and shady areas were never too dark for excellent visibility, or too washed-out, as I swooped through the dark alleys of Batman’s Gotham City in Arkham Origins.
Even better, AMD FreeSync ensures a smooth and judder-free gaming experience. You might be puzzled by FreeSync’s compatibility with the G14’s Nvidia GPU, but recent Nvidia updates have enabled the two technologies to function together, and the result is buttery smooth.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Best Gaming Performance
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 is a gaming beast that packs significant muscle into its 14-inch frame, thanks to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU with 6GB of VRAM.
I did notice some fan noise as the thermal management kicked in while playing games like Batman: Arkham Origins and Doom Eternal, but it’s quieter than many other gaming laptops, and not much louder than numerous ordinary, non-gaming laptops I’ve used.
The display also takes advantage of Nvidia’s new AMD FreeSync compatibility, which allows you to play without tears with an Nvidia card and AMD-compatible screens. That means judder-free gameplay on this laptop, whether I’m brawling with gangsters in Gotham or chainsawing ghoulish villains in Doom Eternal.
The Zephyrus G14’s gaming ability was validated in our benchmark tests, with respectable frame rates in a wide selection of games at 1080p resolution and demanding settings. It’s a tribute to how much power the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU and 6GB of VRAM can pack into such a small package without overheating or becoming warm to the touch.
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 produced 49 frames per second (fps) in Shadow of the Tomb Raider when run in benchmark mode at the highest settings, matching the Dell G7 15 (49 fps with an RTX 2060 GPU) and edging ahead of the Razer Blade 15 (46 fps with a GTX 1660 Ti), while falling just a few frames short of the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (55 fps with an RTX 2060 GPU).
The Zephyrus G14 scored 87 frames per second in Hitman at Ultra settings, outperforming both the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (86 fps) and the Razer Blade 15 (80 fps), but falling short of the Dell G7 15 (80 fps) (117 fps).
But in Grand Theft Auto V, the Zephyrus G14 blew away the competition with 115 frames per second, virtually double the competition’s mid-60s frame rates, such as the Dell G7 15 (66 fps) or the Asus ROG Strix Scar III and Razer Blade 15. (64 fps for both).
The Zephyrus G14 additionally prepares you to position on a digital truth headset, score a 9. eight out of eleven withinside the SteamVR overall performance test. However, even as the gadget can play VR games, it does not outperform the competition; the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (10.3) and the Dell G7 15 (11) each scored higher.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: Performance
However, existence is not all gaming and digital reality, and the Zephyrus G14’s AMD Ryzen nine 4900HS engine and 16GB of reminiscence make it able to productiveness and media-modifying laptop as well.
I became capable of running loads of Google Chrome tabs without delay without experiencing any lag, and maximum non-gaming customers in no way even became the fanatics to maintain matters cool.
The Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 earned 30,181 factors in preferred overall performance assessments like Geekbanch 4.3, lots above common for a 14-inch laptop, in advance of each the Dell G7 15 (23,863) and the Scar III (23,196), and drastically higher than the Razer Blade 15. (19,542).
The Zephyrus barely broke a sweat during video conversion, completing a 4K-to-1080p Handbrake conversion in under 7 minutes (6:59). Even the fastest systems are slowed by this type of transcoding effort. The Dell G7 15 (8:05) came the closest at over a minute, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar III (10:34) and Razer Blade Pro (10:47) were significantly lower.
A rapid 1TB SSD contributes to the Zephyrus G14’s velocity, which replicated our 4.97GB check folder in 4. five seconds at a switching charge of 1,131 megabytes according to second (MBps). That’s two times as rapid because of the 256GB PCIe SSD/ITB HDD combination withinside the Razer Blade Pro (565. five MBps).
The G7 15’s 256GB SSD (127 MBps) and the Scar III’s 1TB SSD (525 MBps) are left withinside the dirt with the aid of using the Zephyrus G14. It’s a velocity monster even amongst non-gaming PCs, specifically whilst as compared to the Dell XPS 13 2020s 512GB SSD (627 MBps).
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Keyboard
The keyboard has a regular QWERTY layout with tiled keys and adequate spacing between the keys to better simulate the typing experience on a gaming keyboard.
Despite its reduced size, the G14 lacks an edge-to-edge keyboard, which makes typing a little tight. However, the key spacing helps to relieve this, and the key travel seems relatively deep, with a typing sensation that is acceptable.
The illumination on the keyboard, on the other hand, is abysmal. When the backlight is turned on, the translucent text on each key shines white, which is a very conventional design decision. Each letter, on the other hand, appears to be positioned right on top of the keycap post, allowing less light to pass through. Each key has a dark gloomy patch in the center of the letter because of its design.
The light silver coloring of the keys also doesn’t provide enough contrast between the illuminated letters and the light silver coloring of the keys, making them less legible when the illumination is on in all but very dark settings. This may or may not be a problem on the black-finished model, but it was on our review unit.
Another oddity on our review device was that both the “I” and adjoining “K” keys appeared to be depressed, and they wouldn’t bounce back up to their appropriate height to match the rest of the keys. I’m not sure if this was a flaw in the review device we were given, or if it was the consequence of shipping damage or previous reviews. We contacted Asus about this issue and will update this review once we have more information.
The Zephyrus G14 features a surprisingly nice touchpad, even if it isn’t used much for gaming. Even though the actual clicking depth is a little shallow, the 4.1 x 2.4-inch touchpad boasts a glassy smooth surface with clean, crisp clicks and super bright/left click differentiation. As I browsed, worked, and played on the laptop, multitouch motions and two-finger maneuvers all functioned wonderfully.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: Audio
The Zephyrus G14 boasts excellent sound and great volume for such a little laptop, thanks to a pair of 2.5-watt speakers and another pair of 0.7-watt tweeters.
I was surprised by the richness of the sound on Whitey’s “Somebody, Grab the Wheel,” whether it was the crash and pop of the drums or the massively distorted guitar and vocals. I could hear the crushing guitars and a good amount of bass on Chevelle’s “Emotional Drought,” but the vocals were clear and never got lost in the mix.
The audio processing is handled by Dolby’s Atmos technology, which powers all of the sounds. The bundled Dolby Atmos software allows you to choose from numerous preset audio settings, including Dynamic, Game, Movie, Music, and Voice, which are suited for gaming, movies, and voice-centric material. You may also use the graphical EQ options to create custom presets to fine-tune the sound to your preferences.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: Battery life
We didn’t expect the battery life to be very outstanding, given the Zephyrus G14’s gaming ability and raw power for daily productivity. After all, gaming laptops are known for their short battery life, which is frequently insufficient to go through a full day of work or school.
The Zephyrus G14, on the other hand, blew us (and the competitors) out of the water with an incredible 11 hours and 32 minutes of continuous web surfing at 150 nits screen brightness. That’s longer than the Dell G7 15 (3:12), Scar III (5:09), or even the Razer Blade 15, which has a long lifespan (5:48).
The Zephyrus G14 nearly doubles that time, providing hours and hours of battery life without the need for the plugin. That’s long enough that you can go out for the day without even needing to bring the charger.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: Heat
Despite the inclusion of substantial heat-generating components within a small metal chassis, the Zephyrus G14 remained cool.
The underbelly of the laptop reached 88 degrees Fahrenheit during our normal heat test, which entails 15 minutes of streaming full HD video. This is significantly below the 95-degree mark where we consider the heat to be uncomfortable. The topside keyboard and touchpad were cold as well, with temperatures of 82 and 74 degrees, respectively.
The laptop gets heated under a heavier load for extended periods, such as gaming for 45 minutes, but the Zephyrus G14 doesn’t seem to get the dangerously hot-to-the-touch hotspots that some gaming systems do.
Should you buy it?
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 isn’t just a terrific gaming laptop; it’s also the world’s smallest gaming laptop and has the longest-lasting battery of any gaming laptop we’ve seen. The display is incredibly stable, the audio is rich and powerful, and the G14’s AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card deliver some of the greatest performance you’ll find outside of a gaming desktop. The fact that you can have all of this for a reasonable price is also impressive.
The lack of a webcam and the rather shoddy-looking keyboard are two clear flaws in the device. However, aside from the small faults, we discovered during our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review, Asus’ latest gaming laptop is an incredibly competent and well-designed gaming laptop. It outperforms any game machine of comparable size, and frequently by a significant margin. It easily outperforms the more expensive Razer Blade Pro, as well as the nearest competitors in terms of price and portability. It’s one of the best gaming laptops ever manufactured and our favorite tiny gaming laptop.