For desktop gamers, AMD’s 3D V-Cache die has proven to not only have a considerable advantage over the competition when it comes to gaming, but within AMD’s own product line, it even beats it in most games Flagship 7950X. That means 16 cores, 32 threads and up to 128MB of cache in the laptop.
But while the use of 3D V-Cache is the main focus, the rest of the machine isn’t entirely lacking. Our test build featured an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D CPU, 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, 32GB DDR5 memory, and a 1TB NVMe drive. There are two M.2 slots, and I would prefer a Raid 0 solution or a larger drive since games take up a lot of storage space these days. As usual, Asus has found that high-end machines require Windows 11 Pro, so that’s always good. One could argue that at this point in time, Gen6 rather than Gen5 NVMe drives should be viable, but honestly it’s not worth spending the money on a laptop because the performance gains for day-to-day use are ineffective in my opinion .
The design is nice, very standard, very industrial, my only gripe is the huge chin bezel on the screen. The keyboard is a chick type, with full per-key RGB, and is built to match the light strip surrounding the computer case. The keyboard is pretty standard, but not impressive at this price point.
The display is a 17.3-inch 240Hz QHD, 100% DCI-P3, with G-Sync and 3ms response time. There’s no mention of the exact display type, it says “IPS-like”, which is a bit like claiming I have an “athlete’s” body – which isn’t outright lying, but I’m also not telling the complete and honest truth. For a computer that will cost you over €5,000 locally, this may seem a bit strange, especially considering that models in the ROG series feature Asus’ own Nebula IPS with MiniLED backlighting. The display definitely left me wanting more natural, vibrant colors, and a little more brightness. If I don’t get 4K resolution, I at least want great color and high brightness at this premium price point.
Here is an ad:
For cooling there’s liquid metal thermal paste from the well-known brand Thermal Grizzly – although I don’t understand why it only works on the GPU and not the CPU. Although 225 watts is a lot of power, we only measured 45 dB of noise in Turbo mode. Four fans are used to exhaust hot air but are combined with the Vapor Chamber solution. The CPU does get toasty at 85.6 degrees, but, seeing as most laptops we test at Gameactor hit 95+ degrees, anything below 86 degrees is actually pretty good. The idle temperature is 57.5 degrees. The GPU stayed 47 degrees cooler at idle and only reached 68.2 degrees under full load, which is impressive.
The computer is “only” 3kg, but that doesn’t include the healthy power brick which I forgot to weigh before sending the machine back, but I’d say it’s less than a kilo. Battery life is rated at 3.5 hours, which may increase if the battery is at maximum legal capacity rather than just 90 Whrs.
Connectivity is as expected, with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, audio port, HDMI 2.1, 2.5G LAN and plenty of USB options, including two USB-C with DisplayPort, one of which even supports power delivery. The speakers are good, but not great.
Here is an ad:
Now, for the benchmark:
3D Benchmark
Solar bracket: 96756
Time spy limit: 2476
Speed mode: 5636
Port Royal: 13461
Cyberpunk 2077
1080p: 167.65 / Ray Tracing Ultra: 115.1
1440p: 111.03 / Ray Traced Ultra: 94.29
Total War： Warhammer III
1080p：163.14
1440p：115.4
Red Dead Redemption 2
1080p：154.5
1440p：123.75
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
1080p：156.0
1440p：191.0
Far Cry 6
1080p：164.0
1440p：182.0
The Division 2
1080p：173.0
1440p：198.0
So, should you buy one? Okay, the price is steep, but you do get the most powerful GPU and CPU combo available, combined with really reliable cooling, and all the features you’d expect from a modern gaming computer. The display could be better, 4K to be honest, but it seems like the industry is still just dipping its toes in the water.
