ASUS ROG Zephyrus G (GA502) Laptop Review

1. Introduction2. CPU & Storage Performance3. 3DMark and PCMark 10 Peformance4. Gaming Performance5. Thermal and Noise Performance6. Battery Life Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

It may sound a little strange considering this is a £1249 laptop, but the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G has probably been my most highly anticipated product of the year so far. I got a first look back in April, when ASUS ROG revealed its newest laptops in New York, and now I've been using this machine for the last week to present my full review.

There's no doubt that the Zephyrus G's build quality and overall size is one of its biggest selling points. Laptops at or around this price point usually have much less of a focus on these aspects, instead going for all-out performance for best ‘bang for buck'. With the GA502, ASUS ROG is targeting the user who still wants solid gaming performance, but also wants a portable machine (it weighs just 2.1KG) with a premium look – delivered by the 19.9mm chassis thickness and brushed metal lid.

Giving that premium feel at this lower price inevitably results in compromise elsewhere. The biggest drawback is the display. It's still a fast screen, with a 120Hz refresh rate, but it is relatively dim at full brightness, while it looks distinctly flat. I was still happy to game with it, and you won't notice this just browsing the web, but there is a noticeable lack of vibrancy about the panel.

On top of that, the keyboard has a strange layout – with a half-height enter key, despite being the UK model – while the trackpad's integrated buttons feel quite spongy to click. Lastly, there is also no escaping the fact that, at full tilt, this laptop gets loud.

The core components perform well together, though. The processor is the new AMD Ryzen 7 3750H – this is the first time we've used this chip – and that sits alongside a discrete Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU. The 3750H performs a little faster than Intel's older i7-7700HQ, so it's a decent quad-core performer, but if you've become used to the higher core counts of Intel's 8th and 9th Gen mobile processors, you will have to stump up more cash for a different machine.

Gaming performance is good, however, with our tests showing AAA performance to be typically around the 60FPS mark. With older titles, or less demanding esports games, you are going to be pushing that frame rate much higher, to a point where that 120Hz panel is going to be fully utilised.

The system's cooling apparatus is also able to tame both the CPU and GPU with no problems, as we saw peak temperatures of 87C and 76C respectively – and those were worst-case figures. Clock speeds for both components were thus not thermally limited, with our CPU running at around 3.75GHz while gaming, with the GPU operating at anywhere between 1400-1600MHz depending on the title.

Lastly, battery life is another impressive area for the Zephyrus G, with the integrated Vega 10 graphics able to extend battery life well beyond what we would see if the machine only had its dedicated 1660 Ti chip. As such, we are confident the battery would last a full day of work without a charge – using the Silent profile, at least.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G GA502 has both exceeded and fallen short of my expectations. The main area of contention for me is that dull-looking display, and it may be hard to look past that if you are used to a vibrant monitor. Its other issues are more minor, however, and there is no denying the laptop offers a good level of 1080p gaming performance in a sleek and portable chassis. The excellent battery life also makes this a very realistic option if you want something to use at work or university.

For me, that makes the Zephyrus G worth buying. For the next revision, I'd like to see all of ASUS ROG's energy put into making the display better, but taken as a whole this machine is offering solid performance and a lovely design at an affordable price point.

You can buy the Zephyrus G from Overclockers UK for £1249.99 HERE.

Pros

• Well built.
• Very portable.
• Excellent battery life.
• CPU and GPU perform well.
• Cooling solution keeps core components in check.
• Healthy selection of ports, including Ethernet.
• Spare M.2 slot for storage upgrades.
• Slim bezels.

Cons

• Screen is quite dull-looking.
• Keyboard has half-height enter key.
• Trackpad's integrated buttons feel spongy.
• Loud under load.
• Only one accessible SODIMM slot.

KitGuru says: Compromises have been made to reach this price point – with the screen being the main one – but the Zephyrus G is a compelling all-round machine considering the asking price.

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