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The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 lineup has been making its rounds for a great few years now and despite the slight detour that the model took final yr with the AMD Benefit Version model of it, the model is undoubtedly again on monitor with this yr’s iteration of the 14-incher.
Armed with the most recent Ryzen 7000 Sequence cellular CPU and a modest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Sequence discrete GPU, we’re going to search out out if ASUS has maintained the established order or dropped the ball on this yr’s G14 fully.
Specification
Design And Performance
So far as aesthetics and the outside of the G14 2023 go, I can let you know that ASUS hasn’t veered off-tangent within the design division within the slightest. Like final yr’s mannequin, the unit I’ve in my possession proper now appears equivalent to its predecessor however in fact, there are some modifications performed to the internals and different parts. For starters, the show on this mannequin can boast ASUS’ ROG Nebula panel, which is the model’s personal means of claiming “It is a Mini LED show panel and it additionally helps HDR”.
AniMeMatrix or Mini LED. Decide one.
The AniMeMatrix panel on the rear of the laptop computer remains to be there however the dangerous information is that you could’t have each the gorgeous dazzling array of lights on the again and the attractive Mini LED show on the entrance. ASUS’ rationalization to us was pretty easy: due to the restrictions of expertise proper now, having each panels put in onto the G14 2023 wouldn’t enhance its general weight, it could bodily balloon the general measurement of the panel. So, within the curiosity of area and weight-saving, the model had no alternative however to do what it has at the moment performed with the lineup. Personally, I can forego the LED panel within the rear, particularly in favour of a brighter, extra premium Mini LED panel.
On a small word, the Mini LED show has additionally been given a slight replace in its refresh price over its predecessor, up from 120Hz to 165Hz.
There may be some sliver of fine information to this story, although. ASUS says that it’ll clear up this twin panel difficulty by subsequent yr and that subsequent yr’s mannequin of the Zephyrus G14 will showcase a laptop computer that includes each the AniMeMatrix LED panel and ROG Nebula show, with none compromise to the integrity of the show.
Shifting on, being a 14-incher implies that area is at all times going to be a key criterion with the design of G14 2023 and once more, that could be a issue that hasn’t modified both. In comparison with its larger 15-inch and 16-inch Zephyrus brethren, you solely get a restricted variety of USB-A and USB-C ports on either side of the laptop computer. Likewise, beneath the hood, the RAM that’s beneath the hood is soldered, whilst you’re solely going to search out one PCIe Gen4 SSD slot, which you’ll discover is already populated by the primary SSD drive.
Hinge designs just like the Ergolift are timeless.
Like all ROG Zephyrus laptops, the G14 2023 makes full use of the Ergolift hinge that elevates the laptop computer’s base at an angle, permitting it air to be sucked in from the underside and exhausted by way of the edges. All through my use of it, the rubber ft on the base of the hinges aren’t as flimsy as those by myself older G15; they haven’t torn off from put on and tear, and I haven’t been pressured to take tremendous glue to them, but.
The trackpad on the G14 2023 stays good and vast, and feels stable sufficient that consecutive clicks don’t really feel hole. For that matter, the keyboard additionally stays a cross between linear with just a bit little bit of tactility, so your fingers received’t really feel so fatigued over extended durations of typing.
Efficiency And Battery Life
One of many finer promoting factors of the G14 lineup was that regardless of how onerous you push it, the ferocity of the cooling system was loud however by no means overly aggressive. In that spirit, the G14 2023 sounds very composed, even once I’m operating probably the most intensive AAA titles on my checklist.
Actually talking, the RTX 4060 and Ryzen 9 7940HS inside that is greater than lots; titles like Cyberpunk 2077 are capable of maintain a median framerate of 45 fps on the laptop computer’s default decision, and that’s with the trail tracing and Rat Reconstruction enabled. Different titles, similar to Starfield operating at its highest graphics preset and with FSR2 enabled, can keep a median of 35 fps which, once more, isn’t too shabby, however drop stated graphics down a notch, and the typical body price bumps up by 20 fps, and that’s in environments with plenty of textures and materials.
Due to the Mini LED show, battery life takes a really slight hit. I nonetheless handle to eke out near 10 hours of utilization on a day-to-day use case, however there are days once I see the laptop computer battery really drain rapidly, lasting solely round 4 hours, tops. And this is because of the truth that I used to be unable to scale back the display’s brightness and in correspondence, its refresh price too.
As for why that is, I narrowed the difficulty down nearing the tip of the evaluate interval, to a really peculiar downside with the G14 2023, the place a bug – presumably brought on by Armoury Crate – utterly disables the laptop computer’s capability to edit the show’s brightness ranges. Which means that, regardless of how I attempted, the default brightness of the LED show was at all times caught on the most degree. Finally, I took probably the most drastic of actions to get out of this depressing scenario, which is to reset the laptop computer.
Regarding the acoustics of the G14 2023, you’ll be pleased to know that the laptop computer barely makes a whisper when idling and dealing with menial jobs. On the subject of the extra arduous duties of video enhancing or gaming, that’s in fact when the followers inside it spin up with sufficient ferocity, so as to expunge all that warmth out the aspect. Having stated that and whereas it does get loud, the decibels don’t hit the degrees of a jet engine getting warmed up and prepped for takeoff.
Competitors
Razer Blade 14 2023
Like ASUS, Razer has been combating again towards the G14 2023 with its personal 14-inch powerhouse, the Blade 14. The laptop computer is virtually equivalent in specification to ASUS’ personal pint-sized gaming machine: it’s received the identical CPU, may be fitted with just about the identical quantity of reminiscence, identical storage capability. However it does have a barely higher discrete graphics possibility with the 140W RTX 4070.
The Blade 14 2023’s show can also be 16:10 and QHD+ however isn’t a Mini LED. On the upside, it’s received a 240Hz refresh price though, provided that it’s an RTX 4070 that powers it, at most, I discover it unlikely that you simply’ll even be reaching such excessive framerates, not until you’re keen to dial the decision down a notch to FHD+. One other disadvantage to this laptop computer? It prices upwards of RM11,000, whereas the G14 2023 nonetheless begins under RM10,000.
MSI Stealth 14 Studio
First proven off at CES 2023, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is the Taiwanese model’s first foray into the gaming laptop computer market and one of many first 14-inchers to ship out with a thirteenth Gen Intel Core i7-13700H and never the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS as its rivals’ personal laptops.
Just like the Blade 14 2023 and G14 2023, the Stealth 14 Studio sports activities a 16:10 QHD+ show with 240Hz refresh price, however isn’t an OLED or Mini LED panel. Different inside specs embrace 16GB DDR5-5200MHz RAM, 1TB PCIe Gen4 storage, however a lower-tier RTX 4050 90W discrete GPU. Additional, whereas it additionally had a 72WHr battery, we discovered its endurance to be lower than stellar.
Value-wise, the Stealth 14 Studio we reviewed retails at RM7,999.
Conclusion
I believe at this cut-off date, it’s protected to say that when ASUS first got down to make the ROG Zephyrus G14 lineup a actuality, it didn’t need to look too far for inspiration to construct what is basically a marvel of recent expertise. 4 generations into it, the G14 2023 continues to function a template principally what all 14-inch gaming laptops ought to aspire to.
Having stated that and to be honest, the G14 2023 unit I’ve didn’t essentially carry out at its peak on a regular basis, given the bizarre bug that prevented me from adjusting my show brightness. However, despite having to take some hardline measures (learn: resetting the laptop computer) to convey it again to working order, I imagine it’s a one-off difficulty and it’s unlikely that you’ll have to undergo this hurdle as I did.
At a beginning worth of RM7,499, you would say that the G14 2023 is actually extra reasonably priced than its predecessor however having stated that, the precise SRP of the SKU with the RTX 4060 remains to be one thing of a thriller, and that could be a level that’s mirrored on ASUS Malaysia’s product. That being stated, it is best to undoubtedly take into account getting this yr’s laptop computer, or maintain out till subsequent yr’s mannequin comes out, if you happen to’re into having the AniMe Matrix LED and Mini LED show multi functional body.
Images by John Legislation.
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