Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 Overview: A Prime Gaming Laptop computer for Creators Too

8.3/ 10
SCORE

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 (2024)

Professionals

• Glorious quick, calibrated OLED display screen
• Nicely designed
• Efficiency vs
• dimension fairly balanced
• Good port choice

Cons

• Battery life is simply okay
• Large energy brick
• Backside and hinge space can get scorching
• Settings in Armoury Crate software program can get complicated

One other laptop computer of the creative-slash-gaming style primarily based on Intel’s Core Extremely processors, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 does stand out in some methods, together with its well-designed chassis, enormous touchpad, snug keyboard and good efficiency given its trade-offs. (The Core Extremely cannot match the efficiency of the HX processors, nevertheless it’s thinner and has higher battery life than you will get with these.)

Like its smaller sibling, the Zephyrus ROG G14, it is technically thought of an Nvidia Studio mannequin and ships with Nvidia’s Studio driver fairly than the extra widespread Recreation Prepared model. (You’ll be able to change to the latter if you need the extra frequent and game-optimized updates.) 

In contrast to the G14, there are a ton of configurations of the G16, even should you do not depend the approaching mannequin, which can incorporate AMD’s forthcoming Ryzen AI 300 sequence chips, slated to ship in mid-July. You will get the Intel fashions with 16GB or 32GB RAM; a GeForce RTX 4050, 4060, 4070, 4080 or 4090; an HDR OLED or 500-nit IPS show, each with a most refresh charge of 240Hz and 100% P3 gamut protection; as much as 2TB RAM and in darkish grey or white. White provides $200 to the worth of an equivalent configuration (the method is extra sophisticated).

You’ll be able to’t get each mixture, although. As an illustration, I want the $2,000 mannequin with the RTX 4070 got here with 32GB RAM as an alternative of simply 16GB; for 32GB, you need to bump as much as our $2,700 RTX 4080-equipped check configuration, which is bigger, heavier (by about 3.5 ounces/100g) and comes with a much bigger AC adapter. It is possible much less {powerful} however would nonetheless have good on a regular basis efficiency and a lower cost.

Design and options

Actually, the design and show have a ton in widespread with the G14; it is simply greater and beefier, for probably the most half. Equally properly designed, nevertheless it has extra ports as a result of it is greater. The membrane-switch keyboard feels nice for typing — it appears like there’s extra journey than there may be, with a pleasant bounce, a nice soft-touch floor and large, hard-to-miss keycaps. (For gaming, you may need to connect an exterior keyboard, although.)   

Just like the G14, it has a diagonal set of white LEDs on the highest that flashes in patterns, for instance, to sync with audio or for notifications. You’ll be able to flip it off and modify the brightness, and when it is off, it simply appears to be like reflective. I hate to say it, however I maintain it off, as a result of the flashing will get actually annoying in a means I am unable to ignore. 

The Ceraluminum shell — Asus’ branded aluminum and ceramic floor — appears fairly hardy and smudge resistant, at the least the gray model. It even allowed for simple cleansing once I dripped some espresso on the wrist relaxation space. Oops. 

The secondary capabilities aren’t brightly backlit — you may inform the LED is within the middle beneath the important thing — however they’re lit properly sufficient to make them out, which is essential should you work at the hours of darkness. In addition they keep cool when the laptop computer heats up. As you’d anticipate, there’s per-key RGB lighting.

As a result of it is bigger than the G14 and is Intel-based, it has a special set of ports and extra of them, together with a Thunderbolt 4/USB-C in addition to a slower USB-C port, a few USB-A ports, HDMI and combo audio. There’s additionally a full-size SD card slot.

It is comparatively skinny for a 16-inch mannequin with a discrete GPU, about the identical as a MacBook Professional 16 and Razer Blade 16. Total, should you flip off the slash lighting on the quilt it provides off a extra critical vibe than you get from a gaming laptop computer however rather less stuffy than a enterprise slab. That features the respectable business-quality 1080p webcam.

It helps Nvidia’s Superior Optimus, which suggests you may drive it to completely use the discrete GPU with out rebooting through the Nvidia driver. And there are undoubtedly instances if you need to drive it; there’s the occasional app or recreation that confuses Optimus and you find yourself in a foul cycle of switching between the dGPU and the iGPU. It might probably get annoying, although, as a result of Asus’ software program additionally enables you to drive discrete-GPU-only, however that makes use of the normal must-reboot MUX change. Like plenty of the choices in Armoury Crate, which have seemingly been changed elsewhere inside the app or do not apply to a selected system, you should not use it.  

The 1080p webcam is enough and helps Home windows Howdy however is not nice. It has meh low-light high quality, the white stability is off in managed gentle, it is too excessive distinction and the Studio Results are alright if the horrible masking — blurred hair and the background consistently peeking by — do not trouble you. You’ll be able to most likely enhance it a bit with some tweaking or utilizing one other digital digital camera (like Nvidia Broadcast), however most webcams are nonetheless fairly restricted and the automated/default settings are already optimum.

The mic has respectable pickup, and Armoury Crate has a bunch of various software program noise-canceling selections, however lots of them sound actually processed (versus pure) when compensating for ambient noise. In case your solely concern is readability, then it should not be a problem. The laptop computer’s sound is best than ordinary, with a little bit extra bass and broad soundstage, and it serves properly for video and music. So long as your recreation does not require locational cues, it is fantastic for gaming vocals and ambient sound as properly.

Quick OLED, reasonable CPU

Asus manufacturers its flagship ROG laptop computer screens as Nebula and Nebula HDR. Our overview unit got here with the brand new Nebula HDR OLED show. It helps the mid tier of VESA’s OLED DisplayHDR certification, DisplayHDR True Black 500 and will get comparatively shiny for an OLED laptop computer show at slightly below 400 nits in on a regular basis use and simply over 600 nits in a ten% window in HDR. As you’d anticipate from a show with its specs and Dolby Imaginative and prescient help, video appears to be like actually good. 

It did not clip blacks an excessive amount of in gaming, however you will need to use in-game changes for extra seen darkish areas if essential issues lurk there. it is acquired the identical gaming modes because the G14 if you need an actual increase within the deep shadows and do not thoughts significantly low distinction, like 300:1. Actually, the Recreation Visible presets in Armoury Crate do not appear optimized for OLED in any respect; it appears like Asus by no means goes again to optimize them for brand new show applied sciences — or take away them so that you should not use them.

The laptop computer comes calibrated for sRGB, D65 P3 and DCI P3. Whereas it is fairly correct for all of them, the grey scale is inconsistent and will get worse as you decrease brightness. Nor are the profiles constrained to any specific brightness stage, so you might want some trial and error should you want color-critical accuracy.

It comes with a setting in Armoury Crate, OLED Flicker-Free Dimming, which ostensibly helps forestall flicker at low brightness ranges. However you may’t pin it anyplace, so if you wish to use it you need to hearth up Armoury Crate. And you may nonetheless use the system brightness slider. It is type of odd, although; all it appeared to do was does is decrease the brightness steadily in contrast with the system management, which I discover actually annoying.

One of many show’s extra notable capabilities is G-Sync help for adaptive refresh as much as 240Hz; Asus says it collaborated with Samsung and Nvidia to make it occur. As a result of OLED is self-emitting illumination fairly than backlight, every pixel must refresh consistently so that you can understand a particular brightness stage (a backlight simply has to remain on) — within the case of a 240Hz display screen, as much as 960 instances per second. It really works fantastic when it is not pressured to make use of the discrete GPU, however appears a bit much less secure on the dGPU: On the dGPU it is reported (by a number of websites, together with Blur Busters) at charges that adjust from roughly 172Hz to 181Hz, nevertheless it’s a rock stable 240Hz in any other case.

Did I discover any points whereas gaming? No, even with Home windows VRR, a lot much less DLSS. However that does not preclude any cropping up. Other than 60Hz, there aren’t any different refresh choices, although. (On an unrelated observe, the system periodically misplaced the flexibility to deliver up the context menu — both by proper clicking on the touchpad or mouse or utilizing the 2 finger gesture — however I think that is one of many myriad tantrums Home windows Replace throws when you do not let it have its personal means.)

The G16 is quick — for a Core Extremely system. Core Extremely is a processor you accept if you need longer (however probably not lengthy) battery life and a slimmer design with a discrete GPU and are prepared to sacrifice some processor velocity. Battery life is fairly good for its class at nearly 9 hours and lasted longer than my consideration span (about 5 hours) in on a regular basis use and about 2.5 hours should you overlook to let it flip off the discrete GPU.

The RTX 4080 in our analysis unit supported boosting to about 115 watts (although the motive force mentioned 125 watts), with a typical energy draw of 95 watts, and also you get a considerable increase switching from the default (efficiency) to turbo mode — round 10% to twenty%, relying upon what you are doing. Turbo does not increase processor efficiency, although.

The underside can get actually scorching when it is plugged in, even within the default efficiency mode, an issue I discover with all the air-intake-on-the-bottom designs typical of those thin-but-relatively-powerful Core Extremely methods. It will get a little bit to scorching to make use of on my lap whereas carrying shorts, and it appears to get actually scorching on the underside when sitting on a giant gaming mousepad; I think it does not sit up excessive sufficient for the airflow.

The ROG G16 configuration we reviewed is expensive however an excellent all-around system for each gaming and inventive work. If you wish to get monetary savings and do not have heavy energy necessities, go for a cheaper configuration, although.