Asus ROG series is one of the most talked about gaming laptop line from Asus. Today we are going to take a close look at one of the newer releases from Asus, ROG Strix GL702VI-WB74 touting a GTX 1080. So let’s start the review then.
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Specs:
- CPU – Intel Core i7 Quad-Core (7th Gen), 2.8 GHz
- GPU – 8 GB DDR5, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- Memory – 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4, extendable upto 32 GB
- Screen – 17.3-inch Full HD IPS (1,920 x 1,080) with G-SYNC technology
- Storage – 1 TB SATA HDD + 256 GB SSD
- OS – Windows 10 Home edition
Benefits:
- Performance – It’s amply configured for your gaming needs. A standard and powerful Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM which can be expanded up to 32 GB and a dual storage comprising of 256 GB PCIe SSD and 1 TB of HDD is enough to take on both your everyday chores and demanding needs like gaming or video editing. The PCIe SSD runs pretty fast resulting in a zippy overall performance averaging at slightly over 1 GBps for both read and write actions. But again, it fell a bit short in comparison with some of the other high-performance gaming laptops which comes with PCIe SSD (average transfer speed at roughly 2 GBps).
- GPU – Now comes the fun part. It houses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 with 8 GB of VRAM. The GTX 1080 is considered as the best in its class. It is known for being able to run even the most strenuous and infamous titles astonishingly smoothly. Due to its enhanced capabilities, it can run almost all the games even in 4K display quality in Ultra settings; although an FHD (1080p) display settings should be enough for playing games in its native 1080p display. It made sure to run titles like Battlefield 1(~85 fps in 1080p Ultra, ~40 fps in 2160p), Tom Clancy’s The Division (80 fps in 1080p Ultra, ~40 fps in 2160p) and Rise of the Tomb Raider (>100 fps in 1080p Ultra, ~35 fps in 2160p) over the 60 fps mark for buttery smooth visuals in its G-SYNC enabled display.
Downsides:
- Cooling – Overheating is one of the major issues in this gaming rig. Even while gaming for a short while the CPU temperature rises pretty sharply. Whereas the GPU reading hardly ever crosses the 80°C reading, the CPU temperature, on the other hand, almost never comes under the 90°C mark. Now there are two ways to counter this problem. First, you can undervolt the processor which would effectively lower the maximum frequency at which it operates and as a result would produce less heat. Second, you can higher the fan speed to the maximum 4400 rpm (if it already isn’t at the max speed that is). By default, it usually is set to 3300 rpm. Well, usually it’s said to apply both of them to get the optimal results and one can easily see a difference of up to 5-10°C in the maximum temperature.
- Noise – But again, maxing out the fans can cause another kind of problem- excessive noise. It usually is a silent killer making almost next to no audible sound while running under the regular workload. But while gaming (or doing some strenuous task, doesn’t matter) the fans can get really loud. The sound level was recorded around 45 dB while running games- not the quietest machine in the holy earth but not the loudest either. The number can be considered as a pretty average result as most of the other high-performance laptops tries not to cross that mark. But again, the noise level was recorded at the default fan speed. Should you decide to max out the fan speed get ready to face the wrath of the fans as the noise level certainly goes over the mentioned level.
Verdict:
It has got some serious amount of power in it. And it’s not way too weighty either. At 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) it’s adequately heavy; many high-performance laptops can be found that are much heavier than this. In a nutshell, if the overheating is not a big issue for you the Asus ROG Strix GL702VI-WB74 can be a great choice.
Check out the latest price for the Asus ROG Strix GL702VI-WB74