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Acer Nitro 5 (2022) review
8:00 pm | June 23, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: June 2022
• Launch price: Started at $999 / £1,099 / around AU$1,600
• Target price now (updated model): Starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,500

Update – July 2024: Acer's Nitro budget gaming brand is still truckin', though the humble Nitro 5 is no longer the star of the show as new Nitro 16 and Nitro 17 laptops have now arrived on the scene.

The exact Core i5 model from 2022 reviewed here is no longer available to buy directly from Acer (although it can still be found at some third-party retailers), though there are newer models still available - hence the lack of a significant price drop in the above target pricing. The current-gen configuration comes with a newer Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, making it a straight upgrade without a bump in price; always a welcome sight.

While the Nitro 5 isn't the best laptop on the market, it was never trying to be. Instead, it aims to be the best cheap laptop - and indeed, for a while in 2022 it occupied the 'best budget' spot on our ranking of the best gaming laptops. It might be starting to show its age a bit now, but the Acer Nitro 5 is still a solid choice of gaming machine for buyers on a budget.

Acer Nitro 5 (2022): Two minute review

The Acer Nitro 5 (2022) is an excellent option for anyone looking for a budget gaming laptop, considering how the current market demand for more affordable gaming PCs and laptops has soared in recent months.

For the most part, the Nitro 5 is one of the best cheap gaming laptops around thanks to its great performance, offering a well-rounded gaming experience for its price point. In terms of specs, the Acer Nitro 5 sports some beefy specs for a budget machine, which means it runs most games at 30 FPS at least with maxed-out settings and much higher under more reasonable settings. 

The screen is a 15.6-inch display with thin bezels to maximize the space but unfortunately no anti-glare, which means it’ll be that much harder to game when you’re outside in direct sunlight. The keyboard is simple but smooth and easy to use, with wide keys and a tenkey numpad on the right side. It’s also backlit for easy gaming in the dark or dimmer lighting. The touchpad is also smooth and very responsive with no noticeable input delays.

The chassis feels solid and well-built and while it’s not thin and lightweight by any stretch of the imagination, it’s still lighter than many other bulkier gaming laptops and relatively easy to carry around. It’s also well ventilated, using a dual-fan and four-exhaust setup to keep the temperatures low.

Its battery life is easily the worst feature, as it runs out of power in about four hours with regular, non-gaming use. The cable it comes with is a very slow charge, so you’ll have to splurge for a fast charging one yourself to take advantage of the built in Thunderbolt 4 support. The second worst is the 720p webcam with an average-at-best clarity, but unlike some other budget laptops you at least have one built in.

It supports Wi-Fi 6E, which means a much faster internet connection whether at home or on the go. This is a great option for streaming games when you can’t tether your laptop, though it does hinge on whether the Wifi used supports it.

The Acer Nitro 5 is a well-rounded gaming laptop that has some solid performance falling right in line with its competition, except when it comes to its below average battery life. Though not the sexiest, it’s fairly portable with a large screen size and very affordable as well, which is a definitely a bonus nowadays.

Acer Nitro 5 (2022): Price and availability

An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? Starting at $999/£1,099
  • When can you get it? It is available now in the US and UK.
  • Where can you get it? You can get it in the US through Best Buy, and in the UK through the Acer online storefront.

The Acer Nitro 5 is available in the US through Best Buy and in the UK through the Acer online store, with Australian availability yet to be announced. The configuration on offer features a 12th-Gen Intel Core i5-12500H, Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti dedicated graphics, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD. Look out for any Acer promo codes that could bring the cost down.

  • Value: 4/5 

Acer Nitro 5 (2022): Design

An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
  • A very no-frills, sturdy design
  • Well-designed and practical keyboard

When you think of the best gaming laptops, the first thing that pops in your head might be one on the thicker side, with a simple black metal exterior, and a bezel that’s thin but nothing out of the ordinary. In other words, a fully functional design that does little to stand out. And the Acer Nitro 5 fits that to a T.

Spec Sheet

Here is the Acer Nitro 5 (2022) configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Screen: 15.6-inch IPS, FHD, 144Hz
Storage: 512 PCIe SSD
Ports: 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x power port, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x SD Card Reader, 1 x Combo Jack, 1 x Kensington Slot
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Camera: 720p
Weight: 5.51lbs | 2.5kg
Size (W x D x H): 14.19 x 10.67 x 1.06 ins | 360.4 x 271.0 x 26.9 mm
Battery:  57WHr

It has a sturdy and high quality build that’s fitting for a gaming computer. It has a good amount of heft to it, so you’ll definitely feel its weight if you carry it around with you, but its size isn’t excessive enough to cause genuine stress either. As long as you have a good quality laptop bag with some decent space, it doesn’t take up too much room and won’t overburden you either.

If there’s anything about the Acer Nitro 5 that stands out, it’s the keyboard. The keys are black with a white outline, lay mostly flat, and are wider than a standard keyboard’s keys. This gives it a very distinctive look that may be visually polarizing but serves a more practical purpose, which is to make typing on them much easier for those who have thicker fingers or generally shaky hands. 

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An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
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An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
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An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)

The smooth and flat surface also means it’s easier for fingers to glide from key to key, which is extremely important when in an intense gaming session that requires fast input. There’s also a numlock pad on the right, putting number keys in an easy to reach position.

The thin bezels are somewhat notable, as they help to maximize the screen real estate while also preventing the screen itself from having to increase in size and make the whole laptop larger and clunkier.

Its port selection is standard but in a good way, with a nice variety of ports and slots to suit most needs. There are three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-As and one Type-C, an HDMI port, an SD Card Reader, a headphones jack, and a Kensington Slot for added security. It also comes with a Thunderbolt 4 port, which is excellent for fast charging though you’ll have to purchase the cable yourself.

  • Design: 3/5 

Acer Nitro 5 (2022): Performance

An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
  • Performs well graphically for its configuration 
  • Good quality HD screen 

One of the most important yet underrated features of any gaming laptop is the circulation. No matter how cutting edge the specs are, if the airflow is terrible your PC is heading down to crash town. But the Acer Nitro 5 has a solid setup which includes dual-fan cooling, quad exhausts located on each side, and even an upper air intake situated above the keyboard. This translates to a very well cooled machine that hasn’t overheated in the countless hours I played around with it.

Benchmarks

Here is how the Acer Nitro 5 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 35,782; Fire Strike: 13,238; Time Spy: 5,831
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 11,085 points
GeekBench 5: 1,691 (single-core); 8,596 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home Test):
6,536 points
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 2 hours and 31 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 3 hours and 56 minutes
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 52 fps; (1080p, Low): 130 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 76 fps; (1080p, Low): 135 fps 

In terms of performance during a gaming session, it runs most graphically demanding titles pretty smoothly. We tested it using both Total War: Warhammer III and Cyberpunk 2077 and without any of the magic of ray-tracing and integrated graphics, both games are able to maintain about 30-50 FPS in Ultra settings and between 70-130 FPS in Low settings. And considering that this laptop’s benchmarks are actually a bit higher than two of the other budget competitors, it makes sense that it’s able to hold its own.

Complementing the visuals is a competent sound setup made of dual 2W speakers. While not groundbreaking in any way, the music and sound effects are immersive and support the graphics well. The keyboard is smooth, responsive, and feels satisfying to use; not to mention the red backlight is always a nice touch, especially during late night gaming sessions.

Also complementing the visuals is the 15.6-inch QHD screen, with a resolution of 2560 X1440. This is further supported by the 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, meaning that not only do the graphics look nice but the visuals are crisp and smooth.

The webcam is nothing to write home about, as it’s a substandard 720p resolution that looks okay but not super crisp and clear. It’s good for Zoom meetings and will manage during streams, but don’t expect anything polished either.

All around this laptop performs pretty well for a budget machine, passing nearly every benchmark handedly. Framerate is better than you’d expect from the hardware it has, which is no doubt the CPU carrying its full weight. It has a great circulation setup, which no doubt contributes to its overall performance, and the sound supports the visuals perfectly with no breakups or other quality issues.

  • Performance: 4/5 

Acer Nitro 5 (2022): Battery Life

An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
  • Does not last long at all
  • Has a Thunderbolt option for charging 

If there’s one thing that weighs down the Acer Nitro 5 and it’s the abysmal battery life. Even under normal working conditions the battery can’t seem to go past a few hours before needing a recharge, and the charge time itself is rather slow. Do yourself a favor and buy a Thunderbolt 4 charger instead.

When we ran a standard 1080p movie test, which involves looping a movie at normal settings until the battery life runs out, the battery didn’t even make it to the four hour mark before dying. The results of the PC Mark 10 Battery Life benchmark were a bit more surprising, as the laptop matched its two competitors pretty closely with its score of 6536. This is despite the other two laptops having a battery life of at least eight hours.

  • Battery life: 1/5 

Should I buy an Acer Nitro 5 (2022)?

An Acer Nitro 5 sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

  • First reviewed June 2022
Corsair HS65 Surround review
11:06 pm | May 13, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computer Gaming Accessories Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2022
• No new version out
• Launch price: $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$119
• Official price now: $69.99 / £79.99 / AU$119

Updated: January 2024. The Corsair HS65 Surround may be almost two years old, but it remains one of the best PC gaming headsets in our opinion. Despite all the new rivals that came after its release, this wired headset remains the best value out of all, delivering that exceptional 7.1 surround sound you would not expect at its price point. It also ticks one of the most important factors when choosing a gaming headset - comfort. You can game with it for hours without needing a break. What's more, it's slightly cheaper now in the US at just $69.99. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Corsair HS65 Surround: One-minute review

The Corsair HS65 Surround gaming headset is the company's new high-powered  and cost-conscious gaming headset that delivers exceptional 7.1 surround sound performance for PC gamers. 

The 50mm Neodymium audio drivers provide exceptionally clear stereo audio and 7.1 Surround sound virtualized audio, and with the audio in the best PC games becoming increasingly sophisticated, this headset will let you hear battlefield carnage exactly the way that the developers intended.

The headset microphone offers an incredibly crystal clear response with an omni-directional polar mic pattern.  Anyone who knows microphone polar patterns might be worried that the omni-directional pattern (as opposed to a cardioid pattern) would pick up too much ambient noise while you’re using the mic.  Thankfully this hasn’t been an issue during Counter Strike: Global Offensive sessions or chatting over Zoom.

The surround sound capability of the headset requires you to download Corsair's iCue software off the company's website. Once installed, simply plug your headset into the USB to 3.5 mm adapter and connect it to a USB port on your PC or Mac. 

There are sure to be other 7.1 Surround Sound gaming headsets hitting the market over the next few months, but keep the Corsair HS65 Surround gaming headset at the top of your wishlist. It is a fantastic, versatile headset that will please any serious gamer on a budget and is easily one of the best PC gaming headsets around for 7.1 surround sound audio.

A Corsair HS65 Surround on a reflective black table

(Image credit: Future)

Corsair HS65 Surround: Price and availability

  • How much is it? MSRP is $79/£79/AU$119
  • When can you get it? The Corsair HS65 Surround is available now
  • Where can you buy it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Corsair HS65 Surround gaming headset comes in at $79/£79/AU$119, and is available globally. This is a good bit cheaper than some competing gaming headsets like the Razer Kracken V3, which is about 20% more expensive, while still offering the same audio quality.

A Corsair HS65 Surround on a reflective black table

(Image credit: Future)

Corsair HS65 Surround: Design and features

  • Outstanding comfort
  • Adjustable mic

 The Corsair HS65 Surround is exceptionally built, featuring an adjustable headband that fits comfortably on any gamer’s head. 

The ear pads and the head cushion both feature soft and comfortable memory foam underneath breathable leatherette material. Even after wearing this headset during ten hours of continuous game playing and then three more hours of intense FPS play after a break, the HS65 Surround stayed comfortable throughout.

The headset looks great, stays comfortable, and the closed ear headphones reject distracting noise. The frame is machined out of high quality aluminum and other materials to provide a strong and robust device that will last you for years. A volume control wheel is positioned on the left ear cup for quick volume level adjustments as well.

The microphone boom arm is adjustable and can bend to suit your face. It stays in place once you have set it to your liking. A quick flip up on the boom arm mutes the microphone and a quick flip down unmutes the mic, making muting and unmuting incredibly intuitive in the heat of the moment.

A Corsair HS65 Surround on a reflective black table

(Image credit: Future)

The iCue software itself has three functions to play around with: Equalizer, SoundID Personalization and Device Settings. The Equalizer function allows you to choose between five EQ presets as well as create your own. Unless you know what you’re looking for, set the EQ to “Pure Direct”, as this preset suits everything well.

If you are curious about the EQ presets, the presets are self-explanatory and very intuitive to work with. Presets such as “FPS Competition” will sound great for your competitive shooters like Counter Strike: Global Offensive or Valorant, while “Clear Chat” sounds exceptional during Zoom or Teams meetings.

Corsair HS65 Surround: Specs

The only real criticism here is that the SoundID function is underwhelming. The SoundID technology attempts to create a customized EQ setting for the user based on how the user rates their enjoyment of certain sound clips. Once you go through the SoundID setup process, you should have a customized EQ preset for your optimized listening preferences.

However, multiple attempts – including a full reinstall with the latest iCue software – resulted in EQ presets that often made the audio worse. Audio for games will usually be recorded and mixed by professional sound engineers anyway, so all the EQ and volume levels should already be optimized for the user’s experience. Fortunately, this isn't something you really need to dabble with. The safest bet is to just choose “Pure Direct” under the Equalizer function in the iCue software and jump right into the action, which otherwise sounds amazing.

The final function in the iCue software would be the Device settings. This is where you can enable Voice prompts, boost microphone response and change the Case color of your headphones within the iCue software. The only option that is useful here is “Mic Boost”, which gives your microphone some added sensitivity. Otherwise, this rounds out the features of the iCue software.

A close up of the earcup of the Corsair HS65 Surround

(Image credit: Future)

Corsair HS65 Surround: Performance

  • 7.1 Surround Sound is outstanding
  • Great bass response
  • Great mic performance

These drivers on the Corsair HS65 Surround have no problem pushing sound through the 20hz-20khz audio range while its bass frequencies carry real weight. The mids and highs of dialogue and various sound effects come through incredibly clear.

The headset mic captures frequencies from 100Hz to 10 kHz, and while this seems like a limited range of frequency response, it is tailored specifically to capture the human voice really well.

The 7.1 Surround Sound capability is accessible through Corsair's iCue software with Windows Spatial Sound active, found under the properties menu of your output device in Windows' sound settings. 

Any media that was recorded and mixed for 7.1 Surround will play exceptionally well over the HS6 Surround. Thankfully, most games and shows presently record for 7.1 Surround Sound, but keep in mind that not all games or media are or have. With these older games and media, the headphones themselves won’t turn a game recorded in 5.1 surround into 7.1 surround, but it will still sound stunning.

Since the iCue program itself is what creates the 7.1 Surround Sound virtualization for the headset, you can't access that feature on PC or Mac without it. 

The Corsair HS65 Surround stands up well against competitors like the Razer Kraken V3 Hypersense and the HyperX Cloud Alpha. Many competing headsets offer options which you don’t really need, like detachable mics or the Kraken V3 Hypersense's haptic functionality. These options aren't high on the list of necessities with gamers, so why pay more for options you don’t need?

Older devices, monitors, and gaming consoles almost always have a 3.5mm input jack, but not every gaming headset does. With the HS Surround, you can plug in and at the very least get crystal clear stereo audio, even if you have to skip the surround sound feature. 

There are exceptions, though, where you can get 7.1 Surround Sound with modern next-gen gaming consoles. The XBox Series X utilizes Dolby Atmos and the Sony PS5’s Tempest 3D Audio virtualizes the sound of 7.1 Surround Sound through the gaming console itself, and the Corsair HS65 Surround easily supports the audio capabilities of both of these consoles, making it a winner for PC gamers and beyond.

A Corsair HS65 Surround on a reflective black table

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy a Corsair HS65 Surround?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Corsair HS65 Surround: Also consider

Asus ROG Flow X13 review
10:02 pm | March 24, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: March 2022
• Launch price: Starts at $1,699 / £1,499 / AU$2,999
• Target price now (updated model): Starts at £1,749 / £1,699 / AU$2,059

Update – September 2024: The Asus ROG Flow X13 has enjoyed a major specs bump since we reviewed this model back in 2022, with the base configuration leaping all the way up from an Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card to the far superior RTX 4050, with even beefier 4060 models available too - effectively nullifying the need for an external GPU that we remarked on in the below review.

That does mean pricing has crept up a bit in most regions, although strangely Australia has a budget version without a dedicated GPU (it uses Radeon 780M integrated graphics instead) - and while that means a far lower entry price, I would strongly recommend opting for the AU$2,499 RTX 4050 model - that's still cheaper than the older version in Australia.

If you're actually looking for a lightweight work device and only plan to do casual gaming, that 780M model might be fine - but I'd advise checking out the best ultrabooks instead.

Original review follows.

Two-minute review

The Asus ROG Flow X13 takes on a rather unusual look if you’re more accustomed to the usually chunky chassis and large displays seen on other Asus ROG gaming laptops. This 13-inch ultraportable 2-in-1-style gaming laptop actually offers a few interesting benefits though, namely that you can purchase an additional eGPU (short of external graphics card) to bump up the graphical performance of the device. 

A few slim gaming laptops have appeared in recent years, with the likes of the Razer Blade 14 offering power and versilitility, all in a compact design that won't hurt your back to haul around, and eGPUs are hardly a new concept, but seeing the two benefits coexisting is still an unusual sight.

The XG Mobile eGPU doubles as a hub for all your gaming peripherals and gear by including connections for USB, Ethernet and DisplayPort, as well as boosting the GTX 1650 built into the Flow X13 up to Nvidia's RTX 3080. Sadly, our review unit didn't come with the eGPU so this review will be based solely on the performance of the unassisted ROG Flow X13.

The Asus ROG Flow X13 from a front view

(Image credit: Future)

Even without the eGPU, the Flow X13 is a decent little gaming laptop, with emphasis on 'little'. It’s a far cry from the performance you can expect from devices that are natively equipped with more powerful GPUs, but it's AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS processor makes it well suited for demanding applications, and you can happily run low-demand titles with few issues.

Its 13-inch size is uncommon given most folks want more screen real-estate to play games, but if you needed something compact then it could be exactly what you're looking for. It's even a 2-in-1 device, so you can transform this into a tablet to edit images or sketch if you use it with the stylus that it ships with, but the palm rejection is frustratingly bad so you'll need to be careful to not touch the display.

It's quirky, with plenty of unique features that will impress your friends even if they're already pretty familiar with gaming laptops, but that doesn't mean its offering the very best of both worlds. We're unable to test the eGPU, so we can't advise if buying one alongside the ROG Flow X13 makes it a worthwhile purchase, but as a standalone device there are better offerings out there that won't leave you feeling as if you've purchased an incomplete system, like beautiful car with no engine.

Price and availability

Spec sheet

Here is the Asus ROG Flow X13 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
RAM : 32GB 4200MHz DDR4
Display: 13.4-inch 16:10, 3840 x 2400 pixel, multitouch, 60 Hz
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Ports: 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x headphone jack, 1 x external GPU port
Connectivity: Dual-band WiFi 6 (802.11ax) + Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720p HD camera with physical privacy shutter
Size: 11.77 x 8.74 x 0.62 inches
Weight: 2.87 pounds / 1.36 kg

The Asus ROG Flow X13 is available now, from $1,699 / £1,499 / AU$2,999, with the XG Mobile RTX 3080 Laptop GPU priced at an additional $1,499.99 / £1,299. We couldn't find an official price for the RTX 3080 eGPU in Australia, but then, we couldn't find the Flow X13 at all on the Australian Asus website.

If you wanted to buy the two as a bundle, then there's good and bad news. The good news is that the two are frequently bundled together, but both pricing and regional availability for this is all over the place. There are a few different listings for the same variant of the ROG Flow X13 that we reviewed at $3340 / £2899, but ran into similar issues trying to find something for Australia.

It’s also possible to buy the laptop with an RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti GPU and weaker Ryzen 9 5900HS processor, at a similar price to the version running with an older GTX 1650 which could give a little RTX boost to creative applications and games that allow DLSS.

Design

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The keyboard on the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)
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The keyboard on the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)

As far as gaming laptops go, the ROG Flow X13 is rather conservative, but that plays in well with it's marketability towards working professionals who need a portable workstation by day and a gaming beast over lunch and when you clock off for the day. At 3 lbs / 1.3kg and just 0.6 inches / 158mm thick, this won't be weighing down a bag on your morning commute and will easily fit into a standard satchel or backpack.

The black design is modern and simple, though it still retains a lot of that iconic ROG styling we've come to love from Asus. The 13.4-inch screen of the Flow X13 is very bright, clear and sharp, with a full HD 1080p resolution and a peak brightness of just under 300 nits. That's not mind-blowing, and you'll struggle to work in bright environments but the the visual quality is decent, with vivid colors coming through in gameplay and while streaming media.

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The ports shown on a side view of the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)
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The ports shown on a side view of the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)

There are two display options to choose from, either 3,840 x 2,400 at 60Hz or 1,920 x 1,200 at 120Hz with the latter being the version reviewed here.

There are a few productivity benefits too, such as the display dimensions being 16:10 rather than 16:9 like many gaming laptops still use. The additional space is great as you get noticeably more vertical space with a 16:10 resolution which will result in less scrolling.

The keyboard is comfortable, with generously sized LED-backlit keys for such a small gaming device. There are dedicated buttons at the top of the keyboard control the volume, mute the microphone and launch the ROG Armory Crate control software (required to optimize GPU and other components). You're not getting a numpad, but...well, just look at the size of the laptop and don't ask for the earth.

The touchpad is also large and responsive. We certainly wouldn't suggest trying to use this to play games on, but it does a decent enough job if you're whipping it out on a train to get some work done. Still, consider grabbing a decent wireless mouse will save a lot of frustration, and models like the Razer Orochi V2 also double as a fantastic gaming peripheral if you don't want multiple mice hanging out in your bag.

A view of the Asus ROG Flow X13 from the top down with lid closed

(Image credit: Future)

Sadly, as is usually the case with smaller laptops, you're not getting many ports on the Flow X13. On the right you'll find a single USB-A 3.2 port and a USB-C 3.2 port you use for charging (no support for the newer Thunderbolt 3 or 4). The left side sports a 3.5mm audio jack, an HDMI port, and the proprietary XG Mobile external GPU port that's covered by a silicone cover. 

The power button on the ROG Flow X13 is replaced rather precariously along the side of the device, so as to not interfere with it while in tablet mode but this does have its own set of issues. Though 2-in-1 laptops usually have power buttons on their sides, this was especially sensitive, and we did manage to accidently put the device to sleep on a few occasions.

Performance

Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus ROG Flow X13 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 27,670; Fire Strike: 7,763; Time Spy: 3,308
Cinebench R20 Multi-core: 4,374 points
GeekBench 5: 1,506 (single-core); 7,941 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 5,781 points
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 4 hours and 3 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 3 hours and 38 minutes
Total War: Three Kingdoms (1080p, Ultra): 22 fps; (1080p, Low): 87 fps
Metro Exodus (1080p, Ultra): 23 fps; (1080p, Low): 82 fps

The Asus ROG Flow X13 is equipped with some pretty impressive kit for its diminutive size, rocking an AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS processor and a whopping 32GB of speedy RAM. This isn't just good for gaming, it also makes it a pretty good at managing creative applications too, especially those that will lean more on the CPU than graphics.

Even while running 10 tabs in Google Chrome (a browser known to be a memory hog), while also streaming music on Spotify, a muted video on one of the Chrome tabs and then attempting to edit some images on Adobe Photoshop, the Flow X13 keeps up. While the fans do kick in and things can get pretty dang warm, it doesn't appear to struggle with the workload, though we would suggest you don't try this while the device is on your lap. 

We can't speak for how the Flow X13 performs when docked into the XG Mobile Dock eGPU, but that little GTX 1650 runs surprising well regardless. Sure, you're hardly going to be playing brand new release titles like Elden Ring on anything close to an enjoyable framerate if you don't slap the settings on their lowest possible options, but there are still some beautiful games that will run just fine.

Horizon: Zero Dawn manages an admirable 31fps on standard settings, while The Witcher 3 runs along happily at 36fps, and while both are getting on a bit in age, they do show you won't be restricted to just running indie or retro titles.

The usual low-demand Battle Royale games like Fortnite and Valorant will also play well on the system, but that's hardly surprising given those titles are designed to run on just about anything. If you wanted a new laptop for work or school that you can also play a few rounds on during breaks, this isn't a terrible option.

The Asus ROG Flow X13 in tablet mode

(Image credit: Future)

Still, if you're not keen on playing games around 30fps you'll need to buy the additional eGPU or look for something with a little more power behinds it's graphics. As it stands, the Flow 13 has more in common with something like the Dell XPS 13 than other gaming laptops - a powerful, portable workstation, but once that's a tad gutless for gaming.

Our actual benchmarks are...okay for a laptop in this price range given its other features, but you'll certainly get more for your money if you want more power for the same budget. You can buy an Asus TUF A15 for $1,300 (£1,300, around $2,000), and while it gets bested by the Asus ROG Flow X13 in productivity benchmarks like Geekbench 5, with the TUF A15 scoring 1,175 (single-core); 7,708 (multi-core) against the Flow 13's 1,506 (single-core); 7,941 (multi-core) score, It dominates the 2-in-1 at gaming capabilities, and still manages to stay fairly professional looking.

Battery life

Ther Asus ROG Flow X13 in tablet mode

(Image credit: Future)

Many workstation laptops can offer some pretty impressive battery life despite having powerful components, and similarly, we see that some older or budget-friendly gaming laptops can also chug along for a while thanks to them using older hardware that's less demanding on power.

The Flow X13 manages to suck in both of these regards. Battery life is pretty poor, and the 2-in-1 lasts just 4 hours and 3 minutes in the PCMark 10 Battery Life benchmark that simulates a selection of daily activities. Similarly, our looped video test only runs for 3 hours and 38 minutes, and while both scores are fairly on point for a beefy gaming laptop...this isn't.

In actual gaming, it runs dry in just under two hours, which is pretty abysmal. If you're looking for a gaming laptop that can actually run for a while away from a power outlet, consider the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 which in the same looped video test lasts an incredible 8 hours and 10 minutes.

Webcam

The webcam built into the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)

Webcams on any laptop tends to be a bit lacklustre, but having one included on a gaming device at all is a modern day miracle. Thankfully, the ROG Flow X13 does include a camera, and while its a far cry from anything on our list of the best webcams, the 720p resolution is fine for video conferencing or having a quick chat with friends. 

The sensors are pretty bad though, so you'll want to make sure you're facing a decent light source. In dim light there's a lot of background noise in shot, and even if used in a well lit room the colors can look washy. It also doesn't have IR sensors or privacy shutters, so you won't be able to log in with your face using Windows Hello.

Buy it if...

The underside of the Asus ROG Flow X13

(Image credit: Future)

Don't buy it if...

Alienware X14 (2022) review
4:00 pm | February 11, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: February 2022
• Launch price: Starts at $1,649 (about £1,250, AU$2,300)
• Target price now: N/A

Update – September 2024: R.I.P. to 14-inch Alienware laptops, I guess. Yes, Dell has killed off the X14 gaming laptop line entirely since we reviewed it back in 2022, with the company now focused only on 16- and 18-inch models. It's no longer available for purchase, although you might be able to pick one up second-hand.

Back in 2022, the Alienware X14 certainly was worthy of standing among the ranks of the best gaming laptops around, so it's a shame to see it disappear from Dell's gaming lineup. It's doubly sad given that there's no obvious replacement here either; Dell's own-brand G-series gaming laptops only come in 15- and 16-inch flavors.

Original review follows.

Two-minute review

Thin and light gaming laptops like the Alienware X14 are becoming more common as mobile PC components become more power efficient and PC makers get better at designing cooling systems that don't take up as much space. We've already seen a few laptops try to pack high power and light weight in a single chassis, but now Alienware is throwing its legendary hat - and design into the ring. 

And, it ends up with one of the thinnest and lighting gaming laptops we've ever used. This laptop is just 0.57 inches thick and weighs just under 4lb, making it easy to carry in your backpack. But it doesn't sacrifice power to fit in that chassis. The model we reviewed comes with an Intel Core i7-12700H, 32GB of RAM and an RTX 3060. That's not the most powerful hardware on the market, but its more than what you'll find in most laptops this size. 

But with that high power in such a portable chassis, you're going to have to pay. The model we got in for review will cost a whopping $2,299 (about £1,700, AU$3,200) in the US, quite a bit more expensive than an equivalent Razer Blade 14, though it is a bit thinner and lighter. With the high price of entry, the Alienware X14 really is a gaming laptop for people that want something that can play the best PC games at high settings, but without weighing them down. And the fact that it uses USB-C charging instead of a giant power brick definitely helps, too. 

Price and availability

SPEC SHEET

Here is the Alienware X14 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-12700H (14 cores, 24MB cache, up to 4.7GHz Turbo)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
RAM: 32GB
Screen: 14-inch 1080p LED, 144Hz, 7ms
Storage: 1 X 2TB M.2 SSD
Optical drive: N/A
Ports: 1x USB-A,2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x microSD card reader, audio combo jack
Connectivity: Killer WiFi 6E AX1675 (2x2 ), Bluetooth 5.2
Camera: HD 720p Webcam
Weight: 4.06 pounds (1.8 kg)
Size: 12.66 x 10.35 x 0.57 inches (321 x  263 x 14.5 mm; W x D x H)

The Alienware X14 is available today, starting at $1,649 (about £1,250, AU$2,300). That will get you a 12th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. That would be enough for most esports games, and should be more than capable of handling most AAA games, especially if you use DLSS. 

If you want a bit more gaming power, though, you can up the GPU to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for $1,849 (about £1,360, AU$2,580) . This is the configuration we'd recommend for most people, and the price is actually pretty good, and about what you would pay for other gaming laptops with similar specs - including our favorite low-profile gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 14. 

The configuration reviewed here will set you back $2,299 (about £1,700, AU$3,200), and comes with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This is definitely an overkill amount of RAM and storage space, especially in a gaming laptop that maxes out with an RTX 3060. But as far as Alienware laptops go, this max configuration is actually pretty tame. 

In fact, we wish Alienware pushed a little further with the X14. Even if it just included a 3070 configuration for people that want to play some Cyberpunk 2077 on the go or something. But it's likely that would have added to the bulk of the device, and it would have lost some of its charm. 

Alienware X14 on a table, playing Hitman III

(Image credit: Future)

Design

It is immediately striking how thin the Alienware X14 is when you pull it out of the box and look at it. And then, when you pick it up and notice how light it is, it's easy to forget that this is, in fact, a gaming laptop. 

This is a laptop that measures just over half an inch thick and weighs just around 4lb.  In a lot of ways, it's a similar profile to a MacBook Pro or a Dell XPS 15, just with a little bit of extra gaming juice behind it. The one thing that does bulk up the laptop's profile a bit, though, is the protrusion on the back.

A lot of the hot air is channeled through the vents back here, and this is also where every single port is found. However, while it's convenient in the moment when you have it on a table or something, it does unfortunately add to the footprint of the Alienware X14. This protrusion makes it a bit more difficult to fit in a bag, and if you were just barely fitting a 14-inch laptop in your bag before, you might need to get a bigger backpack. This packs away more like a 15-inch laptop than a 14-inch laptop. 

However, the smaller charging cable makes up for it. This is the first Alienware laptop we've ever used that uses a USB-C charger as its primary method of charging. The charger that comes in the box is exactly the same one as comes with the XPS 15, and it works just fine with our MacBook Pro charger as well. With more and more devices using USB-C charging, it's nice having a gaming laptop that we don't have to also pack a special charger for. 

As far as the ports around back that we mentioned earlier, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one standard USB-C for charging, an HDMI, one USB-A port and a microSD card reader - and of course a headphone jack. As far as most gaming laptops go, this would be a bit lacking, but considering the size of the laptop, it's more than we were expecting. Luckily we haven't reached a time when gamers have to live the dongle life as well - at least not yet. 

And for such a thin laptop, the keyboard is surprisingly solid. Travel is nice and deep, and bottoming out on the keys isn't as solid and shocking as on other chiclet-type keyboards. The trackpad is also surprisingly good, accurate and has a nice clicking mechanism. 

Even the speakers are pretty good considering the size of the device. The only place they're lacking is in bass response. Listening to "Billions" by Caroline Polachek, the entire song comes through loud and clear. However, the deep bass in the background gets muffled by the weak woofers on the Alienware X14. In games, this means things like explosions and gunshots aren't as clear as they should be, but you should be using a gaming headset for stuff like that anyway - a shame there's only one USB-A slot though.

The display is also very good. It's a 14-inch 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate. It hits an average of 377 nits of brightness, which should be plenty for most people. It also manages to reach 109% of the sRGB color spectrum, which means it's extremely colorful. It's definitely not the most beautiful or bright display on the market, but it's fast, and it's accurate enough that gamers are going to love it. 

Finally, because this is a gaming laptop in 2022, there is of course some delightful RGB lighting. The fan exhaust on the back of the laptop is surrounded by an RGB light bar and the Alienware logo on the lid of the laptop also features user-adjustable lighting. The keyboard also features RGB lighting, and by default comes in a gorgeous static blue setting. 

Alienware is definitely a company that wants you to show off your laptop, and trust us, you're going to want to show off the Alienware X14. 

Alienware X14 on a table, playing Hitman III

(Image credit: Future)

Performance

Benchmarks

Here's how the Alienware X14 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 41,366; Fire Strike: 15257; Time Spy: 6716
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 13686 points
GeekBench 5: 1567 (single-core); 13531 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home test): 6830 points
PCMark 10 Battery life: 5 hours and 27 minutes
Battery life (Techradar movie test): 6 hours and 13 minutes
Total War: Three Kingdoms (1080p, Ultra): 52 fps; (1080p, Low): 177 fps
Metro Exodus (1080p, Ultra): 46 fps; (1080p, Low): 150 fps

While this is a thin and light gaming laptop, it definitely isn't specced out like one. This is equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, and unlike the one you would find in, say, the XPS 17, this is a 75W version of the mobile GPU - which is very nearly the full-fat 80W maximum for this piece of silicon. 

Dell was able to do this by utilizing a similar cooling solution to what's found in the X15 and X17, just with a two-fan configuration rather than four fans. That's likely why this laptop is limited to just an RTX 3060 and a Core i7, but it's definitely effective. While the laptop does get loud under load, temperatures are kept in check, and it allows the laptop to perform admirably. 

In Metro Exodus at Ultra settings at 4K, the Alienware X14 manages just under 50 fps, and as soon as you turn on DLSS (which you should), that will easily hit 60 fps. Likewise, in Total War: Three Kingdoms, this laptop manages 52 fps on the Ultra preset. 

This gaming laptop can absolutely play the latest AAA games at high settings at 1080p, but you are going to have to fiddle around with some of the settings if you want to hit the magical 60 fps mark. This is why we would have loved an RTX 3070 configuration. Maybe next time around, Dell will find a way to fit a slightly more powerful GPU in here. 

As for the CPU in here, Alder Lake-H continues to impress. This is a Core i7 configuration and has no problem absolutely wiping the floor with its 11th-generation equivalent. It even manages to match an 11th-generation Core i9 processor in much thicker laptops like the Dell XPS 17 and the Alienware x17. 

CPU heavy workloads like photo and video editing are going to be a breeze, and the Efficiency Cores in the Core i7-12700H will make sure that pesky background tasks don't get in the way of you getting things done.   

Alienware X14 on a table, playing Hitman III

(Image credit: Future)

Battery life

Battery is, simply put, the Achilles Heel of the Alienware X14. This gaming laptop just lasts around 5 and a half hours in the PCMark10 battery benchmark, and just about 6 hours in our video playback test. 

This is likely because there is only an 80Whr battery in the X14, rather than the 99WHr batteries found in most gaming laptops these days. That was probably in interest of keeping the laptop as thin and light as it is, but it does mean that you're likely going to need to carry around a charger. But, again, the bright side of that is that you can charge this laptop with pretty much any USB-C charger you have lying around. 

It's definitely a compromise we wish we didn't have to make. We don't really go anywhere where we can't plug a laptop in, but if you're hoping to have this thing last you through an international flight - it's probably not going to manage that. 

Camera

Good webcams are more important than ever before now that telecommuting is becoming more common, and the Alienware X14's camera is pretty lackluster. It's a 720p sensor, and the images it captures aren't very detailed. The lighting is pretty awful as well, which means it's probably not a laptop we'll be taking video calls on any time soon. 

It does have IR, so it supports Windows Hello, but that's pretty much the only good thing about the webcam here. Dell has been putting better webcams into its other laptops, we don't know why this laptop was neglected, especially since livestreaming has become so popular. 

Alienware X14 on a table, playing Hitman III

(Image credit: Future)

Features and software

Just like any other Alienware or Dell laptop, the Alienware X14 is loaded with Dell's own software. However, it is all conveniently contained in one launcher this time around, called My Alienware. From here, you can get updates, launch Alienware Command Center, and other various support-flavored tasks. 

Alienware Command Center continues to be where you're going to find all the performance profiles and controls for RGB lighting. It also will let you scan your PC for games, so you can launch your whole library from that one app instead of juggling around a bunch of different storefronts. Definitely a nice touch, though you can get the same effect by just downloading GOG Galaxy. 

Should I buy the Alienware X14?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

MSI Raider GE76 2022 review
5:00 pm | January 25, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: January 2022
• Launch price: Starting at $1,599 (about £1,280/AU$ 2,320)
• The MSI Raider GE76 2022 is still available, but availability might be limited

Update – September 2024: The MSI Raider GE76 2022 is a fantastic gaming laptop, but at current prices, you might be better off with one of MSI's other gaming laptop offerings, many of which are going to feature updated specs and possibly better pricing.

Still, if you can find the MSI Raider GE76 2022 model for substantially cheaper than its launch price, this could be a fantastic bargain come Black Friday or other holiday shopping sales in the months ahead.

Original review follows.

For years, the MSI Raider GE76 has been a great gaming laptop for showcasing what the latest mobile hardware from Intel and Nvidia is capable of. And now, in 2022, with the launch of the Intel 12th-generation Alder Lake processors and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, we have a laptop that's basically on the level of a full-fledged gaming PC, but fits in a (large) backpack. 

While the high power of this gaming laptop means it doesn’t have the best battery life in the world – only reaching about five hours – it is one of the first gaming laptops we’ve used that we would genuinely call a '4K gaming laptop'. In fact, with DLSS, this laptop should have no problem playing even Cyberpunk 2077 with high settings at 4K with ray tracing enabled. But because this is a 1080p gaming laptop with a 360Hz display, all that power is instead directed to providing an incredibly smooth gaming experience.

However, this much power comes at a price. The configuration we reviewed, with an Intel Core i9-12900HK, 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, will set you back a whopping $3,999 (about £3,000, AU$5,600). That’s a lot of cash to throw at a gaming laptop, but at least you're getting something that’s both incredibly powerful and fits in your bag. 

MSI Raider GE76 2022 back of laptop, where you see some ports

(Image credit: Future)

Price and availability 

SPEC SHEET

Here is the MSI Raider GE76 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i9-12900HK (20 cores, 16MB cache, up to 5.0GHz Turbo)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
RAM: 32GB
Screen: 17-inch LED, 360Hz, 3ms
Storage: 2 X 1TB M.2 SSD
Optical drive: N/A
Ports: 3x USB-A,1 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x MiniDisplayPort, SD card reader, audio combo jack
Connectivity: Killer WiFi 6E AX1675 (2x2 ), Bluetooth 5.2
Camera: FHD 1080p Webcam
Weight: 6.9 pounds (2.5 kg)
Size: 15.63 x 11.18 x 1.02 inches (397 x  283 x 25.9mm; W x D x H)

The MSI Raider GE76 will be available in early February 2022, and will start at $1,599 in the US. The spec that’s going to be available at that price hasn’t been announced yet, so we can’t speak to whether or not it’s going to offer good value. 

However, the price goes all the way up to a whopping $4,199 (about £3,120, AU$5,900), for which you're getting an absolutely overkill spec sheet. We didn’t review quite the top-end configuration, and the configuration listed to the right will cost you $3,999 (about £3,000, AU$5,600). 

That’s about $500 more expensive than the top-end spec for last year’s model goes for in the US right now, though that’s likely due to the fact that it includes a more-powerful RTX 3080 Ti, rather than its non-Ti equivalent. But due to the chassis design, you’re getting no-compromises gaming performance, which may be worth the large price increase, especially if you really want to play the latest and best PC games without having to worry about upgrading anytime soon.

MSI Raider GE76 2022 side of gaming laptops with some ports

(Image credit: Future)

Design 

One look at the MSI Raider GE76 and there's no mistaking that it is a gaming laptop. There are plenty of sharp angles, a gunmetal-gray lid, and more ports than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and there’s the giant RGB light bar on the front of the keyboard deck that we can’t figure out how to turn off. 

The laptop looks like a tank, and it’s kind of built like one too. The entire chassis is made from metal, from the lid to the bottom of the laptop where all the ventilation is found. The MSI Raider GE76 is definitely a laptop that can withstand a beating, although that does mean it’s quite heavy. 

The laptop is about an inch thick and weighs 6.9lb, which means it’s definitely noticeable when it’s in your bag. To add to the weight, you’ll need to carry the charger around with you, which is also quite heavy and bulky. So while this is definitely more portable than a gaming tower, it’s still not something you’re going to want to carry with you as you commute to work every day – unless you really want a workout. 

But thanks to the size of this laptop you do get a full keyboard with a numpad. There are some compromises to fit it in this chassis, with the buttons on the numpad being quite narrow. It takes some getting used to, especially if you don’t want to accidentally hit the right arrow key when you’re going for the 0 key, but that’s something that will come with time. 

The keyboard is also quite comfortable to type on, with plenty of travel. They’re still chiclet keys, but they feel much more substantial than on most laptops. However, we do notice that sometimes the spacebar will repeat, and we’ll have to hit backspace a few times to get back to where we were. It’s a small issue, but something that does get annoying after a while. 

Perhaps more impressive, though, is that even with that full-sized keyboard, MSI was able to fit top-firing speakers. They sound incredible for a laptop, and listening to Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge we could clearly hear the bass guitar, even when all the other instrumentation (and even the vocals) are bassy themselves. As for games, Guardians of the Galaxy sounds more clear than on many gaming laptops, and loud enough to render the fans inaudible. 

The display, meanwhile, looks incredible. While it is just a 1080p panel, the colors here are bright and accurate. Everything looks absolutely vibrant, whether you’re blasting aliens in Guardians of the Galaxy or digging around the colorful new menus in Windows 11, and you don’t have to worry about compromising on image quality just to get that 360Hz refresh rate.

And of course, because this is a thick gaming laptop in 2022, there are plenty of ports on offer. You get two USB-C ports, one of which is Thunderbolt 4, three USB-A, an Audio Combo jack, a dedicated charger, HDMI, Mini-DisplayPort, and an SD card reader. Basically, you don’t have to worry about a dongle further weighing you down here; MSI has all of its bases covered. 

MSI Raider GE76 2022 bottom of laptop, showing ventilation

(Image credit: Future)

 Performance 

Benchmarks

Here's how the MSI Raider GE76 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 53016; Fire Strike: 27515; Time Spy: 12615
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 16345 points
GeekBench 5: 1847 (single-core); 13451 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home test): 7892 points
PCMark 10 Battery life: 4 hours and 39 minutes
Battery life (Techradar movie test): 4 hours and 54 minutes
Total War: Three Kingdoms (1080p, Ultra): 104fps; (1080p, Low): 310fps
Metro Exodus (1080p, Ultra): 92fps; (1080p, Low): 187fps

The MSI Raider GE76 reviewed here is packed with an Intel Core i9-12900HK, 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. So, in essence, it’s a behemoth of a gaming laptop. 

This thing absolutely tore through our benchmark suite, blowing away every other laptop we’ve reviewed, and even came within reaching distance of some of the most powerful gaming desktops we’ve reviewed. The Core i9-12900HK is just 48% slower than the desktop version of the Core i9-12900K. That sounds like a huge difference, but we’re talking about a desktop chip with a PL1 (power level 1) that’s 2.7x higher than the 12900HK. Intel knocked the scaling out of the park, basically. 

But it’s not just the CPU that’s impressive. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is capable of some blisteringly fast speeds, too. In Metro Exodus with Ultra settings, this laptop was 41% faster than the Razer Blade 15 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, and was only 19% slower than the Alienware Aurora R13 – a desktop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090. This is truly desktop-level gaming performance.

Even in Guardians of the Galaxy, with the graphics absolutely maxed out – including ray tracing – we're constantly seeing framerates hovering around 120 fps. And that's without any form of DLSS or FSR running. This laptop is that powerful

There isn’t a game out there, especially with a 1080p or 1440p panel, for which you won’t be able to just crank the graphics preset up to maximum and let it ride. Yes, this is an expensive laptop, but if you want no-compromises gaming performance, and you don’t mind dropping a small fortune on a gaming laptop, the MSI Raider GE76 is the device for you. 

MSI Raider GE76 2022 front of the laptop rgb light bar

(Image credit: Future)

Battery life 

While battery life in gaming laptops has come quite a long way in the last few years, you’re still going to take a massive loss when you’re running components that are this power-hungry. 

The MSI Raider GE76 falls just short of five hours in both of our battery tests. That would be appalling performance if this was an Ultrabook, but really it’s about what we expect out of a gaming laptop of this caliber. 

You won’t be able to take it with you to work without the power cable and just forget about it, but it should be able to get you through a short Netflix binge without dying on you. Yes, that charging cable is a bit heavy, but you’re going to want to pack it if you’re going to be carrying this laptop around with you. 

MSI Raider GE76 2022 numpad

(Image credit: Future)

Features and software 

As far as modern gaming laptops go, MSI doesn’t pre-install a lot of software on the Raider. MSI center does come pre-installed, but you can go through and manually pick which optional programs you want, rather than them all being shoving onto the SSD out of the factory. That’s the way we'd like it to be with more laptops. 

On the other hand, it does come with Norton Antivirus preinstalled, which is something that’s absolutely unnecessary on such an expensive device in 2022. You do get a bit of a free window before it starts begging you to buy an expensive subscription, but our advice is to just uninstall it and get one of the best free antivirus programs instead.  

MSI Raider GE76 2022 side of laptop with even more ports

(Image credit: Future)

Camera 

Webcams are more important now than they’ve ever been, but the one in the MSI Raider GE76 is just, you know, there. It’s a 1080p sensor, but images look sort of flat, and it doesn’t pick up lighting super-well. 

Then again, as this is a gaming laptop you’re probably not buying it to be in video meetings all day, so it probably isn’t a deal-breaker. You’re still going to be able to show up in a Zoom call relatively well – just don’t go thinking it’s going to use any kind of software to enhance the image, as the latest laptops from Lenovo or Apple are doing.

MSI Raider GE76 2022 back of laptop

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if… 

Don’t buy it if… 

Asus Zephyrus G14 review
2:50 am | March 31, 2020

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: March 2020
• Launch price: Starts at $1,449 / £1,449 (about AU$2,351)
• Target price now (updated model): Starts at $1,599 / £1,499 (about AU$2,440)

Update – July 2024: Don't panic when you look at those updated prices - the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 we reviewed here is now more than four years old, and the new versions that are currently available have seen a pretty huge redesign as well as a range of more powerful internal configurations.

Still, a lot of the points we loved about this older model continue to ring true, with the new iterations being even thinner than their predecessors while still offering top-notch performance and plenty of bang for your buck. In truth, most of Asus's ROG Zephyrus laptops are worthy of standing among the best gaming laptops.

If you're looking for a great deal on the current-gen ROG Zephyrus G14, you're in luck - we track the best Zephyrus G14 deals month-by-month to help you snag a bargain!

Two minute review

The Asus Zephyrus G14 was the laptop AMD used when it showed the world its Ryzen 4000 processors for gaming laptops, and now we kind of see why. This is a relatively thin and light device that delivers performance and battery life that we've never seen before in this category. Both AMD and Asus knocked it out of the park. 

At $1,449 (about £1,170, AU$2,351), the Zephyrus G14 is a bit pricey, but compared to similar systems like the Lenovo Legion Y740, you can get an RTX 2060-equipped model at the same price, but with less RAM and a much weaker processor. 

So, really, if you look at that high price tag in another context, Asus is positioning an AMD Ryzen 9-equipped laptop against Intel Core i7 systems that simply cannot compete. Sure, when it comes to design it's not quite as sexy as the MSI GS65 Stealths of the world, but if you're after a gaming system that's both powerful and packed with battery life, you shouldn't be looking at an Intel system right now.

Still, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is limited to an RTX 2060. The level of performance that the processor brings to the table leads us to wonder what a system with a more powerful GPU would be capable of, but at the end of the day, with a 1080p display it's more than enough to max out every single game on the market today – and then some. 

As the first gaming laptop out of the gate with AMD's new Ryzen 4000 processors, the Asus Zephyrus G14 has a lot to prove. But in our time with the device, we can definitely see this laptop as a precursor to some of the most incredible laptops in history coming out later in 2020.  

Asus Zephyrus G14

(Image credit: Future)
Spec sheet

Here are the specs of the Asus Zephyrus G14 sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: 3.0GHz AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS (8-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.3GHz)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (3,200MHz)
Screen: 14-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS, 120Hz
Storage: 1TB SSD (PCIe)
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen2, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out
Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi6 (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.0
Weight: 3.53 pounds (1.60kg)
Size: 12.75 x 8.82 x 0.70 inches (32.4 x 22.4 x 1.79 cm); W x D x H

Price and availability

Currently, there's only one configuration of the Asus Zephyrus G14 listed on Asus' store page in the US, and it's the same as what's listed to the right. For $1,449 (about £1,170, AU$2,351), you're getting the Ryzen 9 4900HS, 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. But things are a bit more complicated when we look at other territories. 

In the UK, there are two models, coming in at £999 and £1,599, but neither of them have quite the same hardware. The £1,599 model is packing an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, 16GB of RAM and the same GPU, but has a QHD (2,560 x 1,440) display, rather than the FHD 120Hz panel found in the model we reviewed here. The base model in the UK is limited to an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. We haven't tested a Ryzen 5-equipped laptop yet, so we can't really say whether £999 is a good price for this system. We can say that with just 8GB of RAM, it might be pushing it. 

It doesn't look like the Asus Zephyrus G14 is available in Australia quite yet. 

There are other configurations on the way, and they should be filtering out by June. But, if you want to get your hands on any of the configurations we explored, you can pre-order the laptop now. 

When you look at the Asus Zephyrus G14 specs for the various configurations and how they change so drastically from region to region, making a recommendation is difficult. AMD Ryzen 4000 is a brand new platform, so we can only speak for the model we have in front of us right now. But that configuration is absolutely worth it. 

Asus Zephyrus G14

(Image credit: Future)

Design

Considering the hardware on offer, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is thinner and lighter than you may expect. Coming in at just 0.7 inches thick and weighing just 3.53 lb, this is extremely portable for a gaming laptop. It's not as thin and light as, say, your average XPS 13, but it doesn't need to be. 

Even compared to other thin and light gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 15 and the MSI GS65 Stealth, it's just as thin and even lighter than either of them, thanks to the magnesium alloy-equipped chassis. If you were after a thin and light gaming laptop that'll fit in your bag without weighing you down, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is it.

Being thin and light isn't everything, though, and the laptop needs to hold up elsewhere. 

The Asus Zephyrus G14 has a general aesthetic that might be bordering a little much on the capital-G Gamer for some folks, but it's not too bad. The lid of the laptop is divided diagonally, with one half covered in these little dots. There is a version of this laptop that has these light up with white LEDs, and while we've seen that version at a ton of trade shows, that is not present in our review model, so we can't report back what kind of impact this has on usability or battery life.

There are a ton of vents all over the place, along with a very angular look. The way we see it, having all of these vents is ultimately a good thing for a device that's packing hardware on this level. When you're looking for a device to either play the best PC games or get some creative work done, you don't want to run into thermal limits. 

The chiclet keyboard is extremely well spaced and comfortable to type on. This is surprising just because of how small of a footprint the device actually has. However, there will likely be some folks that are turned off by the softer feel of the keyboard, as it's not as tactile or clicky as some gaming laptops out there with mechanical keyboards.

What we really like about the keyboard, however is the dedicated buttons at the top. We don't know about you, but the ability to change volume on the fly without messing around with combining the Fn key with one of the Function Keys at the top is a nice touch. There's also a dedicated key for opening Armory Crate, which will let you control system performance and RGB lighting with supported Aura Sync-ready components. This is a nice touch, but because there's no RGB on the system we reviewed, we couldn't use our creativity to really put it to the test. For the record: we want RGB on everything. 

The touchpad is generally serviceable. Multi-touch gestures work here, and it's accurate enough – basically it gets the job done. Because this is a gaming laptop and a lot of folks are going to be using this thing with one of the best gaming mice, the touchpad doesn't need to blow anyone's mind. Creative folks who are just after the awesome multi-core performance, however, will be able to get by with this touchpad. But, we recommend a mouse either away.  

Asus Zephyrus G14

(Image credit: Future)

The display is also pretty amazing for the price you're paying. Sure, it's not one of these 4K OLED panels we're seeing on ultra-premium laptops, but that doesn't matter with the hardware on offer here. You're getting an incredibly solid 1080p display with a blazingly-fast 120Hz refresh rate. The display hits 100% of the sRGB spectrum so it's more than colorful enough for gaming. Plus, at just 14-inches, the display doesn't need to have a higher resolution anyway. 

There's a trend in laptops where manufacturers are shoving in super-high-resolution displays, and we don't think it's worth it. You lose out on battery life and most people won't really tell the difference with a laptop this size. Plus, when it's paired with an RTX 2060, you can actually hit that 120Hz while gaming. Which we can. 

We were able to play Doom Eternal at 1080p on Ultra Nightmare settings (though just Ultra textures, thanks 6GB frame buffer). Motion was so smooth on this display it feels close enough to playing on our premium gaming monitor. 

As for speakers, we have to applaud Asus here: they're not on the bottom of the laptop. We do wish the speakers had a little more oomph to them, as Doom Eternal doesn't sound quite as bombastic as we'd like. Still, plugging in a gaming headset into one of the many ports available remedies that problem. 

And when we say there are many ports, we mean there are many. With the Asus Zephyrus G14 you're getting two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, one of which can be used for charging the laptop. You also get a dedicated charging port, a HDMI and a combo 3.5mm headphone/mic jack. In a laptop that's this easy to carry around, we absolutely adore the wide range of I/O here. 

There's only really one thing missing here, but it might be kind of a big deal for certain users: no webcam. Now, we don't think that's a huge deal, as you don't really need a webcam for games unless you're streaming. And even if you are streaming, you're better off with one of the best webcams anyway. There is probably a certain subset of users that are looking to use this laptop for work, and they might run into some issues. Basically, it's just something to keep in mind. If having a built-in webcam is a deal breaker, you might want to look elsewhere.

Asus Zephyrus G14

(Image credit: Future)
Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Zephyrus G14 fared in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Sky Diver: 34,347; Fire Strike: 13,950; Time Spy: 5,872
Cinebench R20: 3,961 cb
Geekbench 4 Single-Core: 5,265; Multi-Core: 29,907
Geekbench 5 Single-Core: 1,202; Multi-Core: 7,815
PCMark 8 Home: 4,692
PCMark 8 Battery Life: 5 hours 37 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 8 hours 10 minutes
Total War: Three Kingdoms: 128fps (1080p, Low) 44fps (1080p Ultra)
Metro Exodus: 115fps (1080p, Low), 38fps (1080p, Ultra)

Performance

Wow, is that AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS something. Packed with 8-cores and 16-threads with a base clock of 3.0GHz and a boost of 4.3GHz, this is a speed monster. In all of our CPU-heavy testing workloads, this processor absolutely smashed the competition. 

Even compared to the full-fat and overclockable Intel Core i9-9980HK found in the Alienware m17, we're seeing wins for AMD. For instance, in Cinebench R15, the AMD-powered Zephyrus gets a solid 1,782 points, compared to the Alienware's 1,182.  That's a whopping 34% jump in performance, found in a laptop that's literally half the price of the Alienware m17 configuration we reviewed back in December. 

The fun doesn't end there. In Geekbench 4 not only does the Zephyrus obviously win the multi-core contest with 29,907 points, beating the Core i9 by 24%, but even comes within margin of error when it comes to its single-core score of 5,265.

A lot of this is possible because of the move down to the 7nm AMD Zen 2 architecture on mobile. This, plus some creative engineering from the folks over at AMD, has allowed this processor to offer truly desktop-class performance on a laptop that weighs just over 3 lb.

But, of course, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is a gaming laptop, so gaming performance is perhaps more important than raw CPU power. And, well, thanks to the RTX 2060 Max-Q included here, the Zephyrus kills it in games too – up to a point. 

With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 5,872 and the ability to run Metro Exodus on Ultra settings with a decent 38 fps frame rate, you can expect solid gaming performance here. And, we'll even reiterate: we're able to get a steady 120 fps in the recently-released Doom Eternal. 

It's hard to compare this to a similarly specced system with an Intel chip, simply because there aren't a lot of laptops out there that pair an Intel Core i9 processor with the RTX 2060. It's strange that this pairing exists with the Asus Zephyrus G14, but AMD seems committed to avoiding the high-end of the market for now, so hopefully we'll be able to see exactly where these chips line up in terms of gaming with future systems – we'd love to see a gaming laptop with a Ryzen 9 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, and we don't think we're alone in that. 

Asus Zephyrus G14

(Image credit: Future)

Battery life

AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU performance is definitely a huge reason to pick this laptop up, but battery life is far more interesting. But first, a bit of background. 

Generally speaking, when it comes to gaming laptops, we've got to a point where we don't even expect them to break three or four hours of juice. If we're lucky, we'll see a gaming laptop hit 5 hours, but it's incredibly rare that we'll ever see one that you can use to work all day away from a charger. 

Those days are over. 

In our movie test, where we loop 1080p video back to back, the Asus Zephyrus G14 lasted an incredible 8 hours and 10 minutes. The HP Elite Dragonfly, a laptop that is sold based on its battery life scores 8 hours and 11 minutes in the same test. Plus, that's with a CPU that has less than half the TDP of the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS – and with no dedicated GPU, either. 

In the PCMark8 battery test, the Asus Zephyrus G14 scores 4 hours and 47 minutes. To put it in perspective with recent gaming laptops, the amazing Alienware m15 R2 only manages 2 hours and 45 minutes in that test. 

We have never seen a gaming laptop that can reach this level of battery life or even anywhere near it. AMD has made some bold claims about Ryzen 4000 battery life, and it actually delivered. Intel should be taking notes right now. 

(Image credit: Asus)

Software and features

There are really only three pieces of software that Asus includes on the Zephyrus G14. ROG Game Visual, Armory Crate and GameFirst VI. All three of these pieces of software let you tinker with how the laptop performs. Game Visual lets you tinker with the display, swapping between different presets and allowing you to adjust color temperature. 

GameFirst VI will help you optimize your network for online gaming, even helping you sniff out the strongest network in your proximity. We're in the middle of New York City, which means that the screen showing all the networks looks wild, but if you're in a home with access to multiple networks, this will help you pick the right one. 

Then, Armory Crate lets you tinker with basically everything else. Through this software you can adjust everything from fan speed to RGB (through connected peripherals, there is no RGB built into the laptop). There's even a tab that will scan your computer for installed games and let you launch them from there, without worrying about sorting through the dozens of PC game services that we have to live with these days. 

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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