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Origin EON17-X v2 review: powerful, big, hot, and loud

11:46 pm | September 18, 2024

Origin EON17-X v2: Two-minute review

Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop resting on desk — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Gaming laptops typically come in two different flavors: the lighter variant that requires some performance compromises, and the desktop variant that is about as mobile as a large turtle. The Origin EON17-X v2 is the latter.

For many, these desktop replacements are the best gaming laptops for them. While heavy, they’re still much easier to fold up and transport than an actual desktop. You just wouldn’t want to carry it around on your back all day. Yet, they still have the bona fide internals to allow playing AAA games on higher settings with ray tracing and all that jazz. Unfortunately, it shares some of the drawbacks of these types of computers with its loud fans and issues with thermal efficiency, not to mention it blows hot air out its sides around where one would most likely have their hand when using an external mouse.

On the bright side, it comes with a large, sharp, and vibrant screen like the best 17-inch laptops. And like some of those bigger models, the Origin EON17-X v2 gets up there in price. Depending on what you’re looking for – especially if you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop with an HD UV printed lid – the Origin EON17-X v2 might be the gaming laptop for you.

Origin EON17-X v2: Price and availability

Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop with its lid closed — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

How much does it cost? Starting at $3,400.00 (about £2,610.00 / AU$5,120.00)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US

Though the basic configuration listed on the Origin site for the EON17-X v2 is discounted down to $2,480 at the time of writing, it generally starts at $3,400.00 (about £2,610.00 / AU$5,120.00). Even if that’s one of those deals where it’s constantly discounted so most are never paying that price, this is still an expensive computer. That said, $2,400 is a much more accessible price and an easier one to swallow.

Even that basic configuration is plenty powerful as well. It comes with an Intel Core i9 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and a 1440p screen with a 240Hz refresh rate.

If you want to max out the configuration, which has that same i9 CPU, an RTX 4090 GPU, 64GB RAM, 8TB SSD with an additional 8TB SSD and a 4K screen with a 144Hz refresh rate along with one of the preconfigured UV printed lids, the price is going to be $5,681 (about £4,360 / AU$8,550). Now, those massive SSDs both add on a lot price-wise, specifically $824 for the main 8GB SSD and an additional $930 for the additional 8TB SSD.

The review configuration here is a happy medium as it keeps the Intel Core i9, RTX 4090, and 4K screen, and pairs that all with a more modest but still very robust 32GB RAM as well as a 2TB SSD and an additional 2TB SSD. That will set you back $3,913 (about £3,000 / AU$5,890) give or take (there are multiple options for the same configuration of hard drives at slightly different price points). Of course, it’s discounted at the time of writing to $3,098.

Origin is not the only game in town for these sorts of desktop replacement laptops that are more than likely to be very powerful, very loud, and very stationary. The MSI Titan 18 HX is another such computer. It starts at an even pricier $4,999.99 / £4,379.98 / AU$6,999 and comes with an Intel Core i9, RTX 4080, 64GB RAM, and 2TB SSD, along with an 18-inch screen with a 2400p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The one thing it does have over the Origin is that that screen has HDR1000 on hand. Still, it starts at an even higher price point for a similar package.

If you’re willing to compromise, particularly on screen resolution, the Acer Predator Helios 18 starts at a much more palatable $1,699.99 (about £1,339 / AU$2,576). Of course, the specs are more modest as you get an Intel Core i7, 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and an 18-inch 1200p screen with a 165Hz refresh rate.

Value: 4 / 5

Origin EON17-X v2: Specs

All models come with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, but you do have a few ways to customize (and a whole bunch when it comes to the SSDs). The GPU and screen are tied together, so if you get the cheaper Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, the PC will come with the 17.3-inch 1440p screen with the faster 240Hz refresh rate. If you get the 4090 GPU, it will come with a 17.3-inch 4K screen with a still blazing fast 144Hz refresh rate.

As far as RAM goes, you can select from 16, 32, or 64GB. When it comes to SSDs, the options are too numerous to mention here. I’ll only say that you have options ranging from 1 to 8TB for both the main and the additional hard drive. For some sizes, there are multiple options.

Besides the two different screens, there’s one other way to customize the Origin EON17-X v2 externally, and that’s with the HD UV printed lid. For a small upcharge, you can choose from 19 different prints. Or, for a bigger upcharge, you can upload your own design to be printed on the lid.

Origin EON17-X v2: Design

Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop in use on a desk — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Massive in every way, including weight
Port selection is great
HD UV printed lid is unique

The Origin EON17-X v2 is massive. Yes, that’s to be expected of any computer with a 17-inch display not named LG Gram, but this PC is 16 pounds (despite the fact that a lot of the verbiage online says 7.25 pounds). It’s clearly not meant to be routinely lugged around. It just happens to be more portable than an actual desktop setup. That said – as I’ll get into below – the battery life is good enough that, if you’re actually comfortable carrying around an extra 16 pounds, you can use this on the go.

The upside of the EON17-X v2 being so big is that it comes with a large 17.3-inch display with either a super sharp resolution (4K at 144Hz) or blazing fast refresh rate (1440p at 240Hz). The only thing really missing with the display is any kind of HDR.

Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop's RGB keyboard — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

It also has a full-sized keyboard layout thanks to its larger size, which can be customized with Macros and per-key RGB lighting. The touchpad is likewise sizable. Both work well, though the keyboard has enough stiffness that I prefer typing on my MacBook or using an external keyboard.

The touchpad, however, is very responsive and accurate. Almost enough to use during gaming, though it’s held back by the fact that if you’re pressing down to simulate a right click, you won’t be able to left click. This is a combination of actions needed in games where you would aim before shooting. Otherwise, I was very impressed by the touchpad.

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Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop back port selection — Backside port selection on the Origin EON17-X v2 (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

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Origin EON17-X v2 gaming laptop's left side port selection — EON17-X v2 left side ports (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

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Origin EON17-X v2 right side ports (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

The port selection on here is pretty great. Though I don’t like having ports on the back, there are so many that it makes sense. Anything outside of a SD card reader is here. It even has an optical style audio jack to go along with a regular 3.5mm one. And, of course, two thunderbolt 4 ports are on hand as well.

Taking a step back and looking at the whole package, the Origin EON17-X v2 is mostly matte black with an aluminum chassis, and, when open, only really looks like a gaming laptop thanks to its size and the RGB lighting on the keyboard. However, the lid with its HD UV printed design is going to give it away. Regardless of the design, it’s not a look I would personally go for (you can choose a standard black lid), but it’s certainly unique and something that someone would appreciate.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Origin EON17-X v2: Performance

Origin EON17-X v2 Control Center software — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Powerful performance
Loud fan
Gets hot under stress

It’s no surprise that Origin bills the EON17-X v2 as “[its] most powerful laptop ever designed.” Its specs are impressive. It has a top-of-the-line CPU in its Intel Core i9 as well as the most powerful consumer-grade GPU with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 (even if you get the 4080, it’s incredibly powerful).

It’s a testament to how ambitious Origin got that you can still run games like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Hellblade 2:Senua’s Saga and really push the laptop, ending up with 20-30 fps. But, that’s with maxed settings and ray tracing on full blast. Singling out Cyberpunk 2077 for a second, I get 20 fps with everything maxed out at 4K including ray tracing. With ray tracing off, it’s 29 fps. At 1080p with ray tracing off but all the other settings still maxed out, I get 89 fps.

That’s actually pretty impressive. And, with a lot of AAA games, you can get up to 150 - 160 fps in 1080p but still with the settings all the way up.

Also remember that the Origin EON17-X v2 is powering a 4K display (or 1440p one if you go the cheaper-ish route) with a high refresh rate even if you’re not fully utilizing it. And it’s a wonderful display. Its Delta E > 0.25 is incredibly accurate and the color coverage is very wide, specifically insofar that it has an sRGB of 153.5% and DCI-P3 of 108.7%. With those numbers and the powerful internals, I could imagine doing quite a bit of video editing on this machine.

Origin EON17-X v2: Benchmarks

3DMark: Fire Strike: 31284; Time Spy: 17838; Port Royal: 11950

GeekBench 6.3 2979 (single-core); 17014 (multi-core)

25GB File Copy: 11.43

Handbrake 1.8.1: 3:52

CrossMark: Overall: 2217 Productivity: 2085 Creativity: 2407 Responsiveness: 2084

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: (1080p) 131 fps, (4K) 75 fps

Dirt 5: (1080p) 167.5 fps, (4K) 87.83 fps

Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 7:17:36

Where the Origin EON17-X v2 is not quite amazing is in the fact that its fans are very loud, though you can adjust that in Origin’s Control Center app. I literally could barely hear the maxed out audio of games over it. Strangely, the laptop still got very hot under duress, measuring 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) right above the F10 / webcam key in the middle of the keyboard.

More distressingly is the fact that while there’s venting on the back and the sides of the computer, a lot of the hot air is getting blown out the sides. Unless you’re using an external keyboard, you probably will have your mouse and therefore your hand right next to one of the side vents.

On the bright side, if you choose to use the speakers instead of external headphones, the audio sounds decent. Not a lot of low-end, but it’s full enough. More importantly for a gaming computer, it actually has a decent soundstage so you can hear what’s supposed to be on the left or the right.

Performance: 4 / 5

Origin EON17-X v2: Battery life

Solid battery life for a gaming laptop
No fast charging

I always say this when I review gaming laptops, but it’s worth repeating. They’re notorious for having, at best, mediocre battery life. So, to test a 17-inch model with very robust specs and have it last a little more than seven and a quarter hours in our web surfing battery informant test is very impressive. Typically, I expect to see two to three hours of battery life in these kinds of machines.

Also worth noting is that the Origin EON17-X v2 does not have fast charging on hand. However, that’s more the purview of Ultrabooks. On the bright side, you do have some customization over how the laptop charges in the Control Center app so you can set it to charge when it’s under 70% and stop at 80. You can also select your own personal parameters. That’s a nice feature if you care about the longevity of the physical battery.

Battery life: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Origin EON17-X v2?

Buy it if…

You want an incredibly powerful gaming laptop

The only way to get something more powerful is to go the actual desktop route. Otherwise, the Origin EON17-X v2 is about as performance-heavy as you’ll find in laptop form.

You want to customize your PC

With the ability to choose from an assortment of HD UV printed lids or upload your own design, this laptop can be customized beyond the competition. And, that’s before considering the different options available with the different internal components.

You want good battery life in a large gaming laptop

If you want good battery life in a 17-inch gaming laptop, this machine has the goods. It might not compare to an Ultrabook or even smaller gaming laptops like an Asus ROG Zephyrus, but you’ll be hard pressed to get seven hours out of most mid- to large-sized gaming portables.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget of any kind

Unless you can spend $2,500 on a laptop (and that’s when it’s on sale), you’re better off finding some other pre-built laptop with slightly less robust internal components.

You care about a laptop getting too hot

The heat this thing produces is a pain to deal with, especially when it’s blowing right on your mouse hand. If this is a dealbreaker, there are gaming laptops that handle thermals a little better or at least don’t blow the hot air out the side vents.

Also Consider

If our Origin EON17-X v2 review has you looking for other options, here are two laptops to consider...

MSI Titan 18 HX

The MSI Titan 18 HX does a lot of what the Origin EON17-X v2 does and adds in HDR1000. It’s powerful with a great display and plenty of ports. It’s, however, even more expensive and you can’t add your own design on the lid.

Read our full MSI Titan 18 HX review

Acer Predator Helios 18

The Acer Predator Helios 18 proves that, if you’re willing to compromise on some settings, you can get some great gaming done for a much cheaper price. It’s much cheaper while still offering up a very large display. While that display as at a lower resolution, it’s still blazing fast.

Read our full Acer Predator Helios 18 review

How I tested the Origin EON17-X v2

Tested for two weeks
Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
Pushed it as hard as possible with demanding games

I used the Origin EON17-X v2 for two weeks, gaming on it primarily, but also typing up most of this review and watching / listening to streaming. I pushed it as hard as possible, running AAA games at various settings including at their max to see how it would respond.

The Origin EON17-X v2 is an interesting machine as it’s for a very select group of people who want as much performance as possible, but still want a single laptop instead of all the individual parts of a desktop setup.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

First reviewed September 2024

Asus ROG NUC 970 review: big gaming performance from a tiny desktop machine

4:56 am | September 11, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers | Tags: QHD, RAM, SSD | Comments: Off

Asus ROG NUC 970: TWO-MINUTE REVIEW

The Asus ROG NUC 970 is designed for those who want a very compact desktop computer that can still give great performance for both gaming and productivity use. As you might have guessed from the NUC name, it’s available as a barebones kit where you buy and add RAM, an SSD and an operating system. For those who want a simpler option, the NUC 970 is also sold by retailers ready to go straight out of the box. The NUC uses hardware normally found in laptops – the base spec is an Intel Ultra 7 paired with a RTX 4060, or an Ultra 9 alongside a RTX 4070.

The NUC 970 I tested was kitted out with an Ultra 9 CPU, RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of RAM (it can handle up to 64GB), a 1TB M.2 SSD and Windows 11. Setup was just like any new Windows machine, though not quite as streamlined, and I needed to get the latest drivers from the Asus website and install them manually. This process was not a smooth one and my NUC hung while updating the BIOS, recovered itself, and still had ongoing driver niggles even after a factory reset.

The NUC 970 has the usual array of premium ports, including Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps with DisplayPort 1.4), HDMI 2.1, dual DisplayPort, and a gaggle of high-speed (and low-speed) USB-A ports. You also get super-fast Wi-Fi 6E (AX1690i) and Bluetooth 5.3. The build quality is fantastic – the side cover of the NUC pops straight off after unlatching and the RAM and up to three SSDs can be installed very easily.

The NUC 970 runs the RTX 4070 at up to 140W – the same level as most gaming laptops. While slightly quieter than a similar-spec laptop at full tilt, it’s still quite noisy in turbo mode. The 970 doesn’t push its hardware very hard, and is slightly slower than a premium gaming laptop with the same CPU and GPU. Gaming performance is pretty good overall and the 970 can happily run games like Cyberpunk 2077 at up to 114fps at 1080p, or 72fps at 1440p using Ultra settings with DLSS on. The NUC is a bit quieter during non-gaming use and tends to run the CPU at a higher sustained wattage level than comparable laptops. The 970 can also handle up to 4 screens (5 with the right USB-C setup), making it a very competent productivity machine when not gaming.

Despite the setup niggles I experienced, the ROG NUC 970 is easy to love… until you see the price. It’s very hard to recommend the NUC 970 when, for less money, you can buy a premium laptop that can get better gaming results, or a prebuilt mini desktop computer that has even higher performance. The NUC model with the Ultra 7 / RTX 4060 model is cheaper, but so are the competing options, making the value for money no better.

So where does that leave the NUC 970? The concept is cool, it’s very well built, the drivers need work, and the price needs to be at least 30% lower before I’d consider it competitive against other gaming options.

Asus ROG NUC 970sitting flat on a desk, plugged in with the logo glowing

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG NUC 970: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$4,299
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The above pricing for the Asus ROG NUC 970 is for the as-tested model, with a Core Ultra 9, RTX 4070, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and Windows 11 Home. The NUC 970 can be pretty hard to find (especially if you want different customization options) and it commands a price premium with few discounts. There are also barebones systems available without the RAM, SSD and OS, but depending on your region, buying the extras and installing them yourself may not save much money.

Overall the ROG NUC 970 is very expensive for the spec level provided, and it’s cheaper to buy an equally powerful gaming laptop or a much more powerful (but larger) gaming desktop. Outside of niche uses, the ROG would need to be at least 30% cheaper before I’d consider it a compelling buy.

Value score: 3 / 5

Asus ROG NUC 970: SPECS

The barebones ROG NUC 970 includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU (65W TDP) and a Nvidia RTX 4070 8GB GPU (140W TGP). There’s also a ROG NUC 670, featuring an Ultra 7 155H CPU (40W TDP) and RTX 4060 8GB GPU (140W TGP). Aside from the CPU and GPU, the rest of the spec (as listed below) is the same.

Specs score: 4 / 5

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Asus ROG NUC 970 from rear showing ports, including 4x USB, RJ45 Ethernet, USB-C, HDMU and dual displayport. — (Image credit: Future)

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Asus ROG NUC 970 from the underside, showing fan inlets and rubber feet — (Image credit: Future)

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Close of of underside of Asus ROG NUC 970 showing the fan inlet — (Image credit: Future)

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Asus ROG NUC 970 with cover off, showing all the internals from above — (Image credit: Future)

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Asus ROG NUC 970 internal cover plate with logo

(Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Asus ROG NUC 970 rear ports with cover off — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up inside the Asus ROG NUC 970 with cover off, showing the RAM and SSD. — (Image credit: Future)

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Asus ROG NUC 970 stand showing the underside — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Asus ROG NUC 970 stand showing rubber pads — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Asus ROG NUC 970 logo glowing red

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG NUC 970: Design

Compact case
Great stand
Plenty of ports

The compact ROG NUC 970 chassis has a 2.5-liter volume (84.5 ounces) – making it larger than the Intel NUCs of yore, but smaller than most miniature gaming PCs. It can sit flat on a table thanks to rubber feet on one side, or be mounted vertically in the heavy-duty aluminum stand. The large power supply is external (like a laptop), but at least the cable is long so the chunky brick can be hidden away under your desk. The little gaming machine has an LED backlight ROG graphic on the side that can be customized with your own logo (or covered up) using plastic inserts included in the box.

The NUC 970 design has the key ports nicely accessible, with dual USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headset jack on the front. Round the back there’s a further array of connectivity options, with Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C supporting DisplayPort 2.1 from the iGPU), two more USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, two standard USB 2.0 Type-A ports, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, the power connection and a Kensington lock.

Video output from the RTX 4070 is via dual DisplayPort 1.4 connections or HDMI 2.1 – the latter supporting FRL (Fixed Rate Link) that provides the higher bandwidth needed for options like 4K video at 120Hz. The NUC is also a competent productivity workstation and can be used with up to 5 monitors – though, if not gaming, the Asus NUC 14 Performance model might be a better option as it has the same underlying spec without the game-focused ROG branding.

The NUC 970 case is designed to be easy to open, and the RAM and SSD slots are very accessible for initial memory and storage installs or later upgrades. The tiny case means it’s not particularly easy to clean any dust buildup, and the motherboard and GPU have to be removed to access the cooling system.

Overall the NUC design is quite good, and I especially like the chunky, rubber-padded stand. In the end I actually preferred using the stand "backwards", as it still holds the NUC just as securely, but looks sleeker and gives the side vents some airflow. The ability to DIY a logo is also cool and a nice way to add a touch of personality to the machine. The only things I wish were included in the design are a few more USB-C ports (with one on the front) and removable filters for the fans.

Asus ROG NUC 970 sitting backwards in stand — The ROG NUC 970 can also sit securely "backwards" in the stand, giving extra airflow to the side vents. (Image credit: Future)

Design score: 4 / 5

Asus ROG NUC 970: PERFORMANCE

Solid gaming frame rates
Fast wired and wireless networking
Quiet when not gaming

Asus ROG NUC 970: Benchmarks

Here's how the Lenovo Legion 5i performed in the TechRadar suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Speed Way: 2,978 Port Royal: 7,589; Time Spy Extreme: 6,214; Fire Strike Ultra: 7,188.

GeekBench 6.3: 2,471 (single-core); 12,993 (multi-core)

Cinebench R24: 1,079 (multi-core); 107 (single-core)

PCMark 10: 7,623

CrystalDiskMark 8 NVMe: 7,067 MB/s (read); 5,081 MB/s (write)

Red Dead Redemption II: (Ultra 1080p) 79.3fps

Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p, (Ultra) 65fps; QHD, (Ultra) 55fps

F1 2023: 1080p (Ultra): 70fps

Considering the ROG NUC 970 has laptop-spec internals, running laptop-spec power and thermal profiles, it’s no surprise that it gives laptop-level gaming performance. That’s not a bad thing as the RTX 4070 is a very capable GPU and can give great results. For demanding games, the NUC 970 is best connected to a 1440p gaming monitor that supports variable refresh rate. Gaming at 4K is possible with less demanding games, and achieving higher frame rates requires lower detail levels or dropping the resolution back to 1080p.

I started off my games testing with Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p, turning ray tracing up to ultra, and the texture detail up to high. At these settings the NUC 970 manages 65fps with DLSS off, and 114fps with DLSS on. Pushing to higher frame rates at 1080p requires reducing the detail levels to low, which allows the NUC 970 to hit 150fps with DLSS on. Testing Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p, the 970 hits 55fps with all settings on high, and 72fps if DLSS is turned on. Scaling back ray tracing and dropping the detail back to medium allows the NUC 970 to just reach 100fps with DLSS on.

Other games tested (like Red Dead Redemption II and F1 2023), as well as a range of synthetic benchmarks, all tell the same story – the ROG NUC 970 is a competent 1440p gaming machine that performs at the same level as an RTX 4070-equipped gaming laptop.

CPU-only performance is quite good, and in prolonged, heavy, multicore workloads the NUC 970 runs a touch cooler (and much quieter) than a gaming laptop with the same Ultra 9 CPU. That said, the Ultra 9 is easily outclassed by gaming laptops equipped with 13th or 14th Gen i7 and i9 HX series CPUs.

The NUC 970 cooling system is larger than what you’d find in typical 14-inch or 16-inch gaming laptops, but not too different from the setups used in an 18-inch machine. This means the NUC cooling system has no trouble keeping the RTX 4070 from getting too hot without needing to run the fans at full speed. That said, the 970 isn’t exactly quiet when gaming – though it’s better than most laptops.

If browsing the internet or doing light work in quiet mode, it’s near silent, whereas heavier workloads will cause the fans to spin up to audible levels. Overall, the cooling system gets the job done but, considering the price of the NUC 970, I’d like to have seen quieter fans or a setup that helps get higher gaming performance from the GPU.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG NUC 970 on a desk next to the very large power brick — The Asus ROG NUC 970 PSU is a monster, but can be hidden away under a desk. (Image credit: Future)

SHOULD YOU BUY THE Asus ROG NUC 970?

Buy it if…

You want a very compact desktop machine
The NUC 970 has a unique form factor and style that can’t be matched by a normal gaming desktop.

You want no-fuss performance
The ROG NUC 970 is a competent gaming machine at 1440p or 1080p resolutions.

You want to install the RAM and SSD yourself
One advantage of the NUC system is being able to buy and install the RAM and storage yourself – though there’s also the option to buy it ready-to-go.

Don’t buy it if...

You want bang-for-buck gaming
The NUC 970 is quite expensive for the gaming laptop-equivalent performance it gives, and a slightly larger gaming desktop can give much better performance or cost a lot less.

You want a very quiet gaming machine
While the NUC 970 isn't as noisy as a typical gaming laptop, it’s still much louder than most gaming desktops.

You want a productivity computer
The ROG NUC 970 makes for a powerful workstation machine, but the ASUS NUC 14 Performance has the same spec for a lower price.

Asus ROG NUC 970: Also consider

If my Asus ROG NUC 970 review has you considering other options, here are two small gaming desktops and a laptop to take a look at:

Alienware Aurora R16
While nowhere near as compact as the ROG NUC 970, the Aurora R16 has a desktop PC RTX 4070 with 12GB of RAM that gives much better gaming performance compared to the laptop RTX 4070 in the NUC 970.

Check out the full Alienware Aurora R16 review

Asus ROG G22CH
The small form factor chassis used by the G22CH is larger than the NUC 970, but it does give much better gaming performance and can be cheaper depending on your region.

Take a look at the full Asus ROG G22CH review

Lenovo Legion 5i
A gaming laptop like the Legion 5i gives very similar performance to the Asus ROG NUC 970, but costs less and is much more versatile overall.

Read the full Lenovo Legion 5i review

How I tested the ROG NUC 970

Synthetic gaming and productivity benchmarks
Real-world gaming benchmarks

I ran the Asus ROG NUC 970 through the usual comprehensive array of TechRadar benchmarks, focused on both gaming and productivity use. I tested the ROG NUC 970 for a week, including using it in the living room connected to a TV for casual couch gaming and media playback.

MSI Claw 8 AI+: Design

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ has been redesigned somewhat from the original Claw, especially in terms of its aesthetics. Gone is the boring all-black chassis of the first-gen Claw, as there is now a matte silvery-copper panel around the controls that nicely accents the otherwise black plastic chassis.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ being shown off at IFA 2024 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

MSI wasn't able to provide a full spec sheet for the Claw 8 AI+, so I can't tell if there is anything new about the ports on the new Claw other than the addition of a second USB-C port. This will likely be a Thunderbolt 4 port, but I didn't have an opportunity to confirm that.

The back of the Claw 8 AI+ looks pretty much the same as the original Claw, featuring two programmable macro buttons and an air intake for the cooling system.

One very welcome change though is the revamped MSI Center, which is accessible from the touch of a button and features as close to a modern console interface as I've seen on any handheld other than the Steam Deck. It will even change the background to reflect the game that you're highlighting.

Windows 11 is still a terrible platform for PC gaming handhelds, so getting the MSI Center software right will be critical, and MSI is still tweaking the interface to improve it ahead of launch. Even as it is today, however, it's a much better experience than you'll find in other handhelds.

MSI Claw 8 AI+: Performance

I didn't get to really push the Claw 8 AI+ to its limits during my time with the device since MSI is still fine-tuning the power profile for the chip, but I got a chance to play some Hi-Fi Rush and Sonic the Hedgehog to see how the device handled.

True, these are not the most demanding games around, but even in the early production state my Claw was in, the two games looked fantastic and played without issue, consistently getting very high frame rates.

MSI Claw 8 AI+: Price & availability

The spec sheet for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ isn't finalized yet, so there's no way to price this system out, either from MSI or my own estimates based on the hardware profile.

As for availability, MSI is targeting a January 2025 launch for the Claw, but that's not an official release date, so it might slip a bit deeper into 2025. We'll hopefully know more about that soon as we get closer to the holiday season.

MSI Claw 8 AI+: Final thoughts

It's too soon to tell how the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will perform, much less whether it will be a success, but there's no question that this is a very different experience than I've had with the first-generation model.

Everything I've seen from Lunar Lake makes me optimistic though, and the improvements that MSI has made to the Claw's design are also stand-out arguments in this second-generation Claw's favor.

We won't know for certain until we get an actual production unit in hand to benchmark and review, but given what I've seen so far, I can definitely say that I am very eager to see what this gaming handheld is capable of in a few months time.

Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Acer gets in the PC gaming handheld game, but is it enough to Blaze a trail out of a crowded field?

12:00 am | September 7, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers | Tags: PC, Tomb Raider | Comments: Off

We've got another PC gaming handheld on the market to take on the venerable Steam Deck: the Acer Nitro Blaze 7, and it looks like it might be a very strong contender against the current handheld champ, the Asus ROG Ally X.

The Blaze 7's specs are pretty solid. In terms of hardware, it is sandwiched below the ROG Ally X but definitely above the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and well above what the Steam Deck can offer.

This includes a 7-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen with a variable refresh rate up to 144Hz, up to 2TB PCIe SSD storage, and 16GB LPDDR5x memory running at 7500MT/s.

The real star here, though, is the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS SoC powering the whole thing. This is a slight step up from the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC found in the ROG Ally, Legion Go, and ROG Ally X, though only really in terms of its AI performance.

While the core counts in the CPU and GPU are the same, as are their speeds, you do get a dedicated NPU in the Ryzen 7 8840HS that should help offload some AI tasks. How much this helps with AMD Radeon Super Resolution (AMD's hardware-based upscaler) remains to be seen, though.

Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Design

The ports on an Acer Nitro Blaze 7 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Design-wise, if one thing is immediately noticeable about the Blaze 7, it's that it feels a bit bulkier than the recently released ROG Ally X. However, it is nearly identical in terms of dimensions and is even a little bit lighter. Part of that comes from the ridged hand grips on the back of sides of the device, which felt a bit deeper than on other handhelds I've used recently. The spec sheet on the Blaze 7 isn't exactly clear on whether that difference is real or just my imagination.

The chassis is black plastic with white and red accents around the device, something I haven't seen on other devices. If nothing else, people around you will know you're playing on a Blaze 7 rather than some other gaming handheld.

The back of the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Regarding ports, you get a lot here, including two USB4 ports, one on the top and one on the bottom, which will definitely make this thing easier to dock. Furthermore, since the bottom port is Thunderbolt 4, it will support video output and power delivery.

The battery, meanwhile, is a substantial 50WHr, meaning you should be able to get solid gaming time in before you need to plug it in.

One noticeable component that is missing is any of the back macro buttons you get on the ROG Ally. Personally, I never use those on the ROG Ally X unless my ADHD-addled brain gets fidgity, as even a video game beamed right at my face from my hands isn't enough to keep the restlessness away.

The rest of the buttons are the standard dual-stick, control pad, and ABXY buttons, as well as two triggers and two bumpers along the top of the device. You also get a power button with a built-in fingerprint reader, volume buttons, a view button, a menu button, a dedicated Acer Game Space button, a mode switch button, an Acer quick menu button, and (my favorite) a pop-up keyboard button.

Acer Game Space, meanwhile, is an all-in-one solution for managing your game library across different apps and storefronts that works reasonably well. It does remind you, though, just how terrible Windows 11 is as a platform for these kinds of handhelds.

Also of note is the heat vent along the top of the device. While playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the Blaze 7, that area of the device did get noticeably hot. This isn't unexpected — after all, energy = heat — and it wasn't something I noticed when holding the device as intended. I only felt the heat when my hand accidentally touched the vent (and the heatsink fins therein), so just something to keep in mind.

Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Performance

The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 in a masculine hand — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

So I didn't get to run any benchmarks on the device, unfortunately, but Acer did conveniently have Shadow of the Tomb Raider running on the device I got some time with, and they enabled AMD's framerate tool to show the FPS on the device as you played it.

There were a couple of stutters here and there, but nothing you wouldn't get on any other device like this. On the whole, though, the Blaze 7 consistently got around or above 60FPS at 1080p with medium settings with FSR tuned to performance mode.

On a seven-inch screen, these settings looked fantastic, and the frame rate was very consistent unless you walked around an area with very complex geometry (and not really the temples so much, as you'd think, but more the people in the village seemed to be the worst offender).

We'll have to do a lot more testing to see how the device fares against the competition, but in my time with it, the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 looks like a very solid performer vis a vis its competition.

Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Price & availability

Unfortunately, we know nothing about the price or release date of the Nitro Blaze 7 at this time, though pricing and availability will surely be coming in the next few weeks.

That said, we can definitely expect it to be cheaper than the ROG Ally X since that handheld has 8GB more RAM than the Nitro Blaze 7, and memory right now is very expensive. Since the ROG Ally X sells for $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599, the Nitro Blaze 7 needs to come in well below that to be competitive, so somewhere around $700 / £700 / AU$1450.

Any higher than that, and you're better off getting the ROG Ally X for the extra RAM.

Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Final thoughts

From what I've seen, the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 doesn't do anything especially well. It looks to be a fairly competent gaming handheld when it eventually goes on sale, but it's not without its charms.

I won't lie; the built-in keyboard button is something every handheld needs. Games that require keyboard input for names and other information really don't handle a virtual keyboard well and often never give you the option to use one. You're forced to try to escape to the desktop to bring in a keyboard from there, which can be a huge hassle in the middle of gaming.

The Ryzen 7 8840HS processor is also a solid improvement since it will bring some NPU power to bear, and hopefully, AMD RSR and other AI functions can properly leverage it.

All that is still an open question though, but I am excited to see what the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 can really do once we get a unit in for a more proper review.

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) review: standout performance at a mid-range price

8:59 am | August 5, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, QHD | Comments: Off

Lenovo Legion 5i: Two-minute review

Featuring a Nvidia RTX 4050, 4060 or 4070 GPU and a large 16-inch, 165Hz display, the Legion 5i is built to push your gaming experience to the next level. The laptop is also very capable for daily productivity use and blends in at the office or Uni once you turn off the eye-catching RGB lighting. At 32 x 26 x 2.5 cm (0.99 x 14.16 x 10.33 inches) and weighing 2.3kg (5.1lbs), the 5i just makes it into the range of what I would consider as realistically portable, meaning that it slots into a larger backpack or laptop bag without too much fuss.

At the time of writing, the three Legion 5i GPU variants (4050, 4060 and 4070) are sold with the Core i7-14650HX or i9-14900HX CPUs, up to 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB or 1TB SSD. All three video cards use the full 140W power profile. The 5600MHz DDR5 RAM can be upgraded (the 5i supports 64GB) and is typically (but not always) installed as two DIMMs to give dual-channel performance. The 16-inch display has a 165Hz refresh rate and supports G-Sync, has a 2560 x 1600 resolution, a decent 350-nit brightness and displays an excellent 100% of the sRGB color gamut. There’s also a harder-to-buy 500 nits, 240Hz version of the display available in some regions.

Ports include a single HDMI 2.1 connection, one 10Gbps USB-C port with 140W power delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, a 10Gbps USB-C port with just DisplayPort, 3x USB-A 5Gbps ports (one with always-on power), Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headset jack.

Lenovo has put a lot of work into the cooling system in the Legion laptops, and the lessons learnt on the high-end machines are replicated even on the affordable models. The result is one of the best-performing RTX 4070 gaming laptops I've tested – it even bests last year's RTX 4070 Legion 5 Pro in gaming results by up to 7%, and is quieter while doing so. This means the 5i can happily run all but the most demanding games over 100fps at the screen's native resolution without dropping quality too far, or push towards the full 165Hz refresh rate the screen is capable of at 1080p. The Legion 5i is also a very capable work machine, and thanks to the inclusion of 140W USB-C you can get near full productivity performance without having to lug the huge Lenovo power brick around. The 80Wh battery doesn’t give much time unplugged though and, even in efficiency mode, I struggled to get four hours of work done, or reach five hours of video playback.

The Legion 5i gives comprehensive yet easy-to-use control over fan speeds and performance modes – including overclocking. The keyboard and trackpad are both excellent, and the RGB lighting modes are fun but also easily customized. The 1080p webcam is reasonable but doesn’t do facial recognition, and there’s no fingerprint reader either, so logging in feels very dated. The speakers are pretty good (but could be louder) and the overall build quality of the 5i is quite nice, despite the chassis being partially built with plastic rather than metal.

While the Legion 5i hardware is top notch, evaluating the value proposition is made more complex by Lenovo’s choice to use constantly shifting pricing and large rolling discounts across different configurations. Lenovo also doesn’t stock all variants, and many are only available from third-party sellers. I certainly wouldn’t be paying the full list price for the Legion 5i, and I suggest waiting for a (frequent) sale before purchasing.

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) screen folded back through 180º to lay flat — The Legion 5i display can fold through 180º to lay flat (Image credit: Future)

Lenovo Legion 5i: Price & availability

How much does it cost? Starting from $1,789.99 / £1,614.99 / AU$3,099
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

At the full list price, the Lenovo Legion 5i doesn’t offer standout value, but at the various Lenovo (and third-party retailer) sale prices, it can be a great buy. Generally speaking, I find the best discounts are often direct from Lenovo, but of course it’s always worth checking your favorite retailer too.

Below is a table of the list pricing for the Legion 5i variants sold directly from Lenovo.

Value score: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5i: Specs

Availability varies depending on location, but overall the Legion 5i has a large number of configurations available, although you’ll be hard-pressed to find them all directly from Lenovo. The Lenovo Product Specification Reference is a handy tool to check what variants are available for the Legion 5i.

In the US and UK, the most powerful 5i models include an i9-14900HX CPU, a RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of RAM and the 500-nit, 240Hz display. While the same model is listed for Australia, at the time of writing it’s not actually available for sale anywhere.

Below is the specs list for the Legion 5i models available direct from Lenovo.

Specs score: 4 / 5

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Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) closed on desk showing left hand side ports — The left side ports include USB-A, dual USB-C and 3.5mm audio (Image credit: Future)

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Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) — The right hand side of the laptop features dual USB-A, a microSD card reader, the webcam e-shutter switch and the Gigabit LAN port (Image credit: Future)

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Lenovo Legion 5i: Design

Well-balanced hardware
Customizable lighting
Fold-flat display

The Legion 5i is a large laptop, but thanks to relatively slim screen bezels and a fairly smart design, it’s still what I would consider portable enough to be carried on the go everyday. That’s helped by Lenovo’s decision to include 100W USB-C PD charging, so you can leave the big power brick at home if you’re not going to indulge in gaming. (Note that the 5i supports 140W over USB-C with a special Lenovo charger – but more on that below)

The Legion 5i stands out with a display that can fold through 180º to lay flat. I love this design for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it means you can toggle the display upside down and share it with someone sitting across from you. Secondly, it makes it easy to use the laptop in your own unique way. For example, with the Legion 5i plugged into a second screen or dock, and using a keyboard and mouse, I liked to open the screen fully, and place the laptop in a vertical stand. That way the laptop screen is raised to the right level to be placed next to a second screen, plus it leaves the vents unobstructed and takes up very little desk space.

The Legion 5i includes a MUX switch for Advanced Optimus graphics switching. This means the laptop can optimize graphics performance and power use automatically based on need, without needing to restart when switching modes. This is a feature not seen on all mid-range gaming laptops, so it’s a great inclusion from Lenovo.

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) rear vents showing removable cover — The Legion 5i includes a swappable vent cover (Image credit: Future)

The laptop display shell is made of aluminum, but the Legion 5i opts for plastic on the main chassis to save weight. This is a good choice overall, and the stiff plastic used doesn’t make the laptop feel any less capable of handling bumps or drops. The laptop is equipped with the Legion TrueStrike keyboard (full-sized, with numpad), that’s pleasant to type on thanks to the 1.5mm key travel and lack of bounce. The keyboard has customizable RGB 4-zone backlighting that can be used to add some bling, or toned down to muted colors (or white) if trying to blend in at the office or university.

The Legion 5i has most of the design elements I value in a gaming laptop, such as user-upgradeable RAM and storage. Port selection is also good, with dual USB-C that includes DisplayPort output on both, and USB-C charging on one. At 10Gbps, the data rate is a bit lower than I would like – in comparison the Gen 8 Legion 5i had 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4. You also get three decently fast 5Gbps USB-A ports, one of which has another feature I love – always-on charging, so you can use the laptop to top up the battery on other devices even when it’s off. It’s also nice to see HDMI 2.1 support (up to 8K), as well as Ethernet, a card reader and a 3.5mm headset jack. The ports are well located around the laptop, with plenty of spacing between them ensuring easy access. The HDMI port and USB-C DisplayPort modes are all driven from the Nvidia GPU, rather than the integrated GPU in the CPU.

The choice to include Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax 2x2) means the Legion 5i doesn’t have the absolute fastest networking, but is still relatively futureproof in terms of high-speed connectivity. The Legion 5i includes a privacy e-shutter on the webcam, but it’s not capable of facial recognition for fast Windows login. You don’t get a fingerprint reader either, and this means the Legion 5i feels a little behind the times when logging in – especially considering the price point. The 80Wh battery is decently sized but I’d much preferred to have seen a larger 99Wh battery – as is featured in some competitors – to help eke out a little extra time unplugged.

Design score: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) keyboard and trackpad close up — The Legion 5i keyboard has 4-zone RGB (plus white) LED lighting (Image credit: Future)

Lenovo Legion 5i: Performance

Excellent gaming results
Cooler and quieter than average
Great CPU performance for workstation use

Lenovo Legion 5i: Benchmarks

Here's how the Lenovo Legion 5i performed in the TechRadar suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Speed Way: 3,098 Port Royal: 7,882; Time Spy Extreme: 6,279; Fire Strike Ultra: 7,201.

GeekBench 6.3: 2,856 (single-core); 17,201 (multi-core)

Cinebench R24: 1,301 (multi-core); 121 (single-core)

PCMark 10: 7,960

CrystalDiskMark 8 NVMe: 7,071 MB/s (read); 5,165 MB/s (write)

Red Dead Redemption II: (Ultra 1080p) 89fps

Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p, (Ultra) 72fps; QHD, (Ultra) 54fps

F1 2023: 1080p (Ultra): 77fps

PCMark 10 Battery Life: 4 hours and 1 minute

1080p video playback battery life: 4 hours and 54 minutes

I’ve tested a wide range of similarly priced laptops that use the RTX 4070 GPU and, generally speaking, for the same GPU thermal design power (TGP) and similar CPU / RAM spec, gaming results don’t vary a huge amount. But subtle differences in how manufacturers configure their CPU and GPU power profiles, as well as other design choices, can lead to consistent differences overall.

The Legion 5i control software includes three ‘modes’ – Quiet, Balanced and Performance – which vary the performance levels, as well as the amount of noise and heat created. You can swap between them with the function keys, and they’re also indicated by the color of the power button. Mode changes can also be automatically triggered by certain applications or games. There's also the option to do limited overclocking via the Lenovo control software.

Overall, the Legion 5i gets excellent results and is one of the top RTX 4070 performers I've tested. It’s also very stable, and I had no glitches or strange behavior from the Lenovo software, or problems running any games, benchmarks or applications. The Legion 5i has well-designed power and fan profiles that can help tame the noise while still giving high frame rates. The 5i also has more than enough cooling capacity to keep the GPU working hard without hitting excessive temperatures, and still have headroom for the CPU.

The RTX 4070 is well-equipped for 2560 x 1600 gaming, and can run most games at very playable frame rates without dropping back the details. For especially demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, set to ultra ray tracing and high texture detail, the Legion 5i manages 54fps, but that can be bumped up to 69fps (with no loss of playability) if DLSS frame generation is turned on. At 1080p with the same settings, the 5i gives 119fps with DLSS on, or around 68fps with it off. Drop back to (still very playable) low ray tracing and detail settings with DLSS on and you can push Cyberpunk 2077 to 158fps – near to the limits of the 165Hz display.

At full pelt the Legion 5i is dumping 160W+ of heat, so it’s not exactly quiet, or cool. Still, the laptop is easily the quietest 16-inch RTX 4070 (140W) model I’ve tested. Importantly the Lenovo engineers have done a great job of cutting out the more annoying higher-pitched noise from the fans, and it sounds closer to a whooshing roar than a vacuum cleaner. It also helps that the noise (and the heat) is directed out the rear, rather than the sides, so isn’t as obvious. That said, you will still want to be using a headset when gaming – especially as the laptop speakers aren’t the loudest.

The Legion 5i does a great job of keeping the heat generated away from the user. The air inlets are located underneath and vented out the rear, so there isn’t a stream of hot air on your hands. At Lenovo Innovate 24, I also got to see first hand how the cooling system is put together, and it has a focus on keeping heat away from areas such as the underside of the keyboard. This is reflected in my testing, where the hottest part is the rear vents and, even after an intense gaming session, the trackpad only peaked at 26ºC / 78.8ºF, the keyboard at 37ºC / 98.6ºF and the underside was 35ºC / 95ºF. Overall this is a great result, and lower than average for this class of laptop.

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) screen and control software close up — The Legion 5i software gives control over key settings (Image credit: Future)

The powerful Legion 5i cooling system also means the CPU can work to its full potential – making it a very competent workstation when not gaming, and it’s well suited to heavy workloads such as video editing. As a comparison, the i7-14650HX in the Legion 5i has about 30% higher performance than an Intel Ultra 9 185H in heavy multithreaded loads.

Everyday performance on battery is top notch, and most of the time it feels exactly the same as if plugged in. Performance is reduced under heavy loads (or if gaming) of course, because the CPU and GPU are both limited to 50W each when on battery power. For CPU-heavy tasks I saw up to a 30% drop in performance, while gaming suffers a similar reduction in frame rates compared to being plugged in – and only lasts for 57 minutes before the battery runs out!

The Legion 5i can also be run on or charged from USB-C. Using a normal PD charger, the 5i takes up to 100W (20V/5A) and, to get the full 140W, you need a Lenovo USB-C charger capable of non-PD spec compliant 20V/7A. This means a normal 140W (28V/5A) USB-C charger (or power bank) will only charge the 5i at 100W. None of this is an issue real-world as the Legion 5i gives solid performance on USB-C, and happily uses the full amount of power available. Performance on USB-C is similar to running on battery, though the power profiles prioritize the CPU over the GPU. This means workstation use remains snappy when running on USB-C (such as when plugged into a dock) or if charging from a power bank, but don’t expect to do much more than casual gaming without the main Lenovo PSU.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) power supply size comparison at rear of laptop — The 230W PSU for the Legion 5i is slim but large overall (Image credit: Future)

Lenovo Legion 5i: Battery life and Charging

4 hours and 1 minute of regular use when unplugged
4 hours and 54 minutes of video playback
57 minutes of gaming

The Lenovo Legion 5i uses an 80Wh battery, which is decent sized but not quite as good as the 99Wh featured in some competing models. And, to be fair, the Legion 5i is a powerful gaming machine, so battery life is not the highest priority.

Still, 4 hours or so of work unplugged (and around 30 minutes longer if just browsing the internet or watching YouTube videos) is enough to be useful, but still not a great result overall. In contrast, other gaming laptops I've tested with similar spec hardware (including more powerful CPUs) give over 8 hours of video playback with a 99Wh battery. Adjusted for the Legion 5i 80Wh battery, I would expect over 7 hours from the Legion 5i.

When comparing online to other battery-life tests, the results vary widely – from similar results to mine, all the way to video playback of well over 8 hours. This suggests the hardware can be efficient, but the drivers and software are not always switching to less power-hungry modes, and it might take time (and a few software updates) to give a consistent experience.

On the plus side, the Legion 5i offers extra-fast charging and, using the AC PSU, it can top up to 30% battery capacity in just 10 minutes or reach 70% in 30 minutes. In my testing the laptop had no trouble achieving this charge rate – though of course it needs the large PSU to make this happen.

The PSU is pretty chunky and weighs almost a kilogram just by itself, so it’s not great to lug around day to day. Fortunately USB-C charging is not much slower and I found the laptop could reach 50% charge in around 30 minutes, and 70% charge in under 50 minutes. The Legion 5i also charges well from a power bank and is reasonably efficient – though you will need a big 27,000mAh (99Wh) power bank to give the laptop a full charge.

Battery Life and Charging score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion 5i?

Buy it if…

You want excellent gaming performance in a relatively portable package
The Legion 5i isn’t exactly tiny, but considering the large 16-inch screen and full performance GPU, it’s still pretty good for carrying every day.

You want CPU performance
The i7-14650HX (or mighty i9-14900HX) CPU combined with the Lenovo cooling system gives high-end performance for workstation or creator use.

You want to use it for more than just gaming
Excellent USB-C performance and the fold-flat screen mean the Lenovo is also a great option for everything that isn’t gaming.

Don’t buy it if...

You want a very portable gaming option
The Legion 5i isn’t too heavy or thick, but if portability is a prime concern, then consider the Lenovo Legion Slim 5. It has a very similar spec but in a slightly thinner, lighter chassis and is also available in a 14-inch model.

You want a more powerful GPU
The Legion 5i is available with a RTX 4070 or below. If you want the RTX 4080 or 4090, you need to look at the Legion Pro 7i or Legion 9i laptops.

You want a very affordable laptop
The Legion 5i is a great-value machine (when discounted), but it’s still a mid-range model. If you crave affordable RTX 4050 and 4060 focused gaming, check out the Lenovo LOQ series.

Lenovo Legion 5i: Also consider

If my Lenovo Legion 5i review has you considering other options, here are some more gaming laptops to consider:

Asus Zephyrus G16
The G16 has the same 16-inch form factor as the Lenovo Legion, though is a bit slimmer and lighter if portability is more important than maximum performance.

Check out the full Asus Zephyrus G16 review

Gigabyte Aorus 16X
Another powerful 16-inch gaming laptop that’s sold with either a RTX 4060 or RTX 4070 GPU, and it gave excellent benchmark results in our testing.

Take a look at the full Gigabyte Aorus 16X review

Acer Predator Helios 18
Want a bigger screen and more powerful GPU? The Acer Predator Helios 18 is worth a look – while normally very pricey, it can be decent value when discounted.

Read the full Acer Predator Helios 18 review

How I tested the Lenovo Legion 5i

I tested the Lenovo Legion for two weeks
I used it both on a desk, and put it in a backpack for travel
I used it for gaming, as well as office productivity work and video editing

I ran the Lenovo Legion 5i through the usual comprehensive array of TechRadar benchmarks, as well as using it for actual day-to-day work at a desk and on the go. I used the TechRadar movie test for assessing battery life during video playback, and a range of productivity battery benchmarks to further gauge battery life. I also logged power use in a variety of scenarios, including when charging from USB-C, and tested the laptop with a variety of USB-C chargers and power banks.

Asus ROG Ally X: Two-minute review

The Asus ROG Ally X is the surprise follow-up to the ROG Ally, and is the latest entry in the increasingly-competitive handheld gaming PC market.

Since Valve fired the starting gun on this latest arms race with the excellent Steam Deck, various gaming laptop makers have been keen to release their own handhelds, with the likes of MSI and Zotac releasing, or planning to release, their own takes on the form factor.

Arguably the breakout star of this new breed of device was the original ROG Ally, which was launched in 2023. Less than a year later, Asus surprised us all by releasing a follow-up, the ROG Ally X.

Releasing a new version so soon after the original is an interesting move, and suggests that Asus is following a gaming laptop-like release schedule, upgrading its devices every 12 months or so with the latest components. While this does make some sense – it works for gaming laptops to ensure they maintain a performance edge – it’s also risky, as you might alienate customers who bought your earlier model, and it also means that upgrades deliver less-impressive performance improvements.

While yearly updates are commonplace for laptops, it’s a different story when it comes to handheld PCs and consoles. Since the Steam Deck launched in early 2022 there's only been one new model, the Steam Deck OLED, which launched over a year later and which, outside of a much-improved screen, remained largely unchanged hardware-wise.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch, arguably the device that has had the biggest influence on these new handhelds, has also only seen a few small changes to the hardware, apart from the cheaper Switch Lite, and a model with an improved OLED screen. The highly-anticipated Switch 2 has still not been officially announced by Nintendo, seven years after the original launched.

Asus ROG Ally X on desk — (Image credit: Future)

So, when the ROG Ally X was first announced, many people assumed that this was a brand-new version of the handheld due to the name. The reality, however, is that the Ally X is more of an iterative upgrade, more akin to what we’ve seen from its competitors. So, if you’re new to the Ally ecosystem, you’re getting a handheld with some of the most powerful mobile hardware out there. But, if you own the original ROG Ally, it could be hard to justify buying the new model.

As for what’s changed under the hood, the Ally X comes with a larger 80Whr battery (compared to the 40Whr battery of the original), a doubling of SSD storage to 1TB, and a RAM boost from 16GB to 24GB (and it also gets a speed boost).

There have also been tweaks to the design, with a new black look with rounder edges for a more comfortable feel in hand, more reliable and responsive joysticks, D-Pad and face buttons, improved speakers, and an additional USB Type-C port (making two in total, with the new port supporting USB4).

Along with the larger battery, the ROG Ally X now supports up to 100W charging speeds. This is up from the 65W of the original, and should mean recharging times are similar, if not a bit faster. However, it should be noted that the ROG Ally X comes with the same 65W charger as its predecessor – you’ll need to invest in a faster charger, such as Asus’ ROG 140W GaN Charger, to get the benefit.

These changes come at a cost design-wise, with the thickness increasing by 4.5mm and weight by over 11%. While this doesn’t result in a huge impact on the overall portability of the handheld, it’s worth bearing in mind if you already felt the original Ally was a little unwieldly.

While these changes suggest that the ROG Ally X is a decent step up from the original, two of the most important components that affect performance remain unchanged. You still get the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, and the screen remains a 7-inch 1080p 120Hz affair with 500 nits brightness.

This means that gaming performance – which will be the biggest consideration for most people, especially owners of the original Ally – will remain largely the same, so if you want a generational leap you might want to hold out for the Ally 2, or whatever ROG's next handheld ends up being called. Instead, think of the ROG Ally X as a refinement on an already impressive bit of gaming kit.

When it comes to the price, however, there is a leap, with the ROG Ally X going for $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599. This is more expensive than the original, which launched with a base model that cost $499.99, and a more powerful model with the same Z1 Extreme chip as the Ally X for $699.99.

Not only does the ROG Ally X need to justify the $100 price increase, but Asus is continuing to sell the original ROG Ally models at lower prices, which makes pitching the Ally X to gamers all the more difficult.

Asus ROG Ally X: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The ROG Ally X is now available globally, though in the US and Canada, it's exclusive to the Asus online shop and Best Buy. Unlike the original, of which there were two models, there's only one Ally X model, and it costs $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599.

This is a jump from the $699 / £699 that the high-end version of the original launched at. For a gaming handheld, this is an extremely high price, putting the ROG Ally X in budget gaming laptop territory.

One of the best things about the Steam Deck is that it launched at a very affordable price, with the base model selling for $399 / £349, and even the high-end model going for $649 / £569 – well below the asking price of the ROG Ally X.

Of course, the ROG Ally X has much more impressive specs than the now two-year-old Steam Deck, but the fact that Valve’s handheld launched at a price that no gaming laptop could match (no gaming laptop that’s worth buying, at least), meant it was the best option by far for PC gamers wanting to play their games on the go for an affordable price.

However, for the price Asus is asking for the ROG Ally X, there are numerous budget gaming laptops that are worth buying – and while they don’t offer the same level of portability, they offer much better gaming performance thanks to more powerful discrete graphics cards.

This puts the ROG Ally X in a bit of a strange position. If you want the most affordable way to play PC games on a portable device, then the Steam Deck remains a solid choice – and even the original ROG Ally now offers better value for money. And, if you just want the best portable gaming system, the best gaming laptops are the way to go.

But if you want a handheld form factor that offers the best game performance, the ROG Ally X could be right up your street.

Value: 3 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Specs

Unlike the original Asus ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X only has one specs configuration.

Asus ROG Ally X: Design

New design with improved buttons
Premium look and feel
Comfortable to hold, but big for a handheld

The design of the ROG Ally X might feel familiar, even if you haven’t owned an Ally device before. With a thumb stick either side of the 7-inch screen, along with a D-Pad on the left and four face buttons (matching the Xbox controller) on the right, the ROG Ally X looks a lot like a Nintendo Switch Lite – and in the new black color scheme it resembles the Steam Deck far more than the white original.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing – this is a form factor which has been proven to work well for handheld consoles (one could argue that it can be traced back to Sega’s Game Gear from the 1990s), and the Xbox button layout means any PC game designed with controllers in mind should play well, with no button mapping required.

There are, though, some key differences in the design that make the ROG Ally X stand out. Unlike on the Steam Deck, there are no touchpads on each side of the screen. On the Steam Deck, these are designed to simulate mouse control for games, although outside of a few point-and-click games I rarely used them when playing, so the fact that the ROG Ally X doesn’t come with them is no big loss. If you prefer playing with a mouse and keyboard you can use the ROG Ally X in dock mode by connecting it up to a USB-C hub, or go with a gaming laptop or desktop PC.

Another more unique design element is the inclusion of RGB lighting around both thumb sticks – which can be customized through the ROG Armoury Crate software –and the lights can be synched to other Asus products. It gives the ROG Ally X a premium look, and as we all know, gamers love RGB lighting. One thing I did notice, however, was that sometimes when charging the device the lights would pulse, which can be a bit distracting.

As well as the more noticeable design changes compared to the earlier model, there are some more subtle changes as well. There’s an additional USB-C port, which supports USB4 speeds, and the thumbsticks and D-Pad have been improved. There’s more resistance to the thumbsticks, which helps give you a feeling of greater control, and the buttons on the back of the device have been made smaller to reduce accidental presses. This is a welcome change, as I found when using the Steam Deck that I’d often hit those buttons by mistake. The body of the ROG Ally X has also been given more rounded corners and edges, which makes it more comfortable to hold.

Asus ROG Ally X in hand — (Image credit: Future)

There are four buttons for launching software and menus, a microSD slot for expanding storage (which is nice to have, but arguably less important thanks to the SSD storage being doubled to a roomy 1TB), an audio jack, and a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner. This last feature is one of my favorite things, as it lets you log in with just a touch of the button, and it's something the Steam Deck lacks. On the Steam Deck, you have to log in using the onscreen keyboard, and once you've logged in there’s no additional security step required when waking the device. While this is more convenient than having to log in with a password every time you pick up the Steam Deck, it’s also a security risk if it gets stolen or lost. The fingerprint scanner of the Ally X is a nice solution to those issues.

Overall, the design of the ROG Ally X isn’t revolutionary, but it is a refinement. It takes a popular-for-a-reason handheld form factor and makes improvements in almost every aspect, except for size and weight. Anyone who's… er… switching from a Switch, with its dimensions of 9.41 x 4.02 x 0.55 inches / 239 x 102mm x 14mm and a weight of 0.93lbs / 422g, might be shocked picking up the ROG Ally X with its dimensions of 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.97 inches / 280.2 x 114 x 37mm, and weight of 1.5lbs / 678g.

It’s also bigger and heavier than the original ROG Ally, and around the same size and weight as the original Steam Deck.

Design: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Performance

Same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip as original model
Good gaming performance for a handheld
Windows 11 is still a pain

Benchmarks

Here is how the Asus ROG Ally X performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Port Royal: 1,685; Fire Strike: 7,680; Time Spy: 3,336
GeekBench 6.3: 2,544 (single-core); 11,255 (multi-core)
25GB File Copy: 19.1 seconds
F1 23 1080p (Ultra) 7fps
Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p (Ultra) 4.94fps
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 8:19:08 hours
PCMark 10 Battery Life (Gaming): 3:04 hours

Hardware-wise, there’s little to fault with the ROG Ally X. The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip is the same one that's found in the high-end model of the original Ally X (as well as its competitor the Lenovo Legion).

The chip has been designed by AMD, a company with a long history of making gaming components for both PCs and consoles, especially for handheld gaming PCs, and features an 8-core, 16-thread CPU with a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost of 5.1 GHz, as well as a 12-core RDNA 3 GPU. Technical jargon aside, this is a very capable gaming device that puts the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch to shame when it comes to sheer firepower.

The chip also allows the ROG Ally X to make use of some handy AMD features such as AMD Radeon Super Resolution, which upscales graphics for improved performance, and AMD Radeon Boost, which adjusts the resolution in supported games on the fly to keep performance fast and consistent.

The ROG Ally X also offers a range of power settings, called ‘Operating Mode’, which you can quickly switch to depending on what you’re playing. Silent mode lowers the performance of the handheld, which prolongs battery life and means the fans don’t kick in quite so much – making it an ideal mode for when you're playing less demanding indie games while out and about – and Performance mode balances performance and efficiency for smoother gameplay, but at the expense of battery life.

There’s also Turbo mode, which prioritizes performance. This is the setting you’ll want if you’re playing graphically-intensive games and want the highest possible frame rates. This will mean the battery gets depleted much more quickly, but if you play with the Ally X plugged in you get an additional performance bump. The ROG Ally X automatically switches to Turbo mode when you plug it in, which is a nice touch.

Gaming performance is very good, as long as you keep your expectations in check. With graphical settings on high, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut ran at a solid 30fps with default settings. Considering that this is a large open-world game with great visuals, I was very impressed, though this was with the Ally X plugged in and using Turbo mode. I tweaked some settings, including adding frame generation and setting adaptive resolution to target 60fps, and I found that while the game would run mostly at 60fps the frame rates were a lot less stable, with some noticeable drops. Graphics quality was also drastically lowered (due to the Ally X attempting to hit the higher frame rate), with distracting visual artifacts being added, especially during fast-moving scenes and with fog and cloud effects.

At 30fps the game is playable and fun – and while it’s a noticeable step down from how I play it on my usual gaming PC at 4K resolution and 120Hz, it’s certainly impressive that you’re able to play the game on a handheld device. After adjusting to playing at the lower frame rate, I was able to successfully fight off hordes of Mongols – considering how Ghost of Tsushima’s combat requires careful timing for parries and blocking, the frame rate compromise doesn’t impact too much on the playability of the game.

Playing less demanding indie games such as Balatro (a current obsession), is a joy, while the Hades 2 beta looks and plays brilliantly.

For extremely demanding games, however, the ROG Ally X is still going to struggle. Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest settings can only manage single-digit frames per seconds scores, so you’ll need to do some serious tweaking to the graphics settings to bump up the frame rates. While the 1080p 120Hz, screen looks lovely, there aren’t many modern AAA games that’ll take advantage of it, though older games should be able to go beyond 60fps at full HD resolution.

As the ROG Ally X is a gaming PC at heart, it does mean you can tweak graphical settings to get better performance; this is something PC gamers are used to, but console gamers may feel less comfortable with. It's well worth doing, however, as the results can be impressive. At default settings, Cyberpunk 2077 hits around eight to nine fps, making it unplayable. However, by turning down the graphics settings and enabling AMD FSR 2.1 upscaling on Performance mode, I was able to get it running at 60fps on the Ally X (while plugged in). This is very impressive, as while the graphics take a big hit quality-wise, you're still playing a complex and large game on a handheld. For gamers who grew up with the Gameboy, this is an excellent example of how technology has evolved over the years.

While the hardware side of things is hard to fault, software-wise there are some more annoying niggles – although a lot of this isn’t down to Asus. While I’m not a huge fan of its Armory Crate software on its gaming laptops, it does a decent job of providing a handheld-friendly interface for launching games, and the ability to change the aforementioned performance modes on the fly is very useful – as is the information overlay that can be enabled to show you frame rates, component temperatures and more. You can move the overlay by dragging and dropping it with your finger so that it doesn’t obscure important UI features in a game, which is a nice touch.

System updates are applied through Armory Crate, which does simplify things, but it’s not as easy as updating the Switch or Steam Deck. Those devices let you know when there’s an update available, and you download and install the update and you’re done. With the Ally X you need to install several smaller updates rather than one larger one, with some needing to be installed one at time, and some requiring the handheld to be restarted. I was also prompted to install a BIOS update, which might alarm console-first gamers, though PC gamers will be more accustomed to this way of doing things.

Like the original ROG Ally and most of its competitors – bar the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch – the ROG Ally X runs on Windows 11, and this brings mixed results.

To put it bluntly: Windows 11 is an operating system designed for desktop PCs and laptops, and it remains poorly suited to gaming handhelds. While Asus has tried to mitigate this by having the full-screen Armoury Crate software load when Windows 11 starts, there are many instances where you have to grapple with Windows 11’s interface (such as having to dismiss pop-ups and error messages), and this can be tricky when using the 7-inch touchscreen of the ROG Ally X – you end up trying to jab small buttons in frustration.

Sometimes Windows 11 encounters issues that cause a game to crash, and waking up the ROG Ally X is a frustrating lottery – sometimes your game resumes right where you were, as is the case with the Switch and Steam Deck, but other times you’re dropped onto the Windows 11 desktop. You should be able to get back into the game by tapping the taskbar, expanding it and tapping on the (far too small) icon of the running game, but it’s fiddly, and detracts from the easy and convenient console-like experience Asus is going for.

To be fair, these are issues that are due to Windows 11 being unsuitable for a handheld, and there’s not much Asus can do about that – and these are problems that affect other Windows-based gaming handhelds. However, it does go to show how wise Valve was when creating the Steam Deck to create its own Linux-based operating system, SteamOS, which has been designed specifically for the handheld. This has delivered a much more satisfying user experience, and thanks to the Proton tool, Windows-only games are able to run on Linux without any noticeable impact on performance. If Asus created its own Linux distro specifically for the ROG Ally X, the overall user experience of the handheld could be greatly improved.

Using Windows 11 does have its benefits, however. For a start, it means that all games – and applications – you run on the ROG Ally X can run natively, rather than using a compatibility layer like Proton, so any performance impact, no matter how minor, is avoided.

It gives you a far greater degree of flexibility as well, especially if you use the ROG Ally X with a USB dock, as it effectively turns the handheld into a full Windows 11 desktop PC. While you can also do this with the Steam Deck, Linux has a steeper learning curve, and not every app is available for the open-source operating system.

The ROG Ally X also supports games from every major game store – unlike the Steam Deck, which limits you to playing games bought on Steam. While Steam is by far the most-used game store on PC, which means you’ll likely be launching Steam games on the ROG Ally X regularly, it’s also great to be able to run games from the Epic Games Store, GOG, and more without having to resort to installing third-party tools. If you have a wide selection of the best PC games across numerous libraries, not just Steam, then the ROG Ally X is definitely worth considering, and that flexibility makes a lot of the Windows 11 annoyances worth putting up with.

Overall, the ROG Ally X offers impressive gaming performance thanks to cutting-edge mobile components, but you’re always going to hit a wall when using an integrated GPU rather than having a dedicated graphics card, and that means you won’t get the same level of performance you’d get from a gaming laptop or desktop PC at this price – but that’s the trade-off for the portable handheld form factor.

Windows 11 continues to be a pain for handhelds, but Asus has tried its best to get around a lot of the issues with its Armory Crate software, and while it means you get a sometimes wonky experience that doesn’t feel as consistent what you'll get on the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, the ability to play games from pretty much any store, rather than being tied to one, will be a big plus.

If Microsoft ever does release a version of Windows that’s optimized for handheld PCs (maybe alongside the much-rumored handheld Xbox), then the Ally X will be a much more enjoyable device to use.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Battery life

Improved battery life
Good for around three hours of intensive gaming

Because of their small form factor, gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally X will never offer exceptional battery life, especially when playing demanding games, but the increased size of the battery (80Whr vs 40Whr of the originally Ally) is certainly welcome.

In my day-to-day gaming with the Ally X I was pleased with how long the battery lasted. Admittedly, a lot of my time was spent playing the rather undemanding Balatro, but I did also complete a few missions in Ghost of Tsushima. Unlike my trusty, yet aging, Steam Deck, I was able to play for hours on end without being warned of a low battery. It might be due to its age, but my Steam Deck seems to need charging every time I pick it up.

In our battery-life benchmark tests, the ROG Ally X lasted over eight hours with the Battery Informant web-browsing test, and while that’s certainly impressive, you’re not going to be doing much web browsing on this handheld. The far more representative PC Mark 10 gaming benchmark resulted in the battery lasting just over three hours, which is the closer to the kind of battery life you’ll experience when using the Ally X for the main task it was designed for: gaming. I found that between three to five hours of solid gaming is a realistic expectation, depending on the games you play.

This may be a disappointment for console gamers, but for anyone who's used a gaming laptop in the past, this won’t be too surprising. Playing games uses a lot of energy, and that means batteries can get depleted quickly.

Battery Life: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Asus ROG Ally X?

Buy the Asus ROG Ally X if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Lenovo Legion Go
The Lenovo Legion Go comes with the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip as the ROG Ally X and a larger, higher-resolution and faster 8.8-inch screen, and costs quite a bit less. It doesn't offer the same amount of RAM or SSD storage space, however.

Read our full Lenovo Legion Go review

Asus ROG Ally
The original ROG Ally remains on sale, and has had a price cut now that the Ally X is out, making it a good-value option if you like what you see here, but can't afford the high price tag. The base model features the less powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 chip, which still offers good performance for indie games, and there's a more expensive model with the Z1 Extreme.

Read our full Asus ROG Ally review

How I tested the Asus ROG Ally X

Tested for a few weeks
Pushed it as hard as possible gaming-wise
Played with various settings

I played various games on the ROG Ally X every day for several weeks before writing this review. The games ranged from lightweight indies like Balatro, to more visually-intensive games like Hades 2, and AAA games like Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut and Cyberpunk 2077.

I also ran various benchmark tests to stress the hardware, including game benchmarks with the highest graphical settings and upscaling tech disabled. When gaming, I tweaked the graphics settings and enabled upscaling to get the best possible performance – this often meant dropping the graphics to their lowest settings. So, while the benchmarks might seem very low in some of the results, it doesn't mean you can't get a good gaming experience.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, giving attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained, regardless of when a device was released – if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

Asus ROG Ally X review: great hardware, held back by Windows 11

7:39 pm |

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

Asus ROG Ally X: Two-minute review

The Asus ROG Ally X is the surprise follow-up to the ROG Ally, and is the latest entry in the increasingly-competitive handheld gaming PC market.

Arguably the breakout star of this new breed of device was the original ROG Ally, which was launched in 2023. Less than a year later, Asus surprised us all by releasing a follow-up, the ROG Ally X.

Asus ROG Ally X: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

But if you want a handheld form factor that offers the best game performance, the ROG Ally X could be right up your street.

Value: 3 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Specs

Unlike the original Asus ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X only has one specs configuration.

Asus ROG Ally X: Design

New design with improved buttons
Premium look and feel
Comfortable to hold, but big for a handheld

It’s also bigger and heavier than the original ROG Ally, and around the same size and weight as the original Steam Deck.

Design: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Performance

Same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip as original model
Good gaming performance for a handheld
Windows 11 is still a pain

Benchmarks

Here is how the Asus ROG Ally X performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Playing less demanding indie games such as Balatro (a current obsession), is a joy, while the Hades 2 beta looks and plays brilliantly.

Like the original ROG Ally and most of its competitors – bar the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch – the ROG Ally X runs on Windows 11, and this brings mixed results.

If Microsoft ever does release a version of Windows that’s optimized for handheld PCs (maybe alongside the much-rumored handheld Xbox), then the Ally X will be a much more enjoyable device to use.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Asus ROG Ally X: Battery life

Improved battery life
Good for around three hours of intensive gaming

Battery Life: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Asus ROG Ally X?

Buy the Asus ROG Ally X if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Read our full Lenovo Legion Go review

Read our full Asus ROG Ally review

How I tested the Asus ROG Ally X

Tested for a few weeks
Pushed it as hard as possible gaming-wise
Played with various settings

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG review: incredible value with some compromises

5:00 pm | July 14, 2024

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

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: One-minute review

Before I got my hands on the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG, I thought I was done being surprised by how good the best budget gaming laptops have become. And I absolutely slot this model in that category.

However, the value on this model sporting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 is very impressive, especially considering that much of the competition priced similarly seems to sport the slightly weaker 4050 GPU, which is still fairly powerful.

In fact, these 4050 and 4060-equipped laptops can handle most gaming duties so the current difference between the best gaming laptops out there is not that huge unless you want to hook up a giant monitor or want something with a 4K OLED screen or something else that’s a QoL upgrade, but not all that necessary for something that’s going to be sitting two feet from your face. That said, we might start to see more pronounced performance differences when newer games take advantage of the power this generation of GPUs can provide.

Looking beyond the value here as well as the power of the current-gen GPUs, the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG is a smart-looking laptop that looks like a gaming laptop without being in your face about it. It also comes with some AI functionalities that, while interesting, are enough in their infancy that they don’t make a noticeably huge impact on the experience.

Since it is a budget laptop, there are some sacrifices. Even though the display has a fast refresh rate, the colors aren’t that great (so no editing on this). And, the battery life is pretty weak. But, if you’re a gamer on a budget, you probably won’t care and you probably shouldn’t.

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Price & availability

A Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starting at $1,249.00 / £998.31 / AU$1,899.00
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK and Australia

The Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG might just redefine value for gaming laptops. Or, maybe not. Regardless, it’s a damn good deal as you get a 14th-gen i7 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, along with 16GB of RAM, for $1,249.00 / £998.31 / AU$1,899.00.

And, if you’re in Australia, you can find an even cheaper related version, known as the G6X 9MG, that is mostly differentiated by the fact that it boasts a less-powerful 4050 GPU for AU$1,699.00.

Now, Gigabyte is not alone in this mid-range performance meets budget pricing (well, budget for gaming) category but is one of the best values. The Acer Nitro 16 AMD I reviewed earlier this year, provides some very good 1080p performance and goes for a similar $1,199.99 / AU$2,099.99 (about £945) price tag. Of course, it comes with that less powerful 4050 GPU.

Another good comparison is the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD), which goes for $1,379.99 / £1,300 (about AU$2,162), when you get the AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and 4060 GPU. As much as I like Lenovo’s designs and found their pricing to be good, the Gigabyte still offers better pound-for-pound value, especially since you can get a version with 32GB and 2TB of storage for just slightly more at $1,499.00 / AU$2,157.00.

Value: 5 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Specs

If you don’t count the slightly cheaper G6X 9MG, which comes with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, the only real variation in configuration comes in how much RAM and storage space you order, ranging from 16GB to 32GB and 1 to 2TB.

Of course, this laptop’s RAM slots and M.2 SSD slots are easily swappable so you can upgrade to 64GB and some retailers in Australia offer upgrades during purchase to both the RAM and storage.

Beyond that, there’s only one choice when it comes to the screen, which is a 16:10 16-inch panel with a 1920 x 1200p resolution (essentially 1080p but in that 16:10 aspect ratio) and speedy 165Hz refresh rate.

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Design

Sleek, subdued gaming design
Decent keyboard and mouse
Thermals are pretty good except underneath

Physically, the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG is fairly smart looking. Its all-black colorway with some subtle gray designs on the lid and body’s top plate, both of which are aluminum, are the main indicators that this is a gaming laptop.

Otherwise, it’s a somewhat subdued, almost minimalist look that won’t rat you out if you pull it out at a cafe to work on (though once we get to battery life, you might think twice about doing this anyway).

The panel is basically a 1080p one but in a 16:10 aspect ratio (1920 x 1200p) and runs at a blazing-fast 165Hz refresh rate. It also provides a decent amount of screen space as this is a 16-inch laptop.

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Since there is plenty of space, the keyboard is a full-sized one, complete with a separate numpad. There are plenty of hotkeys for different shortcuts as well as a dedicated key to pull up Window’s new AI Copilot.

Since this is a gaming laptop, there’s also RGB backlighting. Unfortunately, it’s as basic as it comes as you can just pick one color for the whole thing. At least you can create macros for the keyboard, which is pretty cool. More importantly, typing on the keyboard is a nice experience, if nothing special.

The touchpad works well and is fairly sizable. The only minor complaint is its center-left placement – something that’s not unique here but that I never quite understood. Of course, that’s me being nit-picky, not to mention the fact that you’ll still need to use an external mouse for any gaming you do.

As far as ports go, the selection is decent with two USB-C and two USB-A along with an HDMI 2.1 port so you can keep a fast refresh rate with an external monitor. My only issue is that some of the ports are on the back – a design choice I’ve always disliked when I come across it.

When it comes to thermals, there’s a lot going on internally from heat piping and thermal intakes and outtakes to the two fans that get pretty loud whenever the laptop is under duress. While those fans can get distracting if you’re not using headphones, there aren’t too many issues with heat as long as you’re not touching the bottom of the laptop.

Design: 4 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Performance

Very solid gaming performance
Screen is not the best for colors
Audio is not bad for a laptop

Benchmarks

Here is how the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Speed Way: 2,422; Fire Strike: 25,197; Time Spy: 10,228
GeekBench 6.3: 2,596 (single-core); 14,287 (multi-core)
25GB File Copy: 19.1 seconds
Handbrake 1.6.1: 4:40 Minutes
CrossMark: Overall: 1,996 Productivity: 1,894 Creativity: 2,114 Responsiveness: 1,966
F1 23 1080p (Ultra) 39 fps
Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p (Ultra) 32.13 fps
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 3:43:53 hours
PCMark 10 Battery Life (Gaming): 1:11 hours

I was duly impressed with the performance on the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG. And if you’re okay adjusting some settings or taking some slight performance hits, you’ll be very happy with what this laptop can do.

Powered by a 14th-gen i7 – specifically, one of the new HX chips with AI capabilities – and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (and 32GB of RAM for the test unit), I never felt inhibited by the hardware, whether I was playing Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077, or Battlefield 2042. Now, the hardware included is meant to power that 1920x1200p screen at 165Hz and it certainly does.

While I mentioned earlier that I feel there’s not a huge difference performance-wise between a laptop like this and something sporting more powerful internals, you are going to have to adjust settings a little bit, particularly on the ray-tracing front. As you can see with the benchmarks below, it’s not going to touch something like the Acer Predator Helios 18 and its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080.

Whether it’s from some of the backend AI functions closing the gap, my actual subjective experience, as opposed to just looking at the number, felt like I wasn’t missing anything. Sure, there was some texture popping here and there or light screen tearing, especially when the POV has moved around quickly, but anyone who’s limited by their budget is not going to be frustrated with the experience here.

On top of that, the screen looks good enough. However, you’re not going to be able to leverage that under-the-hood power for video or photo-editing. At least not if you want accurate results. The sRGB coverage is 67% while the DCI-P3 is 48. This also means that games aren’t going to pop with as much vibrancy as with some other laptops. Also, there’s no HDR on hand.

Regarding sound, Gigabyte advertises this laptop to simulate a 5.1.2 system using Dolby Atmos. While you still end up with that somewhat boxy audio that almost all laptops seem to end up with, there is a little more of a soundstage and a tiny bit more space to what I hear when playing, say, Cyberpunk 2077, thanks to the virtual spatial audio.

Performance: 4 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Battery life

Not very good battery life
Charging is okay

We’ve seen some gaming laptops start to break the mold in terms of battery life. That’s not the case here. The battery life is, to speak plainly, not very good. Yes, this is the case for a lot of gaming laptops still, but you still get under four hours of regular use per our web surfing benchmark and just a little over an hour of gaming per the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark.

If you do have to use the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG untethered, charging it back up is not going to be a speedy affair. It’s not slow necessarily as you’ll get 10% more battery every ten minutes or so, but this is not fast charging.

Battery Life: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG?

Buy the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Acer Nitro 16 AMD
The Acer Nitro 16 AMD has a lot in common with the G6X 9KG reviewed here. It offers excellent performance and a fast refresh rate for not a lot of money. It does come with a weaker GPU (4050) but it has better color coverage.

Read our full Acer Nitro 16 AMD review

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD)
The Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) falls into a similar camp with its value proposition. Of course, you’re getting a 4050 instead of a 4060 GPU, but the battery life when not gaming is much better, making this a better option if you want your gaming laptop to also be your work laptop while on the go.

Read our full Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) review

How I tested the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG

Tested for a week
Pushed it as hard as possible gaming-wise
Played with various settings

I used the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG for a week, playing a number of demanding games like Hogwarts Legacy, Battlefield 2042 and Cyberpunk 2077. While doing so, I ran the games at various settings, particularly at the highest ones with ray tracing on wherever possible, and took note of the results. I also tested each aspect of the laptop from the keyboard and touchpad to the webcam and speakers.

After spending time with the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG, it’s clear that this is ideal for any gamer on a budget, as it delivers a lot of performance for its price tag.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

HP Omen Transcend 14 review: a stylish, reasonably-priced OLED gaming laptop

3:38 am |

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

HP Omen Transcend 14: Two-minute review

The HP Omen Transcend 14 (2024) is almost everything I want out of the best gaming laptops lineup: sleek, stylish, portable, comfortable to type on, and offering more than enough gaming performance for modern games at 1080p, all for a pretty reasonable price tag.

Its 120Hz OLED display in particular is a jaw-dropper and made me realize what I’m missing out on with my usual IPS monitor. The Transcend 14’s classy, portable design made me feel at ease taking it out to work. And it offered enough gaming performance to keep me gaming from the comfort of my bed rather than in my office on my gaming PC.

There are a couple of pain points with the Transcend 14, though. First, its battery life is seriously bad. Second—and admittedly this might only be a problem for those like myself who like to pretend they’re “competitive” gamers—it has a 16:10 aspect ratio display, which means you see less on the horizontal axis while playing first-person shooters. I could find no easy fix for this, as enabling 16:9 resolutions with black-border GPU scaling proved difficult.

Despite this, for casual or non-FPS gaming, this laptop is stylish, comfortable, and performs well enough that it would certainly be in the running for becoming my own personal gaming laptop. Its GPU is a little underpowered (even with a 15W boost in the Omen software) compared to similar laptops, but not enough to detract from the value offered by the Transcend 14’s stellar design, cooling, and display.

So, if you’re fine with these battery life, resolution, and GPU caveats, I can happily recommend the HP Omen Transcend 14, though I’d personally struggle to pick between it and the 2024 version of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (or maybe a bigger laptop altogether, given 14-inch displays are quite small).

HP Omen Transcend 14: Price and availability

A design element of the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starting at $1,689 / £1,449 (about AU$2,450)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK (Australia release unknown)

The Transcend 14 sits smack-bang where I hope many more laptops will sit as time goes on: in the mid-range OLED segment—“mid-range,” of course, always sounds a little tongue-in-cheek when we move past $1,500.

Three things make this laptop stellar value for the money: its mainstream gaming performance, sleek and portable design, and gorgeous OLED display. For $1,819 for the 1TB RTX 4060 version, you’re getting a pretty great deal.

Its main competitor is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024), which also looks great, is portable, has a lovely 120Hz OLED screen, has similar specs, and costs roughly the same at MSRP. The main difference between the two right now seems to be that the Transcend 14 is frequently selling for much cheaper than its MSRP.

The Razer Blade 14 (2024) is an alternative, too, but costs a fair amount more for a version with similar specs. For that mark-up, you get an even better chassis (which is saying a lot) and better performance thanks to higher GPU power limits. But you don’t get that beautiful OLED screen, which is no little thing.

Value: 4 / 5

HP Omen Transcend 14: Specs

The spec stickers on the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The Omen Transcend 14 (2024) comes in three main configurations, although you can customize it a little beyond these configs. The main choice to make is between a model with a Core Ultra 7 155H with RTX 4050, a Core Ultra 7 155H with RTX 4060, or a Core Ultra 9 185H with RTX 4070.

Beyond this, you can configure a few things. In the US, you can save $90 by opting for a 512GB SSD instead of a 1TB one, taking the base config down to $1,599, or pay an extra $140 for a 2TB SSD. You can also pay an extra $40 for a Wi-Fi 7 card, and you can pay extra for single-zone RGB or a white chassis.

You can also choose to pay an extra $150 to have a HyperX Cloud III Wireless headset included (which automatically pairs with the laptop). Apart from this, there’s the usual slew of Operating System, warranty, and software customizations to choose from.

HP Omen Transcend 14: Design

The lid of the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Gorgeous 120Hz OLED display with vibrant colors and deep blacks
Classy, understated, portable MacBook-esque design
“Pudding-inspired” keycaps on a springy keyboard that feels great

The Omen Transcend 14 looks and feels more like a modern portable work laptop than a gaming laptop, and that’s a good thing, in my book. HP is clearly going for more of a MacBook-style design than a decked-out gaming aesthetic, and for the price, it sure as hell delivers.

This 14-inch machine is light, weighing 3.59lb, and slim, too, at just 0.7 inches thick. Crucially, it manages to walk the line between portable and sturdy, being super easy to sling in a backpack and take to the café without feeling like you might break it while doing so. There’s a slight flex to the display, but nothing concerning.

What’s more, it offers all this in a crisp, understated design—understated for a gaming laptop, that is. And while the “shadow black” style of Transcend 14 I received looks gorgeous, the “ceramic white” one looks even better. You can get the latter version for just $15 extra, which is worth it in my opinion.

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The keyboard of the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

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The ports on the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

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The HyperX logo on the HP Omen Transcend 14

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

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The webcam on the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

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A quarter next to the HP Omen Transcend 14 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Apart from this, the Transcend 14’s OLED display is probably its main selling point. If you’ve never gamed on an OLED monitor before, it’s hard for me to explain just how stunning the dark blacks and vibrant colors look. Combine this with its 120Hz refresh rate and you have a phenomenal gaming display. It’s just a shame it doesn’t come with full-fledged GSync or FreeSync.

It takes a lot to impress me in the keyboard department, given I’m very used to my own custom mechanical keyboard, but the Transcend 14’s semi-chonky keyboard did impress. I used this laptop as a daily driver for a few days and found it an absolute joy to type on. Its “pudding-inspired” HyperX keycaps look great, and the keys feel nice and springy. The trackpad’s nice and tactile, too, and is centered (thank God), just like it should be.

I’m no fan of RGB, but if that kind of thing’s your jam, you’ll be pleased to hear it comes with four-zone RGB. Or, if you’re happy paying an eye-watering $80 extra, you can get per-key RGB. Colors, effects, and the like can all be customized in the HP Omen software.

One thing that slightly disappointed me about the Transcend 14 is its selection of ports, especially given the rear USB-C port essentially acts as a dedicated charging port. For multiple USB devices, you’ll want to pick up a USB hub. Still, there should be just enough ports here for most use cases, including for connecting an external mouse and keyboard.

Design: 5 / 5

HP Omen Transcend 14: Performance

The HP Omen Transcend 14 on a table — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Reasonable 1080p gaming performance
GPU is power-limited, even after enabling 15W boost
Great performance for such a slim, cool, quiet, and reasonably-priced laptop

Benchmarks

Here is how the HP Omen Transcend 14 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Fire Strike: 17,848; Time Spy: 8,010;
GeekBench 6: 2,362 (single-core); 13,248 (multi-core)
25GB File Copy: 15.52 seconds
Handbrake 1.6 4K to 1080p encode: 5:04 minutes CrossMark Overall: 1,506; Productivity: 1,404; Creativity: 1,810; Responsiveness: 1,069;
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 60.8 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 21.24 fps
Dirt 5 (1920x1200, Ultra): 50 fps
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 4 hours 9 minutes
PCMark 10 Gaming Battery Life: 58 minutes

The Omen Transcend 14 keeps up with modern titles at 1080p, but starts to struggle at higher resolutions. However, gaming at 1080p on medium settings looks fantastic on its OLED display, and frankly, you don’t need a higher resolution on a 14-inch monitor anyway. During my time gaming on this laptop, I found that whether I was playing Metro Exodus, Overwatch 2, Doom Eternal, V Rising, Satisfactory, or Vampire Survivors (you know, to really put the laptop through its paces), it was more than up to the task.

During the starting area of Metro Exodus, the Transcend 14’s RTX 4060 pulled over 100fps on Extreme settings at 1080p with DLSS enabled, and not much less than that with it disabled. Risk of Rain 2 had me at a smooth 80fps even at higher resolutions, and Overwatch 2 averaged well over 120fps.

However, my real bugbear is that while the Transcend 14 display’s native 16:10 aspect ratio makes it more useable for casual gaming and general use, it’s not great for competitive gaming because you lose out on some horizontal real estate in games.

Using 16:9 compressed everything, making the game look stretched vertically. So, I tried to get it working with black borders. However, because the laptop runs a hybrid GPU setup (switching from its Intel Arc GPU to its RTX 4060 when needed), there was no GPU scaling option in the Nvidia Control Panel. I couldn’t get it working via the Intel Graphics Command Center, either.

The only way I could run a game at 16:9 with black borders was to change the resolution in Windows Settings and then play it in borderless windowed mode, which feels like more of a hacky workaround than anything else and, at any rate, introduced more input latency than when playing fullscreen (And trying to get 16:9 working in Counter Strike 2 just straight-up crashed the entire system.)

If you’re not picky about 16:9 FPS gaming like me, the Transcend 14 performs well enough for casual gaming today. You can expect about 60fps in most good-looking games at 1080p, and if you enable DLSS, FSR, or XeSS you can really make the most of the OLED display’s 120Hz refresh rate.

There’s also an option to boost max GPU power by 15W (from 65W to 80W) in the Omen Gaming Hub software. I found that enabling this boosted the GPU clock from 1965MHz to 2190MHz, and from 113fps to 131fps, at 1080p during the opening portion of Metro Exodus.

Unfortunately, though, even this 15W boost doesn’t quite put the Transcend 14’s performance in line with some similar-specced 14-inch laptops. Instead, it sacrifices a little gaming performance for a portable design, cooler thermals, quieter fans, and a lower price.

If we’re talking general work use, the laptop performs great—with one caveat. I found, for whatever reason, things got laggy when downloading files while on battery power. Even typing in Notepad was slow. As soon as I plugged in the mains or stopped downloading, it was fine. Just a peculiar heads up.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

HP Omen Transcend 14: Battery life

Atrocious battery life
Even with power-saving settings, expect fewer than 6 hours for light tasks

The Transcend 14 has a 71Wh battery, and in practice I found it to offer worse battery life than many other gaming laptops. In our PCMark 10 Battery Life test, we found it to give less than an hour of game-time on battery power, and this seemed to bear out in my day-to-day testing. For gaming, then, you’ll really want to have this thing plugged in via the rear USB-C port (which offers faster charging than the side port).

I got 5 hours and 45 minutes of seven-tab Chrome office work out of the Transcend 14, so don’t expect to get a full 8 hours of work done without charging it. To be clear, this was with the Omen Hub’s Eco Mode enabled, Windows power efficiency mode turned on, brightness turned low (but still clearly visible), and RGB lighting turned off.

In all, its battery life is disappointing, but it’s enough to crank out a few hours of work on-the-go, or half an hour of unplugged gaming here and there. And thankfully, it charges quickly using the rear port.

Battery Life: 2 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omen Transcend 14?

Buy the HP Omen Transcend 14 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the HP Omen Transcend 14

I tested the HP Omen Transcend 14 (2024) for several weeks
I tested it using benchmark tests, video game benchmarks, and doing day-to-day gaming and office work
I used Nvidia FrameView to capture in-game framerates

For the first week, I got used to the laptop. I treated it as if I’d just bought it for myself, unboxing it, downloading my favorite games, and making use of it day-to-day. I made notes of any positives and negatives that came to mind. Then, I got to testing.

I ran benchmarks for tons of different use cases, noting the results. Finally, I tested some specific things I was curious about. Namely, the 16:10 vs 16:9 issue, and office work battery life tests. I also took the laptop out with me to work, to test its portability.

The HP Omen Transcend 14 (2024) is a gaming laptop, and is ideal for gaming even in more demanding titles (provided it’s plugged in and not running on battery power), but it can also be used as a work laptop. I used it for my own work and found its portability and design to both look and play the part, and its keyboard was a delight to use. Unfortunately, its battery life wasn’t amazing.

I’ve spent the past few years testing and reviewing all kinds of PC components, peripherals, and devices, including gaming laptops. I know how to test them properly, be objective and make accurate inferences from test results, and, probably more importantly, I know how to treat my devices like an end-user would, cutting the wheat from the chaff and getting to what’s most important to average PC gamers.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 review: a solid if unspectacular 1080p gaming laptop

6:13 pm | July 3, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: CPU, RTX, Total War | Comments: Off

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Two-minute review

If you're looking to get into the portable PC gaming scene without breaking the bank then the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 is a viable option to consider in 2024. It's not going to give the best gaming laptops a run for their money in terms of leading performance, battery life, display, and design, but it does enough to stand out from a price-to-performance perspective.

While the manufacturer has made waves in the mid-range and premium end of the gaming laptop market, its budget offering favors function over form. My review unit features a 13th Gen i7 CPU, Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB NVMe Gen 4.0 SSD - all of which is more than enough to play today's games in 1080p. You won't always be maxing everything out in the graphical settings, due to the GPU's limited 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, but Nvidia DLSS 3's Frame Generation or AMD FSR can help ease the stress.

There's also the LOQ 15 (AMD) to consider if you would rather go for a Team Red rig instead of a Team Blue offering. Regardless of CPU choice, the GPU is decidedly mainstream, so there's no great power differential. It means that the same problems largely apply, meaning a so-so display, lacking battery life, and a port placement that may be cumbersome.

That battery life really does leave a lot to be desired. Web browsing and media playback achieved just under two hours with battery saving modes and the screen brightness halved. It's not great, and this extends to battery gaming which can't even manage an hour. You'll want to keep this gaming laptop plugged in to enjoy a lengthy gaming session, or when used as a desktop replacement when hooked up to one of the best gaming monitors.

So yes, while the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 is unlikely to wow you, it is entirely serviceable at providing a solid 1080p gaming experience. It's ultimately going to come down to the pricing of the unit; if you can find an RTX 4060 variant around the $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,300 mark then it's worthwhile, but I can't really recommend splashing out upwards of $1,300 / £1,300 / AU$2,000 when RTX 4070 rigs offer more power for the money.

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Price and availability

1080p 144Hz refresh rate display on the LOQ 15 — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

How much does it cost? Starting from $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,297
When is it available? The Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 is available now
Where can you get it? US, the UK, and Australia

The Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 is available with a starting price of $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,297 for a variant running an RTX 4050 GPU. Alternatively, there's a more powerful version running the more capable RTX 4060 discrete graphics for around $100 / £100 / AU$300 more depending on the retailer's availability - and I'd recommend springing for that slightly more powerful GPU.

In terms of price, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is one of the more affordable gaming laptops on the market at the budget end of the spectrum. Whether you're considering an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 version, these aren't powerhouse machines, but they are priced as such. It's less aggressive when considering you can pick up some RTX 4070 laptops such as the MSI Katana 15 and Asus TUF A15 from $1,199 to $1,349 nowadays.

Price: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Specs

The Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 is available in a variety of configurations from Lenovo itself or found from retailers in the US, the UK, and Australia. As touched upon above, you can find the budget rig with either an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 GPU. A major difference is the choice of GPU, depending on price, you can get a Ryzen 7000 or Intel Raptor Lake variant.

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Design

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 keyboard — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

Durable build quality
Thick bezels around the 1080p display
Lovely full-size RGB keyboard

Display-wise, the Lenovo LOQ Gen 9 is primarily plastic with a rugged build quality. It's a far cry from the single-sheet aluminum of premium gaming laptops but feels considerably better than some budget models available. The cracks begin to show, however, when looking further into the screen. With a peak brightness of 350 nits and a 1080p IPS screen, things are serviceable but dull. The 144Hz refresh rate is smooth enough but the bare minimum for machines in 2024.

The exposed hinges and thick bezels aren't the most pleasing to look at, as Lenovo has opted for function over form here. Simply put, it's not sleek or stylish, but it gets the job done. This utilitarian approach can also be seen in the protruding rear I/O as the hinged screen is around an inch ahead. It's done to maximize airflow, sure, but it's quite an outdated idea that was common on rigs from around 10 years ago.

The design of the Lenovo LOQ Gen 9 gets a lot of things right with its excellent array of connectivity options on the left, right, and rear of the device. You're fully equipped with a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, USB-C, and USB 3.2 ports so there are no complaints here. This extends to the keyboard which features four-zone RGB backlighting with its full deck size. It's lovely to type and game on. Unfortunately, this doesn't extend to the trackpad which is small and feels cheap, but that's not a huge concern as you really should be be utilizing one of the best gaming mice instead.

Design: 3 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Performance

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Side of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

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Rear I/O of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

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Rear fans of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

Solid gaming performance in 1080p
The fans are very loud under stress
The 13th Gen i7 CPU is still powerful

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 benchmarks

Here's how the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 got on in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and game testing.

PCMark10 - 7,328
3DMark:
Night Raid - 57,918
Port Royal - 5,532
Time Spy - 10,117
Fire Strike - 22,507
Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,358
Multi - 13,144
Cinebench R23:
Single - 1,652
Multi - 15,698
CrossMark - 1,572
Productivity - 1,500
Creativity - 1,699
Responsiveness - 1,439
Cyberpunk 2077
RT Ultra - 88fps
Ultra - 84fps
Low - 114fps
Total War: Three Kingdoms
Ultra - 80fps
Low - 246fps
Red Dead Redemption II
Ultra - 67fps
Low - 159fps
TechRadar Battery Test: 59 mins

For the most part, the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 delivers on its promise of providing playable framerates at 1080p. The 144Hz Full HD display is fast enough seeing as you'll be getting around 60 to 90fps when maxing out games such as Red Dead Redemption II, Cyberpunk 2077, and Total War: Three Kingdoms. For the best possible experience, you're going to want to enable DLSS 3 Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction to take the strain off of the native hardware.

While there are versions of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 with 14th Gen processors, our review unit with the Intel Core i7-13650HX still impresses. This can be evidenced by the CPU-bound title Total War: Three Kingdoms, reaching a staggering 246fps with the settings dialed down to low. The single-core and multi-core performance through Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R23 is also solid, even though these figures have recently been eclipsed by Meteor Lake and Ryzen 7000 models.

As mentioned further up the page, the display here is what sets the side down to an extent. Yes, it's fast enough with a 144Hz refresh rate being smooth with no screen tearing or artifacting. With that said, the colors are washed out, there's no HDR support, and the peak brightness leaves a lot to be desired. It's not an issue that's unique to the LOQ 15 Gen 9, but it also doesn't break from convention here either.

What you will notice is just how loud the fans are on this gaming laptop. It's particularly noticeable at start-up, or when under any level of moderate stress. The LOQ 15 is easily among the loudest machines I've ever tested, distractingly so at times, even drowning out gameplay and media playback from the otherwise fine 2x 2W stereo speakers.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Battery life

Poor battery life whether gaming or media playback
Battery can be quick-charged to full in just over an hour

Battery life can make or break a laptop and, unfortunately, the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 falls into the latter category. In our battery test, the machine was able to achieve just under two hours of media playback when prioritizing the battery life and reduced screen brightness. Simply put, you're going to want to keep the 135W power adapter close at hand to get through a lengthy film or take your gaming experience on the go. Granted, that's the case for many gaming laptops, but I'd expect a bit better from a lower-powered unit like this - there's not an RTX 4090 guzzling down power here.

The Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 features a 60Whr battery that supports quick charging, but it drains almost as quickly so it's a double-edged sword. The manufacturer claims a full charge from completely flat about 80 minutes, and my testing can verify this. It can reach 50% in about around half an hour, which is solid enough, even if the battery retention is far from impressive.

Battery life: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9?

closed lid of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 — (Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)

Buy it if...

You can find it discounted
There are regular deals on the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 available from both the manufacturer and major retailers in the US, UK, and Australia. For the right price, it offers a ton of value.

You play a range of less-demanding PC games
The RTX 4060 and 1080p display are a good pair for entry-level PC gaming. 8GB GDDR6 VRAM should be enough to play most titles at 60fps for the next few years, even if you won't be maxing out all settings settings.

Don't buy it if...

You can find an RTX 4070 machine for around the same price
Some variants of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 may be nearly as expensive as some other budget RTX 4070 models. This graphics card is considerably more powerful in 1080p and can be found inside 1440p machines, too.

You want a more powerful gaming laptop
Regardless of which variant you consider, the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 isn't a very powerful machine. It's available with an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 which are far from leading offerings.

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9: Also consider

MSI Katana 15
The MSI Katana 15 is the most comparable alternative to the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9 with its 144Hz refresh rate and Full HD resolution. It's available with either the RTX 4050, RTX 4060, or RTX 4070 so the pricing may be more of what you're looking for.

Read our full MSI Katana 15 review.

Asus TUF Gaming A15
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 combines excellent 1080p gaming performance with a stellar battery life and a solid design. It also has a wonderful RGB keyboard and a fast refresh rate, while being available in several different configurations.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A15 review.

First reviewed July 2024