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Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K Review
6:00 pm | October 24, 2024

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

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: One-minute review

An Intel Core Ultra 9 processor in its retail packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

I've had a couple of pre-briefings with Intel over the past couple of months about Intel Arrow Lake, so I can't say I'm surprised by the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, but it doesn't mean enthusiasts are going to be any less disappointed with what we got in the end.

Both Core Ultra chips effectively match the performance of the chips they are replacing, and while I've been saying for a while now that we have to stop looking at performance as the only metric that matters, the efficiency gains offered by these chips are not substantial enough to really merit the investment if you're rocking a 13th-gen Intel chip or better.

The new chips do come with some architecture changes worthy of note, though, and they aren’t all useless for consumers. For starters, the chips come equipped with an NPU, the first Intel desktops to do so, and the new Intel Arc integrated GPU offers some improved graphics capabilities that will make a real difference for some AIO (all-in-one) PCs.

However, these are largely going to be unnecessary for just about any gamer or content creator out there since most desktops are going to have a discrete graphics card that will run AI circles around the NPU in these chips, and make the Intel Arc iGPU pretty much a non-factor in anything other than the most budget gaming PC from a couple of years ago.

For some folks, unfortunately, Intel Arrow Lake misses the target they wanted it to hit, and with strong competition from AMD’s Ryzen 9000-series, these aren't the best processors for gaming or content creation. But, Intel has to start somewhere as it shifts to a new platform, and it managed to produce a very different kind of chip over its predecessors without giving up too much on the performance front, which is no easy feat.

Ultimately, they're perfectly fine chips if you're buying them in a prebuilt PC or if you're coming in from 11th-gen Intel or older (or making the move from AMD), since you'll have to buy all-new kit anyway, so you might as well set yourself up for Nova Lake next year. But anyone with a Raptor Lake chip isn't going to see any real benefit from these, so they're better off waiting for Nova Lake in 2025 to make the jump.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Price & availability

An Intel Core Ultra 5 processor in its retail packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K are available now in the US, UK, and Australia, priced at $589 / £548.99 / AU$1,099 and $309 / £289.99 / AU$589, respectively.

While the prices for these two chips stay the same or come in slightly lower than their predecessors, which is good, there are a bunch of added costs to upgrade to these chips... which is bad. First, they require an LGA 1851 chipset, so you’re going to have to buy a new motherboard in order to use them. They also don’t support DDR4 RAM, so you’re likely going to have to buy new DDR5 RAM as well.

The LGA 1851 socket does take the same CPU coolers as an LGA 1700 socket, though, so if you have a 12th-gen or better processor, at least your cooler will fit.

Against AMD’s latest, the Core Ultra 9 285K is better priced than AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 9950X, but more expensive than the Ryzen 9 9900X. The Core Ultra 5 245K is slightly more expensive than AMD’s competing Ryzen 5 9600X.

  • Value: 3 / 5

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Specs

An Intel Core Ultra 5 processor slotted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Chipset & features

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K are newly architected desktop processors, powered by the same Lion Cove P-cores and Skymont E-cores found in the Intel Meteor Lake chips released late last year for laptops.

Intel Arrow Lake is essentially Intel Meteor Lake for desktops, and so it also features the same Intel NPU 3 13 TOPS neural processor as Meteor Lake, and the same Intel Arc Alchemist integrated GPU with four Xe cores (including four ray tracing cores) as its laptop cousin.

The max clock speeds of the Core Ultra 9 285K and Core Ultra 5 245K are slightly lower on performance cores (though with a higher base frequency) and higher across the board on the efficiency cores over the Core i9-14900K and Core i5-14600K, respectively.

The maximum amount of RAM is unchanged at 192GB, though the Core Ultra chips do not support DDR4 RAM, but they can support faster DDR5 memory up to 6,400MT/s.

Other than that, the TDP of the two Core Ultra chips is essentially unchanged from the 14th-gen chips they’re replacing, but they do have a 5°C higher TjMax (Tjunction max, which is the maximum thermal junction temperature that a processor can hit before it lowers performance to prevent overheating), so the chips won’t start to throttle until they hit 105°C.

  • Features: 3.5 / 5

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Performance

Intel Core Ultra 5 processor in a motherboard

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Well, we’ve finally come to the performance segment of the review, and I wish I had better news for you, but most of you will be disappointed.

Starting with synthetic performance, the Core Ultra 9 285K is a very mixed bag vis-a-vis the Core i9-14900K and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X.

In some tests like Geekbench 6.2, the Core Ultra 9 outperforms the 14900K in single-core performance by about 8%, only to lose out by about the same in Cinebench R23’s single-core benchmark. Meanwhile, in Cinebench R23’s multi-core performance, the Core Ultra 9 285K comes in about 12% faster than the 14900K and is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.

The Core Ultra 5 245K, meanwhile, is effectively even with the Core i5-14600K, but fares much better in PCMark 10’s Home CPU benchmark, showing a roughly 14.5% performance boost over the 14600K and a 5.6% better showing than the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X.

In terms of average creative performance, the Core Ultra 9 285K does slightly better than the 14900K but slightly worse than the Ryzen 9 9950X — it’s substantially better than the Ryzen 9 9900X, on average, however.

The Core Ultra 5 245K, meanwhile does slightly worse, on average, than the Core i5-14600K, but comes out nearly 23% better on average than the Ryzen 5 9600X.

The gaming performance of the Core Ultra chips was easily the biggest disappointment, however, and is where these two chips really falter against Raptor Lake Refresh.

The Core Ultra 9 285K came in about 14% slower in gaming performance than the Core i9-14900K (though about 7-8% better than the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X).

The Core Ultra 5 245K, meanwhile, came in about 9% slower than the i5-14600K, and only about 4% faster than the Ryzen 5 9600X.

Needless to say, if you’re looking for the best processor for gaming, you’ll want to look at the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D or wait to see what the upcoming AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D does later this year.

When all the scores are tabulated and the final averages calculated, the Core Ultra 9 285K shows slightly better multi-core performance, slightly lower single-core performance, slightly better creative performance, and much worse gaming performance against its predecessor.

The Core Ultra 5 245K is generally slower for just about everything compared to the Core i5-14600K, though it does have much better productivity performance, so this will make a great chip for affordable AIO PCs without discrete graphics.

The real disappointment with Arrow Lake, though, lies with its energy efficiency... or lack thereof. Most people don’t even need the performance of the Intel Core i9-14900K or even the Intel Core i5-14600K, so I’d be fine with lower performance if it meant that there was much less power draw, but the Core Ultra 9 285K and Core Ultra 5 245K max out at 90.5% and 93.3% of the power of their predecessors, respectively.

That’s still much too high, and at that point, you might as well just stick with Raptor Lake Refresh and undervolt the CPU.

Ultimately, given the significantly higher cost of making the switch to these processors from the LGA 1700 chips, the performance and efficiency just don’t make these compelling purchases on their own.

If you’re shopping for the best prebuilt gaming PC though, though, I won’t be too worried about picking between one with a 14th-gen chip or these new Core Ultras. You’re not going to notice the difference.

  • Performance: 3.5 / 5

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Should you buy it?

Buy the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Intel Core Ultra 5 245K if...

If you haven't made the leap to the latest Intel processors, you're going to have to buy all new stuff anyway, so you might as well go for these chips and future-proof your PC for Nova Lake next year.

While the efficiency gains on these two chips aren't huge, they are more efficient, which is definitely a good thing.View Deal

Don't buy them if...

Running these chips is going to require a new motherboard at least, and likely will require you to buy new RAM as well, making these chips a substantial investment.

While the performance of these chips is great in absolute terms, they aren't any better than their predecessors, though substantially worse for gaming.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K & Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Also Consider

The Intel Core i7-14700K is still my pick for the best processor for most people thanks to its strong performance and accessible pricing.

Read the full Intel Core i7-14700K review

If you're looking for the best processor for gaming, then this is the processor you need to buy, at least until its successor come out.

Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review

How I tested the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K

When I test processors, I put them through a rigorous process that takes into account synthetic benchmarks, creative workloads, gaming performance, and more to arrive at my scores.

I use industry standard tools like Geekbench, Cinebench, and PCMark, as well as creative apps like Adobe Photoshop, Blender, and Handbrake.

For gaming, I use built-in benchmarks for CPU-intensive games like Total War: Warhammer III on low graphics settings at 1080p to better isolate a CPU's impact on the game's framerates.

Finally, I make sure to use the same system for common-socket processors, the fastest RAM and SSD, and the most powerful GPU and motherboards available to maintain consistency wherever possible to ensure that CPU scores are comparable.

With each new processor I review, I retest previous processors I've reviewed in order to get updated scores for each, after installing the latest system and BIOS updates.

I've tested and retested two generations of processors more times than I can count over the last couple of years, so I am intimately familiar with how these chips perform, and my deep computer science and journalism background allows me to put all of this testing data into its proper context for consumers so they can make the right choice when shopping for a new processor.

  • Originally reviewed October 2024
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review: all AMD, but is it any good?
11:02 pm | October 4, 2024

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

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Two-minute review

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a countertop with lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus has gone with all-AMD hardware build for its new Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS) gaming laptop. As an Asus TUF model, that probably makes sense. After all, TUF is Asus's more accessible gaming brand.

Despite that, the specs and hardware look good. You get AMD's excellent Phoenix APU with eight Zen 4 CPU cores, plus AMD's latest entry-level mobile GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S.

Screen-wise, it's an expansive 16-inch IPS panel with 240Hz refresh and 2,560 by 1,600 pixels. It's a really punchy, crisp, and responsive display and definitely one of the highlights of this Asus lappie. Along with those headline features, there's 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

As for build quality, the base unit is all plastic but very sturdy with the exception of a whiff of flex just above the keyboard bed. Meanwhile the screen lid is alloy and lush to the touch. All told, it feels exactly like what it is, the slightly more affordable option from a premium brand.

The same goes for performance. For the most part, it's about on par with an RTX 4060 laptop in games. The proviso, of course, is that applies to conventional raster games. Enable ray tracing and the Nvidia GPU will have quite the edge. Nvidia graphics also offers superior scaling and frame generation technology.

It's worth noting that AMD's Smart Access Graphics tech which switches between the integrated and dedicated graphics can be slightly flakey. Still, the APU makes for fantastic battery life for web browsing and movies of well over 10 hours.

So, this is a pretty nice machine overall. But the more highly you value the gaming experience, the harder it is to ignore the obvious-for-a-reason Nvidia RTX 4060 options among our best gaming laptop options.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Price and availability

Asus TUF

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? £949.99
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the UK (other configurations available in the US and Australia)

The Asus TUF A16 FA617XS is currently only being offered in the UK for just under £950, but you can find some of the other configurations in the US and Australia for around the $1,000 range (closer to $2,000 AUD).

It's not a bad price for the overall specifications, build and performance. The only problem is that you can get similar laptops with Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics for only slightly more money, such as the Acer Predator Helios 16 and HP Victus 16. That's probably where we'd spend our cash.

Value: 4 / 5

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Specs

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617XS comes in just one configuration (though the TUF A16 Gaming Advantage line has four configurations to choose from).

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Design

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a countertop with lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Solid build
  • Decent materials
  • Slim bezels

Asus has gone with its signature TUF design language, which means fairly gamery without being overtly adolescent. The Asus TUF A16 FA617XS's screen lid is made from lush alloy, which is a nice touch, while the rest of the system is hewn from sturdy plastic, including a particularly tough textured bottom cover.

The keyboard is smooth and tactile with a nice solid bed. The only exception is a whiff of flex in the top cover, just above the keyboard. The trackpad is nice and big, too, with a super-slick surface - it's nice to use. Incidentally, the keyboard is limited to white backlighting. There's no programmable RGB, but that's reasonable at this price point.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition laptop keyboard and trackpad

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus has designed slim bezels for a 90% screen-to-body ratio. That's handy on a 16-inch laptop when it comes to maintaining portability. This isn't an excessively big or heavy system by gaming laptop standards.

Less successful is the port placement. The mix of USB4, USB-C and USB sockets, plus HDMI and LAN is fine. But they're all on the side of the chassis along with the barrel connector for the main power supply, which is located slap bang in the middle of the left side. Some ports of the rear of the chassis would be far preferable, albeit the TUF's screen hinge design precludes that.

Design: 3.5 / 5

Image 1 of 2

Asus TUF Gaming 16 Advantage Edition laptop left-side ports

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
Image 2 of 2

Asus TUF Gaming 16 Advantage Edition laptop right-side ports

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Performance

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition laptop with a closed shell

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Decent all-round performance
  • Great screen
  • An RTX 4060 would still be preferable

Let's deal with the obvious question right away. How does the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU stack up? It's basically a slightly cut down version of the desktop 7600 and it typically performs just below an Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile GPU in most games, though on occasion it can be a bit quicker.

The catch is that if you enable ray tracing in any game, such as Cyberpunk 2077 as an obvious example, the frame rates really do go south and much more so than with an RTX 4060.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus TUF A16 FA617XS performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 56,533; Fire Strike: 22,648; Time Spy: 9,354; GeekBench 6: 2686 (single-core); 12281 (multi-core)
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 64 fps; (1080p, Low): 144 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 53 fps; (1080p, Ultra RT): 11; (1080p, Low): 78 fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 75 fps; (1080p, Low): 150 fps
TechRadar Movie Battery Life: 11h:03m

The Nvidia GPU also offers superior resolution scaling, plus better frame generation. So, for gaming, it's clear enough that a laptop with the RTX 4060 would be preferable. That said, the Asus TUF A16 FA617XS will handle pretty much any game at 1080p max settings (bar ray tracing) at a reasonable lick. For demanding titles, you're looking at about 60fps.

Of course, this laptop has a lovely 2,560 by 1,600 screen, and at that resolution you'll see the frame rates drop into the high 30s. You can, of course, use AMD's FSR scaling to improve that at a slight cost in terms of image quality. Arguably, that high-res screen is a bit more than the AMD GPU truly cope with. But it is a really gorgeous thing, super sharp thanks to all those pixels, fast in terms of both response and refresh, accurate and pretty bright. It's a clear cut above you're average budget gaming laptop screen, that's for sure.

Elsewhere, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is all the CPU you're ever going to need, with eight powerful AMD Zen 4 cores and plenty of clockspeed with up to 5.2GHz boost speed. There's a quick 1TB SSD, too (though with SSD prices now so low, a 2TB drive would be nice), and 16GB of fast DDR5 RAM. Gaming aside, this thing has all the performance you could reasonably ask for.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Battery life

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a counter with its lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Super-efficient AMD APU
  • Excellent battery life for a gaming laptop

Battery life obviously isn't normally a strong point for most gaming laptops. But this is where the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS)'s all-AMD technology really pays off. Thanks to the AMD APU's integrated graphics and Smart Access Graphics GPU-switching tech, which allows the TUF to automatically swap between the integrated GPU and the dedicated Radeon RX 7600S chip, this laptop is capable of well over 10 hours of light use and media consumption away from the mains. That's very impressive.

Battery life: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition?

Buy it if...

You want decent battery life

This Asus's all-AMD hardware makes for great battery life of well over 10 hours, much better than your average gaming laptop.

You appreciate a decent screen

There's no OLED panel, no mini-LED backlight, just a really nice 1600p IPS panel running at 240Hz for a rather lovely gaming experience.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best gaming features

Laptops with Nvidia's RTX 4060 GPU have better overall features, including superior upscaling and better ray-tracing performance.

You want future-proof performance

The AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU has reasonable performance today, but there's not much spare for future more demanding games.

Also consider

If our Asus TUF A16 FA617XS review has you thinking about other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16

Acer's afforable 'Neo' gaming laptops are a good match for Asus's TUF models, with sensible pricing and good performance. This laptop also offers a nice display and good thermal performance - just be prepared for the fans to get noisy when you're gaming on it.

Read our full Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 review

View Deal

HP Omen 16

The new HP Omen 16 is a great choice for people looking to game on a budget. The slight snag is that it suffers from a variety of hardware and software quirks that may rub some people the wrong way.

Read our full HP Omen 16 review
View Deal

How I tested the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition

I gave the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS) a solid workout for a full week of gaming and general computing. It took over all duties from basic web browsing to loading up my full Steam library and watching movies.

Games-wise, I ran all my favorites from Counter-Strike 2 to Cyberpunk 2077. It was interesting to get a feel for how this AMD GPU compares to the familiar RTX 4060 from Nvidia. Mostly, it's good news, but in the end, all those extra Nvidia features are hard to argue against.

Testing battery life was interesting, too. With most gaming laptops, you can almost see the remaining charge indicator shrink in real time. But this thing just kept on trucking. Seeing it show well over 90% after the first hour of movie playback was a revelation. Clearly, this laptop lasts longer than the vast majority of gaming portables.

First reviewed December 2023

Alienware AW3225QF review: 4K 240Hz OLED gaming glory
2:00 pm | August 24, 2024

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

Alienware AW3225QF: Two-minute review

QD-OLED 4K gaming screens these days are becoming more numerous. That can make it particularly difficult to pin down a model that’s just right for you, with the right spec, at the right price. Fortunately, Alienware’s AW3225QF might well be the best gaming monitor of the bunch, certainly today. It’s not cheap, but the build quality, image quality, specs, warranties, and overall design do give it a considerable edge in contrast to some of its competition, and go a long way to justify its price tag.

Top-line stats are out of this world. The true panel size actually falls at around 31.6 inches, giving you a pixel density of 139.87 dpi. Combine that with a 240Hz max refresh rate, broad color depth thanks to that impressive individual illuminated QD-OLED tech, and a solid 250-nits brightness on SDR content, plus a 2.1 ms MPRT response time, and this thing soon becomes a top-tier choice rather rapidly. 

If you’ve got the graphical horsepower to drive it at 4K, gaming it on is unlike anything else. Even without HDR, titles like The Witcher 3, Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk 2077 look and feel exceptional. Textures are crisp and sharp, anti-aliasing smooth as butter, and that refresh rate combined with G-Sync (or FreeSync) just delivers an event unlike any other. Is this the best gaming monitor money can buy? On PC, it’s a close bet.

Still, that price tag is a lot to swallow, and for some, the 32-inch 16:9 form factor can be particularly difficult to adapt to, especially if you’re used to the 21:9 or ultrawide aspect ratios. While the 240Hz refresh rate takes it beyond what the modern consoles can achieve, it’s still a belter of a PS5 monitor or Xbox Series X monitor; it will automatically pivot to 120Hz and you still get that brilliant image quality, colors, curved immersion and everything else the monitor offers.

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

Alienware AW3225QF: Price and availability

  • Seriously pricey
  • Readily available from parent company Dell
  • Flagship spec is unmatched

You can buy Alienware’s AW3225QF both in the US and the UK right now and it’s readily available at parent company Dell. It’s based on Samsung’s QD-OLED panel tech, as a result, there are five total models out there from different brands and manufacturers, all with effectively the same screen at their core. 

Alienware’s is the second most expensive offering with both the Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P and Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM coming in joint first, for typically an extra $100 / £100 added on top. MSI’s MPG 321URX QD-OLED is the cheapest of the bunch, but again only by $50-100 so not exactly bank-breaking, and you do get a worse stand if you’re going that route.

Otherwise, top-line specs remain the same, 3840x2160 resolution over a 31.6-inch panel, 240Hz max refresh rate, and 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time, all packed into a 16:9 aspect ratio. Alienware’s stand and cabling solution does look the slickest out of the lot, and it’s opted for a curved screen, giving it a unique edge over the competition.

Alienware AW3225QF: Specs

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor stand on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

Alienware AW3225QF: Design and features

  • 3rd Gen OLED delivers hard
  • Super-low response times leads to no ghosting
  • HDR in Windows is carnage still

Straight out of the box, the AW3225QF is a thing of beauty to behold. General construction is a breeze, the stand comes in two parts, the main neck, and the base. You attach those two together and secure them with a single thick screw at the bottom. Then with the panel carefully placed on a table or desk, you slide and click the stand into place behind it and you’re done. There’s a release button on the back, and that’s about it. Super fast, super easy. At the base of the panel itself, there’s a removable cover to hide all your cable management, and a hollowed-out segment of the stand helps run your cables and keep everything hidden and out of the way behind the monitor.

The stand is seriously sweet, with a wide-based stance, decked out in a matt white plastic that does give it somewhat of an imperial empire vibe, but it works really incredibly well for an aesthetic. On the rear of the panel, Alienware’s baked in some fairly minimal RGB lighting. It’s okay, and not particularly bright, which feels like a bit of a misstep, certainly with the amount of RGB LED ambient lighting solutions out there right now.

But let’s be clear here, it’s the panel on this 4K gaming monitor that’s the show stopper. It’s a beautiful design, with thin bezels and a slight curve to it (1700R) with a 31.6-inch radius and a gloss finish. There’s some Alienware branding at the very bottom of the screen, but once again in no way is it distracting or even that visible.

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor's rear ports on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

Still, it’s the top-line spec of the thing that really draws you in. The AW3225QF packs in a 3840x2160 resolution into that 31.6-inches, complete with 240Hz refresh (DSC enabled) and a 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time (2.1 ms MPRT in testing). The panel itself is actually Samsung Display’s QD-OLED third gen, which was showcased first at CES in January 2024. Compared to second-gen, it features a Quantum Enhancer AI processor that’s bespoke for each panel directly, Samsung claims this should increase panel durability by a factor of two, along with providing improved brightness and power efficiency over the last-gen models. Samsung’s also using a new Pico-inkjet printer technology to produce a higher quality quantum-dot layer (the part of the panel that applies the color to each pixel), which is now more accurate and efficient, making it cheaper and easier to mass produce the screen tech. That means we should see the price of these panels fall dramatically over the course of the year.

On top of that barrage of specs there, the AW3225QF also features G-Sync certification, Free-Sync support, and Vesa’s AdaptiveSync certification eliminating screen tearing, alongside HDR support for Dolby Vision and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400.

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor's rear on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

Alienware AW3225QF: Performance

  • Outstanding gaming experience
  • 240Hz is a game changer
  • HDR in Windows is still underwhelming

I’ve been testing gaming and professional monitors since I started in tech journalism many years ago, and I can wholeheartedly say that this screen is something else. 

240Hz refresh rate, combined with a 4K resolution and that super low 2.1 ms MPRT, it’s just outstanding. There’s not a moment in game, certainly on PC, where you’re not impressed by it. Going from 60Hz to 120 or 144Hz feels good, really good. It’s smooth, but you can tell there’s still judder there. Going to 240Hz though, it’s like frames become incomparable at that point. It’s as close to real life as it gets, in how fluid it is, as long as your graphics card can drive it at that refresh rate, and that is going to be the bigger challenge.

We do have tech to help alleviate some of those issues. DLSS and FSR, along with Nvidia’s Frame Generation tech make a massive difference here. Still even with the very best of that tech-enabled, and in its lowest configuration, if you take something like an RTX 4080 Super, and run Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS in its Ultra Performance mode (and put up with the terrible anti-aliasing as a result) you’re still not going to max out that 240Hz refresh rate. AAA titles require a seriously beefy graphics card. That said, if you’re playing older games, or less graphically intense titles that don’t have 200 rays bouncing around the environment, it’s unlike anything else, and arguably becomes one of the best high-refresh gaming monitors as a result. Ghosting is non-existent, every test I ran it through I couldn’t spot any of it, but that is a tell-tale trait of a good OLED panel after all. 

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

As for general content streaming. Netflix, Amazon Prime. It’s equally such a joy to use, the HDR support is rich and vibrant, and impeccably immersive, the colors are deep and saturated where they need to be, and it’s truly tantalizing. There are problems, however, and that mostly comes down to how Windows handles HDR in particular. On desktop, It’s still a mess, with a cornucopia of settings, and if you don’t get it right it looks and feels washed out in general day-to-day web browsing, and underwhelming on video content. Likewise, Alienware also included an arsenal of HDR profiles and settings on the display itself to further add to the confusion, with some profiles working well in one bright scene, only to fall foul in a darker scene two seconds later. It’s problematic, but still more of a general issue in HDR on PC anyway, with less to do with the actual display itself.

Similarly, there’s a total of 12 different preset modes by default even for SDR content. All of which slightly tweak brightness, contrast, and color warmth. In my opinion, SPORTS or Standard modes are the way to go out of the box.

There's not a noticeable difference between gaming on PS5 and PC with the Alienware AW3225QF. It provides beautiful imagery, excellent gaming performance, and one of the best monitor companions you can get for the current-gen consoles. The only caveat is that, naturally, as it's built with a PC focus, you won't be able to get all the benefits of its top-draw specs, like the maximum refresh rate. If you're you're looking for the absolute best monitor to team with a PS5 or Xbox Series X or gaming on a dual PC and console setup, then it's perfect for you. However, it is worth bearing in mind that you can probably save a few bucks elsewhere for a PS5 monitor if you're savvy in choosing the right spec combination.

Alienware’s AW3225QF is ultimately an exceptional screen. If money is no option, it may well be one of the best gaming monitors out there right now. It's fast, crystal clear, with low latency, and a beautiful color depth and brightness that really does give it an edge over the previous generations of OLED. Better yet it’s leaps and bounds ahead of anything that even the best LCD panel can muster. If you’re after the absolute best of the best, the AW3225QF is it.

The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED monitor on a desk

(Image credit: Future/Zak Storey)

Should you buy the Alienware AW3225QF?

Buy it if...

You want the best 4K gaming experience available
With a super sharp resolution and an outstanding refresh rate, combined with low latency and phenomenal color breadth, the AW3225QF is on another level when it comes to 4K gaming on PC or current-gen console.

You’re concerned about OLED burn-in
Not only do Samsung’s third-gen OLED panels come with an enhanced AI chip to double the life expectancy, Alienware’s also include a three-year burn-in warranty as well.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for a wallet-friendly QD-OLED model
It’s the second highest priced QD-OLED of this generation, with Asus and Gigabyte models pipping it to the post, but only just. There are cheaper options out there.

You want simple HDR
HDR in Windows is complicated enough, but multiple HDR profiles don’t help on Alienware’s AW3225QF.

Also consider

If the Alienware AW3225QF isn't quite for you then consider these great alternatives of different screen resolutions to widen your search.

MSI MPG271QRX

Looking for something a little slimmer, easier to drive with your gaming PC, but still packs in that impressive QD-OLED high refresh punch with primo color accuracy? The 271QRX is a good pick, and with a 360Hz refresh rate, it’s truly outstanding to behold.

Read our full review of the MSI MPG 271QRX here. 

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9

There’s something to be said for that what twin 27-inch screens side-by-side offers. Samsung cut out the middle bezel and combined two OLED panels into one with the G9, and it is faultless if you’re after a 32:9 gaming behemoth.

Read our full review of the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 here

How I tested the Alienware AW3225QF

  • Tested for multiple weeks across a variety of games and platforms
  • Professional industry tests applied
  • OSD fully explored

To put the AW3225QF through its paces I used it as my primary office monitor for three weeks before testing, and the write-up. I used it side-by-side next to a Viewsonic VP3268a-4K, a professionally calibrated artwork and creative 100% sRGB display.

I tested the AW3225QF through a multitude of different content types, including gaming across The Witcher 3, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and Total War: Warhammer III. I also streamed YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime on it, with both SDR and HDR content. Additionally, I tested it using a Playstation 5, and took advantage of Blur Busters array of tests to diagnose any ghosting, or MPRT issues too. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2024

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess review: an instant strategy classic
6:00 pm | July 15, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: | Comments: Off
Review info

Platform reviewed: PlayStation 5
Available on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
Release date: July 19, 2024

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess might just be the most innovative game that I’ve played this year. Developer Capcom bills its latest title as a “Kagura action strategy”, Kagura being a type of ceremonial dance used in Shinto rituals, which should tell you right off the bat that you’re in for something unusual. 

It follows Yoshiro, a maiden from a shrine atop the fictionalized Mount Kafuku, and her sword-wielding spirit guardian Soh as they attempt to defeat a malevolent force called the Seethe. The Seethe has taken over the mountain, trapping its villagers in cocoons, corrupting the local wildlife, and covering the natural landscape with a sinister ooze. It’s a simple premise that is all conveyed through a short introductory cutscene complete with soothing narration and beautiful woodblock-style illustrations. 

There’s almost no dialogue outside of this introduction and the relationship between Yoshiro and Soh is instead conveyed through wordless interactions and wonderfully choreographed dance. It's a real testament to the strength of Yoshiro’s presentation that she is still a fantastically realized character in spite of this, with her every polite bow and calm nod oozing humility and gentleness. Supported by a wealth of brilliant little details, like the friendly deer that sometimes come and sit with her at moments of rest, it all culminates in a surprisingly poignant ending that cleverly recontextualizes her personality.

Path of the goddess

A screenshot showing night gameplay, with soldiers positioned around an enemy path.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is split across a series of linear stages which see Yoshiro and Soh gradually descend the mountain purifying everything in their wake before returning to the summit for a final confrontation. Each level follows roughly the same formula and features distinct day and night time phases. As Soh, the day is spent making preparations for the oncoming night. You run around, removing traces of corruption, freeing villagers from their cocoons, and accumulating crystal orbs in the process. These orbs are spent carving a spirit path for Yoshiro, which represents the route that she will slowly traverse while undertaking her Kagura dance.

Every environment features at least one Torii gate that Yoshiro must reach and cleanse in order to progress. You spend your remaining orbs assigning combat roles to any rescued villagers, which is vital for when the level transitions into night. Time moves quickly as you explore, marked by an on-screen clock and the tranquil music, which is dominated by traditional Japanese instruments, becoming faster and more frantic. When darkness finally arrives, Yoshiro stops in her path as enemies begin to emerge from the gate and advance towards her.

A screenshot showing the player positioning a marksman unit.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Your armed villagers function a little like the towers in a tower-defense title and need to be positioned in a paused tactical view to keep Yoshiro safe. A colorful ring denotes their individual areas of effect and, although you start with basic types such as an ax-wielding melee woodcutter or ranged archer, you soon unlock more complex units that open the door to some engaging strategic challenges. Magical ascetics, for example, might excel at slowing large groups of enemies but lack the ability to deal any damage and can quickly become overwhelmed. Hulking sumo wrestlers are adept at keeping larger foes occupied while you chip away at their health from a distance, but are very expensive so often come at the cost of assigning roles elsewhere.

A few restrictions on how certain villagers can be assigned prevent you from creating more than one or two healers and tanks - a smart limitation that forces you to think carefully about how to make best use of the resources at hand. There are a wide range of environmental factors to consider too, ranging from branching enemy paths to devastating traps that you can choose to repair during the day. You defend Yoshiro until the arrival of the next morning, at which point the cycle begins again.

Picture in miniature

A screenshot showing Soh purging some Seethe corruption.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Your units can be moved or reassigned at any time, allowing you to adjust your strategy if things start to go wrong. Battles feel refreshingly dynamic as a result, especially considering that Soh can very much be an active participant in the defensive effort. You have rapid light attacks and more powerful dance attacks at your disposal which, together, are chained into an impressive set of combos. You unlock plenty of powerful special moves, talismans with helpful status effects, and a couple of new weapons as you go on, letting you really tweak the combat experience. This is on top of a sizable upgrade tree for both Soh and all unit types, where new unlocks become available at an exhilaratingly rapid pace.

Best bit

A screenshow showing a highly-detailed peach sweet.

(Image credit: Capcom)

You acquire sweets throughout your journey that can be left as offerings in Yoshiro’s tent. Each one is rendered in exquisite detail and, if you hang around, you can watch the maiden daintily chow down with impressively life-like animations that are unique to each dish.

Individual stages are absolutely overflowing with different mechanics, which prevent the formula from ever seeming stale. There are deadly lightning strikes to contend with, a map filled with poison pools, dark cave environments where the Seethe can lurk undetected, and two whole levels that take place entirely on a boat to name just some. One encounter even lacks villagers entirely, forcing you to think outside the box and rely on your own attacks and an assortment of traps to keep Yoshiro defended.

The variety is a consistent delight and it extends to the enemy roster, which is packed with creative designs. The handful of boss encounters, which mostly occur in small areas that are separate from the main levels, are also highly memorable. That said, the difficulty is definitely on the more forgiving side and I couldn't find any way to increase it. The checkpoints are exceedingly generous and I sometimes felt that I wasn’t quite punished harshly enough for my biggest strategic missteps. This isn’t a major problem by any means, but a more challenging optional difficulty would make every victory that much more rewarding.

A screenshot showing Yoshiro accepting an offering in her tent.

(Image credit: Capcom)

You can come back to each completed level later on in an intriguing city-building mode. It’s fairly basic, you assign a pool of villages to repair any damaged buildings, but yields plenty of useful upgrade materials and is quite an enjoyable change of pace. It also allows you to truly soak in the absolutely incredible art direction, which has all been modeled on real-world miniatures. Each map is like its own little diorama and the overall effect is often breathtaking.

Zooming the camera out gives the impression that you’re looking at an adorable model set while zooming in for a close examination of objects and buildings lets you see the impressive level of detail. It’s abundantly clear that a huge amount of care has gone into almost every aspect of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess and the end result is a unique journey that is well worth experiencing.

Accessibility

There are a small number of accessibility options available in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This includes the ability to enable closed captions, increase the size of subtitles, add a background to subtitles, and change the subtitle text color. You can also customize the colors of a range of UI elements, including the mini map radar and general highlight color.

Should I play Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess?

A screenshot showing two units positioned on either side of a small path in a dark cave.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Play it if...

You’re craving a unique experience
There’s nothing quite like Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Pick it up if you’re tired of experiencing the same old types of games time and time again.

You appreciate a great strategy game
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a brilliant strategy game that is filled with unique levels. It’s easy to recommend if you’re a fan of games that require you to think tactically.

You like miniatures
The world of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is fashioned after real-world miniatures, giving it a very distinct look. It’s a real treat, especially if you already have a love for tiny models.

Don't play it if...

You want a serious challenge
The more forgiving difficulty level might come as a disappointment to some. While it’s definitely not a dealbreaker, those craving a seriously challenging experience should probably look elsewhere.

How we reviewed Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

I played Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess for just under 14 hours and in that time I experienced the entire campaign, plus a few particularly great missions that I chose to replay.

I tested the game on a PlayStation 5 using a DualSense Wireless Controller in addition to a pair of Final VR3000 earbuds and a 32” 4K TV. As a frequent strategy game player, I compared my experience to a wide range of other strategy titles including XCOM 2, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Crusader Kings 3, Bloons TD 6, Sanctum 2, and more.

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: , , | 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

Image 1 of 3

Side of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9

(Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)
Image 2 of 3

Rear I/O of the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 9

(Image credit: Future / Aleksha McLoughlin)
Image 3 of 3

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
Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra review: Samsung’s impressive answer to Apple’s MacBook Pro
5:43 pm | June 26, 2024

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

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Two-minute review

Everything from the design to the pricing through to the market positioning of the new Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra begs comparison with Apple's MacBook Pro laptops. Even the way it integrates with Samsung's Galaxy smartphones has a whiff of Apple about it.

But we're not going to mention the iconic Apple alternative – well, not very much, anyway. As it happens, the wedge-shaped profile of the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra actually mimics the original MacBook Air more than any MacBook Pro model, though Apple never made an Air this big.

This is a 16-inch model fitted out with a glorious Samsung AMOLED display with touchscreen capability, plus one of Intel's latest top-spec mobile CPUs, a surprisingly powerful Nvidia GPU, 32GB of RAM and a beefy 2TB SSD. So, yeah, this is very much a top-tier premium laptop.

However, it's not one of those desktop replacement monsters that you'd barely ever want to take out and about. At 16.5mm thick and 1.86kg, it's relatively thin and light for a 16-inch laptop. So, think of it as a larger form-factor but still genuinely portable laptop from the luxury end of the spectrum, packing plenty of performance. Yup, a bit like the 16-inch notebook from you-know-who.

With that in mind, it's not a huge surprise that the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is priced up at the very top-end of the market, too, so along with Apple laptops, it must take on premium Windows systems from among the very best laptops including the Razer Blade and Dell XPS.

So, it needs to be very, very good, to justify its price and deliver on those unavoidable comparisons – and fortunately the new Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra manages this. It offers excellent performance levels, a top-notch OLED touchscreen, seriously impressive battery life for a 16-inch portable, and a premium build – even if there are weaknesses here that include the built-in speakers.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra front angle

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? Starts from $2,999 / £3,149
  • When is it out? It's available now
  • Where can you get it? In the US and UK

For the base model, you're essentially looking at about $3,000 or £3,000 in the US and UK (Samsung doesn't officially sell its Galaxy Books in Australia). So, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is an extremely expensive laptop by any sensible measure. Of course, a similarly specified Dell XPS system comes in at a similar cost. In fact, if you match this Samsung by specifying an OLED panel and RTX 4070 graphics, the XPS is actually around 13% more expensive.

It's harder to compare directly with Apple's laptops, but a roughly equivalent MacBook Pro 16 with an M3 Pro chip and 2TB of storage is around 15% pricier. So, you can actually make an argument for the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra being a relatively good value proposition, expensive as it undoubtedly is.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra underneath

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra comes in two configurations, a base model and upgraded version – though with both configurations, the 1TB SSD can also be upgraded to 2TB. (Note that, at least for now, the 2TB SSD upgrade is not available in the US).

Here are the specs for the two models of Samsung's Galaxy Book 4 Ultra at a glance.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Design and Features

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra rear lid

(Image credit: Future)
  • Premium all-alloy build
  • Slick wedge-shaped chassis
  • Reasonable connectivity

It's hard to imagine that this generation of Samsung Galaxy Books would look the way they do if Apple's MacBook Air had never existed. There are just too many similarities in the wedge-shaped design and the mid-grey anodized finish.

The 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, which sits right on top of the Galaxy Book range, is no exception. It looks just like the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro, just on a slightly larger scale.

Does Samsung do a premium laptop as well as Apple? Not quite – but by any other standard, this is an extremely well put together notebook. For the most part, it feels extremely robust and rigid, too, the only exception being the keyboard bed, which exhibits just a touch of flex.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra trackpad

(Image credit: Future)

The trackpad is huge, which is a good thing, and finished with a slick glass surface. However, it's a moving 'diving board' design and can't ultimately compete with Apple's Force Touch trackpads, which trade moving parts for haptic feedback. You might think a haptic-powered trackpad sounds like a gimmick, but once you've used one, you won't want to go back to a conventional diving board design – they just feel clunky by comparison.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra front left

(Image credit: Future)

Anyway, the large 16-inch OLED panel has fairly (but not quite) ultra-slim bezels on three sides, and the display itself has some corner pixels disabled to give the impression of curved corners, which looks pretty neat. However, there's also a fairly large bottom bezel which slightly undermines the overall aesthetic and detracts from the fashionable screen-to-body ratio.

For sure, the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra doesn't even come close to Dell's XPS laptops when it comes to minimal bezel sizes and that ultra-modern look. Still, the top bezel does at least provide enough space for a full 1080p webcam. If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you can also wirelessly connect that and use it as a high-performance webcam.

This is just one of several tightly-woven features that once again mimics the way Apple's MacBook, iPhone and iPad ecosystem is optimized for cross-device operation. For instance, you can sync files across Samsung devices wirelessly just like Apple's AirDrop feature, or use a Samsung Galaxy Tab as a secondary display. It's all pretty handy, though overall it doesn't feel quite as seamless and effortless as the Apple alternatives – and Samsung's update software is particularly clunky.

As for audio, Samsung has fitted the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's quad-speaker system as a bottom-firing setup. Ultimately, it's a disappointing sound experience. The volume levels are adequate, but the dynamic range is pretty limited and really only on par with mainstream Windows 11 laptops. Once again, the comparison with the MacBook Pro line is unflattering – Apple's laptops produce far, far better audio.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra ports

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of connectivity, you get two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, a Type-A USB 3.2 port, HDMI 2.1 and a MicroSD memory card reader. Oh, and a regular 3.5mm audio jack. That little collection should cover most bases and it's nice to have some full-sized and legacy ports. Just bear in mind that charging takes place via one of the USB-C ports, so day-to-day, you'll typically only have one spare.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra angle

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of charging, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's power supply is a fairly hefty unit – but with that comes pretty speedy charging. You can add 55% charge in just 30 minutes. The power brick is also not entirely out of keeping with what is a fairly large laptop with a 16-inch display. For sure, this is definitely a thin-and-light representative of the 16-inch breed at 16.5mm thick and 1.86kg – but equally, it's no ultraportable.

  • Design: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Performance

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra keyboard

(Image credit: Future)
  • Benefits from Intel's latest mobile CPU
  • Decent Nvidia GPU
  • Stunning OLED display

Intel's new Core Ultra chips (Meteor Lake) are arguably a little disappointing. That said, the Core i9 Ultra 185H in this Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is still all the CPU 99% of users are going to need, and then some. It's even good enough to make for a powerful portable content creation machine with tasks like video encoding.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,448
Multi - 12,465
3DMark:
Night Raid - 35,809
Fire Strike - 17,797
Time Spy - 8,025
CrossMark:
Overall - 1,865
Productivity - 1,664
Creativity - 2,232
Responsiveness - 1,582
PCMark 10 Productivity battery life: 9 hours 29 minutes
1080p movie playback battery life: 19 hours
Cyberpunk 2077:
1080p - 66fps Low ; 55fps Ultra
Total War: Three Kingdoms:
1080p - 163fps Low ; 65fps Ultra
CrystalDiskMark 8:
Read: 6.7GB/s
Write: 4.9GB/s
4K Read: 80MB/s
4K Write: 165MB/s

Then there's the Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card. Okay, Nvidia does offer more powerful mobile GPUs, but the 4070 will still blow away any integrated graphics. Indeed, while you might expect Samsung to have clocked the RTX 4070 right down thanks to the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's thin chassis, it's actually configured in an 80W spec, which is well above the 35W minimum that Nvidia dictates. Likewise, the 1,605MHz boost clock far exceeds the 1,230MHz minimum, even if it's also a fair way off the top 2,175MHz spec some mobile 4070s are capable of.

At any rate, there's decent 1080p performance on offer, though running the latest games at the screen's 2,880 x 1,800 native resolution is generally going to be a tall order, even with the help of DLSS upscaling. But there's some genuine gaming ability here, along with some GPU grunt when it comes to playing with the likes of filters and effects in video and image editing. Combined with that Intel CPU, it's a very effective partnership.

It's a similar story for the memory and storage. The 32GB of RAM will be more than enough for almost any workflow, while the 1TB SSD is an OEM version of Samsung's popular 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 drive, capable of over 6.5GB/s of peak transfer speeds (albeit at this price point we'd quite like to have seen a 2TB drive fitted).

Then there's the screen. Ah yes, that screen: it's a Samsung AMOLED 2X with the aforementioned 2,880 x 1,800 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate (it also supports dynamic switching between 60Hz and 120Hz to improve battery life).

The pixel density isn't all that – both the Dell XPS 16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 have sharper, higher resolution panels on offer. But once you've tried OLED, you won't want to go back to any LCD-based tech. With perfect lighting and contrast, no light bleed, fab viewing angles and much better response times, it's simply better. Oh, and it's a touchscreen, too, which no Apple laptop currently offers.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Battery life

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra top

(Image credit: Future)
  • Genuine all-day battery life
  • Delivers on Samsung's claims for movie playback

Samsung reckons the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is good for 21 hours of video playback. That sounds like a tall order for a 16-inch laptop with powerful components. But you know what? It's actually doable, albeit in our testing it fell slightly short of 21 hours.

Okay, so you won't get that many hours with the screen set to full brightness – and we noticed some choppiness in video playback when using the dynamic refresh feature. So, the refresh rate is best set to 60Hz for viewing content on the move, but generally, color us impressed – this laptop has legs.

That impression is only bolstered by the 9 hours and 29 minutes it managed in the PCMark 10 Productivity battery life test. That's a pretty demanding workout in power consumption terms and anything near 10 hours is a good result.

  • Battery life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Also Consider

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra

I used the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra as my daily driver for a week. That meant everything from work duties including web browsing, document editing and a little content creation, to watching movies in bed and playing games in the evening.

In other words, pretty much every use case. Along with our formal benchmark results, I also took the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra out on the road to get a feel for real-world performance and battery life, what it's like to lug around, and how well built it is.

I've not just been reviewing laptops for over 10 years, I've also used them as my primary computing devices for even longer. So, it's intriguing to see how the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra fits into that context. The answer, generally, is very well indeed.

  • First reviewed June 2024
HP Omen 45L (2024) review: a pricey but seriously powerful gaming PC
1:45 pm |

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

HP Omen 45L: One-minute review

If you're considering a new machine then the latest take on the HP Omen 45L does enough to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the best gaming PCs out there. As far as prebuilt rigs from trusted manufacturers go, HP's latest effort maintains a straightforward approach with its design ethos and performance potential, albeit at a price which may be a little hard to swallow. 

Speaking of the design, there's a toolless approach to upgrading as both side and front panels can be removed without the need for a screwdriver, with ample room for tinkering. There's a total of four 120mm fans and a 360mm AIO for enhanced airflow, and this gaming PC largely delivers near-silent operation even when under stress. 

Pricing starts at $1,779.99 (about £1,415 / AU$2,689) for a configuration that gets you an Intel Core i7-14700K CPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti GPU. Yeah, it's far from the cheapest given that more humbly specced hardware, and this extends to higher-end configurations, such as our review unit. This came equipped with an RTX 4090 and Intel Core i9-13900K with 64GB of DDR5 RAM, but costs a mammoth $3,399.99 (about £2,673 / AU$5,136). 

As you may expect, that large price tag comes with staggering performance. It's been nearly two years since the components inside the machine were first released, but they're showing no signs of slowing down. Make no mistake, this is a leading 1440p and 4K machine with excellent performance that should last you an incredibly long time. Then, when future RTX 5000 series graphics cards (or RDNA 4 lower down the GPU spectrum, if the rumors are right) hit the scene, it shouldn't be taxing to swap in a beefy upgrade. 

HP Omen 45L: Price and availability

  • How much does it cost? Starts from $1,779.99 (about £1,415 / AU$2,689) 
  • When is it available? It's on sale now 
  • Where can you get it? In the US, UK and Australia 

The HP Omen 45L starts at the mid-range with a base configuration featuring an Intel Core i7-14700K CPU coupled with either an RTX 4060 Ti or RTX 4070 GPU depending on the region you're buying in. This machine is priced at $1,779.99 (about £1,415 / AU$2,689) which is a touch high factoring in the 1440p GPU in question. 

My review unit featured the Intel Core i9-13900K, the previous-generation Raptor Lake processor, with 64GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 RAM and an Nvidia RTX 4090. Unsurprisingly, the latter comes at a premium. If you're buying brand-new directly from HP or certain other retailers, you may find this build available around the $4,507.99 mark (about £3,538 / AU$6,798), which is at the very upper-end of the spectrum. 

Simply put, there are cheaper RTX 4090 PCs out there, but this top configuration is priced at around the going market rate from a trusted manufacturer. It's about on a par with the recently released Corsair One i500, which is famed for its compact footprint and sleek chassis, at the cost of easy upgradability. 

  • Price: 3 / 5 

HP Omen 45L: Specs

Here are the specs for the HP Omen 45L at a glance. 

HP Omen 45L: Design

HP Omen 45L side panel

(Image credit: Future)
  • Stylish overall look with space to upgrade 
  • Toolless design to open things up, but there are drawbacks 
  • Front and rear I/O leave a lot to be desired

The design of the HP Omen 45L is fairly standard fare for the company's lineup. In short, this means an illuminated square badge on the front, a triple front fan setup, and what's been described as a "toolless" upgrade path. The rig looks great with its fully metal frame and tempered glass panels, with enough space to be able to reach in and make changes where desired. 

However, said toolless design, meaning the front and side panels can easily pop out, can become a bit of a hindrance. My particular review unit has been around the circuit for some time and came in the box with the front and side panel popped off. It took a bit of effort to slide things back in, with a little flex on the front. It's possible this could have happenend in transit, but it's something to be aware of. 

What I'm not a fan of is the front and rear port panels which leave a fair amount to be desired. The former is top mounted and clean enough, sure, but the port selection is lacking. There's no USB 3.2 or USB-C, which means you're stuck with older USB 2.0 for your peripherals. The rear is better: here you get two USB-C ports, and three USB-A ports as well as Ethernet and 3.5mm jacks. There should be enough here to be getting on with but it's far from top of the class connectivity. 

  • Design: 4 / 5

HP Omen 45L: Performance

HP Omen 45L rear I/O

(Image credit: Future)
  • Excellent gaming performance 
  • Strong productivity chops with this CPU and GPU combo 
  • Included NVMe SSD is strong, but SATA HDD is fairly pointless

The performance of the HP Omen 45L is impressive, but that's not surprising when factoring in the combination of the Intel Core i9-13900K and Nvidia RTX 4090 with 64GB of DDR5-5200 RAM.

You have more than enough power under the hood to fuel today's games at max settings in 1440p and 4K with room to spare. That's made all the better when you can take advantage of Nvidia DLSS 3's Frame Generation to make the most out of the high refresh rates on the best gaming monitors

HP Omen 45L benchmarks

Here's how the HP Omen 45L performed in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and demanding games. 

Geekbench 6:
2,853 (single)
18,523 (multi)

PCMark10: 9,302 (overall)
Essentials - 10,631
Productivity - 11,226
Digital Content Creation - 18,300

Cinebench R23:
Single - 2,181
Multi - 28,910

CrossMark: 2,135 (overall)
Productivity - 1,959
Creativity - 2,480
Responsiveness - 1,765

3DMark:
Night Raid - 89,961
Fire Strike - 41,073
Time Spy - 29,874
Port Royal - 25,501

CrystalDiskMark:
Read - 6,893MB/s
Write - 5,267MB/s

Red Dead Redemption II:
1080p: 169fps (Low); 165fps (Ultra)
1440p: 165fps (Low); 154fps (Ultra)

Total War: Three Kingdoms:
1080p: 503fps (Low) ; 240fps (Ultra)
1440p: 444fps (Low); 154 fps (Ultra)

Cyberpunk 2077:
1080p: 163fps (Low); 146fps (High)
1440p: 161fps (Low) ; 114fps (High)
RT Ultra + DLSS : (1440p) 143fps; (1080p) 212fps

Dubbed by the manufacturer as the "Omen Cryo Chamber," the cooling solution does a respectable job of keeping the core temperatures reasonable with the 360mm AIO and four 120mm case fans inside. What was notable was the lack of noise from the machine when under stress from heavy benchmarking, which is usually where these company-made gaming PCs start to struggle. With the Omen 45L, even moderate to heavy gaming is quiet.

We've gone into detail extensively about the RTX 4090 over the years and it remains a powerhouse. There's nothing on the market now that can make it sweat as the card's 24GB GDDR6X VRAM is seemingly endless for even the most demanding of software. To say the Intel Core i9-13900K is a bottleneck isn't exactly fair, but that's what's ultimately holding things back (but not to much of an extent).

That's because you can expect frame rate averages of well over 100fps in all the demanding games on the market such as Red Dead Redemption II, Cyberpunk 2077, and more CPU-bound titles such as Total War: Three Kingdoms, and that's running natively (with no DLSS). This is echoed in 3DMark's range of tests as well as in CrossMark as mentioned above.

HP says the Omen has a WD Black PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD but doesn't specify which one. In my testing with CrystalDiskMark, I logged sequential performance of 6,893MB/s and 5,267MB/s reads and writes respectively. That's on par with the quoted performance for the WD Black SN850, which is a rival to the best SSDs, despite being usurped by more powerful Gen 5.0 options in recent years.

What's odd to me is the 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD included with the HP Omen 45L. It's not just HP that goes for a hard disk as a secondary drive, as Alienware tends to as well, but I would rather have had a larger primary NVMe SSD instead of a fairly mediocre storage drive. Not only does it take up space in the case, but with sequential rates of around 300MB/s apiece, you can't really use it for gaming.

Lastly, there's the Omen Gaming Hub which comes included as a one-stop-shop for customizing your rig's lighting, overclocking your components, balancing power options, and optimizing games. While seasoned PC gamers are largely going to ignore this app, those new to PC gaming may find some use for it. The Hub is easy to understand, colorful, and powerful, but unnecessary for those who know what they're doing.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omen 45L?

HP Omen 45L side panel opened

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if... 

Don't buy it if... 

  • First reviewed June 2024
Acer Predator Triton 17 X: a premium gaming laptop that packs a punch
2:59 pm | June 4, 2024

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

Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Two-minute review

There's an argument to be made for packing in as much power as possible when it comes to the best gaming laptops, and that's the space the Acer Predator Triton 17 X occupies. For the most part, it forgoes being the sleekest and smallest of its kind to go all-in on pushing boundaries for those with deep enough pockets to take the plunge. 

Priced at $3,599.99 / £3,299.99 / AU$7,999, the Acer Predator Triton 17 X isn't a budget pick by any means, but that's the cost of packing in enough horsepower to give even the best gaming PCs a run for their money. While the mobile RTX 4090 doesn't exactly rival what its desktop counterpart can do, the performance margin is within an acceptable ballpark range; you can think of it as similar to an RTX 4080 desktop GPU.  

Where this rig stands out from competitors is with its display. The Triton 17 X features a staggering 250Hz refresh rate with a 1600p resolution screen. That 16:10 aspect ratio means you get more real-estate for gaming, and the results are impressive. Fortunately, the components inside this Predator laptop mean you'll be able to push even the latest and most demanding games to superfast frame rates. 

No corners have been cut with the quality-of-life features here, either. This laptop is armed with a six-speaker setup, an excellent keyboard, and a healthy port selection, so even when you're not gaming, you'll have a good experience. Just keep in mind that the Triton 17 X is not the most practical notebook with its 3kg / 6.6lbs heft, so it might not be your daily runner to work or school on the side. 

Compounding this is the majorly disappointing battery life. The Acer Predator Triton 17 X lasts around two hours at best when enjoying media playback or browsing the web, and about an hour when getting stuck into one of the latest games. You'll want the charger nearby, but if you can overlook these issues then there's a stellar machine underneath it all. 

Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Price and availability

MSI Triton 17 X screen

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? $3,599.99 / £3,299.99 / AU$7,999
  • When is it available? It's out now
  • Where can you get it? In the US, UK and Australia

The Acer Predator Triton 17 X is one of the pricier gaming laptops on the market, coming in above the $3,000 / £3,000 mark (and at AU$8,000). Considering the hardware inside, that shouldn't come as a huge surprise, though. Acer isn't pulling any punches from the choice of CPU and GPU, through to the display, RAM, and storage. Simply put, it's far from a cheap gaming laptop, but if you want to be on the bleeding edge and have the cash to splash then it could be worthwhile. 

As a frame of reference, the price of entry for the Predator Triton 17 X puts it in league with other top-end offerings such as the Origin EON 16SL when fully specced out, or the Alienware M16 and Razer Blade 16 (2023) in higher configurations. You aren't getting the best value for money on the market, nor the strongest price-to-performance ratio, but in terms of sheer raw power, the Triton 17 X has it in spades. 

  • Price: 3 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Design

Design of the MSI Triton 17 X

(Image credit: Future)
  • Stunning 250Hz mini-LED display 
  • Packed with ports 
  • A bit heavy at 3kg / 6.6lbs
Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Specs

Here's what's inside the Acer Predator Triton 17 X supplied to TechRadar. 

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900HX
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090
RAM: 64GB LPDDR5
Storage: 2TB NVMe Gen 4.0
Display: WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10 IPS 250Hz
Ports: 2x USB 3.2, 2x USB-C, 2.5Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.1
Weight: 3kg / 6.6lbs
Dimensions: ‎‎28 x 38.04 x 2.19cm (LxWxH)

The most notable thing about the Acer Predator Triton 17 X at first glance is the display which is certainly a leading model as far as gaming laptops go. This portable powerhouse packs in a 16:10 WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 resolution) screen meaning more real-estate is available for gaming than 16:9 can offer. It's bolstered by a 250Hz refresh rate and is Nvidia G-sync compatible, so there's no screen tearing. 

It's not the first laptop to feature a mini-LED display, but it is an excellent example of the panel tech in action. While not quite as vivid as OLED, it is considerably brighter, and the 1,000 local dimming zones do a solid job of standing in with similar black levels. Considering the hardware inside, an RTX 4090 mobile GPU backed up by an Intel 13th-gen Core i9 processor, you'll be able to take advantage of that high refresh rate, too. 

Acer's design philosophy for this machine is "excellent in excess" and that's clearly demonstrated with the hardware packed into a portable form factor. Mind you, this rig weighs in at 3kg / 6.6lbs making it one of the heavier models on the market. With a 17-inch screen, it's fairly large as well, and while technically portable, the 17 X is unlikely to be something you'll commonly be slinging into a bag. It's more of an out-and-out desktop replacement. 

While you're likely to plug in one of the best gaming keyboards and best gaming mice, the Acer Predator Triton 17 X features a solid keyboard and trackpad for casual web browsing and typing. It offers pleasant multi-zone RGB lighting which looks the part when playing in darker environments. The trackpad isn't as nice as some of the glass ones you'll find on a similarly priced Razer Blade, but it gets the job done. Again, a dedicated mouse will do the trick better.

No expense was spared on the connectivity front here, either. There are two USB-C ports, two USB 3.2 ports, 2.5Gb Ethernet, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. You'll have no shortage of options for either work or play, and it's good that the manufacturer chose function over form in this respect, as some thinner laptops can sacrifice port selection to achieve their svelte nature. 

  • Design: 4 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Performance

Keyboad of the Triton 17 X

(Image credit: Future)
  • Unparalleled 1080p and 1440p gaming performance 
  • Silky smooth refresh rate 
  • Gets very hot and loud

You won't be surprised to learn that a gaming laptop powered by the Intel Core i9-13900HX and Nvidia RTX 4090 with 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM absolutely mowed through our suite of benchmarks and games. The display for the laptop tops out at 250Hz, and you'll have all the horsepower necessary to achieve those kind of frame rates in 1080p, and drive very smooth gameplay at 1440p as well.

Acer Predator Triton 17 X benchmarks

Here's how the Acer Predator Triton 17 X got on in our game testing. 

Total War: Three Kingdoms (1080p) - 364fps (Low); 140fps (Ultra)
Total War: Three Kingdoms (1440p) - 290fps (Low) ; 92fps (Ultra)
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p) - 118fps (Low); 107fps (Ultra)
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p) - 129fps (Low); 89fps (Ultra)
Cyberpunk 2077 RT Ultra - 85fps (1080p); 83fps (1440p)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (1080p) - 147fps (Low) ; 128fps (Ultra)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (1440p) - 108fps (Low); 86fps (Ultra)
Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,720
Multi - 17,308
3DMark:
Night Raid - 72,575
Fire Strike - 31,498
Time Spy - 16,866
Port Royal - 11,261
PCMark10: 8,069
CrystalDiskMark: Read - 6,441.97; Write - 4,872.65
Cinebench R23:
Single - 1,941
Multi - 25,624
TechRadar battery test: 1 hour 8 minutes

It's comparable to what the MSI Titan 18 HX can do, albeit without the 4K resolution, not that you'll necessarily need 4K in such a small display anyway. It wasn't uncommon for the demanding games tested, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2, to exceed 100fps when maxed out in 1440p. Even CPU-bound titles such as Total War: Three Kingdoms were no sweat for the 13900HX, as this game could exceed a lightning-fast 300fps.

Synthetic figures are equally strong as evidenced by 3DMark's range of GPU benchmarks alongside PCMark 10. Acer hasn't skimped on the choice of Gen 4.0 NVMe SSD either, with a strong performance of 6,441MB/s for reads and 4,872MB/s for writes. All told it's a very encouraging package showcasing the prowess of the hardware, but not without a few drawbacks.

While the RTX 4090M is roughly equivalent to the desktop RTX 4080 with its 16GB GDDR6 VRAM and lower power draw, the combination of CPU and GPU here does result in excess heat and loudness. It wasn't uncommon for the rig to reach upwards of 90 degrees when under stress, with the fans drowning out the otherwise impressive six-speaker surround setup. This could be counteracted by employing the use of one of the best gaming headsets, but it's worth noting all the same.

Using the HDMI 2.1 port, you'll be able to hook up the Acer Predator Triton 17 X to one of the best gaming monitors for that big screen experience should the 17-inch display not be enough for you. You may also want to invest in a dedicated laptop riser to keep the fans of the machine elevated to aid cooling, too. 

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 17 X: Battery life

Closed lid of the MSI Triton 17 X

(Image credit: Future)
  • Lasts around two hours when web browsing or for media playback
  • About an hour of gaming on battery power  

What's most disappointing about the Acer Predator Triton 17 X is the battery life which just about manages two hours on a single charge with media playback or casual browsing. When gaming, you can expect about an hour or so, give or take, so you'll need to keep a charger handy if you want to have a full session of gaming for the evening.

Keeping the Acer Predator Triton 17 X plugged in at all times isn't ideal in terms of its portability factor, obviously, but as we already observed, it's a little too large and bulky for that anyway. The battery life is a shame considering there's a 99.98Wh four-cell power pack inside, but it's not too big a shock when factoring in that there's 175W of power drawn by the RTX 4090M GPU alone.

Simply put, if you're after excellent battery life for a portable machine then the Acer Predator 17 X won't be for you. Instead, we recommend considering one of the best Ultrabooks, even if you won't get anywhere near the same level of processing power.

  • Battery: 2 / 5

Should you buy the Acer Predator Triton 17 X?

Buy it if... 

You want a no-compromise gaming experience 

The Acer Predator Triton 17 X packs a punch with its RTX 4090 GPU and 13th-gen Core i9 CPU backed with a staggering 64GB of RAM. All that power translates to commonly getting over 100fps in 1440p with maxed out details. 

You want an out-and-out desktop replacement 

With its powerful hardware and generous port selection, you'll be able to hook up the Triton 17 X to an external monitor for a big screen gaming experience. 

You're in the market for a productivity powerhouse 

While the Acer Predator Triton 17 X is geared towards gamers, its 250Hz refresh rate and cutting-edge hardware make it a good choice for creatives who need all the VRAM and raw performance grunt they can get.

Don't buy it if... 

You want the best value for money 

There's no getting around the eye-watering MSRP of the Acer Predator Triton 17 X at $3,599.99 / £3,299.99 / AU$7,999. If you're on a tighter budget, you'll clearly want to consider a more mid-range model instead.

You want a laptop with a good battery life 

Despite its 99.98Wh battery, you can expect only around an hour of gaming when not plugged in. Media playback doubles that to around two hours based on our battery test (conducted at 50% battery with half max brightness). Whatever the case, don't expect much longevity with the Triton 17 X.

Also consider

  • First reviewed June 2024
Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset review
9:00 pm | April 5, 2024

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

Sony INZONE H9: One-minute review

Sony, without a doubt, has a reputation as an exceptional manufacturer of products. It’s a company that’s seriously made a name for itself, building one of the most successful console series we’ve seen in the last two decades.

Its DualSense controllers, PlayStation handhelds, and general hardware ecosystem over the years have been nothing short of outstanding, so, going into testing the $250 plus Inzone H9 wireless noise-canceling headset, a blend of both that PS5 design and ecosystem, combined with Sony’s legendary audio and noise-canceling prowess, I had high hopes that it was going to be an absolute killer piece of kit, easily making its way onto our best PC gaming headsets list and beyond.

After all, as I’ve mentioned, this is a company that already has an impressive audio subsection of its brand. Just grab some of those engineers, give them a design IP and a bit of budget, chuck a full-fledged microphone on the beating heart of a unit like the Sony WH1000XM5 or its predecessors and they’d be off to the races.

So, is that the case? Is the Sony Inzone H9 wireless noise-cancelling gaming headset, a pair of WH1000XM5s disguised as a PS5 headset? Well, no, not quite. They're expensive, stylish, and well-designed - but the audio performance doesn't really line up with the price tag.

Sony INZONE H9: Price and availability

  • How much does it cost? $300 / £269 / AU$450 - but now available cheaper
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available worldwide
Sony INZONE H9: SPECS

Interface: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, PS4/5, mobile devices
Mic: Bidirectional noise-cancelling
Surround sound: Sony 360 Spatial Sound for Gaming
Weight: 330g

So let’s talk price: what are we looking at here? Well, the Inzone H9 wireless clocks in at a fairly steep $300 in the US, £269 in the UK, and AU$450 for our friends down under. However, you can pick it up cheaper from most major retailers - the best bet for stateside shoppers is Amazon or Bestbuy, for the UK, Currys or Amazon are the best picks here too. Likewise, you’ll also find these floating around in Europe at Amazon.de, and Australia as well, although stock there is far more limited.

The Inzone H9 Wireless is a costly piece of kit, and slapping that kind of price tag on a headset of this caliber makes it fair game for comparison against a whole swathe of top-tier competition from the likes of Logitech, Razer, Corsair, and more.

In fact, its retail price in the US actually did sit at $300 until fairly recently, and even at its reduced price, that puts it in spitting distance of the excellent Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset, or even the likes of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro. In other words, the competition is fierce. Both those sets of cans do miss out on one key feature, namely the ANC, but more on that later.

  • Value: 2 / 5

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Sony INZONE H9: Design

  • Stylish aesthetic
  • Very comfortable to wear
  • Multiple on-headset controls

One quick look at the Inzone H9 Wireless and you’ll immediately fall under its spell. Particularly if you’re already heavily invested in the Sony PS5 ecosystem, and pick up a white version of this little beauty. It’s got an incredibly clean style to it, complete with that sandblasted white plastic we’ve come to expect, paired with a high contrast black shiny plastic mixed with matt touches, along with perhaps not-so-subtle Sony branding on the ear-cups.  

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

The microphone in particular looks exceptionally clean, with its swivel mechanism, and the overall ergonomic inclusions Sony has integrated into the Inzone H9 are nothing to be smirked at. The earcups are big circumaural affairs that easily coffer your entire ear, and it has a similar feel to a helicopter pilot’s cans. Perhaps not something you’d want to wear around town, but it does lend itself to a classy overall look, and some top-tier comfort.

Speaking of, the headband is much improved over the more affordable Inzone H5 wireless, and the earcups equally feature a softer faux leather finish (although it does feel a little “crisp” which is weird for a headset). The padding is a lot more plush than its cheaper siblings too. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it's memory foam (and that’s not something Sony has in its marketing materials either), but it’s comfortable for long-term use, and that’s what’s important here.

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Aside from the physicality of the thing, the Inzone H9 features only two connection standards, Bluetooth 5.0 and your standard Wireless 2.4 GHz dongle affair. Unlike the Inzone H5, the H9 doesn’t feature an analog connection, although it does have USB-C connectivity.

There are a number of buttons integrated into the headset as well, including power, Bluetooth, game/chat volume adjustments, a volume wheel, and a noise-canceling button, allowing you to swap between different presets on the fly.

  • Design: 4.5 / 5

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Sony INZONE H9: Performance

  • Sound quality is only middling
  • Mic doesn't perform well
  • Good battery life

The one thing that will make or break a good gaming headset is the quality of its audio. It doesn’t matter what extra features it comes with, what noise-canceling it has, or what spatial audio AI sound control gimmickry is baked into its marketing language: if it can’t produce good audio, comparatively to the products in its price bracket, it’s going to get hammered.

So then. Sony’s Inzone H9 wireless noise cancelling headset. Audio? Not great. Nope, sadly, these are the exact same drivers found in the far cheaper Inzone H5 wireless gaming headset, the same 5 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, and to cap it off the same confused EQ tuning has been applied straight out of the gate. The bass, although potent, seems muted and muffled, there’s no punch to it, the mids seem to be lacking their top-end, and overall clarity re-inforced by the treble, like its H5 cousin, is just absent, which is a really sad thing to report given the high price of this headset.

I tested the Inzone H9 wireless for a few weeks, comparing it to several cheaper and more expensive headsets, and it just fails to make an impact in contrast to the likes of offerings from Audiotechnica, Corsair, and Razer. This is sad, because Sony is a company that already has such a prestigious audio pedigree behind it. Music is just okay; it’s an okay headset. In-game it’s enjoyable enough, sure, but again: you don’t just want “okay” when you’re spending this much cash on a gaming headset.

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Then we get to the microphone. Now this is different compared to the likes of the Inzone H5 - by which I mean it’s somehow more muffled and less clear, and again, when you consider products like Corsair’s HS80 or HyperX’s Cloud Alpha, and how potent they are in that department, it’s just not a good feeling.

The noise-cancelling however is somewhat of a saving grace. It’s there, it’s powerful, and it’s good at cutting out hum and vibrations, fan noise from your PC, or the drone of a washer-dryer, although it’s not capable of cutting out all noise in the vicinity. If someone’s playing loud music in the next room, or shouting your name, you're still going to hear them. Similarly, there are very few ANC gaming headsets out there at this price point (after all, it’s a lot easier to control the ambient sound of your gaming environment than it is outside your home). That said, the real killer piece of tech is (somewhat ironically) the ambient sound mode. It’s generally quite a nice touch, and performs well, giving the Inzone H9 wireless an impressive open-backed feeling to it.

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Connectivity is fine. 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and USB-C are enough in this day and age, and the USB dongle included has a switch allowing you to swap between PS5 and PC mode depending on what you’re plugging it into. I found that the battery life was solid; Sony advertises up to 32 hours of playback with ANC turned off, and while I don't think it lasts quite that long in practice, it certainly holds charge well enough to not need plugging every other day. There's quick charge via USB-C too, giving you an hour of game time after 10 minutes of charging.

Sony’s Inzone hub software suite is pretty slick too, and impressively easy to use - which is good, because you'll want to adjust the wonky factory EQ settings. You’ll still be handicapped by those audio drivers though, sadly.

The Sony Inzone H9 isn’t a bad headset, not at its heart. In isolation, it’s a decent experience. If you pick one of these up, you’ll have an alright time with it. But really, you’re going to be buying this headset if you want that “Sony” badge clout, and for your cans to match your PS5 DualSense controller, and in that regard, it’s highly difficult for me to recommend it. The audio just isn’t up to scratch compared to the competition (and Sony's own cheaper Inzone cans), and that’s a real problem.

  • Performance: 2.5 / 5

Should I buy the Sony INZONE H9?

The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset.

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Sony INZONE H9: Report card

  • First reviewed April 2024

How we test

I spent four weeks testing the Inzone H9 wireless noise-canceling gaming headset, along with its H5 cousin, while comparing it to some competitor headsets at the same price point. I was testing mostly on PC but also used my PS5 to check the software and to see if there were any major changes to audio quality. I’ve used it playing Dark Souls III, Elden Ring, Total War: Warhammer III, and World of Warcraft -really taking advantage of a multitude of high-quality soundstages to get the most out of those audio drivers.

I also used the Inzone H9 wireless extensively while listening to music on Spotify Premium and while consuming endless content on YouTube Premium as well, listening and watching a vast array of different videos from multiple genres. For microphone testing, I cranked it up in Windows 11’s in-built sound recorder program for my own internal comparison tests and passively used it in Discord calls as well.

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

Asus ROG Flow X13 review: your flexible 13-inch gaming friend
9:00 pm | April 4, 2024

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

Asus ROG Flow X13: Two minute review

Asus has updated its natty little 13-inch 2-in-1 convertible laptop, the Asus ROG Flow X13, with the very latest available hardware. That means AMD's fabulous Phoenix APU architecture in its full Ryzen 9 7940HS spec with eight CPU cores and a pretty powerful integrated GPU.

However, you can also opt for one of three Nvidia dedicated graphics chips, the GeForce RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070 mobile GPUs. Whichever graphics solution you go for, it outputs to a 13.4-inch display, in this case with a 2,560 by 1,600-pixel resolution and 165Hz refresh, though a 1080p option is available. It's a touch-enabled display with a 360-degree hinge that supports various modes including tent and tablet.

If that's not good enough, you can also opt for an even more powerful GPU via the Asus XG Mobile external graphics box that hooks up courtesy of a dedicated I/O port. The laptop itself is packaged into a very slick 1.3kg 13-inch chassis that's beautifully built, feels very high quality, and is absolutely rigid, including virtually no keyboard bounce. The Asus ROG Flow X13 isn't exactly cheap, but you can certainly feel where the money has gone.

If there is an obvious catch, it's that the slim proportions do put a cap on absolute proportions. Our review unit runs an RTX 4060 capped at 60W and 1,470MHz, both much lower than Nvidia normally allows for the chip. 

Add in USB4 connectivity and you have a versatile overall package and an intriguing alternative to perhaps the most obvious competition, the Razer Blade 14, which lacks 2-in-1 convertible functionality.

Asus ROG Flow X13: Price and availability

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? US, UK, and Australia

Available as configured here for $1,699, Asus ROG Flow X13 looks like a pretty good deal for a very high-quality 13.4-inch ultraportable with AMD's Ryzen 9 7940HS and an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, plus 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

It doesn't look too bad in the UK, either, at £1,699. In both cases, that's less than you'll pay for a similarly specced Razer Blade 14. For the record, the Asus ROG Flow X13 as reviewed here is yours for $2,699 AUD in Australia, which again looks appealing given the quality and the spec on offer.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Flow X13: Specs

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG Flow X13: Design

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Gorgeous build quality
  • Slim proportions
  • 2-in-1 convertible functionality

Asus's ROG laptops tend to be nicely put together and the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) is no exception. It's not the thinnest 13-inch laptop on the planet, but given it can be had with up to an RTX 4070 GPU, it is pretty slim and certainly very slick.

The chassis is mostly metal and extremely rigid, with zero bounce from the keyboard. The chassis top and screen enclosure also sport appealing textured finishes that feel great in the hand. It's a seriously high-quality laptop.

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

That extends to the 360-degree hinge, which has just the right amount of stiction. Of course, if you want regular tablet functionality, then a dedicated tablet will always be a better option. But the ability to flip the screen right around is definitely handy. 

Similarly, the screen's slim bezels keep things pretty compact while allowing for a 1080p webcam in the top bezel. It's all very nicely thought out and makes for a very versatile laptop. 

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

The slim proportions do tend to limit connectivity and the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) probably has just enough ports, but no more. You get a USB4 port which doubles as the charging socket, a full-sized HDMI port, one USB-A, microSD, headphone jack and then Asus's XG Mobile IO port, which supports not only a powerful external GPU, but via the XG Mobile box also adds HDMI, DisplayPort, three USB-A ports and a Type-C socket. 

  • Design: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Flow X13: Performance

  • Impressive specs
  • Strong CPU performance
  • Slim chassis limits frame rates

The combination of an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU with an Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile GPU is quite the combo for such a compact, versatile laptop. This isn't an out-and-out gaming laptop, but more an ultraportable 2-in-1 convertible with great build quality and some gaming chops.

With that in mind, expectations need to be kept in check. That's especially true when you consider that the RTX 4060 GPU is limited to 60W of power. That means the 4060's clock frequency is capped at 1,470MHz, which is the lowest Nvidia allows and far below the maximum 2,370MHz the 4060 can achieve in some laptops.

Asus ROG Flow X13: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus ROG Flow X13 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 45,567 ; Fire Strike: 16,013 ; Time Spy: 7,430
GeekBench 6: 2,603  (single-core); 11,312  (multi-core)
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra):
52 fps; (1080p, Low): 148 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 51 fps; (1080p, Low): 104 fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 59 fps; (1080p, Low): 121 fps
TechRadar Battery Life Test: 6h 54m

The consequence is lower frame rates than some more purely gaming-focused laptops with the 4060, such as the Razer Blade 14, which offers the full 2,370Mhz spec. You'll still get playable frame rates of around 60fps at 1080p in the latest games at ultra settings, provided you don't run high levels of ray tracing. That said, the RTX 4060 does of course have the full suite of NVIDIA DLSS features - including upscaling from FHD to the QHD+ output of the Flow X13's display.

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

That's handy because it makes playing games at the Flow X13's 2,560 by 1,600 pixel native resolution achievable. Without DLSS, that wouldn't be very realistic with an RTX 4060, which would be a pity given that the display is a lush IPS item running at 165Hz. It's a great-looking panel, albeit one that can't compete with an OLED display for contrast and black levels.

Elsewhere, the AMD CPU provides all the performance you could reasonably ask for from this class of laptop, while the 16GB of RAM and 1TB M.2 SSD should cover most needs. There's an option to upgrade to 32GB if you need really major amounts of memory.

  • Performance: 3.5 / 5

Asus ROG Flow X13: Battery life

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Efficient AMD APU
  • 165Hz display compromises battery life

An efficient AMD APU plus a 75WHr battery in a compact chassis is a promising combination. In practice, however, battery life is not a strong point with the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) not quite clocking up seven hours in our fairly undemanding video playback test with the screen at half brightness.

Crank up the brightness or attempt to do anything remotely intensive and that figure will only fall. In other words, the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) certainly doesn't come close to offering all-day battery life even for light tasks, which is a little disappointing for a laptop that prides itself on portability.

  • Battery Life: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy a Asus ROG Flow X13?

The Asus ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 gaming laptop on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Asus ROG Flow X13: Report card

  • First reviewed April 2024

How We Test

I ran the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) through my usual stress test for a gaming laptop, including everything from basic web browsing to burning through my full Steam library and slobbing out with a few movies. As a 2-in-1, I also experimented with using it as a tablet along with other modes that the 360-degree hinge allows and paid close attention to the engineering of the chassis and the hinge.

For games, I tried everything from Cyberpunk 2077 with ray-tracing running on full reheat to some more strategic Total War battles and some high-octane Counter-Strike 2 fun. I was keeping a particular eye on frame rates at both 1080p and the laptop's 2,560 by 1,600 pixel native resolution.

As for battery life, I tried both watching video and light work, including web browsing and document editing to get a feel for how the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) stands up to working away from the mains.

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

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