Devoted Edge Readers will do not forget that I wasn’t the largest fan of the newest ROG Zephyrus G14. The mannequin we acquired had a number of nice issues about it: Asus improved the facet ratio, added a webcam, enlarged the trackpad, and principally mounted each different grievance I’ve had about G14s of the previous.

However the unit I needed to evaluate was the highest SKU and too costly.

Particularly, the Radeon RX 6800S / Ryzen 9 6900HS mannequin I acquired was priced at $2,499.99. That places it in the identical worth class as among the extra premium 15-inch gaming rigs in the marketplace, together with Razer’s Blade 15 Superior, and properly above the worth of the bigger, better-performing G15. It was not a superb deal. However I did notice within the evaluate that Asus meant to promote cheaper fashions of the G14 and that these fashions, in the event that they produced related body charges, might be phenomenal buys.

Properly, I lastly obtained a type of cheaper fashions. I am penning this proper now on a $1,649.99 Zephyrus G14 mannequin that has the identical Ryzen 9 6900HS processor however swaps out that 6800S GPU for a barely much less highly effective 6700S. I strongly suspected for months that this setup would ship efficiency similar to its $2,499.99 counterpart.

And people, that suspicion has been confirmed right. The distinction in body charges, whereas there, isn’t price paying for. The battery lifetime of the 6700S mannequin is healthier. It’s thinner and lighter. The one factor lacking, which the 6800S has, is a elaborate animated mild show on the lid. The sunshine show is excellent, and you’ll go forward and pay an additional $850 for it if you’d like, however I’ll say that most individuals ought to get the $1,6499.99 mannequin as an alternative. It’s undoubtedly a greater deal.

For all issues G14 chassis, try the 6800S G14 evaluate I posted again in February. There, I detailed the keyboard, trackpad, webcam, show, and different {hardware} and design points. They’re all the identical on the 6700S, so I will simply focus on the efficiency variations right here.

The most cost effective G14 averaged 189fps on counter strike international offensive at most settings and native decision (2560 x 1600). The earlier mannequin averaged 202 fps. This distinction will not be seen by anybody utilizing these machines, as the best refresh fee the G14’s 120Hz display can show is 120fps.

You may even see successful on different titles, however none price $850. The 6700S had some points with ray tracing, which just about minimize the body fee in half, however that is precisely what we noticed on the 6800S as properly. . The most cost effective mannequin averaged 63fps with ray tracing disabled and 32fps with ray tracing maxed out, whereas the older mannequin averaged 70fps and 37fps, respectively. Like I stated, little potatoes.

And in pink lifeless redemption 2 with all sliders manually maxed out, the most cost effective mannequin averaged 45fps, whereas the most costly SKU averaged 49fps. I promise you that 4 frames won’t have an effect on your life in any method.

Fan noise and warmth had been just like what I noticed on the 6800S, which suggests they had been wonderful. The noise wasn’t notably bothersome throughout gameplay and did not impede sport audio; after I put the machine within the Silent profile for basic work, it really turned silent. Even throughout a good workload that included an exterior show, there was by no means greater than just a little warmth from the keyboard. The palm rests had been heat throughout gameplay, however not solely uncomfortable.

The place I noticed some distinction was in battery life. The 6700S mannequin averaged eight hours and 55 minutes of basic use at medium brightness, a strong hour over the 6800S. This metric places the G14 again on the map as probably the most sturdy gaming laptops in recent times. The gaming battery didn’t present the identical enchancment. I’ve 46 minutes of pink lifeless redemption 2 I performed with round 39 minutes of playback time, whereas I gained 54 and 46 minutes from the dearer unit, however it’s exhausting to attract any conclusions from the sport’s battery life. Loading time was precisely the identical: 60 % in 41 minutes.

The opposite distinction between this mannequin and the 6800S is the dimensions. It is barely lighter (3.64 kilos vs. the 6800S’s 3.79 kilos) and thinner (0.73 inches to 0.77 inches). Clearly, this is not the largest distinction on the planet, and it is a fairly mild gaming laptop computer both method. However it’s one other small benefit that the cheaper mannequin has. It is a lot lighter than the Razer Blade 14 and far more compact than bigger machines that may ship these body charges. I took this machine on a global journey and cherished how mild it was in an in any other case crowded backpack.

So the Zephyrus G14 is as soon as once more among the best gaming laptops you should buy. You may go forward and purchase this 6700S mannequin except you actually like fairly full of life lights. This mannequin is priced competitively with the premium dial in a method the animated mild mannequin is not: the closest Razer Blade 14 can be $2,599.99 ($950 extra, albeit with the next refresh fee display). and a comparable Alienware X14 (with a lower-resolution display) can be $1,949. And it is closely undercutting greater opponents: The Blade 15 Superior with an RTX 3070 Ti is at the moment listed for $2,999.99 ($950 extra) as is the RTX 3070 Ti Blade 15 Base (with a decrease decision). ).

And that is not even considering the opposite benefits the G14 has over a lot of the competitors, together with its light-weight chassis, top-notch keyboard, and (particularly) 16:10 show. The $1,649.99 price ticket makes it a lot simpler (and extra justifiable) to understand the actual improvements Asus has made and continues to make on this house.