Intel has ever ruled the laptop world, but AMD is finally fighting back. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is amongst the first notebooks to deploy a Zen 2 processor, and the Ryzen 9 4900HS chip used in this laptop is stunning with an enviable viii-cadre, 16-thread specification.

The laptop market place is still dominated by fries like the i7-9750H and now the i7-10750H, just Ryzen has seen AMD snatch dorsum market share on the desktop, so Zen two coming to laptops is tremendously heady. It'south all the more than impressive when the Zephyrus G14 we've reviewed costs $1,449. That compares favorably with the Razer Bract xv – a base model with a six-core Intel 10th Gen CPU and an RTX 2060 costs $i,799, and Advanced models with the 8-core i7-10875H start from $2,999, admitting with ameliorate screens and GPUs.

The Ryzen ix 4900HS has base and boost speeds of 3GHz and 4.3GHz, with those figures reduced from the 3.3GHz and 4.4GHz of the conventional 4900H. The slightly slower speeds allow the 4900HS to operate with a TDP of 35W, which volition better thermal and battery performance. The conventional Ryzen 9 4900H tin can operate at a elevation TDP of 54W, which isn't necessarily needed in a thinner gaming laptop.

Features and Design

The Zephyrus G14 we've reviewed costs $i,449, equipped with a GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics core. Information technology's got the usual ane,920 stream processors, 30 RT cores and 6GB of memory, but its boost clock speed has seen a slight reduction, from 1,200MHz to ane,185MHz, and the TDP has dropped from the conventional minimum of 80W to 65W.

This model serves up 16GB of dual-aqueduct 3200MHz DDR4, a 1TB Intel 660p SSD and WiFi half-dozen. The machine we've reviewed is finished with Asus' Eclipse grey color, although at retail this specification is currently bachelor with the bolder Moonlight White coating.

Other specifications are available, with a cheaper model available for $999 that includes a Ryzen 7 4800HS CPU, a GTX 1650 GPU and 8GB of memory. Prices get up with 2TB and 4TB SSD options and memory upgrades available.

2 newer models are also coming: they'll have a 1440p, 60Hz screen and Asus' customisable lid LEDs with white and grayness finishes. Those new models share the same CPU, GPU, retentiveness and storage configuration as the auto we've reviewed, and both will cost $1,999. Those customisable lid LEDs aren't available on all versions of the Zephyrus, only they're the virtually eye-communicable chip of pattern on any G14. On compatible models the rear of the display is covered with 1,215 LEDs that tin can display logos, custom images, even sound visualisations and condition notifications.

It's a smart innovation – albeit with express practical use – and the G14 looks good elsewhere. The grey and white finishes both expect great, and the pattern is clean and impressive: the bezels are small, the rear has subtle vents and the driblet hinge angles the keyboard towards the user.

The merely aesthetic misstep is found underneath. The blueprint may be ruled by practicality here, only the mish-mash of angles, recesses and air vents is non attractive. The G14 looks great overall, though. Few gaming laptops wait better, although the Razer Blade 15 is certainly cleaner and slicker thank you to its darker metal and more minimal design.

The Asus pairs good design with solid dimensions. The xiv" display means that this machine is a small-scale 324mm broad, and its body is 18mm thick with a three.5-pound weight. The slimline dimensions make it easy to take the G14 on the daily commute, and build quality is fantabulous – the magnesium-aluminium alloy used throughout is consistently strong.

The Asus' ability button doubles as a fingerprint reader, and the G14 has adept versatility throughout. It has a USB iii.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that supports DisplayPort ane.4, and it can too charge the laptop, albeit at a slower rate. There'due south a second conventional Type-C connector without the power to charge the notebook. The G14 has two USB iii.ii Gen i Blazon-A ports, an HDMI 2.0b output and a headphone jack. The only things missing are wired networking, a card reader and a webcam.

The keyboard has n-central rollover, and the buttons strike an excellent balance betwixt the condolement required for long typing sessions and the speed needed for gaming. The buttons are smooth and comfortable, and their typing activity is consistent. They've too got a generous i.7mm of travel. Y'all'll as well find a few extra buttons on the G14 – iii to handle volume and microphone duties, and a 4th to open up the Armoury Crate software utility.

For mainstream gaming, casual gaming and typing, the Asus' keyboard is excellent. Withal, the commitment to a slightly softer experience does mean that these buttons lack the sheer snap of many gaming keyboards. If you play esports titles or fast-paced games, this keyboard may not be the most satisfying around.

The G14'southward trackpad is a little disappointing. The pad is accurate and smooth, and the buttons are fast – but they feel hollow, and the left push stuck a little on our sample. If you're at all concerned with gaming, a USB rodent is a must every bit usual.

The Zephyrus we've reviewed sports a 1080p brandish with a 120Hz refresh rate and back up for adaptive sync (FreeSync). That refresh rate is aplenty for smooth, single-histrion gaming, even in frantic titles, and it's as well enough to sate coincidental and mainstream esports players. It's not the best refresh rate around though, equally today you'll find base of operations gaming laptops going to 144Hz and it'southward even possible to notice 240Hz laptops for $1,599.

When information technology comes to quality, the display is impressive, with only a couple of minor drawbacks. The average Delta E of 2.32 and the color temperature of half dozen,750K are excellent – skillful plenty to ensure that there are no colour discrepancies. The panel'southward sRGB coverage level of 93% is decent, and easily high enough for gaming. The contrast ratio of 1,330:1 is high for an IPS display, and information technology delivers plenty of punch and vibrancy. The black level of 0.2cd/m2 is impressive, and it helps create solid depth in darker areas. The simply existent upshot is the brightness level of 266cd/m2. For gaming indoors, it's not a trouble – but it'south not meant for outdoor viewing.

The fourteen" brandish is paired with four speakers. The pairs of tweeters and woofers are fantabulous, with solid book, a crisp high-end and a detailed mid-range – and a surprising amount of bass for such a small auto. For games and media, the kit here is easily practiced enough, although a headset will exist better.

The G14 is managed by the familiar Asus Armoury Crate app. The utility's main screen has system monitoring information alongside quick options to switch between Performance, Turbo and Silent modes, and other modules let users to salve game profiles, switch between screen modes and gratuitous up retentiveness. It's easily navigable, but doesn't offer anything new.

Operation

This is the first fourth dimension we've reviewed the Zephyrus G14, but it'southward not the offset fourth dimension we've seen this laptop – we ran these components through our benchmarks when we reviewed the Ryzen 9 4900HS processor. The AMD fleck is impressive and it remains first-class when lined upward against Intel'south latest competitor – the half dozen-core i7-10750H and the 8-core i7-10875H.

In Cinebench R20 and Cinebench R15, the G14'due south AMD fleck opened a comfortable atomic number 82 over both Intel parts. For multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen CPU is a convincing victor. That pattern repeated in the Handbrake video-encoding test: the Ryzen 9 4900HS zipped through the test in 34.8 minutes, while the Intel CPUs took 50.seven and 43.five minutes. And, unsurprisingly, AMD go on to dominate in multi-threaded cryptography tests, and in 7-Zip and Adobe Premiere.

The full suite of benchmarks is bachelor in our AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS review

The AMD fleck led the style in other tests, but past smaller margins. The G14 had a pocket-size lead in PC Mark 10's lighter, single-threaded workloads – no surprise when Intel chips are amend in unmarried-threaded tasks. Both Intel chips were marginally quicker than the Ryzen part in Adobe Acrobat'south unmarried-threaded PDF export workload, and in that location was piffling to cull between Intel and AMD in Puget'due south Photoshop test.

Don't expect big things from the G14's actress functioning modes. Activating the Turbo pick saw the machine's Cinebench effect spring from 4,104 to iv,196, only that tiny proceeds was delivered alongside extra fan noise. The Silent mode reduced that Cinebench result to 3,182, and the laptop still produced racket. Those modes don't really aid in games, either – the Turbo selection is just available when the laptop is plugged-in, and it simply delivers an extra frame or ii.

AMD's CPU is superb though, with more than productivity pace than Intel's fries in the bulk of scenarios – so if yous demand a notebook for work and play, a Ryzen-based automobile is a great selection.

The SSD is solid, too: the Intel 660p drive returned read and write speeds of 1,881MB/southward and 1,781MB/south. It's not the fastest PCIe drive on the market, but information technology keeps the machine feeling snappy. The RTX 2060 Max-Q is a reliable GPU for 1080p gaming. We've previously tested the G14's gaming ability, and it has the footstep to handle single-player games and to tackle any esports title at the speed required to max out the 120Hz screen.

Its weakest average framerate came in Control, where the Asus managed 45.4fps, and information technology topped out in Resident Evil 2 at 127.3fps. The G14 got beyond 60fps in 7 games. In the ane% Depression tests, the RTX 2060 Max-Q always got beyond 30fps, but information technology merely ran beyond 60fps in four titles.

The total suite of benchmarks is available in our AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS gaming review

There's enough speed here to run single-thespian games at high settings without problems, and stepping up to a full-ability RTX 2060 won't make a huge departure – it'll but take hold of you a scattering of actress frames. To get a more meaning improvement, you'll need an RTX 2070-based laptop. That'll cost at least $100 to $200 more than, and those machines will likely come up with an Intel CPU until we get to see more Ryzen machines around.

Our deep-dive into gaming on the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS revealed how the G14 competed with Intel-based machines. Several trends emerged: the AMD chip oft proved faster than Intel-based machines in 1% low tests, and the AMD part also proved fast in CPU-intensive games. Conversely, Intel's chips remained marginally quicker in average frame rate tests.

Those tests were conducted with Intel'due south ninth Gen CPUs, so 10th-gen laptops will show slightly faster in games. We don't anticipate the newer chips making a huge difference, though, with those trends remaining largely unchanged. Ultimately, GPU option is more important when it comes to gaming pace – if you lot want more than speed, switching to a total-power RTX 2060 or an RTX 2070-based GPU is more effective.

The G14 didn't endure internal temperature issues in our testing. During a gaming examination the CPU and GPU reached peak temperatures of 81 degrees and 72 degrees, which are fine – and, impressively, better than many larger laptops. The GPU never had throttling issues, and the G14'southward peak gaming racket output of 45db is expert – a little better than the latest Razer Blade machines and among the best results nosotros've seen from a smaller gaming notebook.

This laptop isn't always perfect on the exterior. During prolonged, intense gaming the underside became warm. If y'all're gaming at a table so that's not a problem, but the G14 will exist abrasive if yous want to use it on your lap. An air-vent on the right-mitt side pumps hot air from the machine during intense utilise, which could be annoying if you're a right-hander using a USB mouse.

During a work criterion, the G14's peak dissonance output was a reasonable 42db. With all of the CPUs cores stressed, the scrap did showroom some throttling – it started at 3.7GHz and dialled back to 3.1GHz. During a single-cadre test, the CPU had no problems, with one core reaching only shy of iv.3GHz.

The Asus has i more pull a fast one on up its sleeve – stellar battery life.

The Asus has one more than play a trick on upwardly its sleeve – stellar battery life. The G14 lasted for just over 8 hours in our video playback test, which is hours beyond many gaming notebooks. The G14 lasted for a like amount of time in web browsing and everyday work tests, so you'll be able to utilize this motorcar for a 24-hour interval at the role.

If you're actually pushing the components in productivity software then the G14's bombardment life drops to around four and a half hours, and it lasted for two hours in a gaming examination. None of that is a surprise – as ever with gaming machines, you'll need to stay continued to become the almost out of this notebook.

Wrap Up

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a tremendous piece of work/play machine. AMD has fabricated a significant leap forward with this Zen 2 laptop fleck. For heavy workloads, the AMD processor is the best option by a long fashion. If you desire a laptop that tin can handle video encoding, rendering, file compression or anything else where multiple threads are key, the 4900HS is fantastic. It's meliorate in many single-threaded workloads, too. This is of import – because many gaming laptops are also purchased for their productivity abilities.

The RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics cadre is capable of handling most games and esports titles at good frame rates, and the residuum of the components are solid. The display offers smooth gameplay and skilful color reproduction, and the keyboard has a decent corporeality of snap. The speakers are good, battery life is lengthy, and the compact exterior serves upward robust build quality.

Issues are minor, and non surprising because the mid-range price. The trackpad is mediocre, and the keyboard doesn't accept RGB LEDs. In that location's no wired networking, and no webcam. These issues shouldn't be bargain-breakers for most though – they're acceptable compromises.

The ROG Zephyrus G14 offers reasonable value and there's a lot to like well-nigh this machine. While information technology is possible to find cheaper laptops with full-power RTX 2060 GPUs, those thicker, heavier machines don't accept the crawly AMD CPU. We'd just consider looking elsewhere if you're specifically searching for more GPU power, a larger screen, or a higher refresh rate. The G14 is a compelling option for gaming and productivity.

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