How about an RTX 4070 Republic of Gamers with the latest Intel Raptor chip and a revamped tri-fan 7-Heatpipe thermals? You read that right, the latest Asus ROG Strix G16 rocks the latest hardware and features available in a gaming laptop right now. Asus just launched its esports-branded Strix laptops in bigger-than-life sizes, with the 16-inch ROG being the ideal choice for those who like something smaller. There are the ROG Strix G17 and Strix G18 if you’d rather have a bigger screen and power to replace your gaming desktop.
In this review, we have the ROG Strix G16 (G614JI-AS94 model) that features a top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-13980X Raptor Lake processor, Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB memory, and 1TB SSD storage. This marks the third laptop we’re reviewing into 2023 with NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace Architecture mainstream laptop GPU.
The ROG Strix G16 also highlights the bold move towards 16:10 aspect ratios in gaming laptops from 16:9, and does so, with a 16-inch 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) 165Hz IPS display. Its predecessor, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 came with a 300Hz FHD IPS display and a 12th Gen Core i9 CPU and RTX 3070 Ti GPU, but for the latest model, Asus went full-throttle to compete with the best gaming laptops, including the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and the MSI Stealth 17 Studio.
The ROG Strix G16 model we’re reviewing will set you back around two grand, but for the price, you’re getting solid hardware and it represents tremendous bang for your buck. Not cheap though, but is easily among the best gaming laptops you’re getting at this price in the market, at least for now.
Asus ROG Strix G16 Specifications
| CPU | Intel Core i9-13980HX |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (8GB GDDR6, 2,225 MHz Boost Clock, 140 W Max Graphics Power) |
| Memory | 16GB DDR4-4800 (2x 8GB) |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Display | 16-inch, 1920×1200, 165 Hz, 16:10 |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 2, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1 Gbps Ethernet |
| Camera | 720p |
| Battery | 90 Whr |
| Power Adapter | 280 W |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 13.94 x 10.39 x 0.89 inches (354 x 264 x 304 mm) |
| Weight | 5.51 pounds (2.5 kg) |
Design and Features
Asus did a complete redesign of the ROG Strix G16 chassis to accommodate the bigger screen, and it looks gorgeous. The lid is made from aluminum while the rest of the body is set in plastic. However, the plastic used here isn’t the “cheap” one found in budget laptops, the ROG Strix G16 goes for quality throughout, along with a satin-like sheen on the body.
The ROG Strix often comes with lots of RGB lights, but with the newer models, the lighting is a bit modest; just a thin “peeping-glow” LED strip runs along the laptop’s front edge and wraps around to the sides and per-key lighting on the keyboard. You can configure each key using the Aura Sync in the Asus Armoury Crate software. This is a similar software like NitroSense available on the Acer’s line of gaming laptops like the Nitro V that we reviewed recently.
Asus uses the same keyboard we’ve seen in other ROG Strix models, but they just added five programable hotkeys at the top of the keyboard, with labels M1 through M5. These keys handle functions like volume, microphone on/off, and a shortcut to the Armoury Crate by default. Surprisingly, the ROG G614JI-AS94 doesn’t include a number pad despite the large size to accommodate it.
Port selection is decent; with two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports on the right side. All the other ports are located on the left side: one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, a GbE port, HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a barrel-style charging port. Along both sides and rear of the laptop, there are large vents to exhaust the heat generated by the Core i9-13980HX and GeForce RTX 4070.
The ROG Strix G16 measures 13.94 x 0.89 x 10.39 inches and weighs 5.51 pounds. Compared, the ROG Strix is lighter than the Gigabyte Aorus 15X which weighs 5.73 pounds, while the HP Omen 16 weighs 5.2 pounds, but the Razer Blade 15 is the most portable in this category at 4.4 pounds.
Gaming Performance
Under the hood, the Asus ROG Strix G16 (2023) packs a top-tier arsenal with an Intel Core i9-13980HX (8 performance cores, 16 efficiency cores, 5.6 GHz max turbo boost), an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. The laptop arrives with a perplexing 1920 x 1200 resolution, which, while pixel-dense than the common 1920 X 1080 display is still well below the 2560 x 1440 panels we see mostly under $2,000 gaming laptops.
Of course, the 16:10 aspect ratio is becoming common among gaming and high-end productivity laptops, but most competitors in this category feature 2560 x 1440 panels since that’s what you’ll typically find in gaming laptops with RTX 3070/4070-class GPUs these days. Competitors in this group include the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (RTX 4080, 240Hz) and the MSI Katana 15 (RTX 4070, 144Hz).
The Nvidia RTX 4070 is a giant leap above the RTX 3070 and 3070Ti, capable of great 1440p performance with some decent 4K there too, particularly with the help of DLSS. It is a midrange option, so it doesn’t compete with the likes of the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, but with 5888 CUDA cores and 12GB VRAM, this GPU is powerful enough to drive most modern titles at high settings.
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In benchmark tests, the Asus ROG Strix G16 runs Overwatch 2 at 165 fps, matching the screen’s 165Hz refresh rate, and all details maxed out at 1920 x 1200. It maintains the 165 fps figure across all gaming scenarios while gaming online, even when a lot of action is taking place on the screen.
The same impressive performance is replicated in the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark tests, whereby the Asus G614JI-AS94 maintains a lead over its closest rivals at 1080p with 118 fps, edging out the Gigabyte Aorus 15X (Core i9-13900HX, GeForce RTX 4070), while the HP Omen 16 (Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070) came at a distance with 90 fps at 1080p.
However, on Grand Theft Auto V, both the Razer Blade 15 and HP Omen 15 both with previous-gen GPUs take the lead, hitting 103fps and 108 fps at 1080p, respectively. Surprisingly, the GeForce RTX 4070-equipped ROG G16 and Aorus 15X fail to shine here. As you might notice, all competing laptops lag in performance at 1440p, which is understandable against the ROG Strix’s slight drop from 1080p to 1200p.
When playing games with DLSS support such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Metro Exodus, quality mode upscaling can generally improve performance by 30-50 percent, and even more, and the resulting image quality can compete well against native rendering. Where DLSS 3 Frame Generation is supported, frame rates sent to your display can be boosted by 50-100 percent, but it causes additional latency.
Productivity Performance
For productivity tasks, the Asus ROG Strix G16’s Intel Core i9-13980HX processor paired with 1TB SSD storage is a powerful combination to get all your demanding chores sorted. The Core i9-13980HX is Intel’s flagship Raptor Lake mobile processor, with 24 cores and 32 total threads. The processor performance cores max out at a turbo clock of 5.6GHz, while the efficiency cores top out at 4 GHz. This CPU is then paired with 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory in two 8GB SO-DIMMs.
The Asus ROG Strix G16 features a 16-inch 165Hz IPS panel with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. Most laptops with this CPU and GPU typically feature a 2560 x 1440 or 2560 x 1600 resolution display. Our review unit features a 1920 x 1200 panel, Asus still produces versions of this laptop with a 2560 x 1600 panel, which I assume should be the standard here.
Finally, the battery life on the Asus ROG Strix G16 is better compared to most gaming laptops such as the Razer Blade 14. The Strix lasts around eight hours on a single charge, which is excellent for a gaming machine, and that’s at least three hours longer than both the HP Omen 16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15X.
Asus ROG Strix G16 Review – Verdict
The Asus ROG Strix G16 is an excellent sub-$2000 gaming laptop. Its closest competitor is the Gigabyte Aorus 15X, which cost a little more but gives you a higher resolution display at 2560 x 1600, but the ROG Strix makes up with an additional three hours of battery life.
In addition to impressive gaming performance, thanks to Nvidia’s latest RTX 4070 GPU, the Asus ROG Strix G16 emphasizes the power packed into Intel’s new Raptor Lake mobile processors, particularly when paired with Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 40 GPUs. To the impressive performance, the laptop rocks a solid build quality, modest RGB lighting, and a comfortable keyboard.
Granted the 1920 x 1200 resolution is a bit awkward given the kind of hardware that this laptop is packing, but you have the option to upgrade to 2560 x 1600 for a little more money. Asus also misses a few marks on the speakers and webcam, but they don’t affect gaming performance at all.
Even with these tradeoffs, the Asus ROG Strix G16(2023) deserves a top spot on your shopping list as a capable, 16-inch gaming laptop with a stellar design and lots of gaming firepower at a reasonable price.
The Review
Asus ROG Strix G16
The Asus ROG Strix G16 G614JI-AS94 (2023) is a powerful gaming laptop that packs the latest Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and Intel Core i9-13980X Raptor Lake processor in a stylish, durable chassis.
Recommended Configuration
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 16” 16:10 FHD 165Hz, GeForce RTX 4070, Intel Core i9-13980HX, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, G614JI-AS94, Eclipse Gray
16 used from $1,315.59
PROS
- Powerful gaming performance
- Comfortable keyboard
- Long battery life
- Stellar build quality
CONS
- Middling 720p webcam
- Competitors offer 1440p resolution standard
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
Last update on 2024-11-18 at 00:37 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
