Cyberpunk 2077 is now larger than life, and certainly one of the best RPGs you’ll play in 2024 and beyond. Based on that, it’s unsurprising that Asus crafted a Cyberpunk-inspired high-end gaming laptop as part of its 2024 lineup. The esports-branded Asus ROG Strix G16 laptop is a 16-inch beast despite being the smallest among its peers – the Strix G17 and Strix G18 – that sit above it in size.
Our review model is the Strix G614JIR-AS94, which features a top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-14900HX Raptor Lake processor, Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. That’s the same processor in the heavy-hitting Alienware m18 R2 we reviewed a while back, only that it tops out with a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.
The ROG Strix G16 also adds to the long list of newer laptops moving from 16:9 to 16:10 aspect ratio, with a 16-inch 2560 x 1600 (QHD+) 240Hz IPS display. This laptop has grunt and personality in generous measures to compete with some of the best high-end gaming laptops on the market, and all parts are enclosed in a high-quality chassis that we’ve come to expect from Asus ROG.
Surprisingly, its price tag doesn’t cross the $2,000 mark as configured, but the ROG Strix G614JIR-AS94 manages to offer competent hardware. But how does it measure up to the competition?
About the Asus ROG Strix G16 (2024)
- CPU: Core i9-14900HX
- RAM: 16GB DDR5 / 4800 MHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
- Display: 16-inch, QHD+ (2560 x 1600), 240 Hz refresh rate, IPS-level, 16:10
- Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (supports DisplayPort, power delivery and G-Sync, HDMI 2.1, RJ45 Ethernet port, 3.5mm audio jack
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3
- Weight: 5.51lbs (2.50kg)
- Dimensions: 13.94 x 10.39 x 0.89 inches
- Battery: 90WHr
Design & Features
Asus completely redesigned 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 Acer 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 G614JIR-AS94 doesn’t include a number pad despite the large size to accommodate it.
Port selection is excellent, 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, an 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 i9-14900HX 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 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 weighs 5.73 pounds, but the Razer Blade 15 is the most portable in this category at 4.4 pounds.
Gaming & Graphics Performance
Under the hood, the Asus ROG Strix G16 (2024) packs a top-tier arsenal with an Intel Core i9-14900HX (8 performance cores, 16 efficiency cores, 5.8 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 2560 x 1600 resolution, which is better than the 1920 x 1200, which is common among midrange 16:10 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, 165Hz).
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.
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 G614JIR-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 Strix 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, considering the 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 i9-14900HX processor paired with 1TB SSD storage is a powerful combination to get all your demanding chores sorted. The Core i9-14900HX 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 DDR5-5600 memory in two 8GB SO-DIMMs.
The Asus ROG Strix G16 features a 16-inch 165Hz IPS panel with a 2560 x 1600 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 2560 x 1600 panel, but last year’s model came with a 1920 x 1200 resolution screen.
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: Should you buy it?
Overall, the Asus ROG Strix G16 is a novel entry into the ~2,0000 gaming laptop segment. It checks all the right notes for performance, functionality, and style. It goes beyond the delivery of excellent CPU and GPU performance to deliver all ports you’d ever need and a slick Cyberpunk-inspired design, in addition to a gorgeous display and is priced considerably lower than at least one key rival.
Of course, to attain the sub-$2000 price, a few corners were made, but they were cleverly done, and they don’t come in the way of gaming performance: Battery life is average, the low resolution and the webcam could be better. But with performance this good, those quirks are not anything serious.
To conclude, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024) continues to be an absolute bang for your buck.
Recommended Configuration
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 16” ROG Nebula Display 16:10 QHD 240Hz, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070, Intel® Core™ i9-14900HX, 16GB DDR5-5600, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Win 11, G614JIR-AS94
8 used from $1,546.56
The Review
Asus ROG Strix G16
The Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614JIR-AS94, 2024 model) is an excellent all-around 16-inch gaming laptop that’s powerful, stylish, and packed with lots of useful features.
PROS
- Stellar gaming performance
- Good build quality
- Excellent keyboard
- Decent audio
CONS
- 720p webcam
- Battery life is middling
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
