Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU review

[ntab Configuration]

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU banner

The ROG Strix G15 G512 is Asus’ most affordable gaming laptop that tries to set itself apart from other budget gaming laptops, by featuring a unique lighting system with lots of RGB. Not only that, but Asus also decided to include a 144Hz display in the base configuration that starts at ~$999, alongside a six-core 10th gen processor from Intel. Depending on their budget, gamers can fit their machine with various Nvidia dedicated graphics cards, like : GTX 1650 Ti (G512LI), GTX1660 Ti (G512LU), RTX 2060 (G512LV) or RTX 2070 (G512LW), and also opt for a higher 240Hz refresh rate display to match their dGPU performance. We are reviewing the G512LU model that starts at $1,299.

Full name: Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU
Configuration specifications:
Display 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz, Matte, IPS CMN1521/N156HRA-EA1
Processor Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz (6c/12t)
Memory SK Hynix 16GB DDR4 2933MHz (dual-channel)
Video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6 (TU116M)
Wireless card Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
Storage INTEL 660p (SSDPEKNW512G8) 512 GB M.2 PCIe SSD
Battery 66 WHr (4 cells)
Operating system Windows 10 Pro (Version 20H2)
Full specifications here
A local retailer provided the unit, and the machine was tested as Asus delivers it. No enhancements or changes were done to the laptop except for installing the operating system.

[ntab General overview]

Physical size:
Width: 360 mm / 14.17 inches
Depth: 275 mm / 10.83 inches
Height: 26 mm / 1.02 inch
Laptop weight: 2.300 kg / 5.07 lbs

 

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU display lid
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU display lid

There are three available colours for the ROG Strix G15 G512: “Original Black”, a special edition “Electro Punk” which also features pink elements around the display lid, “ROG” logo and WASD keys, and the one we’re reviewing here, “Glacier Blue”. In terms of the design, the machine is very “gamery” looking, featuring RGB LED strips on the bottom of the chassis, a big “Republic of Gamers” logo on the back of the lid, a “futuristic-looking” sharp cut under the display and a brushed texture in opposite patterns all over the chassis, making it obvious that Asus is trying to appeal to a younger generation of gamers.

Although the laptop is made entirely out of polycarbonate (plastic), it feels fairly sturdy and well made. However, even though there is very little keyboard deck flex, the display is very wobbly due to the unique hinge mechanism that goes in and out of the chassis when the lid is closed/opened (which can be done with only one hand). Also, there is a visible gap between the bottom of the laptop and the surface it stands on and this is fine, many laptop manufacturers do this to improve the airflow and let the machine pull its fresh air from underneath itself, but on this laptop, that gap closes whenever the user rests his hands on the palm rest and opens again when the hands are lifted. This isn’t exactly an issue per se but it gets very distracting at times and it is something the user has to get used to.

The typing experience is not as good as on the Legion 5i but it’s still pleasant overall. The arrow keys are somewhat small for a gaming laptop but the rest of the keys are reasonably big and spaced out just enough, so they do not feel cramped and have good feedback to them. The keyboard also supports n-key rollover, so no matter how many keys we pressed at once, the laptop registered all of them. This feature is extremely useful for both gamers and fast typers. There are also dedicated hotkeys above the keyboard for quick access to essential commands, like changing the volume, muting the microphone, changing thermal profiles and opening the Armoury Crate app.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU top view
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU top view

The keyboard also has highlighted WASD keys and 4-zone RGB lighting which can be synchronised with other Asus devices (like mice and headphones) trough the Aura Sync option in the Armoury Crate app. The RGB lighting can be set to various patterns and brightness levels and it even has a Smart mode, where the colour is correlated with the CPU’s usage or with the laptop’s internal temperatures, emitting green colour when the laptop is at a lower temperature, then self-changing to yellow and then red when the laptop is hot.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU keyboard view
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU keyboard view

The physical Numpad is missing but on Asus’ website, it shows the ROG Strix G512 with a Virtual Numpad embedded in the touchpad (like we’ve seen on the Zenbook lineup). We couldn’t get ours to activate so we either got a defective unit or the Virtual Numpad is only available on some models/regions.

The touchpad itself is pretty good. It has two dedicated left and right mouse buttons with nice feedback to them, uses Windows Precision drivers, it’s comfortable to use and it is fairly accurate even in corners.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU numpad
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU numpad

The 4th generation of the ROG Strix series keeps the legacy alive by not incorporating a webcam. The display isn’t exactly what I would call “edgeless” and there is huge “chin” at the bottom, so there’s definitely enough space for a webcam. Other budget gaming laptops have poor quality cameras but at least they are there, and are very useful from time to time. I’m guessing that Asus did this to lower manufacturing costs but it’s still a bummer since they could’ve accomplished that by removing other not so useful features.

On the positive side, the microphone array does a great job. All recordings sounded clear without picking any noticeable background noise.

[ntab Disassembly]

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU bottom panel
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU bottom panel

The disassembly of the ROG Strix G512 is a little bit trickier than other laptops. After unscrewing the eleven Phillips head screws, use a prying tool to carefully separate the plastic bottom cover from the main chassis. When it’s done, do not lift the bottom cover immediately. Please pay extra attention to the RGB strips that are connected to the motherboard via two ribbon cables. Unplug them first and only after that the bottom cover can be lifted to gain access to the laptop’s internal components.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU internal components
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU internal components

Inside, there is:

  • three M.2 SSD/PCIe slots;
  • two RAM slots;
  • a PCIe slot for the Wi-Fi card (situated under the M.2 SSD);
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Wifi slot
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Wifi slot

Please note that, although it may look like the ROG Strix G512 has room for a 2.5-inch drive, there is no way to connect the hard drive to the motherboard. On the plus side, there are two extra NVMe slots (for a total of three M.2s) that can run in a RAID 0 configuration.

 

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU RAM slots
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU RAM slots

 

[ntab Ports]

The ROG Strix G512 has a nice variety of ports selection, which is what we came to expect from a gaming laptop in 2020. Also, Asus decided to put the ports that are always plugged in (like the video output, power and internet ports) at the back of the laptop to keep it clutter-free, while keeping the USB ports on the left side of the laptop so they can be easily accessible.

However, having all the USB ports only on one side, means that right-handed mouse users have to lay the cable all around the back of the laptop, sometimes covering the mouse exhaust vents which can get pretty hot. Speaking of hot, there is a 3rd exhaust vent located on the right side of the laptop, so the mouse area reaches ~60° C (140° F) in prolonged gaming sessions.

Overall, the laptop has :

  • one Ethernet extension connector;
  • three USB 3.0 Type-A ports;
  • one USB 3.0 Type-C port (also known as USB-C 3.2 Gen 1);
  • one HDMI 2.0 port;
  • a standard 3.5mm jack combo for microphone and headphones or speakers;
  • a DC-in power connector.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the USB ports are pretty close together, so inserting a dongle or adapter will often block the adjacent USB ports.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU left ports
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU left ports

[ntab Display]

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU display

The Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU comes with a 144Hz refresh rate display out of the box, which is rather impressive since most gaming laptops in price range come with a standard 60Hz display instead. The panel is called CMN1521/N156HRA-EA1 and it is IPS, with great viewing angles and a matte coating to reduce glare. However, even with it’s measured 285 nits, the display seemed dim and made tracking enemies in first-person shooters rather hard at times. Not only that, but it has a low colour coverage of 62.8% sRGB, 44.0% Adobe RGB and 45.1% DCI P3, making it unsuitable for video/photo editing.

Thankfully, the display doesn’t suffer from backlight bleeding but it has an unusual amount of “IPS glow” instead. This is normal by the way, all IPS panels have it, but this particular panel has so much of it that it became really distracting during dark scenes in movies and games.

Here is a link to the calibrated display profile of the reviewed unit. Because each display is unique, this profile will not perfectly match other displays of the same model. Still, using this profile should give better overall colours.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU display viewing angles
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU
 display view angles

 

sRGB profile and calibration
sRGB profile and calibration

[ntab Benchmarks]

Night Raid

SCORE

37361
Graphics score 66996
Physics score 10655

Fire Strike

SCORE

14392
Graphics score 16147
Physics score 18228
Combined score 6756

Sky Diver

SCORE

37639
Graphics score 54690
Physics score 16248
Combined score 27609

Time Spy

SCORE

6184
Graphics score 6039
Physics score 7163

Orange Room

SCORE

7941
Average frame rate 173.10 fps
Target frame rate 109.00 fps

Cyan room

SCORE

5892
Average frame rate 128.43 fps
Target frame rate 88.90 fps

Blue Room

SCORE

1865
Average frame rate 40.64 fps
Target frame rate 109.00 fps

Nvidia DLSS Test

DLSS Off 00.00 fps
DLSS On 00.00 fps
Cinebench R20

Single Core 456 pts
Multi Core 3224 pts

Blender

CPU blend time 5m 03s
GPU blend time 1m 33s

Geekbench 4
Single-core score Multi-core score
5242 24018

Geekbench 5
Single-core score Multi-core score
1169 6181

PCMark 10
Web Score
8376
Apps Score
11764
Chat Score
7465
Photo Score 9325
Video Score
2970
Writing Score
7392
Spreadsheet Score
8333
Essentials 9027
Productivity 7848
Digital Content Creation
6414
SCORE 5511

Crystal Disk Mark

[ntab Gaming benchmarks]

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 111 FPS 71 FPS 136 FPS

Apex Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 112 FPS 83 FPS 145 FPS
Very Low preset 142 FPS 121 FPS 145 FPS

ARK: Survival Evolved
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic preset 41 FPS 24 FPS 73 FPS

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra High preset 56 FPS 40 FPS 89 FPS

Batman Arkham Knight
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset + Nvidia Game Works ON 84 FPS 52 FPS 138 FPS

Battlefield V
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 88 FPS 41 FPS 119 FPS

Borderlands 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Badass (DX12) preset 50 FPS 39 FPS 63 FPS

Call of Duty: Warzone
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 80 FPS 61 FPS 116 FPS
Normal preset 95 FPS 72 FPS 137 FPS
Very Low preset 111 FPS 83 FPS 142 FPS

Cities Skylines
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 47 FPS 17 FPS 86 FPS

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 239 FPS 114 FPS 376 FPS

Crusader Kings III
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 118 FPS 54 FPS 173 FPS

Crysis Remastered
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 55 FPS 31 FPS 80 FPS

Death Stranding
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 83 FPS 58 FPS 120 FPS

Descenders
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 85 FPS 66 FPS 116 FPS

Doom Eternal
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 113 FPS 92 FPS 137 FPS

Dota 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset – OpenGL 99 FPS 55 FPS 124 FPS
High preset – Dx9 109 FPS 67 FPS 136 FPS
High preset – Dx11 131 FPS 76 FPS 160 FPS
High preset – Vulkan 96 FPS 46 FPS 117 FPS

eFootball PES 2021
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 160 FPS 64 FPS 215 FPS

F1 2020
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra High preset 98 FPS 81 FPS 113 FPS
Medium preset 144 FPS 110 FPS 162 FPS

Fall Guys
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 59 FPS 37 FPS 61 FPS

Fallout 76
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 34 FPS 23 FPS 48 FPS
Medium preset 48 FPS 31 FPS 51 FPS
Low preset 48 FPS 47 FPS 49 FPS

Far Cry 5
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 78 FPS 45 FPS 113 FPS

FIFA 21
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 139 FPS 67 FPS 178 FPS

Final Fantasy XV
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest preset 67 FPS 39 FPS 114 FPS

Fortnite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic preset 86 FPS 65 FPS 111 FPS
Low preset 180 FPS 127 FPS 223 FPS
Low preset + 100% 3D resolution 184 FPS 75 FPS 223 FPS
Low preset + 100% 3D resolution + Epic view distance 187 FPS 137 FPS 230 FPS

Forza Horizon 4
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 91 FPS 81 FPS 101 FPS

Genshin Impact
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 60 FPS 36 FPS 62 FPS

Ghostrunner
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic preset 100 FPS 75 FPS 128 FPS
Medium preset 135 FPS 105 FPS 146 FPS

Grand Theft Auto V
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 49 FPS 31 FPS 63 FPS
High preset 75 FPS 56 FPS 103 FPS

Grounded
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic preset 72 FPS 39 FPS 129 FPS

Guild Wars 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Best Appearance preset 36 FPS 20 FPS 63 FPS
Best Performance preset 78 FPS 51 FPS 124 FPS

Horizon Zero Dawn
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultimate Quality preset 45 FPS 35 FPS 61 FPS
Favor Quality preset 72 FPS 59 FPS 84 FPS
Original preset 83 FPS 65 FPS 101 FPS
Favor Performance preset 97 FPS 77 FPS 120 FPS

Just Cause 4
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 69 FPS 54 FPS 91 FPS

League of Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 174 FPS 94 FPS 331 FPS

Mafia Definitive Edition
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 67 FPS 55 FPS 78 FPS

Marvel’s Avengers
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 69 FPS 45 FPS 132 FPS
Low preset 82 FPS 35 FPS 138 FPS

Metro Exodus
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Extreme preset 65 FPS 41 FPS 130 FPS

Microsoft Flight Simulator
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Low-end preset 43 FPS 19 FPS 58 FPS

Minecraft
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum settings 107 FPS 41 FPS 145 FPS

Monster Hunter World
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest settings 53 FPS 40 FPS 67 FPS

NBA 2k21
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra settings 89 FPS 57 FPS 164 FPS

Need for Speed: Heat
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 59 FPS 47 FPS 71 FPS

No Man’s Sky
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 60 FPS 28 FPS 94 FPS

Overwatch
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic preset 123 FPS 95 FPS 175 FPS

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 110 FPS 86 FPS 135 FPS

Raji: An Ancient Epic
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 126 FPS 102 FPS 166 FPS

Red Dead Redemption 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
1st lvl of Favor Quality 41 FPS 32 FPS 60 FPS
1st lvl of Balanced Quality 66 FPS 51 FPS 78 FPS
1st lvl of Favor Performance 92 FPS 73 FPS 114 FPS

Resident Evil 3 Remake
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Graphics Priority preset 107 FPS 74 FPS 314 FPS

RIDE 4
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 106 FPS 90 FPS 122 FPS

Rocket League
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 241 FPS 195 FPS 251 FPS

Rogue Company
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 139 FPS 90 FPS 151 FPS

Sea of Thieves
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Mythical preset 87 FPS 58 FPS 128 FPS

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest preset 77 FPS 58 FPS 92 FPS

Smite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum settings + HD Texture pack 150 FPS 143 FPS 151 FPS

Spellbreak
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 109 FPS 69 FPS 154 FPS
High preset 129 FPS 54 FPS 202 FPS

Star Wars Squadrons
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 136 FPS 106 FPS 171 FPS

Tell Me Why
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 126 FPS 58 FPS 265 FPS

The Crew 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 60 FPS 51 FPS 62 FPS

The Witcher 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 70 FPS 52 FPS 93 FPS

Titanfall 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High preset 131 FPS 52 FPS 145 FPS

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 178 FPS 149 FPS 214 FPS

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 61 FPS 50 FPS 85 FPS

Total War: Three Kingdoms
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 47 FPS 33 FPS 65 FPS

Valorant
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High preset 210 FPS 122 FPS 313 FPS

War Thunder
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Movie preset 116 FPS 80 FPS 195 FPS

Watch Dogs 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 47 FPS 33 FPS 64 FPS
Medium preset 96 FPS 51 FPS 113 FPS

World of Tanks
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra preset 129 FPS 93 FPS 165 FPS

World of Warships
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum preset 75 FPS 62 FPS 77 FPS

[ntab Temperatures]

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU cooling system
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU cooling system

The cooling solution of the Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU consists of four heat pipes (three of which are shared between the CPU and GPU), three heatsinks, and two medium-sized fans. There are also thin metal plates covering the VRM and the VRAM. Another thing worth mentioning is that the CPU has liquid metal from Thermal Grizzly on it, which is rather surprising since this is a budget gaming laptop after all.

The bottom cover has rather small ventilation grills spread in a big area but this is fine since the laptop is designed to take its fresh air from a special area on placed on top of the chassis, behind the display. For this reason, a cooling pad won’t make such a huge difference as it would on other laptops designed to take their fresh air from underneath themselves.

The laptop’s performance was tested on the latest BIOS version available (v. 310), in both real-usage scenarios (like gaming) and synthetic benchmarks, with its Thermal Profile set to ‘Turbo mode‘, which sets the fan profiles to their maximum RPM and overclocks the dGPU by 100 MHz. After testing almost 70 games from a wide variety of genres and on various graphical settings, it is clear that this laptop has decent thermal management. In most games, the CPU’s temperatures hovered between 82-85° C (179.6-185° F) while in the more graphically demanding ones it often reaches temperatures of 93-95° C (199.4-203° F). As for the clock speeds, in most games manages to maintain an average frequency of 4.0 Ghz, while in the more demanding ones it drops to 3.6 Ghz.

The synthetic tests yielded similar results:

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU heatsink
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU heatsink

All temperature measurements were performed at an ambient temperature of 27° C (80.6° F).

Temperatures on idle and heavy load

During the standard 30 minutes AIDA64 stress test (CPU, FPU, cache), the processor reached an average temperature of 82 °C (179.6 °F), with a maximum of 96 °C (204.8 °F). At these temperatures, the processor managed to keep an average frequency of 3.69 GHz, with occasional dips to as low as 3.48 GHz on some of its cores. Given that the i7-10750H has a minimum guaranteed frequency of 2.60 GHz and a maximum all-core boost of 4.30 GHz, it is safe to conclude that the cooling solution of the ROG Strix G512Lu is decent for its processor.

AIDA64 CPU stress test
CPU
Average Frequency 3.69 Ghz
Min Frequency 3.48 Ghz
Average Temperature 82 °C (179.6 °F)
Max Temperature 96 °C (204.8 °F)
CPU clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test
CPU clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test

In the combined AIDA64 plus Unigine Superposition test (which had both the processor and the GTX 1660 Ti under heavy load for 30 minutes), the processor reached a maximum temperature of 97 °C (206.6 °F) and throttled until it settled at a temperature of 91 °C (195.8 °F). Despite its throttling, the processor still managed to keep an average clock speed of 3.47 GHz with occasional dips to as low as 3.38 GHz, which still exceeds the minimum advertised clock speed of 2.60 GHz. The dedicated graphics card maintained an average clock speed of 1665 MHz with a maximum boost of 1980 MHz. Temperature-wise, the video card hovered between 85-86°C (185 – 186.8°F).

AIDA64 plus Unigine Superposition test
CPU GPU
Average Frequency 3.47 Ghz 1665 MHz
Min Frequency 3.38 Ghz
Max Frequency 1980 MHz
Average Temperature 91 °C (195.8 °F) 85 °C (185 °F)
Max Temperature 97 °C (206.6 °F) 86°C (186.8 °F)
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -HWinfo
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -HWinfo

Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test

After all the tests conducted by the Noteb review team, it is safe to conclude that while ROG Strix G512LU’s cooling solution is decent for the featured components, it leaves no room for upgrades, and this is unfortunate since the model can be upgraded up to a more powerful RTX 2070 dedicated graphics card.

[ntab Noise]
The ROG Strix G512 is not a very quiet machine. Thankfully, Asus lets the user choose from multiple fan profiles and even create custom ones in the Armoury Crate app. However, even on the Silent profile, the fans still manage to reach an average of 32 dB in a room with an ambient noise level of 25 dB. When gaming, with the fan profile set to Turbo Mode, the laptop’s noise level reaches and average of 48 dB, which often enough, is louder than the speakers themselves.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU thermal profiles
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU noise test, Idle and Under heavy load
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU noise test, Idle and Under heavy load

The LatencyMon test evaluates if a laptop is suitable for video/audio editing and recording. The results are mixed. It seems that when the WLAN / wireless connection is in use, the laptop experiences high latency, which may result in clicks or pops when recording. This problem completely disappears if the laptop is used on the LAN / wired network connection. Otherwise, LatencyMon did not signal any other issues with this machine. Overall, the device should work well for video/audio editing and recording as long as the laptop is used on the wired connection.

LatencyMon test - WIFI LatencyMon test - LAN
LatencyMon test – WIFI LatencyMon test – LAN

[ntab Sound quality]

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU speaker
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU speaker

The laptop has two 4.2 W speakers firing at the sides of the laptop. Fortunately, they have a good amount of bass, even though there is no subwoofer. However, the highs and mids are not well defined, so it really takes away from the experience when listening to songs with lots of vocals in them or when listening to vlogs. Surprisingly, even though the speakers are twice as powerful as the ones in most budget gaming laptops, they are so silent that are often overtaken by the noise produced by the fans.

[ntab Battery life]

Battery details:
Device name: ASUS Battery
Manufacturer Name: ASUSTeK
Unique ID: ASUSTeKASUS Battery
Battery type: Li-ion
Designed Capacity: 66000 mWh
Full Charged Capacity: 63068 mWh
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU battery
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU battery

Since most laptops are used on battery for mundane office activities and web browsing, the laptop was tested using a simulated continuous web browsing session over the WiFi. The browsing session involved checking emails/news, social media and accessing multimedia websites, similar to the behaviour of an average user. The level of brightness was set according to visibility and usability. At 50% brightness, the laptop provided an enjoyable viewing experience. The sound volume was also set to 50%.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU charger

With its 66 WHr battery, the laptop lasted 1 hours and 45 minutes. The machine was tested using both Firefox and Edge and yielded similar battery life results regardless of the browser. Also, Nvidia Optimus was enabled for the entire duration of the tests, meaning that the laptop should have only used its Intel integrated video card.

Charging the laptop from 5% to 100% took almost 1 hour and 57 minutes with the 230W power adapter included in the box.

[ntab Software]

Even though the laptop was provided without an operating system, there are 2 apps that are worth downloading from Asus’ official website:

  • MyASUS app which provides useful information, automatically downloads updates and drivers, scans the laptop for errors and lets the user change various settings;
  • Armoury Crate provides system information in real time, lets the user change between fan profiles and also create custom ones, lets the user switch between various RGB lighting patterns.
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Homepage
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Homepage
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – System Diagnosis
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – System Diagnosis
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Customer Support
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Customer Support
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Hardware settings
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Hardware settings
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Linking phone app
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Linking phone app
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Software update
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU MyASUS app – Software update
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – AURA effects
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – AURA effects
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Fan profiles
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Fan profiles
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Game visual
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Game visual
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Lighting
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Lighting
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Mobile app
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Mobile app
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Resource monitor
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Resource monitor
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Scenario profiles
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU Armoury Crate app – Scenario profiles

[ntab Conclusion]

Pros:

  • good performance for 1080p gaming;
  • 144Hz display;
  • good keyboard;
  • competitive pricing;
  • a wide selection of peripheral ports;
  • unique RGB lighting system;

Cons:

  • poor color coverage display/washed out colors;
  • runs hot;
  • no webcam;
  • no Numpad(?);
  • poor battery life;
  • slow SSD;

In conclusion, this laptop sets itself apart from other budget gaming laptops by offering a unique RGB lighting system alongside a 144Hz refresh rate display even in its base configuration. However, the ROG Strix G512LU is not the most cost-effective machine out there. In this price range, there are laptops that either come with better components (like an RTX 2060) or have the same components for a lower price. At the end of the day, the RGB lighting cannot give better framerates in games and it is obvious that this laptop was designed to cater to a younger group of gamers, driven by impulsive buying decisions rather than seeking value for money.

[ntab Buy]

To support noteb.com search engine and its review team, please consider buying a future Asus ROG Strix G15 G512 laptop through one of the links included below. Thank you!

Asus Official Store

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 2070, 240 Hz FHD display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LV – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 2060, 144 Hz FHD display, Win 10 Home

Amazon

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – Configurator – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM (up to 64 GB), 1TB SSD (up to 24 TB), RTX 2070, 240Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LV – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 2060, 144Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Bestbuy

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, GTX 1660 Ti, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LV – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 2060, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, RTX 2070, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Newegg

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI – Configurator – i7-10750H, 8 GB RAM (up to 32GB), 512 GB SSD (up to 1TB), GTX 1650 Ti, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU – Configurator – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM (up to 64GB), 512 GB SSD (up to 8TB), GTX 1660 Ti, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LV – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 2060, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 2070, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Walmart

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI – Configurator – i7-10750H, 8 GB RAM (up to 64GB), 512 GB SSD (up to 8TB), GTX 1650 Ti, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU – Configurator – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM (up to 64GB), 512 GB SSD (up to 8TB), GTX 1660 Ti, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 2070, FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Microcenter

Microcenter – i7-10750H, 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 2070, 144Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Pro

BH Photo

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI – i7-10750H, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, GTX 1650 Ti, 144Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LV – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, RTX 2060, 144Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, RTX 2070, 240Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

Tigerdirect

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU – i7-10750H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, GTX 1660 Ti, 144Hz FHD Display, Win 10 Home

[ntab More Pictures]















[ntab Videos]


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