Custom PC - UK (2020-07)

themid-rangeis detailedandthere’sdecentbass.Forgaming

andmediause,thesespeakersarebetterthanmostrivals.

TheG14lastedforjustovertwohoursingamingtestsas

well,whichis goodlongevityfora gaminglaptop,andenough

toseeyouthrougha decentsession.If you’reworkingonthe

move,expectaroundfourhoursintoughersoftwareand

sevenhoursif yourunlow-endtoolswiththebrightness

reduced.TheG14neverhadinternaltemperatureissueseither

• itsCPUandGPUdeltaTsof58°Cand49°Caregreat.
  TheAsusdoesn’tevenmakemuchnoise.It’snear-silentin
  low-intensitytasksandit onlyproducesmodestfannoisein
  mid-rangegames.Intoughergames,it makesmorenoise,but
  it’squieterthanthevastmajorityofothergaminglaptops.The
  wristrestandundersidedogetwarmduringprolongedhigh-
  end gaming use, though, and the air vents eject plenty of hot
  air – irritating if you’re using a USB mouse.

Conclusion

AMD’s new laptop CPU is excellent, enabling amazingly

fast mobile performance and strong battery life, even

in games. The Asus also has a great-quality screen and

decent-sounding speakers in a small, light, smart and sturdy

package. The only fly in the ointment is that the Max-Q

GPU can’t really keep up with games at the screen’s native

resolution. Otherwise, this is one of the best laptops we’ve

seenforages– it’scompactandwelldesigned, and it offers

loadsofpoweratareasonable price.

MIKE JENNINGS

VERDICT

Huge CPU power and great design elsewhere make this

mobile Ryzen machine a smart, compact success.

OVERALLSCORE

90 %%

PERFORMANCE

22 / 25

DESIGN

23 / 25

HARDWARE

23 / 25

VALUE

22 / 25

RYZEN

+ AMD’snewCPU

is brilliant

+Solidcomponents

elsewhere

+ Smart,compact

andsturdydesign

FALLEN

• Onlya Max-QGPU


• Screencouldbe
  brighter


• A little
  externalheat

BENCHMARK RESULTS

GIMPIMAGE

EDITING

53,874

HANDBRAKEH.264

VIDEOENCODING

539,441

HEAVYMULTI-

TASKING

148,402

SYSTEM

SCORE

216,022

At the display’s native 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, the RTX
2060 Max-Q delivered a minimum frame rate of 37fps in
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but it dipped below 30fps in our
other two games, with scores only recovering in Battlefield V
when we enabled DLSS. In order to get the toughest games
running smoothly, you’ll have to dial back the graphics settings
or reduce the resolution – we tested Battlefield V at 1080p
with DLSS and the G14’s minimum then sat at 46fps.
The 2,560 x 1,440 adaptive sync display also only has a
peak refresh rate of 60Hz. That’s fine for non-competitive
gaming, but it’s a little disappointing for esports players in a
market full of 144Hz notebooks. A 14in 1080p screen with a
higher refresh rate would have been more appropriate for the
GPU power on offer, and the target market.
Still, the display has excellent colours. The delta E of 2.32
is great, the colour temperature of 6,750K is solid and the
panel renders 93 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut at 100
per cent volume. The brightness level of 266cd/m² is a little
low, especially for outdoor use, but it’s fine for indoor gaming.
It’s joined by a black point of 0.2cd/m², which is impressively
deep. The resulting contrast ratio of 1,330:1 is excellent too,
delivering vibrancy and punch. Uniformity is also solid – the
panel’s backlight deviated by less than 11 per cent.
The audio setup, with two tweeters and two woofers, is
superb as well, with excellent balance. The high end is crisp,

Minimum Average

0 30 60 120

AsusROGZephyrusG14 37fps 47fps

SHADOWOFTHETOMBRAIDER

2,560 x 1,440, Highest Detail, TAA

0 30 60 120

AsusROGZephyrusG14 29fps 40fps

TOTALWAR:WARHAMMERII

2,560 x 1,440, Ultra Detail, DX11, FXAA

0 30 60 120

AsusROGZephyrusG14 20fps 28fps

BATTLEFIELDV

2,560 x 1,440, Ultra settings, DX12, High DXR, TAA