ROG Zephyrus line of gaming laptops are quite expensive. These are powerful and lightweight laptops, which not only provided the user with everything necessary for comfortable gaming sessions, but also did not replace weights. Over time, the manufacturer also got cheaper equipment, and after a couple of generations, the Zephyrus G model came out, the cost of which is almost two times lower than the usual prices in this line. And for gaming laptops, this is quite affordable. In this review, let’s see what such a modification with an AMD processor and video from NVIDIA is capable of – ROG Zephyrus G GA502DU.
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Models in the line: 1
ROG Zephyrus G
Since in this case the manufacturer is trying to limit the budget and make the device as cheap as possible, you should not expect anything more than a laptop and a charger in the box. And the more expensive Zephyrus was not always equipped with any accessories. But if they are needed, the manufacturer has everything a gamer needs (although I doubt very much that the buyer of such a laptop still does not have the necessary manipulators, headset, etc.).
The Zephyrus G that came to us is the cheapest laptop in the line, which is in retail. The limited budget did not affect the first impressions of the laptop. Of course, there are enough differences from older versions, but there are even more similarities. Again, this is already a fairly familiar scenario for such laptops, where budget versions are similar to top ones, even if they can afford less.
Design and usability
Externally, Zephyrus G is similar to the Zephyrus S that we have already visited, but unlike the older model, there is no opening bottom panel. Taking into account the fact that the keyboard is also in its usual place, and not shifted closer to the user (as was the case with the first Zephyrus models), in principle it is difficult to single out the new product against the background of similar competitors. This is not bad, because in this way the user will receive a classic laptop, which does not need to adapt to the features of working with it.
The list of differences does not end there. The case in the budget “Zephyr” is made of plastic, only the top cover of the display unit is metal. At the same time, the dimensions of the laptop are almost the same as those of the S model: 360 × 252 × 20.4 mm. Changes in the selection of materials also affected the weight, which became a little more – 2.1 kg. But mobility, as for a 15-inch gaming laptop, is still good.
Of the visual disadvantages – the body is quite easily soiled and not very easy to clean. Apart from aesthetic, it does not create other inconveniences. There are no other shortcomings: all corners are neatly smoothed, the display is well fixed, the topcase does not bend during operation, there is also no perforation in the topcase, into which dust was previously clogged. There are ten support points at the bottom, but only four of them are rubberized. They perfectly fix the laptop on the table, preventing slipping during intense gaming sessions.
Of some bright design elements, there is only a slightly illuminated red ROG logo on the display lid. The rest of the Zephyrus G is designed quite simply, as for a gaming laptop. The body is available only in black and looks rather strict, and not aggressive, as is customary in this class.
The entire set of interfaces, as usual, is located on the sides of the topcase. The left side houses the power port, Ethernet, HDMI, USB-A (3.2), USB-C (3.2), and a combo headphone jack. On the right side are a Kensington lock and a pair of USB-A (3.2). It would be worth placing a card reader here, but, apparently, this slot has not been so popular in a laptop for a long time. Well, subjectively, I would like to swap USB-C and one USB-A in places so that the two connectors are on the left, not on the right. So it would be more convenient to connect peripherals, during games the wires would not interfere so much (but I look at it from a right-handed position).
The design did not like only the heat removal on the right side, which blows on the hand during games. This is how only part of the warm air is removed, because there are a couple of slots for ventilation at the back, which just do not interfere in any way. The fact that the laptop now does not open the bottom panel with the screen opening will allow you not to think about the fact that something can get there during work (mouse cord, charger, etc.). In all other respects, it is very similar to the older model mentioned, only because of the plastic it feels cheaper.
ROG Zephyrus G display
The 15-inch screen in the inexpensive Zephyrus G has already received a standard Full HD resolution. As for a gaming solution, the frames around it can be called quite modest, which adds a few points to the aesthetics of the device. The matrix used here is found in inexpensive TUF and Strix models. She got Full HD resolution and support for a picture refresh rate of 120 Hz. It’s nice that even in this price segment there are already faster screens, but if you need to save a little more, you can find an option with a regular 60Hz display.
Naturally, the ROG Zephyrus G uses an IPS matrix with excellent viewing angles. She is a little let down by the color gamut, which just shows that they saved on something here. I would not say that the lack of colors is fundamental, but next to a more expensive display, the difference in the image is quite easy to find. For processing photos or videos, this, of course, can be a problem, but for games, in my opinion, everything is enough.
The screen has a matte finish that handles glare and ambient light well. The backlight is adjustable from 9 to 210 cd/m². During testing, the brightness was sufficient, but most often it was close to the maximum values. Against a black background, you can find a small backlight spot in the lower right corner, but in everyday use it is almost impossible to see it.
Keyboard, trackpad, multimedia
But the manipulators here are similar to the older model. The keyboard completely repeats the size and placement of the keys. As far as I can remember, the typing experience is the same here: the keyboard is quiet and moderately hard. As for laptops, this is probably one of the best I’ve had in this class. The only thing that differs from the flagship ones is that there is no RGB backlighting, here the keys are illuminated in plain white with three intensity options.
The trackpad is also plastic and is located under the keyboard. Last time, with a more expensive model, it tapped even with a light touch, but here it is well fixed. Its size allows you to replace the mouse for normal work, and during games it does not fall under my hands (I did not need to turn it off regardless of the activities). Of course, I would like a glass surface, but it is more fair to demand from expensive equipment, but here you can understand.
And at the same time there are excellent speakers. There are two of them, both located closer to the user, but directed downwards, so their sound can change if, say, you take a laptop from the table and put it on your knees. The speakers have a lack of mids, so very high-pitched sounds can squeal a little at high volumes, and extra vibration appears from the bass. However, the sound is good. In music, of course, distortions are felt, but for games and films there is just enough.
Like many new ASUS laptops, this Zephyr also lacks a webcam. This is hardly a big loss, given the quality of such cameras in laptops. But there is a microphone. It will not suit players much, because it is located close to the keyboard and captures its sounds well. But those gamers who participate in team games already use headsets, and for such there is a combined connector or USB.
Performance and Software
We often have laptops on the Intel platform in our editorial office, but this time it’s AMD. In this case, a quad-core / eight- thread Ryzen 7 3750H is working here, the base frequency of which is 2.3 GHz (with a possible boost up to 4). Graphics are integrated (AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics) and discrete (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, 6 GB). The RAM in our model is only 8 GB, and the drive is 512 GB. To connect to the Network there is ac Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and for accessories there is Bluetooth 5.0.
The performance here is slightly below the Intel Core i5 8300H/9300H, in the tests you can see a slight advantage of the competitor. From the graphics, you can also see that we have a Max-Q card installed, which accordingly scores a little lower than regular GTX 1660 Ti cards. But the results are not so categorically behind laptops with Intel and conventional video chips, especially since such components allow you to save some money, albeit at the expense of a few extra frames in games.
FPS performance in games is quite expected. Benchmarks and just spent playing time showed that the laptop copes well with a high load. Trotting was not noticed, which is also nice, because even not the most demanding games will still lean heavily on components. Here are the average FPS results in several games at high graphics settings:
- Far Cry 5-58
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 47
- Dirt Rally-67
- PlayersUnknown Battlegrounds – 73
- GTA V-73
- CS:GO-84
Also, during gaming, you should expect a processor temperature of under 90 ° C. The case will heat up mainly in the area of the right half of the keyboard, where heat is removed, and since the cold air is taken in from the left, the main part of the keyboard remains cool. The palm rest does not heat up at all. And the rest of the time, when the computer is not loaded with complex tasks, the temperature inside fluctuates between 50-60 °, while the case is cool. The cooling system in Silent mode is almost inaudible, but in Performance or Turbo modes, even during games, it is quite noisy and can interfere with others, and the player himself will most likely be wearing headphones.
In Windows 10, a standard set of applications is mixed here, which is also found in more expensive models of the ROG Zephyrus line. Here, too, most often the user may need ARMORY CRATE applications, where you can select laptop operating modes, set different profiles for games, and so on, as well as the MyASUS application for diagnosing problems, searching for new driver versions and other trifles.
ROG Zephyrus G autonomy
The battery in this “Marshmallow” was installed quite large, its capacity is 76 Wh (which is a third more than previous generations, but the same as the older configuration now). Taking into account the fact that this laptop has more sparing components, autonomy turned out to be better than that of older versions. So, the laptop managed to show the result in the PCMark test for as long as 5 hours, which is very good in this class. In normal work, about 15% of the charge per hour is consumed with comfortable settings for the screen brightness and sound, and after two hours of watching a movie, the battery did not have 22%.
A small bonus of this configuration and its power consumption is a relatively small power supply. By the standards of ordinary laptops, of course, it is large, but for gaming, it is very compact. True, it weighs 540 grams, which is not so small, if you also consider the weight of the laptop. It will take a little more than two hours to charge an empty battery.
