Asus Zephyrus S GX531 RTX 2080 Review
Asus thinks this, their new Zephyrus S, is the ultimate gaming laptop. With a new RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7 8750H, 16GB of ram and a 512GB NVME SSD, they are really going all out here. An area where you likely wish they didn’t go all out on is the price tag, as this 15” model is straight up £3000. So, is it worth it? Lets find out…
So lets start with a tour, the top of the clamshell is stunning, with dimmly lit red ROG logo that in the right light it just gorgeous. It’s got a two tone finish on top which only adds to it’s good looks. On the sides and rear you’ll find the I/O – 2 USB 2 ports 1 usb 3, 2 type C – not thunderbolt compatible (although one claims DisplayPort)- headphone/mic combo jack, DC in and an HDMI on the back. Not exactly swimming in I/O then.
While we are here, you’ll notice the large chunk hanging off the back of the laptop that doesn’t fold up with the screen – this appears to be for extra cooling, as is the lift-kit it has installed too – not to mention the underglow LEDs. I’m starting to think whoever designed this also owns a 1990s evo show car..
I’d show you the insides too, but despite the 20 or so screws on the bottom, it doesn’t want to come apart all that easily, so don’t count on easy upgrades!
Inside the clamshell though is pretty unique. You’ve got the 144Hz 1080p display up top, with a ((webcam shot)) less than impressive webcam and microphone, although the built in speakers aren’t too bad. (back to desk) But looking a bit lower, you’ll see the inverted layout. This is for heat management, they didn’t want you to burn your fingers on the back of the 2080, so moved the keyboard down right to the edge.
Speaking of the keyboard, placement wise I’m not a fan. It makes using it reserved for on-desk typing only, as otherwise it’s uncomfortable and awkward when it’s on your lap. The actual typing feel isn’t too bad. I could get used to it just fine, but it didn’t blow me away.
The trackpad is moved to the right side, and I’m actually a pretty big fan of this. It tracks well, has physical buttons on the bottom which are easy to use and has all the scrolling/zooming gestures you’d expect.
The display is a 144hz 1080p, “IPS-level” panel, which means absolutely nothing. It’s pretty fast in response times, with minimal ghosting seen on the frame skipping test. Colour accuracy is nothing to shout about, with just shy of 90% coverage of sRGB, 62% of Adobe RGB and 65% of the DCI P3 spectrum. So exactly the same as the TN panel in the AOC G2590PX I reviewed recently.
Viewing angles are actually pretty good though, and to the eye it’s certainly a good looking display. Gaming wise it’s great fun, as I said it’s pretty responsive and of course with the plenty high FPS you’ll get with the 2080, it’s a smooth gaming experience.
Speaking of FPS, let’s take a look at some benchmark results.
Temps wise the GPU didn’t seem to break a sweat, hitting a max of just 68°c, whereas the CPU was getting plenty toasty at 94°c. It’s also pretty noisey.
Battery life isn’t all that great either, with under an hour of on-battery gaming, and only a couple of hours on battery while web browsing and the likes.
So, you know how it performs, it’s features and it’s foibles. But is it worth the £3,000 price tag? For me, I’d say probably not. It’s nice, it’s great performance, but if you find an RTX 2070 non-max-q laptop you’ll get about the same performance, it’s pain to get in to, it’s only got a 512GB SSD and while I think you can add a second SSD, you are still pretty storage limited. Noise is also a bit of a pain, and while with headphones on you don’t really notice, anyone around you definitely will.
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TechteamGB assumes no liability for damage, misuse or misunderstanding of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. TechteamGB cannot guarantee any particular result from the information contained in this video, and all information was presented as correct as of filming. TechteamGB accepts no liability for information being proven incorrect after the creation of the video, and all information should be taken as opinion and guidance, not fact. This video was not sponsored by anyone, and TechteamGB does not accept monetary – or non-monetary – benefits to alter opinions or results.
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