Asus Republic of Gamers G20 Gaming PC Review. Asus rog desktop
Asus Republic of Gamers G20 Gaming PC Review
There’s no shortage of small PCs in the market, but it could be argued that there is a shortage of small PCs that look awesome. If that’s the measurement, Asus has hit the ball out of the park with its ROG G20. Not only does this PC have what it takes to stand out of the crowd, it boasts impressive specs and features to go along with it.
Page 1 – Introduction, A Look At The Hardware Software
Over the years, we’ve seen our technology get faster while at the same time assume a smaller physical form. That’s led to an explosion of small PCs, with companies trying to outdo one another by shrinking down as much as possible without compromising performance.
It goes without saying that if all you’re looking for is a small PC, the options are endless. But if you want a small PC that truly stands out of the crowd, then you’re going to have to look a bit harder.
I can say with certainty that Asus’ Republic of Gamers G20 is one option that makes you do just that.
When Asus announced its G20 (and the even smaller GR8), I had no idea that its styling was going to become a theme across most of the company’s upcoming ROG products. Asus calls it a Mayan design, and we’ve seen it carried through to the ROG peripherals that were announced at CES.
This PC’s a looker, that’s for sure. Being an ROG product, there’s no secret about who the G20 is targeted at, but it’s too simple to say “gamers”. This particular model has a mid-range GeForce GTX 760, so it’s not quite targeting “high-end” gamers, and if high-end gamers do in fact buy it, they’re likely to use it as a second PC. Who this is best-suited for is someone who doesn’t care about running ultra-high detail levels in their games, but do appreciate great aesthetics and small form-factor.
A Look At The Hardware
Like all of Asus’ PCs, the ROG G20 is available in a number of different specs. The PC as tested (G20AJ) retails for about 1,200, and includes Intel’s top-end mainstream processor, the Core i7-4790, and NVIDIA’s mid-range GeForce GTX 760. A model exists that includes the fast GeForce GTX 780, although it’s strictly available only for Europe.
At this time, the GPU included in this particular version of the G20 is last-gen, but as Asus’ product page for this PC lists both the GTX 970 and GTX 980 as options, I’d assume that those models are en route. I hope that unlike the GTX 780 version, those will be available in North America as well as in Europe.
| Intel Core i7-4790 (Quad-Core, 3.6GHz) | |
| Asus G20AJ (H97) | |
| 1x 8GB Samsung DDR3-1600 (11-11-11) | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB | |
| Seagate Desktop SSHD 1TB (8GB NAND) | |
| SuperMulti DVD RW | |
| Realtek ALC887 | |
| 802.11ac Bluetooth 4.0 | |
| 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 4x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 6 Audio Ports 1x Ethernet | |
| 230W (PC) 180W (GPU) | |
| 13.38″ x 4.09″ x 14.09″ 14 lbs Windows 8.1 Kensington Lock Includes keyboard and mouse |
Companies often have to make some noticeable compromises in order to build powerful-but-small PCs, and some of those are noticeable with this one after looking over the table above.
First, there’s no SSD, which, to me, is a concern. Once you use a PC equipped with an SSD, you really know it when you’re using one that isn’t. I used the ROG G20 over the course of five days as my primary PC, and I can tell you that the lack of an SSD was noticeable. That’s despite a “hybrid” model being used, which includes 8GB of NAND for caching.
I’d imagine that the next ROG G20 revision will include an M.2 slot, as those are becoming more common – and as I’ve discovered over the past week with another system that hit our lab, they can be fast. Nonetheless, it’s impossible to ignore that there’s no SSD on this model, and it’s unfortunate.
The second thing that stands out is that the memory operates in a single channel mode, due to the use of a single 8GB DIMM. I’m confident that in the grand scheme, this will affect little in the real-world, but it’s worth noting nonetheless as this is typically more common with notebooks. The G20 does have a second DIMM slot, but as cracking the PC open voids the warranty, it’s up to you to decide whether or not a RAM upgrade is worth it.
Since the ROG G20 doesn’t have room for an internal power supply, an external one is provided – and it’s definitely one of the more unique ones I’ve seen (you can see it in the shot at the top of the page). It’s in effect two PSUs in one; one half is spec’d at 230W, and is for the PC itself, while the other half, spec’d at 180W, is used to power the graphics card. If it’s not clear enough, yes, this means you’ll be plugging in two power cables for this one PC.
As all of these photos will highlight, the ROG G20 has a unique, attractive aesthetic. With its Mayan design, Asus was able to provide air vents that don’t just do their job well, but look great at the same time. Truly, I feel that this is one of the best-looking PCs I’ve ever seen.
At the front, and top, is the G20’s optical drive. At the bottom, as seen in the shot above, are dual USB 3.0 ports and audio in / out ports. None of the shots I took showed off the power button well, but it’s situated at the top-left, and can be easily seen in this stock photo.
The ROG G20 includes a total of 8x USB ports, with 2x 3.0s at the front as just mentioned, and the others (2x 3.0 and 4x 2.0) at the back. Also located there are a near-full complement of audio ports (S/PDIF is absent), Ethernet, dual HDMI (one on the graphics card; the other feeding into the integrated graphics), dual DVIs, and also DisplayPort. You can also see the two required power connectors.
As I mentioned earlier, Asus has creatively worked with the Mayan aesthetic here to provide a lot of hidden ventilation. This is the kind of design I love to see: not just good-looking, but functional.
Here’s another, perhaps better view, which shows us a vent strip that lines the top of the PC.
There’s not much more I can say about the ROG G20 that I haven’t already said. The PC both looks great and has a good design. One thing pictures can’t tell you about the PC is that it’s very sturdy. Merely holding it, I got the distinct impression that the PC was well-built.
While it is possible to crack the G20 open, I couldn’t figure out how without worrying about breaking something. If you want to get a quick glimpse of what it looks like inside, check out this picture.
A Look At The Software
As is common of most pre-built PCs, the ROG G20 comes packed with a bunch of extra software that you may or may not want. Fortunately, the bulk is tied to Asus’ own offerings, with exceptions being Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, CyberLink PhotoDirector 3, CyberLink PowerDirector 10 and Lucidlogix’s VirtuWatt. You can see a full list of what’s pre-installed here.
While the ROG G20 has a fair amount of apps pre-installed, it’s not obvious until you enter the full list of apps in the Windows 8 Start Screen. Straight out of the factory, this is what your desktop will look like:
Interestingly, the included wallpaper is only available in 1080p, a clue as to what resolution you’ll be gaming at (which would be accurate). The reason I mention the wallpaper’s resolution is because I had the G20 originally connected to a 1440p monitor, and so the desktop looked a little odd.
Here’s what the default Start Screen looks like:
I’ll forever wonder why companies do this, but Asus has split the 1TB drive into two partitions; the OS one is 149GB, while the other is 762GB.
There are three main Asus apps on the ROG G20 that I’d recommend checking out: GameFirst II, Aegis, and Command.
GameFirst II might be the first of these three you’ll spot because it launches a widget on your desktop by default. Overall, GameFirst II’s goal is to help you make sure that your online gaming performance is always at its best. Beyond that, you can also take advantage of in-depth monitoring, create online budgets, and customize the widget.
It’s easy to grasp the full potential of GameFirst II, but I think its usefulness will hugely vary based on your needs. I personally haven’t ever felt the need to optimize my traffic for online gaming, simply because I’ve never encountered standout issues. Your situation could be different, however, especially if you play many twitch games. If you play competitively, your need for a networking solution which caters to gaming could be hugely important.
For those who don’t care about optimizing their networks, the widget can still be taken advantage of. However, a huge beef I have with this is that it’s not scalable, and even at 1080p, it’s small. If this widget was scalable and also had the ability to be an overlay in your game, I think it’d be a hugely popular feature.
Whereas GameFirst II monitors network traffic, Asus’ Aegis monitors that and more. This is an interesting full-screen app that makes your PC look like a command center from some sci-fi movie. There’s really not much to adjust here; it’s more for sitting back and soaking it in. It does look good, though.
I admit that I don’t quite get the point of Aegis. It’s neat to look at, but I think you’d have to be awfully bored to load it up just to watch it. If this were a screensaver, my tune would change completely – that’d be extremely cool. At least Aegis scales to higher resolutions, unlike GameFirst II.
The final piece of software worth checking out is also the most important: Asus Command.
In the Power menu, you’ll be able to adjust basic options for the available power profiles, as well as enable or disable Ai Charger II, which will allow you to use the bottom USB 3.0 port in the front to charge mobile devices faster.
To update either the system drivers or Asus software, you can venture into the Update menu. From a fresh system, I only had to update two separate things, so don’t expect to see a ton of action here.
You might think that something anti-virus or firewall related would be found under the Security menu, but not so. Security in this context revolves around your browser history, which this tool will purge. For some reason, using this feature crashed the app on me.
The Security section will also point you to a feature that would have likely been overlooked: Asus Secure Delete. When you right-click your Recycle Bin to empty it, you can choose to use Secure Delete to make it so that the files are unrecoverable – just the right thing in case you accidentally saved a screenshot of your 0:20 kill/death ratio.
The Backup Recovery section largely acts as a front-end to basic Windows functions, such as refreshing the PC or creating a backup through System Restore.
The final menu (outside of Support, which is self-explanatory) is Tools. Here, you can reboot straight to the boot menu, adjust the G20’s lighting, and get quick access to ROG AudioWizard and Aegis.
There are a total of three areas on the G20 that show lighting; left and right at the front, and underneath. Should you not want the LEDs, you can simply move the slider to black, sync, and apply it. If you’ve used any peripheral that offers adjustable lighting like this, you’ll know what to expect – color representations won’t be perfect, but they’ll be close.
With that look at the hardware and software out-of-the-way, let’s move into gaming performance.
ASUS ROG G20BM Review [4K50p]
Asus ROG Strix GA15 gaming pc review: “One of the best pre-built gaming machines of the year
A tremendous gaming PC where value, performance, and considered component choice all meet.
Pros
- Excellent balance of components
- Great performance
- Runs quiet
- Simple to access
Cons
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The best gaming PCs. and best gaming laptops, to an extent. come in all shapes, sizes, and, of course, configurations. However, this doesn’t mean that cramming the most expensive components inside is key to victory. We’ve seen more carefully considered designs in the last few years, and this has resulted in some great machines that tone down the desire to cram in the latest components and opt for more deliberate combinations (all while offering an easy and straightforward way into PC gaming). The Asus GA15 does exactly that.
Design Features
Here are the specs for the laptop sent to GamesRadar for review: Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage: 256GB SSD 1TB HDD Ports: Front: 1 x Type-A USB 3.2; 1x Type-C USB 3.2; 1x Headphone/Line Out; 1x Microphone/Line In Rear: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A; 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1 x DVI-D; 1 x D-Sub; 1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple); 1 x PS/2 mouse (green); 1 x RJ45 ethernet; 3 x audio jacks Connectivity: RJ-45 Ethernet; Bluetooth 5.1 Weight: 22 lb (10 kg) Dimensions: 7.4in/18.9cm x 16.6in/42.1cm x 19.6in/49.8cm (W x D x H)
The case is slick black in its aesthetic, and on the whole, and I could almost leave it at that. However, there are some accents to the design which are cool and/or make for good functionality.
To kick things off, there is a black handle at the top which is a very useful addition for increasing this large PC’s maneuverability. Under this handle are the top-facing ports (a regular USB, a USB-C, and both your 3.5mm audio jacks) which are easy to interact with, particularly if the PC is kept lower than you are. if the PC is on a desk, let’s say, this may lead to cables needing draping down awkwardly. On the port front, it’s a pretty standard but well-stocked affair on the rear; easily enough to accommodate the best gaming mouse (or best left-handed gaming mouse if your a sinister player like me), the best wireless gaming headset, and the best gaming keyboard. even one that demands two USBs.
Meanwhile, the power button is at the head of the RGB strip on the front of the machine. all in, the most visible part of the PC is neat and pleasing. Even if the power button is relatively easy to push in all the way by accident, as I found when scratching my leg in a meeting. Still, not a big problem.
Elsewhere there is a stand or lip which stabilizes the front of the case in a slightly upward position or, as I have used it, can hook over the front of shelves. The PC isn’t going anywhere either way, and is chunky enough to not slip and slide around, but also of a size to fit on all but the smallest shelves and desks.
All over the case, be it the neat frontage or relatively plain majority of the case, there are vents and holes everywhere. These work both aesthetically and functionally, never impacting the design, and also providing plenty of built-in airflow.
As a note, the PC I have for review is the oft-seen one with all black panelling, but you may come across it with a glass side panel. Either way, the PC errs on the traditional side of access with the panels being easy to remove and gain access to the guts of the machine. As it has a standard layout inside, you’ll be fine to tinker and upgrade down the line. there are no intricate or totally unique arrangements here.
Importantly, the Asus GA15, much like most pre-builts from the big players, comes in a vast array of builds. Using GPUs as a broad-brush barometer of build ‘power’, this can stretch from machines with Nvidia 1650 cards, all the way up to a 2070 Super or an AMD 5700XT. There are fewer processors to choose from but that’s no problem when they all harbor AMD Ryzen excellence. As you can see from the specs box, the build sent in to us blends those worlds of Ryzen processors and Nvidia graphics cards to create a PC at the lower-end of the ray-tracing spectrum, but one that offers a lot of bang for your buck. The 2060 Super card is probably the best value card for ray-tracing now, while the Ryzen 7 processor is an equally excellent component that balances performance, reliability, and durability with an affordable price tag. Supported by that dual storage combo, and 16GB of RAM, this is what I would call a ‘sensible high-end’ build.
Performance
How does the Asus ROG Strix GA15 fare on some industry tests? We’ve included these below to give you a feel of how it performs (all at 1080p).
3DMark Firestrike: 20011 3DMark Timespy: 8642pts 3DMark Sky Diver: 46893pts Cinebench CPU: 4404pts CrystalDiskMark: SSD: 1745MB/s read; 350MB/s write; HDD: 205 MB/s read; 202MB/s write Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: High: 74fps; Ultra: 63fps Metro Exodus: High: 76fps; RTX: 56fps Total War: Three Kingdoms: High: 97fps; Ultra: 69fps Shadow of the Tomb Raider: High: 111fps; Highest: 101fps Red Dead Redemption 2: Balanced: 92fps; Best: 48fps
The Asus GA15 puts all its components to great use. In a way, I almost wish there was more to say on the PC’s performance. I really could stop after saying ‘this PC will run everything fine’.
At 1080p, this PC can provide blistering experiences. getting close to 60fps in Metro Exodus on its RTX benchmark is an achievement, for sure. This also bodes well for gaming at 1440p if settings are toned down a bit, too. While it might not give you every tiny detail combined with the incredibly high frame rates that a high-end Alienware gaming PC and laptop might offer, you’ll still get just as satisfying and enjoyable a gaming experience on it. The GA15 never struggles to run a AAA or demanding game, and it’ll just go about its business presenting games to you at an enormously enjoyable level of fidelity and smoothness. It all runs quietly too, and I’ve barely ever heard it struggle. or even work hard, really. no matter the task or game.
Although you will have to make the decision of where to run your games from if you want to have multiple titles at your fingertips (though the 2TB HDD is roomy enough to support you in the first instance of course), you can always upgrade the SSD to a larger one. This is a great point to remember all over as the stock configurations offer. on the whole. a great-value access point into PC gaming and you maintain the ability to tinker down the line.
A word of caution, though. Judging it purely in off-the-shelf terms, while I’d say this is a great machine right now, it might not be the most futureproof. After all, the 30-series of Nvidia’s graphics cards have been revealed. So, if you really want to get a gaming machine that you don’t have to worry about going out of date quickly, then you might be better off waiting for a build that will include one of those new cards.
If you’re willing to pay for a quality gaming PC right now that could be your go-to work PC as well, on the other hand? Then I can’t think of many better investments performance-wise. The best of both worlds is to get the Asus GA15 now, enjoy it, and then upgrade your build with a new GPU down the line. This is the beauty of PC gaming.
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Overall. should you buy it?
This is an excellent machine, and, for the price tag, excellent value. The particular build that I have is an exceptionally well-considered choice of components and supporting hardware that makes the perfect machine for gaming and work. all without breaking the bank. It might not quite be a ‘cheap gaming pc’ but it’s certainly exquisite value, and any discounts would seriously accentuate this.
The Asus GA15 doesn’t claim to be a ridiculous powerhouse and is comfortable in its own skin, not pretending to be anything that it isn’t. It’s a reliable, very well-performing gaming PC from a reputable gaming tech name, and it deserves to be spoken about as one of the best pre-built gaming computers of the year. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone, or, indeed, buying one for myself. using it everyday for literally any task or gaming session is a joy.
Asus ROG Strix GL12 Review: Esports Ready, for a Price
The Asus ROG Strix GL12 is an esports desktop with strong performance, ports for every accessory you’ll need and easy data-swapping, but you’ll want to uninstall the bloatware.
Asus ROG G20: обзор геймерского ПК
Pros
- Hot-swappable SSD bay
- Lots of ports
- Strong performance
- Attractive design
Cons
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Asus’ new desktop is competition ready. The 1,449.00 ROG Strix GL12 is built for esports first, with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) GPU, a factory-overclocked Intel Core i7-8700K and a swappable SSD bay to quickly add new files or games that are too big to fit on your boot drive. It has loads of easily accessible ports for all of your peripherals, too. But that CPU may be overkill for esports games, which drives up the price a bit. Asus has also weighed down the desktop with bloatware that you’ll want to get rid of before gaming.
Design
The Strix GL12’s exterior is a dark gray, angular monolith with some neat hidden talents. The front of the PC is decorated with stripes and RGB lines that hide air intakes. The top-most part of the front plate comes off with magnets to reveal the desktop’s hot-swappable SSD bay. It’s a neat trick to get game data (or other files) onto the system quickly. The front also features a glowing ROG logo. You can adjust all of the lights (both internal and external) with software.
The sides are the same gray color, although our review unit also included a transparent panel that shows off the internals, which I immediately applied because it looks so much cooler. One odd note: There’s a small etching on the panel that reads, “Concealed in darkness, lethal in battle.” I kid you not.
At 18 x 15.7 x 7 inches (H x D x W), the Strix is a bit larger than competing PCs like the 15.2 x 14 x 7-inch Dell XPS Tower, but is still small enough to fit on a desk.
Specifications
| Intel Core i7-8700K |
| mATX |
| 8GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x 8GB) |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) |
| 1TB HDD, 256GB SSD |
| SuperMulti DVD RW |
| 802.11ac 2×2 |
| 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A (front), 2x USB 2.0 Type-A (front), Headphone/mic (front), SD card reader (front), 2x USB 2.0 Type-A (rear), 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (rear), 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A (rear), Ethernet, Optical S/PDIF out |
| 2x HDMI, DVI, 2x DisplayPort |
| 500W |
| – |
| 1x case fan, 1x GPU fan |
| Windows 10 Home |
| Transparent side panel, Hot-swappable SSD bay |
| 18 x 15.7 x 7 inches |
| 1,466.71 |
Ports and Upgradability
If you own a peripheral, there’s probably room for it on the Strix. The front panel alone is populated by four USB ports (two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and two USB 2.0 Type-A), as well as a headphone/mic jack and an SD card reader.
On the back live two USB 2.0 ports, a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports and four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports. There’s also an Ethernet jack, S/PDIF out and five audio jacks. The GPU has two HDMI outputs and two DisplayPorts, and there’s a DVI connector on the case for older monitors. Note, though, that the DVI connector is connected to the CPU’s integrated graphics, so don’t plug your monitor in here for gaming.
Getting into the case is simple. Four thumb screws on the left side of the tower get you in without any tools. Of course, you’ll still need to break out screwdrivers to remove the CPU cooler, M.2 SATA SSD and other components. There are four slots on the motherboard for RAM, and ours came with a single 8GB stick installed. We’d prefer to see dual-channel RAM, but at least there’s room for growth up to 64GB.
The hot-swappable SSD bay is easy to switch out, but the HDD isn’t. You have to remove the right-side panel of the case, which involves removing two Phillips-head screws and sliding the panel off. The hard drive is accessible but lost in a mess of cables. If you want more room, you’re better off just upgrading the SSD or using the hot swappable SSD bay.
Gaming, Graphics and VR
The Strix’s Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM is strong enough for most games on high settings and some basic VRso long as you don’t have a 4K monitor. When I played Middle-earth: Shadow of War at 1080p on Very High settings, the game ran between 60 and 70 frames per second (fps) as I fought an Olog-hai.
On the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark (1920 x 1080, Very High), the Strix played the game at 74 fps, surpassing the XPS Tower (64 fps, GTX 1070) and the gaming desktop average (69 fps). The higher score of the 1060-equipped Asus here over the 1070-packing Dell is hard to account for, though the Asus’ overclocked processor likely helps it, as does more than a half year of driver updateswe tested the Dell XPS tower last October.
On Hitman (1920 x 1080, Ultra), the Strix played the game at 73 fps, falling below the 90-fps average.
On Grand Theft Auto V (1920 x 1080, Very High), it ran at 50 fps, falling below the 79-fps gaming desktop average.
If you want to use the Strix with an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, it will work but won’t be the best experience. The system earned a 7.1 on the SteamVR performance test, falling below the average (9.6) and the XPS Tower (10.7).
To test sustained performance, we ran Metro: Last Light 10 times on Very High quality to simulate 30 minutes of playtime. The average frame rate was 49.1 fps and consistent within less than one fps throughout each of the runs. The CPU ran at an average clock speed of 3.6GHz and an average of 53.6 degrees Celsius (128.5 degrees Fahrenheit). The average GPU temperature was 70.6 degrees Celsius (159.1 degrees Fahrenheit). Both are well within the thermal tolerances of those components.
Performance
With an Intel Core i7-8700K, 8GB of RAM, 128GB M.2 SATA SSD and a 1TB, 7,200-rpm HDD, it’s no surprise that the Strix is plenty powerful for productivity tasks. My usual workload of 25 tabs open in Google Chrome, including one streaming a 1080p episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, was child’s play for the gaming desktop.
On Geekbench 4, the Strix earned a score of 24,180, surpassing both the gaming desktop category average (18,365) and the XPS Tower (Core i7-8700, 22,124).
It took the Strix 22 seconds to copy 4.97GB of files, a rate of 231.3MBps, which is slower than the average of 365.8MBps.
On our Excel macro test, the Strix paired 65,000 names and addresses in 33 seconds, blazing past the 42-second category average.
Our Handbrake video editing test took 9 minutes and 16 seconds to convert a 4K video to 1080p.
Keyboard and Mouse
Asus includes a keyboard and mouse with the Strix, and the former is surprisingly decent for a pack-in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a membrane keyboard and the keys are clunky, but it has dedicated media controls, which you rarely see. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached 111 words per minute, which is in my usual range, but my error rate, at three percent, was higher than my usual two percent. This might be good for a few months, but you’ll probably want to upgrade to something better, possibly with mechanical keys and some RGB lighting.
The mouse is plain and simple: two buttons and a scroll wheel. You’ll definitely want to upgrade to something with higher DPI and more buttons.
Software and Warranty
Unfortunately, Asus went a little overboard with the preinstalled software. Sure, there’s some useful stuff, like Aegis III, which shows device information, CPU and GPU usage, heat measurements and fan controls. There’s also GameFirst IV, which lets you prioritize which applications get access to your network, and Sonic Studio III for audio controls.
But there’s a lot of junk. Asus added Netflix, a trial of McAfee Security and its WPS Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets software, as well as LinkedIn. A link to the Oculus setup page isn’t offensive, but it’s a waste of space in the Start Menu.
There’s also all of the usual bloat in Windows 10, like Candy Crush Soda Saga, Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure, Disney Magic Kingdoms and Dolby Access.
Asus sells the Strix with a one-year warranty.
Configurations
I tested the 1,466.71 base model of the Strix with an Intel Core i7-8700K, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD, a 1TB, 7,200-rpm HDD and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM.
Adding 300 gets you a GTX 1070 and boosts you to 16GB of RAM. For an extra 500 over the base model, you get a GTX 1080 and 16GB of RAM.
For an esports machine, the base model should be plenty. In fact, the overclocked Core i7-8700K is overkill for Overwatch, Fortnite and Rocket League. If Asus sold it with a cheaper CPU, it would still have more than enough power for most esports, with a much lower price tag. The higher configurations are better for gamers who crave intensive VR experiences and play games on the highest settings and resolutions.
Bottom Line
The Asus ROG Strix GL12 is an esports-ready machine with an attractive chassis, lots of easily accessible ports, strong performance and a hot-swappable SSD bay.
But the Strix is weighed down by lots of bloatware. And we would have preferred, even with 8GB of RAM in the starting configuration, that it come in a dual-channel pair. At 1,449, it’s pricey for esports. If you’re willing to give up the overclocked CPU, you can get the XPS Tower with 16GB of RAM (that’s the minimum) and otherwise the same specs for 1,299. For 1,399 you could even upgrade to a GTX 1070, and it’d still be cheaper than the base Strix.
But if the hot-swappable SSD will make your gaming more convenient and you want an attractive design with customizable lights, the ROG Strix GL12 may be worth paying a bit extra.
How To Open Your Asus ROG Desktop
If you’re looking to open your Asus ROG desktop, there are a few things you’ll need to do. First, you’ll need to find the release latch that’s located on the back of the device. Once you’ve found it, you’ll need to use a flathead screwdriver to push down on the latch. Once the latch has been released, you’ll be able to open up the case and access the internals of your Asus ROG desktop. From here, you’ll be able to upgrade or replace any of the components inside.
Is Asus Rog Desktop Good For Gaming?
There is no simple answer to this question as it depends on a variety of factors. In general, however, Asus ROG desktops are good for gaming as they offer high-end specs and features that gamers need in order to enjoy their games. Additionally, Asus ROG desktops typically have a stylish and modern design that gamers will appreciate.
The Asus ROG Gaming Desktop Intel Core i7-11700F 16GB Memory is equipped with a dual-core processor. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 1TB HDD and 512GB SSD G15CE-B9 are included. Only verified purchases can be displayed. Customers can provide feedback to My Best Buy members, employees, and members of the Tech Insider Network. If you are a select reviewer, you may receive discounts or points for a thorough review. The Corsair-iCUE H100i is a good choice, but you should be extremely cautious because there isn’t much extra space inside. After some cable management, the MSI 240R is an excellent choice.
It’s cool in the summer, and it works great. Would have given me 5 stars if I didn’t have to upgrade my cooling system. What is the most descriptive review you have ever encountered? When you’re at the apex menu, the cooling system will be 90c and 53c. I was planning on purchasing the new Bf and cod. I had to fix the cooling system first and I was wondering if I should recommend this on a friend, who had asked for it on Quora, or something else? The in the Asus case, especially, is one of the worst cases you’ve ever owned.
It was designed to be too small, with no support for a 120mm chassis fan. After only 1-2 days, the case was made of hotel dust. I would not recommend Asus Answers to a friend, even if the response was unsatisfactory. I have a very good computer with many excellent parts. All Asus models come with a b560-G motherboard, as well as the 3070 and Intel’s i7 processor. Because cooling is an issue, you must have at least 100 saved for an AIO cooler. It’s a little tight to fit 240mm, but it should be.
You get 5 stars for about 160 if you add a crosshair elite cooler. I purchased this for my video card and immediately found out how hot it was, how fans were cycling, and how to shut it down. Place the case panel back in its place during this time. Air flow is superior regardless of the airflow. The 92mm Case Fan, ARX FD1290-S0153E, should be removed permanently. It is no longer useful to use. I temporarily swapped out the 3070 (DUAL-RTX3070-8G-PD) for my existing RTX 1070 during my downtime.
The Western Digital Blue PCI 3.0 NVMe M2 that I was using was replaced with the WDS100T1X0E. As soon as the following items are available, I will eagerly wait. The Pure Wings 2 PWMCooling Fan (BL038) has 92mm PWM blades and runs at maximum speed. The ARCTIC P12 PWM PST – 120mm Case Fan and PWM Sharing Technology (PST) are both included with the product. The Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM is a 120mm cooling fan with four pin operation. The One Noctua NT-H2 3.5G, Pro-Grade Thermal Compound Paste is made of high-quality materials. If this device requires service, Asus Customer Loyalty US Support suggests that you have it shipped in for repairs. We take great pride in our customer service, and we do everything we can to avoid negative feedback. We do not believe Asus provides good customer service. We will do our best to assist you in a timely manner.
The Asus ROG Strix GA35 is a cutting-edge gaming PC that is now one of the best on the market. It is powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core processor, a powerful GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card, and a 1TB hard drive. Furthermore, it has a sleek black design that will look great on any gaming setup. Aside from its price, this gaming PC is also very reasonably priced, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a powerful and high-end PC. If you’re looking for the best high-end gaming PC, the Asus ROG Strix GA35 is unquestionably the model to go for.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G15: The Best Gaming Laptop For 2021
The Asus Rogus G15 is one of the best gaming laptops on the market, and it is based on Asus’ well-known Z15 gaming laptop series. Because it can handle the most demanding games today, it is also an excellent daily driver. In addition to its power, the Asus Rog Zephyrus G15 will impress you. You can run games on this laptop to the highest level using its full range of configuration options. The Asus Rog Zephyrus G15 is an excellent choice if you are looking for a great gaming laptop with a great everyday use component. If you want the best gaming PC, you must go above and beyond the price range. Gaming PCs will be the best in 2021, with the best being the Asus ROG Strix GA35 with water cooling. This laptop, which can support 4K gaming, is equipped with up to 64GB of RAM and a 3900x processor. If you want to save money, the Asus ROG Strix GA15 is a great option. The laptops will be able to play the majority of games on the market, and they are both excellent gaming laptops.
How Do I Remove The Harddrive From My Asus Rog G20?
To remove the hard drive from your Asus ROG G20, first shut down the computer and disconnect all cables. Next, remove the side panel of the computer case. Locate the hard drive cage inside and remove the screws securing it to the chassis. Carefully remove the cage and set it aside. Locate the hard drive inside and remove the screws securing it to the cage. Gently pull the hard drive out of the cage and disconnect the data and power cables.
Can You Upgrade Asus Rog Desktop?
There is no hardware upgrade support provided by Asus. A desktop PC is a fully configured system that can handle a wide range of power-hungry applications and games without sacrificing performance or speed. Asus products do not come with hardware upgrade support.
Asus Rog Strix Geforce Rtx 3080 Is The Best Gaming Pc For 4k Gaming
If you want to upgrade Memory, Hard Drive (HDD), or Solid State Drive (SSD), you can find the technical specifications of the model on the Asus Official Website to determine if the computer hardware supports the upgrade and if the maximum memory capacity is available. Users of the ROG Strix lineup, as well as many other ROG laptops, have the option of upgrading to a newer model with more RAM or storage. In terms of 4K gaming, Asus has released the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080, which is the best gaming PC in its category. If you want a high-end GPU for your next gaming laptop and are in the market for a brand-new gaming laptop, the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 3080 is an excellent choice.
Seriously, the Asus ROG Ally could replace your desktop
The moment I played a game on Asus’ upcoming ROG Ally, it felt too good to be real. Performance is off the charts, and the form factor is surprisingly comfortable. And the more I thought about the ROG Ally after using it, the more I actually pondered replacing my high-end gaming desktop with the handheld.
I’ve been clear about my worries about Windows 11 on a handheld like this, and although we hear about efficiency with each new launch from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia, it’s hard to feel those gains in everyday use. But the ROG Ally not only looks like the winner against the Steam Deck, it also might just replace your desktop PC.
We need to talk about efficiency
We’ve all heard about performance-per-watt metrics and bold claims about efficiency ad nauseum, but in the enthusiast PC space that’s dominated by peak performance, they often fall on deaf ears. But he ROG Ally is a showcase of what efficiency advances can materialize as.
The ROG Ally uses AMD’s new Ryzen Z1 processor, which is built with Zen 4 CPU cores and RDNA 3 GPU cores. It’s faster than the Steam Deck’s APU, and efficiency advances are what make a form factor like the ROG Ally even possible.
That’s not what gets me excited about the handheld, though. The updated XG Mobile is. Asus released this external GPU dock a couple of years ago, and the most recent iteration packs a mobile RTX 4090 inside. The ROG Ally supports the proprietary connection, allowing you to plop down at your desk, dock the ROG Ally to the external GPU, and play games at a higher performance level.
There’s another aspect that helps the ROG Ally as a full-fledged desktop: Windows 11. The ROG Ally isn’t the first Windows 11 gaming handheld, but it’s the first with an ecosystem designed to work with Windows 11.
That comes courtesy of Armoury Crate, Asus’ gaming-focused management app. Unlike the Steam Deck, which needs to reboot if you want to switch between gaming mode and desktop mode, everything runs over the top of Windows 11 on the ROG Ally. Instead of a completely separate UI for launching games and managing your system settings with thumbsticks, Armoury Crate simply runs on top of Windows.
Even better, there’s a dedicated button to launch Armoury Crate. There were a handful of times while testing the ROG Ally where I would end up on the desktop or in a Windows menu while poking around. And no matter how far I went, I could always click the button and go right back to the handheld-focused UI.
It’s not hard using Windows 11 in handheld mode, either. It’s not perfect, but it’s far easier to navigate with the touchscreen than the desktop mode of SteamOS. For example, touching an address bar in a browser automatically brings up a keyboard, unlike SteamOS, where you can only invoke the keyboard with a button combination. It’s a small change, but it makes using Windows 11 in this form factor feel much more practical.
Armoury Crate was built to interact with Windows 11 as well. Through the app, you can fully rebind the controls on the ROG Ally, including mouse and keyboard commands. Beyond that, Asus includes several Windows shortcuts that you can bind to buttons, such as showing your desktop, launching Task Manager, and opening an application.
I don’t want to use the ROG Ally with Windows 11 in handheld mode, but I’d take using it over SteamOS in handheld mode mode any day. Still, it’s not perfect. Because Windows 11 is static, the ROG Ally is more than happy to let you run several applications at the same time, including multiple games. Managing what apps you have open is something that doesn’t come up on the Steam Deck, and it’s a primary concern on the ROG Ally.
You don’t ever have to interact with the Windows 11 desktop, though. Armoury Crate automatically hooks up to the EA app, Xbox app, Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, and GOG Galaxy, so you can install all your games and launch them through Armoury Crate without ever touching the Windows 11 desktop.
Built for more
Between Windows 11 and highly efficient hardware, the ROG Ally is capable of delivering a desktop experience. It’s clear that Asus designed the handheld for this purpose, too. In the box, for example, there’s a small plastic dock. It’s just a cheap piece of plastic, but it props the device up like a dock, and that’s all you really need.
In addition, the charger doesn’t just hook into the wall. It uses USB-C, and along with that connection, the charger also includes a USB port and an HDMI 2.0 output. Even if you don’t have XG Mobile, you can hook the ROG Ally up to an external monitor without buying any additional accessories.
I still need time with the ROG Ally to test where it excels and where it falls behind, but it’s already impressing me. The handheld experience is great, there’s no doubt about that. But I wouldn’t be shocked to see the device replace some high-end gaming PCs when combined with the XG Mobile, and that’s something to get excited about.
Editors’ Recommendations
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn’t run on a laptop, he…
Microsoft might have just given us a small, but hopeful glimpse of a possible Windows 11 gaming UI designed to be used with small handheld gaming devices. It might also be a sign that Redmond is finally taking portable PC gaming more seriously.
During an internally-hosted Microsoft hackathon event back in September, an experimental Windows interface has gotten the attention of the portable gaming device community, thanks to a tweeted leak. Called “Windows Handheld Mode”, the interface essentially brings a gaming shell or launcher in lieu of a regular Windows 11 desktop UI.
Asus released a trailer for a handheld Steam Deck competitor over the weekend, but there was just one problem. The trailer dropped on April 1. That lead many to assume it was an elaborate, high-budget April Fool’s prank, but Asus has confirmed that its handheld gaming PC is real and coming soon.
ROG ALLY. ROG’s First Gaming Handheld Console
We’re off to a rocky start with PC releases in 2023. Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Forspoken, and most recently and notably The Last of Us Part One have all launched in dire states, with crashes, hitches, and lower performance despite a minor increase in visual quality. And a big reason why is that the graphics cards of the last few years aren’t equipped to handle the demands of games today.
The GPUs themselves are powerful enough; games haven’t suddenly gotten more demanding for no reason. The problem is video memory or VRAM. Many of the most powerful GPUs from the previous generation weren’t set up to handle the VRAM demands of modern games, which may explain why your relatively powerful PC can’t handle the latest and most exciting new games. What does your VRAM do anyway?
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