Laptops are not considered optimum gaming machines, because they can’t be upgraded easily. Desktops are essentially large cases you can fill with whatever parts you want to optimize your gaming experience, while laptops are package deals. This isn’t to say laptops are lacking for games – I use a laptop and can run even newer games with no trouble.
This laptop scares me, on some level. The thing is huge – my personal laptop is a larger model, and is tiny compared to it. The ROG Asus is also ice-cold – I’m not exaggerating that. It’s frigid to the touch, and makes little noise. The keyboard is responsive, and it doesn’t take long to find the right hand positions, but it’s giant, frosty monolith, sitting on my living room table, beckoning with floating cities and expansive wilderness.
I fully admit I’m not to most technically minding of individuals, so I plan to focus on how the laptop’s features’ work in practice. There are some things worth noting beyond this, however. Four hard drives means there’s not really any danger of running out of space for games, even if you’re like me and never delete a thing. Even without that, Cloud support exists so that games can be carried over from other systems. I welcome the freedom to fully install games and enable the optimum running speed.
I tried this game on every graphically-impressive game I had available, with the settings all maxed, and had no problems. Bioshock Infinite on Ultra didn’t even skip a beat in the most graphically-draining area of the game, and Warframe with all the Phys-X spark effects and maxed resolution ran flawlessly. The only game that didn’t run entirely smoothly was the Witcher 2, on Ultra, and it’s known for being visually intense, and by ‘not run entirely smoothly’ I mean “is slightly less than perfectly liquid’. There doesn’t seem to be any risk of it not running current games, and most future games. For whatever else, games look good on it.
I’ve been using a pretty standard store-bought laptop as a gaming machine for years, and never had many problems running games. I can’t run them with high graphics settings or maxed resolutions, no, but they run. The Asus ROG, however, has no trouble running even on the highest settings, and most likely won’t have an issue with anything else coming out. If you’re able to get several years out of this machine, you can continue to play games with strong graphics for several years.
The laptop also boasts higher sound quality than most laptops, which I suppose is fine. I didn’t see much reason not to use a set of headsets, however, in order to benefit from surround sound. The audio quality was pretty good, however, especially for build-in laptop speakers. Paired with the headphones I was testing, the sound worked out quite well, and the audio quality was pretty great.
ASUS ROG G750JH Laptop Specs
| ASUS ROG G750JH | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 17.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) LED |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 (4th Gen) 4700HQ / 2.4 GHz |
| Video | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M – 4 GB GDDR5 SDRAM |
| Memory | 24 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit Ethernet |
| Ports | LANMicrophone inputHeadphone/SPDIF combo jackVGAHDMIThunderbolt4 x USB 3.0 |
| Baterry | 88 Wh |
| Operating system | Windows 8 64-bit Edition |
| Size | 16.1 in Width X 12.5 in X 2.2 in |
| Weight | 10.49 lbs |
| Extras | ASUS Smart Gesture technology, multi-touch touchpad |
To be honest, the $2,500 price tag is intimidating. This thing will run pretty much any game at ultra settings with no problem now, which means it won’t have too much trouble with future games; however, if you’re looking for bleeding-edge technology anyway, you are probably going to be looking for a desktop. The main usage for such a machine is mobility, and given the size and difficulty of carrying it (I had some serious trouble getting the thing around, even in its original box, which sort of works as a carrying case). A machine this size simply becomes cumbersome.
Furthermore, the built-in touchpad is touted as having sensitivity for gaming, but its placement simply isn’t conducive to good gaming. You’re just better off buying a quality mouse and using that for most things – it’ll offer you more control than any touchpad will when you’re playing anything.
If you want a gaming laptop, this is a good choice for it. It’s not going to fill a desktop’s niche, and it’s lack of easy mobility is somewhat of an issue. You’ll at least get a workout carrying it around.
Positives: Amazing Graphics Capacity, Multiple Hard Drives for Installation Space, Responsive and Well-Positioned Keyboard, Good Long-term Running, Ice-cold
Negatives: Large and Heavy, Portability Issues, Lack of Upgrades may lead to obsolescence (especially given Price)
