I spent a week testing the ROG Zephyrus G14 — I already love it more than my expensive gaming PC
Recently, I wrote a piece about my custom-built PC that proved somewhat (ahem) "divisive." I’ve gone through ups and downs with my Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090-powered rig over the past year, and my relationship with my wallet-crushing desktop hasn’t been helped by the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023).
Hot damn what a laptop.
The version I’ve been testing will admittedly cost you an arm (and most likely both your legs), but it’s still a hugely impressive gaming machine. Mercifully, cheaper configurations start off at a more palatable $2,499.
Of course, when the G14 config I've been using is priced at $3,299 / £3,599, FPS-slaying performance is essential.
And it really delivers.
The G14 has beasted every game I've thrown at it."
I’ve thrown close to a dozen recent big-budget games at the G14, and it’s beasted them all. With Asus wisely opting for a native screen resolution just above 2K — 2,560 x 1,600, to be precise — hitting the laptop’s top 165Hz refresh rate in many games is possible.
The G14’s awesome Mini-LED display plays a huge role in making this laptop feel truly elite. Boasting brilliant contrast and near OLED-quality black levels, it’s an amazing screen to play games on.
Beast mode
When you pair such a quality panel with the laptop version of the RTX 4090, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, it’s no surprise the subsequent gaming results are a little bit special. Which they obviously should be, considering the colossal outlay involved in achieving them.
This will sound a touch hyperbolic, but I’ve created some of my favorite gaming memories of the past few years with the G14.
I finally finished the PC version of Resident Evil 4 — even after getting the platinum trophy on what’s one of the best PS5 games. I’ve enjoyed racing around Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 at 120 fps thanks to the G14’s power and Nvidia’s DLSS 3 features. Hell, I even completed the GOG Galaxy edition of Metal Gear Solid 2 (a game I’ve finished at least a dozen times on console) because the 2001 classic still looks and plays superbly, provided you install the right mod.
The G14 further boosts its credentials as a powerhouse that can rival some of the best gaming laptops through smart design decisions. This is a lovely-looking laptop that screams ‘spared no expense’ at every turn. I love the G14’s slimmed-down bezel, I’m a big fan of its responsive keyboard and I really appreciate how quiet it runs, even under heavy load.
Quiet down
That last point is worth emphasizing. I’ve tested some powerful gaming laptops of late, and the G14 is comfortably the quietest I’ve used.
While the Acer Predator Helios 300 sounds like a 747 taking off when booting even a mildly demanding game, Asus’ high-end laptop is far less harsh on your lobes.
Yes, the G14 gets hot — uncomfortably so if you touch the center of the laptop just beneath the screen — but it’s clearly doing something right with fan output. Its speakers might be a little on the quiet side, yet that isn’t a huge issue when the laptop generally so quietly.
This is comfortably one of the quietest gaming laptops I've used."
So yes, I’m clearly a massive fan of the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023). Whether playing Red Dead Redemption 2 at 120 fps on the couch while lazily enjoying the first test match of The Ashes or using its responsive keyboard and touchpad to browse the web, I’ve loved my time with this laptop.
If you have a serious chunk of change to burn, the G14 is well-suited to serving your most demanding portable gaming needs.
