Our configuration
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800S
RAM: 32 GB DDR5
Storage: 1 TB SSD
Screen: 14″ IPS panel, 120HZ, 2560 x 1600
The time when you as a gamer must have a desktop is long gone. So is the idea that gaming laptops should be big, bulky things that don’t look like much.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a beautiful laptop that packs a lot of smart tricks. Anyone familiar with the older model will immediately recognize the design. The beautiful white color is back, as is the LED Dot Matrix, which you can customize with effects, texts or even gifs. It’s not RGB, but it’s enough to make it an eye-catching product.
Unlike the previous version, Asus has chosen AMD for the 2022 version. Where the 2020 model came with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, this one comes with the new AMD Radeon RX 6800S. This is a low-power version of the GPU, which allows it to fit into this low-profile case and also extends battery life.
Despite this power-saving version, you don’t have to worry about not being able to run games. The fans also work well and heat is dissipated well by the excellent cooling elements.
Price and availability
The configuration of the Asus Zephyrus G14 (2022) that we tested can be purchased in most stores for around 2,499 euros. Prices may vary.
You can get earlier models of the laptop for less, sometimes around 1,500 euros. Please note: this is most likely not the current version, but rather the 2020 version.
Design
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is absolutely fantastic. We’ve tested the black laptop and despite the fact that the laptop has an unmistakable gaming laptop look, it’s a feast for the eyes. It looks sleek and isn’t overly bulky like you see on many others. The white design is even more stunning, so if you have the option to choose between the two colors, we recommend the white one.
It’s also exceptionally light and portable for a gaming laptop. It weighs only 1.75 kg and is only 2 cm thick. It is no problem at all to put the laptop in your backpack and take it with you everywhere. People on the train sometimes looked surprised when they saw the Ring of Fire in the mirror of the window. The thin design also makes it an ideal work laptop, and thanks to its modest design, this laptop won’t fall out of the way in the office.
The smaller size also does not mean that the Zephyrus G14 compromises on ports. On the right side of the laptop you get two USB-A ports, one USB-C and a microSD card reader. On the left you have the dedicated charging port, an HDMI port, another USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack.
On the sides you have the ventilation openings that remove the hot air from the laptop. It can get hot at times, but it’s a significantly better design than the Asus TUF Dash F15. The top rows of the portable gaming laptop’s keyboard got quite warm, but with the G14 it was a nice way to warm your icy fingers at best. In addition, these keys are for controlling the sound and launching ROG Armory (more on that later).
The keyboard itself is very comfortable to type on. The key travel is nice and deep despite the small size, the keys are well placed, and we didn’t (or at least rarely) hit double keys while typing. An ideal addition to the keyboard is the lighting. Unlike the usual flamboyant RGB colors, the G14 has white LEDs that subtly illuminate the keyboard. The RGB is therefore not necessary at all, because the white light is soothing and more than enough.
If you still want something striking, you always have the Dot Matrix display on the back. So a panel with all sorts of small holes, each of which is illuminated with an LED. This allows you to customize the back with different images or a gif. It is even possible to enter texts that appear by themselves. Great for Friday afternoon drinks at the office!
The speakers are located at the bottom of the laptop and it rarely works well. The sound itself is fine for a laptop, but otherwise it is not very strong. A self-respecting little gamer still switches to a headset or quality earplugs during long gaming sessions.
Design rating: 4/5
Screen
Our configuration of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) has a 14-inch QHD+ IPS panel. The screen uses ROG Nebula technology, which uses Mini-LEDs that provide a deeper contrast between true black areas of the screen and the brightest highlights.
Thanks to the resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels on a smaller 14 inch screen, the screen is very sharp. The G14 has an aspect ratio of 16:10.
It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes the screen suitable for gaming. We would have preferred a 144Hz display as it is the gold standard for gaming, especially competitive games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends. Nevertheless, the average user will be very happy with this refresh rate. In addition, the response time is only 3ms, which is fast enough for most gamers.
In many cases, a smaller laptop has the advantage that you can take it with you more easily, but the small form factor can also be a problem in some games. If you play at native resolution in shooters, the opponents look very small when they are at a distance.
In Indie games or card games like Hearthstone, you won’t have this problem so easily, but it’s something to think about before buying the G14. Of course, you can always connect an additional screen and then you no longer have this problem. Thanks to the anti-glare screen, you can play games on the train, the bus or if you want to sit in the garden in the sun.
Show score: 4/5
Performance
Our configuration consisted of an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor, an AMD Radeon RX 6800S graphics card, a spacious 1TB SSD and a whopping 32GB of DDR5 RAM, enough for most high-end games on the market. We’re glad Asus chose a single graphics card and not a secondary card for productivity and one for gaming, although that often works fine in practice.
The ROG Zephyrus G14 is an excellent gaming laptop. We ran the 3DMark benchmark. In Time Spy, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gets a score of 8,720 points, which is about 100 points less than the Razer Blade 15 equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080.
In practice, this means you can play most games effortlessly with the G14. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive we occasionally hit 400 fps thanks to the powerful graphics card. In addition, the frame rate was also quite stable. Rarely did the fps dip and the few times the fps dip below 300 probably has more to do with the game itself. In combination with the 120Hz screen, the G14 is therefore really good for competitive games.
But visual spectacles like Elden Ring and God of War also run great. You don’t have to worry about a jerky image, because the frame rate can usually keep up with the game. Isonzo, the WW1 shooter where you play with dozens of people at the same time on a giant battlefield, also did very well. At the highest settings, we reached over 60 fps in very intense environments, which is always a plus.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is also an excellent laptop for most gaming sessions. Thanks to the good cooling, the G14 does not get that hot, unlike some laptops. The top row of the keyboard does get warm after a while, but it’s a big improvement over the Asus TUF Dash F15, which got really hot at times. The maximum temperature we reached was 90 degrees, but that temperature dropped almost immediately when we stopped playing.
Performance rating: 4/5
Battery
Anyone who buys a gaming laptop knows that you don’t buy it for the “impressive battery life”. Still, the G14 is surprisingly good on that front, as four or five hours straight without a charger was fine. We even hit seven hours once, which you don’t often see on a gaming laptop.
There’s a “silent” mode that reduces power and starts automatically when you’re not using a charger. Less battery demanding tasks such as meetings, videos and writing are ideal. You can play, but with reduced performance. Incidentally, you can also simply switch this mode off, but then the battery will of course not last as long.
The included charger isn’t the fastest in the world, but it does the job. It is also possible to charge the laptop using a USB cable with power supply. We do not recommend that you play at the same time, because charging with USB stops at 100W.
Battery class: 3.5/5
Software
The software for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is simple but excellent. Like the other Asus products, the G14 has the Armory Crate program. With this tool, you get immediate access to all kinds of useful statistics about your laptop. Think about the different temperatures, the fan speed, how much RAM and storage you use and much more.
In Armory Crate you can also switch between different GPU modes, so you can make your perfect settings. For example, you can select Ultimate mode, which allows you to use the graphics card’s maximum processing power to get the most out of your favorite video games. The real techies among us can totally adjust their laptop properly.
Software rating: 4/5
| Category | Remark | Digit |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Beautiful design with nice accessories | 4.5/5 |
| Screen | Sharp, small screen. Only the 120Hz refresh rate can be slightly higher. | 4/5 |
| Performance | Games run more than smoothly. | 4/5 |
| Battery | Very good for a gaming laptop, but we still recommend a charger for gaming sessions. | 3.5/5 |
| Software | Armory Crate is awesome. | 4/5 |
| Price quality | A beautiful, powerful and, above all, small laptop that is worth the hefty price. | 4/5 |