ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501 Review : Thin But Powerfull

Zephyrus is the name that ASUS’ given to this gaming notebook; however, we prefer to call it virus. The reason is very simple.

This gaming notebook has a thin body, yet the performance is really amazing. To make it clear, Zephyrus GX501 is the world’s thinnest GTX 1080 GPU gaming notebook. When we measure it, the thickness is only about 2 cm only. This is a great achievement in the gaming notebook industry. With a 15.6-inch screen, the weight is still very light, 2.2 kg. Actually, the thickness will slightly increase when used.

At the bottom, the screen will rise automatically to minimize the heat it generates. This section will light up while charged.

When closed or opened, Zephyrus GX501 really steals attention. The top part, specifically behind the screen, looks very attractive that it is beautified by accents of two-way lines.

Plus, there is an ROG logo that can glow in the dark. Meanwhile, the inside looks even more attractive than the outside. ASUS puts the keyboard a bit jutting to the bottom. Touchpad is placed on the right side of the keyboard.

This touchpad can work as Numpad as well. Moreover, on it, there is a wide empty area.

At first, we thought this area had an active function, like speakers for example. But we were wrong.

Speakers are placed on the left side of the keyboard and on the right side of touchpad. And this mysterious area is deliberately emptied to contain the main components. If you notice many small holes in this area, it is actually for the air circulation. So, ASUS was deliberately designed it just like this in order to suppress its thickness. On one hand, the portability is so much better than other ROG notebooks. But on the other hand, the comfort of typing has to be sacrificed. The keyboard position is too jutting to the bottom that it does not leave any room for armrest area. But come to think of it, we personally have no problem with this because this is a gaming notebook, not for typing.

Talking about the keyboard, the type used is not a mechanic keyboard.

Again, this is because of the dimensions of the notebook that is quite thin. Even so, the performance is still fun because it is supported by antighosting and beautified by ROG Aura.

We think that the discussion about the design is enough.

Now, let’s discuss more about its performance. As we said at the beginning, Zephyrus GX501 is the world’s thinnest NVIDIA GTX0180 GPU gaming notebook.

How come? It turns out that the GPU used is a special version, namely GTX 1080 Max Q Design

with 8 GB VRAM that is designed by NVIDIA, specifically for gaming notebooks with thickness below 3 cm. Of course, its performance is still below the desktop version of GTX 1080.

But you do not have to worry because the ability deserves a lively applause.

Having Intel Core i7-7700HK CPU, 16GB RAM and 1 TB NVM Express SSD, Zephyrus GX501 can be used to run new games smoothly using right-aligned graphics settings.

For example, Dirt 4 or Forza Horizon 3 which gets around 90 to 100 fps with ultra graphics and Full HD resolution.

Therefore, games like Payday 2, The Surge, or Ainars will obviously feels very light. We have never experienced throttling or lag because of overheat.

In addition to a very high fps, the convenience of playing games is also maximized by its great screen. Zephyrus GX501 screen resolution feels right, and supported by 120 Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-Sync technology.

Then, how about the heat? Do not worry, we have been using it for almost a week, and we do not feel any excessive heat while using it.

The heat it generates is still normal. The warmest point, of course, is in the area where the component is located, and sometimes slightly warm in the keyboard area, yet not disturbing.

ASUS succeeded in designing an active cooling system in form of two fans and a series of heat pipes that effectively dissipate heat, and most importantly, does not make very loud noise that may disturb our comfort. Speaking of sound, this is one of the shortcomings we feel. The placement of the speaker hole is already strategic

that our hands will not cover. But the volume is not too loud, and the quality is generally quite standard for a gaming notebook.

Another major disadvantage is the battery. Actually it can be understood if Zephyrus GX501 battery will quickly run out due to the thin body.

For nonstop browsing, the battery can last about 2 hours. As for playing heavy games, the battery lasts only about 45 minutes. This means we must not forget to bring the charger while traveling. And unfortunately, the adapter and cable are quite huge. Plus, the weight is almost 700 gram. Undoubtedly,

Zephyrus GX501 is a gaming notebook that is capable of spreading viruses, thanks to its excellent performance with unique, slim, and portable designs. However, this gaming notebook also has weaknesses on the speakers and batteries.

Well, if you are interested to buy, get ready to spend quite much as you can have it for Rp50 million.