ASUS Strix G16 - A Great Gaming Laptop, Except for...

ASUS ROG Strix G16 (Eclipse Gray) — Key Points From the Review

Overall verdict

A strong, well-built mid-range gaming laptop with excellent screen and good performance, but the reviewer’s main criticism is that the current price is too high compared to competing 4060/4070 options. Buy it only if it’s discounted to a competitive price.

---

Main features highlighted

Build / Design

• Eclipse gray finish (more muted than the Volt Green option)
• Smooth, sturdy plastic interior; only slight flex under pressure
• RGB light bar on the front even on the gray model
• Lid opens easily thanks to a sticking lid design; hinge sounded like it may be rubbing (likely unit-specific)

Size / Weight

• 16” model, slightly thicker at the back than typical 15” gaming laptops
• Weight:
  • ~5.2 lb / 2.4 kg (laptop)
  • ~7.1 lb / 3.2 kg with the included 280W charger
• Weight varies by configuration (280W vs 330W power bricks on higher-spec models)

Configuration tested

• Intel Core i7-13650HX
• RTX 4060
• 16GB RAM
• 16” 240Hz display

Keyboard / Inputs

• 4-zone RGB per-key lighting (looks cool but can make letters harder to read depending on lighting)
• Key travel: 1.9mm, with a nice clicky feel
• Extra keys for volume/mute/performance mode/Armory Crate
• Minor annoyance: short right Shift
• Touchpad: ~10% larger this year; feels good to click
• Touchpad/“numpad” built-in option shown online but missing on this unit

Ports / Connectivity

• Most ports on the left:
  • Power, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, two Type-C
    • Left Type-C: Thunderbolt 4
    • Right Type-C: USB 3.2 Gen 2
• Right side:
  • Two USB-A (Gen 2) ports
• No ports on the back

Display output behavior

• Thunderbolt 4 routes to Intel iGPU (whether Optimus is on/off)
• The other Type-C + HDMI route to Nvidia GPU
• HDMI verified: 4K LG B9 at 120Hz, 12-bit with G-Sync
• Type-C (front-most) supports charging; Thunderbolt 4 does not

Upgradeability / Internals

• Easy-ish access: 11 Phillips screws
• 2023 design avoids prior year bottom-panel RGB ribbon-cable risks
• Internals layout:
  • Battery at the front
  • 2 RAM slots above
  • SSD on the right
  • Spare M.2 slot on the left above the Wi‑Fi 6E card

Storage

• Tested 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
• Both M.2 slots can fit up to 4TB drives (chips on both sides)
• Upgrade score: RAM + Wi‑Fi replaceable “without any problems”
• Wi‑Fi performance: very good, in line with other laptops using the same Intel card

Speakers / Audio

• Speakers are front-left and front-right
• Clear sound, but tinny without bass at higher volumes
• Best sound noted around 50% volume (above average for a gaming laptop)

Battery / Power features

• 90Wh (4-cell) battery
• Battery care mode (via MyASUS): limits charge to 80%
• Panel power saver enabled by default:
  • Screen drops to 60Hz when unplugged, then back to 240Hz when plugged in
  • Causes a brief black flash during refresh-rate switching

Battery life results

• ~5 hours YouTube playback
• ~1h 50m in gaming (called above average)

Thermals / Cooling

• 3 fans, 7 heatpipes
• Liquid metal used on CPU in this design (GPU liquid metal noted for top-end configs; for this unit, it’s specifically described as CPU-focused)
• Airflow explains no back ports; exhausts from left/right and back
• Dust filters over intakes

Software / Performance modes

• Armory Crate performance modes: silent, performance, turbo, manual
• Manual mode allows control of:
  • fan speed
  • CPU/GPU power limits
  • GPU temperature limit
  • GPU OC
• Turbo vs manual performance: fairly similar FPS, with manual being more controllable

---

Display and latency (strong positives)

• Nebula 16” 2560×1600 240Hz panel tested
• Color/gamut: described as seriously impressive
• Brightness:
  • “fairly bright,” but reviewer didn’t consistently see ASUS’s claimed 500 nits
  • possible panel-to-panel variance
• Backlight bleed: none detected (may vary)
• Response time:
  • Overdrive on: ~3.7ms avg GtG
  • Overdrive off: slower (but removes overshoot/undershoot)
  • Claimed as one of the best non‑OLED measured results in class
• System latency (CS:GO): described as quite fast, not noticeably worse than earlier testing

---

Performance & benchmarks (RTX 4060 context)

General take

• RTX 4060 performance is described as solid but lower than higher-tier configs
• Reviewer says it can feel smoother in some games due to better 1% lows

Game comparisons

• Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p/1440p)
  • Lower than some RTX 4060 expectations, but differences are small
  • fewer dips / better 1% low → smoother feel
• Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Basically tied with Helios Neo 16 for best RTX 4060 result
• Control
  • Noted as performing better on Nvidia GPUs
  • Strix G16 shows about 22% higher average FPS vs ASUS TUF A16 (AMD-based)
  • Emphasis again on stronger 1% low at 1440p

Bigger picture

• Reviewer claims RTX 4070 laptops aren’t much better than 4060, implying a more meaningful jump requires 4080/4090

CPU behavior / power

• CPU can reach very high power limits (close to 90W in stress testing)
• On battery, performance drops hard in multi-core
• Thermal throttling possible in extreme manual max settings (worst-case)

Thermals / feel

• Keyboard idle temps similar to most laptops (~low 30°C range)
• Middle area warmer under stress but “didn’t feel uncomfortable”
• Fans:
  • silent at idle
  • manual max is quite loud (headphones recommended)

---

Connectivity / Graphics switching (MUX / Optimus)

• Has a MUX switch
• Can disable Optimus (reboot via Armour Crate “Ultimate mode”)
• Supports advanced Optimus
• G-Sync support when Optimus is off

MUX/Optimus behavior

• TB4 always uses Intel iGPU
• Other Type-C + HDMI use Nvidia dGPU

---

Linux support (mixed)

• Ubuntu 23.04 live CD:
  • Keyboard, touchpad, camera, Ethernet, Wi‑Fi worked by default
  • Speakers did not work
  • Aura key didn’t switch off default rainbow effect (but brightness/RGB shortcut keys worked)

---

Ratings / numerical results mentioned

• Battery life
  • ~5 hours (YouTube)
  • ~1h 50m (gaming)
• Weights
  • ~5.2 lb / 2.4 kg (laptop)
  • ~7.1 lb / 3.2 kg with charger
  • Charger wattage varies by configuration
• Display response
  • ~3.7ms avg GtG with overdrive
• Audio
  • best sound around ~50% volume
• Performance comparisons
  • Control: ~22% higher avg FPS vs ASUS TUF A16 (per reviewer)

(No formal star rating/score was given.)

---

Pros (unique points)

• Strong build quality; smooth/sturdy feel
• Very good upgradeability (RAM, Wi‑Fi, M.2 slots; supports large 4TB SSDs)
• Excellent 16” 2560×1600 240Hz Nebula display (color, response time, low bleed)
• Good gaming smoothness in some titles via better 1% lows
• Great external display support tested (HDMI 4K @ 120Hz + G-Sync)
• Good keyboard feel and typing experience
• Good Wi‑Fi performance
• Solid battery life for a gaming laptop (especially gaming endurance)
• Low latency responsiveness described as fast for the class
• Fans silent at idle; thermals generally well-controlled

---

Cons (unique points)

• Price too high at the time of recording vs competition (main critique)
• RGB key lighting can make characters harder to read in some lighting
• Short right Shift may annoy some users
• Touchpad “numpad” feature shown online appears missing on the tested unit
• Hinge made noise on open/close (possible rubbing; uncertain long-term)
• Speakers become tinny at higher volume (bass lacking)
• Refresh-rate switching causes brief black flashes when unplugging/plugging
• Manual max performance settings are very loud
• Linux: speakers don’t work in the reviewer’s Ubuntu live test
• Limited BIOS customization compared to some competitors (e.g., MSI)

---

Pricing / competition comparisons (major buying factor)

• Reviewer claims (at the time):
  • RTX 4060 config not widely available at major retailers; found via reseller around $1600
  • described as too expensive for a 4060
• Suggested alternative pricing:
  • RTX 4050: $1190
  • RTX 4070: $2200
• Discounts mentioned:
  • Lenovo Legion Pro 5 can be ~$700 less
• Conclusion:
  • Strix G16 is good, but value depends heavily on sales/price
• Suggested next watch:
  • Lenovo LOQ 15/16 (cheaper, fewer features, similar gaming performance to Strix in earlier comparisons)

---

Speaker viewpoints

• Single main reviewer voice covering:
  • design/build, ports, upgradeability, display, thermals, performance, battery, software, Linux, and pricing/value

---

Final recommendation

Recommend only if the ASUS Strix G16 (RTX 4060) is discounted to a competitive price. Its strengths—especially the display, thermals/performance tuning, and upgradeability—make it a strong gaming option, but the reviewer believes its current price undermines the value versus competing models (Legion Pro 5, LOQ, and other 4060/4070 deals).