As we head into 2023 and with CES put to bed, we know all about the new range of laptops that will be heading our way through the year – but we’re not there yet, so this week we’re checking out the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513 gaming laptop.
Launched as an update to the G15 Scott checked out back in 2021, the 2022 model was updated with a new AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor with an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM on-board. ASUS has kept much of the visual design of the G15 the same, so it’s mostly under the hood changes.
I spent a couple of weeks with the ROG Strix G15 2022 model, and here’s how it went.
Hardware and Design
For those who enjoy the typical aesthetic of a gaming laptop, with RGB lighting, industrial looking cooling vents and highlighted WASD keys on the RGB keyboard keyboard. There’s also the ROG logo embossed on the aluminium lid that’s backlit – at it’s core the ROG Strix G15 is the ideal of a gamer laptop design.
It’s a laptop to start with, but uses those key design flairs to ramp up the look of the laptop and really make you stand out.
The RGB lighting is obviously all over the full-sized Keyboard, but also extends to the light bar underneath the front. I’m not huge on the #RGBLyfe, but I admit it does look pretty cool when I left it on the dining table overnight and it lit up in the low light.
One change from last year’s model is that you can no longer change the plastic end cap on the rear of the laptop. ASUS got right into heavily customised components, even going so far as to letting people 3D Print their own to encourage personalisation, but that isn’t an option on this years G15. There is a bright pink rubber foot on the base, but it, like the rest of the laptop is for aesthetic purposes only.
That hinge does protrude from the end of the laptop when the display is up, but it actually makes for a unique design flair that distinguishes it from other clamshell laptops. I like it, and it also adds more room for cooling, and when it comes to gaming laptops, we all love cooling. This rear portion is also where you find the majority of the ports on the laptop, with the USB-C ports, Ethernet and HDMI ports, as well as the power input.
Speaking of cooling, there are vents all over the laptop, the sides, rear and bottom of the laptop ensure it stays cool even under the most intense performance. The base does have a fetching pink rubber foot, but as you don’t spend a lot of time with the laptop upside down, most won’t notice.
One consistent missing feature from last year is the lack of both fingerprint scanner, and webcam. The omission of a webcam is an odd choice for a gaming laptop, given the popularity of face cam on game streams, but there is always the option to plug a USB camera in. Unfortunately both missing features do mean there are no Windows Hello biometric login options.
There is a fantastic keyboard on the G15, which as above, includes customisable per-key RGB lighting. There’s 2mm travel distance on the keys, just enough feedback, without too much travel to make it feel like an effort.
The keyboard includes all the function keys, as well as five programmable hot keys at the top labelled M1-M5 sitting slightly above the functions at the top. They’re preset with labels, though you can customise the Armoury Crate software.
The customisable RGB lighting – through the Aura Creator app – can be configured in a range of different styles ranging through static, breathing, colour cycle rainbow and more. You can set your own design with the keyboard and lightbar all split into sections so you can really get some individual lighting patterns going. It’s neat, if you really want to go into the customisation.
The touchpad below the keyboard is centre-mounted and is super large and highly responsive. It supports the usual single or multi-finger gesture functions so you can do what you need on the go – that said, any time I launched a game it was definitely better to connect a mouse.
The laptop includes Dolby Atmos support with 2 Speakers so you can get some pretty decent audio out of the laptop. The Dolby Atmos support extends to headphones too, and can be configured in the Dolby Access app through various pre-sets, or with your own customised profile thanks to the 10-band graphic equaliser.
There is a microphone included in the laptop (even if there’s no camera) and it includes AI mic Noise Cancelation to help reduce any background noise.
Display
The 15.6-inch display on the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513 is essentially the same as last year’s model, with a FullHD resolution IPS Dolby Vision compatible panel at an awesomely fast 300Hz refresh rate that’s excellent for gaming. Unlike last year, there’s no QHD resolution model, but they are matte covered so reflections aren’t a problem, but they’re also not touch enabled if that’s something you’re after.
There’s a little bezel around the top and sides of the display, but nothing overly large – however there is a larger bezel at the bottom for the hinge.
While ASUS has transitioned to OLED panels for their business lines including the ZenBook, VivoBook etc. their ROG machines appear to still use IPS LCD panels. These panels are still bright and offer brilliant refresh rate speeds which I found on the ROG Strix G15 2022.
The display does cover 100% sRGB, so it’s colour accurate if you want that for any work you’re doing on it. It also supports Dolby Vision to make for an excellent experience watching movies.
Overall, it’s a lovely display with plenty of brightness and it’s extremely responsive for gaming.
Performance
The laptop includes an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor with an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM on-board. It’s a fantastic overall combo that will take care of almost anything you can throw at it in terms of general day-to-day use, as well as offering decently impressive gaming when you want it.
The NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU isn’t the highest end, but it did allow me to run the usual games like Fortnite, as well as power through Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra/High graphic options, though at around 30fps. I could run through other games in my library at very acceptable frame-rates as well.
Of course I ran the G15 through the usual 3DMark benchmarks and here’s the results.
Battery & Charging
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 includes a roomy 90WHr 4-Cell Li-Ion battery with a 240W charger included in the box.
Battery life is actually pretty impressive for a gaming laptop – if you want to be a little boring. Using the G15 for simple web and video viewing you could cruise through a full day of use (over 12 hours) with ease with the screen at (a still respecactably bright) 50% brightness, which was still visible if you worked outdoors. Ramp that up to (an almost retina burning) 100% brightness and you get around 6-8 hours of battery life.
Gaming battery life though was a little gnarly in terms of life with around an hour of life when using Ultra settings across games like Cyberpunk, as well as just letting my on run rampant on Fortnite.
In terms of charging, that 240W charger is a beast, bringing you back to almost 50% charge in a little over 30 minutes in my testing, while a full charge took up to 2 hours to reach the 100% mark.
While there’s no Thunderbolt 4 (Branding!) there’s USB-C ports, one of which supports 100W PD charging. It also takes around 2 hours to reach full charge, with slightly slower increments along the way, taking around 45 minutes to hit the 50% charge.
Software
Windows + Apps
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2022) runs Microsoft Windows 11 Home, which of course comes with all the usual support and regular updates from Microsoft. There’s the usual array of software on offer from Microsoft – Xbox software, MSOffice 365 trial and of course the trusty games including Solitaire.
There’s also a number of ‘bloatware’ apps included such as McAfee LiveSafe – which as usual runs out of trial and becomes the most annoying piece of software ever when reminding you of that fact. There’s also a few other bits and pieces begging to be uninstalled including TikTok and Spotify.
Some apps though, like the Dolby Access app for configuring Dolby Vision and Atmos settings and GeForce Experience software for your GPU to update drivers, customise games and more. These are definitely worth having installed, so keep them up to date and leave them be.
ASUS Apps
I’m generally a fan of the myASUS app, it keeps all your settings in one place, but with the ROG line of machines it gets a bit finicky with additional apps like the Aura Creator for RGB effects, and the Armoury Crate software for performance management. These apps, in their own right, are definitely worth having, but I long for the days of an all-in-one app.
Should you buy this laptop?
At around $2,699 from most retailers selling the ROG Strix G15 (2022), the price is excellent for a gaming laptop, as well as a laptop that will get you through a full day of use.
It’s a little bulkier than your average laptop, so it’s not going to tick the ‘ultraportable’ box for anyone. It also comes down to the aesthetics of what you like, and if the ROG gaming laptop with RGB lighting, industrial looking devices is for you – this is perfect.
Performance wise, it’s not the top of the line, but it offers a very acceptable gaming experience on some decently high-end games when you need it. As usual, you’re far better off remaining connected to a charger when gaming, but it can run on its own when needed.
Overall, the ROG Strix G15 offers a fantastic balance between price and performance, with the excellent quality ASUS ROG build quality along with it.
If you want to check it out, you can head over to the ASUS website.
