Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15: a twin-show gaming speedster with immense graphics

Asus‘ creative-oriented ZenBook Skilled Duo wowed me support in September 2019 and I fancy the gaming model great more; the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 pulls out nearly your complete stops for performance in a attain the ZenBook would no longer, plus tweaks the have in a pair of ways in which originate it great more usable and versatile. But it is seemingly you’ll perhaps have to pull your complete stops out of your funds for it as nicely — the nefarious configuration with a Core i7 and 300MHz show is $3,000 — which is now no longer one thing most of us are making an are attempting to manufacture correct now. 

For these that work in a minute plot the build aside you would’t fit a 2d show or need an ancillary show for monitoring Discord, Slack or other frequently checked app, the the Zephyrus’ secondary ScreenPad Plus touchscreen demonstrate is available in very to hand. And it improves on the ZenBook Duo’s by tilting a further 13 degrees past the refined slope of its feet, which makes it more straightforward in your neck and presents extra air waft for the computer computer — which serene can slump pretty hot. Plus, the predominant demonstrate tilts support fairly a ways. 

Our take a look at machine came geared up with the 4K show. Unlike the ZenBook’s, this one is a matte IPS panel in preference to an OLED touchscreen, however fancy most of Asus’ laptops at the present time, or now no longer it is serene Pantone calibrated. The default profiles, which you salvage through Asus’ Armoury Crate game-clutch a watch on heart system are all optimized for gaming, however with some easy tweaks to brightness and color temperature you would tune it to completely nail accuracy for AdobeRGB (it covers 100% of the gamut). 

The tradeoff between IPS and OLED is disagreement and color gamut: The Zephyrus’ has respectable disagreement at about 1440:1, however the blacks cannot compete with OLED’s and OLED covers the P3 gamut in preference to the Zephyrus’ 91%. But I’m now no longer in love with OLED for working in Adobe RGB and touchscreens are no longer as important in 15-run laptops as they’re for 2-in-1s, plus the touchscreen layer can reason some color shift. 

For these that’re basically a taking pictures, riding or combating gamer, it is seemingly you’ll perhaps perhaps are making an are attempting to make a decision for the 300Hz 1080p demonstrate option, anyway. Grand as I love the 4K, or now no longer it is restricted to 60Hz.  

And speaking of G-Sync, the Zephyrus uses the vitality-saving Optimus Max-Q architecture, however now no longer the Developed Optimus model that Nvidia rolled out earlier this 365 days. In apply which methodology you continue to personal to reboot to swap the demonstrate from operating on the constructed-in GPU bus (which handiest uses the discrete GPU for processing) to operating on the discrete GPU, which is major to enable G-Sync.

For these that’re handiest utilizing the computer computer as a desktop replacement, there is no motive now to no longer leave it operating on the discrete GPU and a great deal of reasons in want of it. As an instance, in my attempting out it won a further 20fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider over Turbo mode with Optimus enabled, merely since the GPU took over some of the work the CPU modified into as soon as doing. That’s a pretty vulgar case, however there is little performance downside. 

No matter utilizing the unlocked model of the processor, you would’t overclock it. The Armoury Crate system does support you exchange the fan speeds and overclock the GPU, though.

The Zephyrus also has a better complement of connections and they’re arrayed in a different way than on the ZenBook. The vitality connector is serene in an awkward plot approach the entrance of the left facet, however the computer computer has three USB-A ports (when when put next with two), as nicely as devoted HDMI and Ethernet connections on the support. I would serene fancy a minimal of 1 other USB-C connection for an external SSD (in recount that it would now no longer have to plow throughout the Thunderbolt dock), however it would fabricate.

Not all the pieces is immense, though. It has no webcam, which is inclined to be important if verbalize, you would’t mediate one whenever you happen to need it. You is inclined to be perhaps also going to are making an are attempting to glue an external mouse and keyboard to it. The dearth of palm rests in entrance of the keyboard is serene an venture — it comes with a wrist rest fancy the ZenBook, however or now no longer it is uncomfortably rubbery and has already begun to in actuality feel oddly sticky (fancy some cables or boxes which had been mendacity around for years). 

The keys themselves require a extraordinarily firm touch to make certain that that that a keypress registers and the spacebar tends to register extra presses. The topic of the touchpad on the unswerving facet is no longer in any appreciate times in actuality an venture, however or now no longer it is too small; I frequently hit the perimeters while making an are attempting to switch across the show.

I fabricate fancy the keyboard lighting, though. Amongst other things, it is miles inclined to be plot to illustrate CPU utilization or CPU temperature.

The Asus Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550 could perhaps honest yet flip out to be undoubtedly one of my popular laptops of 2020. By the point I’ve done attempting out we will gape if that sticks or if familiarity breeds contempt. Defend tuned.