NotebookCHECK - Notebook Forum

Embarrassing performance for a 3080 (a decent 3070 will wipe the floor with it), soldered RAM (in 2021, really) and ASUS being shady about TDP are enough to trash this style over substance piece of junk.

At least grab the right scores for your graph when comparing 2080 Super Max-Q performance, like the Razer Blade's Time Spy Graphics score is in its 'Balanced' mode, not when it's not set to GPU: High/CPU:High in Synapse, with which it scores 8100.

A better comparison would've been the 100W (peak usage 111W) 2080 Super Max-Q in the Razer Blade Pro (17") which has a similar TDP and also gets 9300-9400 in Time Spy Graphics with maximum performance settings... so this has to be the most useless RTX 3080 (at least the most useless one with a dynamic boost of 100W).

A pity the XMG Neo was not taken into account when benchmarking, the rtx 3070 150w defeats handsomely this '3080' gpu.

Slow GPU...too bad nvidia didn't use 7nm tsmc as amd.

Quote from: Brightsmith on February 02, 2021, 20:48:14
A pity the XMG Neo was not taken into account when benchmarking, the rtx 3070 150w defeats handsomely this '3080' gpu.

Should we really be impressed that an rtx 3070 at 150w outperforms a 100w rtx 3080? In a 17 inch laptop with 3.5hrs of battery life compared to 15 inch much more compact and lighter laptop with great speakers and 9.5hrs battery. One is a portable desktop and the other is a multipurpose laptop and they are suited to different people.

When in "silent mode" as selected in Armory Crate software do the fans always stay off? If they do sometimes turn on, how common is that?

I have a Helios 300 (2019) and the fans are almost always on, even at idle, and they are distracting when I am trying to work.

I would like to get a laptop that I can make silent for work but can turn up when I need it for gaming. Thanks!

I just want to know why Asus didn't implement HDMI 2.1 in these laptops. Using these laptops to game and watch HDR content in FULL RGB 10/12 4k60 or 4k120 is a must for me on my LG CX. Alienware and Razor has HDMI 2.1 on their 30 series laptops. That's a huge differentiator for them.

Did your unit have coil whine? I saw someone complaining about that on reddit.

Phew, thanks just saved me from wasting my money! Sold my Razer Blade 15 RTX2080 Super Max-Q to fund this RTX3080 laptop; after seeing these abysmal graphics scores (relatively) will now look elsewhere.

Quote from: RB15 Owner on February 02, 2021, 20:03:34
At least grab the right scores for your graph when comparing 2080 Super Max-Q performance, like the Razer Blade's Time Spy Graphics score is in its 'Balanced' mode, not when it's not set to GPU: High/CPU:High in Synapse, with which it scores 8100.

A better comparison would've been the 100W (peak usage 111W) 2080 Super Max-Q in the Razer Blade Pro (17") which has a similar TDP and also gets 9300-9400 in Time Spy Graphics with maximum performance settings... so this has to be the most useless RTX 3080 (at least the most useless one with a dynamic boost of 100W).

What you can see is the Blade 15 consistently dissipates about 25W more heat than this model under load, and the idle numbers suggest a minor difference between the other components, so assuming the AMD CPU saves 10W under load(just a guess), the 2080SMQ in the Blade still gets >10W more. They mentioned this is the 80W version 3080MQ and IIRC the Blade had the 90W version 2080SMQ, so these real life numbers match up quite nicely.
That said, that Razer is probably still more expensive while being less efficient and slower than this model, so if we look past the issue that they're one generation apart, then this model still has pretty good value, it's not like this is one of those crude Tongfang barebones or something, it's a refined chassis too. Looking at it this way my only gripe would be that it only has a MicroSD slot instead of the proper sized one, which completely beats the point of the slot as devices that use MicroSD probably have far easier ways of connecting to the PC anyway.

"The keyboard neither reacts particularly crisp nor particularly mushy to input"
Translation: It is mushy.

"With a brightness of just under 310 cd/m² and a contrast of around 1,000:1, the ROG Zephyrus G15 settles in the midfield"
Bummer, I was really hoping for at least 400nit. Coming from a 15" 450nit 100%P3 OLED, even a QHD 165Hz would be a serious downgrade for me. These specs were "midfield" back in 2014, certainly not today at this price point.

"Asus uses the weakest version of the RTX 3080 laptop GPU that has an 80-watt TDP"
I imagine most folks will get the 3070. There was no illusion from the beginning that this laptop would be able to cool a full 3080.

Also I don't have a problem with this, but I can see the lack of HDMI 2.1 port and a 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot on a gaming laptop in 2021 being a deal-breaker for a lot of people concerned about future-proofing.

Great Review! Kindly correct the device price link (amazon)

I'm confused by the translation of the PWM section.  Does it use PWM or not, please?

No webcam, no buy.

How can there be no webcam over a year after a global pandemic?! Who signs off these products for production?

CCP, you now have my blessing to invade Taiwan, take a poopkebab on Asus and add their management to the  Xinjiang "training camps" for their lack of market awareness that disrupts harmony of society.

Comparing to Schenker XMG Neo 17 Ampere Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is electronic waste.

For your upcoming G14 review, please compare performance using the power adapter vs 100w usb-c power delivery.

I'm hoping to FINALLY get rid of power adapters🙌

The price is way too steep, G15 with a 3070 is probably a sweet spot. But the 100watt TGP is really disappointing

My Blade 17 3080 also has a 100w tgp gpu but outperforms the G15 by 14% times graphics and 19% firestrike graphics. Even more in some of the gaming tests.

Ryzen lack of PCIE lanes or superior heat dissipation from Razer? Maybe the mux?

Quote from: Dorby on February 03, 2021, 02:15:08
Also I don't have a problem with this, but I can see the lack of HDMI 2.1 port and a 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot on a gaming laptop in 2021 being a deal-breaker for a lot of people concerned about future-proofing.

Then AMD is out of the game, isn't it. And Intel as well until Tiger Lake H comes to town. Cezanne don't support PCIe 4.0. And I'm not sure whether they support HDMI 2.1. I tied looking at AMD's website but the specification blurb only states HDMI: Yes, Display Port: Yes. :D AMD does employ some jokers for sure. I guess they could hardwire HDMI to dGPU, leaving iGPU out.

Quote from: Dorby on February 03, 2021, 02:15:08
Also I don't have a problem with this, but I can see the lack of HDMI 2.1 port and a 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot on a gaming laptop in 2021 being a deal-breaker for a lot of people concerned about future-proofing.

Then AMD is out of the game, isn't it. And Intel as well until Tiger Lake H comes to town. Cezanne don't support PCIe 4.0. And I'm not sure whether they support HDMI 2.1. I tied looking at AMD's website but the specification blurb only states HDMI: Yes, Display Port: Yes. :D AMD does employ some jokers for sure. I guess they could hardwire HDMI to dGPU, leaving iGPU out.

Quote from: Warney's World on February 03, 2021, 15:23:36
My Blade 17 3080 also has a 100w tgp gpu but outperforms the G15 by 14% times graphics and 19% firestrike graphics. Even more in some of the gaming tests.

Ryzen lack of PCIE lanes or superior heat dissipation from Razer? Maybe the mux?

As I understand it, it's actually 80 W TGP version - the weakest 3080 there is. There is a 20 W boost (making it 100 W in total) but that's on top of TGP.

Quote from: Warney's World on February 03, 2021, 15:23:36
My Blade 17 3080 also has a 100w tgp gpu but outperforms the G15 by 14% times graphics and 19% firestrike graphics. Even more in some of the gaming tests.

Ryzen lack of PCIE lanes or superior heat dissipation from Razer? Maybe the mux?

The 2080 Blade 17 outperformed the 2080 Blade 15 by about that much, so yes obviously the cooling, obviously you can't compare a 17" to a 15" and if they actually end up comparable it would be an extreme case, either the 15" has exceptionally good cooling or the 17" has exceptionally bad cooling, or both.

Quote from: _MT_ on February 03, 2021, 16:21:00

Quote from: Dorby on February 03, 2021, 02:15:08
Also I don't have a problem with this, but I can see the lack of HDMI 2.1 port and a 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot on a gaming laptop in 2021 being a deal-breaker for a lot of people concerned about future-proofing.

Then AMD is out of the game, isn't it. And Intel as well until Tiger Lake H comes to town. Cezanne don't support PCIe 4.0. And I'm not sure whether they support HDMI 2.1. I tied looking at AMD's website but the specification blurb only states HDMI: Yes, Display Port: Yes. :D AMD does employ some jokers for sure. I guess they could hardwire HDMI to dGPU, leaving iGPU out.

Yeah I don't know what AMD was thinking.

For a lot of people shopping in the high-end segment, 'minor' details like HDMI 2.1, PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt/USB 4, Touchscreen (on performance laptops), and OLED display options are going to matter quite a lot. And even if they don't matter, it's going to look like it does because let's be honest, these features become only more useful if you spend more money down the road.

Again, not a big deal for me personally but still...

The performance of this 3080 is wired. I think a lot of g15 with 3070 can get 9500 in 3D mark Time Spy.

Two things - firstly the only other review that's available for this laptop (that I've seen) has the Timespy score over 800 points higher?

Secondly, this laptop is significantly faster than the 80w 2080 Super in the Razer Blade 15 Advanced 2020.

Quote from: Dorby on February 04, 2021, 09:06:13

Quote from: _MT_ on February 03, 2021, 16:21:00

Quote from: Dorby on February 03, 2021, 02:15:08
Also I don't have a problem with this, but I can see the lack of HDMI 2.1 port and a 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot on a gaming laptop in 2021 being a deal-breaker for a lot of people concerned about future-proofing.

Then AMD is out of the game, isn't it. And Intel as well until Tiger Lake H comes to town. Cezanne don't support PCIe 4.0. And I'm not sure whether they support HDMI 2.1. I tied looking at AMD's website but the specification blurb only states HDMI: Yes, Display Port: Yes. :D AMD does employ some jokers for sure. I guess they could hardwire HDMI to dGPU, leaving iGPU out.

Yeah I don't know what AMD was thinking.

For a lot of people shopping in the high-end segment, 'minor' details like HDMI 2.1, PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt/USB 4, Touchscreen (on performance laptops), and OLED display options are going to matter quite a lot. And even if they don't matter, it's going to look like it does because let's be honest, these features become only more useful if you spend more money down the road.

Again, not a big deal for me personally but still...

Nobody should want an OLED screen on a gaming laptop or on any device for that matter given all the issues with them. I agree about the ports though. I don't see the point of touchscreens on a laptop. Maybe others have a use for them but I don't. I have one at the moment and never use it. It only annoys me whenever I accidentally move the screen if I touch it by accident.

@john10001:
Touchscreen is certainly a polarized topic, which is why I believe there should be at least an option on every laptop. Pro choice.
OLED is just better than IPS for gaming, consuming media, content creation, pretty much everything.

Last year I took part in a Reddit survey provided by XMG/Schenker (I can't remember), who asked tech enthusiasts if we wanted OLED on a certain Ryzen gaming laptop. Long story short, turns out Ryzen 4000 was incompatible with OLED and certain Touchscreens. This wouldn't be a deal-breaker for a lot of people, but not me.

Finally on October I bought a HP ZBook Create 15 laptop from HP(USA) with a big discount.
- 4K OLED Touchscreen, 500 nits, 80% AdobeRGB, glossy but I applied a matte screen protector so now it's anti-glare.
- i7-10750H
- RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
- 32GB DDR4-3200
- 1TB NVMe
- 83Wh battery
- 2.1 kg
- Better build quality than any gaming laptop ever made, including Razor Blade
- $2200 USD

And I would never trade that 4K OLED Glossy Touchscreen for a generic FHD Matte IPS display, ever, again.

Hey guys wanted to ask if there's any sort of advanced Optimus or mux on this or the g14 and if not what is the combined power draw from the wall of the CPU and GPU in silent mode while stress testing as well as gaming at 1080p and 720p with a 60fps and 30fps cap (any game will do) Thanks! (Reasoning is a 100w pd USB c power bank will be my go to source of power while traveling and want to know if it's possible to keep total system load under 100w while doing intensive tasks on silent mode)

Quote from: Dorby on February 07, 2021, 04:27:46
@john10001:
Touchscreen is certainly a polarized topic, which is why I believe there should be at least an option on every laptop. Pro choice.
OLED is just better than IPS for gaming, consuming media, content creation, pretty much everything.

Last year I took part in a Reddit survey provided by XMG/Schenker (I can't remember), who asked tech enthusiasts if we wanted OLED on a certain Ryzen gaming laptop. Long story short, turns out Ryzen 4000 was incompatible with OLED and certain Touchscreens. This wouldn't be a deal-breaker for a lot of people, but not me.

Finally on October I bought a HP ZBook Create 15 laptop from HP(USA) with a big discount.
- 4K OLED Touchscreen, 500 nits, 80% AdobeRGB, glossy but I applied a matte screen protector so now it's anti-glare.
- i7-10750H
- RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
- 32GB DDR4-3200
- 1TB NVMe
- 83Wh battery
- 2.1 kg
- Better build quality than any gaming laptop ever made, including Razor Blade
- $2200 USD

And I would never trade that 4K OLED Glossy Touchscreen for a generic FHD Matte IPS display, ever, again.

80% ARGB means it's one of the worst OLEDs on the market, and I would prefer not to settle for an Intel, especially a 14nm+++++ right now, so I'm looking at the Zephyrus/Duo lately. If I buy the vanilla then I'll use it as is but would settle for 80W TGP, if I buy the Duo then it'll be quite a bit heavier and I'll have to get something to cover up the ROG logo on the lid. I'm still inclined towards the Duo.

@S. Yu:
"80% ARGB means it's one of the worst OLEDs on the market"

To be clear, this is the same 2020 Samsung OLED panel being used on every high-end laptop like XPS 15, X1 Extreme, etc. OLED has slight color accuracy shifting when changing brightness, so 80% ARGB is not really a fixed value.
HP also has 2 other non-touch screens that can be "better", depending on what you need, but I mostly wanted touch,
- 4K UHD "DreamColor" 600nit 100% ARGB Matte IPS
- 2K FHD "SureView" 1000nit 70% ARGB Matte IPS

I have yet to see a better touchscreen than this on a high-end performance laptop. So if you find a Ryzen 5000H + RTX 3000 laptop with a better screen, then please, do let me know :)

Zephyrus Duo 15 SE looks very appealing, and almost 2x$ as laptops of similar specs. Good for you if you can afford one.

Quote from: Dorby on February 08, 2021, 01:20:53
@S. Yu:
"80% ARGB means it's one of the worst OLEDs on the market"

To be clear, this is the same 2020 Samsung OLED panel being used on every high-end laptop like XPS 15, X1 Extreme, etc. OLED has slight color accuracy shifting when changing brightness, so 80% ARGB is not really a fixed value.
HP also has 2 other non-touch screens that can be "better", depending on what you need, but I mostly wanted touch,
- 4K UHD "DreamColor" 600nit 100% ARGB Matte IPS
- 2K FHD "SureView" 1000nit 70% ARGB Matte IPS

I have yet to see a better touchscreen than this on a high-end performance laptop. So if you find a Ryzen 5000H + RTX 3000 laptop with a better screen, then please, do let me know :)

Zephyrus Duo 15 SE looks very appealing, and almost 2x$ as laptops of similar specs. Good for you if you can afford one.

I haven't been keeping close track but IIRC the second worst I've seen was 85% and the rest are >88%, I have no impression of the size or other specs though.
The review for the Duo is out and a guy noted the 3080 underperforming compared to the Blade 17 while drawing similar wattage so it's not a cooling issue, so there's more digging to do.

Is this laptop capable of g-sync when using an external display (via USB-C DisplayPort alt mode)?

Were the GPU tests (timespy, gaming benchmarks) performed on the internal display or on an external monitor? It seems optimus limits performance when using the notebook display.