ROG Strix G16 (2025) Gaming Laptop, 16” ROG Nebula 16:10 2.5K 240Hz/3ms, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5080, Intel® Core Ultra 9 275HX, 32GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Windows 11 Home, G615LW-AS96

I use this laptop exclusively for AI/ML work in a professional setting — no gaming. Performance is outstanding and a clear step up from my previous Dell XPS 16 (i7, 64GB RAM, Nvidia 4GB). Tasks that used to drag now run smoothly and quickly. The fan is louder than I’d like, but the productivity gains far outweigh this minor drawback. The camera is good, and the microphone with Nvidia Broadcast is excellent for calls and recordings. The screen quality is very good; coming from OLED, I was worried, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The keyboard feels great, and I really like the layout. The power supply is quite large — not an issue for me, but worth noting if you travel often. Overall, this is an exceptional machine for professional AI/ML workloads.

Great laptop BUT ships with bad default settings that cause crashes. BEFORE you think your PC is broken: 1. Set TDR timeout to 60 seconds (Google how to change TdrDelay in registry) 2. Go to Nvidia Control Panel → Set default GPU to your dedicated, not auto-select Do this DAY ONE or every game will crash and you’ll think you need to RMA. Hardware is amazing once you fix ASUS’s lazy configuration. Do better ASUS.”

I bought this laptop expecting top-tier performance from the Core Ultra 9 and RTX 5080 combination, especially after doing a clean Windows install and using G-Helper to avoid bloatware. On paper, the specs are incredible, but the factory quality control completely ruined the experience. Out of the box, the laptop suffered from severe system freezes and game crashes (TDR driver resets) during regular gaming sessions (like CS2). To diagnose the issue, I ran an AIDA64 system stability test. Within just 2 minutes of a combined CPU+GPU load, the processor cores instantly spiked to 104°C and triggered a massive 55% thermal throttling. Looking closely at the core temperatures, there is a huge 7°C delta between identical cores (Cores 1-2 at 98°C while Cores 3-4 hit 104°C). This is a classic sign of a defective, uneven factory liquid metal application. The cooling system physically cannot pull heat away from specific parts of the CPU die due to an air gap or poor spread from the factory. While the GPU performs flawlessly and stays at a cool 81°C under full load, you cannot use this machine for gaming or heavy work because the CPU suffocates itself instantly. For a $2400 premium laptop, this level of quality control is unacceptable. I am returning this unit for a replacement, hoping the next one arrives with a proper thermal interface application. If you buy this laptop, check your thermals immediately!

I am very happy with this laptop! It plays everything I throw at it without a hiccup. I really like the oversized touchpad - I usually turn it off, but when I do use it I appreciate the extra room for my fat fingers. The Amazon page claims that this does not come with a camera, but I can assure you that it does. This is my second Asus G16 system, the first of which I gave to my wife since her original laptop died. Other than some really superficial details, it is hard tell them apart at first glance. All in all I am glad I found the ROG line from Asus!

This is an extremely fast gaming laptop, and has fulfilled its duties admirably. I did add a second SSD for more storage, but other than that it's in its original form. Pros: - Fast, responsive screen with a good size and good quality. No ghosting and good color. Fully supports variable refresh rates. - Fast GPU/CPU combination when using the dGPU (5080) for games. More than fast enough for everything else when using the iGPU (built-in Intel graphics). - Easy to access the slots/sockets for adding RAM and SSDs. This also helps if you have to maintain the laptop or repair it. Makes it easy to clean out the dust and hair. - The ports for connectivity are good enough. It doesn't add a ton of separate HDMI and DisplayPort connections, but there's enough to use it as a desktop replacement. The USB ports are fast and provide enough power for every peripheral I use. Cons: - Asus Armory Crate is pretty much required for performance mode switching, RGB selection, fan modes, etc. It's VERY intrusive, and is defaulted in the BIOS to automatically install in Windows. You can turn that setting off, but you'll still need the software if you want to control that stuff. It might even be a form of spyware, so be careful and do your research. - No HDR for the built-in screen. Yes, HDR works on a monitor, but the included display doesn't support it. - It gets HOT when gaming. At max performance mode, run the fans at max speed and keep it off your lap. - It WILL build up dirt/dust/debris in the fan. Keep it clean or you'll have to replace the fan eventually. - If you plan on running Linux on it, the sound output through the built-in speakers can eventually become an issue, as the Linux drivers seem to get confused due to the GPU's drivers for passing sound over HDMI. Yes, this is very technical, but if you plan on using Linux, I expect you'll be able to understand the issue. I bought this for less than it costs now, since the prices have increased due to GPU/RAM/CPU silicon is being earmarked for AI server farms. Value at the time was absolutely great. Now? Everything costs too much. You might be happier with a slightly-slower GPU like a 5070ti in a major sales event like Memorial Day. Right now, it's probably just too expensive. I can't really call it a good value when it's $500+ more expensive than it was a year ago.