Alternatively, check out our guide to the best gaming laptops.I got this rog flow x13 because it appeared to tick all the boxes i wanted but sadly it is a nightmare. If you just want a seriously powerful gaming laptop, then there are better options out there, like the Asus Strix Scar 17, but if you want something a bit different, then this could well be it. Asus has made the eGPU concept a decent reality. It's still a very expensive solution, and not for everyone, but if the idea of taking a laptop to work and then coming home to plug it in for some serious gaming appeals, then the good news is this is no longer some ridiculous fantasy. That means you can enjoy the latest games at the highest settings, either using the laptop's screen or connected to an anchored monitor. The cable may be awkward, but it does what it sets out to do well-it allows you to access the power of an external graphics card on a laptop. The biggest win here is the XG Mobile eGPU dock. This is a machine you'll mainly use as a laptop or a tablet, not some weird in-between state. It's true not everyone will need or even want to use it as a tablet, but the option of doing so is there, and using the bundled pen is comfortable and straightforward.įorget the idea of playing games or watching movies on it in so-called tent mode though, as that's really just a gimmick. It's versatile in ways that very few gaming machines are. Overall, the Flow X13 with XG Mobile makes for a tempting, if somewhat unusual portable gaming powerhouse. At least not on average, some of the minimum framerates are lower than the other machines, and this could well be to do with the external nature of the graphics card. These are all good scores for demanding titles and each one also happens to look impressive too.Įssentially the take away here is that this combo of eGPU and versatile 2-in-1 laptop/tablet works well, and Asus's connection doesn't hold performance back. You're looking at 115fps in the likes of Horizon Zero Dawn, 144fps in Hitman 3, and 80fps in Metro Exodus. There isn't a lot between them in terms of pricing either, which essentially means your choice is going to come down to whichever form factor works best for you. The competition here is the chunky but powerful Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, and the new MSI GS66 Stealth, which can get loud in use, but is an otherwise decent classic gaming laptop. While it isn't a clean sweep across all our benchmarks, it's generally jostling for position with the other 3080 machines we've looked at lately. It does provide the bandwidth needed though, and in that vital respect, it works well.Īs ever, it's the performance that makes or breaks a high-end offering like this, and on the whole, the ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile makes for a potent combo for handling today's games. Unclipping the connector isn't easy either, which can be frustrating if you're in a rush. The connector itself is large, and while a clever combo of a standard USB Type-C port and the PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, it is a chunky solution where everything else is brilliantly sleek and minimalistic. Its lightness works against it somewhat here as well. ![]() ![]() The data cable and power cord come out of either end of the unit meaning it ends up fighting for desk space. Despite supporting off-vertical and horizontal placement, it never feels like it's really in the right place. If there's a problem with the Asus solution it's that the short connector between the dock and the laptop is unwieldy. This offers up sufficient bandwidth for gaming, as well as for other tasks, such as file transfers between the dock and the laptop-the XG Mobile has 4x USB 3.2 ports, an RJ-45 for networking as well as HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. Asus's answer to this is to use a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. It's easy to slide in your bag next to the laptop and take the whole thing with you.Įxternal GPUs have been tried before, but one of the problems they've faced is insufficient bandwidth between the external GPU and the machine itself. ![]() This is, and even the eGPU dock doesn't weigh too much at just 1kg. And while you can buy a desktop machine for less, such a machine wouldn't be portable. $3,000 is undeniably a lot of money for a gaming laptop, but that's the ballpark you're looking at for this kind of hardware. It's the complete package of the Flow X13 and XG Mobile that makes sense for gamers, which retails for around $3,000 (£3,000). In fact, I'd go as far as to say this isn't a gaming laptop worth considering on its own. I/O: 1x 3.5mm audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x ROG XG Mobile interfaceĮven so, I wouldn't normally recommend going anywhere near a laptop that cost as much as this does when it only lays claim to an entry-level last-gen GPU-on its own the laptop costs $1,500 (£1,500).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |