The ASUS ROG Strix G15 (G513QY) Review: Embracing AMD's Advantage
by Brett Howse on May 31, 2021 11:00 PM ESTThe 1989 film Field of Dreams offers one of the most memorable quotes in movie history. “If you build it, he will come” was, of course, a reference to a baseball diamond in Iowa, but for AMD, this same quote (gender removed) also succeeds in defining AMD’s success over the last couple of generations. Once the realm of budget-conscious devices, AMD-based products are now the premium in the market and are sought after by consumers looking for the ultimate in performance. With the launch of the Zen 3 based Cezanne laptop processors, AMD now offers the most powerful laptop CPUs available. But that is only a single portion of a successful product. AMD is today announcing the launch of their latest graphics architecture, RDNA2, into the laptop market. AMD has built it. Now they must see who will come.
ASUS has partnered with AMD to launch a premium gaming laptop based on AMD’s Cezanne and RDNA2 solutions. The ASUS ROG Strix G15 AMD Advantage Edition (G513QY) offers the top-tier experience that AMD customers have been asking for, with a great design, and powerful internals. The ASUS Strix featured today is outfitted some with the very best that AMD has to offer, with the AMD Ryzen 5900HX processor, and AMD Radeon RX 6800M graphics. Zen 3 with RDNA2 is a potent combination. The Ryzen 5900HX is an eight-core, sixteen thread processor with a maximum boost frequency of 4.6 GHz, and a 45-Watt TDP. The Raden RX 6800M is AMD’s latest GPU architecture with 40 Compute Units, 12 GB of GDDR6, and up to 145 Watts. With 16 GB of DDR4 and a 512 GB SSD, this 15.6-inch device packs a lot of punch.
ASUS ROG Strix G15 AMD Advantage Edition (G513QY) |
|
Component | Strix G513QY |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX 8-Core 16-Thread 3.3-4.6 GHz Vega 8 / 2100MHz 45W TDP |
Discrete GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6800M 40 RDNA2 Compute Units 2300 MHz Game Clock 96 MB Infinity Cache 12GB GDDR6 |
Display | 15.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS 300Hz Refresh FreeSync sRGB Gamut Optional: 15.6-inch 2560x1440 IPS 165 Hz Refresh FreeSync P3-D65 Gamut |
RAM | 16GB DDR4-3200 Dual-Channel Upgradable Memory |
Storage | 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD 2 x M.2 (1 free) |
Network | MediaTek MT7921 Wi-Fi 6 2x2:2 802.11ax Realtek Gigabit Ethernet |
Left Side | 2 x USB 3 Type A Headset Jack |
Right Side | No Ports |
Back | Power Connector HDMI 2.0b USB Type-C w/100W PD USB 3 Type-A |
Battery | 90Wh Lithium Ion 280W AC Adapter |
Dimensions | 355 x 260 x 20.7 mm 14 x 10.2 x 0.81 inches |
MSRP | $1550 - $1700 |
AMD has certainly struggled in the past to land design wins in the premium end of the market, but with new products come new opportunities, and it appears that those days are behind them. The tight product integration of processor and graphics is certainly a benefit that their competition does not yet enjoy. AMD has never really captured much of the gaming laptop segment but is clearly aiming to remedy that with this launch. AMD says that the Radeon RX 6800M should be able to compete with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080L, which will put them in a much better light than the previous mid-range market they targeted before. Coupling that with their Cezanne platform makes for a very strong combination. It also explains their effort to add Wi-Fi to the mix as Intel uses that as a key component of their platform.
As a proper gaming system, the 1920x1080 IPS display offers a refresh rate of 300 Hz, and is coupled with AMD’s FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. There is Wi-Fi 6, courtesy of MediaTek, and for expansion, there are three USB Type-A ports, and a single Type-C on the rear, which can deliver up to 100 watts of power delivery. For video out, ASUS has gone with a single HDMI port as well as DisplayPort via USB-C, and of course there is a headset jack. What is missing though is a webcam of any sort, which is an odd omission in today’s remote world.
The ASUS ROG Strix G513QY packs into this 15.6-inch chassis, without the device seeming heavy or bulky, especially by gaming notebook standards. First up, let’s take look at the design.
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Makste - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
Breath taking implementation. Swap the screen, I'll deal with the lack of webcam, I want this laptop.TOV - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
Have you changed the RAM and test it again? Jarrod's tech test result +20% after he changed them.Techie2 - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
If not for all the bribe money that Intel spends to prevent companies from building high end AMD laptops, AMD would own the laptop market based on performance. Asus has always taken the bribe money so don't expect them to embrace AMD significantly be it in laptops or desktop mobos.ToTTenTranz - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
Why is the supposed GPU test page comprised of a bunch of CPU limited scenarios?ExarKun333 - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
Why is this being compared to such old laptops? Why no 3080s with different TDPs and 10/11 gen Intel + ryzen 3000?IBM760XL - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
Shut up and take my flatmate's money! He's got an MSI Raider with a 2080 (probably the same model in the comparison charts), and the whole flat agrees it's obnoxiously loud, even at idle. I'm going to show him this review tomorrow and tell him to sell the MSI and buy this as soon as it's available. Saying this as someone who has a (much quieter, somewhat thicker) MSI myself.Aside from the fact that my ears really want one of these in the house, it looks pretty nice in general. The fingerprint magnets are unfortunate, but otherwise it would very likely be in the running if I were in the market for a new laptop... or even just a powerful GPU in general. I'm excited to see AMD offer such a complete package, and at a reasonable price. The battery life for a gaming laptop is especially impressive. Gotta iron out those WiFi goblins though, I'd probably use it on Ethernet 85-90% of the time, but few things are more aggrieving in a computer than spotty WiFi.
boidsonly - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
I've been wanting an all AMD laptop for a while now but never felt they were ready for prime time until now. If I can find this at MSRP I will buy it.FakThisShttyGame - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
I wish they remove the screen and keyboard and keep this thin for my next gaming desktopDoofusOfDeath - Thursday, June 3, 2021 - link
Anyone know if the 2560x1440 panel will be brighter? I'm looking for a laptop that's usable in a semi-outside setting, and max 300 nits isn't ideal.Brett Howse - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
The QHD is rated at the same 300 nits.