Three months of a console gamer using a high-end Asus gaming laptop

I've been a console gamer my whole life. Bye I was into computer games Here and there the affordability and ease of use of my TV systems makes them more attractive to me.

That being said, we live in a time when the boundaries between console and PC are blurring. Firstly, Xbox has been bringing all of its games to PC for almost ten years now, and even PlayStation has adopted the platform over the past few years, with ports shifting some time after their console launch. More recently, Valve started the portable gaming PC trend with its Steam Deck, and companies like Asus and Lenovo have since followed suit.

What this all means is that we're living in an era of increasing platform independence, with games and experiences becoming available in many different places, democratizing the PC space. For this reason, I've been much more interested in PCs in recent months, and so at the end of August I took the chance to test a high-end device from Asus: the ROG Zephyrus G14.

Now I have to get one important thing out of the way: this boy is expensive. Eat four variants of Zephyrus G14 which start at $2699 and end at $3699, the last of which this is the one I use. Naturally, it's expensive, especially compared to the console. (Even if over time they become more and more expensive.)

But I also find the price much more reasonable compared to, say, Asus and Microsoft ROG Xbox Ally Xwhich I also use. At $1,300, it's essentially half the starting price of the Zephyrus G14, and this device is intended for gaming only (though with some effort, you can use it as a PC if you want). But considering that the Zephyrus G14 is a full-featured laptop, it can obviously be used not only for gaming but also for many other purposes, such as work and video streaming services. Or even outside of other gaming devices, people are so quick to spend at least $1,500 on a MacBook, so paying an extra thousand (or more) for a powerful gaming PC isn't bad at all. For someone like me whose work is done almost entirely on a laptop, the Zephyrus G14 will be a worthwhile investment for several reasons.

Good things come in small packages

Honestly, what I like most about it is its size. The 14-inch laptop has an ultra-thin 0.64-inch diagonal body and weighs just 1.57 kg (3.46 lbs), which is barely more than the 2.8 lb (1.29 kg) MacBook Air M1 (2020) that I use. Considering this is a much newer laptop with all the powerful gaming components, it's amazing how compact Asus has made it.

Because in fact Zephryus G14 is beast. In terms of specifications, it boasts an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, a 3K OLED screen, and 1TB of internal storage. I admit that I'm not the most tech-savvy person so none of this is a big deal to me, but I do know that the RTX 5080 is obviously a high-end graphics card. I've also heard a lot about the constant struggle to get premium cards, which is another reason why it's nice to have this in the Zephryus G14 from the start.

And honestly, that's my next big plus: ready installation. (But first, a little preface.) I'll admit, I approach video games with some preconceptions, especially since some members of the community can be toxic elitists. In particular, I made some things more complex than they might have been, such as the idea of ​​building a PC. I have friends who compare it to assembling Ikea furniture or building a Lego set, which as I've always said is a ridiculously stupid comparison. They don't require any technical knowledge to assemble (even your tech-illiterate parent can do it), these products are significantly cheaper overall, and they're not vulnerable to all sorts of problems once you put them together.

But I admit that I'm completely oblivious to how much power PC space gives you, especially when it comes to pre-built setups. An example is the ROG Zephyrus G14. Naturally, I didn't have to do any assembly; it was ready to go straight out of the box. (Minus the boot time, of course – I wasn't quite prepared for how many times I'd have to update drivers.)

Software Options That Really Help

I also appreciated how much easier the sifting process was many Configurations became smoother for me, as someone accustomed to the relatively limited capabilities of the console. (Typically, this is simply a choice between the resolution-focused Quality mode, or the frame-rate-prioritizing Performance mode.) Indeed, I didn't realize that PC manufacturers might have their own tools for managing a host of PC settings. First, there's MyAsus, which gives you a higher level of visibility into system updates, hardware diagnostics, and other useful day-to-day settings.

And for gaming in particular, there's Armory Crate, a universal software center for managing ROG devices. Bye I saw some people swearing at the last oneI honestly never had any problems. Perhaps it's because I don't have much experience with high-end gaming PCs, but it did exactly what I needed. With four optimized settings for Windows: Silent, Performance, and Turbo, as well as a Manual option for further customization, I liked how it made it easier for me to switch between different actions.

Specifically, I tested many 2025 games since then MobileSyrup again on the voting jury Game rewards. Naturally, then I jump between more expensive AAA games like Battlefield 6, Arc Raiders, Doom: The Dark Ages And Mafia: Old Country indie darlings love it And Roger, Canadian made Ambrosia SkyAnd Consume me. (This last one, autobiographical coming of age genre writerby far one of the most inventive games I've played all year. I can't recommend it enough.)

And honestly, the experience of all these games was wonderful. For the most part they are natively optimized on “high” settings, look and perform great, and I have the option to go even further for even greater accuracy. Battlefield 6I must admit, at first for some reason it looked a little rough, so I had to tinker with the settings for a while. For a while this made me yearn for the ease of loading a console game and having it look solid from the start, but this was pretty much an isolated incident with Battlefield 6.

On the other hand, I liked how something like Fortnite immediately launched ultra settings and gave me the option to load additional resources to further improve performance. But even without them, everything went very smoothly, which allowed me to fully enjoy the amazingly fantastic spectacle. The Simpsons crossover with my friend. I think my experience as a console gamer really benefits me in that sense. In my opinion, that's not the difference between 60 and 120 fps (or higher). noticeable unless you're playing something as fast-paced as a shooter. So I'm always happy to settle for a “lower” framerate instead of unlocked or over 120fps. After all, that's the benefit of PC modularity.

And since I'll be coming into the PC world a little later, I'll be able to use all of my existing Xbox and PlayStation controllers. At this point in my life I don't think I'll ever get used to a mouse and keyboard for a shooter, how much better it would be, so it's great to be able to just plug in my customized DualSense Edge for PlayStation 5. On the other hand, something like 117: Pax Romana – a slow-paced city builder – perfect for a mouse. While Ubisoft has commendably simplified the controls on consoles, they're certainly much more natural on PC.

And finally, since I used to have a Steam Deck and now use an Xbox Ally X, I can transfer my Xbox and Steam libraries between the portable device and the Zephyrus G14. Before The Game Awards jury selection process began and I had access to many games on PC, this flexibility made it easier for people like me with a huge catalog on console to transition between platforms. And of course, Xbox Game Pass gives you access to a ton of high-quality games to test out. While the service is available perhaps too expensive for the average gamer right nowanyone who buys the Zephyrus G14 already has more money to spend on Game Pass. (Like other ROG devices, the laptop also comes with three months of Ultimate service, which now costs $33.99 per month separately.)

Minor complaints

Setting is especially important here, as the 73Wh battery can drain very quickly in more intense games. Admittedly, it took some getting used to remembering to do things like going into Armory Crate to disable the Nvidia GPU when not in use, but that's of course down to me and not the hardware.

This isn't the only thing that sounds more like “my problem.” The only advantage I give my MacBook over the Zephyrus G14 is that I prefer the more metallic feel of the palm rests in its body. In comparison, the Zephyrus G14 feels clunkier to me. It's not unbearably uncomfortable or anything, but it's a little firmer than I'd like, and it makes me wonder about some kind of soft mouse pad style hand pad. (However, this is only a problem if I write a lot.)

What is on the hardware, however, the fans are insanely loud. I've heard this complaint about previous Zephyrus models, and it still applies here. I guess it's a trade-off between more powerful specs and a thinner body, but it's annoying nonetheless. While playing with the settings can improve things somewhat, it's still quite noisy unless you're playing a less demanding game.

I should also note that the laptop is Copilot+ PC certified, which means it has access to Microsoft's most advanced models for its Copilot AI companion. There is even a special button for this. This is all well and good for those who like such features, but to be honest, I've never felt like asking an AI to do anything for me. This feeling even extends to the gaming space, where Xbox tests Copilot answer requests and even give advice on specific sections of games. Outside don't trust artificial intelligence to do everything rightI'd still prefer to do the research myself by reading or watching one of the many helpful step-by-step guides on sites like IGN or YouTube video. (Support the good work!)

Final Thoughts

I've really enjoyed using the Zephyrus G14 over the past few months. While it's undoubtedly pricey, its robust specs ensure it's a worthwhile investment even for longtime console gamers like myself, with a wide range of tools to help make your job easier. That said, Asus has managed to offer a superbly compact form factor that makes the Zephyrus G14 surprisingly easy to carry around, as long as you can tolerate the often annoyingly loud fans. It's an all-around great package that has made me even more interested in the PC gaming space and I'm excited to continue using it even more. “For those who dare”, indeed!

You can buy Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) on the website Asus store.