ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING motherboard review: the perfect base for a Ryzen PC. ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING motherboard review: the perfect base for a PC on Ryzen Bundle and packaging

27 ”Full HD (1920 x 1080) monitor with 1800R curvature, 144Hz and Adaptive Sync / FreeSync for immersive smooth gameplay, DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI ports
Rich customization options with ASUS Aura RGB lighting on the back of the monitor and LED lighting on the stand
Easily find the perfect monitor position with height, swivel and tilt adjustments and VESA mount
ASUS Eye Care technology minimizes eye fatigue with flicker-free backlight (no flicker) and blue filter
Exclusive GamePlus and GameVisual customization now with support for a new MOBA mode with customizable colors for better focus on the game

BEND FOR VICTORIES

ROG Strix XG27VQ combines perfectly smooth graphics and great gaming aesthetics for an incredible gaming experience! This is the best gaming monitor for professional gamers and MOBA fans.

Strix XG27VQ curved gaming monitor with Full HD 144 Hz. It features exclusive ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur and Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync ™) technologies for incredible stutter-free gameplay. Its gaming-inspired design and signature ASUS Aura RGB lighting add a cool vibe to any gaming system or LAN party.

IMPRESSIVE GAME ARENA

EXPERIENCE THE CURVE

The ROG Strix XG27VQ curves its 27-inch panel in an 1800R curve, expanding the field of view so you can fully immerse yourself in your game. The curvature of the display ensures that each point is the same distance from your eyes, so you will experience total comfort, even during the longest gaming sessions. This monitor also allows you to enjoy wide viewing angles with minimal distortion and color changes - so you get the best picture quality in your favorite games, movies or more, from almost any viewing angle!

SUPER FAST 144HZ UPDATE RATE

With an astounding 144 Hz refresh rate, fast moving subjects are no problem for the ROG Strix XG27VQ. You won't experience frustrating lag and lag, so you have the edge in fast-paced first-person shooters, racing, real-time strategy and sports simulators.

The ultra-fast refresh rate also allows you to play games with the highest graphics settings, so you can instantly react to what is happening on the screen and always be the first to strike!

EXCLUSIVE ASUS EXTREME LOW MOTION BLUR TECHNOLOGY

ROG Strix XG27VQ features the latest ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur technology, which removes blur and blur, and sharpens moving objects for a more comfortable and responsive gameplay.

ADAPTIVE-SYNC (FREESYNC ™) TECHNOLOGY FOR SMOOTH GAMEPLAY

Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync ™) technology delivers the smoothest, fastest, and most immersive gaming visuals imaginable by eliminating screen tearing and choppy frame rates, while minimizing display fading and input lag. ROG Strix XG27VQ gives you seamless, stutter-free visuals when playing the latest fast-paced first-person shooters, sports simulations or adventure games.

INSPIRED BY GAMES BY AESTHETICS

The ROG Strix series continues ROG's ever-growing legacy, with a bold, modern design and iconic tripod stand. The Strix series is crafted with premium materials, expertly crafted with the experience and adventurous spirit of ROG.

ASUS AURA RGB BACKLIGHT

ROG Strix XG Series features ASUS AURA RGB lighting on the back. It works in several modes, so you can easily find the right effect for the atmosphere of your gaming system.

CUSTOMIZED PROJECTION

With Light Signature, you can create and customize your ROG Strix XG27VQ's light projection effects. Choose from 2 ROG logos and a blank template from which you can create a unique projection that maximizes your personality and your gaming system.

SUPER-NARROW BEZEL

The Strix XG27VQ has an ultra slim design making it ideal for virtually seamless multi-display installations. Build up your combat system and enjoy the ultimate immersion!

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR GAMERS

GAMEPLUS TECHNOLOGY

The ROG Strix XG27VQ has a dedicated ASUS GamePlus hotkey with in-game accessibility to help you get more out of your game. This feature was developed in conjunction with pro gamers to create a system with which they could better practice and improve their gaming skills.

You can choose a sight convenient for you
Timer to be displayed on the left side of the screen
FPS indicator
Display alignment function, when activated, marks appear on the edges of the display, along which you can easily ideally position monitors in a multi-display system

ASUS-EXCLUSIVE DISPLAYWIDGET SOFTWARE

DisplayWidget is an intuitive software utility that allows users to change settings or customize ASUS GameVisual, App Sync ™ and Blue Light Filter. Adjustments to these utilities can be made through the OSD menu or navigation joystick, but ASUS DisplayWidget makes accessing and using these various settings much faster and easier.

FLEXIBLE CONNECTION

The ROG Strix XG27VQ offers a wide range of connectivity options including DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI, and Dual Link-DVI.

DESIGNED FOR GAMING MARATHONS

ULTRA-LOW BLUE LIGHT TECHNOLOGY

ROG Strix XG27VQ features TÜV Rheinland certified ASUS Ultra-low Blue Light filters to protect your eyes from harmful blue light. You can easily access and select four different filter options via the OSD menu using the 5-way joystick.

FLICKER-FREE TECHNOLOGY

ROG Strix XG27VQ reduces screen flickering for a more comfortable gaming experience. This minimizes eye strain during prolonged gaming sessions.

ERGONOMIC DESIGN

The ROG Strix XG27VQ features a stand that's ergonomically designed to give you the freedom to adjust swivel, tilt and height so you can always reach the perfect viewing angle.

swivel adjustment (+ 50 ° ~ -50 °)
height adjustment (10 centimeters)
tilt angle adjustment (+ 20 ° ~ -5 °)

It's hard not to fall in love with a good gaming laptop.

In the race for the thinnest gaming laptop we've seen a sea of contenders from the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and. Promises of making a gaming laptop lighter seem tempting, however, the excessive desire for portability makes some machines underpowered by limiting their graphics capabilities.

The ASUS ROG Strix GL502, on the other hand, strikes the perfect balance between portability and performance. In its thick enough case, this 15.6-inch laptop accommodates the GTX Nvidia 1070 with 8GB of VRAM, which we are used to seeing in 17-inch laptops like the Gigabyte P57X.

pros: Easy to play Full HD | Incredibly bright screen | Amazing speakers;
Minuses: Short battery life;

Beyond components and dimensions, this gaming laptop shows off style from every angle, a colorful screen, and a selection of essential inputs. ASUS ROG Strix GL502 review more ...

Design

ASUS has slowly but persistently moved away from its traditional black and red design found on most gaming laptops of the past. Instead of red accents, the new GL502 uses orange accents on black. This is not to say that this solution can compete with the titanium and copper of the ASUS ROG GX700 and ROG G752, but this is the beginning.

On the other hand, we almost regret that ASUS has moved away from the red and black design as the keyboard continues to use red backlighting.

Aside from the new colors, ASUS has thoroughly revised the overall profile of its machine, consistent with the rest of the ROG series. While the ASUS ROG G501 has closely copied the design, the new GL502 offers its own attractive and aggressive design.

A matte screen in an aluminum casing is a fairly common solution on gaming laptops, one of which is the Strix. But the GL502 also has a beveled lid edge with the signature of the Republic of Gamers.

The rest of the chassis is made of plastic, which might sound disappointing at first, but it feels as reliable as any other all-metal gaming laptop. Moreover, ASUS showcases a polished keyboard deck, similar to a laptop cover.

And here again we see the brand load on the design, the Republic of Gamers signature appears prominently on the top and bottom of the laptop, but you can't deny having interesting design elements all over the 15-inch laptop.

Beyond the visuals, the bulk of the Strix's exterior is made of plastic, which helps keep the weight under 2.22kg. To put things in perspective, the ASUS gaming laptop is over 0.2kg heavier than the Razer Blade and MSI GS60 Ghost Pro, but the Strix is overpriced. There are also heavier 15-inch laptops like the Alienware 15 and the Gigabyte P35X v5 (2.4kg).

It's also far from the thinnest gaming laptop, measuring 389.9 x 265.9 x 23.4mm (W x D x H) - significantly thicker than its Maxwell predecessor - but the extra dimensions make room for the most efficient system. cooling.

Beware of the explosion!

Ultra-thin gaming laptops are not the most popular category. More often than not, they are either overheating, roaring loud fans, or ultimately offering underperforming components to prevent previous problems. ASUS is the first company to provide a thin gaming laptop with adequate cooling without any flaws.

On the rear edge of the GL502, you'll find two thick heatsinks painted orange for added accent. It is a large exhaust system that drives a continuous stream of hot air and can be reused as a heater in winter. Internally, the laptop is equipped with an "ASUS Dual Thermal Design" that relies on two separate lines of copper heatpipes and fans to cool the processor and graphics card.

Thanks to this efficient cooling system, the new GL502 will never burn your knees, however, the fan noise remains within normal limits and is not annoying. Heck, you'll even find a use for two streams of hot air, like heating your coffee.

ASUS ROG Strix GL502 gaming laptop can be configured with various components. But, with a starting price tag of around Rs 90,000, the laptop is definitely not a budget buy, even if it's 1TB of hard disk drive (HDD) and 6GB of video memory. Even slightly cheaper, you can get either the Lenovo IdeaPad Y700, but you will be limited to an Nvidia GTX 960m for graphics workloads.

The configuration you see below will set you back $ 110,000, which is a bargain compared to $ 140,000 for the 4K Razer Blade.

Features ASUS ROG Strix GL502

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700HQ (4-core processor, 6 MB cache, up to 3.5 GHz Turbo Boost);
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5) / Intel HD Graphics 530;
RAM: 16 GB (DDR4, 2133 MHz);
Screen: 15.6 '' FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display with G-Sync.
Built-in memory: 256 GB SSD (NVMe PCIe), 1 TB HDD (7200 rpm);
Ports: 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 (Gen-2), HDMI, Mini Display Port, card reader, Ethernet, 3.5 mm jack;
Connection: Intel 8260 Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0;
Camera: 720p HD webcam;
The weight: 2.22 kg;
Dimensions (edit): 389.9 x 265.9 x 23.4mm (W x D x H)

Performance

ASUS ROG Strix GL502 is a rock star when it comes to Full HD gaming. In the last few weeks of our review, we tested the 15-inch laptop as our primary gaming system, and we were satisfied with over 60fps performance in most games with high graphics settings.

In DOOM, for example, a graphically intense first-person shooter, we were able to crank the graphical settings on the Ultra while retaining 60 frames per second. Deus Ex Mankind Divided is the only game that pushed the Strix to its limits, but this problem stems more from poor optimization of the PC ported version than from ASUS hardware.

Nvidia's next generation Pascal graphics cards offer significant performance gains and astounding benchmark results.

Benchmarks

Here's how the ASUS ROG Strix GL502 performed in our benchmarks:

3DMark: Cloud Gate: 23181; Sky diver: 26396; Fire strike: 12514;
Cinebench (CPU): 674 points; Graphics: 109.97 fps;
GeekBench: 3383 (single core); 12559 (Multi-core);
PCMark 8 (Home Test): 3928 points;
PCMark 8 (Battery): 2 hours and 13 minutes;
: 2 hours and 52 minutes;
The division(1080, Ultra): 72 FPS | (1080, Low): 142 FPS;
Gta v(1080, Ultra): 50 FPS | (1080p, Low): 126 FPS;

And here's how the Maxwell-based model performed:

3DMark: Cloud Gate: 21081 | Sky diver: 19403 | Fire strike: 6515;
Cinebench (CPU): 679 points | Graphics: 105 frames per second;
GeekBench: 3623 (Single core) | 13255 (Multi-core);
PCMark 8 (Home Test): 3358 points;
PCMark 8 (Battery): 3 hours and 5 minutes;
Battery life (video test): 5 hours and 14 minutes;
The division(1080, Ultra): 34 FPS | (1080, Low): 86 FPS;
Gta v(1080, Ultra): 29 FPS | (1080p, Low): 131 FPS;

For comparison, we would like to point out that the Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics card almost doubles the gaming potential of the GL502. Division and GTA V run much faster with better frame rates thanks to Pascal.

Of course, the results shouldn't be surprising as the Nvidia GTX 1070 comes with a new architecture, offers 2GB more VRAM, and is intended to replace the Nvidia GTX 980m.

Gaming laptops with Nvidia GTX 970m like the Aorus X3 v3 and Razer Blade. In the toughest 3DMark gaming benchmarks, the Strix doesn't let Maxwell machines even lift their heads.

ASUS also has a significantly improved cooling system, which should be taken into account. The Razer and Aorus are most likely to bend under tough tests as a result of cooling limitations.

Battery problems

And while Nvidia has promised that graphics cards with the new Pascal architecture will offer laptops a 30% better battery life, we don't see anything like this with the ASUS GL502. The latter showed a maximum of 2 hours and 52 minutes of continuous playback of Guardians of the Galaxy at 50% screen brightness. As a result, the Strix with Pascal uses up the battery faster than its predecessor with Maxwell.

Instead of hitting an average of 5 hours and 14 minutes, the GL502 falls short of three hours of battery life, lagging behind most other notebooks in the category.

For traditional use, expect three to four hours of battery life if you don't put too much stress on the machine or are willing to be conservative about screen brightness.

Screen and speakers

While the battery life is a bit disappointing for the user, the quality of the GL502's screen and speakers is impeccable. We've been happy with pretty much every ASUS Zenbook on the company's most affordable Chromebooks, but the Strix color dynamics are on a whole different level.

The tones of colors are expressed vividly and distinctly on the 15-inch display bezel, while rich contrast enhances picture quality.

The visual part is only half. ASUS ROG GL502 sounds great thanks to a pair of amazingly powerful speakers. And while at first glance these are small grilles on either side of the keyboard, the speakers are capable of significant sound, conveying all the cacophony of Overwatch's battle.

Final thoughts

Effective cooling has become a major obstacle in thin gaming laptops. While MSI, Razer, Gigabyte and others have not tried to crack the conventional formula, ASUS has done an outstanding job of bringing its 15-inch laptop to portable size while maintaining the performance of larger laptops.

We liked: ASUS ROG Strix GL502 is elegant, but doesn't shout it too frankly. Despite the edgy looks, there aren't many other gaming laptops that are as light and thin equipped with the Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB. Even powered by an Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, the laptop is more than capable of modern Full HD gaming. Plus, its incredibly bright screen and powerful speakers help complete the gaming experience with this amazing machine.

We didn't like: The biggest problem with this 15-inch gaming laptop is battery life, three to four hours is simply not enough given the six hours of its predecessor. You will have to worry about power, as with other machines that last less than three hours of battery life.

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Summing up

It rarely happens that we are overwhelmingly impressed with a gaming laptop. Apart from the short battery life, there is nothing to scold the ASUS ROG Strix GL502 for. In fact, pretty much everything else about this laptop is incredible, including a great keyboard, speakers, and a stunning screen with a great Full HD experience. This is one of the best gaming laptops we've ever reviewed and we recommend it if you're looking for a solid and mobile gaming system.

ASUS ROG Strix GL502 review

Anton Zim

14.04.2017 ASUS's first Strix series gaming laptop is an FHD rock star complete with an amazing screen and echoing speakers to boost your sound.

9 Overall Score

Verdict:

ASUS's first Strix series gaming laptop is an FHD rock star complete with an amazing screen and echoing speakers to boost your sound.

Technologies

Various connection options

ASUS ROG Strix Wireless has two connection options: via a 2.4 GHz radio channel and using the supplied cable. Wireless connectivity is great for PC or MAC computers and laptops, and the cable can be used to connect headsets to game consoles and smartphones. However, the same method can be connected to a PC or Mac. And in general, to any device that has an audio output with a diameter of 3.5 mm. In addition, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless has two antennas to improve wireless audio transmission and suppress interference. Still, we are talking about the 2.4 GHz frequency popular among most wireless devices, so additional antennas will come in handy here.

7.1 virtual surround sound

Headset software can add some volume to the sound. Of course, only 2 speakers are installed inside the ROG Strix Wireless, so with real 7.1 headsets, it will not be able to compete - like all other headphones with virtual surround sound. But the presence of such an option will be a pleasant plus. And the stock, as they say, does not hold a pocket.

Powerful battery

A wireless headset is certainly good and modern, but charging it every few hours is very inconvenient. Therefore, a 900 mAh battery is installed inside the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless, which should be enough for 10 hours of operation. In short, you can play in such headphones all day and charge them at night.

Detachable microphone

The detachable microphone will always be a great bonus for any headset. With it, you can not think about whether it is turned on or not. A microphone disconnected from the headset will certainly not transmit sound, and will eliminate the doubts of the paranoid. By the way, its leg is long and flexible so that the microphone can be positioned in the right place after connecting to the headset.

Description ASUS ROG Strix Wireless

The headset comes in a classic ASUS ROG transparent box through which you can see the coveted headphones. Inside, in addition to the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless itself, there is an instruction manual, a 1.5 meter AUX cable, as well as a USB transmitter and a charging cable.

The ASUS ROG Strix Wireless headset is made in a bright, black and orange color scheme. Earlier, before the ROG and Strix lines merged together, all the "streaks" sported bright and noticeable orange accents, and ASUS ROG devices stood out with red red inserts. However, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless should not be considered an old woman, because audio equipment is not a processors with video cards, and over the years it almost does not become outdated. So, on the outside of the ROG Wireless, round inserts are highlighted in orange, located in the center of the cups. Considering that the cups in their shape resemble the menacing gaze of a tawny owl, the symbol of the Strix line, the headset lying on the table will look spectacular and a little ominous.

Large cups contain not only orange "pretties". On the left cup are the headset control keys (volume control, microphone on / off and Power). On the bottom, you can see a MicroUSB connector (for charging), a microphone input and a 3.5mm audio jack for the AUX cable. But on the right cup there are no controls. Only the Republic Of Gamers logo is located there.

The inner surface of the cups is trimmed with soft ear cushions that can cover even large ears, which adds comfort to the headset. Inside each cup is hidden under one speaker with a rare earth neodymium magnet - similar magnets are often found in ASUS ROG headsets and other expensive audio accessories from other brands. Headband - "dimensionless", with inserts from "smart foam". This material is softer than its not very smart counterparts, it knows how to keep its shape and return to its original state if you remove the headset. Simply put, the inner part of the headband will not lose shape over time.

Thanks to the large ear cups and soft headband, the headset sits comfortably on your head, and with the soft ear cushions and headband with smart foam, ROG Wireless will not press in places where you do not need to do it. You can play, work or listen to music in such a headset for hours - until the powerful, 10-hour battery is discharged. In addition, if you remove the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless and leave the headset around your neck, it will not cause discomfort, even despite its size.

Photos ASUS ROG Strix Wireless

Specifications

Judging by the technical characteristics, during the development of ASUS ROG Strix Wireless, the manufacturer sought to achieve a delicate balance between the filling and the final cost of the product. A high-quality headset with a pleasant sound cannot be cheap on its own, and the built-in wireless module will in no way reduce the final price. However, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless is balanced. Inside it are large 60 mm speakers with neodymium magnets, with a frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz and an impedance of 32 Ohms. The detachable microphone turned out to be narrowly directional, so it will not transmit keyboard clatter and other extraneous sounds on the air. Unless, of course, they are loud enough for a narrow-beam microphone to pick them up. The sensitivity of the microphone is -40 dB, and the frequency response is from 50 to 16,000 Hz.

Loudspeakers
Speaker frequency range
Speaker impedance
Speaker sensitivity
Microphone
Microphone frequency range
Microphone sensitivity
Connection options
Battery
Cable
Compatible platforms
The weight
Estimated price

ASUS ROG Strix Wireless
2 speakers, diameter 60 mm, neodymium magnets
20 - 20,000 Hz
32 Ohm
98 dBA
Removable, unidirectional
50 - 16,000 Hz
-40 dB
With an AUX cable Wireless 2.4GHz
Built-in, 900mAh, up to 10 hours of use
Detachable 3.5mm AUX, 1.5m, with fabric braid
PC, Mac mobile devices PlayStation 4, Xbox One
350 grams
from 8 200 rubles

ASUS ROG Strix Wireless software

For fine-tuning the headset, the Sonic Studio utility is used, which can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. In this program, you can flexibly adjust the voice transmission, turn on surround sound, the reverb effect, increase the bass and - in a separate place - play with the equalizer settings. Moreover, all the settings are collected in one window, you don't have to switch between endless submenus.

ASUS ROG Strix Wireless testing

The ASUS ROG Strix Wireless headset has been tested in several modes: listening to music, watching videos, and of course, playing games.

Michael Oldfield's Tubular Beats album was selected for music testing. This album contains many different instruments, which sometimes sound in one composition. Here the ROG Wireless has performed well. There was no overdrive at low frequencies, the middle was clearly audible, but the high frequencies were not enough for the headphones. However, this drawback is small and it is found in almost all gaming headsets. Still, the reproduction of music is considered a secondary task for them. By the way, when you connect the headphones wirelessly, you can use the proprietary ASUS utility to improve the quality of your music. For example, you can work with the low frequencies using the Bass Boost parameter. For rap, rock, and other heavy music, the bass can be increased by 3.5 or 4.5 dB. For classics, they can be raised by 1.5 or 2.5 dB. If you do not like low frequencies (bass), the amplifier can be turned off altogether.

In movies, the ROG Wireless fared noticeably better. Here, the "tops" are not as important as the rest of the frequencies, so you can watch video in such a headset without any problems. The best sounds will be explosions, shooting, the roar of car engines and other dynamic sounds.

Now let's move on to the games. In this test, the ROG Wireless unveiled in its entirety. The headset perfectly transmitted the sounds of shots, explosions, and also helped to hear sneaking opponents. Shooters, racing, strategy games - ROG Wireless handles all genres of games. As for virtual surround sound, in games it can be viewed more as an entertainment option. This is the limitation of all headsets with one speaker per ear cup. Of course, ASUS software will do its best to add volume to the sound, and it will even succeed, but a full-fledged headset with surround sound will always be better than its software counterpart. However, such headphones will cost a lot.

A wireless gaming headset compatible with PCs, smartphones and consoles looks like a gamer's pipe dream. Large speakers with wide dynamic range, sensitive microphone, comfortable headband, and of course rich connectivity. No joke, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless can be connected to an audio source using the included AUX cable or via radio (the transmitter is included, of course). Moreover, among the compatible devices, even game consoles are indicated: PS4 and Xbox One. This short description looks very attractive, so let's figure out what the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless is, and how good it is in real life, and not in advertising slogans. Technologies Various connection options ASUS ROG Strix Wireless has two connection options: via the 2.4 GHz radio channel and using the supplied cable. Wireless connectivity is great for PC or MAC computers and laptops, and the cable can be used to connect headsets to game consoles and smartphones. However, the same method can be connected to a PC or Mac. And in general, to any device that has an audio output with a diameter of 3.5 mm. In addition, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless has two antennas to improve wireless audio transmission and suppress interference. Still, we are talking about the 2.4 GHz frequency popular among most wireless devices, so additional antennas will come in handy here.

7.1 Virtual Surround Sound Headset software can add a bit of volume to the sound. Of course, only 2 speakers are installed inside the ROG Strix Wireless, so with real 7.1 headsets, it will not be able to compete - like all other headphones with virtual surround sound. But the presence of such an option will be a pleasant plus. And the stock, as they say, does not hold a pocket.

Powerful battery A wireless headset is certainly good and modern, but charging it every few hours is very inconvenient. Therefore, a 900 mAh battery is installed inside the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless, which should be enough for 10 hours of operation. In short, you can play in such headphones all day and charge them at night.

Detachable microphone A detachable microphone will always be a great bonus to any headset. With it, you can not think about whether it is turned on or not. A microphone disconnected from the headset will certainly not transmit sound, and will eliminate the doubts of the paranoid. By the way, its leg is long and flexible so that the microphone can be positioned in the right place after connecting to the headset.

Description ASUS ROG Strix Wireless The headset comes in a classic ASUS ROG transparent box through which you can see the coveted headphones. Inside, in addition to the ASUS ROG Strix Wireless itself, there is an instruction manual, a 1.5 meter AUX cable, as well as a USB transmitter and a charging cable. The ASUS ROG Strix Wireless headset is made in a bright, black and orange color scheme. Earlier, before the ROG and Strix lines merged together, all the "streaks" sported bright and noticeable orange accents, and ASUS ROG devices stood out with red red inserts. However, ASUS ROG Strix Wireless should not be considered an old woman, because audio equipment is not a processors with video cards, and over the years it almost does not become outdated. So, on the outside of the ROG Wireless, round inserts are highlighted in orange, located in the center of the cups. Considering that the cups are shaped like the menacing gaze of the tawny owl, the symbol of the Strix range, ...

It's good that AMD is loyal to the PC enthusiast. That is why any user who decides to build a PC based on the AM4 platform can purchase any Ryzen processor, any B350 motherboard and significantly increase the performance of their system on their own. Nevertheless, this approach does not do without some nuances. So, the recent low-cost motherboards based on the B350 chipset clearly showed that not all models are suitable for overclocking 8-core Ryzen 7 chips. Manufacturers did not forget to provide their devices with colorful backlighting, but they saved on the CPU power subsystem.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING model is devoid of many of the disadvantages inherent in budget motherboards. Yes, the device is based on the junior B350 chipset, but in many respects it is not inferior to motherboards based on the X370 chipset. Let's take a closer look at the new product from ASUS.

Specifications and packaging

As I said, ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING is the most expensive representative of motherboards based on the B350 chipset. The competitors of this model are MSI B350 Krait Gaming boards and inexpensive devices based on X370 logic. At the time of this writing, motherboards such as MSI X370 GAMING PLUS and ASUS PRIME X370-A could be purchased for 8-9 thousand rubles. In fact, the main difference between the B350 and the X370 lies in the impossibility of using symmetric arrays of AMD CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI video cards according to the x8 + x8 scheme, but all other "goodies" are present almost in full. In addition, the difference between the X370 and the B350 lies in fewer USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb / s ports, and a reduced number of PCI Express 2.0 lanes from eight to six. However, I cannot say that ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING suffers from a lack of connectors. Take a look at the technical specifications of the device for yourself.


Supported processors	AMD Ryzen 3/5/7 and Athlon / A-series (Bristol Ridge)
Chipset	AMD B350
Memory subsystem	4 × DIMM, up to 64 GB DDR4-2133-3200 (OC)
Expansion slots	2 × PCI Express x16 3.0 1 × PCI Express x16 2.0 3 × PCI Express x1 2.0
Storage interfaces	1 × M.2 (Socket 3, 2242/2260/2280/22110) with support for SATA 6 Gb / s and PCI Express x4 6 × SATA 6Gb / s
Storage interfaces	RAID 0, 1, 10
The local network	1 × Intel I211-AT, 10/100/1000 Mbps
Audio subsystem	ROG SupremeFX S1220 7.1 HD
Rear panel interfaces	1 × HDMI 1 × DisplayPort 1 × RJ-45 1 × optical S / PDIF 2 × USB 2.0 Type A 2 × USB 3.1 Type A 4 × USB 3.0 Type A 5 × 3.5mm audio
Form Factor	ATX, 305 × 244 mm
Price	~ RUB 9,000

In the kit with the motherboard, in addition to the standard set consisting of a plug for an I / O panel, four SATA cables, paper documentation and a disk with drivers and software, I found a bag with nylon ties, a cardboard holder for a mug, cable stickers, extension cable for RGB tape and a discount coupon for the purchase of modding accessories.

Design and capabilities

It's nice that this model is assembled on a conveyor belt on the basis of a full-fledged printed circuit board measuring 305 × 244 mm. In cheap devices, they also save on PCB, and therefore the cut-down PCB does not allow fixing the board on the right edge, therefore, when connecting RAM modules, SATA connectors and a 24-pin power supply connector, the PCB of the motherboard will noticeably bend. But in the case of ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING, there is definitely no such danger.

Since the ATX form factor is used, the motherboard received an almost complete set of connectors. The ATX format allows you to use up to seven expansion slots, but the ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING has six soldered sockets. On the other hand, the board has a well-located "landing strip" for M.2 drives - it supports the installation of devices of form factors 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. The drive is connected directly to the processor. The place for installing the SSD is conveniently located, since, firstly, the drive will not "languish" under the video card. Secondly, it will be additionally blown by the fan of the processor cooler.

I will add that when using an M.2 drive, the SATA6G_5 and SATA6G_6 ports will be disabled. That is why they were visually separated from the other four SATA ports on the motherboard.

Returning to the conversation about the location of the expansion slots, I note that they are all in their places. So, two reinforced slots (the manufacturer claims that the ASUS SafeSlot shell increases their reliability by 1.6-1.8 times) PCI Express x16 are maximally distant from each other. If we assume that, nevertheless, an array of AMD CrossFire graphics cards will be used in a system based on ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING, then Radeon graphics adapters will interfere with each other to a minimum. Imagine, for example, a couple set up side by side.

However, creating a CrossFire array of video cards on any B350 board is obviously a failure. For example, for ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING, PCI Express x16 slots in the case of using a Ryzen processor and several video cards will work according to the x8 + x4 + x4 scheme... In this case, four lines of the second reinforced socket correspond to the third version of the PCI Express standard, and the third (unreinforced) - to the second version of this standard. In addition, in the latter case, PCI Express lanes will be shared with PCIEX1_1 and PCIEX1_3 slots. The ASMedia ASM1480 switches are responsible for switching the operation modes of the expansion slots.

ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING is equipped with six connectors for connecting fans at once. All connectors are four-pin, the motherboard can control the fan speed with or without PWM. As you can see, the pads are divided into three groups of two connectors each. Their location has been chosen well, let's consider a typical situation: we connect the fans of the processor cooler to the upper ports (for example, if a tower supercooler or a two-section SVO is used in the system). To the connectors located closer to the I / O-panel, we connect the casing impeller fixed on the back wall, as well as the liquid CO pump. The connectors, which are soldered at the bottom of the board, are equipped with case fans mounted on the front panel and working for blowing. So six connectors for cooling systems are enough for an average gaming PC.

ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING allows you to connect two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0, as well as internal COM, TPM and F-audio ports. Here, at the bottom of the board, there is a four-pin RGB_HEADER2 connector. As you might guess, it is connected to an LED strip or a backlight of the cooler and RAM. The RGB_HEADER1 connector, which performs the same function, is soldered next to the processor socket.

Among the additional modding elements, I will note the presence of a backlight in the chipset area.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING I / O panel has all the necessary connectors. In particular, there are HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs if you suddenly want to build a system based on the Bristol Ridge APU. And the board also has all three versions of USB connectors that the B350 chipset supports along with the CPU: USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 - all A-type ports. For complete happiness, perhaps the newfangled C-type port is not enough, but for this, ASUS engineers would have to unsolder an additional controller on the board. The Ethernet port has received LANGuard hardware protection, which increases the resistance to static electricity and voltage surges by 2.5 times.

The sound in ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING is answered by the 8-channel HD audio codec ROG SupremeFX S1220A (aka Realtek ALC1220), equipped with a voltage regulator, Texas Instruments RC4850 and OPA1688 operational amplifiers and Japanese "audiophile" Nichicon capacitors. The chip itself is shielded with a metal frame. ASUS calls this idea SupremeFX Shielding technology. All elements of the sound path are isolated from the rest of the printed circuit board. As a result, according to the manufacturer, the ROG SupremeFX S1220A provides a signal-to-noise ratio of 113 dB.

The Intel I211-AT gigabit controller is responsible for the wired network connection in the ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING power subsystem consists of eight phases. The converter is controlled by the ASP1106GGQW PWM controller. Four channels are dedicated to the CPU cores. For each such phase, there is one choke and three power elements NTMFS4C09B and NTMFS4C06B from ON Semiconductor. Four more channels provide the CPU NB / SoC Voltage. Here, there is one inductor for each phase, but already two field-effect transistors.

The power supply system of the ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING memory is two-phase and consists of the same elements as the power supply circuits of the processor.

The power converter is cooled by two small aluminum heatsinks. As you can see, these elements are quite enough, since in the nominal operating mode, the elements of the VRM zone heat up to only 70 degrees Celsius.

ASUS gaming laptops are very popular today. They combine an attractive appearance, solid technical stuffing and a reasonable price (although there are also too expensive models that are not available to everyone). ASUS recently expanded its gaming laptop lineup with the ROG Strix GL753VE. It is to her that we will devote this review.

Package contents and design of ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE

This laptop model is sold in a convenient cardboard package. The box has a nice black color. It bears the word Strix in two dots in an elegant font. The name of the company is also present (in the lower left corner of the package), although it is written simply and without unnecessary gloss.

The package for the ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE laptop is characterized by practical minimalism. Inside the box, the user will find:

the device itself;
manual;
warranty card (as a rule, its validity period is two years);
a special cloth for cleaning the display;
power unit.

The design of the laptop is made in such a way that even when closed, it looks like a gaming device. The body of the model is made of plastic and metal. The upper part of the lid is made of black aluminum, which gives the device additional elegance. On the top cover of the gadget there is an emblem already familiar to gamers, which adorns all devices of the ROG series. The emblem has a bright reddish-orange color, which makes it stand out from the general black background. To complete the overall picture, decorative stripes of the same color running along the sides of the ROG logo. By the way, both reddish-orange elements are highlighted when the laptop is running. Although the top cover is thin enough, the material has a high degree of rigidity. Thanks to this, the frame does not bend when pressed.

The second area where the engineers have spared aluminum is the area around the keyboard and touchpad. The use of metal is justified for two reasons: it makes the design more elegant, and also plays the role of protection from physical damage. The rest of the body is made of matte black plastic. This material perfectly complements the overall picture.

The bottom of this model contains ventilation holes. In the corners there are rubberized legs that give the laptop stability. By the way, here the designers also decided to play on the contrast, making the legs in orange.

Opening the laptop, the user will see a large enough monitor in front of him. It is surrounded by frames. On the sides, the thickness of the frames is the same, but at the top it is slightly larger. This is due to the fact that there is a webcam on top, as well as a pair of microphones. The bottom frame is traditionally decorated with the inscription Republic of Gamers.

The power button is quite interesting. Here she is part of the keyboard. The location of this key is at the top right above the numpad. A little to the left of the power button is the branded key, decorated with the ROG emblem. Pressing this button activates an application called ROG Gaming Center. This program acts as a kind of command center from which you can launch other useful applications. In addition, the system status can be easily monitored through the Gaming Center.

However, everything is not limited to programs. To make it easier for the user to monitor the operation of the device, the engineers have equipped it with a series of LED indicators. These bulbs are located on the front edge of the device under the touchpad. LEDs are presented:

power indicator;
an indicator showing the battery charge level;
a light showing the activity of the subsystem responsible for storing important data;
adapter operating mode indicator;
light that shows if the Caps Lock key is on.

The two parts of the laptop case are connected together by a pair of hinge hinges. The movement of the loops is quite convenient. To open or close the device, you need to use a minimum of effort, but at the same time the given level of inclination is kept well. By the way, about the tilt level - the opening angle of the gadget can reach 120 degrees.

Separately, it is worth talking about control devices. The keyboard is membrane-based. So that during work there were no such incidents as pressing two adjacent buttons at the same time, the distance between them was increased. The travel of the buttons is 2.5 millimeters. To press, you need to apply a force equal to 65 grams. The dimensions of the keys are quite usual - 15.5x15.5 mm. The spacing between the buttons is 3.5 mm. The color scheme of the keys is also standard. The buttons themselves are made in black, and the alphabetic and numeric symbols on them are in white.

The ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE laptop would not have been a gaming laptop if its keyboard had not been equipped with a four-zone RGB backlight. It can be customized using the Aura utility. Fortunately, this application is immediately available on the device, so you don't have to look for it additionally. Typically, another key metric for a gaming laptop is the allocation of WASD keys. Here it is also there, but, which is extremely pleasant, the designers decided to do without contrast. The side edges of the mentioned buttons are made of white translucent material. Thus, the WASD zone seems to stand out, but still fits harmoniously into the overall design. By the way, the keyboard supports up to 30 simultaneous keystrokes.

The touchpad is represented by a touch surface with dimensions of 105x74 mm. By the way, it is more correct to call this area a clickpad, since pressing the touch area simulates pressing a button. The working area is slightly deepened. Thus, it is separated from the entire keyboard panel.

As for the dimensions, they are quite compact - 415x273x30 mm. This model weighs only 2.8 kg (with the battery included). Due to this size and weight, this gadget can be considered a full-fledged laptop, and not a stationary PC stylized as a laptop.

ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE: screen specifications

The output of a high-quality picture during operation is provided by a matte display with a diagonal of 17.3 inches. The screen is based on an IPS matrix. The matrix is equipped with LED backlight. The color of the LEDs is white. The screen is capable of delivering Full HD resolution (in other words, 1920 x 1080 pixels), has an anti-reflective coating that provides good visibility at any angle of external lighting. The aspect ratio of the monitor is quite standard - 16: 9.

It is worth noting that there are two versions of screens: in the first case, the NTSC coverage is 72%. If we talk about other technical properties of the matrix in the maximum configuration, then we can highlight the following points:

the limiting value of brightness is 300 cd per square meter;
pixel response speed - 25 ms;
contrast - 700: 1.

Also, it is worth saying a few words about the quality of light filters. They perfectly distinguish blue color, however, the spectra of green and red suffer a little. In other words, blue overlaps them slightly. In addition, the peak of the red tint is located at around 620 nm. This means that this color is slightly biased towards the orange tint area. Thus, the spectrum of red is narrowed, which affects the color accuracy.

At the same time, despite such a minor flaw, the monitor is characterized by quite a decent transfer of all displayed shades. The color temperature of the display is at around 6200 K.

And finally, the last decent quality of the described screen - it has wide viewing angles - 178 degrees. No matter how the user looks at the monitor (from the side or from above), he will see the picture clearly enough.

In the junior configuration, the viewing angles are smaller, and the NTSC coverage is only 45%.

ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE: technical filling review

The Asus ROG Strix GL753VE laptop is available with two types of processors - Intel Core i7 7700HQ and Intel Core i5 7300HQ. We will dwell on the older configuration in more detail:

CPU. Intel Core i7 brand 7700HQ operates on 4 cores. The initial clock speed of each core is 2800 MHz. This processor lends itself to overclocking. The performance of its cores can be increased by a maximum of 1000 MHz (that is, up to 3800 MHz). The chip supports a technology called Hyper-Threading. Thus, it can process 8 threads at once with 4 physical cores. Chip power is only 45 watts. Moreover, the Intel HM175 Express chipset is integrated directly into the processor. The younger version of the ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE laptop uses a 7300HQ Intel Core i5 processor. It is less productive, but such a device will cost less.
Video card. It is clear that the integrated graphics processor is not suitable for running modern games, so the engineers equipped their brainchild with a discrete graphics card Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, which has 2 or 4 GB of allocated memory. The memory type of the card is GDDR5. Testing has shown that at maximum load in the older version, the video card itself operates at a frequency of 1695.5 MHz. As for the memory, in a similar situation it shows a frequency of 1752 MHz. An assembly containing a similar card, but already with 2 gigabytes of memory, is cheaper, but it also significantly affects performance. It should be noted that both boards have an important advantage (both for 2 and 4 GB). They support DirectX 12. This technology will provide the maximum clarity of all graphic effects that are in modern games. However, the 1050 Ti is still not a top-end graphics card. It does not do very well with games that have an increased systemic appetite. For example, if you run The Witcher 3 on them, you will definitely have to lower the graphic settings in order for the fps to be acceptable.
RAM. The Asus ROG Strix GL753VE laptop is equipped with two DDR4 card slots. The limited amount of RAM supported by this laptop is 32 GB. In general, the owner can use a very different combination of DDR4 boards: 8 and 4, 8 and 8, 16 and 16 GB. Separately, it is worth mentioning the main advantage of this format of RAM: it provides the highest performance, while consuming a minimum of energy.
Physical memory. In the older assembly (with the 7700HQ processor), the following storage components are provided: a 5400RPM 1 TB SSH hard drive, as well as a 128 GB or 256 GB SATA3 SSD. When purchasing a younger version of the assembly, the user will receive: a 7200RPM SSH hard drive for 1 TB, a PCIE Gen3X4 SSD with a volume of 256 or 512 GB.

It should be noted that the Asus ROG Strix GL753VE laptop runs on Windows 10 Home pre-installed. This means that many games and other applications will run well on it (here we mean high-quality optimization).

Well, a kind of cherry on top is a modern cooling system called Cooling Overboost. It allows you to adjust the fan speed. This is an extremely important point, because the user will squeeze the maximum out of the coolers only when it is really necessary. According to the developers, Cooling Overboost will be able to maintain the highest performance of technical elements at any level of their load.

Networking, interfaces and multimedia Asus ROG Strix GL753VE

The laptop in question can connect to the Internet via a cable (for this, an RJ-45 connector is provided). In addition, the model supports Wi-Fi network. Another nice addition is Bluetooth 4.0 support.

As for the functional connectors, this laptop is equipped with everything you need:

three inputs for USB 3.0;
one port for USB 2.0;
one socket for USB Type-A;
one HDMI port.

If we talk about multimedia capabilities, then this laptop can do almost everything. It will provide its owner with a pleasant chat on Skype, as it is equipped with a solid webcam, giving HD-quality. The integrated speakers are positioned so that during operation they will direct sound directly to the player. Thanks to this, the user will perfectly hear every sound made in the game. The engineers took into account that modern gamers love to participate in massive gaming sessions, where online communication is provided. Especially for this, they equipped their brainchild with a high-quality microphone array capable of suppressing extraneous noise. If the player is not satisfied with the quality of the speakers and built-in microphones, it doesn't matter. The model has a combo headphone and microphone input so that the user can fully enjoy the soundtrack of the game and lead discussions during gaming sessions.

The obvious characteristic of this device is that it plays almost all formats of music and movies. The only thing that the Asus ROG Strix GL753VE laptop cannot do is to optimally reproduce videos in Ultra HD quality (although this cannot be considered a serious sin yet).

But an optical disk drive will be a pleasant surprise for gamers over 20 years old. It would seem, what's the big deal? It's all about the desire of some avid gamers to collect disc collections of games. With a DVD player, they will be able to buy games on physical media, replenishing their "inventory". So to speak, a trifle, but nice (at least to someone).

Autonomy of the laptop ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE

For operation from the network, a complete 120 W power supply is provided. If electricity suddenly goes out, the device will function autonomously on a lithium-ion battery. The battery is a 4-cell architecture. The battery capacity is 48W / h. Continuous video playback will drain the battery in approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes. If you start the game, the battery capacity will last for less than an hour.

As you can see, the battery life of this model is far from ideal, although this phenomenon is considered normal for gaming laptops.

Asus ROG Strix GL753VE - price

So we reviewed the Asus ROG Strix GL753VE gaming laptop. We can say that this is a worthy representative of the line of portable gaming computers. This model has a beautiful and solid construction, convenient controls, a good display, and quite normal hardware. Of course, the available filling is not enough to run the most demanding games at the maximum, but this is quite natural, given the not too high cost of the device.

The price of ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE in Russia is about 85 670 rubles. The indicated cost is average. The exact price depends on the point of sale and the installed technical filling.

In the following video presentation, you can learn more about the package and design of the device: