4 ms·

Asus is the hidden gem in quality laptops. Where else are you getting $800 laptops with Nvidia 6gb vram? I've been using them for 1 decade for professional, p

Asus is the hidden gem in quality laptops. Where else are you getting $800 laptops with Nvidia 6gb vram? I've been using them for 1 decade for professional, personal, and gaming purposes. I only have added RAM/SSDs and changed batteries over the last 10 years. I wonder why they aren't so widespread. I imagine its a marketing thing, they just don't have the connections to US big business/schools like leveno/apple/hp does.

boppo1 2y ago
How's the linux support?
- resource_waste 2y ago
  I'm running Linux on mine! I had to use modern linux (Fedora). Worked out great. Previously I had been on Debain family distros like Ubuntu and Mint. I had no idea those were so outdated/crappy until I tried Fedora. Now I'm a complete Fedora convert. Fedora is sooo nice.
  - lnxg33k1 2y ago
    You can use Debian Sid which is modern and stable, also for others who think that Debian is too old, the true Debian for desktop is only Sid imho
    - resource_waste 2y ago
      Haha I'm never going back to Debian family. I used to think Linux was kind of a cheap crappy knockoff OS. Nope, just Debain-family distros. After using Fedora, I continue to feel like I'm in the year 2030. I genuinely feel bad for Windows users because they havent tried something as nice as Fedora.
- tvshtr 2y ago
  Generalny shitty and depends on the line. Their newest Zenbook line had multple non-working components (sound amongst them) for years. And they came with partially broken BIOSes which aren't going to be ever fixed. Also my OLED screen unglued itself 2 weeks after the warranty ended.
- speed_spread 2y ago
  Got a 2021 G14. Running Fedora Kinoite, everything works except fingerprint reader. Super stable, KDE Wayland on AMD iGPU and running Steam games using the Nvidia dGPU. Battery life not great - it's a gaming laptop! But fans are quiet. It's a great portable workstation, especially with 40G RAM. And it was _cheap_.
userbinator 2y ago
Like most laptops, they're just another OEM rebadging where you pay less for the name than the others. The one in this article is actually a Quanta NJP.
guitarbill 2y ago
Well, they may be cheap, but that alone doesn't seem enough to me. I guess different people look for different things. I had a Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, and I'd rank it as one of the worst laptops I've ever owned (edit: don't even think it was that cheap). Including the awesome "feature" that it can't be run in clamshell mode, otherwise it will overheat and shut down. That took a while to debug. I also know of at least 2 other people who were not happy with the thermal performance. They were able to mod it, which is cool (pun intended), but it's disappointing that's even necessary.
- Filligree 2y ago
  I've yet to find a _good_ laptop. There's always something wrong with them, from 'poor trackpad' to 'nonexistent linux support' to 'doesn't have a decent GPU'... and of course the crowd favourite, 'nvidia GPU randomly fails to shut off, sucking 10W extra at all times'. I don't know where I'd even start. I've bought several that had excellent reviews, yet didn't work.
  - nolist_policy 2y ago
    I hope gaming Chromebooks become a reality. (There is a Steam for Chromebook Beta)
  - vel0city 2y ago
    My favorite laptop I've ever owned so far has been a $300 Walmart laptop, Motile M141. But I guess that would fit in with "doesn't have a decent GPU". I didn't get it as a gaming PC. If I do game on it, I'm doing cloud gaming/Parsec streaming. I've upgraded the RAM, the storage, and the WiFi (Intel 6E adapter, better cloud gaming) on it. It survived being left out on the patio table in a major rain storm. I don't know what I'll get to replace it when it finally dies, but I can't imagine I'll find anything with nearly the level of value I got out of this machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hMdQAjy43A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hMdQAjy43A
- thescriptkiddie 2y ago
  I bought the 2020 model of the G14, which has the absolutely cursed combination of both an Nvidia and AMD GPU. The fans never shut off, it randomly fails to wake up from sleep, the touchpad requires an inconsistent amount of force to click, and the battery life is really only 2 hours rather than the advertised 10.
absolute8606 2y ago
On the contrary, I've had terrible luck with Asus laptops. Most of my issues have been with their gaming laptops but I have had at least one Zenbook die on me as well. But I've had four other gaming laptops, from multiple different market segments. Desktop hardware I've had better luck with, but between my own experience and the multitude of reports online about warranty issues people have faced with other products, I can't in good faith recommend them to people.
kiririn 2y ago
There’s a reason they are so cheap - their laptop motherboard failure rates are the worst in the industry. Source: northridgefix on youtube
- userbinator 2y ago
  I'm not sure that's an accurate interpretation. They are cheap, and thus more popular, so repair shops will see more of them in comparison to more expensive brands.
p_j_w 2y ago
I can't speak for anyone else, but when I've used Asus devices in the past (tablets, a watch, etc), they've been hot garbage that didn't last more than 18 months. Maybe they've improved with their laptops, but I've been burned enough by them that I don't care to drop the money to experiment.
- nubinetwork 2y ago
  I would argue that all laptops run like that. I've never owned a laptop that didn't have overheating issues, you just can't fit a desktop sized heatsink into something 1-2 inches thick.
  - adrian_b 2y ago
    You are right when speaking about thin and light laptops. I have been using already for many years a Dell Precision 15" mobile workstation laptop, which does not have any overheating issues. In steady state, i.e. for an indefinite time, its Xeon CPU can dissipate 60 W without overheating and with an only audible, but not annoying, fan noise (the CPU is configured for a 60 W power limit, even if its nominal TDP is 45 W). The NVIDIA Quadro GPU must be able to dissipate simultaneously more than the CPU, perhaps 75 W or 90 W, but I do not know how the GPU power limit has been configured. This laptop is rather thick and heavy, but not enough to bother me when carrying it in a backpack, and it has perfect Linux support. I do not know if the current Dell Precision mobile workstations have retained a so good quality as mine (which is the 2016 top 15" model). While a thick and heavy laptop can provide good cooling, such mobile workstations or gaming laptops are quite overpriced. For a computer that must be carried in a backpack or briefcase, but which is intended to be used only plugged in the mains electricity supply, it is possible to achieve better cooling, higher performance, a much lower price and also a noticeably lower total weight by replacing a big laptop with a portable monitor, e.g. a 17" one, a compact keyboard and a SFF computer, e.g. a NUC-like computer with a volume between 0.5 L and 1.0 L.
mook 2y ago
Asus is a pretty large brand, not really "hidden". Also, they don't have the greatest reputation for warranty repairs. They were on the shortlist for my current phone and I opted for something else due to that (a while before their media attention).
dawnerd 2y ago
I love the g14. The build quality isn’t perfect but the trackpad is awesome and price to performance is great, especially if you stick to the previous year model and get it heavily discounted. Shame they moved away from user upgradable memory.

boppo1 2y ago

How's the linux support?

resource_waste 2y ago
I'm running Linux on mine! I had to use modern linux (Fedora). Worked out great. Previously I had been on Debain family distros like Ubuntu and Mint. I had no idea those were so outdated/crappy until I tried Fedora. Now I'm a complete Fedora convert. Fedora is sooo nice.
- lnxg33k1 2y ago
  You can use Debian Sid which is modern and stable, also for others who think that Debian is too old, the true Debian for desktop is only Sid imho
  - resource_waste 2y ago
    Haha I'm never going back to Debian family. I used to think Linux was kind of a cheap crappy knockoff OS. Nope, just Debain-family distros. After using Fedora, I continue to feel like I'm in the year 2030. I genuinely feel bad for Windows users because they havent tried something as nice as Fedora.
tvshtr 2y ago
Generalny shitty and depends on the line. Their newest Zenbook line had multple non-working components (sound amongst them) for years. And they came with partially broken BIOSes which aren't going to be ever fixed. Also my OLED screen unglued itself 2 weeks after the warranty ended.
speed_spread 2y ago
Got a 2021 G14. Running Fedora Kinoite, everything works except fingerprint reader. Super stable, KDE Wayland on AMD iGPU and running Steam games using the Nvidia dGPU. Battery life not great - it's a gaming laptop! But fans are quiet. It's a great portable workstation, especially with 40G RAM. And it was _cheap_.

userbinator 2y ago

Like most laptops, they're just another OEM rebadging where you pay less for the name than the others. The one in this article is actually a Quanta NJP.

guitarbill 2y ago

Well, they may be cheap, but that alone doesn't seem enough to me. I guess different people look for different things. I had a Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, and I'd rank it as one of the worst laptops I've ever owned (edit: don't even think it was that cheap). Including the awesome "feature" that it can't be run in clamshell mode, otherwise it will overheat and shut down. That took a while to debug. I also know of at least 2 other people who were not happy with the thermal performance. They were able to mod it, which is cool (pun intended), but it's disappointing that's even necessary.

Filligree 2y ago
I've yet to find a _good_ laptop. There's always something wrong with them, from 'poor trackpad' to 'nonexistent linux support' to 'doesn't have a decent GPU'... and of course the crowd favourite, 'nvidia GPU randomly fails to shut off, sucking 10W extra at all times'. I don't know where I'd even start. I've bought several that had excellent reviews, yet didn't work.
- nolist_policy 2y ago
  I hope gaming Chromebooks become a reality. (There is a Steam for Chromebook Beta)
- vel0city 2y ago
  My favorite laptop I've ever owned so far has been a $300 Walmart laptop, Motile M141. But I guess that would fit in with "doesn't have a decent GPU". I didn't get it as a gaming PC. If I do game on it, I'm doing cloud gaming/Parsec streaming. I've upgraded the RAM, the storage, and the WiFi (Intel 6E adapter, better cloud gaming) on it. It survived being left out on the patio table in a major rain storm. I don't know what I'll get to replace it when it finally dies, but I can't imagine I'll find anything with nearly the level of value I got out of this machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hMdQAjy43A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hMdQAjy43A
thescriptkiddie 2y ago
I bought the 2020 model of the G14, which has the absolutely cursed combination of both an Nvidia and AMD GPU. The fans never shut off, it randomly fails to wake up from sleep, the touchpad requires an inconsistent amount of force to click, and the battery life is really only 2 hours rather than the advertised 10.

absolute8606 2y ago

On the contrary, I've had terrible luck with Asus laptops. Most of my issues have been with their gaming laptops but I have had at least one Zenbook die on me as well. But I've had four other gaming laptops, from multiple different market segments. Desktop hardware I've had better luck with, but between my own experience and the multitude of reports online about warranty issues people have faced with other products, I can't in good faith recommend them to people.

kiririn 2y ago

There’s a reason they are so cheap - their laptop motherboard failure rates are the worst in the industry. Source: northridgefix on youtube

userbinator 2y ago
I'm not sure that's an accurate interpretation. They are cheap, and thus more popular, so repair shops will see more of them in comparison to more expensive brands.

p_j_w 2y ago

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I've used Asus devices in the past (tablets, a watch, etc), they've been hot garbage that didn't last more than 18 months. Maybe they've improved with their laptops, but I've been burned enough by them that I don't care to drop the money to experiment.

nubinetwork 2y ago
I would argue that all laptops run like that. I've never owned a laptop that didn't have overheating issues, you just can't fit a desktop sized heatsink into something 1-2 inches thick.
- adrian_b 2y ago
  You are right when speaking about thin and light laptops. I have been using already for many years a Dell Precision 15" mobile workstation laptop, which does not have any overheating issues. In steady state, i.e. for an indefinite time, its Xeon CPU can dissipate 60 W without overheating and with an only audible, but not annoying, fan noise (the CPU is configured for a 60 W power limit, even if its nominal TDP is 45 W). The NVIDIA Quadro GPU must be able to dissipate simultaneously more than the CPU, perhaps 75 W or 90 W, but I do not know how the GPU power limit has been configured. This laptop is rather thick and heavy, but not enough to bother me when carrying it in a backpack, and it has perfect Linux support. I do not know if the current Dell Precision mobile workstations have retained a so good quality as mine (which is the 2016 top 15" model). While a thick and heavy laptop can provide good cooling, such mobile workstations or gaming laptops are quite overpriced. For a computer that must be carried in a backpack or briefcase, but which is intended to be used only plugged in the mains electricity supply, it is possible to achieve better cooling, higher performance, a much lower price and also a noticeably lower total weight by replacing a big laptop with a portable monitor, e.g. a 17" one, a compact keyboard and a SFF computer, e.g. a NUC-like computer with a volume between 0.5 L and 1.0 L.

mook 2y ago

Asus is a pretty large brand, not really "hidden". Also, they don't have the greatest reputation for warranty repairs. They were on the shortlist for my current phone and I opted for something else due to that (a while before their media attention).

dawnerd 2y ago

I love the g14. The build quality isn’t perfect but the trackpad is awesome and price to performance is great, especially if you stick to the previous year model and get it heavily discounted. Shame they moved away from user upgradable memory.