Asus ROG Zephyrus Max-Q Gaming Laptop Now Available

Asus announced the ROG Zephyrus--its thinnest, lightest, and most powerful gaming laptop--back at Computex. It's now available.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus comes in two different models, the GX501VI-XS74 and GX501VS-XS71. Both feature an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor with 16GB of DDR4-2400 memory on an Intel HM175 chipset motherboard. Both versions also sport the same 15.6” anti-glare FHD (1920 x 1080) display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync onboard.

The storage and GPU options are the only differences between the two Zephyrus models, with the GX501VI-XS74 sporting a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, and the GX501VS-XS71 featuring a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD and a GeForce GTX 1070. Both versions take advantage of Nvidia’s Max-Q design philosophy, which is designed to make them impressively thin, light, and powerful.

Cooling is of the upmost importance in the Asus Zephyrus, considering the small footprint and the powerful hardware. The laptop pulls air from below and above, with blower-style fans open on both sides of the bottom, in addition to tiny holes above the keyboard that also draw in fresh air. The fans themselves are made from a liquid-crystal polymer, which allows for thinner blades (33% thinner, according to Asus).

The air is exhausted out vents in the edges of the body, with dual radiators channeling air out the back. The GPU and CPU have individual heat pipes, in addition to shared heat pipes. The MOSFETs, chokes, and power circuitry also get their own heat pipe, and the hinge of the laptop opens to create a 6mm gap that helps the fans take in even more air. This cooling system stands out among other Max-Q laptops.

Connectivity options on the two Zephyrus laptops are the same, with a USB 3.1 (Gen2) Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, four USB 3.1 (Type-A) ports, an HDMI 2.0 display output, and a 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack. The Zephyrus also features 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth and a built-in HD camera and array microphone.

The keyboard features chiclet caps with a 1.4mm travel distance, in addition to a 30-key rollover. Aura RGB backlighting illuminates the keyboard, and it can be controlled using Asus’s software. The Asus Zephyrus also manages to stuff a 4-cell 50WH battery into the tiny chassis.

The flagship Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VI-XS74 (with a GTX 1080) is available now from Amazon, Newegg, Asus’ website, and other leading online retailers with an MSRP of $2,699. The Zephyrus GX501VS-XS71 (GTX 1070) is due to arrive in August at a suggested MSRP of $2,299.

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Asus ProductROG Zephyrus GX501VI-XS74ROG Zephyrus GX501VS-XS71
ProcessorIntel Core i7-7700HQ
ChipsetIntel HM175
Memory16GB DDR4-2400
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 1080Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
Storage512GB M.2 PCIe SSD256GB M.2 PCIe SSD
Ports- USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen2, TB3)- USB 3.1 Type-A x4- HDMI 2.0- 3.5mm Headphone/Mic Combo
Networking802.11ac Wi-Fi w/ Bluetooth
Battery4-cell 50WH
Dimensions26.2 x 37.9 x 1.69cm
Weight4.85lbs.
MSRP$2,699$2,299
Derek Forrest
Derek Forrest is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He writes hardware news and reviews gaming desktops and laptops.
  • dstarr3
    Wow, that's a gorgeous piece of kit. Too bad the price also reflects that.
    Reply
  • DerekA_C
    on high end parts from Intel and nvidia are always over priced even for computer manufacturers more excited for the 6 and 8 core zen laptops coming F Intel and Nvidia tired of the price gouging just like Samsung did and does with TV's, Monitors and SSD's and have been sued billions all over the world for forcing market to hold LCD TV's at an extremely long and high price margin.
    Reply
  • Decends
    Meh, im looking forward to the ROG Strix GL702ZC more.
    Reply
  • scook9
    That battery is laughably small for the components inside, they completely missed the portability aspect of the thin-and-light laptops they are imitating
    Reply
  • Stubbies
    "its thinnest, lightest, and most powerful gaming laptop"


    Thinnest and lightest I can give it but it is certainly NOT the most powerful gaming laptop from Asus. That title would go to the GX800 which is a beast of a laptop but is certainly more powerful than this one. If the caveat of it MUST be a thin and light laptop to be compared had been added in then this is probably correct.
    Reply
  • ericguizzetti
    I wonder if this laptop only sports 1 dim of Memory or will we eventually see a 32Gig variant?
    Reply