Just because the summer break is nearly over doesn't mean you have to return to school with the same boring old laptop. These days, a powerful computer that's compact enough to be with you at all times is super convenient. It's hard to strike that balance between portability and performance, but we've got two awesome deals that do exactly that. Right now, you can get your hands on two different Asus ROG gaming laptops—the Zephyrus G14 and Strix G16—for a massive discount, blending work and gaming seamlessly.
First up, we have the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. There are two models on sale at the moment, both equipped with a gorgeous 3K OLED display running at 120Hz. That's fast and sharp enough for even the most seasoned professionals. You can get the RTX 5060 model with 16GB of RAM for just $1,349, while the model with the RTX 5070 Ti and 32GB of RAM will cost you $2,049. You save a whopping $450 on the former, and $350 on the latter. The RTX 5060 model, therefore, offers a better value proposition, and it's paired with a budget-oriented AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor. The laptop is built well overall, nailing all the fundamentals like the trackpad and keyboard, and decent battery life that won't run out in the middle of a presentation.
In our testing, last year's G14 with a Ryzen 9 8945HS and an RTX 4060 performed well for its size and stature. It ran most games at 60 FPS or above at 1080p, and the CPU churned out decent numbers in synthetic benchmarks. While the Ryzen AI 9 270 is essentially just a rebranded 8945HS, the GPU is a noticeable upgrade, so expect more performance out of that 5060. It may not be able to handle 4K multi-stream video editing, but working on complex spreadsheets while getting in a quick gaming session should be easy, especially if you opt for the 5070 Ti variant with 32GB of RAM. Keep in mind that the memory is soldered, so that option can be enticing if you don't plan on upgrading till school's over.
If you're looking for a bit more juice, Asus has got another excellent gaming laptop for you: the ROG Strix G16, for only $1,549. This one's a big boy, featuring a 16" screen with a 165Hz refresh rate powered by an RTX 5070 Ti and an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX under the hood. As such, this laptop is not as slim as the Zephyrus but packs even more of a punch due to its high-performance 140W 5070 Ti, compared to 110W you'd get on the Zephyrus G14. There's 16GB of RAM on board, and the screen, while not OLED, still has a decent 1600x1200 resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio, great for seeing just a little more in your browser tabs.
When it comes to performance, the newer Strix G16 aced our testing, but that model is equipped with a much faster CPU, so we won't directly compare numbers. Still, just for reference, you can expect to run pretty much any game at 1440p with more than 60 FPS or play esports titles at 1080p while doubling your frame rate. For professional work, the CPU will keep up aplty with its 16 cores so you can actually edit 4K video without hassle this time. The build quality of the Strix G16 is great, but the design is a bit more brash with its RGB strip around the chassis, so you might stand out a bit in class. The trackpad, keyboard, and battery life are all sufficient; however, the speakers leave a little to be desired.
Regardless of which laptop you choose, they're both great options that offer solid bang for your buck. You get a performant machine that's lightweight and easy to travel with, or you get a gaming powerhouse that can easily replace a desktop. Either way, the price is right. Don't miss out, or you might be stuck with that slow Chromebook for the rest of the year!
If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.
