Asus ROG Launches G551 and G771 Gaming Notebooks
On Tuesday, Asus added two new models to its line of G Series gaming laptops with the G551 and G771. Launched under the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand, these two laptops include Nvidia's GeForce GTX 860M GPU with 2 GB or 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, depending on the model.
The Asus G771JM features a 17.3-inch screen. Again, depending on the model, the panel will either be an IPS display at 1920 x 1080, a TN display at 1920 x 1080, or a normal LCD with a 1600 x 900 resolution. This model also has an assortment of storage options including 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM hard drives, PCIe-based storage and SSDs.
The smaller G551JM features a 15.6-inch screen. Like the larger model, this laptop provides three display options: IPS with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a TN panel with the same resolution and an LCD with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Storage options consist of 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM hard drives, a 256 GB SSD and an optional 24 GB SSD for cache.
The new laptops include either the Intel Core i7-4710HQ or the Core i5-4200H. There are also two SO-DIMM slots that support up to 16 GB of DDR3L-1600 MHz DRAM. Other ingredients include Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, gigabit Ethernet, an HD camera and an illuminated chiclet keyboard with a numeric keypad. The audio includes an array microphone and the company's SonicMaster Premium technology.
The two new laptops also provide a number of ports including three USB 3.0 ports on the G551 and four USB 3.0 ports on the G771. There is also one mini DisplayPort jack, one HDMI port, one external subwoofer port and one combo audio jack. All of this is powered by a 5200 mAh Li-ion battery.
"Aesthetically, the G Series exudes ROG DNA, sporting a premium matte-black brushed-aluminum finish, red diamond-cut edges and an illuminated ROG logo on the lid," the press release said. "In keeping with the ROG theme, the G Series has a seamless one-piece chiclet keyboard and specially-marked WASD keys for easy navigation and gameplay. The backlit keys glow red to make it easy for gamers to read keys in dim environments, and further adds to the ROG mystique."
So how big are these laptops? The specifications show that the 15-inch laptop measures 15.07 x 10.04 x 1.23 inches and weighs 5.95 pounds, whereas the larger model measures 16.33 x 11.02 x 1.40 inches and weighs 7.50 pounds. Not too bad for gaming notebooks.
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Asus did not provide pricing or the actual availability.
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d_kuhn I've not owned a PC with only 1080p res in years... when I think of "gaming" machines I generally think of systems that cost more and push the performance envelope, 1440p should be entry level for that tier IMO... but clearly for Windows laptop it's not, and I don't get it. My cell phone is the same resolution as these laptops... that just doesn't seem right.Reply -
Jebusman I've not owned a PC with only 1080p res in years... when I think of "gaming" machines I generally think of systems that cost more and push the performance envelope, 1440p should be entry level for that tier IMO... but clearly for Windows laptop it's not, and I don't get it. My cell phone is the same resolution as these laptops... that just doesn't seem right.
Your cell phone isn't going to drive high end desktop tier graphics at that resolution though. And with an GTX 860M, neither will this laptop. 1080p, or even 900p, is a more suitable resolution for the kind of power that a 860M will put out. -
lpedraja2002 I've not owned a PC with only 1080p res in years... when I think of "gaming" machines I generally think of systems that cost more and push the performance envelope, 1440p should be entry level for that tier IMO... but clearly for Windows laptop it's not, and I don't get it. My cell phone is the same resolution as these laptops... that just doesn't seem right.
What's the point of having a 1440p monitor resolution on a laptop when you'll have to sacrifice visual quality just to be able to play a game. You'll probably need a dual video card setup and everything set to low just to compensate.
Would you prefer gaming with everything on high at 1366x768, 1600x 900 and 1080p or everything at low on 1440p? -
soldier44 1080p has become meh on laptops. After using my desktop for years at 2560 x 1600 30 inches and a Samsung tablet S with the same resolution I'm never going backwards. 4k is my next purchase got to move up in tech not back.Reply -
fudoka711 Guys, these are gaming laptops. Until we can get current-gen high end desktop graphics cards to fit inside a teeny tiny space, 1440p just doesn't make sense on a gaming laptop. It doesn't matter if you have a desktop that runs 1440p well - they're totally different. I know there are laptops with a resolution >1440p (i.e. Razer Blade) that are categorized as gaming laptops, but they can't max everything at that high of a resolution. Max resolution at 1080p looks better than med-high at 1440p.Reply
If you're more into graphics design or photography and need mobility, then a 1440p laptop makes more sense. -
ferooxidan Did I just see a Lenovo? Oh wait it's ASUS! finally they decided to make a slimmer gaming laptop that won't hurt my back. But it really is similar with Lenovo Y50 on color themed and that's the way I like it! Red accent on black/dark grey color is very appealing to my eyes, and yes it is a ROG themes (black and red). Now comes the dilemma between the two choices.Reply -
Innocent_Bystander 1080 is good for the 17" laptop, I'd like to see a 1600x900IPS screen on the 15.6" though. That's the ideal resolution for that panel size.Reply
1080P is good for 24" (1200P is even better) and 1440P is good for 32" if you don't want to go blind reading and editing text. -
BlankInsanity I don't see the big hype for 1080p phone screens like seriously what do you need that for on a 4-6inch screen? not even 14inch screens need more than 1080p. Nothing wrong with a gaming laptop gaming at 1080p is completely reasonable, but having 1080p on a phone, not really necessaryReply -
hst101rox Booo, the CPU isn't upgradeable, it is soldered! MSI did it right with the GT60 and GT70 with a socketed CPU so it could have the 4940MX Extreme CPU but not possible with the new Asus gaming laptops, or the latest gaming laptop by MSI, the GT72. Booooo. Not an enthusiast machine.Reply