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.